Post-match: 2022 World Cup, USA-Iran

That's also 20 minutes flight to Dubai or TA. He will survive.

 

With all due respect to JJ, Tyler is better. Unless his career trajectory suddenly flames out in some bizarre way.

 

Iran had themselves a good tournament on balance and a few moments that they can remember over the next few years proudly. Especially so given the recent events in Iran that can't help but be a major distraction. We have a young team that has a lot more talent than most foreigners are really aware of, but as with most young teams (and a manager that is a good team builder but a mediocre tactician, IMO), they are prone to inconsistency, and have struggled to create in the final third. So we just managed to finish second in the group, which is always what I thought they would do, but with a mere two goals. You saw it; we can control the center of pitch against almost anyone but the very best (ie France, Spain, Brazil, etc.), but we create few clear-cut chances.

Taremi's one heck of a crafty player, and Azmoun's not much worse. As long as they're involved, at least, I think Iran will continue to be a force in Asia.

 

I think so, too, but I don't think that he attacks as well as Jermaine did. He is in every other respect better already. Better at 23 than Jermaine was in his prime.

 

TA4 is the youngest captain at WC'22 by more than 4 years!

 

So close that you likely couldn't overturn it. But I never saw a definitive look.

 

If he could play in a do or die qualifier at Honduras at 18 he can do this.

 

That was a knee.

 

Now that my heart has finally slowed down to normal resting rate, I’ll just say I’m happy we are through. It was perfect, but we are through.

Netherlands aren’t invincible, let’s grind out a win Saturday.

 

If you asked 2 months ago "Gregg is too cynical" is NOT what I would expect the major complaint to be....

 

Playing defensive up a goal is fine but it doesn't mean you have to lose control of the match and give up multiple dangerous chances. Which is what we did.

Going into a shell and using players that can't compete simple passes is not the way to see out a game.

That was desperate defending and we were lucky to hold on.

Lots of teams use possession to hold onto 1 goal leads.

 

Welcome to the WC! Nothing is easy and you may lose a TV or two in the process.

Congrats to the USMNT for advancing. Another good first half followed by a better second half than the Wales game. Defense played well and big shout out for Carter Vickers with the surprise start and well played game. Once again, Adams was huge and MOTM along with Pulisic. Up front, Josh had a good game with his movement and holding the ball. Bummer about the leg (ankle?) injury.

Disappointed in Weston play in general (although he started the goal sequence). He has been average at best and is just not helping the team. I would sit him in the next game. Musah had his moments, but in the second half, he looked all of 20 years old and made too many mistakes and poor decisions which we were lucky that Iran didn't take advantage.

Good subs and timing except for Wright. For all of the crap Moore got in his first appearance (somewhat justified), he was rock solid and brought great energy which was needed. Aaronson was solid and provided more coverage and Zimmerman provided another defender and cleared up the one potential goal.

Credit to Greg and the coaching staff...except for Wright. We needed a runner who would cover a lot of ground and pressure Iran. That is not Wright. It should have been Ferreira. Wrong decision. Not only did Wright not provide much, he made poor decisions especially at the end with weak shot.

I feel for Iran and wished they could have advanced in another bracket. This was a team effort. Not pretty, but on to the next round!

Edit: Forgot to add that the Spanish official and officials in general did a great job.

 

For the record, all the Berhalter hate is just ridiculous. Anyone with any common sense has to be, at a minimum, at least acknowledging the accomplishments. I mean, we can disagree with some roster decisions or a tactical move here and there, but at some point the results just speak for themselves and the "we won despite him" crowd just look more ridiculous by the day.

Won Nations League (over Mexico). Won Gold Cup (with a B team). Qualified us despite a ton of injuries. Got out of group undefeated.

I think it breaks down into 4 categories.

1) Stans. Reyna stans. Scally stans. Pepi stans. So focused in the fact that their guy did not play that they miss everything else.

2) Idiots. These are well-meaning folk who constantly overestimate our talent and underestimate our opponents' and so throw a hissy fit when we don't win every game 3-0.

3) Trolls.

4) Berhalter haters who just do not know when to give up the ghost.

I get it. Some decisions are baffling/questionable. But he is 2/2 on lefting trophies in CONCACAF. He got us to the WC after JK/Arena choked last time. And he got us out of group.

And not just out of group. Arguably our best group stage performance since 1930.

