Paul scored a classy winner when it was very much needed. He didn't have worse misses than Boyd or CP. They could have scored 8-9 if any of the three had scored all their good chances.
Wrong, MLS defender bot. Arriola skies more chances than those played combined. And Boyd scores two goals so he was by definition more efficient then Arriola, while Pulisic never really was in a strong finishing position.
I set some minimum expectations for what I wanted to see from this game to have some sense that things were moving in a decent direction after the Great Friendly Debacle of 2019: at least three goals, no more than one goal (though after further review, that seems generous--giving up a goal to Guyana would have been pretty dire); and some degree of cohesiveness and organization. This was not a high bar (by design) but we met it, at least w/r/t the first two criteria. And I suppose there was some degree of cohesiveness out there, though (1) it was against Guyana, and (2) there were plenty of stretches where we looked if not disorganized then just kind of lackluster, sitting back and letting Guyana possess the ball (and, perhaps most worrisome, without much urgency or idea how to get possession back). So for me this was an overall mildly positive game. We have certainly struggled worse in the group stages of the GC against minnow-level opponents--recent tourneys we've struggled to get one-goal victories against Martinique and Haiti. So it may not be much but it's basically good and under the circumstances I'll take it. Other cautiously optimistic points: --McK and Puli were nothing special overall but if they can raise their games to the level we know they are capable of, then this team immediately gets much better than what we saw last night. We will need that to make a deep run in the tournament. --Boyd and Arriola may not be world-class finishers but if they each keep bagging 1-2 chances per game then they can sky five other ones over the bar for all I care. --Steffen stopped the one SOG I can recall and did not make any gaffes passing out of the back. Not as sold on the rest of the defense. I could see decent teams, and certainly better ones, punishing a lot of their mistakes that Guyana let go. --Zardes both scored and brought some broad physical comedy in the process. Not just the laser-like shot accuracy with his face, but the mugging and squinting afterwards were Jerry Lewis-level quality. Trinidad will be the crucial game of this group stage. Beyond the obvious associations with Couva and the symbolic value of a win, getting three points will mean advancement and will show that this group can get an outcome against a decent team.
I thought it was Boyd that kicked the ball into the stands when he got it, even with the spot. If that was Paul,then I have been a bit too harsh on Boyd. CP flubbed 2 badly. He drove the free header into the turf and didn't trouble the keeper on another shot from a couple yards out.
Suyuntuy called him our inspector clouseau and that’s perfect. Good things happen when he’s on the pitch and he works hard. There’s a lot to be said for that.
I watched both Pulisic plays repeatedly. The header wasn’t good but the goalie made himself big right in front of the one-touch shot so there’s not much more he can do there.
ever wondered why Pulisic and McKennie seem to play better and have more of an impact on their club than for the nats (so far)? maybe just maybe it is the poor coaching ... I chalk Boyd's performance up to the concept that he is very very hungry for multiple reasons ... so why are they not all happy hungry warriors? hmmm .....
1) Thank goodness Josh Sargent isn't in the 23. It would have been a disaster to see him getting all of those Zardes touches in the box. 2) The mere fact that anyone is talking about Boyd in the same breath as McKennie and Pulisic should be cause for hosannas. He has a shot to nail down a first-choice spot in the 11 with a couple more performances like this, especially considering the state of his competition. 3) Berhalter bailing on having Lima play the Adams-inverted-RB-that-shouldn't-exist-because-we-could-just-bench-Bradley-and-Trapp-instead and having Lima play more conventionally should be lauded instead of ripped. Some tactical flexibility and unpredictability would be wise. Also, as much as Lima CAN do that role, it's not like he can bring anywhere near the same things to it as Adams. 4) I thought Zimmerman was pretty good, and I'm encouraged by that performance. Similarly, hope the solid/easy performance by Steffen boosts his confidence going into more difficult games.
Trying to find a silver lining with zardes...just...whatever. oh, he got into the box? Round of applause. He occupied defenders...meaning one would at least defend when the ball went to him? MOTM. If we told Sean Johnson to go play striker last night there would literally be no difference. Zardes. Did. Nothing. The chalk lines were on the field last night. Exactly where they should be. They were straight and didn't trp anybody. Should we recognize that? Is there something to be said for the lines on the field? Are we not appreciating the lines enough?
Pulisic carried the team during qualifying 2018 WC. Without him scoring and assisting (to dempsey), we would not even be talking about the last game of T&T. He basically missed the entire year 2018 with injuries when Dave S tried to call him in. i dont know but he produces for USMNT but not in his current role lately.
