Goalie= A ( He made the first save and almost the 2nd) Defense= B+ ( Did good got caught on the counter attack) Midfielders= B- (Great first half cooled in the second ) Forwards= B ( I know this sounds weird since they didn't score but if you don't feed them ball with solid opportunities, then what can you do?) Overall B+... The truth is, it is only a B+ because we lost. If they would have tied we would have said A- or Win A. There were stints where the US simply destroyed them and controlled the game. In the second half, Costa Rica made some nice adjustments and followed a game plan and it worked for them. US has to control the game for the full 90 min...And not give up the big play on defense. Over all I was happy to see them play well and get better game by game.
Thanks Sweetlife, here is an article that graded them a little different: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...cess-continues-after-costa-rica-defeat-090311
I agree as well. I will take our friendly loss over that draw that Mexico got in Warsaw, a draw they certainly did not deserve.
If I may disagree, the draw was deserved. Neither side dominated the other and JH's goal came as a result of good service into the box. It's never flukey if a team finds a way to get it in there. Besides that... "deserves has nothing to do with it".
I think this is very generous. The US did pretty well between the 18s but for all the passing and possession the attack was toothless. The defense looked good until they had to defend, then they looked mediocre. There were certainly some positive signs and some periods of good play, but I have a hard time giving this performance any more than a C. Fortunately it's a friendly early in the cycle with some new faces and a new coach and the result doesn't particularly matter.
Dear It's called FOOTBALL, I am going to come at you as respectfully as possible, since I see the Mexican Flag on the USA Continent. This is my feeling with the Poland game...Mexico deserves no respect for that game and this is why... 1. Chichirito goal was fluke since it went off the defense-man leg 2. The Mexico player has no business caressing the Poland's Player back of the neck like he was going to kiss him 3. He dropped like a sack of potatoes when he wasn't even touched by the kick to try to draw the red ( which he did ) 4. Mexico was a man up for 30 minutes and couldn't do anything with it. 5. Mexico looked like a shell of the team that beat the US in the Gold Cup. Respectfully Yours, USAsoccer1
Wessoman, I am part of the American Outlaws Sacramento Chapter and as I walked out of the bar...I said the exact same thing to myself, that you just said. Nobody is ever happy with a loss but you can deal with a little better depending on how your team plays. I felt that the US was just unlucky last night.
Here's an article supporting our viewpoint: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...allace-goal-home-depot-center-friendly-090211
Oh I get it, you work for Fox Sports. Well, in that case, could you please tell Dunseth to change his hair style? Guy looks like a total clown. Also, please stop advertising your website in this thread, that's against forum policy.
Bro, if you don't like some points I am trying to share with some people, then put me in your ignore list. You just made mine. I will sleep better tonight knowing I never have to hear from you again... LilPuppy
Some of our fans are in such denial. So we would take a bad performance and a loss at home, vs a tie against a foreign European team, at their house? Sure we would lol. I understand we hate Mexico, but c'mon, let's not get pathetic here. Sure......
All I know is that we've had wins and ties where I've felt bummed afterwords, mostly because we were lucky to win and played like crap. Most of us are excited because we got a 30-40 minute glimpse of what we COULD be. In a game that actually matters I'm pretty sure 100% of us would take a win even if we played like a U-9 girls team.
What's pathetic is soccer fans who will always look at every bad thing a team does without looking at the good. If you watched the Mexico Match, "All pre-game highlights were the US-Poland game..." therefore I see Mexico comparing themselves to the US...Not vice versa. What everyone gets but you is the "how" Mexico got a tie...if you watched the game ( which I highly doubt ) they looked horrible. So yeah I would take this performance by the US over Mexico everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.
yep - That was a nice style change to see and I look forward to more attacking futbol in the future. The change in approach is a welcomed change after 12 years of bunker style where we win vs CONCACRAP, pat ourselves on the back and wait for the next cycle. Where of course we do play the same way over again and continue to expect different results. 3 cycles was enough. These friendly matches mean even less then CONCACRAP WCQ matches. Glad we saw different players.
So, tell me what was bad about our performance against Costa Rica, considering this side is rebuilding...And especially comparing it to our play in the Gold Cup... And you can also tell me just how Hector Moreno's actions in the Mexico/Poland game were in any way respectable, for Mexico or for Football in General. I'm sure your answer is going to be hilarious.
Wessoman, I hope Albee does write back, I agree it will be hilarious. To add to that, a shot off a post, two trips from Mexico in the box, and the direct kick ( which was nice Guadardo ) should have never been given because he ran onto the Chilean defenders' back, last but not least my favorite... Chichirito on a break away one on one, shanks the shot by 30 feet and face plants himself. The reason why the Mexico Team is struggling is because they're are relying on diving and lucky goals, until that changes...They will be the same.
What was bad about our performance? I dont know, the fact that we lost at home against a weak rebuilding Costa Rica 'B' team. Everything was bad, no attack, some decent midfield play only in the first half, and bad defense in both halfs.
What does mexico even have to do with any of this, quit obsessing over them. They went to Europe and got results, we stayed at home and can't even win on our home turf no matter the players or coach. I'm tired of it. And I'm tired of our fans making excuses as to why we lose all of the time. Always the 'what ifs' and the good old 'we're going through a transition phase' excuses.
