Hey @orcrist, I guess @gunnerfan7 wasn't watching the same time we were. Seriously, I'm not sure I've ever seen a Mexican midfield look so impotent. I know that wasn't their top selection, still...
Have to disagree about Jamaica's skills after watching them play Mexico. Most all the players first touch is better than most all of the US players first touch, not to mention their dribbling and holding skills. Also, their back line regularly chipped the ball to their midfielders, deftly lifting it accurately over the Mexican forwards and midfielders. And their long balls, especially when switching the field were by far better than our back line. Every long ball Omar launches has top spin on it so that the moment it hits the ground there is no way even Pulisic could get to it. Speaking of, I wish Pulisic would spend, maybe even just 30 minutes, teaching Omar how to chip the ball.
If Mexico should fail to make the finals of the 2019 Gold Cup then that's exactly what's going to happen, sport.
Levi's Stadium is a nice facility, but almost everything about where it's located sucks. It's only convenient to the South Bay, the parking situation is abominable, etc.
You are joking here, right? They held the ball up well, partly because they were much larger and more physical then their Mexican counterparts, and partly because they also used the space around them well and put themselves between defenders and the ball. But the Jamaican team's touch, their dribbling, in close quarters, was abysmal. They had tons of heavy touches that cost them possession, and their successful dribbles were counter-attacks into space, not clustered, technically-impressive, touches in tight spaces. Dribbling around the corner when there's 20 yards of space in front of you is not particularly difficult. But dribbling through the center, through the opposing team, is. Which is why the Jamaicans focused on counters through the open sides of the field, which were particularly devoid of once the Mexican fullbacks and wingers pushed up into the attack.
He is paid win games in qualification to get us to the WC and to win games in Russia. That is what he was brought in to do. And to do that he must determine which 23 can be used in the rest of qualifying and in Russia. Certainly winning games in this tournament has value. Certainly winning the trophy has value. But don't discount the value of continued player evaluations in matches with no real downside to losing.
Yup. I think people believe the USSF organizes the Gold Cup. CONCACAF organizes it and they have one goal. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ If anything resembling fairness were to take place, it would be rotated between nations capable of hosting it. But there's the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Really outside the US the only Canada or Mexico would be capable of holding it. Perhaps CR? But the simple fact of the matter is that the only place that will have enough total attendance is the US.
Given the history of his predictions here, I wouldn't be at all shocked to see a Concacaf team make at least the semis now...
Alejandro BedoyaVerified account @AleBedoya17 Jul 18 This morning, we welcomed Milena Karin Bedoya into our world!Couldn't be more excited. Mom & baby are perfectly healthy. Dad is fine too. (This is why Bedoya dropped out of the Gold Cup team.)
4 years ago when we made the final in Chicago without Mexico, we got 58K to show up. Looking at the ticket map, the vast majority of the stadium appears to be sold, and I know a lot of those were Mexico fans who bought early, but still. Most of them probably managed to unload their tickets, or will just show up anyway. Despite what BSMX may lead you to believe, a decent chunk of Mexican-Americans root on both teams.
Congrats to Alejandro and wife. It's going to piss off a shitload of big soccer posters in 11 months when he is named to the 23 going to Russia. Accept it. He's not the flashiest offensively but he reads the game defensively better than any wide playing midfielder in the USA. Ronaldo did almost nothing against the US in Brazil until Bedoya was subbed out. Coaches tend to notice that kind of shit that the twitteristas overlook.
I love the fact that the San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Earthquakes stadiums are about a mile from each other, despite the fact that the cities are 45 minutes apart even without traffic (and there's always traffic)
Going to be interesting, I think Zusi has to stay back. And Arriola is going to be a defacto rb when we don't have the ball. Attack will be flowing down the left and Jamaica (Lawrence in counters) are going to have acres to cut in As Acosta has shown a liability tracking those. Beslers going to be huge, and Omar will have to clean it up a bit with those challenges.