Pre-match: USA v Netherlands Round of 16 12/3 10 am ET

I dont know if we tried that exactly but Lletget did play the false 9 against Switzerland once.

 

Gregg said he didn't think any of the players got it, but it did affect a number of the staff members (including Berhalter himself).

 

I think that Pulisic will ask Berhalter to rest him so he is fresh for Chelsea.

but seriously…any word in Sarge?? He was doing quite well, in my biased opinion. His work rate was very good, he had a couple dangerous chances and his distribution was good. Should’ve had as assist with Weah but unfortunately the perfectly flat ball played back was skied well over.
How is his ankle??

 

Wright shouldn't see the field again. If he can't summon effort while trying to see out a game after he's only been on the field 5 minutes then he can watch.

 

A person can dream of offensive potency that matches our defensive potency. I cannot ever face the idea that one implies the absence of the other.

 

But wouldn't we want them for penalties also? I think you tell Pulisic to conserve energy as he is able and let him go the full match. Maybe that involves rotating who is striker so that they get a little more rest? Start Reyna, Pulisic, Weah and have them take turns at 10 and on the wings so they have breaks? Unconventional I know.

 

Not expecting a win tomorrow but I am hopeful we surprise and win. Good news! Pulisic has been cleared to play tomorrow. This was a huge relief. I think Zimmerman should return to the lineup and play next to Ream in central defense instead of Vickers. Go USA soccer men's national team.

U.S. Men's National Soccer Team on Twitter: "UPDATE: Christian Pulisic has been cleared to play in tomorrow’s match versus Netherlands. https://t.co/ANg2baaJez" / Twitter

 

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal talks up 'excellent' USA ahead of World Cup last 16 clash:

https://www.planetsport.com/soccer/...s-excellent-usa-ahead-world-cup-last-16-clash

 

https://tenor.com/brmpg.gif

 

IMO Gio and Aaronson should be used as sub tomorrow. Our strength is midfield with Adams, Mckennie, and Musah. You do not want to touch that. Whenever we are behind, Musah can be replaced with Aaronson in the second half. I always thought we should have tried diamond 4-1-2-1-2 formation before the world cup. Pulisic can play as one of the two forwards in that formation to fully utilize his offensive qualities. As much as it is important how to finish the game, it is important how to start the game. So, I do not expect to see rotation in the lineup. I think Gregg will stick with the same starting lineup he used against England except Sargent will start over Wright.

 

It’s kind of crazy this game is already just over 12 hours away. At least we didn’t get the Argentina-Australia turnaround I guess.

 

I'm nervous.

 

Me too. I cannot stop thinking about tomorrow's game. It is more stressful to be fan than player.

 

They said it couldn't be done. That the Orange Wall could not be breached. But they didn't count on the pluck and courage of a ragtag group of American lads who didn't care much what they said. Christian Pulisic is Captain America in "All Your Cup Are Belong to Us." Coming this December to a theater near you.

 

After watching last rounds of group stage i started having some hope. If we won't concede early goal we can outlast Dutch, score late and hang on till the whistle.

 

Gonna see a lot of this in about 15 hours.

 

Still comes across as the old stereotypical “praises” of American soccer teams. Not seeing comments on the quality of any of our individual players.

 

Feels like the Dutch will look to press for an early goal then sit back and defend against our low powered offense.

We make it to the 30-40th minute without conceding and I think our chances improve drastically to get a win.

 

the first half brace that got away pic.twitter.com/UBPaqAB4UQ

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) December 2, 2022

Tomorrow we will really need to play the right passes and play them faster. Too many times against Iran we had our guys not see the threatening pass that was available or dribble a little too long when they had a potential line-breaking pass on.

 

Bro, I’ve been on both sides and this is totally accurate.

I’ve played in High School championships in Maryland and National Title games in college (televised). My family and friends were always more nervous than I was.

Now that I’m strictly a fan, the damn stress and nerves are infinitely worse. Been like this since 2002 watching the US play. Ugh!

 

Once again the key to tomorrow's match will most likely be goal differential.







Or set pieces.

 

Is goal differential the first tie breaker or is goals scored....I forget.

 

I’m normally really anxious during our big games. Somehow, I don’t feel that way now. I’m pleased that we got out of the group. Would have been great to beat England or Wales, but the group phase was a success.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

 

Path to the trophy is Netherlands - Argentina - Brazil - France (perhaps). If you think we have a 1/3 chance to win each game, our chance to win the trophy is 1.2%.

We're not going to win the World Cup. So just hope that the team plays smart and brave, and whatever happens will happen. I'd be happy with that kind of performance, win or lose.

 

Yep. 538 odds:

Make Quarterfinals = 34%
Make Semis = 12%
Make Final = 4%
Win WC = 1%