PBP: 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs Rd. 2: ATL vs. PHI

What have they done now? I haven't kept up with their posts, because I thought they'd stumble.

I was waiting to be able to post about the gods of football smiling on us in our games AND in other folks' games (TFC 2-1 NYC), and then the Galaxians failed to eliminate LAFC. Maybe Seattle can get it done, but I'm no longer optimistic about that.

 

Solid win, no card suspension and no injuries. That's about all I could have asked.
Funny, we're thin as a twig in back, but we've got two clean sheets out of two matches so far.

 

Nagbe's tired, too. He's been in possession more than usual lately, seems to me. I could be wrong.

 

Attended the game, got home past my bedtime, and worked a long day today. I feel like an absolute zombie. Gressel was in top form, as were Pity and Guzan. I thought Nagbe and Barco played very well, but they weren't perfect. Pogba looked fine, and LGP actually looked fine in defense. When LGP had the ball at his feet, though, it was a different story. I lost count of how many times he kicked the ball out for a Philly throw-in for no reason. I thought Ambrose played well, too. Nothing special, but nothing especially glaring either.

Philly created some really dangerous chances, but they never looked threatening as a team. They were tired and dragging, aside from one or two outliers.

Somehow Josef did not have 4 goals in that game. In fact, I thought the chance he actually scored was not a very high percentage shot. Gressel played him an absolute sitter in the dying minutes.

Toronto is very beatable, especially in Atlanta. They should have all their weapons available, though. Given the gap between the conference final and MLS Cup, I wouldn't be surprised to see either team park the bus and play for overtime/PKs if it's tied late.

 

Don't expect to see Miles in Wednesday's match. The AJC report out of camp has him simply riding a stationary bike. If you've ever pulled a hammy you know it takes time to heal, if you've ever torn a hamstring you know it takes months to heal. If he can't run I wouldn't expect to see him again in 2019.

 

This, about TFC:

1)Glad they beat the baseball team.
2) They scored both those goals off two of the worst defensive errors I've seen this year.

We don't commit any howlers, we should be okay.

Do we even know how to bunker? I'm not sure we've tried it since being up a man and a goal in Minny last season.

 

So, you're saying just in time for the USMNT to call him up for Camp Cupcake?

If I'm Atlanta, and I don't get Miles at all for the playoffs, I'd be very tempted to pull the "he's still healing" routine for the January camp.

As long as it didn't piss of Miles. Not sure how he would react to that.

 

I am saying Miles is done for the season. I really hope Frank, Darren, and Carlos all have a long, salty chat with that FUBAR of a US Federation.

 

Miles is too young to realize he can win more with us than he can with NT ball. But sitting out while we win another title --or lose one-- should teach him that this is what matters.

 

Are you suggesting a young and up coming player should turn down a national team call up? That is FUBAR. The problem here is with the Federation, not the player or club.

 

Never thought I'd ever say this three years ago....

Club before country. Every time. If every American told that dumpster fire 'hell no' every time the USMNT came calling, I'd be thrilled.

 

I don't think they all should, but it's an insult to the league to even call players who are in the championship title hunt unless they declare officially that they want to be involved. Since we have a playoff, this part of the (post)season IS more important than the beginning or the middle, unlike leagues with a proper single table. This fed knows this, so they ought to have some sort of rules (against) calling up players whose clubs are in the playoffs. That way, the player isn't put in the position of having to "risk" (lol) future non-callups, or risk his health or sap his energy in a meaningless match.

What the USSF has done here is put themselves above club football, and that won't do anything to build the footballing culture they need to make them as successful as they'd like to be.

 

I see both sides of this.

I’ll start off by playing devil’s advocate. Let’s say, Zack Steffen is back at the Columbus Crew, and we have a must win game. You bet your ass I’m saying screw the club, the national team is playing. I’d blame MLS for not working out the schedule in the first place if that was the case.

Now, where I agree specifically, Miles Robinson was a selfish, bonehead call that unnecessarily hurt Atlanta United is that #1 he would have likely not even played. And #2 there was a plethora (queue three amigos reference) of available YA options who really could have benefited from that call up. I.e. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ventura Alvarado, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Chris Richards. That to me not only shows that Gregg Berhalter is an idiot who unnecessarily screwed over one of his players, but he also doesn’t know his player pool.

 

The bolded. I'm not suggesting that MLS never call players up during the season. I'm suggesting they not do it to players who are in the playoffs, when there is no WCQ and no GC going on at the same time. It's less than a month.

He didn't play. Berhalter's an idiot who screwed over two of ours. There's absolutely no way Parky gets hurt like that, in that moment, if Miles comes back healthy and starts the game.

 

The injury isn't ultimately why I'm pissed at the USMNT. I didn't want Miles to be called up to begin with.

They missed the World Cup.

Then they basically hired Sunil 2.0 to make sure nothing changed (which the players, including Guzan, voted for as well).

Then they spend over a year searching for a new head coach, interview only two candidates (while not interviewing arguably the highest profile coach to ever manage in the US). And after spending that long on their search, they decide on the brother of one of their executives.

I am so done with the USMNT. I repeat: I want no Atlanta players near that dumpster fire. If things change at the top (not just at manager) then I'll start to buy in again. Until then, stay away from my boys.

 

If I was a promising player looking to up my stock there is no way I'd turn down a National team call up. Clubs realize this and expect that the Federation look after their investments with care... as if it was their own children.

The real question is whether or not GB and the USSF treated the fine china as they should have. The USMNT is important to growth of soccer in America, but the USSF is a train wreck. When I was playing, running a team, and paying team fees I was always amazed at how much money the USSF sucked out of our little club.

 

Don't get me wrong. I completely understand Miles' reasonings and desire to play for the national team.

Doesn't change the fact that selfishly, I'd rather he not.

 

Don't get me wrong. I completely understand Miles' reasonings and desire to play for the national team.

Doesn't change the fact that selfishly, I'd rather he not.

 

I just don't buy the story that this was simply a freak injury. You don't pull a hammy doing warm down drills. You certainly don't tear a hammy. There is more to the story we will never know, but I do know this... Greg Berhalter is a stupid face.

 

I don’t know. I once tore a calf muscle getting out of my chair when I was tying my shoes to go for a run.