🏀 KuBuckets Archive

A friend recommended this podcast about the 1998 USMNT : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/american-fiasco/id1389231303 ↗

I haven’t listened yet, because he recommended another book that I’m currently listening to which has been very good thus far:

Masters of Modern Soccer by Grant Wahl, narrated by Grant Wahl: https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B07CBB873S&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006 ↗

The first few chapter is an extended interview with Pulisic

Really a must win tomorrow.

They have to do work before their last set of 3 games with Mexico and Costa Rica on the road during that set.

I'm looking forward to what Musah will bring to the table...especially if they play him with Adams and McKennie up the middle. They still haven't played a game with Pulisic/Reyna/McKennie/Adams/Musah all on the field. Talent is there.

We have talent, just need to make it in this time. If we get in, we can shake things up. We need to be bullies now, instead of being bullied.

@focojayhawk IMO the biggest problems we have are on The defensive third. Brooks and Ream are too old and slow. Dest hasn’t played up to his potential recently. The robinsons have been good, I think. McKenzie has had problems. Zimmerman and Cannon I think have been decent.

I think we have a nice pipeline of offensive players. We looked good offensively without Pulisic in that game he went out. Granted it wasn’t a good opponent but we looked balanced. These kids are ready to step up when the offensive leaders aren’t present.

Oooh I’m scared! Let’s go!

No Pulisic. No Reyna. Need something from Aaronsen and McKinnie

:eyes:

I like saying Miles Robinson like Nandor says “Colin Robinson” in What We Do In the Shadows

Turner with the start. Did he win the starting GK role?

No VAR is some shit

For real.

Dest is looking bad again.

Turner was ready for that. Nice strike by Jamaica

You have to finish chances like that omg

Edit: Or, I mean, take them in the first place

Kellen Acosta should be in the game. Need his deep ball threat

YESSSSSSS

The plan is an inverted weave: diagonal back passes as we work for the zero zero draw :face_with_rolling_eyes:

Ok! I’m behind you! Pepi! And I can stop talking smack about Dest now. Nice delivery. Totally redeemed all his bad touches with that beautiful chip

Insurance! Nice

Feeling good about getting 3 pts now

Dest back to bumbling around with the ball and lead foot first touches. Maybe we should have subbed him after the assist

Weah looking electric off the bench

Wow nice run Weah

Solid second half.

It was a good win. I'm a new soccer fan, but stand by my assessment that we need to be more aggressive defensively. We can't always just outscore opponents, need to stop them from scoring. Alot of that may be due to our youth.

Good showing last night. The opponent helped, but it was good to see a solid win. Pepi won't score every game, but he seems to find himself in a position to score pretty often...more than we can say for Sargent, Pefok, et al. Musah brings another element to the team as well. Love the midfield of Musah/Adams/McKennie. The back 4 still are shaky, but I liked the performance.

@focojayhawk agree that Pepi has a knack in the box and > Sargent . I liked the guys we rolled with, only minor complaints are Dest and Zardes. Zardes was ineffective as usual and Dest looked sloppy save his huge assist to break the tie. Hope we stay consistent with this group plus the missing stars.

@approxinfinity First off...thanks for the heads up on the American Fiasco podcast. Listened to it in one sitting at work. Fascinating.

I agree on Dest. He is obviously skilled with the ball, but he turns it over a ton and he's a defender who doesn't defend. I'm not the most nuanced soccer fan, but I just don't see it with him. He starts for Barca so what do I know? He and Robinson bring great skill/speed coming forward, but Robinson at least tries on D which seems like a bit more than Dest.

I watched but didn’t really watch last nights loss. Long weekend of soccer, and I was ready to turn off my brain when I got home. Anyone have some insights?

I have a lot of thoughts...

--Berhalter did a lot of talking about not looking ahead and treating every game on its own. Then he switched out 7 starters hoping to get a draw to set them up (in theory) for Costa Rica. Made no sense.

--Pepi is hot as a pistol and he sits...for Zardes? Zardes scored at least...except it was for the wrong team. Adams sits...for Acosta...who then takes every free kick? Aaronson sits. All of those are questionable on their own...never mind that they're already playing without Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie because of injury. Just unforgivable.

--I can't see it with Bello, Acosta, Zardes, Arriola or Lletget. IMO none of them should even be on the team much less playing in a game like this. They had so many other options both on the squad (De la Torre, Richards, Hoppe, Busio) and left off this set that are so much better.

--Lletget seems incapable of ever playing the ball forward. There were countless times when he had openings forward only to pass the ball back to the center backs. Musah didn't play great tonight, but he at least tries to push the ball forward. His reward for pushing forward was to be replaced by Roldan (really?). Sadly Lletget is just a Berhalter guy and outside of him getting hurt or stealing Gregg's wife, there's little he can do to be taken off of the squad.

--It's a missed opportunity that will be largely forgotten if they get 3 points against Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Not sure that Gregg is the guy, but don't think he's going anywhere sadly. I'd still love to see this team with Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie, Pepi, Aaronson and Adams as their front six. So much potential there. Not much with all of the MLS guys Gregg keeps calling up. We'll see

nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck that

This team with a better coach could have a bright future.

Dest looks much better tonight. That strike was money

@approxinfinity very good player. This team has a lot of talent playing for good Euro clubs. Big key.

