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

Does anyone know why Diego Forlan, Miroslav Klose, and Landon Donovan were so much better with their national teams than they were with their clubs?

 

The press wasn't where we gave up the goals though. Both goals were post-press and actually in a situation where the big issue was specifically failing to apply pressure on the passer.

This group has never been good at sitting back at all, and that's where we got picked apart here as well. Too strung out, and no one ball pressure.

 

They don’t put in the work. It’s a vacation to them. They are not serious people with serious goals.

 

Pride? Self belief and a desire to prove themselves and play for National respect?

 

Pulisic has to play through double and triple teams on the national team, because the opponent knows guys like Berhalter ain't ever hurting them. Then you turn around and praise mediocre play from a mediocre player all while shitting on our best player.

 

We aren’t good at sitting back because Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah think that they don’t have to participate. Apparently Adams didn’t want to participate yesterday either.

They’re all cool with leaving the dude on his first cap backpedaling on an island with Son running at him.

 

Disagree on this one. Roldan was pretty good. He hasn't played for the US since 2023, and he seems to being used in a completely different role from when he was used then. He's improved as a player overall, and he actually has some of the physical tools to hang defensively. He played very well in the CWC.

He deserves as much of a second chance as Sargent. I would not be shocked if he was one of our better options replacing Tyler.

 

1) they were all more talented footballers than Sebastian Berhalter.

2) Pulisic is on track to beat Donovan's goal scoring record for the USMNT

 

I have no clue who or what you're responding to, but from context this 100%. Anyone slagging on Pulisic is not too bright.

 

It’s all some form of living a childhood dream and being fueled by pride to defend your people. It’s feeling at home in that culture and being highly motivated to defend it.

I think that a few of our top guys have that. I think that Richards has that, Tillman has some of that, Dest has some of that, and Antonee has some of that. Then we have guys like Luna, Roldan, Berhalter, etc, who have that but are not in the group of top players.

 

Why did Pulisic suck yesterday?

Isn’t he rested?

 

I like Sargent and wanted to see him this summer but the difference was pretty stark as soon as Balogun got in the game.

 

Not Donovan's goal + assist total & overall performance. No real nat'l team fan would pretend Pulisic has been as or more impactful than Donovan.

We didn't have these down periods with Donovan playing because he was a superior point guard for this team. CP has tunnel vision. Would take that exchange any day, if offered.

You're just going to need to acknowledge there are exceptions to this league = int'l performance rule, and Donovan was the most famous. Chandler in the other direction.

It's merely a general guideline, not to be forced into every evaluation, after we've already seen the nat'l team performance, bad or good.

 

@grandinquisitor28

We had TONS of touches in the final third and box. The midfield did not hurt the offense one iota. We were fine on getting the ball forward.

We need someone who can create opportunities, and that's not Sargent right now. For whatever reason. But let's be clear, that's not because we didn't get the ball to the attack.

 

This stood out to me how many duels were lost on the offensive 'cause US players were floating into space waiting for the ball to get to them.

 

I think this is the opposite of what is happening. When Korea created their best chances, Adams got caught between players, but he was generally pretty close to the back line more often than not. Let Roldan or Musah play the deep role and turn Adams loose to get further upfield and put pressure on the ball.

 

Roldan LDLT Zendejas midfield vs. Japan

 

The other team was trying too hard, cut the poor superstar some slack.

 

Pulisic is a great player and I generally think the comparison to Donovan, though obvious, is kind of beside the point here.

He didn't play well yesterday. He definitely has some weaknesses in his game that get exploited. And we need to stop with the idea that playing with Max Arfsten is holding him back.

You want to be a star player -- you elevate those around you. Pulisic is our best offensive player overall, but if Max Arfsten on the left -- who played just fine -- is holding him back, then he's simply not as good as people think he is. It's a weak sauce excuse.

He was far too domineering on the ball yesterday and he's a better off ball player. Christian doesn't need better teammates; he needs to trust his teammates more. Guys like Dest and Luna can find him. Max Arfsten can find them. Let them.

In fact, if ANY player hurt Christian yesterday, it was Sargent. He never created any tension with the defense in the center to create space.

