What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

US Men's National Team (2 Viewers)

Sebowski said:
Think Lando already has his "lololoolol" tweet all typed up and ready to go for whenever Klinsi gets the axe?
Click to expand...
he has been more active on twitter than normal.  Here was his latest.  Sounds like he is drinking some of the Frankie juice :)

Landon Donovan ‏@landondonovan  Mar 26
Lots of upset @ussoccer fans today and understandably so. Remember, it's just one bad result and we will win the next 3 games and qualify
 
Last edited by a moderator:
From Wahl

====================

Surprise: Guatemalan FA hoping cases involving Carlos Ruiz & Hamilton López get resolved in time to travel to US WCQ

 
Last edited by a moderator:
CGRdrJoe said:
To be exact that tweet will come out in 9 months when he comes off his "sabbatical"
Click to expand...
We probably won't know until if and when Landon has a bio out some day but I have always thought the dropping from the WC went well beyond the sabbatical.

Klinsmann's kid does not make that tweet unless there was something personal happening off the field between the two that we were not privy too.  Up until that point, Landon had never said anything publicly negative about JK, so it had to have been something off the field imo.

 
Yup. Howard took a sabbatical, got dropped from his starting xi at club level and walked right between the pipes for the Nats. Sabbatical had nothing to do with anything. Just Klinsmann being an ###. 

 
Sebowski said:
I didn't know it was an elected type of position. Who votes? 
Click to expand...
It is a mix of representatives from adult amateur soccer, youth soccer, and pro soccer.  There are a lot of different groups and agendas that need to be lobbied.

I think Sunil has run unopposed the last two elections.

 
NewlyRetired said:
It is a mix of representatives from adult amateur soccer, youth soccer, and pro soccer.  There are a lot of different groups and agendas that need to be lobbied.

I think Sunil has run unopposed the last two elections.
Click to expand...
I'm cool with Sunil. Good to have a consistent voice internationally. Seems like he is building relationships on that level. I don't fault him for the Klinsmann hire. It's what everybody wanted at the time. Even with the demands. 

 
Sebowski said:
I'm cool with Sunil. Good to have a consistent voice internationally. Seems like he is building relationships on that level. I don't fault him for the Klinsmann hire. It's what everybody wanted at the time. Even with the demands. 
Click to expand...
Not everybody. There were lots of folks with serious concerns about Klinsmann's bona fides.  The book on Klinsmann was well-known, and the worst case scenario for him is playing out as his detractors feared. Hes a cheerleader, not a tactics guy, nerver has been any more than that. To think he could run the whole program top to bottom seems naive in hindsight.  

 
I think there is a good chance we see one or both of Zusi and Pulisic.

During the press conference this morning JK mentioned that Bedoya is injured and may not play tomorrow.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Oh my Klinsmann is doubling down.  He has said twice now in the press conference that he has not played any one out of position.
Click to expand...
He's being honest when he says that because in his opinion it's the clubs that are playing these guys out of position, JK is merely playing them in the spots that he thinks they belong in.

 
CGRdrJoe said:
He's being honest when he says that because in his opinion it's the clubs that are playing these guys out of position, JK is merely playing them in the spots that he thinks they belong in.
Click to expand...
Is it one of the issues where he thinks he is smarter than everyone else?  The clubs see these players day in and day out and likely have a better idea where they belong.

More importantly, if what you say is true, JK looks at a player like Mix and sees a DM.   That is kind of scary.

 
Being ignorant of the specific history of hiring/firing USMNT coaches, what's the norm?  I'm assuming that not making the Hex is pretty much a done deal firing right?

 
Can anyone explain Klinsmann's philosophy regarding lineups and tactical systems?  You don't have to agree with it -- but can you explain it?  That's what bugs me -- I can't find anything cohesive or sensible about it.  He's not really even getting his best players on the field a lot of the time.  What in the world is he trying to do?

 
Worm said:
Being ignorant of the specific history of hiring/firing USMNT coaches, what's the norm?  I'm assuming that not making the Hex is pretty much a done deal firing right?
Click to expand...
we have never not made the hex since the format was introduced so yes, I agree that is a 100% chance of being fired.

But that is also closing the barn door after the horse escaped.  The tougher question is should a change be made before that happens.

