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US Men's National Team (12 Viewers)

So is this a lesson in coaching tactics...GGG losing out at the half? Or is it a personnel issue, with the swiss subs making the difference?

Because outside of a few flurries, it's been all swiss in the second half, and by a lot.

Sieb and Weah have been absent or worse.

Musahs looked decent.
I agree.  I think Musah was the only US sub that had a positive impact.  Acosta was ok, everyone else was invisible or worse.

If they play like they did in the first half, we should easily beat Honduras.  if they play like the second half, everyone better temper their expectations of trouncing a Mexican side that has a higher ranking right now than the Swiss do.

 
So is this a lesson in coaching tactics...GGG losing out at the half? Or is it a personnel issue, with the swiss subs making the difference?

Because outside of a few flurries, it's been all swiss in the second half, and by a lot.

Sieb and Weah have been absent or worse.

Musahs looked decent.
I think it was the Swiss subs. Which would normally be starters.

Swiss coach also must have picked up on our weakness of Dest on the left side D.  

Also really missed Adams. Damn, having a good backup for him soon is a major priority. 

 
Ok.

Horvath played well. Always saw him as a high quality shotstopper, but really liked his distribution here. Would like to see him anticipate the ball higher up the field, sweeper/keeper style.

Makenzie looked the part. Calm composed on the ball, and just strong enough off it.

Dest needs to be allowed to be higher up the field with somebody besides a CB providing cover.

Aaronson looked frosty, but needs to add some muscle imo. Definitely belonged out there.

The US still needs a 9. 

 
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Which is why the absence of Adams was a big deal. Put Adams and Pulisic in that lineup (take out Yueill and Lletget) and this game looks very different.
I don't know if I like Aaronson at the 8.   

I think Aaronson off the bench for either one of Pulisic/Gio in the second half will be a very good role for him and a spot starter when one of those is missing.

The three 8's in the rotation should be Weston, Musah and Lletget.  They can rotate based on game plan, form and opponent.  I have a funny feeling though that Musah will be a better Concacaf player than Lleget though.  I think the central american's are more used to playing against an elegant player like Lletget more than a physical player like Musah.

 
The US still needs a 9. 
Lets break it all down.

* We are excellent on the wings with Gio/Aaronson/Pulisic.  We could use one more quality player.   I was hoping it would be Weah.  I would have been fine with Morris as the #4 winger but that ship has sailed.  I like Nips but he is limited

* 9 is a real problem.  Sargent does everything "ok" but score.   Dike is REALLY raw but might be interesting in a Concacaf setting.  GGG appears to really like Sieb but I don't have enough time watching him play to form an opinion.  I am also fine with Zardes getting some time.  He has a much better nose for goal than Sargent and his movement is also strong.

* The 8's seem decent in Weston, Lletget and Musah.  Like the wingers, it would be nice if one more emerged.

* The 6 after Adams is a real concern (or maybe I should say Adams's back is the real concern.)   I am ok with Ascota as an emergency back up but there is not a ton of quality there.  Busio may be one of the most important players to watch in the Gold Cup if picked.

* LB is ok with Dest and Robinson.  Dest is excellent with the ball but as we have always mentioned, weaker on defense, even when not caught up field.   

* RB is fairly deep with Dest, Cannon, Yedlin and Reynolds.  It may be the deepest position on the field in terms of not a large drop off from player to player after you get to the first sub.

* The CB's are interesting.  I still like the idea of 3 CB's with Brooks leading the charge.   Richards appears to be the real deal and I think McKenzie and Miazga are solid enough to give this a shot.  It might help give Dest a little more freedom to get forward with out gigantic gaps at the back.

* Keeper feels better.  I think Turner is a really solid number 2 and if Horvath can play the way he did today, I would be more than comfortable with him as a #3.   We will have to watch Turner closely as well during the Gold Cup because he has so little international experience.

 
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Lets break it all down.

* We are excellent on the wings with Gio/Aaronson/Pulisic.  We could use one more quality player.   I was hoping it would be Weah.  I would have been fine with Morris as the #4 winger but that ship has sailed.  I like Nips but he is limited

* 9 is a real problem.  Sargent does everything "ok" but score.   Dike is REALLY raw but might be interesting in a Concacaf setting.  GGG appears to really like Sieb but I don't have enough time watching him play to form an opinion.  I am also fine with Zardes getting some time.  He has a much better nose for goal than Sargent and his movement is also strong.

* The 8's seem decent in Weston, Lletget and Musah.  Like the wingers, it would be nice if one more emerged.

