International Soccer

Juego view: Unlike match day 1, no silver lining or good thoughts around those dropped points by my beloved USMNT. I will never understand how a team lets their opponent get behind them when you have the lead in the second half. Especially when it is the one Canada player that is a constant threat to hurt you. Canada would never create a chance trying to build through a condensed block.. Just hubris to have a right back out there who has any thoughts other than shutting down Davies. How does your one veteran player get caught ball watching??

No panic though. That all gets righted with road results over lots of games. However, I predict riot and looting by US fans after a draw in Honduras. Applications for English citizenship by Americans is going to go through the roof.

Panama is looking fairly strong with their young #10 pulling the strings. A "wizard" some call him.

 

Schedule adjusted standings after Match day 3

One road win fixes a lot. All is now right with the world.

+4 MEX +2 gd, 4g
+2 USA +3 gd, 5g
-1 CAN +3 gd, 5g
--------------
-1 PAN +3 gd, 5g
-------------
-1 HON -2 gd, 4g
-2 JAM -4 gd, 2g
-4 CRC -1 gd, 1g
-4 ELS -3 gd, 0g

For all the Eurosnobs -- the Euro developed players were taken off (Pulisic, Sargent and Brooks) and players fired in the warrior league that is MLS turned it around. Oh, there is more to it than that. But there is something to it as well.

Its not about MLS being better or anything like that. Its that Concacaf WCQ is more like MLS than European Champions League.

 

carrasquila limped off 7’ in

 

Pepi was a big spark last night and a huge steal from Mexico. It's really hard going for Pulisic all 3 teams have decided to just hack him down...typical CONCACAF style. I'm not surprised he had to be subbed out with injury after three games of that. I'm hoping in Oct we'll see Reyna and McKennie back on the field with Pulisic.

That 1st half was horrible....I'm relieved they finally won, but they need to learn how to put in 90min....which has plagued the USMNT in the past.

I agree with your comments about MLS is more like CONCACAF.....horrible officials and total hack fest.

 

Pepi was a huge pick up from going to el tri!!!
Isn't he just 19 as well?

Also, Aaronson is only 20 and has played consistently well all three qualifiers. Scoring last night as well.

 

I don’t think I understand all this — but I have read/heard references that Pepi is still not cap tied to the US even after playing in a WCQ. I’m guessing he is not old enough yet and still has his potential one-time switch available. Anyone know how this works? I always thought that youth international games didn’t tie you but non-friendly full international games did. Or it could be bad information from TV/internet which is just shocking.

 

now get 3 U21 caps to tie if they take off 3 years before switching
>21 is same as before

regional ("gold cup") tournament or world cup ties with 1. personally i thought we should have spent more time playing kids this summer.

 

Did anyone of y'all grow up playing FIFA98 or FIFA99 on the N64 or Playstation and continued to witness how far the franchise has come all these years later? If so, FIFA22 just dropped, And here is what their think tank lists as the best player and corresponding rating for each player on each MLS team. Ours is our man Quintero who has been the ideal tonic of late for our back to back wins over in State rivals!

Enjoy the read:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/fifa-22-ratings-top-mls-players-sorted-by-club

73

Darwin Quintero
Forward · Houston Dynamo FC
Now with Houston Dynamo FC, Quintero first arrived in MLS in 2018 with Minnesota United after a lengthy and productive stint with Liga MX giants Club America.

 

Schedule adjusted after Match day 4

+2 USA +5 gd, 7g
+2 MEX +2 gd, 5g
0 CAN +3 gd, 6g
--------------
-1 PAN +2 gd, 5g
-------------
-2 JAM -6 gd, 2g
-3 HON -2 gd, 4g
-3 CRC -1 gd, 1g
-4 ELS -2 gd, 1g

So right now 21 points will qualify. I have to say -- I was expecting more from the teams currently 4 - 7. Canada is well positioned. Away to Mex and USA and yet to lose.

No one out of it. ELS has mostly road games left. Jamaica not as bad off as they seem in regular table -- mostly home games left. Already played away to Mex and USA.

CRC biggest disappointment. 1 goal from 4 games??

 

Schedule adjusted after Match day 5

+2 MEX +2 gd, 8g
+2 USA +4 gd, 7g
+1 CAN +3 gd, 6g
--------------
-1 PAN +3 gd, 6g
-------------
-3 HON -5 gd, 4g
-3 CRC 0 gd, 3g
-4 ELS -3 gd, 2g
-4 JAM -6 gd, 2g

3 home wins and a draw at the office.

Pundits and US fanbase are over-reacting. Your going to lose a few road games, if not most of them. Its going to look ugly. Especially with literally the youngest team in the world. Its an u-23 team basically -- playing against full men like Anabol Gudoy. Sure, there is plenty to criticize. There always is.

