Post-match: USA v Senegal - May 31, 2026 - International Friendly [R]

Damn right! You've got to tip your hat to that 34-year-old BEAST. Mane is and has been an amazing threat for so many seasons and does NOT look like slowing down one bit. I find myself looking forward to watching him carve-up the Norwegian and Iraqi defenses...and hopefully that of France, as well.

Mane has had, I believe, goals in double figures every season, since he was in Austria...dude is a STUD! A joy to watch...

 

I didn’t think Berhalter looked as sharp yesterday as he sometimes does.

 

Richards should NOT play in the warm-up against Germany. This is a serious injury that takes time to mend, and this match is meaningless. Keep him training (carefully) and rehabbing to be in near-top shape for the first round.

 

I think it’s a little more nuanced than that, personally. I watched the team and been a staunch supporter for about 25 years. I also played and have a reasonable sense of the game.

Some of us, especially at this moment in time, are just a little critical of some of the roster choices. And when those players perform as we anticipated, the BigSoccer board is a place to express ourselves as fans.

Hoping our guys come out and play with heart and skill.

 

Berhalter won't start every game. But odds are over at least 4 matches he gets at least one start.

 

Musah posted a picture from the throng of pilgrims of the Kaaba to his IG stories during the hajj.

 

Re: Zendejas…let me defend the selection.

It’s a 26 man roster. For the nations outside the top 5, the nations that AREN’T creating a squad to win a 7th and 8th game, that will get parades if they MAKE the 7th game, the coach can afford a couple of extremely situational slots. And that list includes us.

If we have a knockout match on a hot afternoon, and it goes into extra time, Zendejas coming in at 105 minutes will have lots and lots of space, and might get us a match winning goal. Either with a shot or a pass. I’m not saying that’s how Poch was thinking, but me, I sure would have. I definitely would have taken one highly skilled but under athletic player for a 105th minute sub in a knockout match played in the heat. Especially if he can take a quality PK.

But Luna isn’t getting any minutes, so I’m confused.

 

Thanks- I won't let it stop me, although as I'm sure you can tell, I just pick my spots- mostly in postgame topics. Although I've been following the team consistently since Italia '90, I spend so much time on various web forums (not just soccer) that I try to keep my participation under control.

I understand, and what you're saying makes some sense to me on a macro level. Yet I still felt like the overall anti-negativity theme in multiple posts by multiple people was almost coming across as "just don't say anything negative", which felt oppressive and wrong to me. On a micro level, people should feel free to criticize specific things- even in a very impressive and satisfying (and perhaps even "important" in some ways) win.

No problem.

 

I think that looking at Pepi in full context, you look at his pre-Europe contributions, his Groningen season (making goals for that side was not the relatively easy gig it is in PSV league games) his CL and Ered play with PSV and it's hard to conclude a healthy 23 1/2 YO Pepi does not make a successful jump to the next level - and that he's not among the most capable strikers we currently have. He really has very consistent stats. 13 G in 36 "Full Internationals", 6 G in 17 for the U17s, 16/26 in the Ered this season, 19/34 including CL and Cup, He was 11/18 league, 18/29 CL/Cup the season before, 7/27, 9/41 the season before, 12/29, 13/36 the Groningen season. It's much more common for a young player with those stats to continue a good consistent trajectory (if they stay healthy) than not and we don't have a lot of players who have consistently put up those kind of numbers in any league.

 

Zendejas is a lefty and can be important for certain tactics. Luna's competition was probably Aaronson. This year the first stagnated and the second improved.

 

on sempremilan.com, there’s a healthy dose of this. General consensus that Allegri insisting on playing both Pulisic and Leao as strikers was fatal to the cause and a reason why Allegri was fired 27 seconds after Calgiari beat them.

 

on sempremilan.com, there’s a healthy dose of this. General consensus that Allegri insisting on playing both Pulisic and Leao as strikers was fatal to the cause and a reason why Allegri was fired 27 seconds after Calgiari beat them.

