Hey everybody, the USMNT takes on Mexico in the Nations League Semifinal on Thursday, June 15 at 10PM. Panama and Canada are playing in the other semifinal earlier that day, and the final will take place on Sunday. The US qualified for the final 4 in March by winning their group and defeated Honduras and Mexico to win the Nations League last time in 2021. The roster for the Nations League is here:
Our official 23-man @CNationsLeague roster 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FlIQ4gHnjh— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) June 6, 2023
The following weekend, the US kicks off their Gold Cup campaign against Jamaica. Also in their group is Nicaragua Trinidad and Tobago and one other team which will be decided by further qualifying matches St. Kitts and Nevis. The roster will be announced later today (Monday) and there is expected to be some amount of turnover since club preseasons will start in July and many USMNT players are in need of a transfer. Furthermore, clubs are only required to release players for one official FIFA event each summer, so clubs don't technically have to allow a player to go to both. I'll post the roster here later.
Edit: Nicaragua has been disqualified from the tournament and replaced with T&T due to playing an ineligible player for 8 (!!) games in matches dating back to 2019.
Gold Cup roster (subject to change):
Eyes on an 8th Gold Cup 🇺🇸🏆B.J. Callaghan names 23-player roster for 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup » https://t.co/vZ2yOZqWJM pic.twitter.com/LKRTkOPK8L— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) June 12, 2023
Feel free to discuss below!
Comments
Happy to see Reyna and Scully on this list! Both seem to be very promising.
Reyna, Pulisic, and Balogun...
Tuesday the 13th? or Thursday the 15th?
Thursday the 15th. Thanks for catching
Who's the coach?
Lol
Interim to interim coach BJ Callaghan will be coaching the team presumably through both tournaments. Interim coach Anthony Hudson accepted a job as head coach of a Qatari club team last month. Former coach Gregg Berhalter "remains a candidate" for the full-time head coach position but the USSF is dragging their feet for some reason in regards to filling the position.
I have to imagine (hope?) that there will be some leak and/or announcement after/near the end of the Gold Cup. It's stupid that we are missing this critical window for the new coach to get to know the players before Copa America next summer, but we absolutely can't afford to miss any more time after this. There will only be 4-5 windows after this until Copa.
At this point we might as well hire Ted Lasso
I kinda wish they would have made that the end of the show. Would've made a lot of sense for him. Vibes manager, extreme patriotism, don't have to work that much, get to live at home.
GC roster is out
- Nice to see Slonina (Chelsea). Don't think he'll get any minutes with Turner (Arsenal) and Johnson (Toronto) there, but he's not playing with a senior team right now, so just good to get him involved. Maybe if he gets a loan move he might be better off doing preseason wherever that is
- ...sigh. Aaron Long (LAFC) and DeAndre Yedlin (Miami). Why? They're not even playing well in MLS! I don't get it.
- Love to see Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy) and John Tolkin (NY Red Bulls). Two young players having some nice seasons
- Interesting to see Busio, especially over his Venezia teammate Tanner Tessman. Tessman was one of Venezia's best players this season in their push to get promoted back to Serie A (ultimately fell short). Busio, as I understand, was largely a non-factor. Perhaps this call-up is to help him get a move away?
- Great to see Aidan Morris (Columbus) getting called up after he decided not to go with Canada for Nations League. Really good season after coming back from ACL tear and we need a backup DM with Tyler Adams reportedly out for 3-4 months (and thus likely staying at Leeds)
- Big chance for Cade Cowell (San Jose) off the back of his stellar U20 World Cup performance and amid reports of European interest
- Don't really understand why Julian Gressel is listed as a forward but OK?
Julian Gressel has always been an offensive minded wingback, so maybe they are doing a reverse Cuadrado and just letting him play winger full-time.
Yeah, just not generally the profile they use at winger. As long as Vazquez is on the field with him, so someone can take advantage of his service.
