LA Galaxy Flavored USMNT in 2021-2024

Discussion in 'LA Galaxy' started by Skevin, Mar 15, 2021.

  1. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Lose by 2, I ain't gonna boo, yell and cheer is what I'll do, 'cause we going to the World Cup you foo's!!!!
     
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  2. 73Bruin

    73Bruin Member+

    Jul 12, 2008
    Torrance, California
    I think that this is likely but may not be final. It was my understanding that there was going to be a final ranking update after today's qualifiers. It's possible that FIFA could drop the US 4 spots and therefore into to POT 3.
     
  3. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    I doubt one 2-0 road loss will affect our world ranking noticeably.
     
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  4. 73Bruin

    73Bruin Member+

    Jul 12, 2008
    Torrance, California
    I think that the ratings are questionable to begin with. For example, the U.S. dropped from 13th to 15th, meanwhile Mexico moved up from 12th to 9th after a 2-0 home win against a lesser opponent. Dropping 2 more spots to 17th place would have put the U.S. into Pot 3,
     
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  5. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    I am going to be a little debbie downer here because I genuinely can't understand how we cannot beat these small concacaf nations consistently.

    I'm glad we qualified obviously, but when I look at our squad and see our players, I just can't help and wonder how tf did we only qualify on goal differential when over half the teams in the group are basically considered amateur players? I know we had some injuries this time around, but costa rica started 9 players who play in their domestic league, 1 player who plays in Colombia, and obviously Navas. The fact that we couldn't score is insane. Even Ariel Lassiter could score prolifically in the Costa Rican league but continues to be an absolute dud in the MLS.

    We play nations like Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, and even Jamaica who are in similar spots with their teams, and we are told getting a draw in these places is a good result? We have players who are literally playing for the top clubs in europe. Even our worst players are miles ahead of these nation's players. This feels like a Man U team going to a 4th tier opponent in the cup who has small grounds and a field that is crap, and telling the Man U fans well we aren't expected to win here. Of course you are! You still have the vastly superior team. It feels like a cop out to quell expectations on inadequate coaching, and I think that is the difference between us and Mexico. Tata is in the hot seat despite finishing above us... Mexico fans expect a win in basically every game they play in concacaf. They get a little slack against USA and Canada away but that is it.

    Am I just overreacting here or not getting something?
     
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  6. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Last cycle with 2 hugely experienced coaches we failed to qualify. This cycle with a very inexperienced coach we qualified. And everyone on social media is more upset this time around because we don't have a super-experienced coach.....

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    What would y'all classify as job well done for a USA coach? Is it qualifying for the world cup? Is it having a good showing at a world cup?

    For me, I think depending on what group we get in, we really need to be getting to the knockout stages of every world cup or else I feel like we underperformed.
     
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  8. cleschke

    cleschke Member+

    Aug 16, 2004
    Fullerton, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I’m sort of in the same camp as you here. But given the debacle that the last cycle was, I can understand why people are willing to look at it as job done. We also have an extremely young team. Inconsistency is par for the course regarding young players.
     
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  9. El Futbolisimo

    El Futbolisimo Member+

    Sep 28, 1999
    #834 El Futbolisimo, Mar 31, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2022
    Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin. I think this is the conversation all over the place. Is the glass half empty or half full?

    My expectations are/were that we should have qualified in 1st place given the talent pool in comparison not only to the CA countries but also in comparison to Mexico and their mediocre performances and of course, the Canucks. I mean, where do most of Canada's players ply their trade?

    Is it the team or the coach? Six of one or half a dozen of another? We need both to really succeed. I don't know about Berhalter in that I know he's a rookie coach a this level but does he have it in him to grow and become a top good coach at this level along with the team? A dude that can size up not only his own squad and exploit the strengths and prop up the weaknesses given his ability to read each opponent wisely? So far, I have my doubts.

    Think of it this way. If this was South America, would the USA have qualified? NO! the answer is no. We benefit from being in a relatively weak region where there is less than a handful of teams that have the talent and infrastructure to build really competitive teams at any one time. We should have walked through this in first place.

    Yeah, we're going to the big show and that's good right? Beats watching it on the couch. But this team leaves alot to be desired as far as performance and results is concerned given the region and the teams we might now face in Qatar. I know we have the talent. I am just not sure who will bring it out of them on the field.
     
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  10. Bilgediver

    Bilgediver Member+

    LA Galaxy
    Oct 16, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    the rankings don't update that quickly, and the draw happens saturday
     
  11. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think there's an over-estimation of the talent pool in general, but also a lack of acknowledgement of some key factors. For one, the 4-5 players we have that are truly exceptional (Pulisic, Reyna, Weston, Dest, Adams) did not even play a single game together; they were injured or out of form for key matches. Outside of that, I would say we also have some clear gaps in very important areas by regional and even our own historical standards, particularly at striker and GK. Evoking @skydog's Theorem, these can be two of the most difference-making positions on your team (more on that soon). Overall, this team is very young, so inconsistency is to be expected. Who was out most consistent performer throughout qualifying? I'd argue it was Antonee Robinson. And yes, of course, Berhalter is learning on the job but I think he did a decent job given some of these circumstances.

