2020 Olympic Qualifying Team

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by AutoPenalti, Mar 29, 2016.

  1. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What a difference a couple days makes. Out-played a better team than the one we legitimately lost 0-2 to. Kreis cobbled out near the best xi. The exception may have been Lindley, but he was majorly improved to look he at least belong this game (some nice quick switches and a couple killer balls over the top, while holding his own defensively).

    The committed press was a big difference. Hard for the Dutch to build up with comfort and the US didn't have to break multiple lines or always hit the ball over the top. That's how we should play throughout the program. No we did not the previous match, and that's now how we've started with the senior team. Supplemented it with some nice quick passing moves, and the occasional dribble foray which is in the arsenal of some of the players.

    The standouts were both Robinsons, Marcinkowski, and Weah.

    In the decent range were Parks, Mihailovic, CCV, Lindley, Ebobisse, Araujo, and Sargent.

    Nobody stunk. Although given his pedigree, I'd hope for better from Sargent. Really the U.S. should have scored 1 or 2 and have been victorious in this match.

    Additional player notes:

    Araujo is green, but he's an excellent prospect given his age and tools. Flashes brilliance with some mental mistakes in-between. LAG committing to youngsters is going to do wonders for him.

    Somebody is going to pay a lot for Miles Robinson. He's getting these showcases at multiple levels and shining in all of them.

    San Jose better pull their heads out of their asses and start Marcinkowski already. Their alternative sucks. Hasn't proven anything and ranks near bottom of the league in xg saved, unlike Marcinkowski in limited action. Plus he has inferior potential. NE did this too starting Knighton over Turner. Vet just for sake of vet. Marcinkowski is great with the ball at his feet too. I think we have a starting caliber keeper for the u-23's if his club doesn't eff it up.

    Is there still a fascination with Sabbi? He's nowhere near senior NT caliber. I don't think he's up to snuff for this squad. Disorganized presser, tunnel vision on ball, poor decisions on it, and didn't see positive runs off it. Poor man's Green.
     
  2. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's a less than 2% chance he ends up as good as Jozy at this point. Jozy is inconsistent. When he wants to he can boss games physically and play with craft. Haji doesn't have that fire or quick thinking. He ambles around, has little urgency, and invention. Looking like a bust. People overreacted to circumstantially getting a shot at Schalke while their whole strikeforce was down. At this level he was one of the worst players. He's not proven above Regionaliga.
     
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  3. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    I agree, we were clearly better for most of the game until the wholesale subs. The xG would be interesting because we had quite a few chances created from opening play while we also gave up a ton of dangerous free kicks with dumb fouls.

    We dominated the first 20-25' and Sargent had a great turn and layoff for Djorde (he was inconsistent and missed the frame) and Robinson had a rampaging run right in on goal and missed wide (didn't want to shoot with his right which made the finish harder).

    Weah, Sargent, Robinson, Ebobisse, and CCV were good. Hard to see MRobinson with the camera angle. Araujo made some nice plays but the Holland managed to get back into it by exploiting him a bit. I think that was Kluivert over there, so big test for the kid. He would get drawn out and then Lindley would take a bad angle. So, maybe MRobinson did well because he was the CB on that side and they didn't score.

    Parks has world class close control, is calm on the ball, makes perfect passes within 10 yards. However, I'm not sure he is fast enough for a Top 4 league and anything he tried longer than 10 yards mostly was poor. Could be game time would help that. But he might be good in that Left Sided 8/10.

    Is Lindley a 6? He definitely looked like a GB type 6, poor defensively but he did have one nice long ball that Sargent took down well and should have been a penalty.

    So much better than the Egypt game. The system seemed more like the GB system than what they were doing Friday.

    Sargent and Weah made plays with hopeful balls sent to them, in this game, that Baird and Zardes dream about. Amazing thing about Sargent is that, if he gets a shot off, it is either a save or a goal.

    Djorde yells at guys a lot and is telling guys where to go, but he was very inconsistent with everything he did. He missed the entire goal, all alone in the penalty arc when Sargent fed him after a great turn. He sailed some free kicks high. But then he had a great free kick that I think Weah got a free header on. He had some good possession plays and some bad. He was better than on Friday.

    The subs were all ok. Pines is just too aggressive and maybe in college he got to those balls he went for. In these two games, he didn't and he gave up dangerous free kicks with bad fouls. Weah was completely gassed at the 70' and the attack kind of bogged down. I think Kreis made 3-5 subs but not for him. Finally, he just sat down and made him sub for him. It was good because he was asked to play a lot of defense and he just couldn't do it well at that point.