 

My only real surprise is that it took Milan that long. I also think he brought a conservative bent to the team but he had at least two fairly flamboyant players that were being forced to play out of character. It is possible to have some really flamboyant players on a conservative team and be successful but you must design a play pattern to fit instead of trying to fit the square pegs in round holes or visa versa.
It seemed to me that Allegri was a lot like Berhalter in that he had players that would flourish best in one style while he wanted to play totally differently. The real surprise is that it took so long this year for Milan to fail miserably.
Looking at Milan and thinking Pulisic may stay I hope they do not turn over the players too much. The first half of the season shows that the team Milan had was very much able to play with the top teams. It took half a season for Allegri to ruin the chemestry.

 

I will summarize so others don't have to support FanDuel.

Thoughts on Senegal win:
Bruce - Singles out Pulisic, Pepi, Dest as positives. Surprised how poor Senegal's backline was.
Gregg - Thought we might play a back five when he saw the roster, but obviously we didn't. (Building in a 3-2, but defending in a 4-5-1/4-4-2.) Liked that we were aggressive and pressed high. Looked really strong and fast on the counter and that's going to be a real weapon this summer.
Bob - We were very fluid in attack and defense. Means we were fun to watch going forward and got a lot of guys in the box. But it really tests players when we lose the ball, in terms of defensive organization and ability to react in transitions. Especially with defenders like Freeman pushing up that high. Need to think more about how to organize quickly behind the ball after that.
Gregg - Agrees about fluidity. Sometimes Gio dropped back and Sebastian moved higher. Sometimes Sergino cuts inside. Also agrees that maintaining balance and organization after we lose the ball is important. Keep distances small so we can press afterward.
Bob - We did build a lot in 3-2, which is pretty standard these days. But Freeman also had a lot of freedom to go forward, which created a lot of interesting combinations between him and Dest, and sometimes Gio as well. But again thinks Senegal created several quality chances, including the goal, partly as a result of Freeman pushing high up.

On Pulisic:
Bruce - He needs a little bit of freedom. he's excellent moving without the ball, playing between lines.
Gregg - He steps up in big games, so you need to give him trust he'll do that.
Bob - Highlights his movement, timing, ability to get into box. also thinks he was committed and worked hard defensively to support Jedi when needed.
Gregg - He's always had defensive effort in him. He's always at the top of list in stats for distance covered, high intensity distance, sprint distance, etc. He knows he's not just on the field for offensive work. He'll have to do the same in this World Cup. Most important player on our team.
Bob - Based on how committed Pulisic looked yesterday, so alert, so aware, and doing his part, it means the team dynamics are good right now behind the scenes. Poch is setting a high standard and players are supporting their teammates.

Vs Germany:
Bruce - Germany will tell us a lot more because they have much more quality than Senegal, and we're very susceptible to the counter, and it will be interesting to see how we handle that against a team of Germany's quality. Asked how do we fix that? Communication is important. 2 CBs have to be organized and have a 6 in front of them. Have to communicate to get decision right when the ball turns over about whether we press to win it back or drop back and defend collectively. Tough to be on the same page for that stuff when this team hasn't played a lot of games together. Thinks all of that makes Tim Ream more valuable because he's vocal and can help organize players. Also agrees that's important with how aggressively our fullbacks and sometimes Sebastian pushes up.
Bob - To be fair to group, they haven't had that many games or training sessions together. Hope Chris Richards will be ready to be part of World Cup -- that changes things a little more.
Gregg - Want to head out of the Germany game with confidence. But remembers we lost our last sendoff game to Netherlands 2-0 prior to the 2002 World Cup, but we still left with confidence because we thought we played well. So not the end of the world if we lose.
Bob - Senegal game was not a World Cup-style game. Thinks they'll be tested in a different way vs Germany. But every game will be different, and have to understand what each game will be about.

Discussion about Sebastian turns into a lot of reminiscing. (These 3 all go way back.)

