Couple of other titbits from the Inside American Soccer link I posted above. Tom Bogert said that after the match Weston talked about how he, Adams, and Tillman got together to talk about how they would move and play certain situations. Bogert also said Malik credited Poch with saying he needs to be deeper defensively but Poch also gives malik the freedom to get forward and impact the game the way Malik wants to in attack. See 18:34.
Yes VPN to UK is required. Sorry if I forgot to mention that. I'm not a gamer so I can only just barely relate to how to use this tool to gain insights. But I guessed that people who are might find it more useful.
The shots overstate Turkey's game -- only 8 went on target and 12 were blocked. A LOT of those shots had no real chance at going in. I think people are underestimating Australia's defensive quality and overestimating Turkey's decision making. At the end, Guler was just hitting long shots from 5 yards outside the box as he faded backwards because his teammates weren't helping. It wasn't a constant pelting of dangerous shots ... more like hopeful repetition of the same boring attack. There's no doubt I'd rather be in Turkey's position, and Turkey might be a better team in the general sense -- I'm not saying they are a bad team -- but Australia played exceptional defense, made their shots and Turkey was frankly kind of clueless. Australia was the better team on this day. Turkey had like 1.5 xG on 30 shots! That should tell you about shot quality.
I don’t want get into semantics, but for me, Australia’s strategy won on the day more than quality. Turkiye had no answers. How much of that was Turkiye and how much was Australia? That’s hard to say. I lean more toward Türkiye having an off day and it sounds like you lean more toward it being the Aussies that deserve more credit.
Well, whether it was Australia playing great defense or Turkiye not really having any kind of quality strategy to attack a low block ... either Australia was good or Turkiye was bad ... but those both come out to me as Australia > Turkiye on the day to me. There are games where the underdog wins or ties and it seems a fluke -- absolute luck that their shot went in, etc., and the opposition didn't convert. But I really didn't see a lot of quality Turkiye chances and I saw some great defense, that's all. If they played again, I don't know that it happens that way. We may very well find Turkiye a tougher nut to crack, especially since I think mindset had a lot to do with this. But on this day, I think Australia's defense played a very large role in how Turkiye looked.
We agree that it didn’t feel like a fluke while it was happening. Australia won 2-0 so they were better on the day, but I thought I was referring to something else. All good.
Australia played like we used to against Mexico. They looked better and we won. I'd rather look better and win but I'll take winning over looking good and there was a time Mexico looked better but we one for a many game streak. At a certain point it's impossible to argue the team that looks but better but always loses is better.
We ain't playing in Philly and this isn't Trading Places. No need for looking good Billy Ray, it's about winning.
Just watching Ecuador and Ivory Coast and while it's a good game, there's no movement off the ball when the teams are on possession. It reinforces how well the US played.
Impressed with Diomande so much watching him play, especially against Hincapie. Can’t believe he was in the US from 15-18 as part of his development. Can’t believe a MLS team didn’t take a chance either. Don’t know if anyone here knows about the latter as to why. Shocks me.
Insane how a 23 year old in Beach gets the first official start and makes the saves that he did. I’m not sure Freese makes some of those saves. The backline with their height and Popovic deploying them like them left me impressed by the performance. Frustrated the Turks to no end, and Montella is getting a lot of flak.
He should. There was no gameplan. Australia didn't throw any surprises and his team wasn't ready. And then in a match with 2 hydration breaks and a halftime ... the best they got was trying to one on one a compact low block?
He moved to the US at 15, was spotted by DME academy in Daytona Beach, spent 1 season there before heading to Scotland for a trial with Rangers, was rejected, went back to the academy then joined Leganes. That's about as explicit as The Athletic story gets. I don't know if he ever tried out for or was approached by a US team. DME academy is part of MLS Next.
This (and his injury history) is why Jedi would be my first sub if we’re up by a couple. Plus he’s sooo important to how we set up in terms of going from defending with 4 ATB to attacking with 3 ATB. We just need him healthy. People debate who our most important player is and it’s always (understandably) Pulisic, Richards, Adams…but honestly, with the system we have and how we’re playing, I think Jedi deserves strong consideration. And the thing is, I was impressed with Arfsten’s skill in the friendly. I just think that Jedi’s unreal motor/pace are so important to unlocking the system that Poch has these guys playing.
It was just (1) game with all our weapons firing, but if somehow we’re able to keep this group unscathed through the knockout rounds we could do something pretty special. The problem is that I don’t think ANYONE in the starting 11 has a suitable backup that can keep it all going at this level. There aren’t too many sides in this tournament who feature two guys who will dribble you (Pulisic, Dest) for 90, an out and out 9 and a space-eating midfield like we do.
Reading the pre game and after game comments from the Turks shows how teams that don't respect their opponents can get their comeuppance at the WC. Sure, there are always a few teams that really are bad but you don't necessarily know who those are until after the tournament. Even teams like Curaçao who got whipped by Germany can bite back in other games especially if the next team thinks they just need to show up.
I was going to make a post about them. Yes, McKennie and Tillman complement each other. Is like they were 3 instead of 2. I
Played HS soccer in Florida and UPSL from 2022-2024 before moving to Europe. Here's the timeline from a breaking the lines article: The Journey: High School to the Bundesliga in 1,000 Days Diomande's path to Leipzig reads like a modern football fairytale, compressed into an almost implausible timeframe. From high school to Bundesliga history. 2022: Playing for Yulee Hornets High School Soccer in Florida 2023: Named STARI Player of the Year at DME Academy; helps affiliate team Frenzi win UPSL Premier Division undefeated October 2023: Trials at Rangers (Scotland), doesn't sign November 2024: First professional contract with Leganés (Spain) March 2025: La Liga debut vs. Real Madrid May 2025: Scores on the final day vs. Real Valladolid as Leganés are relegated July 2025: RB Leipzig activates €20M release clause August 2025: Bundesliga debut vs. Bayern Munich (opening day) December 2025: Historic hat-trick vs. Frankfurt; named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month April 2026: 11 goals, 6 assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances; FotMob rating of 7.61