Post-match: Mexico 3-US 0 9.6.19

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by manfromgallifrey91, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. neems

    neems Member+

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Apr 14, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, at least they knew Long sucked completely. I'd love to see where that transfer goes.
     
  2. Lance90

    Lance90 Member

    Feb 7, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    gunnerfan7 repped this.
  3. ebado

    ebado Member

    May 2, 2008
    I know he didn't see a lot of the ball but Boyd's movement has not been great which sort of exacerbates how little he actually does with the ball.
     
  4. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    The Elo Ratings has us down to #40 after this game, still #2 in CONCACAF below Mexico (#14) and above Costa Rica (#47). Also, as of now, we're below nine out of the ten CONMEBOL teams (only above Bolivia, #57).
     
  5. pirozhok

    pirozhok Member+

    United States
    Jul 20, 2007
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Dunno why everyone is praising Morales, touch looks and jutted jaw could work in bottom feeding teams of soccer nations fighting for survival, but he clearly was out of his depth against MEX. In official games he would be red-carded before the end of 1st half.
     
    superdave repped this.
  6. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Everyone isn’t praising Morales but I am for sure. By your standard Mexico would have had two red cards and a penalty. He looked like he cared which is more than others can say.
     
  7. Elninho

    Elninho Member+

    Sacramento Republic FC
    United States
    Oct 30, 2000
    Sacramento, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    By "take risks" he seems to have meant "pass to someone in our own end who already has an opponent breathing down his neck."
     
    jnielsen and Winoman repped this.
  8. DHC1

    DHC1 Member+

    Jun 3, 2002
    NYC
    From another thread

    Deejay,

    For better or worse, we stuck with Berhalter’s system and desire to play possession out of the back. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
     
  9. skim172

    skim172 Member+

    Feb 20, 2013
    Gregggg seems to have taken the opposite lesson from the Gold Cup final defeat. My assessment was that his lack of adaptability and adjustment let him down. In his post-GC presser, he stated that he felt the team had been getting too stretched and attacking too directly. He wanted the team to possess the ball more, and maintain the shape in the center. The US managing to look dangerous in the first half, but Greggg was dissatisfied, because they weren't carrying out the plan - possess the ball, control the game. So he made adjustments to reduce the team's movement and attack. They subsequently crashed and burned.

    Gregggg was naive. He believed in his system. Even though the US seemed to doing okay, he was unhappy because it wasn't the gameplan he had intended.

    Later, when the chips were down and times were desperate, he had no response. He maintained his system.

    Overall, it was the behavior of an inexperienced, conservative, and inflexible coach. And that behavior was on display in the defeat.

    I was hoping Greggggg would use that experience as a lesson. A lesson to be more flexible - or at least, have deeper and broader plans to cover contingencies.

    But Gregggggg appears to have taken the opposite lesson. The failure wasn't in his inability to adapt his strategy - it was because he didn't adhere enough to his strategy. And tonight, he doubled down.

    What we saw tonight was a formation that was even more rigid, and a slow attack that was even more devoted to possession and ball control. The backline was instructed to hold the ball and slow down the game, making high-percentage passes. Inviting high press, then passing it back - waiting for the opponent to create a massive opening. Zardes was ineffective tonight - but I believe that was by design. His role was not to make runs or create openings or do anything dynamic. His role was to stand prominently at the head of the formation to keep the Mexican backline back. He wasn't trying to beat the offsides or serve as target man or dummy away runners - his role was entirely as a traffic cone up top to keep the defenders from cheating forward. There is merit to this as a tactic, but to maintain it as your only strategy is massively limiting in your ability to generate any kind of offense. And that was well-demonstrated.

    I am ... extremely disappointed with Berhalter. In the Gold Cup, I came to realize that he's a risk-averse, safe, conservative, defensive coach who prefers possession, but not tiki-taka possession - negative possession. Possession that slows attacks and runs off minutes on the clock. But at the same time, he's also very proud and idealistic - so he won't just sell out in a bunker defense either. He's got his elegant strategy all sorted out - but really, in effect, it's like he's just playing for a draw from the kick off.

    And most disappointing of all - he doesn't learn. He doesn't adapt or adjust. He doesn't refine his ideas, he doesn't look to improve and innovate. If anything, he seems to have grown more dogmatic.

