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US Men's National Team (8 Viewers)

TripItUp said:
  The LB saga is baffling to me.  I have no explanation.
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no one does. 

It is next to impossible to not produce one competent full time international LB in 29 years but some how we have managed that.   Every US coach eventually resorts to converting a player who belongs some where else on the field to cover the hole.  The current sacrifice is Ream.

 
I am interested to watch how Emmy fits in with Atlanta this summer.  From what I have seen of him, I think he is more talented than both Roldan and Milhailovic.

 
NewlyRetired said:
*Tyler Adams will be a starter on a Champions League team this fall.

*John Brooks is good enough to be on a Champions League level team, IMO.

*Weston McKennie was already a teenager starter on a Champions League team last year.

Those 3, along with Pulisic are, IMO, our 4 best players at this time.

Note that Brooks and Adams are both hurt and that is why you are not seeing them right now with the US.
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I'd add Yedlin to this list despite his limitations.

 
@CletiusMaximus any guesses on how Chelsea will be using Mateo Kovacic?  I know he has played numerous midfield positions but I think his best is as a holding midfielder.

I am just trying to see if this will be more competition for Pulisic....

 
Took my kids to the game last night to see Pulisic in person, that guy is just on another level.

First five minutes made it seem like it was going to be an exciting game but slowed down alot after that, hard for the crowd to get into it too despite the Outlaws best efforts and a couple of waves that made it around the stadium that my kids enjoyed.

Total attendance was about 26,000.  When we're there for Eagles games its always sold out just under 70k.  Surprised there we're more fans in attendance especially since they were basically getting two games for one.

 
NewlyRetired said:
A game with a 95% Mexican crowd like at the Rose Bowl must be surreal.
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Been there, done that.  It was bonkers.  I'm sure Chicago would be similar to LA in the breakdown of the fans.  I was there with 6 guys, 4 of us speak Spanish, so we were talking a lot of #### during the first half when the US went up, only to get smoked in the second half.

Thanks, Jurgen.

 
mr. furley said:
was thinking to myself, who else on the US roster can play internationally at a high level? or at the high end club level?

it seems like they have Pulisic (a 20 year old) and then a bunch of guys who are just there because they need bodies.  it seems Altidore is #2?? is he even considered good? it seems a lot of people trash him. and then when they trash him say "well, it's either him or Zardes and he's not better"

Bradley i guess would be the NBA/NFL equivalent of a guy who was once good but is just hanging on for experience & nostalgia. maybe if he were a European player, this version would be him coming to MLS as a name draw in the post-twilight of his career.
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Pulisic can become a World Class player.  He's not there yet, but he's capable of playing competitively at a high end club level and would be getting minutes internationally even if he'd picked Croatia over the US(and they took 2nd in the last WC).  I believe him to already be the best player the US has ever had.  Now, will he have the career to back it up?  God we all hope so.

Tyler Adams(who is hurt and didn't go to the Gold Cup) is IMO our 2nd best player.  He has the ability to be World Class as well.  He was the highest rated DM in the Bundesliga for the second half of last season(his only half a season in the league) and has Leipzig fans cumming all over themselves because of his potential.  He honestly has the potential to be more important to the USMNT than Pulisic is as well.

John Brooks(also hurt and not there) is our current 3rd best player IMO.  He's not World Class and will never be IMO, but he's just a step below that.  He's playing currently as a CB for a midtable Bundesliga team, but I feel he has the talent to play for a Champions League side.  His presence would go a long ways towards stabilizing our defense.  Unfortunately, he's proven to be a bit injury prone and this will be an issue going forward.

Jozy is our best striker currently.  He is no where near World Class ability and never will be.  There was a time when we all thought he had a chance to be, but that time was short lived and passed by a long time ago.  Still, he's a serviceable striker and would be our unquestioned starter if he was fully healthy(sensing a theme yet?)

We are also missing our best RB currently(Yedlin), so this team is definitely a B team when you look at it overall.