    Overall, so much better. The Holland GK made some great saves. Our GKs made some saves, but mostly they required no effort.
     
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  4. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    Totally agree. Jozy did other things well. But I think most people, including most scouts and coaches, and thought he was a "big man". But he rarely plays that way. He is better with his feet than his head and only recently was better with hold up play. But even then, he is better with a flick off his feet to a teammate than fighting off two CBs and passing it to a CM.

    Wright will be lucky if he comes close to Altidore. I don't think he has the first step quickness or the ball skills. But he could be stronger on his feet and develop like a Christian Ramirez or McBride.
     
  5. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    Weah is not shifty or great with close control (not bad, just not Pulisic) but, damn!, does he get up to full speed quickly on the ball. It is all one direction, but any daylight and he is off. When he is on the far side of the field from the camera, he is like a blur with the ball. Weah gets a toe to balls that GKs and CBs think they already have. We have seen him score those at PSG and Celtic and he almost did it today.
     
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  6. Dirt McGirt

    Dirt McGirt Member+

    Jun 20, 2005
    Phoenix, AZ
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Jozy is a lot of things, but soft isn't one of them.
     
  7. SUDano

    SUDano Member+

    Jan 18, 2003
    Rochester, NY
    I personally thought all the subs were very poor. Holland dominated possession when they came in. Pos was running around with his head cut off. H. Wright was barely running with no possession etc, etc.
     
  8. Sombrerito

    Sombrerito Member

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 6, 2018
    Not too worried. This is like a 3rd sting u23 team with some guys who are actually quality. The others weren’t released or are with the u23s. These guys it will probs be there last camp or at least should be. Even Vasquez would probably be better than Haji at this point
     
  9. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Which one?
     
  10. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    Some posters talk about Araujo getting schooled by Kluivert. Araujo won't turn 18 until August 13, so let's give him time and see where he is in a few years. With the depth on the U20s he's probably on the outside looking in, but he has the 2021 U20 WC (and 2024 Olympics) as possibilities.
     
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  11. SUDano

    SUDano Member+

    Jan 18, 2003
    Rochester, NY
    Just stating opinion from this game. Not extrapolating the future. 3rd team? with Sargent, Weah, Parks, Robinsons, CCV? Who would be your backups. Tough figuring out who is even eligible.
     
  12. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Somebody had a nicely weighted aerial ball to Weah in on goal which I believe was Araujo. Hard to tell players apart on the far side.
     
  13. grandinquisitor28

    Feb 11, 2002
    Nevada
    Yep, I've been all over the place, hyping the hell out of him from '13-'17, getting really negative the second half of '17 through last summer, getting hope again into this winter, and now beginning to become worried yet again. At this point, who the hell knows? Certainly not a confident trajectory at this point. Just don't get what the deal is. Seems like it may be mentality. I have no idea
     
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  14. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    Of course. Just relating facts and Holland was making hay down that side. He beat out two older RBs for the start. Very exciting.
     
  15. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    Klinsman seemed fine. Jones was no worse than Lindley. Weah was exhausted. It definitely got worse when Araujo and ARobinson subbed off and they were the first to go. Robinson was a big part of the build up and moving into the final third.

    The others were not very effective. Was it Farfan that came on for ARob? He was shockingly bad in both games.
     
  16. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Full game here, in case anyone wants to watch again:

     
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  17. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    It was Araujo.
     
  18. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Why are some saying that Araujo didn't play well? He made more things happen offensively than any other player, and he was playing as a defender. He's also playing out of position, and was the youngest player on the field. He's eligible for the U-23 team next cycle. He's eligible for the U-20 team next cycle.

    The guy he was marking, Kluivert, already has two caps with the Netherlands senior National Team. Did Kluivert beat Araujo more than once or twice? Araujo was whistled for a foul on the edge of the box once, and might've been beat another time or two, but I don't remember Kluivert going past him 1v1 or running by him at any point. Did Kluivert have a good game for Netherlands? I didn't think so. I don't agree with these criticisms.

