USMNT Gold Cup Discussion

Ok it wasn't an "all time howler" but it was absolute trash.

 

Good news from Tyler.

Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago.

"A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything -- overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it."

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45493033/usa-tunes-donovan-dempsey-criticism-tyler-adams

 

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soc...ino-charlotte-fc-mls/0ebe20c1faba210f0a738eea

Andrew Privett and the wait for his USMNT dream: Why it's time for Pochettino to call up Charlotte FC, MLS star

 

With Andrew Privett alongside Ream we would've beaten the Swiss 3-1 ... how are we passing up the golden opportunity to build our defense around Charlotte currently the 14th best team in MLS who have conceded 27 goals

 

"I think I could," Privett said when asked if could help the USMNT performances right now. "I believe in my capabilities, but I also think there's always room to grow. It's a fine balance where I feel like I've had enough experience and games under my belt... with that experience, I feel like I could contribute.

 

It appears from the CONCACAF rules that there would be a couple of opportunities to replace Adams or any other injured player. (1) > 24 hour before the kickoff of the teams first group stage match and (2) > 24 hours before kickoff of the first knockout stage match.

Given the light weight competition I suspect Poch waits until the knockout to make a move if needed. That could mean worse case Tyler is not available against T&T and Poch has until Wednesday at 8:00 pm to request a replacement before Thursday's match v Saudi Arabia.

 

After watching a lot of the possible backups to Adams I think Musah is the only one who could possibly play similar. Unfortunately he never plays for clubs in that position but the quickness, range, speed and toughness makes him the only one with the physical properties to play a single dmid. The problem is of course does he have the mindset to do it?

 

I think most of us wanted this but it sure did go to hell. FIFA had a lot to do with it scheduling the competing CWC at the same time in the same country. I'm sure some of the players realized it wasn't going to be a full team and decided not to waste time and instead heal as much as possible for next season and the WC.

 

Milan tried that, used Fofana as a mentor but ended up experimenting him out wide like Poch

 

He's got something to say 🎙️#USMNT captain Christian Pulisic joins @JimmyConrad, @CharlieDavies9 and @TMeola1 to talk all things Gold Cup and more 🇺🇸

Tune in LIVE tomorrow at 10am ET, streaming free on CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube 👇https://t.co/NOU24B4gbg pic.twitter.com/NrvFLMtuuH

— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) June 11, 2025

USMNT captain Christian Pulisic joins
@JimmyConrad, @CharlieDavies9 and @TMeola1 to talk all things Gold Cup and more.

Tune in LIVE tomorrow at 10am ET, streaming free on CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube

 

Milan can purchase a player that fits better while the US is stuck with a bunch of players who cannot be solo #6's. Until Musah demonstrates he can add assists and goals he needs to be playing as a defensive mid or outside back. Just my opinion.

 

I’d definitely prefer to trot Musah out at fullback over any of the duds who just got torched on repeat in the last two matches.

 

Musah played the six once and was surprisingly good (could he do it consistently?) and has played both fullback positions competently for AC Milan. Agree and think he'd be better than what we're seeing at either spot. Guess I need to see Freeman again as I never judge a player on their first start and he was OK and could be a lot better against non world class wingers. Arfsten is better offensively but has played at a much lower level so it's a lot of projecting and defensively he's a winger playing left back.

 

Herve Renard's Saudi Arabia should provide a strong test. Trinidad gave the US a strong test in Nations League.

 

If we were going to field the team that covered the field in a fine spray of diarrhea vs Switzerland, I’d be very skeptical we were going to escape the group. But unless Poch has had a stroke that’s truncated his capacity to understand soccer, that’s not going to happen.

And when you think about just the likelihood that Adams will be able to play (I assume, what I heard is that his foot thing was minor and woudl not keep him out of the GC group stage games) we’ll have a pretty decent team, if far from all our top guys.

So I think it’s unlikely that we’ll not get out of the group, though it’s possible. True that Saudi and T&T are no pushovers. Not sure what Haiti’s deal is. But overall competition in Concacaf has improved greatly in the past decade-plus thanks in large part to MLS. So the days of winning multiple group stage games by 4+ goals (ah the halcyon days of GC 13) are likely behind us.

I’d also hope that after that shameful debacle on Tuesday and the resultant flaying everyone’s gotten in the press and other media, this team will play with a chip on its shoulder and a sense that they need to prove their worth—and that may give them the edge that’s been sorely lacking in the past year.

