Devries blew more than a few. Really had a hard time catching speed of game and just didn't read time and space well.
Gotta question some of those coaching decisions. He really tried to force-fit players into 433. Didn't adapt to the personnel. That means Busio was misfit as a winger. Didn't find a way to get AOC on the field, pairing with Pepi. Fuentes didn't start. When they finally get momentum to take the lead he goes defensive and takes Reyna out. De Vries comes off the bench. I don't know if that's his normal play, but he really struggled out there in the opener. I'm not super knowledgeable about players this young so long as they're not already pros. I heard some hubbub about excluding some worthy kids. Which omissions were most worthy of criticism to bolster this roster? Although to some degree substantial improvements can be made from better lineup, formation, tactical choices, getting the nerves out, and drawing from a bigger sample. One can overreact when it's much ado about nothing.
Kayo should be a substitute, the rest of the team looked very good. I would like to see Pepi and Ocampo Chavez play together, they could generate a better attack.
Whew! The second half went the way the first half should have gone. Team really struggles against the counter. We had to have the ball 70% of the time. Kayo is really good ball handler. Knows how to pause and pick the skill to counter where the defender is. Wish we had Judge and Bello on this team. 2 good ball handlers. Armour struggled and our defense has trouble closing down space. Reyna acted like he hadn't played in months. I've seen him enough to know he can do alot better. But still with his skill had a goal and assist despite being less than his 100% self. Busio has no speed and I don't know what Leyva adds. Solid but I just don't see it. We win 3-2 next game.
I thought Kayo was awesome in the second half keeping possession through the midfield. Not much of a tackler. But clever with the ball.
Very good post. Sometimes I think our teams are obsessed with 4-3-3. Pepi is really good but sometimes against bunkers a lone striker doesn't see the ball because no one is close enough to combine with him. Canada was poor but they do shoot the ball really well when we back off them alot.
Gotta quibble a bit, like Busio's motor. Was able to watch moments from the replay up on the CONCACAF fb page. Busio seemed like he was running all game, raced up field in the 90' minute to relieve pressure and put Canada on their heels. Seems like the team turned off for 2 minutes and almost blew it. Nice come back, seemed pretty cohesive together. The free kick routine on our 2nd goal was pretty boss, even though goalie was out of position and played it poorly
Hmmm, playing your best players out of position all in order to adopt some "system"...where have I heard this before? Thought they looked fine, certainly had more chances than Canada, but just turned off for 1 minute in the first half. Some decent goals too. That rebound/ping pong goal came from an absolute laser from whoever hit it...
Its very noticeable. Last year in the FC Dallas U-17's, he wasn't as effective as he is this year in that team. He was playing with older players, and you could tell he was off the pace of most games, but the one thing he always did was hustle, and run to chase after players his whole time on the field.
I don't think I'd watch these games if Las wasn't playing in this tournament. Best USYNT keeper I've seen. That save at the end to tip the shot onto the bar was excellent. The rest of the talent is so mediocre. A few of the others aren't bad, but there is a complete lack of top-end talent in this 2002 age group. Scally's habits aren't great. He looks bored playing in this team. Move him to CB for the rest of the tournament. Alejandre didn't defend the second goal great. I thought he wasn't bad besides that. He's a reliable player, but he cannot be expected to be the leader of his CB pairing or the taller of the two in the CB pairing. KHF at CB is such a waste of his talents. He had a weak first half, and a little better in the second half. He should be playing LB. Armour was beat on the first goal. Bad game. He's not very good. Leyva was beat on the second goal and off the pace the whole game. I've always thought he's overrated to begin with among 03's, and definitely doesn't belong in a team of the best 2002's. Kayo isn't a good soccer player. I've watched many of his games because he plays in the same team as Nyeman. I never viewed him as a real YNT level player for even an extended camp. I definitely didn't think he'd be playing U-17 WCQ's. Yow is also in that DC United team. Limited footballer. End product isn't bad, but thats about it. Busio is similar to Yow. Good end-product, but not very impactful aside from that, although a better player than Yow. It has to be considered concerning. Some view Busio as one of the biggest talents in our system. How can that be so if he's so consistently mediocre from the run of play? Can you carry a player in your starting lineup who will add nothing during the course of a game aside from a goal or assist? I ask that question not knowing the answer. At least in this weak team, his level of play is good enough. At higher levels, it might not be. Reyna is over-critized by some and over-praised by others. He's a good complimentary attacker. He can't run an attack. He's versatile, does a lot well, nothing great. He can't be your best attacking mid. If he is, you aren't going to be a high scoring team. This age group has had that problem for years. Pepi shouldn't have started over AOC, but this coach has went big for the all-hype team with some of his selections. Pepi was off the pace. He worked hard, but he was invisible against a pretty average team. We often see players in the younger year of the cycle struggle to play up a year, regardless of whether they are good prospects or not. I didn't see much from any of the subs. I wouldn't mind to see Fuentes start the next game. As mentioned, AOC should start. I haven't seen very much of de Vries, but he has decision making issues on the ball. As for the result, is it that bad of a result? I don't know if this team is more than 3-2 better than Canada. They should be, but this team hasn't been for years. They aren't that good. They might not qualify. The first half was terrible, and the second half was better. It's not a bad result. I don't see this team winning very many games easily against teams that can cross midfield. They can't out-talent other teams, and they are under the instruction of a new coach.
