Yes, definitely, but that was probably a gas issue. It would've been nice had we been a bit more clinical in front of goal not only today, but against Wales and Iran as well. We might've been able to sit Musah a bit more, and Tyler at all, and those two might've done a better job tracking late runners today.
Aaronson is a pretty exceptional transition 10 in that 4222 / 442 diamond. But he plays like a 10 in transition and like a second striker in attack. He's going to likely stay at Leeds where he will play exactly like this. Will he develop and continue to grow his game? I hope so!
In a 4231, any of Mihailovic, Reyna, Aaronson, Ferreira could've been tried there. We don't know who was good enough for what: GGG never gave them that chance. He never developed a serious plan B. It is what it is. Time for the next cycle.
I don't want Gregg fired. I appreciate his contribution and dedication to the job even if I don't personally think he fully delivered on the team's potential. My selfish hope is that he makes the decision to leave the program and ultimately takes a job in MLS where he can contribute to further developing our player pool and domestic league. I like him much better as a club manager than at the national team level.
This isn’t a hockey forum so I will just say I disagree with the first bolded sentence, and the second bolded sentence can apply to any of the elite hockey nations (when the cards are right). That said, imho Canada still has the most depth in international hockey except for goalie. Russia currently owns that position.
Aaronson was tried and he plays exactly like he plays at Leeds. It's fine. It's not quite the 4231 people want. Reyna will be good, I think. Ferreira and Mihailovic can be tried and may improve, but I am pretty confident they aren't those guys right now at the WC Knockout Stage level. I could be wrong but that's my estimation. I don't think either should be the offensive focal point right now.
I think it all depends on how healthy he can stay... he seems kinda injury prone which will lead other teams to play him super physically, but I think he has all the tools to have a great NBA career. But to the larger point, players like Giddey successfully making the leap from non-NBA pro to NBA pro and the NBA starting to put more money into a professional 2nd division makes me think that the pro teams with academies outside of the US are doing *something* right, and suggests to me that a more competitive international basketball scene isn't that far off...
And we got a goal and two assists out of our primary playmaker, our LW. I think there's a lot of pressure on here for a 10 to solve a lot of problems.
All 3 US goals were by CP. Fact. He's the best on the roster. Period. Yes, he has flaws; but there' no other better than him as an attacker for NOW.
I also don't think he deserves to be fired, but I would like to try and avoid a 2-cycle coach heading into 2026. I also think that while we're complaining about him here, the rest of the world was somewhat impressed with his tactics and he might have some job offers in the near future.
Yeah, I've never understood the hostility to the point of view that the US has a number of really great athletes, that would've been great soccer players, if they had taken the sport up as youngsters. There is way too many people who think when this is pointed out, that we're talking about sticking an adult Lebron James at center forward, or Tyreek Hill in goal. I also think that the tendency away from multisport athletes (driven by coaches who want to be on the gravy train in what would have normally been an off-season) colors this point of view. That's completely missing the point...
We're on the right. And nothing was happening on our right. Ream or Zimmerman into our half and then it disappears. McKennieghost in this one :-(
This is exactly what should happen. I have some disagreements with the way he handled certain things but overall he got us to the World Cup and we advanced out of our group. That more than earns him the right to walk away with dignity and grace and he should have his pick of upper tier MLS jobs at his disposal and even a few Euro jobs if he wanted to explore Holland or something. I think he had a hard time getting the club mindset out of his head until the last minute. The irony is World Cup Gregg ALMOST got it as the national team coach. I think he now understands more about building a National Team and would probably grab a few slightly different players if he could do it over again. I don't think any coach should get more than a cycle and Gregg is certainly no exception. Also, let's drop the English requirement. All USSF selection committee members should watch the French coach's halftime speech to Saudi Arabia.
What’s your evaluation of the team? This is the potential of the pool? Seems like you are sidestepping. Who was it that respected the tactics again because LVG roasted us pre-game and so did a player after. They run a lot?
To me the point is peripheral at best. Even if a smaller subset of our athletes pursue soccer, that hardly implies a lack of elite athletes pursuing soccer in a nation of EPL million people. And the argument that our talent isn’t better (relative to the rest of the world) than it was in the past rings false. Owners and managers whose money and jobs are on the line are buying and using more American players in the world’s top leagues. That is a pretty strong indicator of improving talent.
It's quite simple, really. Do we have the players/talents to beat the Dutch? YES Do we have the game plan, tactic, and strategy to beat the Dutch? NO It's like 3G drew up a plan 4 days ago, and stuck with it. He has zero ability to adapt nor react in real time.
Some may not want to hear this but Weah is not good in the general run of play. And he was generally poor after Wales.
I don't think you were outplayed in the first half. I do believe you were very much in the game, and had chances to score. NED had better tactics and game management. Also, high intensive play didn't affect them; however it was instrumental to reaching R16; So it is bit harsh to criticize the couch on trying a high pressure, high intensity game, when NED didn't have a great group showing and the same strategy worked before. This NED best game so far. He wasn't able adjust your game and that is on him, but you have the vantage point of knowing the result. Monday night quarterbacking?! I understand you are all pissed/hurt/disappointed but there isn't a magical solution, there isn't a silver bullet. There isn't a coach in the world that will magically transform your NT into a contender. NT performance start in club soccer. You must improve MLS; I am not saying that your best prospect should stay in MLS, on the contrary, to reach highest level you need to go to Europe. But you need to develop substitutes that are savvy and can read the game at a world class level and pace. Before asking for USMNT to play Copa America you should be asking for MLS to be included in the Libertadores and Sudamericana, IMHO.
This was the point I made after the Iran WIN, and was criticized for. I said that Berhalter does not have the moxie to be the coach of this team going forward after this tournament. Why? Because he does not have the courage to ask his team to turn up the pressure and effectively end a game early. When we have a goal lead in the 2nd half against a team we are better than, he pulls the team back (Wales and Iran). Hell, after the England match, I said much the same. Free kick in the attacking third AFTER the 4 minutes of stoppage is completed, in a tie game. Pump it into the box and see if you can get a fortunate header or deflection for the win? Nope. Play it out wide and wait for the whistle. If we had turned up the heat against Wales, and secured those points early, it would have also given us a chance to sub and rest the legs of the most important players. Same with the Iran game. Instead, we allow inferior teams to hang around, because we back off after scoring a single goal. And the extra miles that requires of the starter's legs shows later. The guy is a great recruiter. The players seem to like him. But we need someone more advanced moving forward. Someone who is not too afraid of losing to try to go out and play to win. I'm grateful for Gregg's service. But, the time is now to move on. Hopefully the USSF sees it too.
Yeah he was supposed to be over there as well. Here's all pass attempts, not just progressive passes. You can see Weah and Dest cook a bit up in the corner, but ultimately got little from it. The McKennie hole is still there. The Netherlands chart on the left is kinda wild. Man they attacked Jedi. Holy hell.
Oh boy...we saw exactly how many truly elite level international players (and coach) we have. The number makes for very easy accounting. From the poorly taken early Pulisic chance to the lacksadaisical Adams coverage on the first goal to the lack of positional adjustment by Beer Holder, we were second best by a dutch mile in every aspect of the match. But hey, we got to promote the rainbow jersey for the Karens at Soccer House. You can't treat the symptoms if you don't treat the cause.