Regardless of the fact that Pulisic and Mckennie might’ve not had as great as an impact as we would’ve all liked on the game, it’s so obvious that their touch, ability to play creative through balls, and foot skill is on a different level. Also, Pulisic, at least at club level, had never been know for his finishing ability. So this isn’t really anything new. And you don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to think that Berhalter is favoring current/former Crew players in Trapp, Zardes, and Stefan. I would happily take Altidore over Zardes, which nullifies the whole europhile accusation. Not sure what that even means, I didn’t know there was a dispute over which leagues (German, English, Spanish, Italian or MLS) were of higher caliber.
It was a bang bang type play and the goalie did a good job. I don’t think Pulisic was great this game but his quality was obvious.
Carrying a team to failure isn't something to hang your hat on. He needs to be better against semi-pro opposition than he was last night. Have higher expectations.
Perhaps we should call some of our other mid-level pros from mid-level Euro leagues in instead of Zardes, Trapp, Morris, Roldan, Lovitz, etc. For me, what it says is our MLS cupboard of international players is almost bare so we need to be looking elsewhere AND trying different MLS guys because the ones here aren't going to get it done.
We are not going to see Pulisic at his greatest as a central player. If this game isnt evidence of that........sigh Is he capable of playing centrally against concacaf opposition? Yes. Can he excel at times vs said opponents? Yes. Is it his best position and most influential position? Well, most scouts and coaches at the higher levels of the game seem to think he is a winger. This is the exact type of game you want Pulisic isolated vs an inferior fb. Our chance creation probably increases with him out wide. I hope the coaches arent asking the players what position they prefer to play in. Amateur hour
This. Shooting was off for a lot of players, but after the two poor lead in friendlies I'm at least glad the opportunities were there. Boyd and Arriola stood out the most, both for the goals and the overall make-something-happen movement. Those two looked like a throwback to the purpose and fight of the NT in its more celebrated days. Aside from them I didn't think anyone looked that great (including CP). And the weakest link (Zardes) couldn't even stand out as that much of a negative given he ended up on the scoresheet and the game was never really in doubt. Onward to T&T.
How many easy chances dd we miss? I know Boyd blew one, Pulisic blew two (that wide open header 3 yards from goal was particularly egregious), Arriola blew a couple (as usual). We will only get a limited number of chances that good against quality teams an we have to be better about finishing. Speaking of... what was the deal with one of the announcers saying we only had .97 expected goals in the first half? Pulisic wide open header in front of goal and Boyd skying one from 6-7 yards with the goalie on the ground were two plays that sure looked like "expected goals" to me off the top of my head. I don't know how they calculate expected goals, but it they only expect .97 from the chances in the first half, that stat is useless.
He really needs to come back home and play for a mid-table MLS team so he can learn how to carry a team of bums on his back. All that time on Champions League level rosters have made him soft. A nice two year loan on Minnesota United should cure what ails him.
I agree w your assessment of Bradley. He played his role well with the ball at his feet. It took him some minutes to settle in, but he did OK in this setting. His problem is the inevitable - he does not have the foot speed to do what he did years ago. He will get VERY exposed against a team like Mexico. And for my money, Trapp did fine. Only one gaff I can recall. Overall solid. I disagree about Zardes. He is not a target forward. The guy cannot play with back-to-goal. From memory, I can recall only once that he controlled an entry pass and turned with possession. He is not good in the air and only fair with boxing-out defenders. His strengths are linear speed and making runs into space. Ask him to control a pass to feet in a tight space and he will fail 4 out of 5 times. Put him out on the wing in space and he will do better. Arriola is who he is. High energy, but overall not a great finisher (his goal not withstanding - that was a nice shot). He only has one speed and seems to lack that ability to calmly put the ball in the net when the opportunities are there.
Showing for the ball in the middle of the park is different than runs from the wings. I'm not sure he's comfortable in the middle. Still not convinced that's the best way to use him.
Yeah, Ggg should be on a short leash, but the whole "system" thing has become more of a meme than an actual look at what he's done on the field thus far.
Yeah, he has made multiple adjustment as each game comes along so I think the idea he is wedded to a specific system is overblown. Now, he is wedded to certain players, which is a problem. And, there are a couple main aspects of how he wants to play that are problems. He wants to generate most chances from our wings, but then starts a guy like Arriola who is very wasteful with chances on one side. At least Boyd is looking like an improvement on the other. And then the deep ball playing 6 with no real defensive support in the center. Those seem to be two key features he will not change and neither plays to the strength of the player pool. Pulisic wide opposite Boyd and replace him with a more defense-minded central midfield player would be two simple tweaks to shore up the defense and create more chances, but not sure he'll ever get there.
I wouldn't hate the idea of him running off of Jozy's hold up play. I doubt you ever start with both of them up top, but wouldn't be the worst desperation sub idea considering the roster.