As far as Bradley?  I would compare him to a guy like Luol Deng.  At his peak, he was incredible and it wasn't surprising to see him match up with guys like LeBron or Kobe and be more than up for the challenge.  Then, he quickly fell off the ladder.  For a time he was still a serviceable pro and could get by.  By the end he was only getting minutes because of his name and his contract.  Bradley is somewhere between the serviceable time and the old pro that still gets by because of his name.  His time should be almost over as a first choice player on the squad, but I expect he'll be a part of it for a few years more if only due to his leadership.

 
NewlyRetired said:
@CletiusMaximus any guesses on how Chelsea will be using Mateo Kovacic?  I know he has played numerous midfield positions but I think his best is as a holding midfielder.

I am just trying to see if this will be more competition for Pulisic....
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I don’t expect Kovacic to compete with Pulisic.  Lampard is expected to play a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1.  In either case, CP will be fighting for minutes with Pedro, Willian, Hudson-Odoi (when healthy), possibly Loftus-Cheek (when healthy) and possibly Mason Mount, whom Lampard managed at Derby last season. 

 
CletiusMaximus said:
I don’t expect Kovacic to compete with Pulisic.  Lampard is expected to play a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1.  In either case, CP will be fighting for minutes with Pedro, Willian, Hudson-Odoi (when healthy), possibly Loftus-Cheek (when healthy) and possibly Mason Mount, whom Lampard managed at Derby last season. 
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What is the feeling around the Chelsea crowd?  Pedro and Willian expect to start or are they hoping Pulisic takes one of the wings right away?

 
CletiusMaximus said:
When I bought my tickets back in April, my fear was that the USMNT wouldn't make the final.  Now, I'm pretty confident they will beat Jamaica and make the final, but am worried they will get blown out by Mexico.  I could probably double the money I spent today, but I think my son and I will go to the game no matter who is playing or what the circumstances are.  As a Packers fan, I've had pretty good luck at Soldier Field over the years.  We've already got the hotel, and I bought my wife and daughter Hamilton tickets the same day as a makeweight, so we're all-in.
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Ned said:
No way I’d ever ditch the chance for a US/Mex game. 
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I wish I had ditched the US v Mex gold cup final in the meadowlands, starring beckerman.

NewlyRetired said:
A game with a 95% Mexican crowd like at the Rose Bowl must be surreal.

I think Chicago in the past is more like 65-35 Mexican.
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It was easily 95-5 that game in MY

TripItUp said:
Well, midfield requires the most skill so historically that has been our weakest position.   

The LB saga is baffling to me.  I have no explanation.
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I'd say GK has been our best position. But most of whom I consider the best ever US players are midfielders...so...will disagree about it being the weakest position "historically".

Lehigh98 said:
Took my kids to the game last night to see Pulisic in person, that guy is just on another level.

First five minutes made it seem like it was going to be an exciting game but slowed down alot after that, hard for the crowd to get into it too despite the Outlaws best efforts and a couple of waves that made it around the stadium that my kids enjoyed.

Total attendance was about 26,000.  When we're there for Eagles games its always sold out just under 70k.  Surprised there we're more fans in attendance especially since they were basically getting two games for one.
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Cool to get to see him with the kid. Hopefully you missed out on the fights our other FBG saw in the stands.

I could be on an island, but for me- if there's a wave going, it means the stands don't give af about the game and are looking to entertain themselves by other means. I hate them.

 
encaitar said:
What is the feeling around the Chelsea crowd?  Pedro and Willian expect to start or are they hoping Pulisic takes one of the wings right away?
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I’m not totally in touch with the Chelsea fan base so it’s hard for me to say. Most would say it’s time to either move on from Pedro / Willian, or at least time to prepare to move on. That means he may not pass them up right away, but we’d hope he is a regular player and considered an heir-apparent (with Hudson-Odoi) by mid season.  With pressure to win games, we’d expect Lampard to cling to the safety of experienced players. That said, it’s a long season with lots of games, and they paid a ton for him, so I fully expect him to get every opportunity to prove himself.