    We actually lead the region in xG:



    This is a little revealing: as others have said, this version of Canada is actually similar to us from 2008-2014 or so. They're strong in areas that allow them to "over-perform" the way US teams of the past did -- they have reliable goalscorers and a GK that keeps them in matches. Costa Rica have Keylor Navas, who allowed them to significantly over-perform their expected goals against. We're basically on par with our xG; but a reliable goal scorer would've significantly changed some results for us. So for all the talk about having an unprecedented pool, at striker and GKer we are pretty average. Berhalter has done a good job of making the team defensively sturdy without our traditional GKing advantage.
     
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  12. Bilgediver

    Bilgediver Member+

    LA Galaxy
    Oct 16, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The only caveat to "we won't qualify" is South American teams will not play the same way as Central American Teams.
    Nothing happens in a vaccuum, you can't just plunk our team from here to there and expect the exact same play/results.

    This entire cycle was unique. Part of it is the sheer number of players Gregg trotted out (after an entire generational black hole, he is STILL trying to figure out the player pool), part of it is the youthness of our first team, part of it s in the recent window, everyone dealt with a stomach bug after the Mexico game (upwards of 30 people). Not to mention some bizarre happenings earlier in the ocho where we dropped points, and not just away @ Panama.

    If our team had a squad of established veterans that the young players could be integrated into I would hazard a guess the results would be different. Instead, they kinda "grew into each other", and the grizzled veterans arent players who have been to a World Cup before.

    Qualifying is just a very unique Beast. Ask Italy. Ask Mexico during the 2014 qualifying cycle. We've topped the hex a few times recently with a very crappy standard of play away. Qualifying is just different. Later on at the World Cup, no one is going to care HOW you got there, just that here you are at the dance.
     
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  13. Bilgediver

    Bilgediver Member+

    LA Galaxy
    Oct 16, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Damn, Canada FAR outperformed their xG for and against.
    Mexico only slightly.
    We are damn near exactly on par.
     
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  14. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #839 MPNumber9, Mar 31, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2022
    Here's a GK ranking looking at xGA. To put it mildly, Navas was a beast for Costa Rica. Our goalkeepers, on balance (taking Turner and Steffan's contributions together) were barely a factor. Given this, Berhalter has done a good job of making us defensively resolute without relying on great GKing, a luxury past US teams have had. I think this shows a lot of insight and planning on Berhalter's part.



    Edit: People want to see us run it up on teams (and we did wipe out Panama and Honduras at home, for the 2nd cycle in a row, frankly), which I get. That hasn't been a priority for Berhalter, which has caused some frustration, but it shows he's paying attention. US teams of the past have been somewhat notoriously leaky in the back (remember 2010?) and we gave up the fewest good chances in qualifying. Not sexy, but not a small thing at all.
     
  15. Bilgediver

    Bilgediver Member+

    LA Galaxy
    Oct 16, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    theres a difference between job well done and job done.
    This is job done, there's nothing wrong with that.
     
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  16. 73Bruin

    73Bruin Member+

    Jul 12, 2008
    Torrance, California
    I partially disagree.

    IMO, the USMNT is highly dependent upon a few players and as such is not that good when they are not part of the team (for whatever reason). Prime among these is Westin McKennie, who missed all 3 matches in the final set and at least the 1 match against Canada that was a 1-1 draw. To make matters worse, the team lacks a solid #9 and doesn't have one with the physical presence to deliver in a crowded box late in the game.

    I also think that the USMNT is somewhat overrated in FIFA's ranking and vastly overrated in the opinion of American soccer fans. There is no way that the USA should be rated above teams like Croatia or Columbia. In terms of being overrated by American Fans (probably because of media hype) consider Captain America, Christian Pulisic. He is hardly a major star based upon his stats. He has 8 goals in 42 EPL games over the last 2 years for Chelsea. He never had more than 4 goals in the Bundesliga in any of his seasons at Dortmund. Contrast that with Clint Dempsey's time in the EPL. His year of "failure" for the Spurs was 7 goals. In 2012, Dempsey scored 17 goals for Fulham in the EPL, the same number as Pulisic has had in his EPL career. FWIW, I would take the 2010 USMNT roster over the current roster any day.
     
  17. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    We definitely do have established vets in and around the team, but Berhalter has his own gripes with some of them. Obviously us missing the last world cup has made it difficult to get players with WC experience, but when I see our team is so young, you'd think guys like Brooks, Yedlin, Ream, or even Guzan would be called in consistently. You can even throw in the likes of Arriola, Pulisic, Morris, and Zimmerman who have been in a couple of cycles now.

