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US Men's National Team (7 Viewers)

jesus Mexico is losing players like crazy for the Gold Cup.   Chucky joins Vela, Hernandez, Herrera, Tecatito and others in missing the Gold Cup

Tom Marshall‏Verified account @mexicoworldcup

FMF's statement on Lozano: “All the studies that took place in Mex, the ones carried out by PSV, as well as by external doctors, were analyzed. We reached the conclusion that to get back to 100% he needs more time than he’d have to be able to compete in the Gold Cup."

 
JaxBill said:
Nigeria has obviously targeted Pomykal as the guy for the hard foul. US pressing for a second goal.
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I keep wanting to control my future thoughts but damn, putting two offensive guys like Mendez and Pomykal with defensive guys like Swag and Adams could make for a fabulous midfield.

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
I've never been a huge fan -- she always seemed like the kid who'd been held back twice dominating the other 7th graders -- but she's the leading goal scorer in the history of international soccer (no qualifiers).  There's no way you don't vote for her.
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She did seems to be that kid, except she was in her 20s and early 30s and everyone else was also fully grown.  She was without a doubt the best women's soccer player in the world for about an 8 year period.  The fact that she was not a unanimous selection is shameful.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I keep wanting to control my future thoughts but damn, putting two offensive guys like Mendez and Pomykal with defensive guys like Swag and Adams could make for a fabulous midfield.
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It's really hard to do this though.  Midfield looks amazing in the future and we even have guys like Dest and Gloster that makes you hope that we'll have fullbacks in the future that can run with anyone.  2022 is probably too soon for this generation, but the 2026 Cup at home could end up being a whole lot of fun.

 
Thoughts to make everyone mad:

  • Pomykal and Mendes really stood out.  And as Andy pointed out above, Mendes, Pomykal, McKennie and Adams form a tidy, balanced four-man midfield where everyone has a natural fit.  Which would be awesome because it'd free up Pulisic to play off a striker up front.  Here's hoping.
  • Weah probably isn't getting minutes at Celtic because he's not very good. 
  • Dest hasn't shown me much in two games.  I want to believe, but it's possible that he's only standing out because the Dutch second division is terrible.
  • de la Fuente had moments in the first half, but then undid all of it in the second.
  • Richards and Durkin weren't very noticeable -- but both play in spots where not noticing them might be good.  So I want to see more of those two.
  • The rest?  Meh.
 
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US seems very likely to advance but winning the group requires a Nigerian win over Ukraine.

USMNT Videos‏ @USMNTvideos

The US can still win the group, if my calculations are correct, here's how we do it: 1. US beat Qatar 2. Nigeria beat Ukraine 3. Amount that the US beats Qatar by has to be one more than Nigeria's over Ukraine. (for example: 2-0 US Win and 1-0 NGA Win)

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
  • Dest hasn't shown me much in two games.  I want to believe, but it's possible that he's only standing out because the Dutch second division is terrible.
  • Weah probably isn't getting minutes at Celtic because he's not very good. 
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Dest has been the most disappointing player for me.  Not that he has been horrible but he has been far from standing out.

I have been on record as saying I just don't see it with Weah from the very beginning but enough people seem to think he is going to be very good that I am willing to realize I may be wrong.  He was poor in the first game but I thought he played much better today.  He was unlucky to not have scored on the gorgeous play by Mendez.   

 
NewlyRetired said:
Dest has been the most disappointing player for me.  Not that he has been horrible but he has been far from standing out.

I have been on record as saying I just don't see it with Weah from the very beginning but enough people seem to think he is going to be very good that I am willing to realize I may be wrong.  He was poor in the first game but I thought he played much better today.  He was unlucky to not have scored on the gorgeous play by Mendez.   
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Weah had the lone assist in the first game from one of the few opportunities he was given.

No Weah, no goal in game 1...he put it on a platter.

 
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Tripitup will hopefully live and not die on the Weah bandwagon.

I've repeatedly said I'm work Andy on him. Huuuge upside, but so far in his short career lacking the consistency to make me a believer. Love the upside though, and hope he finds his feet wherever he lands.