 
El Floppo said:
I could be on an island, but for me- if there's a wave going, it means the stands don't give af about the game and are looking to entertain themselves by other means. I hate them.
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Spot on, can't remember the last time I saw one.  The game had slowed down at that point when the wave started.  My kids, especially the 11yo, got a kick out of the wave though.  I think it's the first one they've ever seen.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I guess the only minuscule silver lining when listening to de Boer continually say how unprofessional Carleton is, maybe he sees some real talent in the kid.  If not, I figure he would not bother very much with him.

Atlanta United’s de Boer to Carleton: Character as important as talent
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Makes me just want to shake the kid and tell him: "Do you realize how much you are pissing this away?" I'm sure people have tried doing that for years and he just won't get it.

Sad. 

 
Some non US player news that effects US players :)

Dallas sold Ecuadorian international Gruezo to Europe.

This is important in two ways

1) It opens up even more space for a team that has shown great willingness to play young Americans in MLS

2) The knock on Dallas is that they never figured out how to sell a player for a reasonable amount of money from the buyers perspective.  If this sale works out for them, they may be more willing to listen to reasonable prices for Paxton and others when the time comes.

 
Lehigh98 said:
Took my kids to the game last night to see Pulisic in person, that guy is just on another level.

First five minutes made it seem like it was going to be an exciting game but slowed down alot after that, hard for the crowd to get into it too despite the Outlaws best efforts and a couple of waves that made it around the stadium that my kids enjoyed.

Total attendance was about 26,000.  When we're there for Eagles games its always sold out just under 70k.  Surprised there we're more fans in attendance especially since they were basically getting two games for one.
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Hey those waves started with the group sitting across the isle from us. Took them a half dozen tries to get it going.

 
Doyle just tweeted that there is interest in Pomykal from La Liga and EPL teams but the strong interest is (of course at this point) from Bundesliga teams.

Having Paxton move this summer would be sweet.

 
Manuel Veth‏ @ManuelVeth

#USMNT keeper Zack Steffen will join Fortuna Düsseldorf for the club's second training camp on July 17. #F95 will loan the keeper for one year from #ManCity and he is supposed to become the new number 1 at the club

 
Haiti playing some great defense, though I'm sure most are cheering for a US Mexico mega match in the finals.  I've been pretty impressed with what Haiti is doing here.

ETA:  Rigged.  Boo hiss.

 
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These games Mexico plays are so close in the final score and yet Mexico create chance after chance and just can't finish.  

If Mexico play at this speed, the US defense is going to have its head on a swivel if Berhalter does not switch to two holding midfielders, if the US gets to play them in the final.  Bradley and Ream are going to get exposed with out a extra cover.

 
I have no idea what to expect tonight.  I guess I am left hoping for just more effort than the US showed in the second half last game.

 
Berhalter upset a bunch of fans yesterday, as during an interview he stated that Jozy is fully healthy as was ready to start not only tonight but also against Curacao.

The implication most took from that is that he preferred Zardes as his starter over a healthy Jozy.

I have a feeling though that Jozy may start tonight as the only change.

 
We came in the tournament worrying about the false RB spot, but as the games have progressed, both Lima and Cannon appear to be playing a traditional RB role, staying wide on offense and not pinching into the middle.

Have I been viewing this correctly?

 
NewlyRetired said:
We came in the tournament worrying about the false RB spot, but as the games have progressed, both Lima and Cannon appear to be playing a traditional RB role, staying wide on offense and not pinching into the middle.

