Interesting to see that Dempsey can create for others now that he's forced to because he's lost a step. Imagine if he was so unselfish for the last ten years instead of skying balls over the cross bar.
There I was, happily watching the game and thinking that this was a solid, even entertaining game against a good team. Fortunately I have now been set straight. The litany of complaints listwd here has made ashamed we won. We were clearly undeserving
He last scored Sept of 2016 and we ain't exactly had a ton of games since then. He was excellent in our demolition of Hondo a few months ago. Rather dishonest evaluation.
Yes. Pulisic would have created and/or completed at least two great chances on his lonesome. This match was calling for a creative force who could unlock the defense and those guys are precisely it. D and P are the keys to unlock any set defense but the trick is in their application. I believe they need to be on the pitch together but with wood and Jozy starting together and no 10 other than Pulisic or Dempsey is it possible for Arena to get them on the pitch to start a match together? At this point I believe the answer to that one is NO.
I want to send a special thanks out tonight to Bruce Arena He has done a really good job of managing the USMNT since he came on board. Very impressive. If he is slightly behind the curve for Russia , I'd say Klinsmann has 90 % of the blame. Big challenges lie ahead. .
Who drew the foul that resulted in Dempsy's free kick goal? I seem to remember Nagbe, but naturally the video highlights don't show it.
Fair enough on the September point, but we haven't had a ton of games in a qualifying year ? Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad, Mexico, El Salvador, and now CR again. Not to mention random friendlies I am forgetting. That's a busier than average year.
Costa Rica was not at its best the entire tournament. This team bore very little resemblance to the one that put Klinsmann out of our misery. They were disjointed in the attack and lacking creativity in the final third the entire tournament. Lest we forget, they perhaps only made it this far because Godoy decided to perfectly head the ball into his own goal Wednesday. Their defensive play was mediocre this tournament, as well. They just didn't look good. Don't know if it was the injuries or just dealing with the travel but they never really looked like a team that was particularly good in any facet in this tournament.
Remember last GC were we had problems with the high press? Nagbe beats the high press. He reliably carries the ball to just outside the opposition box. We didn't use to have anyone that could do this. At this point the opposition is just going with a low press.
I say this in all innocence - no agenda, scout's honor, it was a good effort - do you think he scores that goal against Navas, Costa Rica's #1 who is Barcelona's starting goal keeper? that's who we will face in September in qualis' probably.
I'm trying to imagine who he would be feeding at Fullham instgead of Jozy. I'm coming up with blanks. Help me out here.
They did deliver, though. We played well as a team and Nagbe had a great game. Acosta was very good as well. Your obnoxious narrative pushing is just getting old at this point. If we give up a goal you'll find a way to blame the midfield instead of the defense(your insistence that Acosta was solely at fault for Mexico's goal and Panama's) but if we keep a clean sheet, you refuse to acknowledge that a defender can still look shaky in the process(Gonzo) and key in on the midfield again, even though we dominated the middle of the pitch. Just let it go fam.
Best performance of the tournament thus far. Everything looked sharper in the first 15 minutes: good movement, good spacing, players actively anticipating the play instead of reacting. Obviously striking the post in the first minute was a good chance, but I also liked Morris' one-touch pass and Altidore's pass that was just behind Acosta. As the game settled, though, we still showed room for improvement. Zusi was in love with the long diagonal pass to switch fields...not sure why he and Arriola didn't strike up more of a connection (and OPTA Chalkboard isn't loading right now.) Defense looked solid for the most part - only Ureña's chances really threatened. I thought Besler was best of the backline. Dempsey, of course, changed the game. Excellent vision on Altidore's goal, and also set-up Acosta for a shot on goal just before the breakthrough. Savvy free kick goal as well. I'm surprised at the criticism here of Nagbe and Acosta. While I think having these two join Bradley in a 3-man central mid would be best, I thought both played well. Nagbe has the best close control on the team: players will give him service while marked, and the US retains possession. His 1v.1 ability also forced Costa Rica to collapse countless times, freeing up space for teammates when they receive the ball. Acosta's box-to-box ability means Bradley isn't chasing balls high and pulling the US out of shape. He also created two shots, and drew the foul for Dempsey's goal. Only in the first 15 minutes of the second half did I feel like we were losing the territorial battle...not bad, when Costa Rica played 5 guys in midfield.
I enjoy every World Cup because I avoid this place for a few weeks every four years. Kind of sad when you think about it.
Yeah but he doesnt score nor does he create shots that often. The player that does what he does, just as well, and scores is lee nguyen. Why won't Arena give him a shot?. Hes better than Nagbe
What I see there is how hurting we are for a player with his skills and vision in the role. Bradley or Acosta cant do it. Pulisic maybe. This, plus defensive instability, are arena's biggest problems. He needs to keep looking
Zardes needs to learn a lot if he wants to see the field again for the US. Someone said he's never completed a full soccer sequence without a mistake. Very true.