Pre-match: USA v Australia Game 2 6/19 3 pm ET

Reveling your secret weapon. double secret i guess now.

 

In Aussie Rules Football, Route 1 is the quickest way to score goals, since when you catch the ball from a kick, you get something called a "mark" which allows a team a direct shot on goal.

 

Respectfully, yes we have seen him on the left. He was used in an inverted role under Gregg. Highlights include moments like this gorgeous goal:

(Edit: Realizing you likely meant “we’ve never him in the half space.” To that I say, not officially, but I still think plays like the one below show he could do fine. He had plenty of plays at left wingback where he basically came into that half space…if you put a silhouette in for his goal below you could have been forgiven for guessing it was a Pulisic moment.)

 

I actually think counter-pressing will be the key to this game. Too often Australia was able to work the ball up the sides in tight spaces through Turkey to create a chance to play a ball to their forwards/relieve pressure. We should aim to keep them pinned in and under sustained pressure.

 

It’s interesting because a scoreless draw kinda suits both teams. A draw puts both teams through with a game to play for first place.
I think the US is going to keep the ball as long as possible in the first half and try and draw Australia out. If they don’t come out, they may be happy to just pass it around, take the draw and move on.
Essentially, it might look a lot like the Aus-Turk match.

The question is, if it’s even at 75’, does Australia try and take some chances getting upfield? I hope so, because scoreless draws are no bueno for fans, generally.

That bunker is no joke. At least eight guys defending in the penalty box, there’s no answer for that other than speculative shots and crashing the box.

 

Hero dribbling into the box from Pulisic or Dest could draw a penalty. Another route

 

Good call. I could see Zendejas in late doing just that if the US needs or wants a goal. Aaronson is a tricky dribbler, too.
Good one, you got me thinkin’…

 

*horrible mental image of an Australian defender Rugby-League tackling Pulisic or Dest to prevent a goal.*

 

That's how we dominated Paraguay... even when our guys gave the ball up a teammate stole it back quickly 7 times out of 10. It was a sight to see. If we play like that we will be very tough to beat. I assume the Aussies will have been drilled on this though so they will be mindful... and a bit quicker at several positions. I think we need to draw their low block out a bit by setting up some shots from outside the 18. Overall, we need to keep them guessing and I am eager to see if Poch can come up with a game plan that performs even close to our last game.

 

I would love it if they don't come out against us. Knock the ball around and run their two forwards ragged. If they don't chase, great. Set up your runs into the box and play target practice. Any missed ball is going into the net.

The evidence is against that proposition. According to the post above, Australia pushed Turkey wide 80% of the time.

Turkiye didn't give them a chance to make the mistakes. It was constant push everyone forward, play wide, and try to attack from wide on the ground.

I'm saying that if Aus is willing to repeatedly give up driven balls from the middle of the park from 35 to 40 yards out, with us having time to line up our targets, I'll take that. At the least, it would 1) take away their counter. We'd be balanced for any time they won the ball in the box. More of their gaining of possession would be on goal kicks, which would allow us to set up our defense. 2) we'd get some corners. On corners, I'd just have us go for Olympicos and have a couple of guys in the box trying to pounce on the second ball.

 

Worked pretty well for Australia.

 

1. I think Pulisic will play but if he's not fit then he shouldn't.
2. Would we miss Pulisic if he can't go? Of course.
3. Would it be tougher to win without him? Of course.
4. Could we still win without him? Absofreakinglutely.

 

This made me remember I never elaborated on my reference to Nicole Kidman as a Dual Nat Australian-American.

When I googled her to confirm she was indeed Australian, as I remembered, Wikipedia stated she was born in Hawaii with her Australian parents on vacation!

Therefore, we should start her up front with Balogun in a 2 forward system…

 

Would you guys please be serious!

 

Mel Gibson is a Tri-Nat: he could represent the US, Australia, or the island nation of Mago where he has a sex jacuzzi and hosts houseguests like Jon Gosselin.

 

Actually, I think the phrase is: Pommy Bastards...

 

Yep, bed's are burning, just living in the bay, that Midnight Oil tune was played like 783,000. times between 1987 and 1991. Not sure if it broke through elsewhere in the US but it was all over the radio in the Bay Area and California in general.

 

Midnight Oil was pretty big in Southern California at that time, too.

 

You said that Australia's defense was designed to stop driven vertical balls. It's designed to force teams wide. I'm saying we should not fall into that trap.

If the forwards aren't chasing, then you've got target practice on goal from 35 to 40 yards out. And, apparently, as much time as you'd like to set up your runs. Imo, firing hard balls at the goal from 35 to 40 yards out, unchallenged, is a better option than trying to tiki-taka through 8 compacted guys. Looking at it another way. If you come in laterally, their defense is 8 deep. Vertically, it's two deep, with help.

I've totally gotten too far out over my ski's on this. But, imo, we should be willing to take the time they (presumably) will give us, within range to play dangerous balls into the box, balls that if they are misplayed, will go into the goal. A driven vertical ball that a defender has to head off the line, is a very dangerous ball. Especially if we've got a couple of guys trying to play that ball, impeding the defender, keeper. And, forcing the keeper to make decisions.

But, I don't know how it would work for us on the defensive side. We've been living on the counter-press. I don't know you counter-press doing that. On the flipside, there would be a lot of dead-ball restarts.

But, hey, I'm just a fat guy on a couch. It's all good. And, I'm sure what I'm proposing is not what Poch is going to do. Mostly I'm just talking to hear myself talk.

 

Anyone following what's going on with this shithead Mike Grella? You know that Aus would be scouring our media looking for any slight rage bait. And, boy is this Grella buffoon giving it to them. Aus is making this guy famous, I'm sure he loves it.

Also, Harry Kewell said their "golden generation" would crush our "golden generation." He's high. Their golden generation's big accomplishment was making it out of the group stage once, and then losing. They got grouped the other WC they were in. Inclusive of losing to Germany 4-0. Even our horrible, divided 98 team only lost to Germany 2-0. The second worst team we ever put out there did much better than their "golden generation" team.

 

My dogs got me up insanely early this morning so I watched the first half of Au-Turkey and Turkey didn't seem patient at all trying to breakdown the low block. Just a couple passes than a very low percentage shot outside the box.