Post-match: USA v Germany WC tune up

Not unless you're a vegan.

 

My responses are about as dry as you can get.

 

Tessmann had 37 appearances for Lyon this year (29 Ligue 1, 8 Europa League), 25 of which were starts. Yes, he missed the last three games with a muscle injury, be was said to be fit. Poch said it was not an injury. Tessmann is miles above Roldan and Berhalter, particularly as a CM/DM where we are the thinnest. Can also play CB in a pinch. Idiotic exclusion.

Musah had 6 starts for Atalanta (4 Serie A, 2 Champions League) and 26 appearances (19 Serie A, 7 Champions League). This is on a team with Center Mids on the Dutch, Croatian, and Brazilian National Teams (though Ederson didn't make the WC squad, he did earn a big money move to Man United this summer). He contributed solidly in his appearances and has shown quite well. He his a better player and plays at a higher level. He has not progressed much since four years ago, but he is certainly not worse. I trust him in a big match that matters against a strong opponent -- he's shown it tons before.

 

The wall was visually ugly. Four people, that's where it started from, and Freeze was glued to the goalline when that was obviously a cross from right footed player.. Sure he couldn't get to the ball from there, but that was wrong positioning.

 

When?

 

...like a fine wine.

 

I expected one more CM on the squad than there are. I thought that would be Morris, and I thought Tessmann had a more distant chance to make the squad. I was surprised that neither of them made it, but I also think it came down to Poch deciding to bring an extra defender (seemingly because of the potential for Richards to not be available, or to get re-injured). It also could have been that Poch decided to take his chances on Reyna that pushed out a CM.

Musah, on the other hand, never had a chance. He played fewer than 1000 minutes in all competitions this season, and he hasn't advanced the way we all probably expected over the last 3.5 years, either. He's averaged the same very mediocre 6.6 rating on fotmob this whole cycle. He's been stagnant.

Poch has been very clear that getting playing time for club is crucial for getting called up. Reyna is the solitary player on the squad that HASN'T been a mainstay for his club this year (or last year, or the year before). But I'd imagine you would have been pissed if he'd have been left off, too.

 

He didn't have to bring Miles. He had Scally. He has played RCB for club and for Poch (once), and can also play RB and LB.
Poch should have used that pick for another DM

 

Or, as my spouse might spell it "your fine whine, dear."

 

Someone check the betting for that game. I'm thinking mturnerisgod2026 had some money on the score.

 

Most recent was against Bologna in May. He played very solidly against a top Serie A team. He was excellent against Brugges in the Champions League. If you want to find a game that mattered for the US against a good opponent, there really aren't many for anyone. He wasn't at the Gold Cup, obviously. I think he played well against Uruguay in Copa America. He put on a masterclass in the Nations League in 2023 with the MMA midfield dominating Mexico and Canada. Then of course the last World Cup. He is every bit the player now that he was then. He hasn't improved as much as everyone dreamt, but he's still a high quality player that has experience in pressure situations against good opponents. Like I said, I'd trust him to start a World Cup game tomorrow. I would not want Berhalter or Roldan. I know Poch disagrees, but that's not the discussion we're having.

 

He didn't have to bring Reyna, either. Or anyone else that he brought, for that matter.

Regardless of the formation he's run out, Poch has always played with 2 "proper" CBs in the back line. Scally is not that. Neither is Freeman or ARob. Fortunately, it seems like Richards is going to be good to go., but we've only learned that 2 weeks after the roster (unofficial though it may have been) was released. But if something happens to Richards again? If he gets re-injured? Then, with no MRob, he'd only have 3 "proper" CBs available for selection (Ream, Trusty, McKenzie). I can only imagine that that was part of his calculus.

 

Musah got a 6.6 from fotmob for that Bologna game. Which, to be fair, he only played 27 minutes in, and players who don't start have a much harder time getting a good score from fotmob. However, he also started the final game of the season, and played 90...and still only got a 6.9. Which is a bit better than mediocre, but his overall numbers from the last 3 years are consistenly mediocre (consistently 6.6 average over the last 3 seasons). He did get a 7.5 in that Bruges game you mentioned, his 3rd best rating of the season. Different leagues, obviously Serie A and UEFA Champs are at a higher level than MLS, but little Berhalter is averaging an 8 from fotmob this season, which is truly spectacular.

