My stock up/down take: Up: Brooks--Really good passing out of the back and solid defensively, looks to have reclaimed his spot as a presumptive starter at CB Miazga--Went to sleep and lost Firmino on the 1st goal, but was rock solid otherwise. Also cleared one off the line. Firmed up his grip on 1 starting CB spot. Trapp--As I said in the PBP thread, he doesn't have the speed and physicality to be an ideal #6, but he was one of the few who could possession under pressure and make useful passes going forward Adams--Did his usual good job closing down space and pressuring the ball, but often struggled to maintain possession through midfield. However, there were a couple moments where he did have excellent runs/passes to spark attacks. I think that if/when he gets to Europe, he will get used to the speed of play and keep improving. Hold: Yedlin--Looked like he might have trouble early and had to resort to fouling, but settled down and was mostly solid. Still not the cleanest on the ball. McKennie--Was active in CM, but struggled with his passing. Did get on the end of the a couple crosses, but couldn't capitalize. Wood and Zardes--Didn't really get enough service to make much of a judgment Weah--Provided more energy than Green, but didn't really do anything to stand out Steffen--Didn't have to make too many saves, but was there when needed. Thought he distribution with his feet pretty decent. Acosta--Great service on free kicks, but didn't help much in open play. Roldan and Delgado--Not really enough involvement to judge Down: Green and Arriola--Just not up to the this level offensively or defensively. I'm not saying I'd ban them from the pool, but it's clear they're not and will not be players that can help against world powers consistently. Robinson--Taken to school by Costa. Hopefully, he learns from it.
Will Trapp did a nice job overall and did a good job of controlling the midfield. Unlucky with a crap penalty. Antonee Robinson showed inexperience on the first goal but recovered. Had a couple bad moments but expected against Costa. Only real negatives to me were Bobby Wood (nonexistent), Julian Green (no defensive support) and Paul Arriola (no offense) but was pleased with the effort form the kids
Are you really going to act like the backline that got abused was the bright spot? Miazga chasing a post instead of the man? Brooks about to get split and run by on the PK? I usually like Robinson and even he had a nightmare first half.
As I said on the other thread, that should stick a fork in the Sarachan Idea. 451 didn't work and seemed to just leave us chasing the ball all night and he never moved off it. I assume that was not his favorite XI -- which I assume is saved for Mexico -- but it was an uninspired selection.
I think the backline put in a great performance. The first goal was a problem but it wasn't repeated and they grew into the game. Miazga has a real possibility to be a good CL caliber player. Brooks was very good as well, but we already knew he was a top league player. Robinson was the tricky one because Brazil tactically found a weakness and we as a unit were slow to react. Robinson was impatiently pressuring Costa 1v1, but Green was very slow to support and the backline did not shift correctly. I think Robinson rebounded like a professional and he has a bright future. Our transition play against Brazil was extremely poor. We have no wingers or striker that is going to beat a World Class team like Brazil. Maybe Pulisic could at some point, but I'm not convinced he would be immune from the black hole that is the US attack and transition play. Pulisic also is poor in transition to defense, as he proved multiple times with Dortmund last season. So, in my mind, to assume he makes things better is a slippery slope.
True. However, the team, for the most part, has lacked creativity for 20 years and yet you still were watching. Did you not sit through the slog when Dempsey and Donovan were playing?
I don't feel like you genuinely look at the defense or GK then. The rest I can sympathize with since it was simply incoherent from midfield on. Very much a hodgepodge of other coaches ideas.
For the level of competition, the backline and keeper were good. Ideally, in a competitive match, given that the backline had pushed forward, Robinson would have fouled Costa. Trapp was excellent; the pk was obviously wrong. Posters keep questioning his athleticism but he has held his own against the top teams in the world. The next step with Trapp is to test him a 2-man central midfield. McKennie: maybe more of a deep midfielder. He offered little in the 8/10 role and blew a couple of good scoring chances. Green: can't defend out wide. His passing is so-so. He is an excellent poacher striker, though; that's where he needs to be played. Arriola: out wide, offers good defending, but nothing going forward. his best play with DC has been at the 8/10 position in a 4141.
I expect him to set up in a 5-4-1 / 3-4-3 against Mexico, just like Bruce did. It's basically what the US has done vs Mexico for 2 decades.