* The 6 after Adams is a real concern (or maybe I should say Adams's back is the real concern.)   I am ok with Ascota as an emergency back up but there is not a ton of quality there.  Busio may be one of the most important players to watch in the Gold Cup if picked.

* LB is ok with Dest and Robinson.  Dest is excellent with the ball but as we have always mentioned, weaker on defense, even when not caught up field.   

* RB is fairly deep with Dest, Cannon, Adams and Reynolds.  It may be the deepest position on the field in terms of not a large drop off from player to player after you get to the first sub.

* The CB's are interesting.  I still like the idea of 3 CB's.   Richards appears to be the real deal and I think McKenzie and Miazga are solid enough to give this a shot.  It might help give Dest a little more freedom to get forward with out gigantic gaps at the back.

* Keeper feels better.  I think Turner is a really solid number 2 and if Horvath can play the way he did today, I would be more than comfortable with him as a #3.   We will have to watch Turner closely as well during the Gold Cup because he has so little international experience.
Pretty sure you meant Yedlin when talking about RB. I agree.

You left off Brooks when talking about CB.  Put his name in instead of Miazga and I agree.

Agree on Busio. I will be paying much more attention to him.

I'm still ok with Sargent. But I agree it would be nice if we have someone really emerge at the 9. 

 
Pretty sure you meant Yedlin when talking about RB. I agree.

You left off Brooks when talking about CB.  Put his name in instead of Miazga and I agree.

Agree on Busio. I will be paying much more attention to him.

I'm still ok with Sargent. But I agree it would be nice if we have someone really emerge at the 9. 
yes on Yedlin.  I fixed that mistake. 

Brooks defaults into my mind as the #1 so I never really talk about him.  I will add him in though for you readers that can't be inside my head :)

 
this seems like a weird question to ask especially when Pulisic did not go 90 in the final

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

Ives Galarcep

@SoccerByIves

"It would be very hard to keep him out of the lineup." Gregg Berhalter on the possibility of Christian Pulisic not starting vs. Honduras on Thursday.

 
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Brian Sciaretta

@BrianSciaretta

Berhalter said Brenden Aaronson’s work rate is “relentless.” Says it’s still too early to tell on Adams availability. There will be a medical update tomorrow
One of the reasons I am very optimistic with what we saw today.

aaronson could really thrive in concacaf play 

 
one thing I sense from GGG is a lack of stubbornness.  I think he wants to learn and grow so I expect he will pour over this game today and make some changes where needed tactically.
I was hard on him pre pandemic, but he has evolved his tactics better than I expected

 
one thing I sense from GGG is a lack of stubbornness.  I think he wants to learn and grow so I expect he will pour over this game today and make some changes where needed tactically.
I was hard on him pre pandemic, but he has evolved his tactics better than I expected
This all seems true. 

I'm just concerned today with whether he can adjust on the fly, mid-game. I don't know that I've seen it from him...but would like to be corrected on this. 

 
Lets break it all down.

* We are excellent on the wings with Gio/Aaronson/Pulisic.  We could use one more quality player.   I was hoping it would be Weah.  I would have been fine with Morris as the #4 winger but that ship has sailed.  I like Nips but he is limited

* 9 is a real problem.  Sargent does everything "ok" but score.   Dike is REALLY raw but might be interesting in a Concacaf setting.  GGG appears to really like Sieb but I don't have enough time watching him play to form an opinion.  I am also fine with Zardes getting some time.  He has a much better nose for goal than Sargent and his movement is also strong.

* The 8's seem decent in Weston, Lletget and Musah.  Like the wingers, it would be nice if one more emerged.

* The 6 after Adams is a real concern (or maybe I should say Adams's back is the real concern.)   I am ok with Ascota as an emergency back up but there is not a ton of quality there.  Busio may be one of the most important players to watch in the Gold Cup if picked.

* LB is ok with Dest and Robinson.  Dest is excellent with the ball but as we have always mentioned, weaker on defense, even when not caught up field.   

* RB is fairly deep with Dest, Cannon, Yedlin and Reynolds.  It may be the deepest position on the field in terms of not a large drop off from player to player after you get to the first sub.

* The CB's are interesting.  I still like the idea of 3 CB's with Brooks leading the charge.   Richards appears to be the real deal and I think McKenzie and Miazga are solid enough to give this a shot.  It might help give Dest a little more freedom to get forward with out gigantic gaps at the back.

* Keeper feels better.  I think Turner is a really solid number 2 and if Horvath can play the way he did today, I would be more than comfortable with him as a #3.   We will have to watch Turner closely as well during the Gold Cup because he has so little international experience.
Losing Long and his speed/experience hurts for this...as much as I like that group of CBs.

