Don’t put pressure on Puli who has already too much to handle. Players have ups and downs. You just need to play them on their form. First window, we have three forwards—Sargent, Pefok and Pepi. This window, both Sargent and Pefok are on full fitness form and Pefok scores like hell and even Sargent breaks out. But Gregg picked two forwards who are not in season and not in form. He played them and then argue that they ARE NOT in form.
That is what I don't get. It makes no sense at all. It seems like he just picks "his guys", his friends, no matter the circumstances. It just seems hopeless. Given the U.S. player pool in 2022, some of these guys that Berhalter picks should be nowhere near the roster. I hate to keep hammering on that point but it is hugely frustrating watching Berhalter waste a player pool that any of his predecessors would have loved to have.
Yeah, it starts getting really nervy if we don't take three points tomorrow. If memory serves, we've never beaten Costa Rica in Costa Rica, and of course we know how tough Mexico can be at the Azteca. Panama is no bag of chicken either, on the road or not. So, assume for a moment we smash our faces into the wall and draw tomorrow; that leaves us at 19 points. We lose to Mexico and Costa Rica next window and draw Panama and that's 20. That, needless to say, is not good. But if we beat Honduras tomorrow and then still crap out in March the way I laid out we're at 23, and at worst looking to play-in against Oceania. And of course if we beat Panama March 27 instead of draw that's 25 and we're definitely safe, doubly so if we manage a draw in either of the other two. Really gotta have it tomorrow.
At this point, I don’t care if a result will help Gregg or not. I just want Pepi starts this game and scores a hat trick. Then he goes back to Bundesliga and starts to score there.
As we have 18 points now, if we beat Honduras and draw with Panama, we are at 22 points, and in decent shape to finish 3rd. However, if we only draw with Honduras and draw with Panama, then we are at 20 points and finish 4th at best. Not getting 3 points tomorrow is dreadful, and I know that played into Gregg's head in not starting Pepi on Sunday. Gregg took a lot of heat for losing at Panama, and I'll bet that was also in his head in deciding to attack at Canada. However, I think we should have been a bit more conservative and played for the point. He was going to get criticized either way, but the math is better with one point rather than zero.
Sorry for the dead post above. In reply. I posted the below on the post game thread. The second two points we echoed by Jimmy Conrad and Heath Pearse on the Golazo pod. "We don't make effective triangles in the opponents half. (See any Pep team or Argentina the 90s and 2000s) We don't make runs behind the back line that might be off side but draw the cbs out of position. (See Ciro immobile Thomas Mueller) We don't (with the exception of McKennie who does this alot at juve) switch the attackers position to confuse the defense. Tldr.we are pretty easy to defend." If I'm seeing the same patterns the pros are it probably something that is by design of the coaching staff. These may be the problems that need to be addressed, maybe not. But if they are, and have not (they haven't), then the coaching staff becomes the problem themselves.
Someone is asking questions Never thought we’d see the day where Stephen A. Smith is publicly criticizing the USMNT head coach 😅Soccer is growing.(h/t @itsgabecalling) pic.twitter.com/CaVIK9iFe5— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 1, 2022
I love how Tyler takes a long pause after SAS’s trademark rant and then, wait for it, “no”. Hilarious
Musah just started as an attacker against Real Madrid and Mckinnie is an absolute pest around the goal for juve, with Allegri putting him in the position to score more. We need to make some changes but those guys are no 6's.
It is entirely actionable to replace Berhalter tomorrow and be ready for March. I’m sure we have theories about exactly which of the problems you list, all of which can be ascribed to Berhalter is the worst offender, but the only way to know for sure is to be on the inside. Because Berhalter has made, in my opinion, many clear and obvious errors of judgment that I can observe directly, I am comfortable that the best option to get the team and it’s available talent to perform better is to get a better coach. I’m not paid to figure out who that should be, but I am confident he or she exists because I have observed teams like El Salvador, Panama and Canada appear more prepared and coherent with less (from much to a little less) talent, which looks mostly to result from a gameplan that the available talent can execute comfortably and well. A new coach might change roster, play style, communicate differently, or something else, but I don’t think I have to have figured out exactly which changes I prefer and to what degree in order to believe a better coach is needed — there may be a half dozen changes/ new approaches that would all be better than the current one, even if the one a new coach chooses isn’t “exactly ideal” it’ll be better. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the great! And I would say the xG stats over the course of WCQ are all the data we need to know something is wrong.
There’s literally a still in the post Canada thread of Pulisic 1v1 against Johnston at the top of the 18. Maybe you should watch a game sometime so you’d have something based in reality to post.
He said he was cool with our play. I believe he thinks we "dominated" Canada. I wonder if he will feel that way when we tie Honduras tomorrow night.
Stephen A. was very good covering the Sixers and the rest of the NBA in his early days at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Then they made him a columnist and he started pontificating about other sports that he doesn't know anything about, and he has continued in that vein. This is the first I'm aware of of him pontificating about soccer. Heaven help us.
Perhaps that's the level of discussion of the game in our country that we "deserve," but I would like to think that we should expect better than that. More insight than that.
All you naysayers are gonna look dumb when we deliver 60% possession tomorrow the Berhalter system will dominate! Long live this system! #dominatepossession
The level of discussion in here, always an iffy proposition on a good day, really tends to drop like a rock after a loss.
I think it would be more fun to showcase worst case potential starting XI. I'll give it a shot. Heavy on "experience" with GGG guys -------------------------------------------Turner-------------------------------------------------- ----Yedlin--------------Mrob----------------------Cannon-----------------Jedi-------------- -------------------------------------------Acosta-------------------------------------------------- ---------------McKennie--------------------------------------Lletget--------------------------- ---------Weah--------------------------Pepi-------------------Arriola--------------------------