    One of the problems with playing Araujo at RB is how offensive-minded he is. He's going to get himself caught up field. If you are playing him at RB, you need the RCB and defensive midfielders to cover for him at certain points. If thats not going to happen, the tactics from the coach and the other players are what should be criticized, not Araujo. Trying to turn Araujo into a RB who doesn't venture forward is not smart. Playing him at RB barely works and takes away a lot of his main strengths, but if you are playing him at RB, let him play to his strengths as much as possible at the position.
     
  19. Sombrerito

    Sombrerito Member

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 6, 2018
    Ya those guys are definitely first team but I meant roster as a whole. After the U20 WC those guys will add much needed reinforcements in team
     
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  20. Thundering165

    Thundering165 Member+

    North Carolina FC
    United States
    May 1, 2017
    Raleigh
    It's been nice to see the U23s in action these last two games. Also nice to have a roster and a coach. I don't know if the improvement from game 1 to game 2 was because of adjustments from Kreis, or he already had the starting 11 in mind for Netherlands and threw some wrinkles out there against Egypt because he had things he wanted to see. Either way it was heartening to see a real end to end game rather than the Orange domination I expected. In particular, the USA did well pressing Netherlands. Often against Egypt the press was uncoordinated and Egypt passed straight through it.

    Players who impressed me:

    Mihailovic and Parks - a great midfield team who combined well and were creating chances up and down the field. They really seemed to have a good understanding of each other. It will be interesting to see what happens with Parks in MLS because he's clearly got the skills.

    Araujo - I think he needs time to learn to fit in the system but he shows flashes of brilliance for such a young player. Although he did get beat a couple times he managed Kluivert pretty well. Some nice passing on the run to create offense out of the back.

    Sargent - Tons of dirty work, pressing, and making the most of opportunities. Should have gotten a penalty.

    Miles Robinson: Good day in the back, maybe the best defender of the group the last two days.

    Players who were solid:

    Weah - Inconsistent passing and wing play, but his attitude is fantastic. Reminds me of Dempsey on the pitch. Combative when he needs to be.

    Ebobisse - It's tough for him because he's not really a winger, but he worked hard and made things happen from the left wing. Got to be the #1 choice at CF if Weah and Sargent aren't free.

    Lindley: Had a solid match against the Netherlands, especially passing from deep. I don't know how much he adds in defense. Nobody better on the current roster.

    Players that weren't at the level and need to be replaced:

    Farfan, Pines, Pos, Wright, Sabbi, Olosunde

    U23s I'd like to get a look at:

    Akale, Lennon, Glad, Gaines, DJ Taylor, Omir Fernandez

    Once the U20 World Cup is over you have to assume some of those players will be moved up to the U23 squad. I feel like the biggest need is left and right wing and there's definitely talent moving up the ladder.
     
  21. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    Just watching game now, but came across these highlights...

     
  22. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Don't have a direct answer to your first question, but I also notice that he hit more than one long pass pretty well, thought not always under pressure.
     
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  23. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    No one in the pool hits them under pressure, so that is not a ding. Somebody said that the system frees up the "QB" to play without pressure. We will see, I think the senior team has just played two very passive teams and a more aggressive team with poor quality players. We will see if this player profile works at the NT level when they play a good aggressive team. But I do wonder if Lindley was identified as someone to look at there.

    I do think the team was overloading the right side and then trying to switch it to the left. While the winger over there was not found often, ARobinson was usually wide open.
     
  24. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I thought Lindley was the weakest starter. Pushed around and erratic with his passes. A couple of real nice ones but a defensive mid that loses the ball in his own half is a burden. Parks is silky smooth on the ball and a great passer but he's not a fighter and doesn't get on the ball enough to make up for his lack of intensity defensively. Mikhailovic was all over the place making himself available. He's similar to Pomykol. He's a real fighter as is Ebobisse who was out of his best spot but fought for every inch. Sargent and Weah were their usual mix of calm and intense depending on what's needed. The younger US teams are starting to handle the better teams in the world and are no longer defensive teams hoping for one or two good chances to steal a victory.
     
  25. Thundering165

    Thundering165 Member+

    North Carolina FC
    United States
    May 1, 2017
    Raleigh
    This is why it's more fun following the YNTs than the senior team. We can stand toe to toe with any team in the world and play attractive, entertaining soccer (ignoring the Egypt game). Hopefully a few years down the road the same can be said of the full NT.

    Those highlights make Araujo look worse than I feel like he was, but it's hard to deny that most of the Netherlands' good first half chances came from his side and often due to his mistakes. That's how you learn, though. He definitely added enough going forward to make up for any slip ups in the back.
     
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