I'm still hopeful weah can provide that spark out wide, in spite of a  hapless performance today. And like you, nothing I've seen from Sieb shows me he's "the" guy. For that matter, aside from knocking guys down and getting to the ball, Dike feels pretty far off this group from what I've seen of him. 

Watching Sarge is a bit like watching halflife expired Caillou; it's all there tactically and skill-wise...but that little bit of short space giddyup makes him second best to the ball and space too much.

 
So with GGG watching/balancing minutes, why did Swag go the full 90?

Re: Horvath, the D gave him very little help today and even less when Brooks came out.  I'll take the Zardes-esque save and I really can't say any of our keepers could have done better. 

Really liked Musah's brief appearance; don't see why he can't grab hold of the starting spot right away.

Re: My earlier statue comment about Sargent, I want to make clear that despite saying that, I have been a fan of his from the beginning and am glad that the collective #1 gripe about him has diminished over the last couple years. I love the technical skillset he brings, and if he could just find that extra gear to make him more effective pressing, he'd make a lot more sense to be the #1 striker.

Re: Aaronsen, I didn't like seeing him taken down so much to the indifference of the refs.  I know it's a friendly, but it's just to easy to believe there's a bias against our players when they are consistently hacked down, pushed, tripped, etc., without a call.  What was that stat about the fouls on Pulisic against Porto in the Champions League this year? When do we get free kicks when our stars get breathed on wrong?  Nevertheless, I like Aaronsen; he seems to be a gamer.

Final thought: Once again, we appeared to be behind in the mental aspect.  Getting the hand ball was intentional, and not something I think our players have in their repertoire.  Also, the Swiss corner kick that was headed twice also fooled our defense, and we need to get to that '3D chess' level of thinking. I also felt I was watching the wet and bumpy gang in the second half, as it seemed the Swiss players knew the passes were coming before our guys did.  Maybe that's what the earlier posts about them giving up on the field were about. On the flip side, however, I did like not seeing our opponent hold possession for long periods of time while we bunkered down and waited for the inevitable goal.

 
Didn't get to watch live, but just finished on replay....

Thoughts....

Dest is likely our second best attacking threat at this point behind Pulisic, however, we're going to get destroyed on the counter by a more clinical side if he keeps bombing forward like that.  I think GGG is going to need to switch to a back 3 to take advantage of the talents of our best players.  

Switzerland is good, but not great.  This is a very similarly skilled team to Mexico and was a good test.  I thought we should've had a 2-3 goal lead in the first half, but oof..... that second half was rough.

I like Lletget more than some others, but he can't be a starter for this team.  His inclusion pushed McKennie back into more of a defensive role.  The same McKennie whose been playing as an AMC for Juventus, one of the best teams in the world.  It's a mistake to push McKennie back in favor of pushing Lletget forward.  Musah as the other 8 would allow McKennie to get forward more and would keep our shape more structured.

Horvath(or Whorebath... classic) was good.  He's easily #3 and could be #2 if Turner has a bad Gold Cup.  I hope he finds steady work next year, because he has too much potential to sit on the sidelines again.

Aaronson belongs in this group.  I think he'll end up as a super sub, but that excites me a lot.  His aggression and pressing, especially if we are chasing a goal will be immense.

This team is YOUNG.  It's so obvious with some of the mistakes they make, but they are very very green.  I'm excited to watch the next 4-5 years with this group as they grow in soccer smarts together.  We're seeing the floor of this team right now and it's not bad.  The ceiling..... wow, can't wait.

 
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Didn't get to watch live, but just finished on replay....

Thoughts....

Dest is likely our second best attacking threat at this point behind Pulisic, however, we're going to get destroyed on the counter by a more clinical side if he keeps bombing forward like that.  I think GGG is going to need to switch to a back 3 to take advantage best talents of our best players.  

Switzerland is good, but not great.  This is a very similarly skilled team to Mexico and was a good test.  I thought we should've had a 2-3 goal lead in the first half, but oof..... that second half was rough.

I like Lletget more than some others, but he can't be a starter for this team.  His inclusion pushed McKennie back into more of a defensive role.  The same McKennie whose been playing as an AMC for Juventus, one of the best teams in the world.  It's a mistake to push McKennie back in favor of pushing Lletget forward.  Musah as the other 8 would allow McKennie to get forward more and would keep our shape more structured.

