Guatemala vs EEUU (Mar. 25/29) [WCQ 2018]

Yup, they did trained this morning with the whole squad. Pappa is arriving tonight (cincotta too I think), so they'll join tomorrow.

On a side note , up until two weeks ago, I thought I had the lineup but now I'm not too sure. I do believe he'll play a 4-3-3. And the only ones I think are sure locks are Motta, Jiménez, Marquez and Icute.

I genuinely thought castrillo was gonna start, but Claveri might want to opt for Cardona due to his height. I still don't know if Claveri will use Mo at center back (though according to guatefutbol he trained as a central defender today).

Also, Tinoco and fish are battling for the center forward role.

OK this is my guess as in today Monday
Motta; Jiménez, Castrillo, Mo, Rafa; Marquez, Saravia, Moyo; Icute, Tinoco, Pappa

 

Well I was watching antigua sports during my Physics Lecture (this channel is growing on me ) and they said Pappa's flight arrives at 7:00 PM, Cincotta 30 mins later.

They also had a live feed from the NT practice and I found a bunch of things interesting, including the coaching dynamics.

*Claveri usually watches the practice from far away and only intervenes to give instructions to both the group and individually. The one he talked the most was Saravia, maybe cause he's "new".

Gardiner only talks individually during practice. He spent most of the time talking to Mo. Maybe same reason as above.

Plata is the one yelling at the group to keep the intensity. He rarely gives individual instructions.

Monzon just takes notes from far away.

Flores seems to be the clown (in a good way).

This was all happening during a passing session a uno dos toques in a limited space.

Best at keeping possession were Moyo, Motta, Castrillo and Marquez

Worst were Jonathan Lopez, Rivas and worryingly Saravia. Mo was good but kept on trying to dribble too much.

I know this isn't as interesting but it kept me awake during class

 

Probable US line up: Both attacking full backs are crap at defending (especially castillo), and so far Claveri's guate has shown great wing play

 

Han de ver sido comprados por puros revendedores sadly.

 

Well Motta has just about been confirmed as the starting goalkeeper. Ojala que salga inspirado el Super like he did against mexico.

Also, Carlos Ruiz will not be able to leave the country. So he won't make it to Ohio. Blessing in disguise? We'll see.

 

Estos gringos si que son bien llorones. No aguantan nada

 

Well I get the impression they complain equally about his coaching and selections.

Also they seem to blindly overrate and undeservingly underrate some of their players (just like any set of fans really).
How they can rate someone like Nagbe so high and downplay Bradley's importance in the same breath is beyond me.

 

Mario "el Toro" Castellanos will replace Ruiz for the game in Ohio.

Prensa Libre reporting the possible lineup as a 4-3-3 Motta; Jiménez, Hamilton, Hernandez, Rafa; Saravia, Moyo, Marquez; Pappa, Fish, Cinco

Puta Hamilton en la defensa

Pros: Height, Leadership, Nastiness

Cons: Error prone, Salida limpia won't be as sharp as with Castrillo, Red card waiting to happen.

If this is indeed the lineup, Hamilton and Fish better play as if their lives depend on it (won't be coming to the US)

 

Stylistically, he's the closest thing to Ruiz. Strong, relatively slow, somewhat prolific, great link up play, great heading, great movement, great free kick, long distance shot, can shoot with both legs similar height, old, etc.

I think I argued last season that he deserved a shot along Guerra and Luis, since they were the most prolific guatemalans in the league. Now he's playing for an underwhelming Coban and has only scored two goals.

Last time he played for Guate was against Honduras in the 1-1 draw. He played the 2nd half and had two great opportunities. A free kick and a header.

It's a shame a knee injury derailed his career when he was starting back in Heredia. He became a solid forward who scores for any club he plays for but I thought he had a high ceiling (relatively speaking).

Check 5:35 and 6:10, en seleccion


His 2 goals in the current tournament (both headers)

 

I hate hamilton just as much as the next guy. And there's no way in hell he should be starting. Pero el cerote ya esta listo para meter presion e intimidar a los gringos lmfao

 

"Tu madre ********, Tu madre"
-Hamilton Eliezer López

 

Bullshit aside, the attacking strategy for this game is simple. Claveri la tiene clara.

Whenever we're near the 18 yard box, and there isn't a clear option, just do one of the following.

*Shoot (Both Howard and Guzan have been out of form since last year). That's what we did against El Salvador and Honduras.

*Draw a foul ( We have 5 dead ball specialists in the starting lineup: Marquez, Moyo, Pappa, Cincotta and Ruiz. We haven't had this many since Chalo, Pando, La Rata and Fish were playing together).

* Most important one: Finish the play. We can't afford to be exposed in transitions.

Defending will be a little more complicated:

*Cincotta va a estar de tapon hacia Yedlin, Rafa will seldom go forward. This Will Give Less Defensive Responsibilities To Moyo.

*Pappa and Jiménez will have more freedom. That's why Saravia will have to cover for both on the right.

* Set pieces (I'm nervous on this one ) Marcamos en zona, which makes sense when the other team has the height advantage. Although, si se equivoca uno, la pagaremos caro. I think this is the main reason hamilton is playing.

All in all, irrespective of the result. What I'd like to see is a fearless competitive team with a clear strategy. Playing to our strengths and trying to hide our weaknesses. Something we rarely saw with Sopegno.

Vamos que Vamos carajo...