Now -- fail to beat CRC Wed? (Which is what happened in 2017 that really hurt the USA, not the T&T loss.) Fail to beat CRC at home and everything goes from OK to very bad.

 

Good break down and perspective kept Don.
I just did not like Zardes starting up top on the road with a lack of a creative player in the midfield outside of Musah, who is only 18, Llegett is not what we need to see out a road qualifier down the spine of our team for 90 minutes.
Also, Acosta and his dead ball takes were JV at best, he couldn't get the ball past the first defender all night and when we have our centerbacks pushed forward on set pieces it should be a terrific advantage to score from.
It appeared that GB looked at that road test as a time to rest the normal Starting XI in order to let them be fresh for the said Costa Rica test back home on Wednesday night.

 

I agree, the set pieces were frustrating. And I'll never understand any team using zonal marking on set pieces.

But lets go back to Acosta. In the gold cup and nations league his set pieces were fantastic. Deadly. Difference making. And now the same guy can't clear first defender as you note. It is a great question: WTF? Why?

I agree with you that it is very possible that Berhalter spreads the minutes out and, I think properly, prioritized the two home games. We will see what happens Wednesday. And everyone who is whining that the US should always beat Panama in Panama just don't know what they are talking about.

 

It's not like this team is hitting on all cylinders. They continue to start slow and we have been fortunate that Pepi has been able to bail use out. Without Pepi, Reyna and Pulisic on the field we had not offense. We only had 5 shots and ZERO on target all game. That's horrible. GB took a calculated risk with this match but only set the team up to tie or lose. I thought he pulled Pepi out of the Jamaica match to save his legs but I don't understand not playing him in the Panama match. I also didn't understand why he held players out due to European Club COVID restrictions.....let the clubs worry about that. The injuries are unfortunate and I'm not even sure we've been able to play our best players in any of the 5 matches. With that being said we have to over come the slow starts. In my opinion we've been lucky more than good.

 

Come on man. Your player looks at you and says -- I'll come but not if I go to Panama because that means 2 weeks of quarantine when I get back to England -- and you think US Soccer should tell them to come, forfeit their club wages for 2 weeks, or they will be dropped from our team. You sir, are completely unrealistic there.

I don't understand your point at all. No one anywhere is claiming the team is hitting on all cylinders. Your comments are consistent with the viewpoint that soccer is a FIFA video game and whatever happens on the field is all up to your team -- the other team is just AI robots that behave the same everytime.

 

Schedule adjusted after Match day 6

+5 MEX +4 gd, 10g
+2 USA +5 gd, 9g
+1 CAN +6 gd, 10g
--------------
-1 PAN +0 gd, 7g
-------------
-1 JAM -4 gd, 4g
-3 CRC -1 gd, 4g
-6 HON -7 gd, 4g
-7 ELS -6 gd, 2g

USA got the job done. Overcame some adversity. Good result against a historically tough team that is clearly down and aging.

Good result for Canada. Great result for Jamaica. They are back in mix.

Mexico in great position.

All focus now on USA v Mexico in Cincinatti. I have my tickets! To finish top of the table USA needs to beat Mexico and at least draw in Azteca.

 

Don, I think Dynamo Forever was going on the mindset that it is an honor to get called up for any National Team, a side that in any culture is always more important than the clubs in a nation. So if players these days are under some UK pseudo safe to travel visa hurdle to hop ever time the player travels then why did the player leave the nation for the first place. It is like in Braveheart with the old linke of "Well, we didn't get dressed up for nothing" So if the player accepts the invite from Greg Berhalter to be in his plans then take that opportunity and play. Then go back to your club and the club FO has to understand the lay of the land these days with their own nation's travel restrictions. American players have earned these rights.

On the game, Costa Rica stayed compact and error free for the majority of the match and really only threated from that first attack in the first minute that got them going and on set pieces later on, with one gift of a back pass that Ruiz intercepted but did not have the legs to sprint down the field like he used to and he squandered the first shot to go one on one against Steffen. Other than that our USA boys just dominated the first half and looked even better after that bombasa from Dest! What a hit!!!
I cannot wait for the home tie with old rival Mexico come November. Awesome news that you are going!

Which is something that our team used to do in the old Hex!

 

My viewpoint is from we missed the F'in World Cup last time. This team continues to start slow and lacks experience. At times there are cohesion issues with the players on the field. What's more important a player not going to Panama or making sure we have our shit together for the World Cup? Maybe I'm unrealistic as you say or maybe I just expect more from a USMNT team and coach that's underperforming.

I don't get your video game comparison. My point was the line up Berhalter took to Panama was not likely to win and he was totally playing for one point. Last night the team started slow and went down early (again). Thank goodness we were playing a geriatric Costa Rica team. Even then, we needed a lucky bounce off the goalie to win. But yes we won.....I guess we can all be happy with that.