Whew, got the 3 pts

Outside of the first minute, that was as enjoyable of a half of soccer that I've seen the USMNT play in years in that first half. Moved the ball well. Attacked on both sides. Created plenty of chances. The right side with McKennie/Musah/Dest was so good and so dynamic. Bogged down a bit in the second half, but it felt exciting to watch them push forward more. Some of that was going a goal down and some of it was the opponent, but it at least showed that they're capable of it.

Dest is such a talent going forward. His goal was awesome. He's also why they gave away the goal as he let his guy behind him. He fits their team as a right back, but there are going to be 3-4 times/game when he gives the opponent a great chance to score. Last night it bit them.

Overall a good win I think. Hopefully they'll have Reyna and Pulisic back next month when they get Mexico.

@focojayhawk thought mckinnie and a Robinson looked sloppy and I didn’t like the Steffan over Turner call. Thought Weah deserved the start and didn’t understand why Arriola was playing forward anyway, when they said he was a late scratch replaced by Weah. Glad that happened as we neeeed Weah. Glad Zardes didn’t get on til stoppage time. Team played well, really liked what Adams, Aaronson, Dest and Weah provided

How many more matches do we have to win to qualify for the World Cup? I mean, for real, it's like it never ends. Serious... How many more, we've beaten damn near all of Central America but for one, how many more?

Not yet halfway through the third round of CONCACAF qualifying. It is indeed a long process.

@approxinfinity This is a fun one so far

@BShark how great was Pulisic coming in and blowing it open? What a cross by Weah. Our roster was exactly what I wanted save Dest missing and Steffan in goal. But Steffan was solid and so was Yedlin.

Musah/McKennie/Adams in the midfield for the next 5-6 years? I'll take that any day. Pulisic/Aaronsen/Reyna/Weah as options on the wing? I'll take that too.

It's so fun to beat Mexico

Weah is why you want guys in Europe. His soccer iq is off the charts due to being in the PSG youth system.

@focojayhawk undoubtedly, and they play dirty against us. We need to get a little tougher.

@BShark oh yeah, no comparison, not even close. A little over halfway there now right? Qualifying?

Btw as we approach Thursday’s resumption of qualifiers I wanted to call out that Total Soccer Show podcast is USMNT every day podcast gold https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/total-soccer-show-usmnt-champions-league-epl-and-more/id327466681?i=1000548981909 ↗

Anybody watch the El Salvador game last night?
Nothing wrong with three points.
But plenty wrong in the final third. Yikes.

Not the best performance for sure. Ferreira was an interesting choice up front. I wondered if that was to save Pepi for Canada. As KU fans, we can also acknowledge that the key to lasting success sometimes is winning when you don't play your best so the three points is all we probably ought to consider for now. If it bleeds into the Canada game, we'll be writing something else here on Monday morning.

Ferreira was looking like a really bad call until he had that header to connect to Robinson's goal. That point blank shank was rough.

Antonee Robinson was a beast, I didn't know he could be like that... Really impressive.

Zardes also wouldn't have been my call for subbing in at the 9.

Pulisic looked like he was trying too hard. Hope playing for Tuchel who has had him out of position at Chelsea, sometimes playing wingback this season, hasn't screwed with him. Bringing on Aaronson was the right call, but was hoping to see Pulisic play through his struggles and find form. There's still time.

Musah was really good. Mckinnie has had better games. I think he gets a long leash right now because he's a star at Juventus, but he hasnt really had an amazing game for the USMNT in a while.

Game could have easily been 4-1 or 5-1. I'll feel much relieved to see Pepi find the back of the net once or twice in these qualifiers.

Yup, I think we’d feel differently about this game had we actually put three goals on the board.
That would have eased my complaints about sloppy play near the goal — a bit.

Musah. So funny you thought he was really good, Approx. I thought he was mostly invisible, which probably means he was doing the dirty work.

Pulisic wasnt involved much. All analysis I read blamed his play on great game planning by the opposing coach. He was surrounded at all times. Do you guys think Pulisic has lost a step or two? I’ve noticed that in EPL play. Injuries catching up to him?

McKennie was very involved. He had his moments. Held on to the ball way too long a few times. Skilled though. Him and Adams are the present and future.

My usual complaint was highly visible...our crossing was mostly awful.

Zimmerman was great. Not sure I like the Weah/Dest combo on the right. Didn’t allow Dest to shine down the wing. Guess that could be true with any combo.

The Canada game is gonna be tough.

And shiiiittt! Just noticed another conflict Sunday with the Chiefs game!

Pretty lackluster performance. Our CBs haven’t impressed. Our strategy to play it wide was ineffective. We didn’t reverse the ball across the back line fast enough or probe the central channel enough. Canadas play was more direct. Their d stayed compact and was never stretched. Berhalter said we dominated play. I saw a different game.

Zardes at the 9 was a head scratcher. If we aren’t getting it in the box there’s no point having your least creative hustle guy at the 9.

Zardes was clearly a poor choice and provided nothing (including a non-effort on the first goal), but this was an overall fail...made all the more possible by going behind so early and having to chase the game. Canada settled back and let the US possess the ball (thus the stats Gregg bragged about) and then clogged the box. I don't think it's the wrong players (Zardes aside), but a shake-up in tactics that would help.

Great must win tonight vs Honduras. Total domination in the freezing weather.
De la torre was all over the place!

So with three games left, there’s some work to be done.
I figure Mexico wins out. Likely they finish at worst in 2nd behind Canada.
Canada could win all three, but has a couple roadies.
The US has two roadies. I pray they at least go 1-1-1 for Four points, which likely guarantees us a Top Four finish.
I figure at Mexico is a loss. Home v Panama is a must win, and who knows at Costa Rica!
Five points likely guarantees the US a Top Three finish.
All could change with some upsets.
Or it’s too late to do math and my brain hurts.
So, I predict the final finish like this:
1 Canada
2 Mexico
3 US
4 and a possible point total tie between Panama and Costa Rica!