    So far, our best play under Gregggggggggg has come in the GC group stages. Against the weaker CONCACAF teams. And, notably, through the efforts of individuals creating for themselves - Pulisic, Arriola, Boyd - wide players going the direct route straight to goal. Moments of brilliance by one or two players. Not as a result of the team building up anything - and ahowing a directness which Greggggggg does NOT want in this team. Even tonight, he was screaming at guys to get back when they were in possession, and telling the sideline reporter that we were getting too direct and leaving gaps in midfield.

    Goddammit Gregggggggggg. Are you unable to or simply refuse to learn?
     
  10. btlove

    btlove Member

    United States
    Sep 29, 2017
    Austin Texas
    If you think pulisic should have taken the penalty, that’s cool I get that.

    But how exactly is giving up a potential “free” goal in order to prop up a teammate a “back-of-the-Jersey” play? Seems the opposite to me.
     
  11. FormerNo10

    FormerNo10 Member

    Juventus
    United States
    Dec 13, 2018
    I thought that Mexico's play, their level of intensity combined with another "home crowd" behind them was doing a great job of helping to sell Dest on, this is the national team that I want to grow with.

    Then, as the game progressed and Dest was subbed off my only thought was, get me out of here. This coach has no clue and I can't believe that a National team isn't supported by their fans. Later.

    Note: Every weekend great EPL / Bundesliga defenders and world-class goalies are nutmegged. It happens.
     
    Deadtigers, jnielsen, Burr and 1 other person repped this.
  12. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark

    Perhaps you should google translate and read this analysis by a young Danish talent playing for the New York Red Bulls 2nd team :

    https://beta.bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/ny-red-bull-dansker-vil-have-blod-paa-knaeene

    MLS seem to be all about the physical part of the game, while there seem to be no room for tactical analysis ...
     
    neems repped this.
  13. Eleven Bravo

    Eleven Bravo Member+

    Atlanta United
    United States
    Jul 3, 2004
    SC
    Club:
    Atlanta Silverbacks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Find me the person who says the sky isn’t falling with this program and I’ll show you a moron.

    This team is bad. Really bad. But what’s unfortunate... this team has the most talented young crop of players it could have ever dreamed of. Fortuna Düsseldorf, Lille, Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Newcastle, Ajax, Werder Bremen, Schalke, etc... no way USMNT could dream of having players at those clubs 20 years ago.

    It’s all down to coaching. I knew we were going to lose badly when we stuffed Trapp and Zardes into the XI and moved players around to make sure those two got onto the field. Those two have been bad in MLS and they constantly demonstrate that they’re not international quality. I mean, c’mon, this isn’t Brian Ching, circa 2006, where he was never going to set the world on fire, but he played well with the rest of the team. These two are some of the worst players I have EVER seen for the US. And I’ve been watching every game since 1994. Ultimately, what happened is played our best players out of position, and crowded the heart of our attack and defense with incompetent players.

    Secondly, give up on playing out of the back. I’m pretty sure soccer 101 states, don’t play out of your own back end when you’re playing a superior team (sorry guys) and they are high pressing. I mean, c’mon, ask yourself, if you were Mexico, what would you want the US to do? The answer to that is just keep the ball in our defensive third.

    Thirdly, nice scheduling USSF. What did the USMNT have to gain from that? The answer was nothing. Let’s start with what would happen if we won? Nothing!!! Mexico is still the Gold Cup Champions. So, winning a stupid friendly doesn’t change those bragging rights. But what happens when we lose? Oh yeah, we just embarrass the hell out of our country. But obviously, the USSF doesn’t give a damn about that because look at the stadium... what? 90% Mexico fans. Absolutely disgusting.

    Lastly, has anyone from the press call Berhalter our? Of course not. The corruption inside the USSF is so deep that nobody will criticize this shit performance other than say it was an unfortunate night. Look, we went through this dance last cycle. There were signs EARLY that things needed to change. But they were ignored because people didn’t want to rock the boat and they teased people for saying the sky was falling. But the truth is that this team is heading for disaster and likely will not qualify again. That said, it’ll be swept under the rug, because we’ll beat mighty Cuba in the prestigious League of Nations.

    Bottom line, Berhalter, Stewart, and company in charge of this team.... we are at best a top 75-100 nation, although we have a young player pool that could be in the top 20. That’s how much they suck.
     
    tbonepat11, Statman, Namdynamo and 8 others repped this.
  14. FirstStar

    FirstStar Hustlin' for the USA

    Fulham Football Club
    Feb 1, 2005
    Time's Arrow
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Can the Tifo at the next game say “Please don’t play Trapp”? That might get some of our message across.
     