Yeah as a winger he would be a more old school, flat 4-4-2 winger which is almost extinct in the modern game.
Yeah, I find his inclusion odd. It's a nice story, with the naturalization and whatnot. But he doesn't really fit the style of play at all, he's not a young player, and his position(s apparently) are both full of younger, more promising players.
I don't really care about the Gold Cup, but it's a nice showcase for young MLS players to give them a platform to get to the senior team (Miles Robinson) or a move to Europe (Busio). I would rather see Kevin Paredes or Brian Gutierrez .
Big semi-USMNT news: credible reports coming out of Mexico that Gregg Berhalter is headed down to Mexico City tonight to finalize him as the next head coach of Club America. Very interesting move to one of the biggest clubs in Mexico.
In other news, reports surfaced today that Matt Crocker, new director of USMNT, has spoken to (not necessarily interviewed) 10 candidates for the manager job. One name believed to be amongst the list who is also reportedly interested in accepting if offered is former manager of Crystal Palace, Nice, and NYCFC and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. I think that would be a really good hire - he did well at NYCFC and I think Crystal Palace was a bit hasty in sacking him after some difficult fixtures.
Literally as I'm finished writing this, a report comes out that he is no longer a candidate because he wants to remain in consideration for them USMNT job 🤷🏻♂️
I'm not sure who is advising him, or who is making the decisions for the USMNT, but he should have gone to Mexico....
Yes, I do not want him as the next manager of the US team. That's well documented. But also, I can't imagine his shot is so great with the candidates or potential that he'd be selected anyway.
It's possible he was interested in the Club America job but wasn't really the front runner. The club may have used him as bait to get whoever they really wanted to commit.
I know the players' opinion isn't everything, but multiple key players have said they hope he comes back. I do think we made a lot of progress and there's something to be said for not starting over from scratch.
However, there are high level coaches available who would be clear upgrades (Vieira, Luis Enrique). I don't know who's been spoken to, but I think you have to go with one of those if they're interested. If not, I think the smart choice, as long as there are no locker room issues, is to stick with Berhalter. Could we do better? Yes, probably, but we could also do a lot worse. I don't think hiring a new face just for the sake of it is a good idea going into 2026. I won't be thrilled if he's back, and it's very stupid that they waited 6-7 months especially if that is the decision, but I don't think it would be the worst thing ever.
That's the thing. They've had over 6 months to seek, interview, waive the flag, and we've already had 2 interim coaches. Who have they interviewed? Who have they targeted? If we simply turn around and give it back to Gregg, well.... that's disappointing. The search is turning into the renaming/rebranding of the Washington Football Team.
Yeah that part is no question a huge disappointment if that's what happens. Either way honestly there's no reason to take this long.
Tonight's starting 11 has supposedly been leaked as this:
Pretty much as expected, only ?s are CB pairing, midfield setup, and striker. If this is the lineup, I'm a bit surprised Balogun gets in right away. Reports from training are that he's been really good, but thought Pepi might get the start since he's the incumbent.
Kickoff not until 10 PM so I'll be watching replay tomorrow. Canada v. Panama at 7
That's a sexyass line up. Add Tyler Adams to that and *drool*. Get this squad a proper manager and let them grow!!!
Yeah man, it's really nice. And as much as I love Adams, I do wonder if this lineup is solid defensively if we could start to move away from Adams in games we have control of in favor of getting Reyna on in his best position. If Musah/McKennie can handle things defensively
This is the official lineup except Miles Robinson in for Zimmerman
So the USA/Mexico game tonight is on Paramount+ ?
*sigh followed by a massive string of swears*
Looks like its viewing via internet magic for me
Univision and I think TUDN if you get that
Univision for the win! Even if you don't have it streaming, you may be able to get it OTA.