 
El Floppo said:
Tripitup will hopefully live and not die on the Weah bandwagon.

I've repeatedly said I'm work Andy on him. Huuuge upside, but so far in his short career lacking the consistency to make me a believer. Love the upside though, and hope he finds his feet wherever he lands.
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me too.  I want TripItUp to be right when all is said and done.

 
El Floppo said:
Tripitup will hopefully live and not die on the Weah bandwagon.

I've repeatedly said I'm work Andy on him. Huuuge upside, but so far in his short career lacking the consistency to make me a believer. Love the upside though, and hope he finds his feet wherever he lands.
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Definitely lacks consistency.  He left a lot to be desired today.

 
If I had to pick only one player that I think will have an effect on the national team, I think I might go with Pomykal. I give him the slight nod over Mendez simply because he can do some dirty work defensively that Mendez can't.   

If Mendez can figure out a way just to even be a pest, it would help.  Outside of an occasional slide tackle, he simply can't win any balls.

de la Fuente's age certainly will keep him in the picture for me. The fact that he looks relatively competent and is still eligible for the next U20 tournament says a lot.

 
TripItUp said:
Weah had the lone assist in the first game from one of the few opportunities he was given.

No Weah, no goal in game 1...he put it on a platter.
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This is true. 

It is also true that the goal was a fabulous team goal.  Any of a handful of players could have screwed up in the 14 pass sequence and there would not have been a goal.

 
I personally don't see any difference makers on the U20 team at this point.  Of course, my sample size is super small.  

Pomykal looks good, but there is a negative about him that I can't quite put my finger on...maybe lacks the ideal athleticism?

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
That's my vote now too, but who knows about any of these guys.  I'm old enough to remember when Kellyn Acosta was a thing.
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Impressive to me so far: Pomykal, Mendez, Gloster, Richards.

After some quick Twitter searching the Spanish/Portuguese press are googoo over Pomykal. FCD are going to have trouble hanging on to him this summer. 

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
That's my vote now too, but who knows about any of these guys.  I'm old enough to remember when Kellyn Acosta was a thing.
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There are two very strong possibilities

1) There will be players from this team who will make an impact in the future

2) Some of the players might be ones we have not even mentioned*

*For example, people online love Ledezema but outside of highlights, I have never even seen him play

 
Scienceguy said:
After some quick Twitter searching the Spanish/Portuguese press are googoo over Pomykal. FCD are going to have trouble hanging on to him this summer. 
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This is a good thing imo.  We need teams like Dallas and LA and Seattle to be rewarded for spending so much money on developing kids and getting Pomykal to move up a level will hopefully help his long term prospects(assuming he finds a team that will give him minutes).  

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Mendez all-touch from today.  Outstanding, maybe dominant, first half, but came back to Earth in the second.
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he clearly was exhausted in second half and the sub was a good one.

But damn, he has moments of being REALLY special.  The weight of his long passes is the best in the entire program IMO. 

 Look at how many incredible passes he made in the first half.  That is a multi year sampling from most US midfielders :)

 
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Brian Sciaretta‏ @BrianSciaretta

Report: U.S U-20 defender Chris Richards might only miss 2-3 days as well as the Qatar game but be ready for the knockout stages if the U.S team makes it

 
this is risky but I like it.   People really want to see Llanez and Ledezma, plus if we want any hope of beating France we need as many first choices rested and not suspended as possible.  Giving Mendez a rest may be perfect here

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

Brian Sciaretta‏ @BrianSciaretta 2m2 minutes ago

Considering the yellow cards to Durkin, de la fuente, Gloster, & Mendez plus an injury to Richards - I think Tab Ramos might use this starting XI vs. Qatar on Thursday Scott Real McKenzie Keita Araujo Cerrillo Ledezma Pomykal Llanez Soto Weah

 
NewlyRetired said:
this is risky but I like it.   People really want to see Llanez and Ledezma, plus if we want any hope of beating France we need as many first choices rested and not suspended as possible.  Giving Mendez a rest may be perfect here

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

Brian Sciaretta‏ @BrianSciaretta 2m2 minutes ago

Considering the yellow cards to Durkin, de la fuente, Gloster, & Mendez plus an injury to Richards - I think Tab Ramos might use this starting XI vs. Qatar on Thursday Scott Real McKenzie Keita Araujo Cerrillo Ledezma Pomykal Llanez Soto Weah
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still a decent lineup.

can certainly start there and then sub in the danger men if needed.

fwiw- the game is being replayed today on FS1 for those that missed it, like me. I've set the DVR, even though that Alex Mendez all-touch makes it seem like I might not need to even watch the 1st half- he was so involved there.

