Post-match: USA v Bolivia Post Game

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by tbonepat11, May 28, 2018.

  1. Beastmode21

    Beastmode21 Member+

    United States
    Jan 19, 2009
    Seattle, WA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    -----------Pulisic(23)------Sargent(22)------Weah(23)----------
    -----------------Adams(23)------------Parks(24)-------------------
    ----------------------------McKennie(23)-----------------------------
    ---Robinson(24)-Miazga?(26)--Brooks(29)--Yedlin(28)-----
    ----------------------"Hor-Bon-En"(avg age 23)-------------------

    Ages in Qatar. Average age 24.5. We are in a golden generation folks.... The best part of this is our bench is great too. There is a lot of young talent that can't fit into this starting eleven.(and I LOVE this lineup btw)
     
  2. FeedhimtothepigsArold

    Apr 7, 2014
    Club:
    Oxford United FC
    Its beautiful.
     
  3. Reccossu

    Reccossu Member+

    Jan 31, 2005
    Birmingham
    Be nice for someone to set an over/under on how many of these players start the first match in Qatar. Would it be 2.5? 3.5?
     
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  4. smokarz

    smokarz Member+

    Aug 9, 2006
    Hartford, CT

    Getting to Qatar should be the first step. Don't loose focus, or else.
     
  5. chad

    chad Member+

    Jun 24, 1999
    Manhattan Beach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Fire Sarachan.
     
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  6. kba4life1

    kba4life1 Member+

    Jul 14, 2010
    Irvine, CA
    Serious question, have you found a way to have “Delgado” imputed as a key on your keyboard?
     
  7. Beastmode21

    Beastmode21 Member+

    United States
    Jan 19, 2009
    Seattle, WA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We obviously need to qualify first but I was thinking the same thing. The sad thing about that front 6 is that at least one of them will most likely have a season ending injury between now and then that causes a career changing lowering of quality. The hard part about guessing how many will be starting that game is that, again, our bench is so good as well. So at any given time someone from the bench could overtake one of these players. That said, I think at least 5 of the 11 will start.
     
  8. nobody

    nobody Member+

    Jun 20, 2000
    As everyone has said, with Bolivia playing so horribly, it isn't exactly easy to say how any of these performances translate. I'm looking forward to the next couple games for a better test. Still, Sargent, Weah and Robinson looked good.

    Sargent looks like he may be the tough, battling center forward we've missed for some time now. More impressed with his holdup play and passing than his attacking, but that's fine. Hopefully, he can get on the field next season. Also, this was a poor Bolivian team. I will be more curious how a young player holds up to a team that actually challenges him physically.

    Weah sees the game really well and makes good runs. I'm almost glad he missed the 1v1 he got sent in on early. Hype would have been through the roof if he buries that chance. He's still raw, but also already very dangerous at this level. It's also nice that the two of these guys seem to really work well together.

    Robinson looked excellent going forward. I have to temper enthusiasm for him a bit just because we played a team that never mounted much of a credible attack so hard to go too crazy about a guy playing a position where his ability to defend or not will really make the difference.

    Parks and Green showed a few nice touches, especially Parks. McKennie looked solid although I'd prefer he gets a bit more time on the ball going forward. Pulisic was poor. He does need a rest and he also needs to step it up next season. Rest of he squad was fine, but for me those are the standout guys on the field, although the center backs could work out well too, just didn't get enough work to judge.
     
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  9. Reccossu

    Reccossu Member+

    Jan 31, 2005
    Birmingham
    Eh. My focus is obviously irrelevant to that. It's their focus that counts.
     
  10. grandinquisitor28

    Feb 11, 2002
    Nevada
    My knowledge of Novakovich is limited, so maybe I shouldn't speak to the topic but my understanding of his story through today is limited to:

    #1: Reading robbed of us him for the 2015 U-20 World Cup, our best chance ever to advance to the semifinals of a major youth tournament since 1999. Supposedly because he was going to be <wink, wink>, a big part of their 2015-2016 season where they then proceeded to not play him a single minute (or close to that, not sure on the specifics). In said U-20 World Cup we pretty much lost all our forwards to injuries, and played in the quarters with basically midfielders and a defense and a broken down Rubin if memory serves. If Novakovich is there, we probably make the semi's.

