There are some good points here but then we have to ask why Bob was able to get the most out of guys with mentality issues like Donovan and Feilhaber and Juergen couldn't be bothered to work them into the lineup. Especially considering how badly we lack what they provided. And yes we could use more players like the above mentioned but being a national team coach does not give you room to complains about the lemons life gives you and say they're too sour or too sweet or not 'nasty' enough. You work with them to make the best damn lemonade you can.
This post is perfectly summed up by @deuteronomy 's current sig about wisdom, and may in fact neatly show its applicability to Klinsmann: "Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day." ~ Lao Tsu ~
You're assuming that Beasley was out of position due to an error on his part. Neither of us were in the team tactics talk, so neither of us know what DMB's instructions were. I suspect he was following orders. He's always been a smart, coachable player. Why would that change now? I strongly suspect, based on JK's personnel choices and his comments, that his plan for this match was to play a lopsided midfield; Jones tucked in, Zardes playing as a winger. I suspect the plan was for much of the attack to come from our fullbacks. But who the ******** really knows? Sorry, no I don't. One goal came on a set piece. The other came from a player who wouldn't even have been on the roster if Bedoya hadn't gotten ill.
This is assuming we would not have played any better with Bedoya starting which I find questionable at best. He has not been flashy for us, but he has stabilized his side quite nicely when asked to play that role on the sideline. People forget he's pretty good at harrying the opposing side as well.
Here's a question I'm going to throw out there. When our passes were "intercepted" did it look like a rookie NFL quarterback making a bad decision or a bad throw? Or did it look like a quarterback making a desperation pass in the final minute trying to come back? By that I mean, did we miss open players, or were there no players open but you can't just hold the ball so you pass it into pressure? In my view, it was wholeheartedly the latter. Our off the ball movement is worse than pathetic. Nobody gets open. They hold their shape and stay in the most obvious place, the better to defend after the inevitable loss of possession. IOW, exactly like DC United plays when Espindola is out.
Even if its the same personnel? I guess it depends if you think there are better options available to start than who started. I could think of a few tweaks but not many that are obvious improvements. There are possibilities out there that might be small improvements. He did add Zardes over Zusi/Bedoya. I don't know...
Because I think its a bandaid on a severed artery? (ok... Mexico loss still hurts, so that's probably over stated). I don't think JK is our main problem. Sure.. a new coach might help the US punch up more by squeezing more results out of the current talent but I don't want to punch up. I want them to stand toe to toe and I want to see progress in that direction. I don't really care about on single win or loss, whether its against Mexico or Brazil. I want to see the US become a top world soccer program that feared like Brazil, Germany, etc.
Sure. But height is a good indicator of arm span ("length"). "In all the journal articles I've read, the average armspan-to-height ratio has been about 1.02-1.03 for caucasian, more so for Indian or African American (1.02-1.06), less so for Asian (1-1.02)." Which means they quite likely are just as "long". You could however argue that Howard can jump higher/farther which would help him more than being just half an inch longer than Guzan.
At first, mostly the former. There were gaping open runs that were missed. At least 2 potential wide-open breaks down our left side where the pass attempt (one from FJ, one from MB) landed about 5 yards *behind* our player at the feet of (I think) Aguilar who then rampaged up our sideline. But the latter occurred sometimes as well, with increasing frequency later on.
So far we don't change coaches, we cannot know whether the problem is the pool sucks or Klinsmann does. Although the fact that Klinsi makes even Fabian Johnson look like a scrub favors the latter. PS: Outcoached by a part-time free coach with two weeks of NT coaching experience... geez.
I don't know what else we expected with the lineup we put out. We had three defensive midfielders on the pitch, or one holding midfielder and two box-to-box midfielders if that makes anyone feel better. Our only outlet was Altidore, who did his best to hold up play, Dempsey, who was just not good enough, and Zardes, who only once managed to find a good ball to the forwards and otherwise didn't help us keep the ball. We need an option to replace one of Jones, Bradley or, Beckerman with another presence who can help us hold the ball in our own third and work it into the final third, and an option to replace Zardes who can be a good outlet in possession, provide service, and run the attack when he has the ball. I think one of Benny Feilhaber, Mix Diskerud, or Sacha Kljestan would make good possession hubs. I wouldn't mind seeing Jose Torres for this role either, since he excels at keeping the ball. Dax McCarty is another good option in MLS. Moving Fabian Johnson upfield seems the only reliable bet for a creative spark, though I'm sure there are other good candidates.
