Berhalter's tactical mind can only envision ONE WAY to kill off a game: 1. Pack the back with as many defenders as possible, and 2. Send long, searching balls for a fast guy to try to outrun the other team's stretched out defense. With that in mind, parking the bus for 20 minutes, and adding Wright "made sense" to Berhalter. But, ceding possession and territory enabled Iran (and before them, Wales) to finally mount any sort of cromulent threat to the US goal. I think that possessing the ball can be more effective than simply putting on all your CBs, and hoping the other team gives Wright a chance to try to outrun them. Gio could have helped, by helping the team play keepaway down the stretch.
I heard it described as a "hip pointer" which is a bruise on the outermost part of the hip. It happens in pointyball (American football) pretty often. But it may also be the inside of the hip, which is as you describe - my mind does not wish to explore further.
One of the things which has been so very clear in the three matches the US has played is that there are two sets of players: Group A: Those who play in the top leagues. Group B: Those who don't Group A has game intelligence, management, understanding, and patience. This is been so clear with the likes of McKennie and Adams and Pulisic. The others, Wright, Moore, etc. don't have the the game management. Whether that is a tactical foul or taking the ball to the corner or making smarter pass, it is all missing. If we had 15 or 16 players who were playing regularly in the top leagues, we would be very dangerous...still, without Pulisic, we are missing a goal scorer.
Hard agree No one has posted more about US fascism than me - but this is just making the argument that Trump and Putin make. Indeed one of the worst aspects of Trump was that other oppressive regimes could point to America and say "we told you so"
Tim Ream acquitted himself very well too. He showed his experience, composure and leadership at the back. I agree with your points about Group A players but that does not excuse the massive drop when the Moore, Wright or Acosta came in. IIRC, Wright plays in Turkey and all these guys are professional players in their own rights. At this level, you ought to have those basic skills yo mentioned above.
From the Guardian Blog......Funny. Earlier I wrote wondering “how will France’s free-flowing football fare when it hits the tension of a post-colonial clash with Tunisia?” Olivier Bourassin emails me to point out that he expects it will be “probably better than the way England managed their post-colonial clash with the USA”. Touché sir, touché.
True. On the other hand, here in the US we do still have the option to vote leaders like Trump out of office, and that's what we did. Yes, a bunch of idiots still voted for him and some of them attacked the Capitol because they didn't like the results, but nevertheless we did get him out of the White House. That's still a major difference between the US and Qatar right there.
Well, in the bar I was sitting at, it seemed that every other person didn't really pay attention, just wanted the US to win. I heard conversations about the offside, handball, and basic stuff like that. What it seems to me is that there are more casual fans this time round, and fewer dedicated fans...for obvious reasons.
I don't need to point out the shit, you harp on it all the time. But I do need to remind you that since (or at the time) the WC was awarded to Qatar, the US has put 4 women on the Supreme Court (yes, one is a fascist, but one is also Black), had a Black President, had a serious female contender for President, had a female Speaker of the House, and will have a Black speaker (will be the minority speaker). We have also had multiple states pass ballot measures favoring abortion rights (to varying degrees). We had a Supreme Court case which legalized same-sex marriage, and it is still the law. We also are about to get the over turning of the DOMA in Congress (yes, it is far from perfect). You constantly bring up the 74m of them. But you forget there are 75m of us. So, yeah, we do have the right to criticize. As long as we do the same to ourselves.
I get why he’d say it a couple times, but he was literally every 5 minutes spouting variations on “the US needs to win, if Iran ties it up they go home.” I mostly tuned him out but my wife would yell at him louder each time he did it, “SHUT. THE F*CK. UP!”
Don't forget VP Kamala Harris. Also don't forget the openly gay Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and three states now have openly gay governors.
If the truth (my "harping") about Black existence in this country offends you, you can always do what JAQ Xtian conservatives do when their good news ain't good enough to offset what I bring up- put me on ignore. 1. The US has grudgingly added three women and happily added a three-toed female sloth to the ranks of the SCOTUS. Meanwhile, it has added a drunkard, a sexual harrasser and Coke can fetishist, and has sent Roe back to the states. 2. A Black man who was stifled at every turn by White conservatives, called a liar by a White subhuman, had his bride insulted by them... the list goes on and on and on, like Stephen Bishop. 3. What you mean to say is, White conservatives and clarence thomas took settled law and made y'all fight to keep it in a handful of states. 'Nutter, this is a loss, not a win. And what's more, I have yet to see one professed Christian here support Roe without any reservations. One. I read something here months ago about vasectomies. That's not the answer. Allowing safe, legal, inexpensive abortions is the answer. If the Bible is telling you to remain silent while classrooms are full of children the world would be better off without, well, the Bible ought not be your source of wisdom. 4. So? Racism still rules the roost. We are moral over immoral by a margin of 1.01%. No, WE don't. I am without sin. Maybe you are, too, I can't say. I will throw the first stone. But America as a nation cannot throw any stones again, ever. not in the wake of 2016-2020.
Biden got 81 million votes. Don't give Auria any more reasons to advance bad arguments than you need to.
Tunisia and Australia doing a good job messing up group D's standings down the stretch. That's what I'm watching for.
Criticism of the US is valid, but the USMNT wasn't threatened for not singing the NA, their families weren't threatened if they didn't "behave" and they won't be threatened with arrest when they get home. I know the conversation was about Qatar not Iran, but the rights of the people of Qatar aren't that different than those in Iran.