Oh, and Christian wasn't the double-teamed guy; he just kept running into them by pounding his head centrally. The player the Koreans absolutely actually doubled was Dest.

 

Weah was the king of this. He would stop coming back for the ball. The turnover falls on a failed pass, but it's on Weah because he was counting on the defender just missing it or something.

 

We didn't have down periods with Donovan?? You didn't see the 06 WC did you. He was pretty meh. Grouped at that WC and he didn't score or assist in that tourney. He was on record saying how he was very disappointed with his performance.

 

Absolutely more talented. But where has that talent shown up the last year for the USMNT?
I don’t have a problem with Pulisic missing the summer to rest up, but I’m starting to expect that he and others do not give a shit about the national team.
There’s no fire, no competitiveness, no leadership.
I’m sure Puli will be excited if he breaks that record and looks back fondly at his USMNT peaking with a knockout loss in 2022.

 

Their club pays them.They make business decisions. They know they cant really be dropped for June .They will focus then.

 

He's in a fit of pique STILL about how lousy they were in March, and how instead of being aggressively hankering to play in June, multiple starters begged off, or went to CWC and made no effort to say, sit in the stands or whatever for a friendly or too, the latter I'm speculating, the former I'm positive about.

The worst of it is that nobody has a problem with tinkering when it's sensible which is:

1. Years before the WC, or 1 year when it comes to numerous players.
2. When it's in windows as you near the WC, tinkering w/half the freaking starting lineup for multiple games just months before the WC, and of those names, nearly all are flat out moronic.

Does anyone anywhere think Blackmon is a top 4, top 6? Hell for me, top 8-10 CB option? Not me. Harriel at FB? Not me. Berhalter at CM, not me. Arf as anything, not me and on and on.

What you do if you are looking at CB or GK, or CM or anything, is bring in a Downs, bring in a Trusty or Banks, bring in 1 experimental FB, not 3 etc. When you start them, you put them in a. lineup with your first XI, or the best available members of your first XI and your next best depth options so if Blackmon is playing, he's playing around his #1 LWF, #1 RWF, #1 option at DM, #1 CB, #1 FB's on the left and right. What you don't do is play him alongside a 90 year old CB who can't move, 2 FB's that are attack, attack and attack, neither of which can defend, and with an out of form Adams whose playing like ---.

Blackmon didn't belong on the field, but if you are starting him, reserve him for a game with Richards, Dest, Jedi, and a health Adams, or our best 6 available (away at Middlesboro). Instead Blackmon was left on an island with 2 FB's that don't defend, a CB that can't, a 6 that's broken, and two WF's only one of which works really on defense, and a Berhalter in CM who sucks at everything save set pieces and feeling intense.

It's simple, yet he's making it all hard. You'd think a guy whose coached at the top levels and played for a WC side in Argentina in 2002 in Japan/South Korea would get this, but instead, he's so offended by March and June that he's just calling anyone and everyone but the core XI and core backups of the depth chart.

He needs to be fired, period. We don't have anymore time for this bull----, nor for his misunderstanding of the pool.

 

Tudor has been the Juve manager since March. He also was there when McKennie first joined Juventus. The idea that staying back with Juve during an international break is suddenly going to afford McKennie the opportunity to change the mind of a manager who has had the back half of last season…an entire CWC…and an entire (if universally abbreviated) preseason to evaluate McKennie’s role on their roster and lineup is lunacy. It’s amazing the level which some people bend themselves over backwards trying to defend the indefensible. Poch has waisted just about very window….including this summer…and has precious few remaining. The only justification for leaving McKennie off of a roster he is available for at this point is if you’ve already moved in from him. Otherwise you are failing at your primary duty…namely preparing for the World Cup. You don’t prepare the group for the WC by leaving obvious final 23 players with their clubs during the few international windows you’ve had or have left. And if you’ve looked at our pool and decided McKennie has no role in the 23…well…you have zero business managing the US men’s national team and should probably stick to managing teams that provide you with a near unlimited budget every 6 months to buy a better squad than 90% of the teams you’ll face.