Musah was horrible as usually. The most overhyped NT player I've ever seen. The softest big guy I've ever seen as well, you can kill Pulisic he won't notice, but when his boy Balogun punched a defender, bloodied his face, and got a yellow Musah decided to get upset.
The loss had nothing to do with Marsch. Both of their goals came off sloppy giveaways within 30 yards of the goal. They were lackadaisical and undisciplined all game. There were 11 individual players out there, not a team. That's on the players, not Mikey.
I mentioned this in the gameday and coach threads but this is the better spot for it. IMO, right now Canada has a better starting 11 than we do. Most of the positions are comparable/close on both sides except for Bombito at CB and Davies at LB. Those two are so dominant from an athletic/defensive perspective that they allow their coach/team to throw numbers forward... knowing that if an error is made by a teammate that they can put out the fire. You take either of those players off the field and Canada literally can't play they way they did in the first half today. I said "color me concerned" during the lead up to this match and those concerns have only been confirmed. Now, from a depth perspective it isn't even close IMO. The US could put out 4 or 5 teams deep that I think could beat a 2nd string Canada squad... but I am bothered at the lack of difference-makers... particularly at FB and CB. The CB position concerns me most long term... as I don't see any CBs in the USYNTs that project athletically to become a Bombito. Pierre and Banks may be the closest to that profile but I am doubtful they have that kind of pace. How is it even possible for us to not have athletic freaks of our own at the CB position in our youth systems? On a related note... I would be remiss not to mention that both of Canada's goals came off US gaffs playing out of the back. Canada went straight to kicking long off goal kicks. Why? Because for all the talent Bombito brings defensively he isn't all that reliable passing out of the back. So Jesse simply tells his team to press us when playing out of the back because we always screw it up badly at least a few times a game. <truth>. I could go on and on about the CB position. Athletically gifted CBs seem to grow in trees in France... why don't we have any on deck? What are our solutions given the current depth chart (e.g. USMNT, U23, U20)? I really would like for us to try play w/ 3 CBs because a lot of our current CBs play well for their club teams in said formations and we also have some tweener CB/FB talent that could work... but what about the all important center/sweeper CB? The only guy playing that for his club is Zimmerman. So maybe not deep enough there? I think Neal might be our best passing CB on deck but he has not experience w/ his club playing center CB. Ugh. Maybe we just need to mix it up and not always try and play out of the back. Canada did create some chances in possession but today we could have won 1-0 if we didn't gift them those chances. So depressing.
Bombito is basically Usain Bolt or Randy Moss playing soccer. He is one of the fastest players in the world. There is no need to worry about not having that sort of player as hardly anyone else has that sort of CB. The starting lineup in retrospect should've been: -------------------------Sargent----- ------------Pulisic-----Tillman------Musah----- ----------------------DLT-------Morris---- ------Lund------------------------------------Scally----- -----------------McKenzie-----Richards---- --------------------------Schulte----- Musah's physicality and ability to hold the ball would've helped on the right
We don't have enough adequate players period. And then the stupid system doesn't allow to get those who are on the field together. Our keepers are barely adequate. Our CBs aren't. Ream is done and Richards didn't happen. Our starting FBs are good when available, Scally isn't, Lundt plainly poor. Musah isn't adequate, Cardoso barely is, Morris probably is. Weston is when he wants, Adams shouldn't be counted. Both Sargent and Wright are and should start. We severely underrate top Championship players and overrate garbage teams from Serie A, BL, and League 1.
Dominant win by Canada. Should have been by more. They were/are a level above the US. This is evident by how their players play on bigger and more important teams in Europe
Agree that CB is weak but games like this we really miss Mckennie. He's like Jones in enforcing stuff and especially his buddy Pulisic. When did running through the back of players not get called a foul? Oh, I forgot it's never called in CONCACAF. I'd rather struggle against hacks in CONCACAF and be good in WC reffed tourneys than the other way around. Be nice if FIFA would clamp down on regional reffing anomalies though but I'm not holding my breath. Lund figured it out as did Richards and right is just a block of stone that maples bounced off of and hurt themselves. Don't forget we were missing probably five starters (may not have said that before the game but sure do after watching).
We have a team where you think, "OK, they're not playing that badly, they've had some moments" and then at about halftime the announcer says the USMNT is being outshot 11 to 1.
Yes it had. Marsch knew that over unskilled players would play out from the back and pressed like crazy forcing those giveaways. We were lucky not to be three goals behind after the first half.
Musah is slow and can't pass. We should have had Wright on the left and Pulisic on the right or Pulisic as AM and Aaronson on the right to chase Davies.
Today is a reminder of how much that Dest-Jedi backline works in tandem. We miss Dest on the offensive side, sure, but he's so smooth getting out of the back and into the midfield. And that lets Jedi roam forward and wait for the ball to switch sides.
Instead of standing stock still, Luca and Morris were able to unlock Canada by simply switching spots a few times. I mean, what the hell was that in the first half? Aaronson started lively, had a couple turnovers and disappeared. Musah looks and plays confused. Tillman has talent but quits on plays at times. Johnny had a nightmare. Pulisic was frustrated but eventually held himself together and was much more focused second half.
One of the big problems with this forum is that people here don't seem to watch other NTs and other clubs but the top ones where we have guys, and only when they play. This is not a good player pool. Too unbalanced, too many flaws that cannot be patched by complementing pairs. We had a terrible "lost generation" and after that this is better, but that doesn't mean it's a "golden generation" at all. We must rebuild the proper way, from the back forward, and for that we're going to need a CB pair from MLS. The longer the coach takes to accept that, the worse for us. Richards is not it. Ream should be on the way out, thanks warrior. Once we have the right CB pair, we add the adequate CMs who fit that pair, then the best SBs (likely to be Dest and Jedi if we find the CM pair that can cover fast enough on the sides). Then you add the playmaking part, with wings, and finally a couple of AMs who get the rest of the team. Striker is usually an afterthought and can rotate in-game. We're looking at building a team to survive the group and at least win one playoff game to finish Top 16 like in Qatar at this point. Schulte was quite good by the way. LDLT & Morris also can be rescued from this mess. Puli had a down day. Can't blame the strikers much, they entirely depend on who is behind them.
When Pulisic got his legs cut out from other him for the 2nd or 3rd time, and none of teammates, to your point, rushed over and got in the offender's face, I practically screamed. He's your meal ticket, defend him! Get angry about it! Get angry about something! Show some life!
Pulisic should seriously consider telling USSF that if things do not change, that he will formally retire from national team play. No one should have to accept this kind of managerial and organizational incompetence for their entire national team career. This program has a serious culture and motivational problem that has to be confronted and fixed or else the USMNT is going to continue getting the same mediocre to poor results.
The whole motivation thing .... is that the problem, or is it just that we play frustratingly slow? Also, we are weak. People are always wondering about why Shaq Moore gets call-ins. It's because he's willing to mix it up.
We probably shouldn't base our critique of anything on commercials for snake oil sold by Frank Thomas and Doug Flutie. In a shocking development, the guy who is obsessed with testosterone and who spent the PbP thread insulting players by comparing them to women blames a woman for the loss.
Why does the USMNT completely lack the ability to show up in the first half of the first game of a window?
When coach after coach can predict what you’re going to do, maybe, just maybe, we need to quit trying to shove square peg into the round hole.