Post-match: USA-Ecuador friendly, 25 May 2016

Nagbe scores his first
Pulisic clowning those dudes
Bobby please save us

 

Pulisic, Nagbe, Wood ----- Yes


Zardes, Becks, Zusi ------ No

 

Hopefully JK takes note of how much better his subs played than the starters. I would not have put in Bedoya unless he was subbed in for Zusi. Loved to see Nagbe get his first goal.

Leave out Dempsey, Jones, Zardes, Beckerman and Zusi for the Copa, and we may have a chance.

 

I really wanted to see the Bradley at 6 experiment. I'd call it successful enough to try in the Copa. If we can get Bradley's skill at the 6 and play both Jones and Nagbe, that's a team that can cause problems and be fun to watch for a change.

 

The encouraging signs:

1) Willingness to sub the 33/34 year olds. It's okay to play them, if you have the stones to pull them in the second half. Perhaps they all don't have to start, however.

2) The fact that the turning point were the first and second subs, not the fourth, fifth and sixth subs.

3) The match was played at a slow pace (due to the heat?), and Ecuador could not create many chances.

A decent performance.

 

When Pulisic puts on 20 pounds and can use strength with his skills he is going to be a beast. He was clowning those guys like they were Chandler and, well Chandler. Like they were two Chandler twins.

 

Guzan okay, Yedlin really good, Birnbaum mediocre, Brooks good, FJ mediocre, Beckerman and Jones mediocre, Bradley good, Zardes and Zusi awful, Dempsey average.

Wood good, Nagbe excellent, Pulisic excellent, Bedoya mediocre, Besler good, Orozco mediocre

Klinsmann still a bad coach, he stumbled into the result by subbing on his difference makers.

 

Happy to be wrong...tonight. I still feel the future is bright.

 

Brooks was a beast in the first half. He saved at least one sure goal if not two

 

I thought Dempsey was pretty bad aside from his ball to Zardes.

 

CP=Fighter.

 

Pulisic and Nagbe can be the spark we need...which is just going to make it all the more painful when we start 3 defensive midfielders and feet of stone Zardes vs. Colombia.

 

I think it was SOOOO obvious tonight that if he doesn't play these guys, maybe the soccer media might actually ask some serious questions about competency.

 

Just have to wonder if Klinsmann sees it, Nagbe/Pulisic/Wood should all be playing 90 at this point.

Zardes is the first to go....Bedoya/Zusi not too far behind.

Going to be harder to move on from Dempsey and JJ.....but if they can build on that 2nd half, it has to happen.

 

no goes= steve, zardes, zusi, orozco
meh= becks, bedoya
goes= the rest

 

Jeff Carlisle

✔‎@JeffreyCarlisle
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Darlington Nagbe completed every one of his 33 passes. Oh yeah, he scored too. #usmnt

7:15 PM - 25 May 2016

I think he's a starter bob.

 

Nagbe is a great talent. Besides the touch, soccer IQ, and athleticism, he adjust to his teammates. An actual pulley system with him an Bradley could work, Nagbe is an actual giver not in the non sensical way Klinsmann talks about but on the actual field.

He and Wood have to start.

If we had brough Gonzalez and Villafana we would have some depth to possibly make a feasible run, but oh well.

Zusi is alright when the team has possession otherwsie he is just a workerbee.

 

It is going to be hard not to jump aboard the CP fanboy train after tonight. based on tonight I would say that kid has heart, skill, speed, and intelligence.

 

So Johnson and Klinsman were the only two people out of position tonight. Is that a record for the JK regime?

 

I think Zusi looked good drifting centrally in the second half.

 

Yeah, super impressed with this kid for sure. He showed a lot of skill. Could have had a goal really.

 

1st half:
Beckerman was riding a tiger: he was barely hanging on. Maybe Bradley should start at the 6.

Yedlin was immense. He was frequently isolated against Jefferson Montero. Yedlin came out on top, only allowing one dangerous entry pass.

This was the best game Brooks has played against a good team. He was immense in his interventions.

Ecuador's lack of pacey leftback allowed Zusi to express himself. He was quality. He should have been taking all of the dead balls.

The long ball tactics meant Dempsey was largely neutralized. The lack of pace along the frontline was a mismatch with the tactics.

Jones should have been played at LCM with Bradley switching to RCM. JK did the same thing in the Russia friendly, by starting them opposite side of their best positions.

Guzan made a wonderful Neuer-like clearance. Hopefully potential club-level suitors were watching.

Overall: the lack of pace hampered the team's efforts, which were punctuated by some emergency defending.

 

He looked a hell of a lot better when he had some support willing to move and show for the ball came on the field.

That lineup that started the 2nd half should be our starting XI