Horvath(or Whorebath... classic) was good.  He's easily #3 and could be #2 if Turner has a bad Gold Cup.  I hope he finds steady work next year, because he has too much potential to sit on the sidelines again.

Aaronson belongs in this group.  I think he'll end up as a super sub, but that excites me a lot.  His aggression and pressing, especially if we are chasing a goal will be immense.

This team is YOUNG.  It's so obvious with some of the mistakes they make, but they are very very green.  I'm excited to watch the next 4-5 years with this group as they grow in soccer smarts together.  We're seeing the floor of this team right now and it's not bad.  The ceiling..... wow, can't wait.
Agree with every bit of this.

 
So with GGG watching/balancing minutes, why did Swag go the full 90?
I assume because there were only 6 subs so 4 field players had to go 90, and Weston was a second half sub in his most recent game, which was a full week ago.

I bet the hope is that things go well against Honduras and both Weston and Dest can sub out in second half.

 
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I assume because there were only 6 subs so 4 field players had to go 90, and Weston was a second half sub in his most recent game, which was a full week ago.

I bet the hope is that things go well against Honduras and both Weston and Dest can sub out in second half.
So he's banking on getting Swag out early in a game that matters so that he can play him full time in a game that doesn't? Seems to me he should have reversed his thinking there. Even if Honduras is a slam dunk win, you can't bank on that, especially since it's CONCACAF. Pulling Swag in the 2nd half today wouldn't have changed the outcome once Ream replaced Brooks, so to me the prudent move would have been to pull him to conserve his strength.

 
So he's banking on getting Swag out early in a game that matters so that he can play him full time in a game that doesn't? 
I have no idea what he is banking on.  That was just my guess.  One thing GGG has going for him is that he is ultra, maybe even over, prepared so I assume he and his team worked through numerous scenarios regarding the minutes.

Dest and Weston are both very young and can probably play more minutes than we give them credit for.  Both were spot starters at the end of their club seasons so they are not over taxed minutes wide (like say Sargent was who started nearly every game of the season for his club.)

Letting Aaronson go 90 made sense to me seeing as he likely won't start against Honduras.

 
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=================================

Berhalter on when he'll 100% see what he wants from this group/generation:

"When you see the potential this group has, & how they can come here without fear and take the game to Switzerland, it says a lot about this generation of players - It's exciting...

.. and part of my job is finding the balance between high pressing & stability, and we didn't always have that today & I'll take responsibility for that. But other than that, these guys are ready to go and ready to play - it's a really good group"

 
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=================================

Berhalter on when he'll 100% see what he wants from this group/generation:

"When you see the potential this group has, & how they can come here without fear and take the game to Switzerland, it says a lot about this generation of players - It's exciting...

.. and part of my job is finding the balance between high pressing & stability, and we didn't always have that today & I'll take responsibility for that. But other than that, these guys are ready to go and ready to play - it's a really good group"
I hope they don't abandoned the high pressing completely.  I feel like there are going to be a whole bunch of games in qualifying that it will work very well in.  It obviously works less the better the competition is.

 
Obviously just a friendly today, but it certainly seems like the big issue with this group is staring us in the face.

The fullbacks are bad on defense and the center backs aren't fast enough to make up for it.  And I dont see that fixing itself in the next year. (Dest may eventually get better with enough high level reps, but right now, he's a major problem on D) I think we need to address it now and not 4 months from now after they've dropped points in qualifying.  Maybe Adams comes back and the problem fixes itself, but I'd be surprised. (and at this point, he's hurt too often to be relied on)

IMO, its time for 3 at the back. I dont know enough to work out the best formation (would it be a 3-5-2 with Pulisic as the 2nd forward?) but I think it has to be done

                                                                     Steffen

                                                Richards       Miazga        Brooks

                                          Dest                    Adams                  Robinson

                                                              Weston     Gio

                                                                 Sarge     CP

 
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Obviously just a friendly today, but it certainly seems like the big issue with this group is staring us in the face.

The fullbacks are bad on defense and the center backs aren't fast enough to make up for it.  And I dont see that fixing itself in the next year. (Dest may eventually get better with enough high level reps, but right now, he's a major problem on D) I think we need to address it now and not 4 months from now after they've dropped points in qualifying.  Maybe Adams comes back and the problem fixes itself, but I'd be surprised. (and at this point, he's hurt too often to be relied on)

IMO, its time for 3 at the back. I dont know enough to work out the best formation (would it be a 3-5-2 with Pulisic as the 2nd forward?) but I think it has to be done

                                                                     Steffen

                                                Richards       Miazga        Brooks

                                          Dest                    Adams                  Robinson

                                                              Weston     Gio

                                                                 Sarge     CP
I think we have the speed; it's the fact that the Swiss--not the Germans, not the French, not the Spanish, the SWISS--played 3D chess with us while we're trying to master tic-tac-toe that worries me. As for speed, I think we have the speed, but it hasn't been all put together on the the field together yet.