What game did you even watch? Against Neymar, Firmino, Douglas Costa, Willian, Fred, and Coutinho, the US backline gave up 4 shots on target, one of which was a penalty, and 12 shots total, most of which were more like 30-yard field goals into row Z.
My two cents Weah was the only one who seemed to show the energy worthy of the contest. Until he got in we were just jogging around chasing them playing keepaway. I know the summer-era conventional wisdom was this bunch specifically is the future, but my two cents if an outside coach comes in Jozy comes back up top, and the new boys ensured of spots would be Weah and Pulisic. If someone new sneaks in it's more likely Sargent than a lot of these guys. Wood looks off his game. He blew the one good chance he had for Hannover when I watched them against Dortmund. Off the boil. To me he's a victim of the bigger club is better syndrome. He was perfectly fine for us productive in B.2. McKennie occasionally has really creative ideas but then I sit here and think about who from this bunch will playmake and who will destroy and the problem is too many of them are two way mush. I am not sure if a more serious and sophisticated coach will be happy with hustling mush. Trapp was hitting good deadballs but got caught wrong side of the player on the PK foul.
Novakovich, Weah, and Roldan (as cm or wb) better be starting next game. In addition to botching this from a tactical and partnership standpoint, Sarachan didn't provide us much info on these individuals. It's always tough against Brasil, but that's besides the point. Put your team in the best position to succeed in relative terms in that match and going fw.
I watched a game we lost 2-0 where the defense was responsible for all the goals. Acting like they did great is participation trophy rubbish. We lost to Ireland after Miazga gets spun around by the dribbler. We lose to Brazil while Miazga and Brooks and Robinson get abused. I mean, surely you notice there is a reason we lost to Ireland, tied France, lost to Brazil, and that if the idea is to compete at that level then the lineup that might play at that level cannot possibly be the one that just lost. You know, simple logic. Basic diagnosis of how we lost. That sort of thing.
0-2 was a bit of a deceptively flattering result for us. What did we have, one 30 yard shot on goal from the run of play? Can we get a real coach? Sarachan continues to run out a bunch of midfielders who are incapable of creating chances either by playmaking in possession or by running an effective counter attack! Then he praises the guy in the post game that got roasted for the first 2 goals. It is somewhat depressing to watch some our faster players get smoked on speed.
Weah, yeah, he was the only one with energy and I think he was basically saved for Mexico. But Novakovich and Roldan?
To me the 451 basically dropped off their backs to pass all night and then he had somehow worked the 45 part where it was so narrow that they got the whole perimeter. Even that 532 he tried against France would have been better, 2 options forward, 2 people chasing the backs, and the wingbacks as well as having 5 across would have clogged away the wing play that drove us batty. And he never changed it one bit all night as we got hammered.
Weah was the only one with energy because of that one moment at the beginning of his 30-minute stretch where he pressured the ball? He was pretty invisible overall. It's confirmation bias to look at that as a standout performance, even though I want him to start because of his potential, we're light on creativity, and he'd fit the tactic I want to play. Yep, Novakovich and Roldan too. It's long overdue for Roldan to get a real look from his club excellence for Seattle and Novakovich from potential while being part of camps. That shouldn't be controversial at all. Shocked at your shock.
Thought the 2-0 was flattering to Brasil. Sarachan did ok. He didn't do something like put a guy in a position he had never played before.
This is where I go back to, for all the advocacy of two way hybrid mush, most nights at this level what you really need are specialists. Someone who can win a ball. No one could. Someone who can put service right where it needs to go. That wasn't there other than Trapp on kicks. Fit players who can hustle around just chased the ball all night against Brazil. We couldn't win a ball, maintain possession, and then hit a pinpoint service. Arriola is even shanking crosses into row z like a college player. This is one way I think Sarachan and his mediocrity is horrible for the team, is I think the coach needs to be on the mids to get exceptional at some aspect of their game. Is McKennie a destroyer or a creator? Adams? etc. Go down the list. Weah is really the only one of the bunch where it's like, ok, I see what his role will be. He's going to be wide and running at people. He is a type, and he will be good at that type. Pulisic wasn't there but you know he can play a couple places. But the rest of them, what are you? Sooner they figure it out and become something nightly useful the better for us.