Start of three game set tonight. I would have felt nerves regardless, but minus McKennie, Dest and Aaronson makes it an even taller task. Really hoping it doesn't come down to needing points in Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Going well tonight!

Solid W. I have to admit that I wasn't so happy to see Arriola, Ferreira or Moore in the starting XI, but they all played well. Unless they wet the bed in epic proportions, it will be great to be back in the World Cup.

Shoot, forgot about this thread!
Great game vs Panama last night. Totally needed that 3 points.

Looking back at my last post, I figured a loss at Mexico. Glad I was wrong, but after watching the game, we totally coulda walked away with another 3 points. Should woulda coulda. Oh well.

So one point! We need one point!!! Cmon boys!

@focojayhawk moore looked a little lost but had moments. Happy to see Ferreria. Our biggest question mark right now is the 9. Felt he brings creativity and needs the run to see what we have in him. I have a soft spot for arriola. He always goes so hard knowing hes going to get injured. He was good last night. Very happy to see some de la torre. Kid is a stud. And acosta is my underrated player of the roster. I dont think moussa is a done deal. Both those guys add playmaking ability we need in the middle third.

Reports of Captain Americas demise were premature.

We could still make some noise this WC.

I should add that Reyna has opened my eyes in the last two games.

Just saw reminder that this will be (in theory) the last difficult World Cup qualifying period for the US, and the rest of the world.

The US co-hosts the next World Cup with Canada and Mexico, so they automatically qualify.

AND i think that World Cup field expands to 48 teams, with more Concacaf nations getting in.

So, for better or worse, the qualifying headaches should be over.

We did it! Not pretty but we qualified!

@approxinfinity It for sure wasn't pretty, but it'll be fun to watch them in the World Cup again. It would be REALLY fun to see what this team could do if all fully healthy at the same time...and then could be even more so four years from now when the best players are in their prime

Didn't lose by 7 yay.

Doh! I just hope we have some good friendlies in the summer and fall to get that loss off our brains.

Gotta be weird to want to celebrate after that. Anybody see Pulisic’s post game chat? Somber.

Anyway, they did the job I guess. Onward.

Continue to be impressed by de la torre. Imo hes made his case for starting over moussa.

The defense cant get caught sleeping like they were. Zimmerman didnt check back and yedlin was out to lunch at the 18 leaving an easy back run available.

But the defense and the 9 remain our biggest questions but i like the potential ferreira and pepi have shown. Please no more zardes or pefok. And if we have dest back we avoid the pick your poison of an aging yedlin and too green shaq moore on the right wingback.

I just want to score a bunch at the WC. I will be ok with giving up goals if we can just connect and make it excitng on the offensive end.

Also, do we really need a million flat Pulisic crosses? Im concerned that our effort to get him going is going to hurt us against good teams. You can score a hatty on rebounds and PKs but dont be mistaken that this signals a need for a myopic retraction of the offense fixated on the fortunes of captain america.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Also, do we really need a million flat Pulisic crosses? Im concerned that our effort to get him going is going to hurt us against good teams. You can score a hatty on rebounds and PKs but dont be mistaken that this signals a need for a myopic retraction of the offense fixated on the fortunes of captain america.

Honestly, our crossing is not good no matter who's doing the crossing.

A. Robinson needs a lot of work to up his crossing game, especially if he's the guy running up and down the wing.

Pulisic hasn't looked like the old quick, speedy guy he once was. not sure what the deal is there. he still does some good things of course, but he doesn't beat anybody with speed anymore.

Goal.com projects the US squad, and starters.

No real disagreements from me. But, I do wonder if we can play a 4-3-3 against really strong teams.

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/who-usmnt-roster-f2022-world-cup-qatar/blt42d0dc7e2460b006 ↗

The World Cup draw is out!

US paired in same pot as England, Iran and play in game winner (Whales, Scotland, Ukraine).

Pretty good draw IMO.

I coach soccer at my Junior Hi and nearly all the kids are from Mexico. They didn't watch US-Costa Rica that night, they watched Mexico-El Salvador.

No complaints about the draw. They'll need to play well in all three games to advance...like the World Cup should be. Drawing a potential Group A 2nd round match isn't a bad potential gig either. Can't wait for November!

Zack, jeebus.
🐦 View Tweet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1515342528085594114%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsbisoccer.com%2F2022%2F04%2Fzack-steffen-struggles-in-man-citys-fa-cup-semifinal-loss-to-liverpool

@rockchalkjayhawk oh god it was brutal. Man city was shell shocked rest of half. I still think Turner should start.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk oh god it was brutal. Man city was shell shocked rest of half. I still think Turner should start.

Oh boy. I can imagine the players were steamed.
I recall a few close calls or similar plays at the start of US games. Weird.

Thought i'd revisit this topic since we're in the midst of some USMNT games. what, four to go before the World Cup?

Watched the Uruguay game. tough match, but i was generally pleased with our play.

The general consensus seems to be we need to figure out who will play centrally with Zimmerman on defense.

And the usual issue: center forward

They honestly are all the same to me: Ferreira, Pepi, Sargent if you can qualify him as a striker.

Maybe this long lost Haji Wright will have an impact.

Fingers crossed tonight in Texas.

More thoughts on the Uruguay game...