On the roster construction:
Bruce - It was easier in '02 and '06 to construct a roster. All the qualifiers and competitive games leading up to the tournament meant he knew his team inside and out. Saw the players in so many competitive situations, had a good sense how they fit in together. Lack of competitive games has made it tougher for Poch, but he's started to figure it out over the past few months. Doesn't really agree with criticism that we brought too many defenders. Thinks we have good balance. Might be lacking some wide attackers though. Thinks the backline is solid, but CB has some question marks, especially because he doesn't think Richards will be ready to play in the opening games. Thinks there's flexibility to play in a back 3, 4, or 5 here. Having 26 man rosters could be a problem in the locker room if players 20-26 aren't getting enough gametime, but he thinks this group is tight-knit enough that there won't be those kinds of problems.
Gregg - 26 players is a luxury. With 23 players, you're just thinking about being 2 deep in every position. And if you want more depth in one position it has to come at the expense of another. Not a problem anymore. Likes the versatility of this group. Guys like Wright, Zendejas, Aaronson, Pulisic, Tillman, and Gio can play a number of different positions. Gregg agrees with Bruce that we might be lacking wide attackers here. Weah and Pulisic are the only two names that come to mind. (Bruce then interjects you don't really want Pulisic huggling the touchline either, and Gregg agrees.)

On Tim Ream being named captain and whether that means he'll start:
Bob - Not necessarily. In this case Tim's experience will help the group on and off the field. He has respect of other players, and has experience that can be useful in having discussions with players individually. But also thinks leadership has to be a collective effort. Remembers that he named Bocanegra as his captain, but Bocanegra consulted with Cherundolo a lot on leadership issues and that helped him a lot.
Gregg - Disagrees with Bob. Thinks Tim being named captain strongly indicates he'll start. Plus the extended time between games means he'll have plenty of time to recover. Gregg talks about dropping Ream from the team in '21 and bringing him back into the fold in 2022. Gregg watched him play in the Championship and thought he struggled with the physicality of the league, and he worried that would be a concern in qualifying as well given the physicality of some of those teams. Then when Ream asked out of a qualifier, Berhalter had additional concerns about his reliability. So basically dropped him for a year. However, watching him play in the Premier League won him over again. In the EPL, the game was less physical, but it was faster and more tactical, and Ream was excelling. So Gregg brought him back, and he ended up being one of our best players in the World Cup and a mainstay for the national team after that
Bruce - Agrees that leadership is a collective thing. Claudio was Bruce's captain, but he wasn't really vocal on the field. His play did the talking. So guys like Earnie Stewart, Cobi Jones, and Brian McBride ended up being crucial to their success. But Bruce thinks Ream is a fantastic captain. He's intelligent and has a level head. And he thinks he'll help take pressure of Christian, who is also not a vocal guy. Bruce splits the difference between Bob and Gregg and says he thinks Ream will be rotated in the backline. He thinks especially if and when the US advances to the next round or two and the level of competition increases, Ream might find himself on the bench. But it will also depend on the status of Chris Richards.

On Gio Reyna:
Bruce: Played a solid game, but he has concerns about how limited his minutes have been at the club level. Doesn't think he'll be a starter, but he showed some good qualities, and may turn out to be a key sub.
Gregg: Gio gives the team calm on the ball. Never stressed, can handle the ball under any kind of pressure. In the 2nd half, after Gio left, when we won the ball, we'd attack too quickly, lose the ball, and then it would come right back down our end. Gio helps you control the tempo of the game.
Bob: Wanted him here because he could make plays. But yesterday they were no special plays from him. Nonetheless, a lot of good moments where he makes simple decisions that allows us to get into a flow of 5-6 passes. Doesn't think he has 90 minutes in him, but his ability to see a pass and make a play can help us unlock a team late, if we're pushing for a goal, and they're in a low block, etc.