One thing I noticed in this friendly was Brooks pushing the ball upfield more than I'd seen him do before, kind of like what Long was doing in the last round of friendlies he played in.  I think with Brooks and Richards, they can 'get away' with having the 3rd CB be either McKenzie or Miazga (probably McKenzie) and have competent CBs with enough speed. Also, with our up and coming group spearheaded by the likes of Musah, I think we'll also have more speed in the MF than we've ever had.

I also think that when push comes to shove, GGG needs to bench the MLS guys and go with his Euro guys, simply for the fact that besides footspeed, they play on a faster mental level as well (I was hoping to see more of Yedlin now that he's had a bit of a renaissance, but he didn't really jump out to me in the 10 minutes he got at the end).  For the most part, I agree with the lineup you posted, but I think Sargent needs to sit and put Weah out there, and eventually when Dike shows he's the American Zlatan waiting to happen, he becomes a must start, and maybe even move CP and his fragile hammys to the bench and let Dike and Weah pair up. 

And as for Gio's spot, I think we need to give Aarosen a serious look there.  Gio, while he's been occasionally spectacular, has also laid a lot of eggs, kind of like he did today, while Aaronsen, is still on the rise and I think has shown to be more dynamic than Gio, and I think that if Gio hasn't peaked, he's at least hit a plateau he hasn't figured out how to improve on yet.  I guess I'm saying that right now I like Aaronsen more than Gio and think he may be able to be more productive in the same spot given the chance. FWIW, what I like about Aronsen is that he doesn't fit into any specific mold other than as an attacking player, which I think is a definite strength if used correctly.

 
I think we have the speed; it's the fact that the Swiss--not the Germans, not the French, not the Spanish, the SWISS--played 3D chess with us while we're trying to master tic-tac-toe that worries me.
I don't think people are giving the Swiss enough credit.  They have an almost identical ranking to Germany, as one of the teams you mentioned.

The Swiss team is loaded with in their prime Bundesliga and Ligue One players.   

The Swiss teams experience is where we want ours to be in 2026.   We just can't compete on that level, yet.   

But if you were to match our best U23's with Switzerlands U23's, I think we win that game handily.

And to be fair to the US, while the second half was horrible, everyone seems to agree the US was clearly the better side in the first half.  They dominated that half for at least 30 minutes.  We have never kept that much possession in any half of any game played in Europe against a top 15 level team from my memory.  Not even close.

 
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I don't think people are giving the Swiss enough credit.  They have an almost identical ranking to Germany, as one of the teams you mentioned.

The Swiss team is loaded with in their prime Bundesliga and Ligue One players.   

The Swiss teams experience is where want ours to be in 2026.   We just can't compete on that level, yet.   

But if you were to match our best U23's with Switzerlands U23's, I think we win that game handily.

And to be fair to the US, while the second half was horrible, everyone seems to agree the US was clearly the better side in the first half.  They dominated that half for at least 30 minutes.  We have never kept that much possession in any half of any game played in Europe against a top 15 level team from my memory.  Not even close.
This. And that was without Pulisic and Adams. Away in Switzerland. In their first game since meeting together for camp. And Yueill starting. And we only lost 2-1. And gave up a goal right after multiple subs.

The team isn't perfect, but with an average age of 23 and playing against the 13th ranked team in the world at home with experience playing together, I come away feeling pretty good about where we are and where we can be very soon. We've never really been able to hang against top teams like that from a technical standpoint. It's always been physical and determination and hoping to defend and counter.  Today was anything but that.  

Enjoy the ride, fellas.

 
I don't think people are giving the Swiss enough credit.  They have an almost identical ranking to Germany, as one of the teams you mentioned.

The Swiss team is loaded with in their prime Bundesliga and Ligue One players.   

The Swiss teams experience is where want ours to be in 2026.   We just can't compete on that level, yet.   

But if you were to match our best U23's with Switzerlands U23's, I think we win that game handily.
I wasn't meaning to denigrate the Swiss but rather just point out that they're not at the same level per se as the usual suspects yet still they were able to basically toy with us as far as getting a result is concerned, and in fact, I think that they were emblematic of the degree of obstacles we still need to overcome in order to be considered on that tier of world soccer, which considering our resources and pool of talent, we have a fair shot of reaching eventually. Maybe it's just too early in the going, which I'm willing to concede if we're on the right track, but there are still definitely hurdles we must overcome.