 
TripItUp said:
Weah had the lone assist in the first game from one of the few opportunities he was given.

No Weah, no goal in game 1...he put it on a platter.
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Weah’s two biggest strengths are his speed and ability to recognize/utilize space.  Granted he has a bunch of work to do, but there’s a reason he looks better with Sargent than anyone else.

I still think he has the highest ceiling of anyone on the team, but also the least chance of reaching it.

 
Sammy3469 said:
Weah’s two biggest strengths are his speed and ability to recognize/utilize space.  Granted he has a bunch of work to do, but there’s a reason he looks better with Sargent than anyone else.

I still think he has the highest ceiling of anyone on the team, but also the least chance of reaching it.
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Agree on the highest ceiling.

 
gianmarco said:
Maybe I missed it, but what about Soto? Anything there?
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He has clear goal scorer instincts.  He has scored at every level so far but has not yet broken through at the pro level, which hopefully will come this year.

He does not appear to have any clear athletic ability(speed, quickness, jumping, balance, etc) that would help set him apart as he gets older.

I have not seen a ton on the ball but he seems average there.  Not a blooter but does not seem to have say Sargents feet.

He seems much better suited to the 9 role than Weah who looked much better out wide.

The timed run he made on the second goal yesterday was nice to see.

As of now, I don't see much of an upgrade over what we already have but then again, after Jozy, we really have almost nothing outside of a green Sargent so he might get a chance this cycle.  It will all depend on whether he can break into Hannover's lineup, which in Bundesliga 2 hopefully that will come sooner than later.

 
gianmarco said:
Maybe I missed it, but what about Soto? Anything there?
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Still developing an opinion on him. Doesn’t appear as complete as Sargent looked in the last cycle. But that could be a function of playing in a team that combines in different and varied places. First goal was unmarked. Took his time to get his feet right in the second, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I had the impression the Nigerian keeper should have done better. 

As a guy who has scored a lot of goals in youth/reserve setups, it’s good to see him do it at this level. 

 
all teams have played 2 games now in the U20 WC

The US is in 3rd in their group, but are the top ranked 3rd place team right now.  (four 3rd place teams advance)

If the US beats Qatar they will finish no worse than second in group with an outside chance of first.

If the US draws with Qatar, they are all but mathematically advancing.  A ton has to go wrong to not advance with 4 points

If the US loses to Qatar, then it is scoreboard watching time.

 
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U.S. Soccer MNT‏Verified account @USMNT

The group also welcomed U-17 @USYNT midfielder and @DCUnited Academy product Bryang Kayo to training this morning. #TheFutureIsUs

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I had the impression the Nigerian keeper should have done better. 
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He definitely should have.  He committed to the far post shot instead of cutting down the angle square.  If Soto had let the ball run past the keeper I think it would have gone untouched and created an open tap in.

 
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Scienceguy said:
Posting this in the afternoon. Any thoughts before I make it generally available?

https://halfspaces.com/play-it-again-sam-usa-vs-nigeria-u20-wc-5-27-19/
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Love the idea on this one.  Pretty cool to look at it this way; I could see myself sitting there with the notepad.  :nerd:  

It's funny you put this here about the off the ball movement.  I was just starting to think about that aspect as I got to that paragraph...  :thumbup:

"I find myself wondering what I’m missing. One deficiency is that this eval probably focused too much on the ball. I try to keep my eyes all over the field, but I know I’m missing things. There are doubtless many off ball events that were worthy of some note that I didn’t catch."

 
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