 

That is one reaction that "could" happen but there are others including just effectively giving up and putting out the minimal effort to produce the appearance of playing soccer, like against the Swiss. While I do NOT expect that reaction, pro soccer players are virtually certain to have run into similar situations and should know how to process things internally to minimize the adverse effects, it is a possible reaction particularly as this group of players have never been, as a group, really subjected to anything like this as a group.

I do not think we will fully recover and I really doubt that we will play well but the number of really poor teams in this group is three and, right now, the USA is not one of them.
SA is mostly unknown but they have shown nothing to make me think they will play well in this Gold Cup.
T&T is an average to below average CONCACAF team that has a number of pretty good players.
Haiti is the most unpredictable team in this group and can almost look like world beaters one minute and then fall flat on their face the next.

Those three teams, if given a sniff of victory, can play lights out and beat the USA if given a chance.

If I were trying to put this team together I would set up for all out attack for the first 20 minutes or so to try and make it seem like they have no chance and I would threaten the players that if I see anybody loafing at all before the match is out of reach they will not play again for the USA as long as I run the show.
That is an extreme act but "desperate times call for desperate measures" and we are, if anything desperate.

I do not have a lot of optimism but the team could get one good win in this first match and suddenly be the CONCACAF greats they use to be.

 

Tolkin and Ream on the press conference. Like the Tolkin pick and fine with Ream, even though finding a partner for Richards, is imo, priority #1 roster wise.

 

us soccer tweeted a group stage preview with a pic of turner, so looks like we are gonna have to score 3 per match.

 

it’s a Poch genius move to ensure we get at least 5 goal contributions out of Tequilla Tillman and Diego “I REALLY hate spiders” Luna.

 

Brian White 1.0

A special visit from Wondo! 🇺🇸#USMNT 🤝 @SJEarthquakes pic.twitter.com/hebp4ixIi6

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 14, 2025

 

Curious how the Dominican Republic does in this thing. They were nowhere, and suddenly finished top 4 in U20/U23 Qualifying in summer '22, did okay in Nations League B for Concacrap the past few cycles, then went undefeated and earned a promotion plus their first ticket to the Gold Cup I think (is it?). Are they suddenly bubbling up a little bit? We've seen some teams come up out of nowhere the past 25 years: Panama suddenly started becoming relevant with Gold Cup '05, Guadeloupe did it with a couple of Gold Cups I think starting in '07, Curacao suddenly came alive in '19, are the Dominicans starting to arrive, to some limited extent? Definitely curious.

 

I will say, with the vague hints of knockout set ups I've seen, I've been imagining a Canada over USA Semifinal, and a Mexico over Panama Semifinal, but I think Costa Rica can knock us out in the Quarterfinals if Poch continues to be utterly clueless with the pool.

I think my go to lineup for the tournament:
Striker: 1. Wright, 2. Downs, 3. Agyemang

WF/CM/WF: Luna/Tillman/Aaronson or Aaronson/Luna/Tillman

CM: LDLT or Johnny and Adams

FB's: Tolkin/Freeman um Arf maybe?

CB: Richardson/McKenzie/Zimm/Robinson

GK: Freese, Brady starts if we pull 6 from the first two matches, otherwise Freese all the way through.

I'm fine with Downs as the starting striker, but it sounds like he's sick, I'd rotate Wright and Downs, and use Agyemang as a game specific starter/sub.

The rest of the spear would rotate between the grouping of 3, with both Aaronson's involved.

I think the team could win it if it wasn't a total mess and if I had any faith at all in Poch in his lineups and understanding of the pool, since I have zero, I expect Mexico or Canada to win this thing. Panama is a nice dark horse.

Mexico is +175
Canada is +500
Panama is +900

I find it amusing the US is still sitting at +225. The markets have not caught up, STILL, to how --- we are right now, much like the women's olympics team back in '23 (hearing Howard refer to our coach coming into coach the best players in the world is a reminder that even people as plugged in as Howard, are utterly clueless about the particulars. The US definitively does not have the best players in the world, a majority of them, or even a considerable amount of them, we are very much, in the mix, as a top 1-6, maybe 1-8 side in the world, but we are no longer what we were as a Women's team circa 1991-2015. Not even close to that, the world has caught up.).

 

Not so much the markets as bettors. Casinos and sports books set odds designed to maximize bets on both sides, so these odds suggest that there’s more money down on the US than their form indicates, likely a product of homerism/optimism.

 

I don't see this team winning against Canada or Mexico.

 

It was disappointing to see the sidecar heroes that the Aaronson brothers have become out there.