1. 5 points. Only gottem more than 5 pts in group once. 1930: 6 points from 2 games. Also got 5 in 2010, but needed Landon's stoppage time winner vs Algeria to get there.

2. GD of +1. Only twice before have we ever exited group with a pisitive GD. 1930 is our best group GD of +6 (6 GF, 0 GA). In 2010 we were +1. But needed Landon's last gasp winner AND Hart's GK howler to do it.

3. Undefeated. Only 2 previous times undefeated: 1930 2 wins from 2. And a similar 1 W 2 D line in 2010 from the England, Slovenia, Algeria group. And, again, Hart's howler + Landon's last gasp.Pkus we trailed Slovenia 0-2.

4. Never trailed. Not for one second. First time since 1930.

And all this out of a group that was legit tricky. It had the highest avg FIFA rank. Iran at 20 was lowest. They were the top team in Asian qualification. Wales just got to the knockouts in the last Euro (finishing 2nd, ahead of the Swiss in group). And England were Euro finalists, SF at last WC, and legit contenders.

In my view, our best Group performance since 1930. 2010 or 2014 (Germany, Portugal, Ghana) are the only other ones in contention.

In 2010 we needed Hart's howler to draw England. This time we bossed them. This time we played poorly with the lead, but at least we HAD leads. In 2020 we never led vs England, nor Slovenia (though that should have been a 3-2 win after trailing 0-2), and for all of 1 minute vs Algeria.

Qualifying out of that Germany, Portugal, Ghana group in 2014 is worth a mention. We needed Brooks' late header to beat Ghana after giving up a 1-0 lead. We had a come from ahead tie vs Portugal (diminishing Jones' wonder strike). But the last game was comfey as Portugal lost 4-0 to Germany in the opener. Our 1-0 loss was easily good enough on GD.


Let's put down a marker, if the USA win a knockout match vs a non-CONCACAF team for the first time in our history (and 2nd WC KO game ever), can we STFU about the manager?

 

If we have to rely heavily upon our backups, we're going to get smoked by [edit:] most of the teams left in the tournament. To be fair, though, that would also be true of a lot of the teams left in the tournament not named France or Brazil. Which is one reason why I believe that one of those two sides is going to win it.

 

You can only get second halves and subs wrong so many times before you run into a team that will take advantage of such errors like a Netherlands, like an Argentina. I’d rather fix these problems than pretend they don’t exist because we won today.

 

The gap there in talent, particularly defensively, is pretty massive. We didn't take Musah off, of course, but while there's a role synergy there, it's not like putting on Reyna for Pulisic or something.

Scally can't replicate Dest. I don't know where the myth of Joe Scally has perpetuated to the point that he can essentially replace our best overall possession player? What? Dest has struggled in the final third, but Scally is a bulldog defender and an okay offensive player.

Moore has played poorly offensively, so maybe Scally is on tap, but let's also remember that Scally is 19 and hasn't really played well for the US yet. Perhaps not the guy to put on at the end of a World Cup game?

But no, Scally, is not going to replace Dest.

I would have brought Pepi over Wright, but we haven't used our third striker yet, let alone needed a fourth. We may need Scally as we're running Jedi into the ground.

Brenden Aaronson is good, but c'mon, I said like for like.

If you haven't noticed the trend here, it's that your subs are mostly offensive and super young, whereas Berhalter is not shockingly going for a bit more experience and defense.

 

Jones was always a threat to score from outside the box, which was a very nice weapon. But he was also always a threat to play a needlessly risky pass, make a needlessly reckless tackle, or just pull himself out of position trying to do too much. Adams balances his aggression with discipline that just wasn’t in JJ’s nature.

 

Absolutely.

 

Good Post. Both can be true. Great first half coaching vs bad teams and then subs, and tactics make good teams suffer un-needingly.

 

We have Pulisic, Adams, Acosta, Moore, and Wright. They all are WC players, they all are very good. But the last 3 aren't on the same level as the first 2. For me, GB as a coach somewhere on the level of Acosta and company.

 

For those who were around in the 90s, did Gregg ever have beef with Claudio Reyna? I’m trying to make it all make sense.

 

I agree ... but Adams had a gorgeous through ball that should have been a goal this game. Doesn't change the overall evaluation, but man.

 

the England GK howler was by Rob Green