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US Men's National Team (14 Viewers)

B Maverick said:
:pickle:

I hope you are right but sadly, the 2 or 3 times I watched him in Germany he did the same thing he does for the USMNT.  Admittedly I have only watched him a couple times and wasn't focused on him until he made his one big mistake.... 
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Sounds like I've seen more of him over there- but yeah, every game he's clobbering into the back of somebody at midfield, miles from the goal... usually a few times until he gets warned or carded. But he's also keeping guys in check and hitting fantastic line-clearing passes to feet. I'll take both of those if somebody like Miles or even Adams is there to clean up for his occasional walkabout.

But he's been regarded as one of the best CBs in the league... by media and sources around the league that follow such things- not necessarily by us in the FFA.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Panama is the biggest positive shock for me.  I expected them to be a bottom dweller.  It looks early that Panama and Jamaica are going to flip spots in how I thought things would work out.
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Tutul Rahman

@tutulismyname

CONCACAF Elo points gained / lost this window 

Panama +57

Canada +12

Mexico +3

USA -1

El Salvador -4

Honduras -7

Costa Rica -20

Jamaica -40

 
Football Wonderkids

@fbwonderkids

Brenden Aaronson (20) for the @usmnt:

10 caps (6 starts)

624 minutes

5 goals

3 assists

Goal involvement every 78 min

Barely involved in youth squads of the past, Aaronson is now immensely important to the Yanks.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
As good as Greg’s subs worked, I still have no idea how Sands started the second half. He looked like he couldn’t pass a field sobriety test out there. Something was wrong physically. 
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It's unclear to me what role Sands was playing in the 1h. He played really high like he was an 8. He seemed to be getting way too advanced, unable to hold possession, and unable to shield the backline at all.

Maybe it was just Sands evaporating in the moment. But I wonder if Berhalter had the formation set and that was Weston's spot he jammed Sands into. I think dropping into a single pivot type position in the 2h helped him at least hide. 

 
Poke_4_Life said:
Did Adams play centrally the entire second half?  Adams had that shot on target at 70' and that was before Yedlin came on.  Acosta also had a similar shot around the 68'.  Maybe Adams and Acosta rotated at RB until Yedlin came in?
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In ELS, Acosta played RB while he and Adams both played. In Honduras, Adams did.

Why? 

 
prefontaine said:
In ELS, Acosta played RB while he and Adams both played. In Honduras, Adams did.

Why? 
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it is a fantastic question that only some one willing to crawl inside GGG's brain might find out.

GGG likely over thought it probably.  

At ELS, Acosta did play as an emergency RB when both Yedlin and Dest got hurt (that was a RB in a 4 man back line).

Adams started as a RWB against Honduras (they started the game with a 3 man back line)

Maybe GGG hoped that Adams would give more width than Acosta.

Note that at half time of the Honduras game, Adams and Acosta swapped spots.  And then Adams and Acosta both moved again when Yedlin came in.

I think it was @TLEF316who nailed the analysis when he saw the lineup and mentioned having no idea where any width was going to come from and it turned out correct.  Our wide played changed dramatically when we brought on Jedi and then Yedlin.

 
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The Z Machine said:
Why would anyone think that Adams can play on the touchline? It looked like kryptonite to him. 
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While he looked like he had never seen a touchline before, he has actually played out wide quite a few times in his pro career.  The majority have been inside but he has had more than enough time out wide to not look like a deer in headlights, especially with his style of play.

 
NewlyRetired said:
it is a fantastic question that only some one willing to crawl inside GGG's brain might find out.

GGG likely over thought it probably.  

At ELS, Acosta did play as an emergency RB when both Yedlin and Dest got hurt (that was a RB in a 4 man back line).

Adams started as a RWB against Honduras (they started the game with a 3 man back line)

Maybe GGG hoped that Adams would give more width than Acosta.

Note that at half time of the Honduras game, Adams and Acosta swapped spots.  And then Adams and Acosta both moved again when Yedlin came in.

