ESPN link http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/uni...move-on-from-jonathan-gonzalez-picking-mexico Dang it I was right.
I expect JAB to win his job back, I even think it likely that he's a core player for us if healthy, but I don't think it's truly a given.
There are a half-dozen US coaches WAY ahead of Sarachan, and even more US-based coaches that aren't American. To say nothing of international candidates. Wanting us to do poorly is useless. I'm glad we played well today. I'm glad Sarachan didn't bring 6 guys on in the 2nd half for 5 minutes, but rather let the guys play and gel. We needed that.
I meant that tongue in cheek initially because we should be wallowing in our misery right now for the state of the program, but after you thought I was serious I was trolling you. It was a pretty big story, even getting some mainstream coverage in the sports world.
That one sucked. I wasn't positive on the name. I do my best not to wallow too long as I find it counter-productive and depressing. I just get pissed for a while then pee on those trying to pee on others' Wheaties.
Final thoughts. We played well but we are a work-in-progress. I have seen many missed passes because of either bad trapping or taking too long to see the play develop. We played with a lot of grit, I like that. Nova for being a big kid (6'4) has some wheels when there is a lot of gree in front of him. Weah will get better but not if he only gets 5 minutes a game. I was disappointed to not see Robinson, I thought he deserved a chance. Adams has so much speed but he is not an inside player, his game is speed, keep him on the outside. What happened to EPB, wasn't he supposed to be the best U20 player? I'm very high on McKennie, Parks playing on the inside. The reality check is this team, right now, will get killed by any WC team. We have the building blocks but we got a while to go before we are playing to the level of a WC team.
Sarachan said he wants the job, so he's going to be professional in the games grind out results. He considers it an audition. I think he's okay until the World Cup is over.
The thing that really stood out to me was that the players had no hesitation trying to thread a ball through the middle. The past few years everything has come on the wings. Tonight it all came through the middle and then pushed out to the wings when they made defenders commit. Guys had confidence in their passes tonight, we’ve been missing that for years. Even Stefan was trying to thread a few. I really Enjoyed it, top sides aren’t scared to pass the ball in tight areas. I saw A lot of improvement tonight
I was seriously surprised at how much the referee let them get away with. Not only were some of their fouls worth more than was given but they complained to the referee at every call and several times put their hands on the ref....even pushed him at one point without any punishment. The big guy with the gloves was the worst of the bunch...the thug of thugs I guess.
I enjoyed the game. I thought we played pretty well. There were some issues finishing and we really didn't create too many dangerous opportunities but we didn't give up much either and we controlled the game for long stretches until the latter part of the game. I was very impressed by Delgado, Adams and Weah in particular. The midfield controlled the game and that is something wwe didn't do with regularity in the last cycle. The back line was very solid....CCV and Miazga did well. Sarachan....it is what it is. I am not going to worry too much about the coaching in a friendly game where we see multiple new faces and play a very young side and look pretty good. We may not have too many top players that were missing but we certainly have a few good ones in Pulisc, McKennie, Brooks to name just three. I think that is reason enough to be optimistic. I think a lot of the criticism has to do with a combination of deep seated dislike for Arena and mistrust of USSF. If people felt there was a guarantee that he would not be hired, people would ignore Sarachan. As it is, he gets criticized regardless...we win and he gets criticized for not playing enough players even though he played a very young team, gave debuts to two players and played some of the players that many criticized Arena for not playing. People are saying he should have subbed more (I would have liked to see Weah more....felt that I saw Nova enough to feel he has something but is probably at least a few years away and saw Weah enough to feel he might not be that far away). If he had played more players and lost, he would have been criticized for that.
the irony is he can look at steffan and hamid and say all things being equal...go with the future. then looks at guys like nagbe/jv and say....lets go with the old guys lol
Sarachan deserves a few more games under his belt. JackBlack21's comment that this is his audition was right on the mark. He put a decent team on the field last night. You know the saying: "patience is a virtue"? We've got to be patient, folks. Let's see what Sarachan can do with a few more opportunities. As for Adams, I keep my fingers crossed that he's not going to be the second coming of Robbie Findley: faster than a speeding bullet and not much else. The give and go in the 44th minute that drew the penalty was beautiful to watch from beginning to end; and that speed will stretch defenses; but he's got to bring a complete skill set to the international game or he'll get nowhere fast against the really good teams. I also agree with Mahtzo1. There was some decent midfield play again for the first time in a long time. Whether our next coach is from the U.S., Europe or Mars doesn't matter to me. Get me a guy who understands our strengths and weaknesses, knows our player pool and puts together a complete team.
This was my favorite moment from after the game last night- https://streamable.com/z7s4g. Those two will be inseparable over the next 15 years.
I think Nagbe seems like the kind of guy that can provide some real guidance and leadership for some of these young guys. I particularly liked his interaction with Weah after the game. He really seemed genuinely happy for the kid. He had a similar reaction after Carlton's assist. There is something to be said for having a few experienced players on the team.
That was pretty cool. McKennie really seemed happy for Adams and they were just enjoying the moment. I also really liked Nagbe congratulating Weah after the game. That was nice to see.
what would he tell them? 'guys don't step up and be a difference maker, take a step back so people will look at you and think oh he could be something he deserves a shot'...'but fall short of doing too much so they'll say he deserves a second shot'...etc...I am glad nagbe was happy for weah. I mean should he have been unhappy? Maybe nagbe is a nice guy?
I think that at different stages in their careers, players need different things. For a very young player just breaking in, one of those things is advice from someone that they trust. If they believe that person has their best interests at heart, he will likely put more value in that advice. If you look at the best coaches, they usually weren't the best players (very rarely). They played the game at a high enough level so that they know what it takes even if they themselves couldn't do it on a regular basis. Young players often learn a great deal from older vets that never reached the highest levels. Nagbe can do the same for some of the younger players.