How to approach Germany:
Bruce: Need to play something close to our best XI. And thinks that's what Poch will do. US's strength is often athleticism, and that's going to be tested vs Germany.
Bob: Approach vs Senegal was probably because we'd just started camp. More important to see certain combinations. Still don't think we'll see our best XI vs Germany. Thinks we'll get closer, but thinks the staff will still be testing combinations. For example, we still don't really know where we'll use Wes in this tournament. Will be paying attention to how Poch uses him against Germany, because that might tell us where he will play vs Paraguay.
Gregg: Liked that players had to figure out how to fit with each other at start of the 2nd half, and they managed to figure that out. But for Germany, thinks it's important to play Poch's starting XI. Doesn't know if that will happen. Maybe Poch doesn't want to tip his hand to Paraguay.

Who's our #1 GK:
Gregg: You'd assume its Matt Freese given that the other 2 keepers got a half vs Senegal, leaving Freese to potentially play 90 minutes vs Germany. Turner made a big save on the 1 v 1 against Senegal and has the experience, but guessing it will be Freese.
Bruce: Also assume it will be Freese given how much he's started under Poch recently. With the way he thinks Poch wants to build out of the back more, Bruce thinks Freese is the better option for that. But he thinks both keepers are pretty even overall. He thinks it's maybe even possible we rotate keepers in this tournament (even though it's not something he would do, and it would be highly unusual).
Bob: A lot of thought goes into playing out of the back these days. But Bob thinks at the end of the day, shot-stopping matters more, and he thinks Turner still makes big saves. Thinks he made 2 or 3 big plays yesterday. Agrees that it appears that Freese is the #1. But if he just looks at pure shot-stopping, and the ability to make a big save that can make a difference, Turner is still in the discussion.
Bruce: Agrees Turner has the edge in shot-stopping. But for some reason, in this era, coaches think the ability to play under pressure and build the attack from the back is important. And if that's the case, Freese has the edge.
Gregg: Ability to build out of the back is more important at club level. But it's not going to be how you win at the World Cup.

 

Problem for Zendejas is he looked slow out there.

He is fortunate we are thin on wingers. We had to have some winger depth but at least partially based on what we saw against Senegal at the full international level against world class athletes he may struggle to impact the game.

 

It's always a joy to listen to Bruce. Dude is hilarious in his brevity and how clear some of his comments are even when he doesn't explicitly say them (For some reason, coaches think playing out of the back is important!).

You can see why he's a good coach -- he very much cuts to the core of things. I don't think he's always going to find the best thing, but his commentary on the roster and Christian, for example, was just very correct and clear.

Of course all of them are very reluctant to disagree with Poch and even, at times, with each other, though there were a few moments where each's philosophy came through.

 

Major, major kudos to you for such a thorough and informative synopsis. Really appreciate it!

 

Italy's recycling of old fossil coaches is truly a sight to behold. How many times can you cycle through Conte, Allegri, Ranieri, Sarri, Mancini, etc.......

Itd be like the NFL literally still letting Fassel, Billick, Jimmy Johnson, BIll Cowher, Shanahan coach in perpetuity. Do they have any LaFleur, McVay, OConnell, Ben Johnsons in the house?

 

I enjoy Sempre Milan but I don't think they are a good reputation of Milan fans. The Milan reddit page flat out celebrated Pulisic's game and put much of his struggles on Allegri... and even when Pulisic struggles, they at least see and acknowledge he works hard (main reason so many fall out of love so quickly with Rafa)

 

well as of right now looks like some in Milan are pushing for Rangnick as sporting director and they're meeting with Glasner about the manager position tomorrow

 

and hes spoken about travelling to saudi arabia to "relive" the world cup- my point was musah wanted the summer off. his pilgrimage wasnt the sole reason.

 

that would........actually be great for Musah......

 

glass is always half empty?

 

yes I bet that would have made Farke and the Yorkshire faithful so happy with him …

damn if he does and damned if he doesn’t

If he was smart he did what his bride wanted - she will be with him long after he hangs up his boots.

 

it is just nice that Poch has all 3 healthy and ready to go … remember the days when we only had one good striker to go with regardless of the opponent or the needed formation?