I agree. He is absolutely American and was aware of what it took to be eligible for USMNT. There were generally no hard feelings in NZ either as they understood the opportunity for him.
I agree that we should beat all these teams comprehensively. I dont think this Trinidad game should be the barometer for anything though. This Trinidad team did not start Molino or J.Jones. Their best player, Khaleem Hyland, was injured 15 mins in. Up to that point Trinidad was very much in the game with what equates to a weak USL team. On paper this Trinidad team is very weak. Many of their players that started are playing usl or lower. Cyrus, one of the vets, is playing for a bottom club in Honduran top flight. Hes just 1 example of a list of guys that are aging and playing low level football. Cato and Levi can be excluded out of the starters but they are not exactly game changers. Levi, maybe in the future but not on his own. It wouldnt surprise me at all to see Guyana get a result vs this Trinidad team. Id take the cb pairing of Vancooten and Briggs over the 2 Trinidad had out there vs us. After we scored the late first half goal, the game was over. Trinidad had nothing to really play for and mailed it in. Its nice to see the guys execute but Trinidad might as well have been waving the white flag after the second goal went in. No coincidence we score 5 of our goals after the 66th min.
He really likes to take the shot, almost like no matter what else might be going on. Working so far but early strengths can become derailers down the line. Just so he is adaptable. Not complaining!
Yes, but you still need a cohesive team that can fill the roles required to attack, defend and transition in all thirds.
This is the anniversary, so they been posting the Donovan goal versus Algeria a lot on twitter today. Jozy looks 30 pounds heavier than he did in that clip. That's not a great thing to be carrying for a guy with a long history of lower body injuries...
It's not a barometer against good teams, it's a barometer of the USMNT. That's a key difference. Beating down Trinidad doesn't tell us how we'll do against Mexico or Costa Rica. But it does tell us how the team will do when it has belief and momentum. On paper, the Jamaica team is also plenty "weak". They have a roster of 5 MLS players, 8 USL, 4 Jamaican league, 1 Swedish 2nd, 1 Norwegian 2nd, 1 Championship, and 1 Bundesliga (Bailey) player. If you'll recall, they never even used Leon Bailey against us when we lost in DC. They also haven't shown that they can be consistently dangerous, considering they couldn't break down an El Salvador defense that's nothing special. It's no coincidence that we scored a bunch of goals because we're vastly more talented than Trinidad. We're vastly more talented than everyone on our bracket. 3G just hadn't been able to coax a decent performance out of the team till Trinidad. If we let Jamaica/Panama/El Salvador hang around at 0-0 till the 70th minute, then we're in trouble. Otherwise, when we score in knockout round games, they obviously open up, because the other team needs to score. For Trinidad, that was their knockout game. And we smashed them. That's important.
I edited it. I guess I'm old enough to consider that a good thing because it ended the war... But I'm not here to be in bad taste and hurt anybody. Sorry.
If you switch to Fox you get Fernando Fiore playing the buffoon in English in pre and postgame programming. Pick your poison. At least Balboa has some dignity left.
I'm so happy that I've managed to watch the US men and women in two different tournaments, and haven't had to watch Fiore in any game yet... He's a clown on TV. And the shame is, it's all an act. I heard him on a podcast, and he just talked straight soccer and was fine.
It may have been a necessary evil to end more evil but we shouldn’t make light of those that lost their lives and had their lives damaged well after the bomb. No apology was needed but I do very much appreciate you doing so and editing the comment.
well, now that this thread is all the way off the rails ill get to random stuff... curious how viking feels about mex-americans. just need to know what level of MAGA im dealing with before responding. boyd has played 2 matches and morris (only vaguely a winger) has had exactly one good one at that position. so thats an interesting comparison to really dig your heels in on. but i want to ask about pomykal, who seems to be picking up steam here. the u20 wc was my first real in depth look at him- i liked how well rounded he was (though a lot of that is in comparison to the rest of our cms who were- developmentally, at least- one-dimensional at this point). i dont see a 6 at all, but more of a defensively helpful 8. the biggest thing that stood out to me was he seems to have a very narrow field of vision. he was a very tidy passer, good range but i thought he missed a lot of opportunity. for example (and im clearly not a scout) he would pick up the ball just over the halfway line moving up towards the right corner. the rw, rb, cam, st were basically the only positions in play- he never reversed/was aware of anything happening on the left side of the field. i dont mean in one instant, but over three or four touches. obviously that can simply be age/development but it was pretty pronounced to me. anybody have any insight to that, refuting opinions? while telling me im a moron and he should be a lock starter today (or, conversely, he plays in mls and thus is garbage) is certainly an option, im really asking. those of you who have had more exposure, just give a quick take of what exactly he excels at/where you see him fitting in. cause again, i just dont see a 6 at all and his passing feels somehow limited. i see a fairly dynamic backup for mckennie at the 8 (in a vacuum).
Even without Bailey the 5 MLS players alone makes the Jamaican team a lot stronger than Trinidad. Check the starting lineup for Trinidad. There is not 1 player playing MLS level. Unless you include Israeli and Saudi league. Plus Hyland got injured. I just dont see how you measure that against anything. The bar has been intentionally set low. This was no group of death by any means. Matter fact, strong contender for easiest group. Trinidad didnt even bother to play some of its better players. Im happy we bagged 6 but its just 1 game. 1 game vs a broken Trinidad team. I just cant draw much of a conclusion from this game. We have always had the ability to turn up against the smaller nations. Honduras during the last Hex.
Agree. He's more of an 8/10 that plays hard and active defense. I don't see him as a 6 at all. I'd move him forward before moving him back to a straight 6.
Agreed. He's mostly an 8, with #10 ability and defensive #6 bite as well. Basically, he is competing with Lletget and Holmes and Mihailovic right now to be Pulisics backup. If GGG decides CP is more effective wide, he could possibly be in the 11 immediately.
This line of argument is so annoying to me. People act like muscle doesn't help a soccer player. He is able to physically overpower the majority of players he encounters. He is also not carrying much fat at all. This strikes me as a non-issue
how would you rate his quickness of play/ability to combine/one touch (around the box)? i cant quite see him being an attacking hub. also, i think he hit maybe a couple of long shots so, well, i just dont have any read on his 10/offensive abilities.