He needed to save it. After the ref and Bedoya, there was no knowing who was next and when Jones' next collision was coming...
#AntiCONCACAFThunder conspiracy. He knew that the best German on the field, besides FJ, was gonna spank the ball and send it left-side-netting.
A generous take. As for the start, I wonder if it was planned all along or made upon seeing conditions and if there was some belief the game might be slowed down. His added value for set pieces is diminished with Zusi also getting the start, so that's a nominal benefit at best given the risk being taken. As for the sub, not sure props are in order. Have to assume that it would have always been planned to make the first sub around then and Davis would have always been first in line. That sub should have been made at halftime.
JK's pragmatic approach paid off again. It was the only way to survive this tough group. So the tactics were good. Team discipline and focus were very good. Davis starting was the weakest move, and it created some trouble for Beasley on the left, until Zusi swapped sides with Davis. The Gonzo choice was a big gamble and it really worked. Wearing down the other starters and carrying a weak bench hasn't bitten the team yet. I wonder if any other team has played it's 3 core CMs for every minute of the group phase. I did think the sub for the mediocre Davis took a bit too long, and it took way too long to get Yedlin's speed and fresh legs in (85th minute!?). JK didn't seem to trust anyone else on the bench as the 3d sub.
Maybe I'm missing something but wondering why was Green not a sub in the 92nd minute to cap tie him. Not to mention fresh legs for a moment. Can he still file for a switch if he does not play in the WC?
He filed for his 1-time switch already and is now cap-tied to the US. Doesn't need to play to cap tie.
4. Width in attack was missing, I'm thinking that was probably being keeping the defensive shape the priority.[/QUOTE] I think it was partially the game plan and partially the lack of speed of the wide midfielders. I thought Yedlin improved the width somewhat.
Sorry to rain on the parade, but we should have and could have won this game and I lay that on Klinsman's plate. Starting Davis (along with even having him on the roster at all), is obviously the weakness in Klinsman's strategy and it certainly showed today. (Maybe Lamm is right?). At times, Davis appeared to not even want to get the ball and didn't seem to know what to do when he did have possession. Utterly useless on defense and when you have to switch Zusi to cover for him, you know you're in trouble. Forget about Donovan because when I think of how effective Eddie Johnson could have been in this game--to say nothing of filling in for Altidore--it almost gets my stomach churning again (and that finally stopped after CR7's goal). Also, question: Why didn't Klinsman pull Jones after the collision with Bedoya and put in Bacon and/or Wondo to go for the win? Jones was hurt, exhausted, and we had nothing to lose at that point and everything to win. Finally, Yedlin should start because we need speed, not off the bench, but throughout the entire game, and every game from now on. He's a weapon on offense and his ability to track back on defense is so, SO desperately needed. We can beat Belgium, for f-sakes...we can beat any team in this World Cup...ANY team...providing Klinsman coaches the way he played and I haven't seen that, yet. Don't get caught up in the hype, the talk show hosts leading the cheers, etc., etc., because if we don't get to the Quarters, then Klinsman is no better than Bradley. Sure, the competition in this group is stronger but this is a stronger US team than 2010. Much stronger and Klinsman and Herzog and Vogts should know better.
Dude. Relax. Enjoy the fact we went through... It takes a lot of work to get to this point. Smell the roses for a moment before getting all worked up. Germany is a contender to win the cup. We had to play a conservatively... 1) Taking out Jones would have meant that Germany would have pushed straight up the center of the field. It would have been a bloody mess. We would not have had possession to even get Bacon or Wondo the ball... 2) I agree with you about Davis. I'm not sure why he's even on the roster, but JK sees things I don't. JK deserves credit. Please tone down the anti JK rhetoric right now. Cool?
I am most worried about the 3 CMs and their lack of rest. The Gonzalez sub was brilliant. Davis proved to us all that leaving Donovan at home was a mistake.
Contradictorily, today exposed the shortcoming of Klinsmann's approach against tougher opposition, but I have no problems with it since the US had to limit the damage and await developments in the other match. Thus, I have no major problems today, especially, since the 23 was selected, it was inevitable he would start Davis at some point. To me, Klinsmann was saving the 2nd and 3rd subs in case Ghana-Portugal went wrong and the US would have to attack. Once he knew Ronaldo scored, then Yedlin was sent onto the field and he still smartly saved the 3rd sub just in case.
I've been a giant critic as well and I had no problems with the approach. There are no bonus points for pretty play at the WC. Just win. In this case, just advance. I do have problems with Davis being there, but it hasn't bit JK in the butt yet.
See, to me he should have tossed Yedlin on a lot earlier than he did. The safest course of action was always to try and tie the game. Yedlin's pace immediately caused issues for Germany and gave them a reason to not constantly have guys jumping into the attack.
Had we won the group, I would be very cool and extremely relaxed because we would be meeting Algeria in the second round and not a team that spanked us 4-0 a year ago. I think part of the problem is that soccer at the highest level in the US, including 'soccer culture' still seems a bit like AYSO, like it hasn't quite grown into adulthood. Doesn't matter if you lose, you still get a treat and a 'trophy'. Even Klinsman himself complained recently about the treatment of pro athletes with their golden parachute contract extensions when they are in the twilight of their careers. He was slammed by the Kobe lovers but he had a point. However, Klinsman is getting paid many times more than any previous National Team coach so yes, I do expect greater results as well. Now let me ask you, if we do not get out of the 2nd round, will you still be smelling the roses? I suspect not.
