You probably shouldn't click on this thread and participate then. Do you watch tv shows you don't like
Arena played 18 field players. 1/4s ending in a game they completely outplayed there Germans and that handball is call lied 100/100 in 2022
That’s what I thought but Berhalter called it Holland and I have never disagreed with Berhalter before so why start doing so now?
On the flip side, the video lasted for maybe 1.5 secs and you are judging it on that. As a coach then you must know that he rode on a bus with the team, was in a locker room after, etc. etc. what you can't tell from that 1.5 secs is his attitude, demeanor or any other interaction other than that 1.5 sec video and the photo of him smiling and looking happy as he was hugging Berhalter on the pitch after the Iran Match. I'm not saying your wrong, but most likely it's somewhere in between. I am saying if all you have to go on is 1.5secs of video for your argument that's analysis without much data. In fact the narrative would be completely different if all we saw was the one photo with Berhalter. Then we'd all be saying "wow , what a team guy! How great he's hugging the coach and happy for his team and their victory all while everyone else thinks he should be playing."
There is no injury with Gio. Maybe he did have some slight "tightness", but the fact he played 8 minutes against England suggests he's not injured. Here's my theory why Gio is not playing: 1. Greg likes our AMM midfield. They've actually been balling out. So have Pulisic & Weah on the wings. Not clear who you pull out in Gregg's mind. 2. Greg is married to the idea that we always must have a true "striker" on the pitch, no matter how bad they play. He said himself they haven't even discussed not playing a striker who doesn't start in a top 5 league. 3. In the Iran (& Wales) games, Greg was thinking we have to bring on defense to defend our lead. Yes, Greg made a lot of offensive substitutions, but remember, Greg believes we always must have a striker up top (and wanted fresh legs to hold the ball), Aaronson is in fact a beast on pressing, and Greg believes Jordan Morris is maybe more solid defensively than Gio (or it was perhaps an MLS quota). In the England game, Greg was thinking our starters are playing so well, let's just leave them in a long time until it's obvious they are exhausted, and so he brought Gio in but quite late. Might have been partly by accident he was brought in so late. 4. Since Greg already decided there is no place in the starting lineup for Gio, he didn't want to create a controversy over who starts. This is similar to why he didn't bring Zack Steffen, so Turner didn't have to worry about starting. As Gio may be our best player, if Gio plays a lot it will inevitably lead to a controversy over who will start, he was left as the odd man out. 5. In addition, Greg was probably annoyed at the controversy over the interview & the Wynalda thing. However, had we been down a goal vs. Iran I believe he'd have brought in Gio, and probably early (by Gregg's standards, which means 75th minute). Obviously, I don't agree with this line of thinking! Gio can hold up the ball much better than a Shaq Moore, Haji Wright, Kellyn Acosta, or Jordan Morris. And he is also dangerous off the counter, which could help us actually close out a game. I think he's also much, much better on the ball than an exhausted-after-70-minutes-Weston-McKennie who was coughing up the ball left-and-right in the 2nd half vs. Wales. And I think it's clear we should sit our strikers in favor of Tim Weah up top, Weston on the wing, and Reyna in his natural 10 role, but this is too much creativity for Gregg to process.
Also, I think Reyna will probably play against the Netherlands. Here's how it's going to go down. If we are losing, or the game is tied, Reyna will be subbed in around the 80th minute or so. He'll have a chance to shine in overtime, if there is one. If we are up 1-0, though, I expect Berhalter to park the bus in the 65th minute once again, and in that case there may be no place for Gio Reyna. However, he'll probably keep one substitute, and then bring in Reyna after the inevitable Dutch equilizer.
Lots of people say this about Eric Wynalda, and my guess is 99% of those who do couldn't actually cite anything that he's said that has been inaccurate, or not at least mostly true. His problem is really that most other people have a problem with not what he says, but how he says it because we live in this world where people think they some right to not be offended, that views they don't like should be suppressed, all because they're incapable of turning the damned channel. Even IF Wynalda were a blowhard - the question is does his blowhardedness mean that he is also a liar? Dismissing the message by discrediting the messenger fo reasons not related to the message is a fallacious technique and people don't understand why it is inherently wrong. It's just an excuse for censorship that everyone agrees with. The messenger is not the claim, the message is and that's what needs to be considered. If Jeffrey Dahmer came back and his message was, "Claudio Reyna is a terrific father who loves his children very much," no one would say, "Well, JD is a serial killer so Claudio must be a terrible father."
I am told that he has already recanted a large portion of what he said. "Liar" is your word. Disseminator of hyperbole is the way I would put it. To be clear, I think Reyna should have 90 minutes (or 190) rather than 9 by this point.
We actually lost the lead vs Wales and Gregg put in Jordan Morris (who was crap) over Reyna, but ok Berhalter on why Gio Reyna hasn't played more: "I think a lot of it comes down to timing and circumstance. If you look at how the games have unfolded, we've had the lead & had to hold on to the lead later in games. The only game that we didn't have that scenario, we actually..."— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) December 2, 2022 "...put him in to help get the victory. So it's just how we can use him in the most effective way. Really talented player, and we're looking for the right moment, but he can no doubt help this team."— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) December 2, 2022 This is where the debate has and will always remain. I’d argue one of your 3 most talented players in those moments actually help you more than bunkering and defending for your life. #USMNT https://t.co/xxudvY2PB5— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) December 2, 2022 If you want to watch how elite teams finish games, go watch how Argentina played a couple of days ago. Winning 2-0, on top of their group, and still bringing in attacking substitutions and slamming the door shut on the other team. https://t.co/8nDYKBpGiM— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) December 2, 2022
Exactly. He has it backwards in those moments when it comes to preventing the other team from scoring. We were pummeled by both Wales and Iran for a long time BECAUSE we could not occupy the ball or pose any threat to take the ball to their end. We were lucky not to concede vs Iran.
