Pre-match: 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League: USA vs Cuba, November 19th

Just win, baby.

 

Morris should be rested. He has looked worn out for the past two months. There is zero reason to play him here.

This is the type of game in which Gregg can safely deploy 'The System'.

 

welcome to CONCACAF, Sergino.

 

Cuba at home is a totally different animal. When Cubans put efforts into running during the game they are way more dangerous than when they save energy on the field to run fast after the game. I'll happily take any win.

 

Cuba isn't at home. This game is in the Caymans.

 

Was TV quality really that bad in 2008? (I'm kidding)

 

Yeah I could barely tell what the hell was happening in this video either.

Now I may be paranoid but my joke about Couva was kind of serious. I enjoyed seeing us beat Canada soundly but that win made my confidence in Gagg go from .001% to .1%. So I am not at all convinced that he won't manage to screw things up in the Caymans. Moreover, our last two games away to Cuba were very hard fought and our narrow wins probably flattered us.

On the plus side is that this game is not being played in Havana, and I don't know I if there will be a lot of Cubans who will make the trip for it that would create the intense Concacaf away atmosphere that we had to deal with in 08 and 16.

Moreover, Cuba's recent form looks terrible. In the Gold Cup, they were last in Group A with zero points and a 0-17 goal differential. That's two 0-7 losses to Mexico and Canada, plus another 0-3 loss versus Martinique. That all makes them seem terrible--they were the dead-last team at the entire 2019 GC.

Their roster has zero players I've heard of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba_national_football_team. One guy plays in the USL, one in Guatemala, many in the DR, and the rest in Cuba.

Still, Canada had beaten Cuba 14-0 over two games in 2019 and still managed only 1-0 in the Caymans. Plus there's the ghost of past Caribbean failures and near failures (though the A&B near-draw was presaged by a pretty mediocre home win against them--just 3-1, nothing like how badly we beat Cuba at home in October).

So the analysis is always going to be thin when the opponent is not well known, hence I'll just say that while I'd love to see a blowout, what I expect is a modest win and if we get that I will be very happy. The "on to the semifinals" rhetoric seems like tempting fate.

 

The US on the road in the Caribbean is never a given, but it's worth noting that Canada got an early red in their match in the Caymans.

 

It's also worth noting that Cuba is ranked 179th in the world. They're ranked below Puerto Rico.

This isn't us needing a result in Trindad by any stretch of the imagination.

The U-20s would probably win this game.

 

The way they played last game they don't belong to the Hex.

 

What is Caymans' immigration policy? Can Cubans defect over there?

 

Prediction:
USA 2-1 Cuba

BSers will be calling for Berhalter’s head

 

You're a good sport, but we ain't there yet, pal.

 

With you. They should know that this thing has screw up written all over it, so they should just go out and step on them.

 

My only wish is that Berhalter not play Sargent. We need him back in Bremen in one piece working on his game.

 

Agree. Berhalter doesn't remember how bad it can be in away games. The refs will give all the advantage to Cuba, and will totally ignore injury-producing fouls to U.S. players. Disgusting!

 

anyone know that the field is like in the Cayman's? If the conditions are poor and we insist on building out of the back over rocky terrain, that'll even the odds a bit.

 

Trim it, line it, game on!

 

Doesn't look great at the moment:

https://www.concacafnationsleague.c...yman-islands-vs-u-s-virgin-islands-highlights

 

Ok I'll bite. How much would you wager on such a 'bold' prediction? We win by 3 goals.

 

If no one allows even an iota of overconfidence to creep in, Cuba should be an absolute cream puff.

 

Yikes - didn't see too many true rolls near either goal. I hope that our coaches take that into account.

 

It is interesting that nobody was released to go back to Europe. I'm sure one enduring lesson of Couva is to not do anything to make it look like you are taking the result for granted. I doubt Brooks will play; but he flew with the team and could.

How many of the past failures will start? Roldan, Trapp, Lovitz? Should be the last game they play in for a long time.

Yuiell, Lletget, Arriola, Long have hardly played in weeks, they should be fresh. We should run the same defensive press until we are up 4-0. If you want to start McKennie or not, the same 4-2-3-1. The single #6 should also be an enduring lesson of Couva. Roldan has played so poorly it is hard to play him.

Boyd for Morris to start. Sargent for Zardes. Ream for Brooks, put Dest on the left, and Cannon on the right.

-----------Sargent------------
Boyd----Lletget-------Arriola
------Yueill------Morales----
Dest--Ream---Long----Cannon
-----------Johnson------------

 

Absolutely no way the kid instead of Zardes, who never gets tired anyway. And no Morales in the game where you must attack. The rest of changes depend on how Morris, Brooks and Ream feel.

 

I've spent a fair amount of time on Cayman, but never been to the TB Sports Complex. It's a government run center, that recently hosted the Caribbean track and field championships. Friends who have been there say it's a fairly nice, but pretty modest facility. To be honest, that describes a lot of Cayman. They tend to do this well, but not over the top, there. Overall, Cayman is a lot like Bermuda (just soooo much flatter) - not really much like the Caribbean.

Unfortunately, I can't speak to the quality of the field. I asked my friends there and they really didn't know either. They say that a good number of European club teams do winter break in Cayman, so the field can't be terrible.

Too expensive and hard to get there from CLT this time of year, although it will probably be great weather for the game there. I wish we'd draw Bermuda in one of these contests- I'd love to do an away match there.