9/9 US vs. Brazil - the Coaching/Tactics - Post Game Discussion [R]

Josh Wolff's touch is tear inducing. He killed at least three opportunities to put a man in on goal in the first half. Bringing him in was reach. Starting him was just plain dumb.

Playing Dempsey up top was dumb as well. The dude scored when EJ got subbed in up top. Damn.

And once again Saul Smith stays in the game too long and costs the team big time...

 

Real classy move by Bradley to leave Demerit and Spector on the bench despite each having a zillion friends and family at the game.

But Junior did the 90 and he must be so proud.

 

We had six subs....why do you expect Bradley to use them?

 

Josh Wolff proved today (nothing more nothing less) that he will be useful in qualifying.

 

So, you wanted him to bring in a defender for a midfielder in a game we were trailing? OK, I get it, you think he favors his kid. Making comments like this doesn't exactly further your cause, though.

 

He cost the team too many scoring opportunities and his poor touch led to a counter one of Brasil's goals. He didn't show anything.

 

So you want Bob to pull Junior, who was having a hell of the game up to the PK and still may have been our best player, for Demerit or Spector because they had FAMILY AT THE GAME?

To quote the caveman ... uhhh what?

 

How about Spector for Pearce or Cherundolo and Demerit for Onyewu or Bocanegra?

He had six subs ffs. It's not like I'm expecting him to use his last sub in the WC Final for one of those guys.

Team chemistry means a lot and so does having your players respect you as a manager.

Leaving those two local guys on the bench - when you have several subs left - against such a high-profile team does nothing for chemistry and less for respect.

 

Demerit deserves more of a chance at center back than he has been getting. Spector didn't really have a chance at starting, but should have been a sub. When BB brought in Convey, he showed that he wasn't making subs to win the game. Since this was so, he should have brought in the home town boys for a few sub minutes.

 

!@#$

No, I wanted the guy to use his remaining subs to get those guys at least a token minute or two.

But that's just my style.

 

Josh Wolff was a solid presence, and it was great to see him back in the mix. What a True work horse. To be honest, taking him off at that stage was a big mistake, regardless if EJ should've come on. ... tactically, it probably should've been for Dempsey, despite Deuce having scored the goal right after.

 

Thank you.

 

There are many USMNT fans who would rather advance their agenda than discuss the game rationally. You just have to learn to ignore those people.

 

2007 is the year of the sockpuppet BS newbie.

 

wolff was garbage all game long, he really didn't get to involved and when he did he wasn't very impressive then either, johnson was more effective I thought, and made dempsey more effective, I thought Johnson played decently for what minutes he did get.

 

and how's that? He brought on the best attacking midfielder on the bench for a player that had struggled to impact the game. Obviously, he's just trying to run the game out...

 

I think the team had a solid game plan for a friendly against a power like Brazil, and they executed it pretty well considering their abilities, so that's a big point in Bradley's favor. Landon did not play well wide right, and I hope this experiment ends soon.

Is this post drily ironic, and I'm not getting it?

 

Then tell me what his purpose was, on the field? What role was he playing, and what was his task?

He kept up the pressure, continued to hassle the defense, held the ball well, and tried to slide a ball into the wide positions, and back in for the attack. He's not a striker, and he did precisely what a Dirk Kuyt always does for Liverpool or Holland.

 

Hmm, you may be right. Convey just doesn't seem like a great offensive sub based on his current form. Of course, he could have brought in Spector and shifted Pearce to midfield.

 

If he was taking this game so friggin' seriously that he couldn't use two of his zillion unused subs to introduce a couple quality defenders then he should be torn a new one for dropping a game at home 2-4.

I don't care who we are playing, 2-4 is a bad result. So, go on, tell me now that it was a meaningless friendly and the result didn't matter.

The I'll tell you again that Spector and Demerit should have played a minute or two.

 

Absolutely. I figure after Gooch's performance today, I would think Demerit would begin to start with Boca. But thats after this match, not during the match.

Why? Heath Pearce was very very good. When he was pulled we were going for the win bringing on an attacking player.

Explain this to me. Convey is an attacking player. He came on for Benny, who wasn't bringing much, in an attempt to attack Brazil. Its not like Bobby Convey is Kerry Zavagnin.

 

I think that Tim Howard refusing to go out showcases just how much the game meant for the team and players, even if it was a 'meaningless' friendly. You always want to showcase your best, regardless of the values attached.

That doesn't make the result a bad one either. You go out to learn something and do yourself some respect, showcasing a performance worthy of your supporters' respect. Brazil played with that added experience and quality, and got the result on class. That doesn't mean that you should abandon all desire for the result in favor of token substitutions.

This is the National team, not a sunday pub team. It's not a tribute match either. There, quite bluntly, aren't token appearances, and it doesn't matter where a match is being played. You go out there to learn, to compete, not to hand out pats on the back.

 

Pearce (who was not very very good, only pretty good) could have played midfield, with Spector coming in as the new left back sub. I think that would have been a better tactical move than bringing in Convey was.

As for Bobby, I was wrong to think of him as a less aggressive sub considering we didn't have any other attacking midfield options on the bench. He wasn't a defensive sub, just a bad one.