Seems like Berhalter's plan to press up high after turnovers, but not everybody was buying into it. Kinda half assed in a way, because they found ways out and we were stuck with only a few back to defend the counter -- with chaos at times in the box. unmarked guys, poor decisions.

Anyway, if that's the plan, fine. Just be more organized.

Standouts good or bad:

-- Joe Scally: wow. he's got some growing to do. His decision making was horrendous, with even worse execution. Hope with more playing time he can make those decisions confidently, with force behind em.

-- Forwards: meh, as usual.

-- Keeper: nicely played.

Adams: all over the place as usual. caught up field a few times.

Musah: Efffffff yes!!!!!!!!! Love his style of play. just to it more often

@rockchalkjayhawk I'm willing to give Haji Wright a chance, but he hasn't inspired much confidence so far. It just looks like we're going into WC without a good 9. Disappointing. I'm not opposed to putting Aaronsen there, or Pulisic. Someone with a scoring knack. This won't happen of course.

That being said, I think our pod is a tremendous draw. I believe we can shock UK as they wilt under their own pressure, and Wales and Iran should be beatable.

Sean Johnson was a shocker, but I read up on him and he's had a tremendous season in MLS. I thought Matt Turner would beat out Steffen, and I'm a little concerned that GK is still in flux. Bringing a 3rd guy in seems like a pretty drastic thing right on the cusp of WC.

Yeah the midfield is not nearly as settled as I expected at this point. Adams is not impressing me at all right now, and moving Aaronsen to the midfield again seems like a disruption to a rotation that should have been settling. I was hoping Acosta would be in that rotation.

I'm not opposed to Aaronsen taking a central role. He is doing so for club, it just seems to be the 11th hour.

I want to see as much de la Torre as possible. The kid I think has greatness in him. If we aren't building him into a rotation piece for this WC I think it will be a mistake in hindsight.

Happy to see arreola acosta and de la torre starting. Morris, meh. I think antonee robinson is overrated. Zimmerman is serviceable. Has mckinney been hitting the roids? Looks thick.

Nice second half. Stopped trying to forcefeed Ferreira and started playing better soccer in the final 3rd

Malik Tillman showed us some things! Excited to see him get run

De La Torre was man of the match. So crisp

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

I want to see as much de la Torre as possible. The kid I think has greatness in him. If we aren't building him into a rotation piece for this WC I think it will be a mistake in hindsight.

Totally agree. He seems so in control of his game.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Happy to see arreola acosta and de la torre starting. Morris, meh. I think antonee robinson is overrated. Zimmerman is serviceable. Has mckinney been hitting the roids? Looks thick.

I was thinking the same thing about Weston! He looked huge tonight. Maybe he’s bulking up to impress Pulisic’s sister :)

I’m fine with A Robinson. He seems like our best option. I didn’t think much of him a year ago, but he’s grown on me.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Yeah the midfield is not nearly as settled as I expected at this point. Adams is not impressing me at all right now, and moving Aaronsen to the midfield again seems like a disruption to a rotation that should have been settling. I was hoping Acosta would be in that rotation.

I'm not opposed to Aaronsen taking a central role. He is doing so for club, it just seems to be the 11th hour.

Aaronsen. Hmmm. He’s an energy guy. Nonstop, which is great. I don’t get to see him play club, but he seems like the perfect pick up the team late sub.

I think the midfield is set: Adams/McKennie/Musah

Assuming we start in a 4-3-3...

Second half was way better than the frustrating first!

Grreeeaaat play by the midfielders — making 40 yard runs right up the gut.

Ferreira finally broke through. Let’s hope that makes him more comfortable scoring moving forward.

I don't think it'll happen, but I'd like to see Berhalter play either Weah or Reyna up top in one of these lead up games. So much depth with Aaronsen, Musah, McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, Adams, Reyna, De la Torre...to then put someone up top at the 9 that is far less talented seems like a bummer to me.

@focojayhawk said in USMNT:

I don't think it'll happen, but I'd like to see Berhalter play either Weah or Reyna up top in one of these lead up games. So much depth with Aaronsen, Musah, McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, Adams, Reyna, De la Torre...to then put someone up top at the 9 that is far less talented seems like a bummer to me.

Hard to argue...

Totally agree.

@focojayhawk said in USMNT:

I don't think it'll happen, but I'd like to see Berhalter play either Weah or Reyna up top in one of these lead up games. So much depth with Aaronsen, Musah, McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, Adams, Reyna, De la Torre...to then put someone up top at the 9 that is far less talented seems like a bummer to me.

NBC predicts you may get your wish tonight...

Horvath

Yedlin – Zimmerman – Carter-Vickers – Robinson

Adams – Musah – McKennie

Pulisic – Weah – Aaronson

Well that El Salvador game wasn’t too pleasant to watch!
The Arriola red card should’ve been a yellow. The Adams yellow card maybe a red.
Musah was very energetic, but could not finish a few prime opportunities.
And that El Salvador goal: a blister of a shot, no doubt. But WTF was Harvath doing??? Cover the freaking post, the only place dude could have sent the ball given the defensive positioning.

I gave up at the half. Those extreme field conditions completely negated any opportunity for switching the field and we couldnt seem to find the touch to put the ball in dangerous spots along the left and right channels.

I need to watch the second half today (I knew what happened, you didn't spoil it :)

Wouldn't be USMNT without a complete shit show

I thought about giving up at half as well.