 
I believe there is one thing that is very important for many to realize.  There are VERY good reasons international teams average ages are in the mid to late 20's.

No team as young as the US has ever done anything of note on the international stage.

The US program put us in this predicament and now we must live with the growing pains.   

We are completely ### backwards right now as a program.  Almost all, if not all, good National teams have a majority of experienced players who they then mix in a few top young players.  We have a vast majority of young players where we mix in a few competent vets.

This will all fix itself naturally by 2026 IMO but this is the penalty for going a solid 5-7 years where talent did not develop.

 
I believe there is one thing that is very important for many to realize.  There are VERY good reasons international teams average ages are in the mid to late 20's.

No team as young as the US has ever done anything of note on the international stage.

The US program put us in this predicament and now we must live with the growing pains.   

We are completely ### backwards right now as a program.  Almost all, if not all, good National teams have a majority of experienced players who they then mix in a few top young players.  We have a vast majority of young players where we mix in a few competent vets.

This will all fix itself naturally by 2026 IMO but this is the penalty for going a solid 5-7 years where talent did not develop.
I can absolutely live with this, and it's what I was trying to agitate for after wet and bumpy.  I believe in growing pains as long as we're moving in the right direction. What I DON'T want is a bare cupboard in 2026 like there was in 2010, or at least not the willingness to incorporate the next generation while the current one was in/at the end of its prime. 

This is why I see these friendlies so differently than GGG seems to.  I couldn't give less of a rat's ### about results in friendlies IF it moves the program forward; I'd rather we lost 5-0 today but get a ton of info to build on than lose 2-1 because the coach didn't push the right buttons. I think that in friendlies, it's better to be the underdog and try anything and everything, take notes on what did and didn't work and build on that, as opposed to to losing a close one but not come away understanding what the real difference between us and our opponent really is and how to close that gap. While we want to pat ourselves on the backs for hanging so close to the Swiss, I want to know how to have the instinct to draw a hand ball call for a PK and take a corner that involves heading the corner that leads to a point blank open header because the defense wasn't expecting it, like we saw today.

 
I can absolutely live with this, and it's what I was trying to agitate for after wet and bumpy.  I believe in growing pains as long as we're moving in the right direction. What I DON'T want is a bare cupboard in 2026 like there was in 2010, or at least not the willingness to incorporate the next generation while the current one was in/at the end of its prime. 

This is why I see these friendlies so differently than GGG seems to.  I couldn't give less of a rat's ### about results in friendlies IF it moves the program forward; I'd rather we lost 5-0 today but get a ton of info to build on than lose 2-1 because the coach didn't push the right buttons. I think that in friendlies, it's better to be the underdog and try anything and everything, take notes on what did and didn't work and build on that, as opposed to to losing a close one but not come away understanding what the real difference between us and our opponent really is and how to close that gap. While we want to pat ourselves on the backs for hanging so close to the Swiss, I want to know how to have the instinct to draw a hand ball call for a PK and take a corner that involves heading the corner that leads to a point blank open header because the defense wasn't expecting it, like we saw today.
I can see your point on general friendlies but that is not what these are.  This entire week is being used to simulate World Cup qualifying with the three game windows.  I don't think this is the right time to just be experimenting at will.

And whether one enjoys the Nation League games or not, they are not friendlies and should not be treated as such IMO.  They will be the only competitive games the US has before qualifying starts since the Gold Cup will be an entirely different group of players.

 
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Yeah, I'm certainly not knocking Switzerland.

I just see some red flags here with the defense. I think its an opening that Mexico can REALLY exploit.

 
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he could just find that extra gear to make him more effective pressing, he'd make a lot more sense to be the #1 striker.
This has been one of his strengths straight along and why he was the every game starter for WB, at least according to his coach... So I'm still confused or disagreeing with you about this. Unless you're talking that explosive first step...? (Which isn't something he can learn, imo)

 
This has been one of his strengths straight along and why he was the every game starter for WB, at least according to his coach... So I'm still confused or disagreeing with you about this. Unless you're talking that explosive first step...? (Which isn't something he can learn, imo)
I feel almost like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, since I really do like what Sargent brings to the team; I just feel like, at least with the type of high press that GGG wants to use, Sarge is just a mite slower than we need him to be.  Before he was subbed out yesterday, his pressing seemed to be more chasing after the ball after it had been passed out of his zone.  Maybe that's all he's supposed to do, but the Swiss were so experienced that they seemed to know our press was coming before we did. In the friendly when Soto and Sieb played, they seemed more able to disrupt when they pressed, though maybe that was more a factor of the opponent.  