I think it was @TLEF316who nailed the analysis when he saw the lineup and mentioned having no idea where any width was going to come from and it turned out correct.  Our wide played changed dramatically when we brought on Jedi and then Yedlin.
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Donovan had a few interesting thoughts in the Wahl podcast today.  He thought a whole bunch of the initial setup was “which guys could go 90 if needed” and then trying to meld a formation to that 11 (ie Yedlin couldn’t go 90).  Essentially you still only have 5 subs so 5 of the guys will have to 90 and that effectively means you have to play some of the defenders out of position to get them on the field.  I don’t know if I necessarily 100% buy that, but he thought either Acosta or Adams said they could play 90 starting in their initial position, but not the other. He also thought that was why they left Sands in since he was the only non-Yueill MF who hadn’t played 90.  

He also thought fitness was the biggest issue in general with Honduras taking commercial flights everywhere and essentially running out of gas at the 60 minute mark and was careful to heap tons of praise on the US (essentially this was Honduras just losing the match versus the US winning).  
 

I did have to laugh, I guess at some point Donovan coached Adams one of the MLS homegrown all-star games and texted Marsch that Adams should be tested at RB.  Marsch in no uncertain terms told him to buzz off and that he was a central midfielder.  Shows how important having a good coach when you’re 15-17 matters.

 
NewlyRetired said:
ELO is the basis for the formula FIFA uses to rank nations.
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More important for USMNT than usual, because if we can somehow move up a few spots from our current #10 ranking, I think it would put us in line for an easier World Cup group.

 
Chelsea apparently sent a private jet to Honduras to bring CP home. same article said it was to push for him to be available vs Aston Villa this weekend.

 
El Floppo said:
Chelsea apparently sent a private jet to Honduras to bring CP home. same article said it was to push for him to be available vs Aston Villa this weekend.
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Oh wow.  I was wondering if the injury was a bad one after his Proverbs 3: 5-6 post yesterday.  Must not be that bad if he's in the running for this weekend.

 
Derek Rae

@RaeComm

Good news for Bayern (and Alphonso Davies) fans. On the Canadian star, Julian Nagelsmann said this at the media conference ahead of the trip to Leipzig. “It (the injury) wasn’t as dramatic as we first thought. He’s fit and available for both games.”

 
Allegri said Juventus will be missing a bunch of players this weekend, mentioning Chiesa and all the South Americans.  It will be interesting to see how Weston will be used.  He would normally be a slam dunk start in a game like this.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Allegri said Juventus will be missing a bunch of players this weekend, mentioning Chiesa and all the South Americans.  It will be interesting to see how Weston will be used.  He would normally be a slam dunk start in a game like this.
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OneGoal@OneGoalUS

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri noted that Weston McKennie will be in the starting XI tomorrow vs. Napoli in Serie A action. Big game for the USMNT midfielder
Click to expand...

 
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Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Oh wow.  I was wondering if the injury was a bad one after his Proverbs 3: 5-6 post yesterday.  Must not be that bad if he's in the running for this weekend.
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@CBSSportsGolazo: OFFICIAL: Christian Pulisic is out for 10 days, confirms Thomas Tuchel.

The @USMNT star will miss the next three matches, including Chelsea's Champions League opener against Zenit next Tuesday, with an ankle injury. https://twitter.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/1436310753141829635/photo/1

 
I re-watched the second half this morning.  I could not stomach re-watching the first to be honest.

2 things I noticed more.

* Pepi does a crap ton of running.  I saw him track back a ton of times, and the first goal he was already near midfield, shielded, then laid off and fell down while Pulisic sprinted away.  He got up instantly and got himself all the way in the box to cause the confusion that led to Robinson's goal.   Even if we ignore all his other strengths, this running eliminates one of the items we give Sargent credit for.   I can't see any way he has not earned at least 2 more starts to see if this was a one off fluke, or if we really have something.

* Lletget was really good.  He looked like an offensive player that wanted to get involved.  I know I won't get it but god would I love an unedited version of the half time talk on the next Behind The Crest.  I don't know if he decided to do this himself or if a coach or teammate got to him and said he can't be the calm, possession based player he seemingly wants to be.   What he did in the second half is what I want to see out of our 8's.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I re-watched the second half this morning.  I could not stomach re-watching the first to be honest.

2 things I noticed more.