    #2: He got no love at all from Reading and disappeared off the map between 2015 and 2017.

    #3: in 2017-2018 he was loaned out to Telstar in the Netherlands and scored a gazillion goals.

    I don't really get how he has been passed by a bunch of forwards since:

    #1 Our forward pool is garbage.

    #2 He was never in the race to get passed by until the last what, four months?

    I'm not trying to be persnickety here, I just view Novakovich of one of about 4 or 5 prospect forwards we have trying to break through due to the paucity of options we have in that 23-27 age grouping.

    We've basically got guys in their thirties, Altidore and Wood, and then a bunch of kids who are playing 2nd division or youth club ball. Seems to me like he's right in the midst of the argument going forward, with a chance to disappear completely like Lurch 10 years ago, or break through like Wood.
     
  11. truefan420

    truefan420 Member+

    May 30, 2010
    oakland
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Woods only 25
     
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  12. Beastmode21

    Beastmode21 Member+

    United States
    Jan 19, 2009
    Seattle, WA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In my opinion the forward pool stands like this:

    Altidore and Wood are both very much still in the conversation and should be there for most camps. Then you have two guys that are new to the setup but have been effective- Sargent and Dwyer.
    Then you have a cluster of a few names that are on the fringes but haven’t stood out. Novakovich is in this group. So at best he is 5th in the pecking order.

    He hasn’t been given many chances but I’m one that believes our coaches give players too many chances to make an impression. Wando was one of these and he ended up missing a sitter in the word cup for us but he shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

    I think he will get more chances and I’m rooting for him. I just don’t think it’s wrong to think the top 3-4 strikers in our pool have a gulf between them and the rest. Novakovich could score two against Ireland and be right back in the conversation.
     
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  13. KALM

    KALM Member+

    Oct 6, 2006
    Boston/Providence
    It's a promising lineup. But it's pretty speculative at this point.

    Sargent, Weah, and Parks have barely played any first team minutes; Adams, Robinson, and the GK's have only played in 2nd tier leagues and none of them have been standouts (e.g., Best XI or All-Stars) in those leagues; Miazga and especially McKennie look like they should be ready to take the next step into a starting role at a respectable level pretty soon, but that's never a sure thing; and Brooks' health has to be a concern now going forward.

    That's not to say it's an especially inexperienced group for a lineup that young (quite the contrary, really). But it does highlight some of the deficiencies in the current prime age group (23+), since that's where you'd expect to find players more established at the club level. At the moment, it's basically just Yedlin and Brooks, augmented by an early bloomer in Pulisic -- with McKennie and Miazga in the conversation. (You could maybe add a few under 30 veterans of the past cycle to that list like Altidore, Wood, or Chandler, but you'll start to get some serious objections from fans at that point.) I would feel a lot more comfortable if we had a few more uncontroversial picks in that more established group in case some of those many prospects don't pan out.
     
  14. Jlpurelove

    Jlpurelove Member

    Jun 3, 2016
    charlotte nc
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Peru
    Rubin remains me of Angel Di Maria. He is good but makes questionable decisions.
     
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  15. grandinquisitor28

    Feb 11, 2002
    Nevada

    I'd imagine it would be 4.5 or 5.

    I think that's a bit low, especially considering the complete turn over that's starting.
     
  16. LouisZ

    LouisZ Member+

    Oct 14, 2010
    Southern California-USA
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Actually, Weah plays mostly as a LW/F, Pulisic plays mainly on the right side.
     
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  17. smokarz

    smokarz Member+

    Aug 9, 2006
    Hartford, CT

    That's what exactly USMNT coaches do best.

    Put players in the opposite positions where they played most at their clubs.
     
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  18. Sam Hamwich

    Sam Hamwich Member+

    Jul 11, 2006
    Upon reflection this is a mirror copy of the U17 matches. Not surprising. The USSF tactical guru is hachworth. Let's hear it for the man who brought the cover 2 and wishbone offense to international soccer.

    This team will get destroyed by any team that decides to pressure, pass, defend or shoot. I feel for these kids. The coaching is amateurish.
     
