I can't find one, so here goes. My preferred starting line-up -------------------------Pepi --------Wright--------------------Sarge Jedi------Morris--------Busio-----------Musah ---------Ream----McKenzie------Joe ------------------Turner Looks a bit awkward up top, but I'm dying to see Ricardo get a start, and I think Wright and Sarge are as capable as Brendan in that role.
Pepsi evaporated from this camp, so you need to make even tougher choices. BTW, I really don't like how you have Turner & Ream in your lineup. We gain from neither.
Dang. Forgot about Pepi getting his bell rung. that makes it harder. Don't know whether to go Wright-Vasquez-Sarge or Wright-Sarge-Brendan Wrt Ream, I feel like some continuity on a very new/jumbled line up is good. Who you want instead of Turner?
I cringe as I make some of these selections. Vazquez Haji. Busio. Zen Tessman. Musah Jedi. McKenzie. Miles. Scally Load management key words here Sarge early in second half Aaronson for Busio Morris for Musah Other LB for Jedi
When Pepsi evaporates, what is left? Is it just corn syrup? Does it turn into Crystal Pepsi? Or maybe it turns into Superman..
Since it's an away match in Mexico, I expect to see all 5 of the most experienced players start - Turner (sigh, as I want to test out the competition), Ream, A. Robinson, Musah, and Aaronson. After that, it all depends on Pochettino's priorities. Does he stick with the same system? We don't know whether he favors maximum rotation or continuity with the players who performed well on Saturday. Given the small squad available, I expect continuity. Pulisic has to be replaced, but I would expect no more than 1-2 additional personnel switches. Perhaps a center back switch for McKenzie, and maybe Vazquez starts at striker instead of Sargent.
If it's Crystal Pepsi, it's crystals that are left, I imagine. Unless it's false advertising. Then I'm taking it up w/ the Better Business Bureau!
El Cry away! Well now Poch, get after it!!! C'MON BOYS!!! Well, that's the choice for a new generation.
Aaronson was poor and so was Musah even with his goal. I forgot about Tillman so I think he will start at the 10. Two out of these three behind him Tessman with either Busio or Musah.
I posted Jimmy Conrad's lineup based on what he was hearing last time. He got 8 right. I suppose it'd have probably been 9 if not for the McKennie knock. YMMV on how useful you think that info is (I take it they hear individual names not the whole lineup), but here's what they're claiming to hear this time: Wright, Sargent, Musah; Tillman, Morris, Tessmann; ARob, Trusty, MRob, Scally; Turner
That's unfair. He perfectly weighted that thru ball to Pulisic on the goal. He turned and fed him quickly another time for a chance. He made a good run and not a terrible shot. He was generally positive with his ball progression (though it led to a few mistakes). And his pressing was a factor in forcing TO's-transition-chances. The little guy even won 1 himself. Nice little Saturday.
That lineup seems plausible to me. Plenty of rotation from last game with Wright, Tillman, and Tessmann not having started and Trusty and MRob not having played. My only question is when ARob gets put in the "guys we have to protect from getting worn down" category. He's such an iron man for club and country (I just checked, and he's played 100% of the minutes for Fulham this season in the EPL), and we'd be screwed if he gets a long-term injury.
Yeah, I thought he was pretty decent too. That little give and go with Pulisic was relatively simple but also something we've seen so rarely--using quick, simple passes in the opposing third to break down the defense instead of just getting it wide and sending in hopeful crosses--that I might be giving him extra credit for that.
I remember when these matches with Mexico were heavy hitting and fraught with peril. Now it’s just peril that both sides will be bad. And no one will care.
They will if they don’t beat us. We’re going with a B/C team in only our first camp with Poch. Their fans will boo the hell out of them.
If we can't beat a bunch of geriatrics like Guardado and Ochoa just disband the team... Michael Bradley is younger than these guys! 1845986739581833282 is not a valid tweet id
Definitely lacking the desire to stay up for a El Tri testimonial friendly vs US on a Tuesday with a 10:30 PM EDT kickoff. Will have to remember to record.
It just seems like we play Mexico so much now, that the games have lost a little juice. [We know why that is, but its true nonetheless.] This will be the 8th meeting since June of 2021. By the way, Mexico has won none of the previous 7............................ You get the sense this win would mean a lot more to Mexico [and particularly those fans in the stands down in Guadalajara] than to the USMNT. By the way, just as a historical aside. We went from 1934 to 1980 without beating Mexico once. Now they've failed to beat us in seven matches in a row. That game in 1980 is rather infamous. It was a 1982 WCQer. As noted in the link below. The lost tape – Society for American Soccer History (ussoccerhistory.org) I don't know anybody who has ever seen the match. It wasn't shown on American tv. Mexico reportedly has footage of the game in their Televisa archive but refuses to release it. It is the only game of the modern era between the two rivals that one cannot actually find the game footage of. Its hard to explain to the new generation of fans, as an old timer like me, how incredibly the US-Mexico rivalry has changed over my lifetime. I went to my first live USMNT game in 1989. At the time I went to that match, the USMNT had beaten Mexico twice. IN HISTORY. We didn't consider Mexico a rival. The nail doesn't consider the hammer a rival.
Guardado and Ochoa were first capped for Mexico in 2005. They both made the 2006 World Cup roster, with Guardado starting in the Round of 16. As far as I can tell, there isn't a single American who was capped in 2005 or earlier who is still playing professional soccer today, let alone still appearing for the national team. Similarly, there isn't a single American that made our 2006 World Cup roster who is still playing professionally today. The closest option would be Brad Guzan (first capped in a friendly in 2006, with his first competitive appearance coming in the 2007 Copa America). After that I don't believe there is a single American who is still playing professionally today who first appeared for the USMNT more than 15 years ago, and there is nobody else still active who played in a competitive game prior to 2011. (Tim Ream and Alejandro Bedoya both appeared in the 2011 Gold Cup, with both players getting their first caps a year earlier in 2010.)