* Pepi does a crap ton of running.  I saw him track back a ton of times, and the first goal he was already near midfield, shielded, then laid off and fell down while Pulisic sprinted away.  He got up instantly and got himself all the way in the box to cause the confusion that led to Robinson's goal.   Even if we ignore all his other strengths, this running eliminates one of the items we give Sargent credit for.   I can't see any way he has not earned at least 2 more starts to see if this was a one off fluke, or if we really have something.

* Lletget was really good.  He looked like an offensive player that wanted to get involved.  I know I won't get it but god would I love an unedited version of the half time talk on the next Behind The Crest.  I don't know if he decided to do this himself or if a coach or teammate got to him and said he can't be the calm, possession based player he seemingly wants to be.   What he did in the second half is what I want to see out of our 8's.
Click to expand...
I noticed the same with Pepi.

As for Lletget, that 2nd half is one of the best I've seen him play. He wasn't just trying to play safe. He was playing like his job was on the line and needed to create. Like you said, he played just how we would want that position played. 

I can't figure out if it was him, but I think it was. Do we know who won the tackle on the right side of the field that led to Pepi driving and laying off to Aaronson?

 
gianmarco said:
I noticed the same with Pepi.

As for Lletget, that 2nd half is one of the best I've seen him play. He wasn't just trying to play safe. He was playing like his job was on the line and needed to create. Like you said, he played just how we would want that position played. 

I can't figure out if it was him, but I think it was. Do we know who won the tackle on the right side of the field that led to Pepi driving and laying off to Aaronson?
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somebody commented that Roldan won a tackle leading to a goal...not sure if that's the same.

 
CletiusMaximus said:
Looks like a few hitch hikers caught a ride on CFC’s dime. 
https://i.redd.it/j0t1i57m3im71.png
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I love that he did it- but does he have to clear that first? Or is it just- "hey, who needs a lift to europe?"

and the article I read earlier about the jet... it was solely about the jet (I guess somebody from the company or airport tweeted about it). disappointing to read them add guesswork about having CP back early to play.

 
Btw, I'm starting to buy into this idea of having Aaronson in the super sub role.  He comes on in the 55-60th minute and runs his ### off. 

He seems to be very effective doing this.  It allows GGG to take off whoever might be having a sub-par game or whoever is getting tired.  And it still allows all the playmakers to see the field.

 
gianmarco said:
Btw, I'm starting to buy into this idea of having Aaronson in the super sub role.  He comes on in the 55-60th minute and runs his ### off. 

He seems to be very effective doing this.  It allows GGG to take off whoever might be having a sub-par game or whoever is getting tired.  And it still allows all the playmakers to see the field.
Click to expand...
I'm now on board with him being the dammit-CP/Gio/Whoever up front is injured again this week, let's replace them with Aaronson role. 

sounds like Dike is playing great for OFC and maintaining big transfer fee rumors to top leagues. anybody watching him? I saw him play one game vs RBs a while back and tbh he looked fantastic- great movement, typically strong on the ball and challenge, but also consistent with his touches.

I'm hoping Konrad keeps getting PT. he seems a little limited as more of a true chalk on the boots wide player with minimal defensive capabilities who also tends to disappear too much (part of being in that role, tbh)... but his ability to go at guys and create opportunities is fantastic- at CP/Dest levels. hopefully more PT ups those other aspects of his game.

Also hoping Weah heals up and keeps his starting spot behind David as a wide MF. He seems to have it all in terms of abilities and upside, but as we've talked about- needs consistent minutes to iron out the inconsistencies and continue what I've seen to be a decent growth on his defensive side of his game. He's physically a more well-rounded player than Konrad, albeit a little less filthy on the ball- so in a way more useful to the US.

 
gianmarco said:
Yep, I see it now. 

That was Roldan with the tackle. Great play by him.
Click to expand...
Credit to Pepi for being there in support too.

One thing I've noticed watching Liverpool's pressure week in and week out is that it only works if you've got someone else around the ball to recover it when those little pokes happen.

 
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El Floppo said:
Sounds like I've seen more of him over there- but yeah, every game he's clobbering into the back of somebody at midfield, miles from the goal... usually a few times until he gets warned or carded. But he's also keeping guys in check and hitting fantastic line-clearing passes to feet. I'll take both of those if somebody like Miles or even Adams is there to clean up for his occasional walkabout.

