They decided to play on counter and had a good game plan. They also were better at managing the game. First two goals weren't a fluke but a well build, strategic minded effort. Scoring from that position isn't really a fluke. Their forward movement created a space for the goal. NED played their best game and I do think it will be a very tough game for either ARG/AUS (I expect ARG to advance).
he was regularly involved in a lot of build up play both transitioning from defense and near the penalty box, in a way that was broadly recognized and discussed after the game? I read and listen to a lot of USMNT #content from fans and media alike, and I think you’re the first person I’ve seen suggest he didn’t play well. his absence today, btw, was a big blow. We don’t have another forward in the pool who can handle himself in tight spaces the way Sargent can, and we really lacked that presence in the attack today.
no way...england is way better than the dutch....netherlands had a hard time getting the ball over the halfway line in the first half.....Slow Cbs and tired legs was all they needed to take advantage on the counter.....but the dutch shouldnt be seen as contenders, really. A smart team will keep them scoreless.
Clinical, yes. But that was it. I just think we’re giving them too much credit. I believe all of our players will be frustrated because they will walk away feeling like they could have done much better. In no way, if I’m Pulisic or anyone else, am I thinking, yeah, we are just not at their level.
eh....I agree the dutch arent better than the US but Iran and Wales were very poor. the dutch would beat both rather often.
Not traditionally, no. Who the Dutch were today.... I’d say that the Dutch were a very beatable team, and Wales, with Hennessy, could have got the win against the Dutch. That one would have been more back and forth. But I think the best version of the Iran team would have really challenged the Dutch. I just think we’re giving them way too much credit.... and not realizing we beat ourselves more than the Dutch beat us.
At this level, I'd say clinical movement and finishing is like 90% of the game. Did anyone else notice how they were always in the right spot at the right time, ready to take back control of the match? Their ability to pass out of pressure and transition into an offensive opportunity was breathtaking. Just exquisite one-touch passing. It's not like we don't have players capable of that, but for whatever reason we don't do it as well. Edit to add: What you need to win in WC knockouts is 10 robots who can put 1 guy in position to make a creative play when needed. But in this match, they didn't even need that. All they needed was 11 robots executing the game plan to perfection.
Louis van Gaal: "The #USMNT didn't adapt, they didn't adjust, we made our tactical plan based on [targeting the flanks]."— Peter Galindo (@GalindoPW) December 3, 2022
Sure. Maybe, maybe not. A midfield with Aaronson (who tends to turn a 433 into a 424) or a Reyna who clearly wasn't able to be highly active might have also given up more goals without generating an offset and we don't make it out of the group. I'm not trying to be annoying here -- I just don't think you can be certain with these things and I'm not really into the internet/sports radio rhetoric. I think it is totally fine to prefer that. But I think we're stretching if we're saying the root cause of our loss is the a) the thing the entire world was impressed with in the group stage -- tons of unbiased observers and b) not the 3 unmarked guys and biffed chances. I like MMA, but you can argue it's not ideal and realize that while it may have had some knock on effects here ... we also just didn't play well. I can guarantee you that Jedi, Ream and Turner would tell you that the third goal was simply a Jedi screw up, not because we didn't have creativity in midfield. And while I agree MMA is better defensively than offensively, I struggle to really get how people can't see that a) we aren't a very consistent passing team in vision or execution and b) no one on this team can shoot except maybe Tim. Is Reyna better at this? Yes. But like, he can make a few extra nice passes but if we still miss the next pass or the finish, it won't show up on the score. ------------------- I fully expect Reyna to play a much larger role in the next cycle. He's super talented, and if he can stay healthy, he'll be great. But people forget that he's 18 and he's been hurt for most of the last 18 months. I think everyone is lying if they think the guy who played today was Reyna at 100%, either health or form. Even healthy, the dude is not Messi. He may be our best 10, but he's not our best attacker, and most importantly, he's currently not some kind of elite playmaker for the knockout rounds of the World Cup. The way people talk about him it's like Brazil missing Neymar or something. He's got a bit to go before that.
No, they are clearly better than Iran or Wales. We could have beaten them. We didn't play well. But this Dutch team is better than those teams.
Every team in the world has those games where they just beat themselves. You can tell that they’ve got the talent to be better, but there were just periodic moments where they switched off and the other team manages to get the better of the opportunities. Simply, no, I don’t believe the Dutch have this superior class that we seem to be giving them too much credit for. In no way, did I feel like we lose to a team that’s just so much better than us. It was an off night for us. And I wish we could have really played the Dutch to our potential. But hey, that’s the way soccer goes. You don’t take advantage of your chances and your opponent does.
We'll see. Puli contributed to every goal in this WC, got us to R16, scored the winner vs Mex in the NL final a few months ago, has big club goals/assists in the UCL knockout stages including the semis and scored in the FA Cup final. I'd struggle to argue he's not a big impact player. But I'm gonna wait to see where his career takes him as he's still relatively young.
As soon as my son saw what Gio was doing out there he became livid about the fact that he had been sitting. He hadn’t really complained before then.