JK hasn't done any worse that Bradley, has he? That would seem to be a baseline. He qualifed for the last world cup and made it out of the group stage. JK has passed any minimum requirements. Even Arena has said that the only games that matter are qualifers. I think too many people are focused on wanting to fire JK and not enough want to look at the over progress or lack thereof regarding the US overall program. In particular the inability of any of the US programs to maintain possession once the competition level rose. That's not just JK. That is a historical problem and one that has goes beyond JK.
I'd say losing a Gold Cup semifinal and then a play in game in worse fashion than the 2-4 loss is worse than Bradley, myself.
It depends whether final scores in friendlies matter to you. They don't matter to me, nor to most people. Take out the friendlies, write down only the games that matter against strong rivals, and Bob has done better & was doing better before getting fired.
Our lack of possession has nothing to do with the lack of possession oriented midfielders on the field or on the team period? Honest question, by the way.
I agree this is the problem. The roster was built to maintain possession and use the full backs as wingers. That's fine, except it failed miserably. Zardes, Jones, and Beckerman all need to be upgraded. Jozy and Dempsey are not a good pairing for a counter attacking scheme but can be fine for a possession scheme. But the only player I can think of that have elite ball handling in the US pool is Nagbe. I don't know that the US has two more players with elite ability and who will be in their prime that can fit in. Trapp, who everyone calls for, just got exposed defensively at the U 23 level. So I don't know. I would like to see Nagbe and maybe Zelelam get chances to fit it... but Z is very young and likely not up to the physicality of the mens' game yet. Llegtet would be interesting but even Arenas has said he needs time. I just don't know who the US has that would help them possess better.
Fabian Johnson is quite capable of maintaining possession. And that in the Bundesliga. You know why? Because Favre and Schubert have the good sense to keep players in circulation around him, providing lanes to do the passing and combination. Watch him with the NT. No one is in a position to receive his pass. He has to kick it back, or try to pass between two players and lose it. No wonder the guy looked frustrated. It's a coaching issue. And not only with the Senior (that word has never seemed so appropriate) Team, but also with our young teams. Watch the U20 and look us trying to play "proactive" against the Ukrainians. All they had to do was get in the way of possible passes, and since our kids were undercoached, they had no clue what to do at that point.
Could.. but we have few that fit that at the elite level. They have to be two way players and not just attacking oreinted players. I don't think we have many other dmids like Beckerman that are younger but still fit the role well. IF we accept that Benny is too me first... I think coaches get perogative on fringe players.. which he fits. Then that leaves Kljestan, Nygen Nagbe, and Mix. Nygen (who I can't spell right today) is more attacking than 2 way player. Kljestan is having a good season but he seems to always underwhelm when called in. Mix fades out and is having a bad season. That only really leaves nagbe who is completely unproven at the international level. I don't know. Jones is a "higher caliber" player. Is there anything that says any of those guys are an upgrade on him? Known of them bring the bite or expereince he brings- maybe some added creativity. I wouldn't mind any of them getting looks over Zardes... I think he has saved the US a few times and JK likes him... but I could see him sitting teh bench more. I really don't know what teh solution is.
Johnson was guilty of quite a few turnovers .... this could be why. I would have to rewatch it. You wouldn't think a coach would ahve to teach movement off the ball for guys like Bradley, Beckerman ( who has excelled in a possession oriented scheme at RSL), Jones, Dempsey, Cameron ... all of which would ahve been guys supporting him. He just seemed impatient and kept trying to send in passes deep to Jozy (who's touch was absolutely atrocious)
Bradley vs. Jurgen. Both won the "pre World Cup" Gold Cup. Both were the first nation to punch their ticket to the next Cup. (I may be wrong about this; Jurgen may have qualified the same day as another nation. Whatever.) Both got out of their group in the World Cup. Both lost in extra time by 1 goal in the knockout round. Both lost and looked bad in the next Gold Cup. They both then got fired. Wait, that's not right!