The Fire don't suuuuuck (right now), but what other Soccer, Football, Fútbol are you watching?

Just turned on the tv to watch him touch the pass around the keeper and tap it in.

 

Balogen 3-1. Mané scored just before the half. I didn't know he was still playing (El Nassr) but I remember when he was a Bayern and Liverpool of the EPL (which sucks!) but I had to look up his birthday and he is 34 and was born in....<gasp> 1990! I am getting so damn old!

Also, Peacock feed keeps going out which also sucks.

 

Ohh....Brady...not his fault but that sucks too!!! 2-2. He couldn't use his hands there.

 

Well it took 2 called back goals to get one...3-2

 

m

FotMob thinks its 4-2 so lots of confusion everywhere.

 

How many Row Z shots to do we need????

 

Feel bad for him. Was hoping he would get to make a “fab” stop like he does so often in order to take the taste out but no…

 

That was his only shot against & it ended as a an own goal.

 

Observations: The three most questionable (in my not so humble opinion) roster picks were:

1) Miles Robinson - whether Brady could have done better is debatable, but Robinson just confirmed every reason why he should have been left at home in favor of another defensive midfielder;
2) Roldan - Speaking of which...nice clearance. Wrong end of pitch. I'd rather have a recovering Tessman. Roldan is not World Cup class, no matter how much Fox wants to hype our "historic roster of all first-division players". Anybody here who wouldn't take a top-half Championship regular over an MLS best 11?. (feck off, Fox);
3) Tim Ream - Okay, his mind is really, really good. If interested, he could be the first truly world class manager from the USA...if Matterazo doesn't beat him to it). But his legs can't do what his mind asks of them, and his inability to close space led to the first Senegal goal...and it will be far from the sternest test he'll face. Should NOT have been named captain SOLELY because of the expectation that your captain will almost always be on the pitch.

 

I don't disagree with any of your points, but SOMEBODY has to start at CB. It sucks when you have one decent international class CB and he's hurt. Everyone complains about the CBs selected but anyone else with a chance of being in the conversation has been tried & found wanting. We're down to playing fullbacks at CB because they're better than our CBs.

 

I know Ream is captain, and I get why, but I still see Pulisic as Captain America!
He is the heartbeat of the team...his movement and passing quality is 'pretty'.
Can the Fire trade Bamba for him?

 

Likewise, I don't disagree with you about the dilemma facing the squad.

With that said...okay, these next paragraphs are going to be brutal. Ream should have been retired as anything other than a squad member mentor to other players at the conclusion of WC 2022. This defense has been constructed with him as a foundational player, knowing that he would be 38 at WC 2026.

When considering the dearth of competitive matches and quality friendlies available to the USMNT in advance of a host cycle, unless there was a cryogenic chamber available [pauses, does some quick searches...nope] giving him anything other than token appearances since then was malpractice. Were other choices underwhelming? Yep. But the potential replacements won't improve by being sidelined so that an inevitable, easily identifiable structural defect gets built into the final product. Push the feckin' enveiope, Posh. Be a demanding prick. It was your job to make the hard, even unpopular calls, and you failed.

I have immense respect for Ream, his comparative late career emergence and time at Fulham speak for themselves, and he's acquitted himself as a consummate professional. But his time has passed, and the failure to prepare for that will...will...be ruthlessly exploited at the WC.

 

WTF
Zone defense? How was someone not marking him?

 

Beautiful ball movement by Germany…
Lucky the linesman called it out

 

Golazo strike from Jedi!

I like the movement from Pulisic, Balogun and Dest…need more involvement from Mckennie.