I have been as big a critic of Gregg as anyone, but I have to give him an A grade today. Right lineup (after the Arriola pregame injury), right subs at the right time. And no panic after spotting the other team a freak goal after 1 minute.
I saw this a few times on the PbP...what did you see from Richards that was concerning? I thought he was the better CB tonight, and didn't think it was very close...Robinson turned the ball over 2-3 times, in very dangerous positions, and had that foul in the ~85th minute that nearly led to a free kick goal. Richards I didn't see put a foot in wrong, but maybe I missed numerous poor plays?
That was more a freak goal than anything. Every keeper has those in the lowlight reel where if you go for the ball and the guy touches it, you're diving away from the play and if he doesn't touch it the pace of the initial pass/shot takes it into the back of the net. Timmy Howard had a few of those at ManU during their nightmare defensive season long ago
Richards was definitely the better CB plus he made a game saving tackle. Miles turned over the ball like a machine.
I think Hoppe and Busio will give him something to think about. Defense and midfield seem to be a no brainer. GK too. No reason Steffan should start. None. Add Reyna and Pulisic to guys who are putting their stamp on the attack (Pepi, Aaronson, Weah). Team is shaping up. All that being said if Adams goes down then qualification is in jeopardy and/or we are 100% 3 and out at the World Cup. It’s a huge problem. Probably our only problem.
im too relieved to get too in depth right now. i really wish we had a friendly window for richards, but i really dont know if him and miles arent too samey. we may need to think about a robinson/brooks and richards/zim *or partnered vice versa) straight line change situation. man, i wish i could defend steffen but he played right into the rep. greggs a dick- he was about 10 minutes slow getting musah off and easily over 20 for aaronson- strictly from a protecting our players standpoint. they were struggling, hard. ill have more...
When a goalkeeper isn’t in form, he hesitates and isn’t ready to pounce. We see Turner make saves on difficult and weird shots all the time. Tim Howard indeed had some bad games for Manchester United. So what? That doesn’t make up for Berhalter’s dumb decision to play Steffan.
We need much better ideas in the final third. Stefan and Richards really worst USA players today? Jedi wasn’t great either. our team has so much potential. The experience gained with each match will really pay off. I pray we qualify cause we will be beasts in 2026 with all the gained WC experience.
Biggest takeway was that our team was exponentially more athletic than theirs, and that DOES matter in this sport if the skill level is close. We were quicker, faster, stronger, and had more legs. I had a hunch we would break it open, and we did, though not as much as we could've. McKennie was dynamic with his dribbling and runs, even if his final ball and touch were a little off. I know some will say Pulisic is the best player in our pool, but Wes is in contention and that's why he's at a club like Juve. We have several players around the same level, but he's very valuable for us. Adams is reliable and also very good. I liked what Musah brought, filling the Nagbe role is a lively CM who can carry the ball forward and link the attack. I wanted to like Lletget, but he's an athletic liability and not skillful enough to compensate. I don't see a place for him in Qatar anymore with the options we have. Big upgrade switching to Musah. We know what Dest can do, and he showed his quality in the attack. The other three guys in the back line bring plus athleticism, but still need work on composure and decision-making. If nothing else, it's at least nice to have some athletic players back there who won't get beaten for pace or strength. Against the elite teams, the little mistakes will kill you though. I'm probably not as high on Aaronson as some of our fans, but I do love what he brings. Active runner, shows for the ball, and generally makes smart/proactive decisions. He's simply a positive influence every time he's out there. Quiet night for Pepi. Weah was also invisible for long stretches of the game, but he made the critical difference, so you can't knock it too much. Overall, I felt this was a strong lineup from Gregg and one of our better 11s in recent memory. While I'm pleased with the performance, I think they left some meat on the bone and could've had 3-4 goals with better play in the final third. A few sticking points: our attacking players still seem terrified to play through the middle. Everything is pumped out wide and then a prayer cross. With the technical level in our side, you'd like to see more courage. Only Wes and Dest ever looked interested in the middle of the box. Maybe with a Reyna, Busio, or Clark in the lineup we'd see more activity there, but I think it's an area where we can be more ambitious.
Most teams have difficulty scoring when the other team is bunkering and playing 9-10 men behind the ball, like Costa Rica was. We dominated in the midfield and could have easily had a 3rd or 4th goal.
You also need distribution from a keeper which Turner can't do. You can go die on that hill though that Turner would have saved that clusterf***of a goal that CR scored.
Perhaps it says something about my low expectations, but the movement today was much better, and I will say I loved Pepi's delicate little passes, even if he didn't get on the receiving end, quite. There was a lot better movement and speed of thought in the midfieldtoday, probably by comparison to a slow Costa Rica side. Dest obviously was imperious as you'd expect when dominant in posession, but it hasn't escaped my notice that the cross that led to the CR goal came from Dest being unable to cover the flank. Robinson obviously and Aaaronson got lose on the left all day long, but it is distressing still that so little came down the middle. I'm still awaiting being really impressed with McKennie, good as he is. But that defense? Where did that shambolic mess come from? That has been the strong suit to date,but boy, every test today looked worrisome. Three points, +1GD was the absolute minimum. MOTM: Matt Turner's twitter feed, as always.
Richards outstanding. Could we really go with a 3man back line? the talent level is asking many questions and we have to get this right. The age of all these guys is something to think about, but we have the horses to run out a 3man back. Maybe not at this time but not to far in the future. I don't think GG is the guy to pull it off. So, for all the progress we have made as a country and program, we are still taking steps backward.
Miles the worst performance of the team (he was due to slip up at some point). Dest, Adams, Yunus and Aarronson all top shelf performances.
OK. A-, then. LOL. Maybe he learned something. We can only hope. Weah is just a better player than Arriola. Offensively, it is not even close. As Weah gets more experience with the A team guys, I expect him to get better as he gets more comfortable. He has huge potential.
What I didn't like is doesn't try to block it. Turner is one that tries to block everything, even he thinks he can't. Turner blocks shots that Steffen wouldn't try.
It feels to me that Turner might have made the save. Of course, we will never know. But I’m impressed with Turner’s saves thus far. I’d also like to see Turner be the starter.
I agree with all of this except for Caden Clark. I think he needs more time and has looked pedestrian to bad for NYRB lately. Move Reyna into the midfield maybe?
I agree Turner's distribution is not good, which is why we need centerbacks who can play the ball out of the back. That's why we have Richards on the team. Nonetheless, over the last year, Steffan has cost us many more goals than Turner. You have moved the goalposts anyways. Before making excuses for Steffan's miss, and now talking about Turner's distribution? lol