At the start of the match, seeing the horrendous conditions, I couldn’t help but think that Pulisic and any other semi fragile player or valuable player should be OFF the field and on the bus to the airport. Who cares about this result.

The field was just so bad that as you say @approxinfinity , talent was minimized.

@rockchalkjayhawk home field advantage was maximized. No VAR, mudbowls, Concacaf is RAW

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk home field advantage was maximized. No VAR, mudbowls, Concacaf is RAW

TOTALLY!!!!!!

OMG, English “football” writers just crack me up. This story about the US squad had me crying. An excerpt: It was an archetypal febrile, bad-tempered, VAR-less Concacaf scrap on a dreadful surface, a context that will bear little resemblance to the Group B games in Qatar against Wales, England and Iran. You’d hope.

The Guardian story: https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-sight-usmnt-still-111447019.html ↗

@rockchalkjayhawk good article. I liked their takes across the board. They told it like it is And didn’t hesitate to criticize american coverage contributing to lack of interest in USMNT:

Sure, Friday’s NBA finals Game 4 held more interest for the average American sports fan than a Nations League stroll in a Texan sweatbox against the world’s 170th-ranked team. But did the Grenada game need to kick off on a Friday night at 10pm ET and be broadcast in English on the cavernous ESPN+ subscription streaming service, where viewers may have been distracted by alternative delights such as the La Crosse Loggers versus the Bismarck Larks in the Northwoods baseball league?

Tuesday’s clash in San Salvador, on FS1, Univision and TUDN, also kicked off at 10pm ET as the USMNT continued its war on people who have to get up early the next morning. The game even clashed with a rescheduled home MLS match for one of the continent’s most popular clubs, as Seattle hosted Vancouver. This on the day that MLS announced a lucrative and comprehensive deal with Apple TV; compare and contrast.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk good article. I liked their takes across the board. They told it like it is And didn’t hesitate to criticize american coverage contributing to lack of interest in USMNT:

Sure, Friday’s NBA finals Game 4 held more interest for the average American sports fan than a Nations League stroll in a Texan sweatbox against the world’s 170th-ranked team. But did the Grenada game need to kick off on a Friday night at 10pm ET and be broadcast in English on the cavernous ESPN+ subscription streaming service, where viewers may have been distracted by alternative delights such as the La Crosse Loggers versus the Bismarck Larks in the Northwoods baseball league?

Tuesday’s clash in San Salvador, on FS1, Univision and TUDN, also kicked off at 10pm ET as the USMNT continued its war on people who have to get up early the next morning. The game even clashed with a rescheduled home MLS match for one of the continent’s most popular clubs, as Seattle hosted Vancouver. This on the day that MLS announced a lucrative and comprehensive deal with Apple TV; compare and contrast.

Way more entertaining. You nailed it, they truly say it like it is.

Isn’t that just way more fun than reading something like this?

From Ives’ site: The USMNT was put under pressure in the first half by El Salvador and conceded 10 minutes from halftime with Alexander Larin supplying the opening goal.

Zzzzzzz

That said Im enjoying The Athletics coverage of USMNT. Its behind a paywall but in depth.

Good start to my afternoon...Kansas City and Seattle both get named as host cities for the 2026 World Cup ! The USMNT's youth movement should by coming into its own by then. As for this year, I'll be happy if we make it out of our group.

I'm in Mexico on vacation right now. I've asked a few locals if they remember what happened 20 years ago today in world soccer. Then I reminded them of the fat 'Dos a Cero' the US laid on Mexico in the round of 16 in World Cup '02. They didn't seem particularly interested in remembering...but I sure remember.

@nwhawkfan said in USMNT:

Good start to my afternoon...Kansas City and Seattle both get named as host cities for the 2026 World Cup ! The USMNT's youth movement should by coming into its own by then. As for this year, I'll be happy if we make it out of our group.

Getting out of the group may be a close call this year. England the clear cut No. 1. I think we can do it, but the US, Wales and Iran aren’t too far apart in the world rankings. I truly believe we have more talent though. Just gotta play to that level and minimize the stupid mistakes.

@focojayhawk said in USMNT:

I'm in Mexico on vacation right now. I've asked a few locals if they remember what happened 20 years ago today in world soccer. Then I reminded them of the fat 'Dos a Cero' the US laid on Mexico in the round of 16 in World Cup '02. They didn't seem particularly interested in remembering...but I sure remember.

You’re typing, so you must still be alive after mentioning Dos A Cero while in Mexico. You got big balls!

The manager of the Wales national team just resigned today. Ryan Giggs, the one-time Manchester United star, is facing domestic assault charges. His assistant took charge of the team in their last few games. Hard to tell how all of this will affect the USMNT in group play, but it ought to at least remove that possible distraction for the Welsh side.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/wales-wal/story/4688788/ryan-giggs-steps-down-as-wales-manager/ ↗

@nwhawkfan said in USMNT:

The manager of the Wales national team just resigned today. Ryan Giggs, the one-time Manchester United star, is facing domestic assault charges. His assistant took charge of the team in their last few games. Hard to tell how all of this will affect the USMNT in group play, but it ought to at least remove that possible distraction for the Welsh side.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/wales-wal/story/4688788/ryan-giggs-steps-down-as-wales-manager/ ↗

There are some interesting charges levied against Giggs. The charges make him sound very controlling and jealous. Crazy. They say he kicked his girlfriend in the back, and booted her into the hall butt naked at a hotel! Too bad. He was a good player to watch back in the day.

@rockchalkjayhawk

"Kate is a fame hungry wannabe wag. She was never going to stop until she bagged a footballer."
— Damian Burke, ex-husband.

