Pre-match: USMNT v Haiti Gold Cup - Sunday June 22

Easy for me. I rest everyone except maybe Freese. 352.

------------------Freese-------------
-------Miles-----Zim------McKenzie----
----------------Johnny----Paxten-----------
Sullivan-----------Brendan-----------Tolkin
---------------Downs--------White-----------

 

Are replacements allowed after group? Are we sure about the answer. The four letter has an article up saying we cannot. But since it isn't college football, I figure they have it wrong

 

Not under the rules as written. But CONCACAF has allowed desoite this in the past before. And they definitely would for Pulisic specifically I think.

 

"IF" replacements are allowed it would be fire if Pulisic called Poch and asked to be the replacement.

 

My plan would be to not rest everybody, but to heavily rotate and then give the rest of the starters a quick 2nd half hook.

Something like:

----------------------White----------------------
---P.Aaronson---B.Aaronson---Sullivan---
-------------Cardoso----Berhalter-------------
Tolkin---McKenzie---Richards---Harriel (ugh)
----------------------Turner----------------------

Basically keep 2-4 starters (none of the players with yellows), and utilize the 25-player squad to rotate the rest.

 

I’m tempted to sit Richards this match. He might be the most important piece in this tourney.

 

Not entirely sure about Downs's availability for this match. Jeff Carlisle reported that he didn't train with the team (gym work) yesterday (or was it the day before).

https://bsky.app/profile/jeffreycarlisle.bsky.social/post/3ls4wsvxr3s27

 

Yeah, I would be starting Downs if he is available, but the report from yesterday makes me skeptical of his availability.

 

It sucks for Sullivan if he has to play on the same side as Harriel, little for ball progressors at CM, & when he actually can get fw under those circumstances has to pass to Brian White. The setup against Switzerland was horrible.

We do a great job of setting up players to fail, then discarding them out of context. I remember when that happened w/ Tolkin at the last GC. V. Jamaica, who ARob floundered against a couple times even, JT had to come back to receive the ball from Long, then play it fw to a gimpy J-Mo.

If we are forced to rotate liberally here, I'd prefer the 3-man back-line or even Miles over Harriel at RB, for 1 thing. Then I like the idea of giving a crosser like Sullivan 2 box targets, if 1 like White doesn't have physical tools to making a slashing run near posts or elevate on a jump ball. Downs' availability solves some problems.

Provided Malik is resting here we could have real problems w/ ball progression again, unless Haiti puts up 0 resistance. I don't care about resting LDLT so I'd burn him here. But it's very variable whether he can beat any resistance, and one of those is if the opponent's athletic, like Haiti.

 

If the goal is winning the tournament, then the starting lineup should be rotate heavily. And it might be. But if the goal is preparing for the World Cup, then maybe not. And Poch might be in the BIelsa mode of not rotating.

 

I'm tempted to bubble wrap him but if he has no cards (don't remember) then I'd start him with a different partner as the audition for his partner is on. If we get a lead sub him early in the second half. We need to not rotate everyone and Richards is maybe our best player at the moment until Adams stays healthy.

 

One typical argument for heavy rotation does not exist, if I understand the tournament schedule correctly. We finish group play today (Sunday) but won't play again until next weekend (Saturday, most likely, or Sunday). All of the quarterfinals are next weekend (June 28/29).

In the knockouts themselves, the turnarounds tighten up: Quarters on Sat/Sun; Semis on Wednesday (July 2); Final on Sunday (July 6).

100% rest Ream today. I would also rest Tillman, Luna, and Richards today, and rotate elsewhere. Think about which players might help us win this tournament and also help us next summer. McKenzie comes first to mind.

 

I didn’t even look at the schedule, that is a big deal. Basically, Poch can play anyone without fear of burning them out, just have to keep an eye on yellows.

 

i would rep this a thousand times if i could.

 

only luna and seb have yellows, but in what will possibly be a messy/rotated team against a desperate concacaf opponent you dont want to risk it. as you said, it depends on how poch is going to use this match.

and just as a reminder to all, two yellows are a suspension and yellows dont clear until the final.

 

That changes my mind. I'd only rest those on cards. Better to get more familiar since there's a week of rest.

 

Mostly a full starting XI today, with a few rotated players:

For those who can't see the image: Freese; Freeman, Richards, Ream, Tolkin; Adams, de la Torre; Sullivan, Tillman, Aaronson; Agyemang



https://bsky.app/profile/usmnt.ussoccer.com/post/3lsa2cwk2kk2p

 

Seems apparent that Poch, at least for this tournament favors a CB pairing of Richards and Ream. Don't disagree.

 

Still an enormous risk, but I guess we’ll have time to discuss that after the Gold Cup.

 

I guess the plan is to run Tillman into the ground?

 

I think he has found his guys.

I think that McKenzie is the first guy off the bench for the backs.

 

If so, we’re off to a smashing start.

 

Quinn Sullivan looked like the weak link in the current group during the prep game.

Interesting that Johnny isn’t getting a start here.

 

I think you've got it right. This feels like it's about the right balance of rotation and continuity.

If anything were to happen to Richards in this game, though, I'd blame myself for not rotating him. But there's always something that can happen...

I'm split on letting Johnny have this game. I want to give him another chance to prove that he can be the national team player that his club play suggests. But if he's not 100%, then he's not 100%. Berhalter... this tournament is an opportunity for him. No rest for the young and in need of proving himself, if we don't have someone else that we want to start in his place.

The Aaronson brothers are here for a reason, to back of Tillman and Luna. So let them do their jobs.

 

our 3 line should function far better, though that doesnt necessarily mean more production or effectiveness.

tolkin is big defensive upgrade, but who the "3rd cb" is (and where they come from) will be the biggest factor in our play overall. freeman has looked pretty bad (though sullivan at least gives us presense on that side, tolkin could possibly give us an inverse look but that would put ream in more space. adams is obviously our most capable cm to drop in.

weve used both looks in all four of the last matches, so theres no reason to think we wont today.