Ok just finished watching. Outside of the 2 goals from lazy defending I actually liked what i've seen from the team as a whole. Some general thought are, yow isn't a winger cant really play make. Busio is an 8 imo, but he has poacher's instincts. Reyna has the talent, just is missing something to be that can't miss product. Kayo is an interesting prospect, great size good ball skills. want to ee how he develops. I actually liked De Vries much more than Yow he actually can beat players of the dribble which is what a winger should do. Fuentes played well, he usually has the right ideas sometimes it doesn't come off though.
I traded emails with Concacaf Go support while trying to figure out how to watch these games. The rep told me that Concacaf Go is blacking out the US matches (and maybe more) in the US, both live and for on demand replay. UDN is not broadcasting all of them either. Saturday's match is only on its Univision Deportes App, which requires a cable log in credential. Monday's match is on UDN. The Facebook video only works for logged in Facebook account holders.
I think Busio's problem right now is that he's a tweener. I like his movement/instincts and he has a nose for goal no doubt (he's a bit of a poacher) so his future may ultimately be as a secondary striker. Need him in an around the 18 to make things happen.
Was this typical of Reyna? Obviously he was one of the best out there, but jeez, you can't dribble everybody. Play somebody else in. I'd get tired of playing with him if this is his shit. I want to make other knee jerk reactions on high-school kids that I've mainly only seen in highlights before...arrghhhhhhhh
Alejandre showed he had a long ball. There was lack of class in the middle third. Stroud was sorely missed. I'd put Busio at the 10 with Reyna as a forward. I thought DeVries looked like he had some aggression but it was just as a sub so who knows. Our attackers may not be eye popping but it looks like we have a bunch with potential whereas back 4 are so-so and dual dmids were killing any buzz the team might have had.
This age group is terrible in CM. They are outplayed almost every game they play against good teams because they don't have the CM's to control a game. No one can win possession, keep hold of it and move the ball up field. Stroud wasn't a bad player, but I don't think he'd make much of a difference. It goes beyond one or two players. There's a lack of quality in this CM. In fact, the player I'd peg as the best CM in the 2002 year was recently moved to CB at the club level because Seattle wants to develop the player who started in the #6 position for this team today in his position. IMO, thats a blunder by Seattle and this NT. I'm not sure what Leyva does better than Atencio. Both are slow plodders who can pass the ball from a deep lying position, but lack athleticism. Atencio is bigger and more physical.
Haven’t watched but he tends to rely on his dribbling, which is ironic given his father’s passing game. This reminds me of recent-era Pulisic (who was more of a pass and move player at this level). I think of Reyna as a SS or W or possibly a mobile 9. This type of player can be a part of a well-oiled attack and good ones will create a disproportionate number of chances and shots but they don’t produce the control of a game that a 10 does. Their sphere of influence is smaller but can be decisive.
I'll be honest, I thought Leyva was much better than many here. He made decent decisions on the ball, seems as if he reads the game relatively well, and made one-touch passes to keep the ball moving at times. The CB's lacking the ability to bypass the first line of pressure, and the #8 taking up the same space had an impact on his play.
Here’s some quick takes: Pepi: Good work rate. Should’ve come back more often to combine, cuz he’s good at it. Let AOC have a run at it next game and make it a competition. Reyna: I think he belongs on the wing for this team. He overdribbled, but he hasn’t played in a while at any level. Busio: Definitively not a winger. I think people are being hard on him, though. He moves great off the ball, plays great one touch balls, works really hard, and strikes the ball well. It just happens that the one thing he can’t do is create space for himself on the ball, which is perhaps the most important trait of any attacking midfielder. Thus, he never makes incisive passes unless it’s a one touch pass. He should still start, though. Just not on the wing. Yow: Just meh. De Vries: His best trait was being good defensively so that Scally could go up the field. Otherwise his final ball wasn’t clean enough, although he did succeed a few times taking people on. Kayo: Was pretty good. I’d hope that his level of player would be a sub, but he added some needed steel once he settled in. He’s also fairly shifty on the ball and makes fine decisions, but not a creative passer. He’s a pro prospect, but he’s not a game changer for this pool. Leyva: Give him another game. The second half was nice when he, Alejandre, and Kobe would play out of the back around Canada. The only issue is he needs a Kayo at this level to mop up defensively around him. Fuentes: Should start in the big games. He was by far the most inventive passer when he came on, and I forgot how clean he is on the ball. He even looked pretty fast. Armour: Didn’t add much of anything. Barely touched the ball. Bello is definitely missed, but I’d like to see Kobe pushed out here just to add some offensive width. Kobe: His passes to Busio were key in breaking lines. I actually like him as a center back prospect for that reason- his line breaking passes on the ground are excellent. Anyways, he needs to play left back in this team if no one else can. Alejandre: Better on the ball than I remembered. He settled in eventually, but to me he’s a marginally worse right footed Kobe. Scally: This dude needs USL minutes more than anyone ever. He makes some crazy decisions at right back, and he’s probably used to getting away with it in the DA. He better stop doing that before Mexico. Las: Good, as always. The fact that he caught their free kick at the end of the game was comical. Anyways, here’s what I think our lineup should be for big games: ———————Pepi——————— Reyna———-Fuentes————AOC ———Busio—————Leyva——— Kobe——Gray———Axel——Scally ———————Las———————- If you can’t see that Kobe has tons of talent in his left foot, then I really can’t help you.
I'm not saying his legs weren't moving alot just when they were they weren't very fast. Motor and speed are different for me. Like his motor just would like a smaller offensive player to be able to run past someone with the ball on the wing.
Fuentes was excellent when he came on he deserves a shot starting. I also feel like an extra winger should’ve been called like dunbar