To add further perspective, the team's post-WCQing record hasn't been all bad. It stands at 3 Wins, 4 Ties, 4 Losses. Only one loss, at Ireland, has come against a team with a lower Elo rating. Only 3 matches have featured opponents outside of the top-30. This slog has been ugly at times--but silver linings and all that.
Jozy is even less of a lone striker than Wood is. At least Wood can get on the end of things: as a speed-forward, Wood is legit as a lone option. Jozy lacks elite pace and isn't a back-to-goal powerhouse. The best back-to-goal lone striker in the pool who has gotten serious minutes with the NT is CJ Sapong. Dude was ace at Portugal as the lone man up top.
Costa Rica played England away in June, when both were preparing for the World Cup. That England started about the same number of starters/subs as this one: they started Rashford-Vardy up top, with Delph-Henderson-Lotus in midfield. The Ticos has 3 shots on goal to their 6. By comparison, we had 2 to their 8. They had a total of 8 shots to their 10, while we had 11 to their 17. We managed 43% to their 37% in possession, and we tied England in corners at 3 each; the Ticos conceded 9 corners but only got 1. The Ticos forced 3 saves, while Navas had to save them 4 times. By comparison, we forced Pickford to only 2 saves, and Guzan, like Navas, had 4. Our completed pass rate is, as usual, very high: 438/480 (= 91%), but that's because most of our passes are to the back. Otherwise, as teams prepping for Russia, both didn't take their foot off the pedal. That happened in this game after Rooney came in and England missed several chances because they were a bit too distracted to react in time.
Trapp - is he even one of our best 10 players? 15 players? Having him as captain and first choice DM seems INSANE. He's fine, but it is ridiculous to act like he's one of the first names on the team sheet. Miazga was rusty, but CCV probably would have been also. I really don't think Green is in our best 10-15 players either, and he's not a quality #10 for us. Yet, there he is getting all of the minutes again. 10 minutes for subs may not really achieve much. Guzan didn't need those minutes or that experience, but oh well.
Basically a repeat of Hex mistakes. First, sticking Pulisic wide where he can't get on the ball as our mids are incapable of playing the ball at the necessary tempo. Two, sticking Trapp out there ala Bradley where the surrounding mids are pinned back defensively to cover for his lack of presence. The most obvious CM pairing to try is McKennie/Adams yet a year in Sarachan't still doesn't get it. And generally not playing players to their strengths. Wood isolated. Weah on the wing. Green being given the ACM spot over Pulisic.... We're a fooking joke. Fed is a joke. SUM/MLS is a money racketeering cartel interested in only lining the pockets of its shareholders. Most of our players are vastly overrated by our domestic muppet media. WCQing this cycle will be in serious doubt. It's Pulisic, then all else is levels below. But CONCACAF now knows all they need to do is hack the shit out of him, refs will swallow their whistles and we don't have the quality to respond. Unfortunately the wave of youth is a few years too far away to really help qualify this cycle.
Well we qualify for the World Cup by playing and beating powder-puffs so I think that takes priority over scoring against the Netherlands and Germany in friendlies
The Good: I like McKennie. He was my MOTM, always trying to create something. All our danger started with him. The Bad: Julian Green looked even worse than my worst expectations. We have no #10, folks. The Ugly: Back when everybody was with the idiotic mantra "best generation ever" I told you: our defense sucks, our keeper pipeline is drying up. I don't care if they play for Real Madrid, but Miazga, Brooks & Yedlin are not that good. In fact the best defender today was probably Villafana, who forced Sancho to run to the middle to try to get a ball in the area. PS: Pulisic didn't look good either. I know this is taboo here, but I'd expect more from our best player.
I'll buy stock in the midfield youth, at least on the attack. It would help if there was an even remotely proven, competent striker in the pool. Bobby Wood ain't it, that's for damn sure. Would also help if the program had, y'know, any vision whatsoever for national team identity.
The Trapp-bashing is very convenient, too convenient from what I can see. Can someone propose an American midfielder who would have been more effective in tonight's match? And while you're at it, please tell us how that would have manifested itself against this England side?
I see a lot of posts bashing a lot of the coach and bashing players I don't see is someone saying: "man we have sucked for a long long time. How can anyone be surprised?"
Based upon their performances of late, last summer's WC and this "B" team performance, England is the side who's looking at a Golden Generation.
No, we have seen what Wood is as a lone striker. Crap. Jozy, on the other hand, knows how to pass the ball. Tries to bully CBs. Can actually get the ball out of his feet. Bobby Wood is garbage if he isn't able to break an offside trap. Jozy's slow, so he doesn't try, which I think would've been fine this game.
This is the thing that kills me. I think he could have some value on the team in the right system, but what in God's name has he done to be handed the #6 role from the get-go, when we've been rotating players at every other position on the field over the last several months? Why does no one else get a shot to show what they can do at the position?
They finally have a decent coach who has a plan, and is not bending over backward to kiss the ass of their "stars." With a plan, with talent, and with the inmates finally not running the asylum, they are going to do better.
I try my best to stay away from the hype and hoopla, but after watching this match I have to agree with something being said a lot here- Will Trapp— what the f**k? Damn, man. Just Damn. I don’t get it.
Man you have to be impressed by the work Earnie Stewart has put in to turn things around. You can feel the excitement building!
The cartel is going to put qualifying for 2022 in the hands of a Berhalter/Trapp duo. That's probably enough to get people to renounce their citizenship.
Jozy doesn't have much of a hold up game and gets eaten up by big league CBs. He thrives in multi-forward setups, at MLS level.