Many teams these days have moved away from the big Target Forward. Even the big Target Forwards these days play a more diverse role up top.
That is a bet for Dynamo to win @ PTL right? IF that's a MLSCup bet those are horrible odds. Not bad for a road team in one game.
Abstractly, yes. But I think we could do better on getting on the end of wing play now -- air or ground -- and at minimum could use some big lunk who we dress each week in case we need to lump crosses into the box with 5 minutes to go down 2-1 or something. Torres and Manotas are similar players. Sometimes you tactically need something different because what you're trying isn't working. If the players are similar types then all you get is same thing but fresher. FWIW the US last night was an object lesson in the value of size. JK had gone technical but regionally some of our inherent advantage is size and speed. Some may view it crude and visually unpleasant but I don't think US fans care one sh*t whether last night was an interesting mix of some touch but a fair amount of brawn, if it works. The pure technical concept was getting drummed right out of CONCACAF and was the softest US team I'd ever seen. So I don't buy we have to follow trends. I kind of like physical, defensively sound, and also technical to boot.
I don't think the win had to do with size and strength as much as it had to do with genuine, developed skill in a young #10 that has been playing at the highest level in the world, in the UCL. And the Honduran manager played the absolutely wrong game against the USA. The Honduran players had an advantage in physicality and speed, but pressed too high when they should've been looking for the quick counter, which the USA has no answer for traditionally. It's like the Honduran manager looked at the Tico's dismantling of the USA and said "I'm going to play different ". It was a magnificent show out on by our two finest players--one old, and one young
You're confusing the finishing flourish with the buildup grind. They were no longer pinging the ball around for the sake of possession, they were fairly directly playing lofted balls wide or throughballs into the corner. The ball would often later on come back into Pulisic and magic would happen, but the idea that this was still some Klinsmannesque finesse fest all over the pitch is bull. Part of the reason this was superior was it was direct, took risks, got the ball off the ground, used physical attributes like size and speed. Go back and count all the headers and come back and tell me this was a finesse match. I felt like we made a deliberate point of NOT trying to combo ball forever in the middle to stay out of their trapping, When we did hold the ball in the middle was usually when Honduras would win a turnover. And to me a certain amount of that win was simply fighting spirit. Like I said, the first two games had been the softest I'd ever seen in the shirt since I started watching them in the 80s. Part of what has defined this team is team defensive concept and that we were every bit as rough as the teams we played, in a rough qualifying region. I felt like the pro JK people naively pushed this in the direction of too much finesse. We need momentary creative finesse in dangerous spaces. We don't need soft players who want to pass the ball around the perimeter all day. You look at the Dynamo and there ain't a lot of pointless possession. Very direct. Either works or not. Try and try again. I much prefer this to recent years of getting down to the other end and passing around the perimeter for lack of ideas how to break someone down. Issue with the Dynamo is how to get them to possess when we have an advantage. I think we lack a 10 and a target man to do this easily but I think we have to have some package of XI plus 2-3 subs plus some formation shift we can do to possess the ball more and defend in a less vulnerable shape when we've got a 1-2 goal lead. To complete the circle, I favor results, I don't care if it gets physical (within reason) and if some of the prettiness suffers. I do like how pretty the offense looks now, but it seems to have a flip side of second half tactical weakness. So you don't have to change the opening formation but you need a set of players and a formation you can use that can close a game. I mean, dirty little secret but whatever the scoreboard said that Portland game was still winnable. Anyone who saw the same fixture the last season could have foreseen what transpired. You need more than an opening whistle game plan.
Actually I'm not much of a better. However, it is kind of immaterial what the odds would have been before the season started, even if they'd been 100-1, I'd have still lost $100 bucks
Analyst and fans are falling apart trying not to hype him as the greatest talent ever to come out of the US. They ruined Adu, almost ruined Altidore and brought down multiple others with the hype train. They have already said he is better the Donovan at the same age.... This kid has some serious talent, but the hype train can murder his ability to just play. I really just hope he keeps his head down and just plays... if he does then we have a top notch player for years.
Donovan said Pulisic was better than him at this point in his career. Pulisic is incredibly grounded, he's an anomaly. This kid is amazing. I'm not sure the hype is going to bring him down.
Don't disagree with you there at all. His composure on this stage is very impressive... Cannot wait to see how he handles the WC. Playing regularly at his club and in the CL will harden him for that moment.
I still think back to that Cuba game and get a bit worried. Still has some growi g up to do, and adapting to the realities of CONCACAF
You bring up some good points. I will say that unlike Donovan, Adu, Altidore, etc.... Pulisic is the first American who's already proven himself daily at the highest level in the Bundesliga. The others listed hadn't proven themselves at the highest level at the time. The only analogy I can come up with was John O'Brien at Ajax but then again, people weren't calling him the next great American player to my recollection. I'm actually not worried about Pulisic.
Fair enough! Pulisic's calm a this stage of his career is comforting. The pressure so far isn't getting to him. My worry is he leaves, goes to a bigger club and gets swallowed by the expectation. I know that is just a what if scenario, but big clubs love gobbling up the next best thing.
Agree. He needs to stay away from Madrid, Bayern, and Barca for now until he can earn a starter spot. Liverpool has been chasing him, and he may get some minutes with them, but I don't think Dortmund will let him go. BVB have built a team for the future already with Dembele, Pulisic, Mor, Weigel, Durm, Dahoud etc.
I think he will get a lot of minutes at Liverpool, They are building a young talented group. I like what BVB is doing with there team, but don't see them holding on to most of those players. I pray he stays away from Madrid, Barca, Bayern, Chelsea and even my beloved Man United... they all have rep for making young talent crush under the weight of expectation. Mainly the first 2 of my list.