Match 5 | England vs. USA | June 12 | Post-Match Thread [R]

You didn't like Onyewu in MLS? That surprises me since he never played in MLS.

Hmmm.... good quote.

 

lol

 

Erm... Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence and David Seaman?

Ignorant much.


And as for my reaction to this game... disappointing? Yes. But jump to any kind of conclusions either on one end of the spectrum or the other I will not.

England are neither going to win the World Cup nor going to not win the World Cup on the back of this performance.

Why does it always either has to be a fantastic performance or a horrible performance? In reality it was somewhere in the middle. We still had most of the possession and several chances to score. Had it been Rooney not Heskey on the end of those two chances then we could have won 3-1 and everybody would be singing a different tune. The US had one fantastic chance to score through Altidore, but it was a good save by Green and fortunately hit the post. The luck the US had with thier goal evened itself out.

Conclusion- It is what it is, which is a point for both teams.

 

You'd think the English would be worried about the next game, being the great footballing nation and all, not trying to make sure Americans know they were lucky to get a draw in a game a few days back.

They doth protest too much, methinks.

Good luck against Algeria, we are on Slovenia now.

 

of the 10 chances only 3 are from people who are truely Finishers.
I've been watching SWP for a long time now and he hasn't been able finish a sandwich since leaving for chelsea. There's a joke going around England that Rio Ferdinand would still be in the World Cup had he dressed up like a Net (injured by Heskey) Lennon's not near clinical. And sure Johnson hits a cracker every now and again but not exactly Shearer is he.

To make a long story short the USA kept the proper scorers Bottled the F*ck up. And if we wont to count up scoring chances you might as well throw in some other hypthetical b*llshit like Milner should've gotten two yellows, Carragher should've gotten a str8 red, cherundolo didn't dribble out of bounds, landon donovan plays better a sealevel. Not wearing blue jersey would have improved MB's through balls etcetera etcetera etcetera

 

Bocanegra had an open header he missed in the first half.

While I agree that England had more numerous chances, Altidore's was the closest to going in, by far.

And, Bradley missed runs from Donovan 2-3 times in the second half that would have had him behind the defense (if Torres was in there, he's have been in). You could also say Carragher was lucky to be on the pitch at the end.

Still, I'd expect both teams to play better (Onyewu pushed too far up repeatedly, in the first half especially) as they move on. If they don't, we could be looking at Slovenia/Algeria advancing.

 

How is Altidore's chance better than Heskey's one on one? Both were saved by the keeper. IMO a one on one directly in front of goal is more likely to produce a goal than one on an angled attack

 

Because Robert Green was the keeper on Altidore's shot.

 

I sense some negative vibes from some of the American fans. This was a great result even though the performance wasn't pretty but let's face it; the US could never play an "attractive" game against England and get results, and Bradly knew that very well. I think he planned it just like we saw it. He used the old American way of `brute force` to hope to get the job done, and he DID it. He used his players youth, aggression, stamina, speed all over the field, specially in the midfield and never allowed England to get into their game plan and it paid off for him. He got a draw against his biggest opponent, what else could he ask for?
It must be added that Americans have used this tactic before... Italy 2006. I fault Capello not to have picked this up from tapes, and obviously his players couldn't cope with it.

US has to beat Slovenia or at least get a tie, and then beat Algeria. It's a lot easier than had they played good football and lost the first game. Bradly may not be a great coach but he is not stupid.. cold hearted pragmatic.

 

Agree on all counts.

Bradley is actually a very good coach in my opinion. Time and time again, he manages to get the most out of the US team in important matches, and he's good at getting them to peak at the right time (a very important skill in any sport).

The US will be easier on the eyes in the next couple of games.

 

I think this is his fatal flaw.

As to #1, I think he's very good at bringing players in at the right time. I think he was right to wait on Altidore, right to give Adu a chance before dropping him, right to bring in Gomez/Findley/Black Drogba, right to keep calling up Torres, and right to integrate Holden into an important role on the team. I think he also started playing Davies regularly just at a point when Charlie was ready.

I think he's stuck with Clark a bit too long, and I would like to to see more of Edu. But maybe Edu doesn't look so good on the training pitch. I'll trust Bradley on that one too.

 

But don't most managers do this....If England were basing their picks on who's in form then Dawson would be starting in the center of defense. There is something to be said for experience on the int'l stage and skill.....

As for the 2nd point, I think that Bradley takes his time making substitutions, especially if the US are up in a game, in which they are underdogs. He seems reluctant at times to break up the lineup in these situations, and sometimes the US is left with tired legs....

 

This has to be photoshoped!

 

The shot was right at Robert Green too. Just saying.

 

I thought the US was definitely jittery in the opening minutes.
2 things I would've liked to have seen:

1.) Buddle starting in place of Findley, or at least come in earlier. I think Buddle's a more accomplished finisher (see the friendly with Australia)

2.) The US has to learn to control the mid-field better. Enough with the dump and chase... it has it's place but try a run up on the wings once in a while. Try putting together a string of passes and not just chipping it up field and hoping your striker can, 1. remain onsides and 2. out run the defense.

Was impressed with Altidore's chance in the second half. Loved how he held off the defender on his run. The US needs more of that.

Cheers. Go USA and 'La Furia Roja'!

 

They achieve this when they have Torres in the line up instead of Clark.

It seems it is getting predictable, but we see Rico Clark paired up with Michael Bradley in the second CDM role when coach Bradley thinks we need to bunker down against an opponent with lots of offensive firepower. We see Torres in the second CDM role when coach Bradley assesses the opponent as less of an offensive threat and one that the U.S. can more easily score on.

Take a look at the 2nd half of the recent friendly against Turkey. Compare it to the U.S. v. England game. You'll see.