    Eleven Bravo repped this.
  15. FirstStar

    FirstStar Hustlin' for the USA

    Fulham Football Club
    Feb 1, 2005
    Time's Arrow
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Also, does James Tyler (from ESPN) post here? I’d like to ask him how he can post player ratings averaging a 6 across the back line, give GGG a 6 and “punish” Trapp with a 5 (all on 1-10 scale, so Trapp was merely average and the rest above). And then he headlines with “Subpar performances” but only gives Boyd and Zardes Sub-par grades. What a joke. Seriously bad journalism.

    https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...10plenty-of-subpar-performances-in-heavy-loss
     
    appwrangler, neems, gunnerfan7 and 3 others repped this.
  16. kickin365

    kickin365 Member+

    Mar 4, 2002
    I think people are being a little hard on Pulisic for that decision. If Sarge has made it that would have been the best part of the evening by far, far more so than if Puli scored it.

    Further, wouldn’t be shocked if maybe Puli wanted to do anything possible to help nudge Sargent ahead of Zardes by getting him on the score sheet.
     
    appwrangler, Pegasus, Namdynamo and 7 others repped this.
  17. frankburgers

    frankburgers Member+

    May 31, 2016
    YOU BOTH SPELLED HIS NAME WRONG

    MY GOD. IT ISNT HARD
     
  18. frankburgers

    frankburgers Member+

    May 31, 2016
    The supposed world class player hands off a pen? Pulisic. Very poor.
     
    CU soccer repped this.
  19. FirstStar

    FirstStar Hustlin' for the USA

    Fulham Football Club
    Feb 1, 2005
    Time's Arrow
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Really? Down 3-0 in a meaningless game the supposed leader of a team shows faith and confidence in a young, up-and-coming player that CP realizes we need to step up and claim a role? Hmmm. Methinks that you have never been in a position of real leadership. I’ll ask @Eleven Bravo to chime in on this one. Perhaps the Army teaches differently now than when I was active.
     
    majspike, appwrangler, Pegasus and 9 others repped this.
  20. markandrew78

    markandrew78 Member

    Jun 10, 2007

    That’s the way I read that situation, in that CP was trying to get Sargent his first goal with the squad. There’s been a lot of back and forth with Sargent with regards to the Gold Cup, and since the game was out of hand, CP thought this would be a good opportunity for him.
     
    orcrist, Winoman and dethfire repped this.
  21. FirstStar

    FirstStar Hustlin' for the USA

    Fulham Football Club
    Feb 1, 2005
    Time's Arrow
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That’s what I think. Too bad Sarge f-ed it up, but he knows his captain has confidence in him. CP should immediately give Josh the ball for the next penalty (whenever that may be).
     
  22. gnk

    gnk Member+

    Nov 1, 2000
    Rockville, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Totally agree, and it's not just Zack. Our center backs aren't great with the ball t their feet. Long is ok and Brooks is ok too (but of course wasn't there last night). I don't see trying to make the players fit the system; I'd think we'd build a system around the players we have. There is nothing wrong with a counter attacking style. and even if Berhalter wants to stick to his system, he at least has to tell the players, especially at the back, that if the opponent is high pressing us and we aren't able to move the ball through quickly, then they have carte blanche to go over the top, but that would require one or two possession type forwards, but with Zardes up there, any ball played from the back to him will just end up with Mexico in possession.
     
  23. nobody

    nobody Member+

    Jun 20, 2000
    Pathetic performance, no one had a good game, only varying degrees of poor.

    Bottom line for me on this one is that you can go to anyplace where you get a mixed crowd of Americans and Mexicans and every single one of them knows that the Americans don't want to get into a small ball game with a group of Mexicans. And most all Mexicans wants exactly that. Berhalter decided that after a couple decades of success against a rival where we played more direct offensively and safe defensively, we would instead try to beat them at their own game, Utterly ridiculous.
     
  24. gnk

    gnk Member+

    Nov 1, 2000
    Rockville, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sadly, this had to be what Dest was thinking when he came off the pitch last night.
     
  25. Cannons

    Cannons Member+

    May 16, 2005
    I think it was a message of support and he also wanted to give him a chance at a goal. Sargent created more in his cameo than Zardes did in his 67 minutes.

    Pulisic was the best player on the field for the USA. Its hard to do anything when youre stuck with Zardes and Boyd to work with
     

Share This Page