Fun times

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk

"Kate is a fame hungry wannabe wag. She was never going to stop until she bagged a footballer."
— Damian Burke, ex-husband.

Fun times

And the story gets better!

I have been completely impressed with the U-20 team. Not something i typically watch, but I caught a few of their games the last few days in the CONCACAF U20 championship.

They seem confident as hell, dominated the ball, with some great shots on goal. They made the championship game, so can't wait to watch that on Sunday.

Quinn Sullivan really seemed impressive. It's my first time seeing any of these guys really.

Very fun to watch. Happy to see that. Very much hope that translates to the big boy team.

@rockchalkjayhawk thanks for the heads up! Meant to watch more of them

Just a dominant tournament for the US. They crushed the Dominican today.

I mean literally barely a shot taken on our goal in all games.

Very fun to watch.

@rockchalkjayhawk twas. Reminded me of the womens dominance.

They were competing with themselves.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk twas. Reminded me of the womens dominance.

They were competing with themselves.

It really did remind me as well of the women's dominance.

I don't really follow the under 20s much, but if i recall they haven't qualified for the olympics in like a decade? that says something about their performance this week.

Hard to get into the nitty gritty of their play without knowing the talent by name, but more than a few stood out. Aaronsen's little brother tore it up!

Their link up play was awesome. Felt like they were moving down the field at will all the way to a quality shot on frame.

Well, disappointed that the last few games for both the men and women have been on a streaming pay service. Paramount+
just another one i gotta shell out cash for now i suppose.
insert grumpy old man joke here: ____

@rockchalkjayhawk There are a couple good shows on Paramount+ as well. Helps justify the cost. I figure it’s several hundred dollars to go to a game, so I don’t mind spending a few to watch it from the comfort of home. -and it’s still much cheaper than cable or satellite for me.

@dylans this is the first ive considered watching anything other than soccer on paramount :face_with_tears_of_joy: will look.

@dylans said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk There are a couple good shows on Paramount+ as well. Helps justify the cost. I figure it’s several hundred dollars to go to a game, so I don’t mind spending a few to watch it from the comfort of home. -and it’s still much cheaper than cable or satellite for me.

Oh good. what shows you like? Always looking for new material. i put a few on my fav list last night so i could check em out.

BTW, i do like the Paramount+ platform so far.
Seems easy to navigate, stable, clean.

Slightly bummed that i could not watch the USWNT game on replay last night, i had to wait til this morning before it was posted. (couldn't watch live).

So far so good though.

@rockchalkjayhawk A couple ends of the spectrum - I believe Yellowstone is on paramount+ as is that new star trek show - discovery. the new Sonic the hedgehog movie is as well - I have a 6 year old. There’s a few decent shows/movies if you dig around, but it’s no Netflix that’s for sure!

@dylans said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk A couple ends of the spectrum - I believe Yellowstone is on paramount+ as is that new star trek show - discovery. the new Sonic the hedgehog movie is as well - I have a 6 year old. There’s a few decent shows/movies if you dig around, but it’s no Netflix that’s for sure!

Oh cool. I Was debating watching the new Star Trek, and Yellowstone. Thx for the recommendation!

Looks like we have a tune up roster named for the USMNT.

Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath

Fullbacks: Sergiño Dest, DeAndre Yedlin, Reggie Cannon, Joe Scally, Sam Vines
Center backs: Walker Zimmerman, Chris Richards, Aaron Long, Cameron Carter-Vickers

Central midfielders: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Luca de la Torre, Kellyn Acosta, Malik Tillman

Wingers/attacking midfielders: Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Paul Arriola, Jordan Morris

Strikers: Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi

This feels like basically the final roster for the World Cup with only a few injury exceptions (Antonee Robinson and Zach Steffen). I don't have too many issues with it.

--Reyna and Aaronson give them versatility in the midfield so I'd drop Arriola for Robinson (but I'm pretty sure Berhalter takes Arriola no matter what...maybe they're related).
--Steffen (if healthy) takes Horvath's spot
--Pepi is probably the one guy who could either play his way off the team or have someone leapfrog him on to the team.

I take tremendous issue with Joe Scally being on the final roster, if he makes it.

He's been tremendously awful for the USMNT. I haven't seen his play for club, but man has he been bad for the US.

Vickers i'm hoping is just a temporary replacement for Robinson's roster spot.

Forward: like it matters! ha.

Missing Weah. And our 9 still doesnt feel settled.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Missing Weah. And our 9 still doesnt feel settled.

Missing Weah for sure. Think he’ll be a super sub or starter?

But, our 9 will not be settled before the World Cup. Is Dempsey still a available???

I just hope he chooses a 9 who can run around and press on D. Any scoring on top of that would be gravy.

Im not impressed by our defense in general. I think besides the 9 problem, we might not point at one person on the D and say this guys a problem… but we should point at the whole group and say this is a problem. Dest is a solid offensive player but not a solid defender. Yedlin is too old, Scally is too young, Cannon is ok, and I dont think i know who Vines is. Zimmerman and Long are the prefered CBs i think, Richards and Long will compete… its been too long and i cant remember my impression of Carter Vickers. Im afraid good teams are going to eat this defense alive.

Wish Weah could play the 9. I think hes one of our best 11 but not our best top left or right. Pulisic and Reyna. And Aarsonsen has been playing centrally for club. We will see there.

Has Weah played wing back?