I think what's really interesting, to me at least, is that Gregg has most likely known Gio since his birth. He and Claudio were HS teammates and of course NT teammates. I don't know the current status of the friendship between the two, but they go back a very very long time. As for bunkering, does it really come as any surprise that Gregg tends to bunker? He was, afterall, a defender in his playing days. Just like in American Football, often times defensive coaches tend to rely more heavily on the defense in close games whereas offensive coaches tend to go offensive.
Well I think it's safe to say that if we did bring on an attacking sub and then conceded, Berhalter would be maligned for not "locking it down". RE Gio: He, Pulisic and Aaronson are all in their best spot at LW. When we are trying to stretch the field Weah and Morris do a similar job on the right (so did Arriola). I think Gio will have a role to play especially if we are chasing a game but when we are holding a lead it's a risky proposition not to fortify the defense when game state means you probably will concede possession. We don't tiki-taka, if we did we would be in the favorites category.
If you want to watch how elite teams finish games, go watch how Argentina played a couple of days ago. Winning 2-0, on top of their group, and still bringing in attacking substitutions and slamming the door shut on the other team. https://t.co/8nDYKBpGiM— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) December 2, 2022 This is hilarious Up 1-0 in the 59th minute, Argentina pulled off an attacker (Angel di Maria) for Leandro Paredes, a defensive midfielder. In short, up 1-0, they pulled off Tim Weah for Kellyn Acosta. Yes, they scored another goal, but it's Argentina. Not because they made offensive subs. (Their other sub at that time was a left back for a left back. Later, they'd take off Alvarez for another striker and swap CBs.) Trying to play tactically like an elite team when you aren't an elite team has you end up like Canada. Argentina actually was up 1-0 and made a defensive tactical switch at 59'.
I didn't expect the "win, but not that way" to be the conversation, especially with how courageously we have played in every first half. But looking so dominant in the first halves (maybe even changing the way the world views American soccer), makes everyone extra sensitive to playing throwback defensive USMNT style. Actually better than throwback because our defensive block has generally denied our opponents clear looks. No Turner 14 save game required so far. I think we are getting our first peek at what this program can really accomplish and when the depth catches up to MMA, we should start seeing 90 minute performances. Next step is doing that routinely in Concacaf on the road, not trying to force DLT and Reyna onto the field to hold a lead against a desperate WC opponent...if the second string had shown they could execute against Japan and Saudi Arabia in September maybe Gregg would have trusted them to do it against Wales, England, Iran.
I actually fully understand the impulse against prevent defense, and not just in soccer. I probably don't get as annoyed as other people, but I hate it for the stress loads and like everyone, I've seen it backfire plenty. But that said... For three years, people complained that it was a huge mistake to try and win pretty. Now, many of those same people are complaining that we are not winning by enough goals. Pick one, or you just like to complain. No one ever considers opposition actions. It should not be a shock that we dominated the ball less when our opponent suddenly needed to score, but it is, every damn time. The lack of recognition of the effect of Pulisic and then Weston going off and fatigue is silly, too. The second half is a series of changes that reduced our ability to acquire and hold the ball. At some point, you need to adjust tactics to where you team is on the field. Will a single change in personnel really affect that? Again, feel free to argue it, but pretending we "parked the bus" or suddenly just quit trying is not accurate. If you watch the Wales game, as we lost control, we had 5+ excellent counter chances we squandered. This is not a bad tactical plan to abuse a team that needs a goal. It just didn't work. Against Iran, we tried this with Brenden to less effect until the last 10-20 minutes. But our team was more tired, IMO. I just think this is all a matter of degrees, the moment, and that there's probably a number of different reasonable choices. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. As I've said before, my bigger issue is probably punting a bit too early -- the 9 minutes of stoppage was predictable. And Reyna for Wright might have been a better move. But Acosta and Zimmerman were the right swaps.
If only there were a way that you could find that out for yourself. lol OK, still waiting for you or anyone to support this statement. I think there are reasons to believe the story that Wynalda is telling. I can't see any motivation for telling such tales, and certainly lots of (possible) blowback both professionally and personally if he's making it up. It's also certainly possible that Gio did something or said something that irked GGG that we don't know about, and GGG didn't tell his dad about it. Who knows, but the point is that dismissing Wynalda's story based on some sort of USSOCCERFAN / BIGSOCCER created perception of who he is and what his motivations are is not personally the way I'm going to go and I wish the technique of smearing the messenger to discredit the message was called out more often.
He also looked pretty good for us vs. Panama playing on the right, looked pretty good in the center for us at Azteca, and also looked pretty good playing up top w/ Haaland Dortmund in Champion's League knockout matches vs. PSG.
I don't think he's ever played in the center for us? He came on at RW at halftime when it was 4-0 over Panama and 60' for Weah in Azteca. We don't really use a 2 striker set up so not sure how his experience playing with Haaland in a front two would translate to playing a false 9 by himself. It's a good thing IMO that he hasn't been taxed so far and we actually have depth to go to if we need a goal. I'm sure Gio will have his moment. He is not going to single handedly regain the midfield for us in a game where we are defending a 1 goal lead. If we are countering and Pulisic can't go 90, I could see Aaronson moving to the 8 and Gio coming on at LW.
It's really a lot simpler than people are trying to make it out to be.... Because Gio was injured for most of qualifying, Pulisic and Weah developed excellent chemistry and are therefore the preferred starting pair. On-field chemistry matters, and Gio hasn't had the chance to develop much chemistry with the other members of the team.