But he's been regarded as one of the best CBs in the league... by media and sources around the league that follow such things- not necessarily by us in the FFA.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

You probably do watch him more, just seems whenever I see him play he is making a mistake that leads to a goal...

 
NewlyRetired said:
I re-watched the second half this morning.  I could not stomach re-watching the first to be honest.

2 things I noticed more.

* Pepi does a crap ton of running.  I saw him track back a ton of times, and the first goal he was already near midfield, shielded, then laid off and fell down while Pulisic sprinted away.  He got up instantly and got himself all the way in the box to cause the confusion that led to Robinson's goal.   Even if we ignore all his other strengths, this running eliminates one of the items we give Sargent credit for.   I can't see any way he has not earned at least 2 more starts to see if this was a one off fluke, or if we really have something.

* Lletget was really good.  He looked like an offensive player that wanted to get involved.  I know I won't get it but god would I love an unedited version of the half time talk on the next Behind The Crest.  I don't know if he decided to do this himself or if a coach or teammate got to him and said he can't be the calm, possession based player he seemingly wants to be.   What he did in the second half is what I want to see out of our 8's.
Click to expand...
 love it. I need to watch Pepi play more. Felt like watching his youth outings, he was more a straight ahead runner, and mostly working on offense more than defense. Hearing that about his movement is fantastic. 

in terms of the things I was trying to figure out for the US's turnaround playing the same formation that had been so poor the first 2 1/2 games (and even in GC where they weren't on the front foot)...

based on things Sammy, Scoob and a couple others have said, it seems like the US's turnaround had as much to do with Honduras as it did to do with anything the US did (outside of a very positive Pepi). That's disappointing.

But getting calmer attacking play out of Lletget at the 8 helps give shape to that team if he's setting up just a bit higher to connect better with the attacking line and also trying to be more positive. Jedi provided nice width and spacing with his sided MF- moreso than on the right, which didn't really pick up until Honduras switched their formation.

Those are subtle things that can affect the shape and look of that formation. That's a positive.

I'm still concerned that the US playing that 4-3-3 hasn't dictated games the way I hope/expect they should. I know it's about getting points- and the US has shown it's good and deep enough to do this buy running guys out there, and the system generally allows for some defensive stability which is a good thing. but I genuinely think the best way to successfully and consitently getting results is to try and impose your game on the other team and make them react. Canada and ELS did that to the US. and Honduras did for a half+. I'm not seeing what that "game" is for the US with how they've been playing... and that's worrying. Maybe these subtle shifts will happen and will help. Or maybe they try something else. But even with 5 points, something needs to change... because I'm not buying the narrative that the lesser guys had more heart/desire and turned things around. 

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Credit to Pepi for being there in support too.

One thing I've noticed watching Liverpool's pressure week in and week out is that it only works if you've got someone else around the ball to recover it when those little pokes happen.
Click to expand...
Liverpool, Barca... teams that press and make these plays happen- it's a collective understanding (which takes a lot of work/time) and a collective desire to make it happen through continuous hard work.

 
B Maverick said:
:goodposting:

You probably do watch him more, just seems whenever I see him play he is making a mistake that leads to a goal...
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yuck- understandable to not like him.

I haven't seen as many mistake=goals from him. just a ton of unnecessary fouls at MF. but that may also be him sending a message... dunno.

 
TripItUp said:
I think it's pretty clear we need Hoppe.

He better be brought in for the next set(assuming club situation is settled)
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that's my first hope. he has to prove himself all over again and try to get PT. no PT, we're probably not going to see him.

but yeah- he has a skill/attitude set the US really needs up front.

 
TripItUp said:
I've never fully understood this...just because a player isn't playing with his club team doesn't mean he can't help us.
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young players especially need playing time to grow and round out their games, and help instill that consistency that only match play can provide. practice doesn't. 

 
I'm still very worried that at SOME point, Turner's footwork is gonna cost us a goal.

He just looks so shaky when they pass it back to him. If I'm the other team's manager, I instruct my CF to sprint directly at him every time we pass it backwards. He's never gonna have the confidence or skill to go around them, and at some point, he's gonna bobble one or kick it into someone like Ochoa did in Olympic qualifying.

 
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