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Im not impressed by our defense in general. I think besides the 9 problem, we might not point at one person on the D and say this guys a problem… but we should point at the whole group and say this is a problem. Dest is a solid offensive player but not a solid defender. Yedlin is too old, Scally is too young, Cannon is ok, and I dont think i know who Vines is. Zimmerman and Long are the prefered CBs i think, Richards and Long will compete… its been too long and i cant remember my impression of Carter Vickers. Im afraid good teams are going to eat this defense alive.

Well said @approxinfinity !

I think our defense was at one point our strength. Still could be. Without Miles Robinson, it's worse for sure. I liked that central pairing with Zim.

IMO you don't need brilliant defenders on the outside backline. Most of those kind of players across the globe seem offense oriented now. If Dest and Yedlin or whoever can stay in front of their guy, hustle back, don't do stupid stuff, they should be fine.

Agree on CCV. he's been out of the loop until recently.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Wish Weah could play the 9. I think hes one of our best 11 but not our best top left or right. Pulisic and Reyna. And Aarsonsen has been playing centrally for club. We will see there.

Has Weah played wing back?

I betcha Weah could play wing back! hmmm...

Reyna i see started for Dortmund against Man City. Only watched first half. uneventful. I don't see the brilliance of Reyna yet. I hope we do, but in all his starts for the national team, he's not done too much to prove otherwise. I have seen him make a handful of plays, but with all the glory placed upon him, i'm still waiting for more.

He's young though.

Gio did ok for Dortmund today. Didnt play the whole game but had a positive inpact. Berhalter was there.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

Gio did ok for Dortmund today. Didnt play the whole game but had a positive inpact. Berhalter was there.

What kind of player comparison would you have for Gio? Skills?

I haven’t seen him play enough to have an idea.

@rockchalkjayhawk his handling is exceptional when at top form, speed is good, aerials good, passing good. Only knock is that he can be sticky, but thats a product of youth. The hype is warranted because we need a healthy Reyna to make any real noise this WC

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

@rockchalkjayhawk his handling is exceptional when at top form, speed is good, aerials good, passing good. Only knock is that he can be sticky, but thats a product of youth. The hype is warranted because we need a healthy Reyna to make any real noise this WC

i'm all for it! His pop was one of my all-time faves.

CCV and Richards out for friendlies https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4749662/celtics-cameron-carter-vickers-could-miss-usmnt-september-friendlies ↗

It's interesting how dismissive Berhalter is of Tim Ream. I know he hasn't been awesome for the USMNT in the past, but he's a captain and starter on a Premier League team and yet can't even make the roster? Even with CCV and Richards out!

I like the idea of Weah at the 9. Sargent has played well recently so we'll see if his form holds. The issue seems to be getting the best players on the field and with such great wingers and such a vacuum up front, it'll be interesting to see what Berhalter does. Sadly I think it ends up with Ferreira at the 9. Hard pass.

@focojayhawk said in USMNT:

It's interesting how dismissive Berhalter is of Tim Ream. I know he hasn't been awesome for the USMNT in the past, but he's a captain and starter on a Premier League team and yet can't even make the roster? Even with CCV and Richards out!

I like the idea of Weah at the 9. Sargent has played well recently so we'll see if his form holds. The issue seems to be getting the best players on the field and with such great wingers and such a vacuum up front, it'll be interesting to see what Berhalter does. Sadly I think it ends up with Ferreira at the 9. Hard pass.

I think Berhalter's big plan for the back line is simple: have some recovery speed.

Guys like Brooks and Ream don't fit that mold.

Smart plan or not, that appears to be the main prerequisite. speed (ish).

Berhalter likes to hold a high line with defenders. That means they need to be able to play catch up and get back quickly.

Ream seems decent enough. more plodding and strong than speedy though.

Game starting soon! 937 EST

Oops 825 EST!

Not what we wanted to see. Where to start...

--The better team won and the score line should have been worse

--SO many giveaways in the defensive half. Can't blame field conditions for that

--Very little to say about anything on the attacking half because they were so rarely there. Ferreira had one chance in the first half and wasn't close. We got no answers about who will play the 9 from today

--Long was horrible. Zimmerman was pedestrian at best. Tell me again why there's no Tim Ream on this team?

--Turner was the bright spot. Had no chance on the two goals and I thought he played well

Can't say I'm super hopeful...even if Pulisic comes back. That was a total clinic by Japan

We were awful. Mckinney Long and Zimmerman all played unforgivable lazy passes right to Japanese players in the central channel while they themselves were wide. Ferreira could have hammered that header home if he was taller. I only saw first half.

Same here...first half was a hot mess. Way too many giveaways. Heard we looked a little better in the second half.

If it's any consolation, England and Wales didn't look so good in their losses either. Meanwhile, Iran beat Uruguay, who's arguably the third best team in South America after Brazil and Argentina. It's anyone's guess who advances out of this group to the knockout round in December. But I'm not holding my breath for the USMNT if they play like they did today.

Well, didn’t realize they were playing today, so just finished watching!

Entirely forgettable in every way. Uninspired. Lackluster.

The first half was really lazy and bad. Sooo many giveaways. Slight improvement in the second half.

Agree with @focojayhawk . How can you even critique individual offensive players when they hardly touched the ball?

Japan just outsmarted and outplayed the US in every way. Berhalter gets an F for tactics today.

If I recall, Dest didn’t get back in time and his man scored?

Anyway, not a good looking team at all today. No Pulisic and Weah. Pulisic likely would not have helped much given we couldn’t really get the ball forward, but Weah may have helped with some runs to open up some space.

