PBP: 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championships, Quarterfinals: USA vs. Costa Rica, 6/28 @ 7 PM EDT

What a goal for Panama!

 

It was a banger. And they are completely dominating here. If we get Panama, it is going to be a tough game. #9 looks very dynamic.

 

I think the referee association for CONCACAF sends a B/B+ team for referees. Mostly senior team officials with some new referees mixed in.

 

PK for Honduras

 

1-1

 

Clark tends to look very disappointing from the run of play, but consistently influences goals at a high rate at many different levels of competition. That’s still a valuable player, but yes I think some of his early MLS performances suggested he’s a player he wasn’t.

 

DVR is great. Only about 55 minutes of actual soccer played. FIFA really has to do something about that. It‘s getting bad.

Always interesting watching after reading the PBP.

Impressions.
- I freaking love Pax. Love him.
- CR knew we were clearly more skilled and played like it.
- US kids making kid mistakes playing out out of the back. Hard balance to learn. When to get rid of it, when to play. Hey, Z Steffen under Guardiola still has no clue.
- Alvarado seems to get hacked hard every match.
- US was challenged for the first time and it showed. Still created some great clear cut chances.
- US fortunate CR didn‘t nab one.
- Ref called‘em real soft on US after we went up 2-0. Old school CONCACAF stuff. Free kick they hit post on Cowell never touched player. Player never asked for foul and knew it. Quite a few like that. That PK was interesting.

I don‘t think we were out muscled as much as folks said. Yes, they were bigger but from reading the play by play I expected much worse.
Yes, a stronger D mid needed. We will see if it burns us.
This was a good win against a solid squad. We continue to show or ability to create clear chances from the run of play. Needed to finish at least one more of those in half one boys.
CR never scared me from the run of play. For all the talk of a weak D and backs they did alright. This has been overblown IMO. The seed was planted before the tourney and people keep harping on it. I‘m not saying they are exceptional but they are not horrid, and I get that impression reading these boards at times. Their chances came from play out of the back errors, a soft PK, and a phantom foul where they hit the post.
The left back got burned on the Brady chest save, but Cuevas isn‘t a natural there either.
They should have learned a lot from this match, and they should be more prepared mentally/physically for the next match.
To many are always tougher, many times unrealistic about their own squad, while heaping way to much praise on their opponents.
We will be OK. Win or lose moving forward I am pretty damn happy overall. It will be tough, in CA, CONCACAF soccer. We should
know the drill by now. Good job guys.

 

McGlynn looks better for Philly because the formation and team around him suits him better. If a team that puts 10 behind the ball at this level, he can pick them apart, as he did against Canada.

Aaronson is getting more opportunity with this team, but Philly uses him in a more natural position.

 

They aren’t required to. Maybe a few more than this tournament, but there will be some not released.

 

Monitoring social media, Obed Vargas and Brian Gutierrez are celebrating the US U20s' win. They're very likely committed to the USYNT for this level even if they missed out on the initial qualifying tournament.

It will be interesting to see if JoGo has any sort of reaction to the US qualifying in the coming days or if he posts only about El Tri.

 

I do not see this as accurate. No team in MLS plays 10 men behind the ball against the Union. I mean, literally ... no ... team. The Union are one of the bottom 3 teams in MLS, if not THE bottom team in the league, in terms of possession. So, whatever formation Philly puts him in, it is not one in which he has lots of time and possession to continually pick apart the opposition. Maybe I am not understanding you, but to the extent that I am, I have to disagree.

 

Not sure where Gutierrez would be playing on this team, but he is a very good player and Chicago not letting him go while fighting for a wooden spoon just emphasizing what a shit organisation they are, and why they are a perpetual contender for that highly coveted trophy.

 

At this stage of our countries development I really don‘t care. In the past I did because who knew when or where we would find another quality prospect. I‘m not worried anymore. If you don‘t want to play for us fine. Yeah, we will lose someone we could really use one day, but we will have others who want to play for us who will be OK. I want players who want to play for us.
I also will be able to mock my Mex friends in Mex City, already have, about how they need us now, and not the other way around.
They don‘t like that down there.

Trust me, there is eventually gonna be blowback down there about having to many US players on the team over locals. Bet on it.

 

What a great play by Bonilla and then an AWFUL finish by Bonilla. Wow. That should have been 2-1 Panama.

 

Neither of these teams are very good.

 

If I'm an MLS team, I'm scouting the crap out of this tournament, right? And submitting a bid for the Costa Rican goalie?

Maybe there's something I'm missing, but it seems to me that there's no reason for any good talent to be left in Central America. With the addition of MLS Next, you'd think that MLS would scour CA like the MLB does the Carribean.

 

So hard to beat a host nation. So lucky for Honduras that they get this U20 WC / Olympics combo. Doesn't seem fair to me. Would be nice for the US to actually go on the road in CONCACAF and get a big win. But despite our good play so far I am not holding my breath.

 

Great result. Mostly mediocre play. Had a lot of trouble playing out of the back against a competent team. CR just constantly jumped passes.

Clark was pretty bad. For about 20 straight minutes he killed every offensive possession. The 6 has to have a cleaner touch to play this way. Need a new 6 or a new plan. Aaronson and Luna were good, not surprising, as were the CBs, slightly surprising.

That penalty goes in and there’s no telling what would have happened, so a little luck involved. But maybe it’s the first game against a fairly equal opponent and the team has to adjust.

 

Well, he may be under contract, asking for a lot of money, and may be looking for a Euro move. He is a keeper so games matter a lot at this age also. Is MLS Next better than playing in CR at this point? Is he worth a pile of cash? He played great today but does he always play like this? The other CR players looked pretty limited/pedestrian.
I think the rules are the same as our guys going to a good Euro team. You need to show that you are a clear step up from what we have or have a real nice upside. If you are that good others will notice. In SA and Mex also.
More competitive out there in the global market than you might think.
Hell, are any of these Pan/Hondo guys worth it? A couple look good, but it‘s a small sample.
I‘d go fishing in middling Euro leagues, which MLS is now, and SA TBH.
I‘d wait for these guys to mature some more.

 

Nor should anyone. We have a shot, but I would make Hondo slight favs if I am being honest.

 

Well, from reading our PBP we aren‘t really either so it will be a fair match up!

 

I think we learn a lot more about individual players playing Costa Rica than say Nicaragua. So pump the brakes a little on Luna. Alvarado otoh was pretty studly tonight. I would keep Alvarado in the lineup against Honduras. Maybe bring back Cowell for Clark.

 

I think your last line sums it up. Next match will tell if that is true or not.

Mexico isn‘t going to face a quality team until the final. I am interested in seeing how they respond playing someone decent after a bunch of walkovers.

 

Yeah. Folks seem to want to doubt the D and want to like Luna in general. The D isn‘t all that bad and Luna wasn‘t great today when finally facing a physical/capable opponent. Alvarado is good. No if ands or buts.