Post-match: USA v Jamaica CONCACAF Nation's League Semis (R)

3-1 easy win

 

Not a great game and we were definitely fortunate to pull it out.

 

I wrote this in the 94th minute:


This was worse than Couva. That night we scored and had a lot of chances and the two goals we conceded were incredibly unlucky.

Tonight we utterly sucked. Very few chances.

Can’t blame MLS tonight. No balls or heart from our euro stars.

Fire Berhalter!


glad we came back and won lol.

 

Was never in doubt.

 

Very heavy price paid. An unsatisfying victory. I hope no-one is really hurt. And I hope the same for next game.

 

I enjoy games like these because it is a good reminder for all the people who want to think like we are too good for CONCACAF.

 

I feel like the only reason he didn’t start tonight was fitness related.

 

Not good enough.

Most talented squad the US has ever produced. Our starting XI and our bench chock full of starters in the top 5 leagues of Europe.

We struggled to find a goal for 90+ minutes this game. We got it only with the luck of an own-goal deflection off a corner kick right as stoppage time was expiring.

Holy crap. Not good enough.

(Good on Haji and Reyna for making the most of their sub minutes, but that should not be the headline of this one.)

 

I hope at some point, USSF finally lets Gregg go. This guy is simply not a good coach at all.

If the USA plays like this in Copa America, they will get their clocks cleaned.

 

Score was about what I predicted, minus extra time. Frustrating, but the hardcore bunker was broken and extra time was fully controlled. Not brilliantly fun, not a disaster.

Now win the whole thing.

 

I don't care whether Reyna is on the bench for his club. He's a great and unique and necessary player for us.

 

Gio put in a shift. Was playing pretty 8ish and was aggressive winning balls in midfield. And yeah the assists were sublime.

 

If I'm Balogun I tell Berhalter that if Reyna doesn't start I don't want to start. Reyna is the only guy who can get the ball to our forwards on a consistent basis.

 

Grades

Starters:
Turner - C
Scally - D-
Robinson - C
Richards - C
Jedi - D
Musah - C
Wes - C
Tillman - C
Weah - C-
Balogun - D+
CP - B-

Subs:
Adams - B
Pepi - C+
Wright - A
Gio - A
Johnny - B

I had my doubts about Gio coming into this one but OMG was he a difference-maker tonight. It started with that ball to Tillman early in the 2nd half which I think Tillman misjudged.... and ended with two of the most world-class/clutch assists you will see.

 

Scally error on the goal was bad. But I did t think he was otherwise “dreadful.” I thought he balanced out Weah in attack spacing very well and but in some good balls.

Reyna and Haji just changed the attack. That was the difference IMO. It was another slow, cautious, listless offense u til those two got involved.

 

I don't like MMA. I think Mckennie's play also suffers for it because in that configuration he tends too active. I want to see Cardoso start. I mean he has ro start now.

Reyna is Mercurial and he and Wright sre developing a mind meld.

Pulisic has no deception with his final ball.

Aaronoson had the best game of his club career last week but looked pedestrian here. He wast a pressing god.

Backline shaky but it is what it is.

Guys like Tillman have to stay ready.

Less sold on Musah and Weah who aren't in the best form anyway.

 

If Reyna is healthy, he has to start. Has to.

Dest back for the final should help.

Match MVPs: Reyna, Wright, Owen Goal

 

This is the 4th competitive match in row, in which Gregg has been thoroughly out-coached. Jamaica had simply gone to school on T&T's tactics. There was little response from the US.

Weah in the attack is especially not useful against the type of low block Jamaica employed

Musah is not a single pivot. And given he was fasting, he should've been a sub.

Scally has had a weak season at RB for Gladbach. He should not have been starting.

 

The only thing worse than our performance, was the performance of Paramount +

******** CBS and their so-called streaming service, after 60 minutes of bad buffering I lost it completely, and had to watch the rest of the game on Univision.

Couldn't believe the U10 level ball watching from Scally.

And then we couldn't break down a Jamaican team missing most of its best players.

At least we took advantage of the lucky goal, and finished them off in extratime.

Props to Reyna and Haji Wright.

Maybe we should've hired the Icelandic dentist??

 

The FB play was dreadful. Scally gets roasted in less than a minute, gets beaten for a yellow and generally looks slow and shaky to me. Dest should certainly help... and he is the only one should be fresh. I also think Johnny should start.... and of course... Gio.

 

This game really reinforced a thought I've had with Scally in every game he's played. He just doesn't look like an international RB. He's not fast enough to create chances and it's a real question if he's quick enough to defend international wingers. He wasn't today. He just looks like a CB playing RB. I wish his club would move him.

Gregg deserves a lot of credit for the subs and changes post halftime and the fight the team showed to not give up as well. I realize a lot of posters here don't like Gregg but he put out the line-up most of us wanted to see. You can make the case that Reyna should've started but given his lack of minutes, starting an in form #10 who's killing it in Holland was a reasonable decision. Calling in Haji instead of Vazquez was obviously the right call as well. I'm not sure you can really blame Gregg for failing to score during the first 90+ minutes when we had 80% possession and a huge shot advantage. At some point it's on the players to put the ball in the net.

 

The good- Reyna again showing glimpses of what he can do. Hope he can stay healthy and put it all together. Adams back on the pitch, getting back into game fitness. Wright is on form now. No-one in our striker pool is clearly established over the others, so if Wright has the hot hand (foot), start him on Sunday.
The bad- I had Reyna starting at CAM, but when i saw Tillman's name, i wasn't upset at all and was eager to see what the kid can do. Well, i'm now ready to admit Malik's not ready for this team. Needs more maturation, so leave him at Eindhoven for the time being. Chris Richards- i like this guy, but if i'm the coach i bench him next game. I read that players like Gregg, but he has a duty to be a hardass sometimes and hold players accountable. Richards almost cost us a second goal. And i don't mean to single him out. There were too many lapses in intensity throughout the night. That's on the coaches. Teams aspiring for greatness have to be ON at all times.

 

I guess this marks the passing of the baton to the new starting CB tandem of Richards and Robinson.

 

Tillman sucked tonight.
Musah sucked tonight
scully Really sucked tonight
mckennie sucked tonight.

a lot of bad in the starting 11