 
Worm said:
Being ignorant of the specific history of hiring/firing USMNT coaches, what's the norm?  I'm assuming that not making the Hex is pretty much a done deal firing right?
Click to expand...
If we miss the World Cup Klinsmann will be run out on a rail and Gulati might go with him.

 
in terms of recent history, Bradley was fired for results that has not seen JK get a similar treatment with arguably worse results than Bradley.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
wdcrob said:
Can anyone explain Klinsmann's philosophy regarding lineups and tactical systems?  You don't have to agree with it -- but can you explain it?  That's what bugs me -- I can't find anything cohesive or sensible about it.  He's not really even getting his best players on the field a lot of the time.  What in the world is he trying to do?
Click to expand...
Rob, he is a tough nut to crack.  What he says and what he does are not always consistent, making evaluating his decisions difficult.

As Cleatius mentioned above the book on him coming in was that he struggled with tactics and player positioning and that appears to continue to obstruct his ability to get the most out of the team.

I think we all acknowledge the team's quality is weak overall, but I feel like he is getting less out of the team than should be expected.  We should not be a run of the mill Concacaf side.  At worse we should be a clear #2 to Mexico, but we are dropping games that historically we have never done in the modern era.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Rob, he is a tough nut to crack.  What he says and what he does are not always consistent, making evaluating his decisions difficult.

As Cleatius mentioned above the book on him coming in was that he struggled with tactics and player positioning and that appears to continue to obstruct his ability to get the most out of the team.

I think we all acknowledge the team's quality is weak overall, but I feel like he is getting less out of the team than should be expected.  We should not be a run of the mill Concacaf side.  At worse we should be a clear #2 to Mexico, but we are dropping games that historically we have never done in the modern era.
Click to expand...
That's the thing:

--This team simply doesn't have the talent to compete at any significant level.  They may get an occasional inspired win against a better quality side, but the cohesiveness of this team (or lack thereof) is worse than any I can remember watching (albeit from a limited knowledge compared to most of you) will keep them from making any kind of run in any real kind of situation.

--He may feel he's playing these players in their "true" positions, but even if he's right, due to the fact that they don't play in them on a regular basis makes the end product horrendous.  It's ok to move 1 or 2 guys, but when half the team has guys playing in an unfamiliar role, you get results like this past week

--If he's bad at tactical managing and playing players out of position, then his strength should be to get the players to buy in and play better as a unit.  But that doesn't seem to be the case.  The team never has a look of confidence out there and I don't see any of the players rallying behind him.  So his actual "strength" is non-existent which only compounds his obvious weaknesses as the USMNT coach

--I defer this question to NR and anyone else that might now, but how has he done from a recruiting standpoint?  I remember that being a big thing a few years ago as another strength of his.  Are we getting some of these guys that could commit to other countries to come and play here?  I sure hope so.

 
gianmarco said:
--I defer this question to NR and anyone else that might now, but how has he done from a recruiting standpoint?  I remember that being a big thing a few years ago as another strength of his.  Are we getting some of these guys that could commit to other countries to come and play here?  I sure hope so.
Click to expand...
he has done an excellent job here imo.

It is not his fault that both Zelalem and Green might be busts.  He has had an open door policy and for the most part it seems to be working.

Sadly, our dual nationals are not that much better than what we produce here.  Fab has been the best (Jones was capped under Bradley).

 
I'll give him some credit for the duals for sure.  IMO Fab is our best player and has been for two years.  Brooks looks like he could be a long-term starter.  Some of the others didn't pan out, but he still got them on board when it looked like they might.

But I'm talking strictly about tactics, formations and starter selection.  I can't find ANY framework that fits what he's done.

 
My perspective (admittedly, until recently almost all of my viewing was national team games) is that under Bradley and Arena, we played defensively and looked for the counter. Our only offense was to blast the ball downfield and hope somebody could run under it.     The team had some success with those tactics, but even at the pinnacle of that game we weren't going to beat the top level teams. One defensive lapse and a whole game is basically lost.

With Klinsmann, it seems like the team does have an attacking plan, but the animated jungle animals in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks collectively have better first touch and ball skills than our player pool. So, while we are not a "good" attacking minded team, we are seeing more or less the same results as we did when we were a "good" defend/counter team. The problem is for every result we get against a "big" team, we get a dud like Friday.

none of this should be viewed as defending Klinsmann's personnel and position choices. Some of these are just stunningly bad. I don't have a problem with the Donovan thing, but it's like he just pulls names out of a hat for defensive positions.

So, all that aside, if we dump Klinsmann but stay committed to actually possessing the ball (or at least trying to)and attacking, I am fine. If we bring in another coach, turtle up, and go back to dump and chase for offense, I would see that as a huge setback.

 
great post @Rustoleum

As someone who wants to see the US continue to try and become a more possession oriented team, how do we get around your acknowledgement that the team lacks touch?