    I guess thankfully, the brunt of our players are in a nice age group, but I do see a benefit in bringing in some experienced folks. Instead of calling up Sean Johnson, why not Guzan to be the #3? Brooks and Yedlin need to be in the squad imo for the world cup even if Yedlin is just seen as the 3rd back up option for a fullback spot. Hell even Ream is doing well for Fulham this season. Ream is very much the Bocanegra type player that could help us off the pitch and in a pinch.
     
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  18. shelbo

    shelbo Member+

    Oct 16, 2007
    L.A.
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  19. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rankings came out today and the draw is tomorrow. US is 15th in rank and in Pot 2.
     
  20. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Quick, someone pull up the 2010 starting-XI and the expected 2022 starting-XI. Would be curious to see which team team has more of the consensus "best player at that position".
     
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  21. Bilgediver

    Bilgediver Member+

    LA Galaxy
    Oct 16, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think different areas would have different results.

    I would love to compare the 2002 starting 11

    [emoji57]
     
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  22. El Futbolisimo

    El Futbolisimo Member+

    Sep 28, 1999
    #847 El Futbolisimo, Mar 31, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2022
    The draw is scheduled to happen on Friday, April 1 at 9:30 pm IST at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre in Qatar.
    Pot 1
    • Qatar
    • Brazil
    • Belgium
    • France
    • Argentina
    • England
    • Spain
    • Portugal
      Pot 2
      • Netherlands
      • Denmark
      • Germany
      • Mexico
      • Switzerland
      • USA
      • Uruguay
      • Croatia
      Pot 3
      • Senegal
      • Iran
      • Japan
      • Morocco
      • Serbia
      • Poland
      • South Korea
      • Tunisia
      Pot 4
      • Cameroon
      • Canada
      • Ecuador
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Ghana
      • UEFA Playoff Winner
      • Peru-AFC Third Place Playoff winner
      • Costa Rica-New Zealand Playoff winner
     
  23. El Futbolisimo

    El Futbolisimo Member+

    Sep 28, 1999
    #848 El Futbolisimo, Mar 31, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2022
    What do you mean by SA teams would play "different?" You mean they would play much better than CA teams? Yeah, that's kindof a given. Much better.

    Gregg is a rookie coach. Maybe a more seasoned vet coach would have put a time limit on so many new guys to watch and pick from. Save the rest for the next WC and start the process of making a TEAM for this WC with enough time to get the team polished. Maybe we would have done a better job on the field if he had done that. I mean who's fault is it if Berhalter still doesn't know who makes up his own team?

    Qualifying is the same every time, everywhere. 11 guys on each side on a field. That's it. Everything else of gamesmaship, traveling , sickness, funny stuff is just what happens to every team to some extent.

    What happens to Italy, to Colombia, that's their problem on their own set of circumstances. I am talking here and now. We should have done much better and qualified fighting for firs place if not in having already onhand instead of watching out Costa Rica with several starters missing didn't run up the score on us because we are tied with them on points on the last match of qualifying.

    To me, it does matter how you make an entrance to a WC. It does matter what you do in qualifying. It speaks volumes about the current condition of a team.
     
  24. Berks

    Berks Member+

    Dec 22, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This. I literally wouldn't have cared if the two teams passed it around midfield for 90 minutes yesterday (which they basically did starting at 80' and yet the ref still added 4 minutes).

    I'm still scarred from 2017. I cried. It was terrible. I hated it. Also the fact that my other team hasn't been back since 2002, and still isn't in this year (hoping for 2026 though, and might be able to see both in person!).

    We can argue about style and performance at the World Cup. But just get the eff in.
     
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  25. Beep Boop Robot

    Mar 11, 2015
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Teams in SA aren’t going to CONCACAF you. The teams in SA are better teams overall, but the insanity that is CONCACAF wouldn’t have been a factor. I think we still would have qualified for the World Cup if we had to qualify through SA.

    Most of the people who hate on GGG would hate on any coach we had. Unless we had Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola, there’s a portion of the fan base who find something to complain amount. I’m not saying some of the criticism is wrong, just that most of it is blown way out of proportion.

    The goals any coach would have to achieve to be successful for USMNT IMO are as follows:

    1) Qualify for the World Cup
    2). Get out of the Group Stages at the World Cup
    3). Win the Gold Cup
    4). When the Nations League
    5). Make the USMNT fun to watch again.

    Beerholder is 4/5 and we’ll see how he gets on in the World Cup. People just need to appreciate we have a very talented roster, with a coach that the players want to play for and after 4 years we finally have a team that’s will to get stuck in and fight as team like the USMNT did under Bruce 1.0 and Bob Bradley that made the team fun to watch.
     
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