Pre-match: USA-Mexico WCQ, Columbus, Ohio, 11 November 2016

Who will miss a late PK to preserve the 2-0 scoreline this cycle?

 

My first 2-0 I'm going to miss. Have fun out there.

 

Mexico might leave off some of their Euro based players for the hex matchups

 

Makes sense. Guardado looked poor, Jona is playing only as a sub with Villarreal, and Herrera looks half the player with their NT than he does with Porto. Vela may be back, though, now that he's starting again with RSo.

 

Turns out we have the momentum going into this one. Hope it's cold.

 

JJ, Jozy, MB, Deuce, Bedoya, Zusi will start and there will again be a collective sigh from BS.

Mexico is very beatable and we should put them in the ground but instead I expect us to play defensively.

 

They're coming snake-bit, finishing behind us in Copa and, worse, getting destroyed 7-0.

Beating El Salvador and tying Honduras cannot have washed the bitterness off their system.

 

We should never get complacent with Mexico, they remain our biggest rival in the Hex no matter what they're going through. That being said, our boys should take care of business amd please JK no Bedoya.

 

You can't really speak of momentum until after October. The New Zealand game should be especially interesting since both the USA & Mexico will be playing them.

 

Yeah, I think you probably can. The US has been on a roll recently, whereas Mexico will have tied Honduras in a dreadful performance at home. That's the last competitive match before the game in Columbus, meanwhile, the US will come off of a dismantling of T&T, with a hot group of forwards.

 

And somebody lost 7-0 recently. Who was that again?

 

Brazil? ...No, they scored a goal. It was someone else.

 

Mexico has a lot of talent, and can be a good side at times. However, this is not one of those times. We should bury them at home, and attack them like we attacked T&T. No more slow starts, no more defensive posture at home. We need to attack at home, and put the game away early. If we let Mexico get into a rhythm, like in October last year, it will be difficult to impose ourselves on the game.

 

4-4-2

Altidore Wood
Johnson, Klejstan, Cameron, Pulisic
Anybody, Besler, Brooks, Yedlin

I think that team could ball. Alas it is doubtful we see it, but at a minimum a fit Pulisic is first name on the team sheet for me.

 

If kljestam bosses vs mexico then I'll get on that hype but until then I dont think you should bench MB. Especially when you swap him for geoff who was a solid CB at the copa. Do not lose faith in MB. Hes a damn good player and i believe he will rise to the occasion, but he does need to sort out this funk very soon.

 

Altidore, Dempsey/Wood
Johnson, Kljestan, Jones/Bradley, Pulisic
Besler, Cameron, Brooks, Yedlin
Howard

Jones and Dempsey start if healthy, they're big game players.

 

Gotta use real fullbacks to defend against Mexico.

It's too early to bet the farm on Kljestan.

--------------Wood-----Altidore------
--------Nagbe----Bradley---Pulisic----
-------------------Cameron-----
----Johnson------------------------Yedlin----
-------------Brooks-----Gonzalez----
-------------------Howard----

 

No inform Altidore. Dropped.

I don't get why Christian didn't get a 70-71. You don't play as much as he has without being at least a mid-level silver.

 

Cameron has been playing CM in part because he wasn't doing well as a CB, in part because they've changed from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-2-3-1 to give Whelan some support covering the back line --they're defending a lot.

Yedlin has played as a RW/RF sub until now, that Anita got suspended and finally started a game, as RB.

Fabian Johnson is a fixture on the left of midfield for 'Gladbach. He still plays LB at times. He hasn't played RM since the ManCity game, and he did very little there. In short, FJ doesn't look as good on the right with his club (also remember the Ingolstadt game last season: he ended up getting replaced early).

Brooks has been out injured for three games already, reported as having "muscular spasms" --but the coach seems quite happy with the Langkamp-Stark duo, so he may have to fight his way back to the starting XI:

http://www.ligainsider.de/john-anthony-brooks_684/nicht-im-kader-gegen-frankfurt-159136/

Johannsson is suspended, as we all know, and didn't look sharp when he was out there. He needs to produce something soon, before he becomes a bencher, but that's no small challenge in Werder --although somehow his replacement, Lennart Thy, has managed to score on the run of play with the same lack of service.

Frankly, Aronjo is over-rated at 74 for the time being, and wouldn't call him for the quals until he starts showing something with his club.

Nagbe is getting back in-form, although still overrated at 75: that was back when he was tearing it, second half of last season and this season before Copa. Right now he's at best a 72.

Pulisic is under-rated, we all know that. And by merit, should be a starter.

Bobby Wood seems to have lost some steam, since he's with a club that fits him badly (IMO): two goals with those guys is no small accomplishment, but there's not the same felicity observed during his time with Union Berlin.

Bradley is looking better than before, still not an 80 IMO, but we have to make do, and in these games he tends to be necessary, but not sufficient.

 

I want to see the US score as many as possible against Mexico.

2-0 isn't enough, but I suppose I'm in the minority on that one.

Dempsey should've made it 3-0.