I also noticed at the beginning of the second half, Swag was in Sarge's spot for the high press, and he seemed to be more of a disruptive influence, which is part of what made me think Sarge's foot speed is still lacking for what GGG wants to do with the high press.

Again, full credit to Sargent for his work rate and doing all the dirty work.  That's the kind of effort that needs to be held up as an example for the rest of the team to follow. Maybe it just needs to happen that when they press high when he's out there, he drops back and Swag or Weah or Musah or CP moves into that spot in the press.  It could be our version of Total Football.

 
I assume because there were only 6 subs so 4 field players had to go 90, and Weston was a second half sub in his most recent game, which was a full week ago.

I bet the hope is that things go well against Honduras and both Weston and Dest can sub out in second half.
This was already addressed, but that seems foolhardy if it's GGGs thinking.

I think we have the speed; it's the fact that the Swiss--not the Germans, not the French, not the Spanish, the SWISS--played 3D chess with us while we're trying to master tic-tac-toe that worries me. As for speed, I think we have the speed, but it hasn't been all put together on the the field together yet.
I feel like the main thing the swiss excelled at was knowing to quickly play the space behind the fbs after they had pushed forward....and it seemed like a clear post half-time change. That tells me it was more coaching/tactical than on the field speed of mind (although to their credit, the swiss players orchestrated it well). This is what I was getting at wondering about GGGs ability to adjust on the fly.

I do agree there were some holes in how they pressed at times, but I saw that from the swiss as well..to be expected when it a group of guys playing together without a ton of practice as a team.

I guess I wasn't seeing much 3-d chess out there relative to the US. I saw a clear tactical switch at half time that the swiss players took advantage of, and the US didn't seem to have an answer for. Imo, that's a coaching thing more than a soccer iq thing.

 
I feel almost like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, since I really do like what Sargent brings to the team; I just feel like, at least with the type of high press that GGG wants to use, Sarge is just a mite slower than we need him to be.  Before he was subbed out yesterday, his pressing seemed to be more chasing after the ball after it had been passed out of his zone.  Maybe that's all he's supposed to do, but the Swiss were so experienced that they seemed to know our press was coming before we did. In the friendly when Soto and Sieb played, they seemed more able to disrupt when they pressed, though maybe that was more a factor of the opponent.  

I also noticed at the beginning of the second half, Swag was in Sarge's spot for the high press, and he seemed to be more of a disruptive influence, which is part of what made me think Sarge's foot speed is still lacking for what GGG wants to do with the high press.

Again, full credit to Sargent for his work rate and doing all the dirty work.  That's the kind of effort that needs to be held up as an example for the rest of the team to follow. Maybe it just needs to happen that when they press high when he's out there, he drops back and Swag or Weah or Musah or CP moves into that spot in the press.  It could be our version of Total Football.
I think we all agree his top end quickness and acceleration isn't a strength.

One thing I noticed last night- we need that player to be able to show for the ball, getting to the space, winning and holding the ball with his back to goal- relieves pressure for his team when it's on the backfoot and allows them to set up and get numbers forward to attack when on the front. Sarge was routinely beaten to the space and ball, and then not winning, holding enough or drawing enough fouls when he did (something he usually does well). It felt like swag and even the slighter Aaronson were doing more of that...which goes toward that explosiveness. They've got it more than sarge.

 
I don't think people are giving the Swiss enough credit.  They have an almost identical ranking to Germany, as one of the teams you mentioned.

The Swiss team is loaded with in their prime Bundesliga and Ligue One players.   

The Swiss teams experience is where we want ours to be in 2026.   We just can't compete on that level, yet.   

But if you were to match our best U23's with Switzerlands U23's, I think we win that game handily.

And to be fair to the US, while the second half was horrible, everyone seems to agree the US was clearly the better side in the first half.  They dominated that half for at least 30 minutes.  We have never kept that much possession in any half of any game played in Europe against a top 15 level team from my memory.  Not even close.


This. And that was without Pulisic and Adams. Away in Switzerland. In their first game since meeting together for camp. And Yueill starting. And we only lost 2-1. And gave up a goal right after multiple subs.

The team isn't perfect, but with an average age of 23 and playing against the 13th ranked team in the world at home with experience playing together, I come away feeling pretty good about where we are and where we can be very soon. We've never really been able to hang against top teams like that from a technical standpoint. It's always been physical and determination and hoping to defend and counter.  Today was anything but that.  