The mystical Reyna touched the ball a few times. Got a cross in. Another time he dribbled from one side of the field to the other, refusing to pass to anybody. Lost that possession I believe. He looks slow and disinterested.

On Japan’s second goal, our defenders simply refused to defend. Three or four guys were to all sides of the oncoming goal scorer, none stepped up and ever got close to him. Just don’t understand that at all. Zero effort to stop him.

Anyway, that was disappointing, but not a big deal in the big picture I guess.

And that field!!! Wow. Hoping to find a story that explains the really bad pitch.

Oh, I have to say that these friendlies seem so unorganized. VAR, no VAR? Who knows. Even the broadcaster ESPN didn’t know the answer. It was used once, but not again on blatant, cardable fouls. Weird.

Well, the send off Saudi game was about as lackluster as they come.

Fingers crossed they rediscover their mojo before the Cup.

Guess I’m not alone thinking we weren’t very good! Sigh.

From Goal.com
It was the U.S. men's national team's final match before the World Cup, and boy was it a dud.

It was a game devoid of anything. It had no goals, no big moments, no promising sequences. The one memorable thing from this content will be a potential injury to a key star. (Reyna)

We’ve run out of time. We seem to have no idea who we are.

@approxinfinity said in USMNT:

We’ve run out of time. We seem to have no idea who we are.

Well put. Sure seems that way.

And Reyna, hurt again.

Not sure I could have any less expectation for success at the World Cup. Hope I'm pleasantly surprised...and that the US can score a goal at least once in their three games

@focojayhawk said in USMNT:

Not sure I could have any less expectation for success at the World Cup. Hope I'm pleasantly surprised...and that the US can score a goal at least once in their three games

Wow, I had the same thought. Will the US score in the WC? I hope they are just playing possum, and bust out the offense soon.

The World Cup roster is out. a few surprise, but nothing game changing.

U.S. World Cup roster for Qatar 2022

Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath, Sean Johnson

Fullbacks: Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, DeAndre Yedlin, Joe Scally, Shaq Moore

Center backs: Walker Zimmerman, Aaron Long, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream

Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Luca de la Torre, Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Roldan

Wingers: Christian Pulisic, Timothy Weah, Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Jordan Morris

Strikers: Jesús Ferreira, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright

i'm a bit surprised that Cameron Carter Vickers made the roster. But, given the injuries at center back, i suppose he had to.

As for Ream, same deal. But with Miles Robinson and Chris Richards hurt, that's what we got.

Strikers: not sure it really matters!

A bit weird that Reggie Cannon was left off in favor of Shaq Moore, whom we haven't seen too much of.

I don't have many issues with the roster...

GK: Reports had come out about Steffen. Not sure it really matters. Turner is clearly the guy.

Fullbacks: I guess I'm surprised they took five...and that Cannon wouldn't then be the 5th. Shaq Moore is pretty out of the blue. Perhaps there's an injury with a current right back (Dest?) and he's injury insurance.

Midfield: I don't think Roldan will touch the field, but I've heard that he's a great locker room guy...a veteran presence...a Berhalter guy. Tillman would've been a higher ceiling guy, but the 6th mid won't see the field.

Wingers: The surprise to me is no Arriola. He's a Berhalter guy to the Nth degree. I did listen to Roger Bennett's interview with Berhalter this evening and Berhalter said that Arriola got so much run because at every camp they were missing a winger due to injury. The reality that Pulisic, Weah, Reyna and Aaronson are fit right now...and Morris could play the 9 in a pinch.

Strikers: We all knew Ferreira would go (and sadly will probably play a ton). I like that they brought Sargent. And Wright has been scoring and basically brings what Pefok brings plus he can go at guys 1v1.

Looking forward to it!

The one that surprised me was the omission of Zack Steffen from the roster. He used to be our #1 in goal, but I guess all that sitting on the bench at Man City didn't help, and the loan to Middlesborough for more PT wasn't enough to sway Berhalter.

On the plus side, glad to see our local favorites Morris, Roldan and Yedlin make the team.

Saw highlights of Chelsea's League Cup loss to Man City today. Pulisic got the start and had a couple of close-in chances early on, but couldn't finish.

I also think it was good to see Ream make it

It does sound like Dest is an injury concern. So I think you’re right @focojayhawk , Shaq is an insurance policy.

I wonder if there was a weird vibe or something between Steffen and Turner? Who knows.

I’ve been watching lots of Leeds games so far this season. I’m not displeased that Ream made the roster. Strong defender. A captain. I’m guessing we could be on our heels a bit in the WC, so he can play if we’re defending a lot.

Edit: oops, meant to say I’ve watched a bunch of Fulham games…but I’ve watched a bunch of Leeds too

I think really the only starting 11 question is:

Aaronsen or Reyna?

Tough call. At least Aaronsen puts in nonstop effort. Reyna still a bit of a mystery to me.

Looks like everybody on our roster escaped their club games this past weekend without any more injuries.

Josh Sargent scored for Norwich against Middlesborough goalie Zach Steffen, who was left off the US WC team. (Boro got the win though. )

Speaking of spurned players, my favorite story of the weekend was Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Left off the England squad, he took it out on Manchester City. Toney scored twice in a 2-1 upset of the defending EPL champions. First time Brentford has won a road game in Manchester since 1937...85 years !

Ted Lasso is on board with the USMNT ! Billboard, that is.

https://www.deadline.com/2022/11/ted-lasso-world-cup-billboards-us-mens-national-soccer-team-1235171659/ ↗