Thank you Albee, I was waiting for the "let's change the subject quote" Good try but everyone knew you were going to say that. Back on topic, When the coach, players, and real US fans feel OK about the game, then there is something to it. After US takes first in qualifiers...come back and talk to us. Until then keep looking at the glass half full and looking at Mexico win games on fake dives and goals that bounce off defenders because that is winning soccer, right
It is. Many goals are scored off defenders. The point is to create the chance where that can happen. If you can keep putting it into the box and taking shots, chances are it'll go straight in or in off a defender. But as long as it goes in. And these "lucky bounces" can't happen unless the chance was created. JH used his skill to set that ball down and shoot it. That isn't luck. In sports, there really isn't luck. Because skill is required to create the opportunities for those moments that are perceived as luck. And what's the point of trying to discredit Mexico's friendly success so far? What will matter is WCQ. Overanalyzing friendlies is ultimately pointless.
I just wanted to say that I knew your response was going to be hilarious. I didn't expect to have to clean up Mountain Dew after a spit-take. When the offside flag goes up that often for the US, and a goal gets disallowed, it's very hard to say "No attack" with a straight face. This is a system hammering out it's kinks and developing a new approach. To say that "Everything was bad" makes it sound like a-You don't know the first thing about football, b-you didn't actually see the game, c-you are just a bad troll, or d-you are overly fixated on the scoreline over the game as a whole which is dumb to do in a friendly. The correct answer for you Albee is e-All of the above. So, let me get this straight...You would rather the United States not develop a possession game, run out with the same formation and tactics we used during the World Cup, rely on aging stars with little or no ideas, and play a dull cynical-game in order to grind out a boring 1-1 draw over a pedestrian European side, and have to rely on actual cheating in order to get the draw on the road? You must think that Greece 2004 is how Football is played. I used the Mexico as an example not because I "Obsess" over them (In fact it's quite the opposite, Mexican fans on their board obsess over MY comments, not the other way around), but because here is our confederational rival who is seemingly going in the opposite direction as the US. Mexico were playing a very open game with swagger earlier this year, but since the Gold Cup the steam has run out as they aren't introducing anything new. Their 1-1 draws to the US and Poland show a distinct decline in the quality of their play since the Gold Cup group stage, the limitations of Zinha, Torrado, and Barrera are now becoming clearer and clearer, and to rely on lousy theatrics (Thank you Hector Moreno) to get results shows that despite all of Mexico's tactics, unless they start rotating some older players out and tighten up their discipline, they will be nothing more than the Mexico squad that rides into the World Cup only to lose in the Round of 16 with a whimper. Albee, I understand your frustration with the US losing. But to fixate entirely on a scoreline during a friendly is counterproductive, the US is beginning to do things correctly. For 20 minutes during Klinsi's first game, the US played an incredible possession game, and were unlucky to draw. For 45 minutes against Costa Rica, we played an incredible possession game, and were unlucky to lose. But remember, in the last two cup finals the USA played in, we squandered 2-0 leads because we couldn't establish a possession game. Klinsmann is certainly on the right track here, just as I felt that Bob Bradley was not at fault for the Copa America run. At the time, we needed to build depth. At that end, Bob Bradley got hammered in the Copa but it gave us a great insight on players who could help us in the qualifying run. Bob Bradley actually improved greatly on Bruce Arena's limited player pool. Now, what the US needs is to establish possession to hold results. Klinsi is trying to work on that problem and showing results. I don't care if we drop these friendlies if it means we can build a winning team when it matters, just as Bob Bradley's successes in 2009 and 2010 came from casting a wide net for players in 2007, even "Wasting" the Copa America. Klinsmann will pan out. And if he doesn't, he doesn't. These are friendlies. Sure, results may be embarassing. But look at the product and not the scoreline. (Unless you are Mexico-Then by all means pay attention to the scoreline and ignore the declining quality of your nation's football on the pitch.)
What a sorry pile of excuses. And again, you keep bringing up the freaking Mexicans. This is a convo about team USA! Not Mexico. Mexico on the decline? If you insist to talk about our biggest rivals at least try not to sound like a dousche in denial. They're on a decline even though their kids and young senior squad won a bunch of silverware this summer, ......no, but they tied Poland and beat Chile in Europe, so now they're on decline because of these games, while we tied at home and lost at home under a new coach, so we're on the rise? Our fans can be something else. Lol
I can agree with you because I don't think you are a US fan whatsoever. Probably just a troll because your last post was completely off topic. Furthermore, you really have not addressed any concerns or challenges I addressed to you- that the United States actually played very well in parts in the Costa Rica match, and (Not mentioning the "Other" game because it gets you so frothy) all things considered, I can take the Costa Rica result as a net positive for the US, especially when one considers the alternative where we could have won the game but look poor doing so (Take a look at our game against Guadaloupe in the Gold Cup). So Albee, if you are a "Fan" of the US National team and not a troll, what would you do differently as opposed to how Jurgen is currently running the program? How do you beat Costa Rica by a scoreline that would satiate you? What kind of lineup would you field, and why would you even think Costa Rica is a must-win game? The way I see things, big picture, is that too often the US had results get away from them because they could not establish a possession game under Bob Bradley. Establishing a possession game gives the US a dimension where we can actually hold on to leads, and win silverware. Something every US fan truly wants.