 Do you feel that if the make up of the team was changed (bringing in players who are stronger on the ball like say Sacha or Benny) would help, or do you think we just need to suck it up and realize to make this change we might have to take two steps back to take three forward?

Typically I like the long term approach but the selfish fan in me does not want to see that change process cost us a trip to the WC which will have negative ramifications up and down soccer in the US.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I can't fault the guy for seemingly trying to put the healthiest best 11 onto the field.  Without Fabian, we don't have a logical lineup especially if JK has determined Yedlin isn't an international RB defensively in a 4-4-2 (now watch him slot him there tomorrow).  

I do sort of wonder if he shouldn't just commit to a 3-5-2 this cycle since with Fabian/Zardes/Nagbe/Yedlin on the wings and Bradley/Bedoya/???? in the center of the field.  We don't have the dedicated outside backs right now to consistently make a 4-4-2 work.   

 
Sammy3469 said:
I can't fault the guy for seemingly trying to put the healthiest best 11 onto the field.  Without Fabian, we don't have a logical lineup especially if JK has determined Yedlin isn't an international RB defensively in a 4-4-2 (now watch him slot him there tomorrow).  
Click to expand...
If Yedlin can survive playing against EPL attackers at RB he should be adequate enough to play against MLS reserves (which is what Guat started at a few positions) imo.  I think he would be ok there on Tuesday if JK decides Cam should be in the middle for Orozco.  He is certainly no Cherundolo out there though.

Personally I think Yedlin is more of a liability at midfield(as a starter) than at RB especially when you factor in the likelihood that Guat is going to bunker all game.

I don't think any one is faulting him for the injuries.  No injury caused him to play Mix as a DM. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is an interesting if not disturbing  trend.

The last competitive game in which we scored first was the 6-0 against Cuba in the Gold Cup. Since then, we failed to score first (or at all) against Jamaica, Panama, Mexico, St. Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guatemala.

 
What do you guys think about Pulisic playing?

 I would like to see him as a second half sub.  I would be concerned about starting him, not because of his quality, but more to the fact he has never played more than 45 minutes against adults and with hik coming off a cold I would be concerned with his fitness.

 
ok- I was away for the weekend. watched the game live, but couldn't transmit the agony in here. I'm going to spit it out now, and then read through what you all thought of it live. My thoughts...

I knew an away game in central america was going to be tough, especially a Guat type team. That said- if somebody had told me the US would give up two set-piece goals (and almost a third)... no way. I know he tripped, but it's strange not seeing any of the tall CBs in a place to defend the ball when it lands right on the 6 in the middle of the goal. also strange to not see anybody on the posts. also strange to have seen the first corner in that sequence go far post- with no US players marking anybody there.. very easily could have been a goal there too. Nice to see Gonzalez hasn't lost his ball-watching abilities playing in MEX. he seemed to get a really good look at the ball bouncing through to Ruiz, and an equally good look at Ruiz netting it. got to watch him find the space first repeatedly too... speedy, speedy Ruiz.

individual efforts aside, it was disheartening to see Guat win every second ball so clearly and easily. that shows me the tactical shape of the team was all wrong, let alone the individual desire; guys just weren't in the right place (*cough*cough* especially Mix). with Bradley dropped deeper, there was nobody in front of him to receive the ball or win second balls defensively. equally bad was Dempsey's lack of effort to help cover Woods and/or Mix. this left a gaping hole between Bradley and Woods that forced the backs to punch the ball long. Full credit to Guat for getting their shape right, but yuck.

it felt like a bunch of guys- Bradley included, which is crazy- that didn't appear to give the extra effort Frankie Hejduk talked about to step up and help their teammates. lots of ballwatching and lots of runs not made.

I'm not sure what happened with Bedoya, but it felt like the US got zero attack down his wing. seemed like he was pinching in way too much, which denied the US's ability to provide width on the left except for the very rare instances of Castillo pushing forward (not a bad game for him, IMO, aside from blasting the ball at Timmy for the goal conceding corner). No width, no shape through the middle... made a mess of the game.

But still the US generated some attack (especially with Nagbe pulling the strings) and had 4 or 5 super clear chances. despite being essentially one on one, Deuce and Bedoya hit 4 of those right at the keeper's hands instead of... oh- anywhere else. only Jozy got a good shot off to force an equally good save.

Woods needed a busier Deuce, IMO. and somebody else besides Mix to link with. really disappeared after a nice start. Deuce needed... dunno. usual nice skills when on the ball, but seems to get on the ball less and less.  I was hoping to see a Zardoz earlier- give some width and desire to go at guys, plus his pace/athleticism. I was ok with the clang touches if he was going to push that Guat MF back a bit.

and man- that Guat team was not good.

even worse- BeIN's broadcast. really not clear on the need to show the game instead of close-ups and replays. hey- let's show the ref for two minutes instead of the action as we await the half-time whistle. and wtf was doing play-by-play... not JP. Schoen? god-awful. I turned it down as far as I could go without muting it... still heard his dumb-assery booming out of the damned TV.

