Saw the game at Jack Dempseys in NYC, great atmosphere. Relieved we got at least 1 point out of the deal..... But I gotta say...and tell me if I'm exagerating, but all that back passing and Hail Marys from the backfield from Minute 1 to minute 90 was extremely frustrating. Luckily one of the long balls worked out. But I think it was just too much. Also at some points in the game it seemed that we were winning because the players seemed to take all the time in the world to get the ball in and move forward. Tim Howard also dissapointed on the first goal (ball watching) and his kicks upfield were also a total waste as he was basicly was handing possesion over to the other side. Dempsey...did he even play? I only remember him stepping on the ball. Again dont mean to be overly critical, but we need to get the midfield going and creative because this long ball mentality is not going to always work.
Back passes occur even at the top teams. The long ball has been an annoyance of many US fans. I was in the bar screaming "ENOUGH WITH THE F******* LONG BALLS!!". Still, even top teams go for the long ball from time to time, but we force it. Its annoying though Howard was rooted b/c he was too far off his line and it seemed as though he wasnt expecting the shot.
Both goals were the result of long balls...not that I am a big fan of them. Fan of goals, not long balls.
I was wondering why Torres was even out there if we were going to bypass him the majority of the time. He had a bad game but the game plan went out the window early in the first half.
We aimed at Jozy in the second half. In the first it seemed like we were trying to get the ball to Findley way to much.
Yeah, our defenders aren't an asset when it comes to the possession game. Other teams know that when they pressure US defenders, they can force a long ball or a mistake fairly easily. When you watch Germany or Spain make a back pass, the defenders are calm on the ball. They can pass it around and keep possession. Until the US can do this, we're never going to see an American team that dominates possession consistently.
dolo is the only defender that played today that feels comfortable with the ball. Hopefully we see that change over the years.
I hate the hoofball as well but both our goals came from it but we look like Brazil or Spain compared to England right now
theres never any support either...looks like we rely on long passes and random crosses..thats why we end up passing it back..no help or support from the wingers and central...not going anywhere if it dont change
Gooch was an absolute disaster today. His pathetic distribution was almost as bad as the goals he let in. Long balls to no one in particular. I supported the Torres start, but not if we're just going to launch it over his head every time we manage to get the ball. That's pointless and stupid. Howard was also very bad at distributing. Constantly off target, constantly too long. That's never been his strong point, but it's still annoying.
Yes, I can understand what you are saying about being frustrated, OP. But every fan is always frustrated with something about their team. It's like this for everyone really, because no team is perfect.
The real problem w/ US long balls is that none of our players are class passers. Bradley and Edu do pretty well possessing and find good passes in the middle. We could really use a goal from Altidore. We need a striker who scores.
I think that the US has always been frustrating to watch since I started following in 94. It's not pretty the way they play but they are improving, even if it may appear slight.
The USMNT seems to always make things as hard on themselves as possible. Even this so-called "easiest group we've ever gotten" is turning into one big cluster-f*uck. Just this stat alone tells you all you need to know: In our modern World Cup era (1990-present), we've never kept a clean sheet. I would enjoy a sleeper one of these years where we're up 3-0 in the 44 minute or something.