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  19. Sylvius

    Sylvius Member

    Jul 18, 2013
    Philadelphia
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Was at the game last night. Watching Bolivia warm up, I commented to my friend that I expected a 4-0 win. They were easily the worst international side I've seen. We still have no idea how good or bad these young USMNT players are.

    That said, I was encouraged by McKennie, Sargent and Parks. I realize Weston may pick up a few cards, but we've missed that kinda steel. He won just about every ball and looked smooth when on it. I firmly believe his ceiling is higher than Pulisic's.

    Sargent is raw but has a good head on his shoulders and generally makes excellent decisions in the final third, which is uncharacteristic of an American striker. I'd bet he plays 500+ minutes for Werder next season.

    Speaking of uncharacteristic, Parks is just so smooth on the ball. He releases a perfectly weighted pass a few tenths of a second earlier than most other players would and looks to have incredible balance for a dude his size. His head is always on a swivel, it's refreshing. We need to see more of him.

    Robinson looked okay, some good things, some not so good, I agree with the young Yedlin comparisons - I think he could definitely be an upgrade over Villafaña but needs a season at a higher level. Everything has been said about Pulisic already, I definitely would not call him up for the next two games. Weah is so freaking fast, but like most fast players, does not pick his head up enough. I could easily see him scoring a ton of goals for us or fizzling out into obscurity, we'll know in about 10-12 months. I have a feeling EPB will be our best CB for the next 5 years but there's no way to know based off last night. Corona and Rubin were not as useless as I anticipated but would still rather see Parks or even Hyndman get minutes over Corona.

    Does anyone know when they announce the roster for the next two games?
     
  20. Marko72

    Marko72 Member+

    Aug 30, 2005
    New York
    In brief:

    This Bolivian B-team were very soft, but you can only play the team in front of you. (How many times, by how many players, was their right back skinned by? Serious question...)

    McKennie and Robinson were great. Weah, Sargent, and Parks were good. Zimmerman belongs in the pool. We have the makings of a team that can really play this coming cycle, but I still worry about our ability in the final third. Who is going to create, and who is going to finish? It cannot all come down to Pulisic.
     
  21. LouisZ

    LouisZ Member+

    Oct 14, 2010
    Southern California-USA
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pulisic was uncharacteristic bad by his standards, he didn't have a great season so either, this tired excuse may need to be readdressed. Maybe the sophomore funk?
     
  22. dlokteff

    dlokteff Member+

    Jan 22, 2002
    San Francisco, CA
    What the hell with this narrative that Pulisic had a bad season and was in and out of the lineup at Dortmund? Did he challenge Messi and Ronaldo for the Ballon d'Or? No, but let's look at some facts:
    • He had 32 appearances this season, which was the MOST (excluding GK Burki who had 33) on the team.
    • He started 27 matches. Next most by an attacking player was Gotze with 19. His 2,313 minutes was 44% more than any other attacking player at BvB.
    • He led the team in assists.
    • He is 19 freaking years old.
    As for this match, he wasn't very good.
     
  23. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You mentioned one in Parks. He should be playing across the attacking mid line and not receiving the ball from the centers backs. He can make the killer pass.

    We here at Big Soccer like the cut of Chris Mueller's jib. He's pretty quick, positive, with sensible ideas, and decent ball skills. I'd like to see him be a part of this camp.

    Weah certainly has the speed, dribbling, and some ideas to create. Sometimes am questioning the final decision and precision, but he'll get you opportunities.

    Saief can get to an end line and cross, or cut in and shoot. Rowe has done pretty well for the U.S.

    Like you said it's Bolivia, but I don't understand the under-playing of Rubin's match. He looks discernibly faster than when he was struggling with injuries. Was quite aggressive but still made decent decisions outside a couple speculative shots.

    It's not nearly what it should be because of MLS' undercutting of American attackers, but there are still several options, and we have some time until games really matter.
     
  24. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He knows that. He said there are forwards im their 30s, and apart from that, Jozy and Woods, and apart from that, the kids we saw on display yesterday.
     
  25. Beastmode21

    Beastmode21 Member+

    United States
    Jan 19, 2009
    Seattle, WA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It’s fitness, he did the same thing last season during the second half. Had a significant dip in form. He beat his stats from last year on a team that was not nearly the same without Dembo and Auba to an extent. I’m not too worried and think he will be back to himself after the summer.
     
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