Have I been viewing this correctly?
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I believe so.  That's what my eyes have told me, although I haven't gone back and specifically watched them play RB.  I think the false RB thing was really just a way to keep Bradley on the field when Adams was here, which was a mistake.

 
encaitar said:
I believe so.  That's what my eyes have told me, although I haven't gone back and specifically watched them play RB.  I think the false RB thing was really just a way to keep Bradley on the field when Adams was here, which was a mistake.
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Yep, this team would look so much better with Adams for Bradley.  (As well as all the other injured players being in their proper places.)

 
Poke_4_Life said:
Yep, this team would look so much better with Adams for Bradley.  (As well as all the other injured players being in their proper places.)
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I am Adams's biggest fan but I still worry whether even he would have some problems as a lone holding midfielder against a good team.  He has thrived in Germany in a two holding midfielder setup.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I am Adams's biggest fan but I still worry whether even he would have some problems as a lone holding midfielder against a good team.  He has thrived in Germany in a two holding midfielder setup.
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I'd like to see a midfield of Adams/Bradley/McKennie and push Pulisic out to the wing, just to see if it could work.  I worry about not getting Pulisic enough service there, but it'd be worth a try in a future friendly IMO.

 
encaitar said:
I'd like to see a midfield of Adams/Bradley/McKennie and push Pulisic out to the wing, just to see if it could work.  I worry about not getting Pulisic enough service there, but it'd be worth a try in a future friendly IMO.
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I'd like to see Bradley replaced in qualifying...he's going to be too old and too slow by 2022.   He already looks terrible against top competition.

Is Pomykal/Adams/McKennie an option?  Who do we have that can replace Bradley in the next few years?

 
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TripItUp said:
I'd like to see Bradley replaced in qualifying...he's going to be too older and too slow by 2022.   He already looks terrible against top competition.

Is Pomykal/Adams/McKennie an option?  Who do we have that can replace Bradley in the next few years?
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It certainly is an option.  I think Adams/McKennie/Holmes would be an option too, but it all depends on the development of that third midfielder.  Bradley, right now, is better than any other third midfielder we have unfortunately.  I am quite hopeful that there are 3-4 new starters by the time qualifying starts though and guys like Boyd, Nips, Lima, Zimmerman, Long, Bradley etc. are the depth that we desperately need right now.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Yup.  As I mentioned, Mexico did miss a ton of what should have been goals.   They even almost got punished in the last minute of extra time as Haiti hit the cross bar, inches away from a tying goal.

This play summed up Mexico's night

https://www.clippituser.tv/c/yevlqz
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We had a kid on my son's college team that never scored a goal in a game but probably had 8-10 of those over 4 years.

 
Ned said:
I look at that and wonder WTF GG is doing. 

ETA: or MLS is not quite where we think it is. 
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I don't think it is MLS specifically, as much as it might be American's in MLS.

There might be more MLS foreign players doing well in the Copa America(Martinez, Lodeiro, Polo, Savarino, Ruidiaz, Moreno etc) than there are MLS American's doing well in the Gold Cup, especially when you factor in the level of competition difference as the US has, up til now, arguably faced the lowest quality first 4 opponents ever in a Gold Cup.

 
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There are so many Americans in Germany, I am losing track of them.

Former NYCFC and Sporting KC player Khiry Shelton signed with Paderborn in Bundesliga 2 last winter and they were promoted so he is going to be in the Bundesliga this year (assuming he makes the team).  He scored today in a friendly.

 
NewlyRetired said:
There are so many Americans in Germany, I am losing track of them.

Former NYCFC and Sporting KC player Khiry Shelton signed with Paderborn in Bundesliga 2 last winter and they were promoted so he is going to be in the Bundesliga this year (assuming he makes the team).  He scored today in a friendly.
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:lol:

That guy sucks.

 
This is the second "oh oh" of the day.  I hope it is the last :(

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

From a German reporter (translated)

In the last few days I am always asked what is going on with Haji Wright. I honestly don't know. He wasn't there at the U23 photo shoot, I haven't seen him at the pros, i've seen him maybe imagine 🤷‍♂️ him somewhere else

 
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