Enjoy the ride, fellas.
I alluded to this yesterday. We looked technically as competent compare to the Swiss but they dominated us in determination, strength, and speed. It was the opposite of years past

 
Some one just made a pretty valid point on twitter.

A significant portion of the Swiss chances came after we subbed out Brooks.  A CB almost never gets subbed out of a game unless injured.  That was purely a friendly thing.

I still think we should be worried about the switch in momentum directly after halftime though because that was before Brooks was subbed out.  Although also worth noting that almost never will a team sub in as many players as Switzerland did at halftime.  That again was a friendly specific thing.

 
Watched the recording last night.

Good:

  • Dest in attack
  • Aaronson
  • Pressing
  • Whore bath
  • Solid possession against a quality side
Bad

  • Dest in defense
  • Sargent aerial play in the midfield.  Maybe it was just me but he seemed to have like 5-6 fouls when he had little hope of winning the ball
  • Need to create more chances and put them away (CP should help there)
  • Breaking their press
Ugly

  • The defense on the 2nd goal


I feel like folks seem down after that performance but the Swiss are very underrated, IMO.  They've been a quality side for 8-10 years.  Sure, at some point to take the next step you need to start winning those matches but the young kids held their own against a quality, veteran side.

 
I guess I wasn't seeing much 3-d chess out there relative to the US. I saw a clear tactical switch at half time that the swiss players took advantage of, and the US didn't seem to have an answer for. Imo, that's a coaching thing more than a soccer iq thing.
I'm still pretty new to the game, so all of it is 3D chess to me, especially on plays like the corner that was headed to a teammate who had a point blank open shot, or the 2 breakaways Embolo had where he had Brooks isolated.

I think we all agree his top end quickness and acceleration isn't a strength.

One thing I noticed last night- we need that player to be able to show for the ball, getting to the space, winning and holding the ball with his back to goal- relieves pressure for his team when it's on the backfoot and allows them to set up and get numbers forward to attack when on the front. Sarge was routinely beaten to the space and ball, and then not winning, holding enough or drawing enough fouls when he did (something he usually does well). It felt like swag and even the slighter Aaronson were doing more of that...which goes toward that explosiveness. They've got it more than sarge.
In a lot of ways, Sargent seems like the prototypical striker and he just needs to develop more physicality. I think that where his technical skills are now, it's time to put more time in at the weight room, and in the mean time, I think we'll have to develop some sort of hybrid approach for when he's out there. Not ideal, but the way he's risen to every challenge so far, I think at least he will be up to the task and retain his value to our A squad.  

And the flip side of that is that I'd love to see what Zardes can do in this setup, given that he's arguably a more physical player and probably a step or two faster.

 
And the flip side of that is that I'd love to see what Zardes can do in this setup, given that he's arguably a more physical player and probably a step or two faster.
We love to make fun of Zardes in this thread, mostly out of bizzaro love, but he definitely deserves his chance.  It is not like any other player has grabbed a hold of this spot.

I am hopeful that Zardes will be the starting striker in the Gold Cup and will have an opportunity to impress.

 
I can live with Yueill offensively.  He is not a world beater offensively but is generally competent enough to function in World Cup Qualifiers.

But I honestly don't think he has what it takes at the 6 to play in Concacaf defensively.  There is no bite, no urgency, no energy to his defensive play.   

Some one last night threw together a quick compilation of Sands to show all the things Yueill can't do defensively.  Simple toe pokes, hard tackles, pit bulling offensive players to turn back towards their own goal, collecting of loose balls, interceptions etc.  These are all basic components to a functional number 6 in the modern game.

I feel like GGG is so in love with his once or twice a game long diagonal balls that he overlooks his defensive short comings.

With our current teams make up, I don't think we need offensive leaning player at the 6.  We need a guy to be a destroyer and a simple pass distributor.  

And yes, I understand I just described Adams perfectly but as others have correctly pointed out we need depth here.   A Beckerman type to emerge would be wonderful, whether that be Sands, Busio or some one else, but I fear it is so late in the cycle that a new name won't have enough time to impress (which is why the Gold Cup is becoming sneaky important for a bunch of players).

 
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We love to make fun of Zardes in this thread, mostly out of bizzaro love, but he definitely deserves his chance.  It is not like any other player has grabbed a hold of this spot.

I am hopeful that Zardes will be the starting striker in the Gold Cup and will have an opportunity to impress.
Maybe GGG wanted to see the other options and didn’t want to pull Zardes  away from his club to only play part time. 

 

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