[NDR] 2018 World Cup Qualifying

I was going to complain about the ref but then I notice he was letting both teams "chop that lumber" and I was OK with it.

 

We went in to the game as a bunch of pussies, apologizing for our democratic process, taking "unity" photos, and we came out flat and it cost us.

Maybe all the Portland-type hipster US fans who think all the PC crap is cool can enjoy the loss - with a likely loss at Costa Rica coming up

 

The Salcedo chop block on Pulisic was dirty. That's illegal in the NFL.

Thought ref did a very good job tonight overall

 

Chicharito also had a nice hockey body check into the boards on Brooks that should've been a yellow.

But Jermaine Jones took revenge on everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if JJ fouled one of his own players one of these days.

 

Did anyone witness that Brasil BEATDOWN of Argentina?
I mean the Argies usually frustrate the Brasilians, even if they win, the Brasilians really have to be in top form and dig deep to beat the Argies. Even if it is at home. But this game, Brasil just took Messi and Co. to the woodshed and gave them a hiding! That first goal from Coutinho is still traveling!
Here is the video:


Scotland looked mindless and weak against England, who unknown to their own fans, England are not really that good and have not been since those late 90's early 2000's teams.

On that U.S.A. vs. Mexico game, our coach, Die Fraud, put us in an experimental formation of a 3-5-2 and that handicapped our efforts right off the bat. Mexico, under Osorio, he quickly saw this and adjusted his players to leverage their attack on the night. And that paid off big time as the entire first half showed.
The second half was almost all U.S. and Mexico sure had to do some defending late on. But then Jozy fouls iirc Layun and the resulting dead ball gets cleared for that game winning corner. Marquez sigue siendo Marquez. Cabron!

 

Coutinho song


I'm glad he doesn't have a buyout clause...

Coutinho is one of the most highly regarded players in the world amongst his peers.

 

US Probably gonna have to win 5 of final 8 in Hex - probably should make a change with Klinsmann, can't risk not qualifying for 2018 further

 

The man is a fraud!

When he took over as U.S. head coach he promised to elevate expectations and grow the player pool to eventually become a player in international football.

We have 0 points after starting the Hex Jurgen, just terrible coaching n terrible team chemistry.

 

If yall are only now calling out Jurgen you havent been paying attention

 

The experimental formation for a tough HOME game in the Hex was silly. You try that stuff in a throwaway game.

There is a downward trend of crap results in meaningful contests going back to Gold Cup. We had a relatively soft semi round group and still had some glitches. Go back to Gold Cup, Haiti close win, tie Panama, loss Jamaica. Confed playoff, loss Mexico. Two losses to start Hex. If you throw out the goofy Copa America, not pretty. Even if you count Copa America, loss Colombia, loss Argentina, both obliterated. It’s not all gloom and doom but not a pretty picture.

There is a personnel problem right up the spine of the team, which is a quick way to lose games. If Guzan plays instead of Howard, I am unimpressed. CB in front of that, Omar was a joke, Brooks had a nightmare second game. CDM, they basically got too old and JK wasted his chance to audition replacements. Bradley was poor both games, Jones not dominant, not enough broken up plays, not the intensity level and tackles I expect at this round of quali. F, Jozy can’t hold the ball, is not the target man he looks like and doesn’t produce enough as the game quality increases. Disappeared this time last cycle. Disappeared last world cup injured. And there is no Dempsey and JK wants Wood more wide. So right up the spine it’s kind of trash.

Compare that to the wings, FJ, Pulisic, Chandler, Wood, Green, etc.

JK has not elevated the team quality as sold, but more importantly at this juncture in quali seems to have lost the plot on even cynically getting results. To me part of where you get the struggle up the spine was the pro-continuity decision to play to win last summer. So our tested alternatives are, F, Dempsey, health, CDM, god knows what, CB, god kows what, GK, god knows what. In the middle of a Hex when change is plainly needed.

 

The players arent the problem. we can get 4 points with that collection of players

 

Funny but the results in CONCACAF stuff are fairly consistent and not pretty. Jamaica (L), Panama (T), Haiti (close W), home Gold Cup, 2015. Mexico (L), home playoff, 2015. Mexico (L), Costa Rica (L), Hex, 2015. Guatemala away (L), Trinidad away (T), semi round, 2015. Some of the teams off the list are the ones you will now say we need to take points off of. Mexico in Azteca. TnT home and away. CR at home, where we barely beat them last time. Panama home and away.

Again, the players up the spine are not that great. Jozy, Bradley/Jones these days, Omar/Brooks, Guzan. One key element of it is the inability to destroy plays in the midfield. Another is shoddy back play that could kill us off no matter what the rest of the team does. These games, on our end, did not feel like qualifiers, because the mids were rarely getting stuck in, and teams were able to possess and possess.

I get that the schedule now starts to get somewhat easier, but by that we mean Honduras home and Panama away, and we tied Panama 1-1 in the Gold Cup group stage at home.

I am also a little concerned that the team clearly needs some churn but mid-Hex is not when you want to experiment. You either keep going to the CDM/CB/F/GK well, and probably continue to get diminishing returns, or you take risks already 3 points back of the playoff spot. If this starts to sound like the Dynamo, both desperate and needing reliable results to remain in the hunt, you might get why I am worried about this qualifying cycle. We had a chance to look at new players for multiple games last summer and chose to play to win in a meaningless cash cow tournament. So all we know is Bradley and Co. I think we all enjoyed the run but now we see that back in regional competition nothing has changed in terms of results. We are paying for playing to win.

 

The Klinnsman era is over.

He did a lot of good, and did a lot of bad. I hope the next manager is not from here either.

 

Most likely it's Arena or Bradley. This is back to the wall concrete qualification time. The abstract revolutionary period is over for this cycle. You don't go second tier untested domestic, and even a highly qualified foreign coach facing a learning curve is a risk. They need to know US Soccer, its style(s), the players available, and how they'd fix this tomorrow in terms of both tactics and personnel. They can't learn to international coach on this job, this is not when you experiment with moving our style forward, and they can't figure out the talent pool from trial and error because we've already blown two games and dug a points and goal difference hole. So my bet is domestic and has already had the job before.

That 352 Mexico first half is precisely why it won't be "not from here" and "brings in something new."

It will probably not be pretty but I am a results guy and to me that's what has gotten truly ugly.

 

i hope that the TD and coach positions become two separate responsibilites again

 

You have a funny definition of 'lots of good.'

 

Whatever.