Post-match: USA v. South Korea - September 6, 2025 - International Friendly

You honestly believe that Sebastian Berhalter should be starting instead of Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid/ESP), or Yunus Musah (Atalanta/ITA)?

 

I have a better opinion of Ream than you do, so I’m going to point out that not stepping up isn’t evidence he’s “well past it.”

If you look at the other 10 starters, Ream was better than half of them today. So the focus on Ream is kind of odd to me.

Having said all that, Ream hasn’t looked as good with Charlotte this year as last. I watch them a lot and he’s aged more than a year, if you know what I mean.

All this to say, arguably the most disturbing tactical aspect of Poch is that he appears to be experimenting to find Ream’s partner when he should be trying to find Richards’ partner. Building your team around a 38 year old is nuts, and thinking Ream is better than Richards is blindness.

 

Great, great insight

 

I don't think he should. But he's outplayed them, so what's the alternative?

 

What? You mean Berhalter has played hard and given a lot of effort in some meaningless friendlies and B team Gold Cup matches? Those other guys are playing with and against World Cup players every week at their clubs. Does that not matter at all? My God. I can’t believe this is even a discussion.

 

Done the whole re-watch:

1) We should have won. The xG was not wrong. We probably had the better of the play in five of 6 "quarters." This wasn't a game like too many recent games where we didn't generate opportunities. We just didn't finish. We had six point blank shots (admittedly on a few self-rebounds) Some of those should have fallen in. Credit to their keeper, who was good. And Weah being out of form doesn't help.

2) We made mistakes in the back and they took their opportunities.

3) The maligned MLSers were mostly good. Arfsten was very good, although not being the primary point of attack helped. Berhalter, I feel like there's something missing, but he had a decent to good game. Blackmon had a 6.7 Fotmob, which was highest on our backline. I don't think that passed the eye test, and on re-watch he's still too confused about where he needs to be. But he had a strong passing game.

4) Pulisic was better than I remembered. It seems everyone agrees that Adams was bad, and Weah seems out of form. I wish I knew a secret formula for our overseas players to show up and play well. It's a mystery to me.

It was a big improvement on the Canada game, where we just sucked. At the same time, sometimes losing teams just find ways to lose.

 

If you leave it in Europe consistently, then no.

 

I mean, Weston hasn't played a good game for us in a long time and his last game was a disasterclass.

People were screaming to drop Johnny a few months ago. Now it's a fireable offense. Musah, close to the same.

 

Almost all of the US’s best results the last 5 years have had a starting midfield of some combination of McKennie/Adams/Musah/Reyna.

They are our best midfielders and not coincidentally play or have played at some of the biggest clubs in the world.

This **** isn’t rocket science.

These guys are locks and should be playing every game or nearly every game.

Not the Sebastian Berhalter/Jack McGlynn/Diego Luna/LDLT gang.

The fact that has to be explained to people beggars belief.

 

There were three clear scoring opportunities that should have been goals: Berhalter after the SK goalkeeper passed it to him, Richards from the FK and the Balogun threefer.

The one that pissed me off most was Berhalter, who lost composure and rushed the finish. Unfortunately, I think that’s the one Poch will be happiest with because it came from pressing.

The goals we gave up were truly bad. Honestly you’d have to go back to WC 1998 to see a USMNT as poor as this.

 

Yeah. It’s pretty annoying that people even make these arguments like McKennie or Johnny played poorly in some bullsh!t match against Panama for the umpteenth time, but hey Berhalter had a decent match against Guatemala in the Gold Cup, so he should be good to go against Brazil in the World Cup. (Ignoring the fact that guys like McKennie and Johnny play against those players every week at their clubs).

 

Looks more like 1990, actually.

 

Its just dumb. McKennie has 66 caps. He has been at the heart of some of the best usmnt performances of the 21st century. He has had bad games. Of course. Everyone does. Pulisic has had plenty. So what?

McKennie has played hundreds of games in top 5 leagues and the CL. He has scored goals against Man City and Barcelona in the CL.

Sebastian Berhalter has played 100 games in MLS and has never done anything of note with the usmnt.

Yea, no s*** McKennie is better than Sebastian Berhalter.

Good god. Are these people serious?

 

Yes, I considered that as a reference point, but although that team was naive and outclassed, they learned game by game and dramatically improved their performances over the group stage.

 

You're living in 2022.

 

He did fire one good one in that no one managed to get their head to. A teasing ball that beat the first defender and flashed across goal.

But for the most part, yes. Berhalter isn't a great player for this level, but he takes a better set piece. To me, that's PRECISELY what he's there for. And to a lesser degree, McGlynn.

 

Given how they carved up our defense, I thought Freese was actually pretty good.

Why Pulisic and Weah were on the wrong wings in the first half is a mystery. But nobody in our midfield could put them in dangerous positions anyway I guess.

I feel bad for Blackmon. He was overmatched. I hope that Banks looks better (assuming he sees the pitch vs Japan). I don't know what to do about the midfield. Both Berhalter and Luna played as they always do. Berhalter reliable but lacking creativity and pace; Luna active but not fast enough, and also had trouble creating. We need more quality at the 8/10. And who on this roster can spell Tyler?

4-2-3-1 w/Tyler and Wes or Johnny at the 2
Zendejas on the RW and Tillman or Reyna at the 10.

That's the ticket!

 

What is a meaningless friendly? Aren’t they all by definition meaningless? I mean, they’re friendlies.

 

Maybe this isn't the golden generation that many pundits have called them. The defense was miserable and the offense wasn't capable of making their chances count as as goals. As host nation we are awarded a place in group stage. If this is the manager and team going to World Cup I would predict that they won't make pass the group stage.

 

Agree across the board here. A seasoned CB vet isn’t going to make Blackmon better and frankly Richards looked great when he’d came on. He also happens to look good for CP. We need to build off that.

 

I for one think we need to give Coach more time to learn the player pool, our culture and style of play, and for sure get a game or two to experiment.

I think it is unreasonable to expect more from the Coach - we are barely paying him minimum wage for the effort he is clearly putting in.

also I’m glad Tim Weah was able to out the evildoers in their place by showing yet another dominant performance

how can’t we feel great about things! Just be patient and wait until June everyone.

 

People keep saying that Japan stopped trying, when they were definitely still pressing and pushing. I understand it’s a way of coping with the fact that the US looked competent in the game (out shot, out possessed, out shot on goal) but it’s a weird thing that I see only a handful of expected people saying it. It actually tactically looked like it neutralized the press cause of the numbers up top and Roldan finding good space, which I don’t feel like the starters did well at doing in the 4 at the back, but I’m not sure if you’re really up to talking about the actual strategies of it.

 

We're so terrible right now that we can't even beat Japan when they didn't even show up.

 

I haven’t really felt the team has been properly tuned in since the 2024 Nations League final. Maybe Weah’s red card doomed the cycle.

 

for you and gogo both - I see your point - Goodwin and others were minor contributors - still does not explain the broadcast feed to Klinsmann or Seb’s interview - but as you said Poch had full authority to pick the roster - therefore this is on him. This squad looks piss poor in general. Again many of then players play better for club than country.