Post-match: USA v. Ecuador [R] - October 10, 2025 - International Friendly

Tessmann provided great presence in the midfield. I said before he will surprise some folks, and I think that was correct. However, I can't help but notice that he tried a couple of weighted balls, and they looked noticeably pub league quality. Actually scratch that - I've seen much better weighted passing in pub leagues.

Morris was generally good. There was the misplay on the leadup to Ecuadors goal and a couple of other times where he misplayed balls in the middle of the field leading to turnovers, but I also saw a lot of positive play.

All in all, though, I'm not sure they should be on the field at the same time. There were times I wanted to see beerholder jr or mcglynn to provide a killer pass in the final third. I'm not sure mcglynn has the physical attributes for a game like this, but I think seb does.

 

How much are you willing to wager? Ream is going to start next summer.

 

after reading the thread, the only place I find myself of a different mind with most is with Morris, esp in the first half. I thought sure Poch would sub him for Roldan at the half. Though I did understand that this was Poch's first time seeing Morris play and wanted to see more, and he did improve in the second half. And, as noted by others, Morris did push into the box on occasion and was likely encouraged to do so. Lastly, that 'tackle' just outside the 18 could have just as easily been called a foul (and yellow card) by another ref. I saw it as an instance of Morris being out of position to start with, and got lucky on the call. Was I wrong?

The middle seemed almost unattended at times without Adams, but the play of Tessman more than made up for the shortcomings of Morris. This was the first time I have been impressed by Tessman with the national team.

Balo was a MAN out there, holding off defenders while receiving those long, often desperate, passes out of the back and kicking passes off to others to start attacks. Well deserved goal. He clearly makes our offense better all around.

Overall, a very good performance by us, and I'm taking the positive view that Poch does know what he's doing and from here on, will just be sharpening the side ahead of the WC.

 

I think this is a big part of it. He's not coddling players or letting them assume their spots are secure if they don't perform. In that environment, everyone knows they need to bring their "A" game to every minute they are on the pitch.

 

Fotmob gave Richards a 7.5 and Weah a 7.2. Different strokes I guess.

 

Thanks, Hack. I’m definitely going to rewatch with that in mind.

 

This is what I noticed also. It’s like the ball was lighter than he expected or the grass was high making the ball sit up. I noticed Roldan first past flew on him too. McKenzie’s first touch (out of the air) also was poor. Freeman definitely took longer to adjust his game than the other subs he came on with.

 

I can’t recall seeing a more attacking mindset from a USMNT squad vs a quality opponent in along time.

 

The difference this time will be the quality of the group. And again, with THAT focus and effort that we saw last night, that is also being assumed. US has rarely if ever had that over the course of a full WC group. Maybe you could argue 2014.

 

We had 66% of the possession and over double the number of passes Ecuador had. Ecuador only had 28 passes in our final third.

This isn't a counter-attacking style. It's a possession game with more aggression, urgency and directness.

 

Gotta love soccer fandom. It took 2 friendlies to go from “Poch has no idea what he’s doing, no idea what our lineup is, and still doesn’t know our players” to “Poch is a genius who’s making every player fight for minutes as he masterfully crafts a player funnel to arrive at a solid WC roster and tactics to match”.

 

Agree that the CDMs played well. They probably could have provided better outlets and more defensive support to the back 3 at the beginning of the game under Ecuador's intense press and counterattack. As the game progressed they came into their own as did the rest of the team. It seemed like everyone (except maybe Balo) needed time to figure out how to play against Ecuador.

 

I don't think ball security is so much what Poch values but rather aggression and the ability to create danger. One of the biggest differences as Poch has molded this team is the tempo, the need to get forward, the risk taking. He's fine with turnovers, I think. He doesn't like guys who don't push.

 

Using this as an entry to discussing Scally.

The obvious play now is to call up Scally for the next window and give him a start as an RCB. Then Poch can compare Miles’ play to Scally’s.

 

10 out of 10 no notes

 

McGlynn is out for the season with a broken foot. Berhalter would be an interesting callup depending on the Playoffs scheduling. His game has been growing by leaps and bounds.

 

i thought everyone had good moments and not so good moments. i think our setup is fine-ish (if accommodating ream is your highest priority). our tactics are horseshit.

 

Morris and Roldan are very similar in terms of style and skillset. Sands is not really the same kind of player at all.

If you take a second, you might be missing someone who regularly starts but didn't.

Miles is very fast and was constantly dealing with wingers in that role.

 

Those 2 friendlies coincided uncoincidentally with a change from unsuccessful tactics to successful tactics.

Thanks for complimenting our tactical insight.

 

Watching some of the game again, I was impressed with the fluidity. Tessman, Morris, and Tillman were, at times, dropping along the backline while Arfsten and Freeman joined in the attack.

 

So if our tactics held us back, since we (modestly) outplayed Ecuador, are you saying our talent is significantly above Ecuador’s? Given Ecuador’s recent play, and rankings, that seems extremely unlikely.

My “conclusion” is that our tactics were excellent, in part just by being good, but also by better fitting our strengths and weaknesses.

 

Early on, at least, it was a pressing 442 further up the field - McKennie was sliding up with Balogun on the first line. I also noticed at least once when we settled into defense in the box, we actually slipped to a 541.

But the sort of top of the defense either was changing based on triggers or a bit fluid.

 

That change in tactics being, primarily, “play better” and “start Balogun”.

 

Incisive passing is actually a strength of Tessman's. I wouldn't worry about it long term.