Dude... I suspect you might be new to following international soccer. I appreciate your enthusiasm and all, but I feel you might lack perspective. Let me ask you this, and please answer honestly: have you spent time in real soccer crazed countries and witnessed their youth set-ups? Their professional leagues? We're talking about generations of commitment to the game, which simply doesn't happen over night. We are still cutting our teeth in those areas. We are making major strides, and that is encouraging and satisfying. We're improving, no doubt! But the USA is still a debutante on the world stage. And this is coming from somebody who has bren following and supporting the national team since the 1980s. We are getting there, and I support our evolution towards a mature soccer nation. It means a lot to me, on a lot of different levels. I love this team. Coming in 2nd place in our group was a major accomplishment. But we don't yet have the firepower to take down germany at will. And if you think sending in wondo in that game was the solution, I suggest you take a vacation abroad to South America or Europe and spend some time in their football cultures. I suspect your POV might evolve. Enjoy the fact we made it through today. I am proud of our players, our coaching staff, and our fans. Brilliant display all the way around.
Well, we looked like a team way below the competition, yet somehow managed only to give up one goal to an excellent finish.* Howard was really good today. I suppose that means JK did a good enough job since the other game turned out ok for us. Omar was a decent move. Other than that I thought JK did a horrible job managing the squad in this game, but at least it didn't cost us. But he gets no credit for the Ghana/Portugal result. * Zusi had a much better chance than Mueller later. Zusi wasn't even close to making it. It was depressing.
I, too, have been following the USMNT since the 80's and actually became aware of the World Cup in 1966 when a neighbor was watching recorded footage of the '66 WC final on a black & white TV. That was my intro to soccer and I started playing shortly thereafter at the age of 10. Yes, I am an old "dude" and I've been involved with the game ever since, both as a player and coach (youth and adult), played college and semi-pro and played on 13 teams with different nationalities including Euro teams, South and Central American teams and African teams and made friends from a variety of nations. Obviously, there have been many conversations about the game that provided a plethora of opinions. I have traveled throughout Europe and well aware of the systems in place there. Don't get me started on the player development here in the US, much of it is great, some of the best in the world up to 13, but sorely lacking in key areas. I'm familiar with it all. What I'm talking about is demanding and expecting more from USMNT coaches and the USSF and holding both more accountable. For instance, compare the scrutiny in the media that college and pro football coaches get in America--along with the NCAA and the NFL--to that given to the USMNT and the USSF. The USSF have had a free reign to do pretty much whatever they wanted for the past 100 years simply because nobody outside of the small soccer community cared. Really, only during this World Cup, along with the lead-up over the past year, have we seen and heard the hard hitting questions and exposes such as the article about dissent amongst some of the USMNT players and the criticism of Klinsman regarding Donovan, etc. Articles appeared not long after the US/Germany game about the offense needing to step up in order to move forward and so forth. That is needed and I would say that if Klinsman himself read this exchange between you and me, he would be agreeing with you about the US being a "debutante" but I think he would probably agree with me that we must not, not for one second, rest on our laurels. The Belgium game is 4 days away and what are we going to do to score goals? Unfortunately, there really was and is no time to celebrate getting out of the group. In fact, it really was relief more than celebration and I think we need to do better to get to the Quarter finals. In regards to the development of the USMNT, some countries that have programs in the advanced stage are perennial underachievers, England and Holland as examples, and go through cycles where they either don't qualify for the WC or do and go out early or fail to win it all, Holland of course. I asked a Dutch friend why Holland can't win the WC and why Cryuff has never coached their National Team. Answer: politics. He ran afoul of the Dutch FA so instead he moved to Barcelona and we know what he accomplished there. Maybe 2014 is the year of Clockwork Orange. I sure hope so because when I watched them with enchantment in '74, I never would have a thought that it would take 4 decades (or more) before they would finally raise the trophy. Regardless, I look forward to the day that when the US is ahead in the 94th minute with 40 seconds left that American fans are not disappointed by a sudden, shocking loss but enraged beyond belief. Had we not lost to Portugal and had we beat Germany (and I do believe in the greatness of this US team), then again we would be playing Algeria, then most likely France (good, but no Belgium) while avoiding no doubt Argentina in the Semi Finals. Finally, Steve Sampson was NOT a step forward in the development of the program but a huge step back (just ask Lalas and Balboa.) Was he eviscerated in the media? Hardly. He finally gave an explanation, after the fact of course, and it was reported. Probably 99% of America didn't give a rat's ass. But was it not an absolute outrage to bench Alexi and Cello in favor of a David Reggis and Stevie's wacky 3-6-1 formation? And wouldn't it have been just peachy to put him on the stand BEFORE and not after that disastrous showing in France? I'm just sayin'....
I stand corrected. You are another old dude with perspective. I had suspected something a bit different. I respect your opinion 100 percent. I had misjudged things. I respect that you are demanding more. Good on you.
Juergen's tactics were correct. He made a substitution gamble with Davis, but immediately saw the problem, flipped Zusi/Davis and later brought on Bedoya. Germany has substantially more technical ability and depth than this US team. It is what it is. Our only hope was to counterattack them (without Altidore), which was limited by the wet field and the one day less rest. Note: We have never beaten the DFB's "A" team. We survived and beat their "B" team for the first time ever in a friendly last Summer...thanks to Klinsmann.