For the sake of this argument (and your insistence that Tessmann would have been a better callup), I looked back through he and Berhalter's ratings in international matches over the last year. They are very similar. So, coach's decision here is understandable. I encourage you to go look for yourself.

 

But is Tessman a worse back-up option for Adams than Roldan?

 

I could see Berhalter having a moment of feasting. Maybe.

I can feel this from a 100 miles away, but Roldan is going to come into a game, get overwhelmed, and make a major gaffe leading to a goal.

If he actually plays, it’s a given our opponents have scouted him and will mercilessly target the guy.

 

I think Berhalter can certainly add more than Roldan. I just don’t think the one skill he is plus at (set pieces) is strong enough versus others to warrant playing him.

 

Roldan has loads of experience. And the dude always brings it in big games. This is his big advantage over Tessmann, or Morris, or pretty much anyone else that's realistically in the pool.

 

Since you are bringing up big games, has Musah played well in big games? At least for us, he has.

 

You're not going to play Scally in an actual CB role. Richards plays our RCB, which even if we talking about it often as a back 3 (but not always!) would be the central role.

Neither Freeman nor Scally are a backup for that role.

 

Yes. Tessman is not a particularly good defensive midfielder and he's never been all that good at staying home and playing free safety. Is Tanner better on ball than Roldan? Heck yeah! It's not close. Is he better off ball? Nope.

It's really hard to even have the discussion if your starting point is that Roldan is terrible. I think he's just far better at reading the game than Tanner or the other alternatives, and I think pretty much every coach he's ever had agrees.

I get some of the reasons people don't think he's as good.

But I also think the #1 reason for the disconnect between people's perception of our talent and our actual results is a lack of appreciation for the importance of soccer IQ / decision making.

Defense is mostly about decision making, especially as you get closer to goal. It's how Tim Ream did well in the EPL; it's how Walker Zimmerman was fantastic in the 2022 cycle. It's why coaches love Roldan. People like to talk about the locker room; I'm sure that's great. But Roldan makes the right decision a lot. Even / especially if it's the simple play.

---------------------------

There's an example I love to bring up, mostly because it demonstrates the type of plays that poor or slow decision making kills us on but no one notices.

In the @ Canada WCQ match, the US and Canada got nearly identical chances in the first half. Both keepers mishit a ball that fell to an opposition player within the opposition's attacking half.

Musah got Canada's mistake. Dribbled forward. Hesitated. Dribbled some more. Hesitated. Waited until Canada got mostly set on D and then made the pass. Nothing came of it; an unnoticed situation.

Canada passed it forward immediately. Jonathon Osorio, who many here would swear is much worse than Yunus Musah, one touches it forward to Larin, who plays a 1-2 game with David and one of them scores when Chris Richards slips a bit.

Goal that's blamed on Turner, mostly for the weak clearance.

But no one notices that we had a very similar chance that didn't even make it to an official chance or shot or anything, because when we had a chance to attack ... we dribbled slowly and couldn't find someone to pass to.

This is not shit that anyone talks about but it's a massive part of that 1-0 lead for Canada. And it has nothing to skill or athleticism -- it's all about decision making, movement, aggression, etc.

 

Well said.

I know I have an unhealthy fixation with Roldan…

 

I don't see the point in continuing to argue here. Musah is not on the WC roster, which starts tomorrow. He hasn't played for the USMNT since 2024. He had his chance in 2025, made a decision that I don't criticize at all, has played very sparingly for his club and is no longer in the picture. Next season could bring different circumstances--maybe he gets a transfer to somewhere that wants him, maybe something lights a fire under his ass, maybe a new USMNT coach really likes him. But he's not here now, and he was never going to be.

 

I believe we will be playing with 3 in the back, which my point stands.

 

We will be playing with what most people (aside from the most pedantic among us) consider 3 at the back. As I said before, REGARDLESS OF THE FORMATION POCH HAS PUT OUT, he's always played with two real, honest-to-god centerbacks. There are 4 true CBs on this roster, so 2 starters and 2 backups, no matter how you rank them.