 
NewlyRetired said:
If Yedlin can survive playing against EPL attackers at RB he should be adequate enough to play against MLS reserves (which is what Guat started at a few positions) imo.  I think he would be ok there on Tuesday if JK decides Cam should be in the middle for Orozco.  He is certainly no Cherundolo out there though.

Personally I think Yedlin is more of a liability at midfield(as a starter) than at RB especially when you factor in the likelihood that Guat is going to bunker all game.

I don't think any one is faulting him for the injuries.  No injury caused him to play Mix as a DM. 
Click to expand...
Yedlin's looked, dare I say it- competent- at RB in the EPL lately. but yeah- those guys the Guats ran out would normally run rings around EPL teams. 

poor Cameron kept wanting to do the right thing out there out wide, but Yedlin in front of him was a mess. 

 
NewlyRetired said:
What do you guys think about Pulisic playing?

 I would like to see him as a second half sub.  I would be concerned about starting him, not because of his quality, but more to the fact he has never played more than 45 minutes against adults and with hik coming off a cold I would be concerned with his fitness.
Click to expand...
tbh- I didn't see enough from him in the Bundesliga or for the Yutes to think he's going to genuinely help the offense. I'd prefer Zardoz in there instead and for Bedoya to stay wider on the other flank.

 
El Floppo said:
Yedlin's looked, dare I say it- competent- at RB in the EPL lately. but yeah- those guys the Guats ran out would normally run rings around EPL teams. 

poor Cameron kept wanting to do the right thing out there out wide, but Yedlin in front of him was a mess. 
Click to expand...
my favorite part was Yedlin and Zardes together on the right.  As poor overall as the Guat players are, they had no one with such low technique as those two.  Putting them together where they need to pass to each other is not very smart imo.

 
I meant to mention Howard... not exactly his fault on either goal- but both goals felt like they were savable by previous versions of Timmy.

 
NewlyRetired said:
my favorite part was Yedlin and Zardes together on the right.  As poor overall as the Guat players are, they had no one with such low technique as those two.  Putting them together where they need to pass to each other is not very smart imo.
Click to expand...
ugh... good point. especially considering I just essentially proposed having them play together on the Right.

 
bentley said:
Terri Leigh - Liverpool fan. I'm in love. And she's used to disappointment.
Click to expand...
funny seeing the Fox Soccer news team out there again (they were just terrible on that nightly news program, as much as I loved it). and I guess terri got some contacts. and by "contacts" I mean doesn't wear glasses any more and had giant boobs installed inside her chest.

 
El Floppo said:
I knew an away game in central america was going to be tough, especially a Guat type team. That said- if somebody had told me the US would give up two set-piece goals (and almost a third)... no way.
Click to expand...
giving up a set piece goal where the free kick was a ### #### goal kick was beyond ludicrous :)

 
NewlyRetired said:
What do you guys think about Pulisic playing?
Click to expand...
#10 with freedom to roam, PLEASE 

When he came on in the second half against Hannover he was AML, irrc. He seems to have a knack for the pass into the final third. 

Now we just need someone who knows how to make those runs. :mellow:

 
El Floppo said:
I meant to mention Howard... not exactly his fault on either goal- but both goals felt like they were savable by previous versions of Timmy.
Click to expand...




he looked so freaking slow. 

On the back pass that went out for a corner, it was like 14" to his right and he couldn't get it 

 
El Floppo said:
. Nice to see Gonzalez hasn't lost his ball-watching abilities playing in MEX. he seemed to get a really good look at the ball bouncing through to Ruiz, and an equally good look at Ruiz netting it. got to watch him find the space first repeatedly too... speedy, speedy Ruiz.
Click to expand...
This picture seems to explain why Gonzo might have been ball watching.  He clearly didn't expect Orozco to take up a position 5 yards behind the rest of the defensive line.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

NewlyRetired
2024 Summer of Soccer - Euro's, Copa America, Olympics, WCQing
94 95 96
Replies
5K
Views
94K
berndog
berndog
K
College Sports Pool - Starts August 24
Replies
0
Views
298
kardplayer
K
titusbramble
  • Locked
FBG FFA Countdown - The Greatest Video Games Ever - project on hold
2 3
Replies
115
Views
2K
FBG Moderator
F

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top