Dos a Cero
Honestly hopefully way more with Mexicos rumored lineup. It looks rough
Per his agent, Jesse Marsch will not be the head coach of the USMNT
Per multiple reports from the The Athletic, Berhalter is returning. I hate this decision, but the USSF always finds new ways to disappoint me so I'm not surprised.
In regard to the game, the position has looked great thus far. Just need to connect on the final ball.
This feels very much like a hire Jim Weaver would have made😂
So I'm not actually too bothered by this and let me explain why.
He actually did a decent job at the WC has this group playing together and I personally like the way they play. Like a lot of national teams they need a out and out goal scorer and last cycle no one stepped to the plate.
If the investigation or Reyna leaks hadn't happened we most likely would have extended him anyway after the WC without the drama and most would have been fine with it. Does an investigation that really only dug up past issues that he and his wife had resolved really taint his ability to manage the team that much?
Also for me atleast the options floated about like Viera, Marsch don't really excite me, both were out of a job after poor spells at medium clubs. Vieras football was very very bland at crystal palace and Marschs teams struggle to defend both not ideal in national teams.
Is it a thrilling hire? No but he's got good rap with the players and no one guy is worth keeping him away from the team. He had better sort the shit with the Reyna's or atleast with gio first thing in the door atleast and I'd imagine they wouldn't offer the job without having that talk.
A competent manager easily beats wales and Iran and makes adjustments to try and beat the Netherlands
Do you really think it's easy to just 3-0 beat a team full of players who have no interest in attacking and are putting 11 men behind the ball? We're not Spain, Germany, whatever. We have a limited number of players who can play at that level and they played really well and ran out of gas in the knockouts.
I think you're just Content with being number one in Concacaf and which is easy as hell to do now since Mexico is down bad
CONCACAF being bad is Gregg's fault? You realize that the two interim coaches were both his assistants - everything they're doing is basically just a continuation of what they did under Gregg. The only difference is Gio as a 10 - and that's probably only because we didn't have Adams.
If they look bad in Copa America then that would be concerning. Otherwise, please suggest a different hire who will get more out of the team.
That's not what he said...
And if you're content being top dog in CONCACAF with nothing else to show, then it's like winning the sun belt in basketball. Lowered expectations.
And, you assume the interim coaches didn't change anything...but it was a different squad last night, Gio played a different role (and was ON the pitch), and Balugon was up top.
And, he's saying there are better candidates, and the search should have turned them up. Who knows who will get more, but Gregg wasn't getting the most. It's complacency. And that's lazy.
Didn't say I was content with that, but let's not forget that in the span of 4 years we've gone from plucky underdogs to playing Mexico off the park. They are not as good as they used to be, but let's not turn our noses up at being too dog when we've literally never been that before. I'm not saying that's Gregg's doing but let's have some perspective.
If we are ever able to get information about who was interviewed and who was interested and there is someone clearly better on there then that is a miss. Otherwise, I'm not losing sleep over it.
Well when usa does absolutely nothing in the Copa America next year maybe you'll finally wake up
I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but I don't believe this is a manager problem at the highest level. I don't like the rehire at all, but it isn't like the cupboard is completely full to play any style we want.
When we have better youth programs and folks choosing travel soccer over other avenues we can be better technically in the final 3rd. Hard to get results when we don't have Triple Crown type players on the pitch.
I'm with you on the investigation. The fact that the Reyna's thought that was the thing to do there is insane. If it was already investigated, it did not deserve to be brought back up. Very unfair to all parties, especially Gregg's wife.
In terms of management, I'm just not a fan. Lack of adjustments, questionable lineup choices, and really, his style. Look, if the players like it, it's whatever, but this entire process is just another awful look for the USSF. I go into Berhalter ball thinking this is going to be an awful 90-minute watch. Similar to how I felt and end of Fuente. It's just blah.
Also, I'm hoping this was already discussed with Reyna.
I'm hoping this was discussed with Gregg. It seems he had pet players as well as others that were on his $#*! list. If we are going to progress, we need a squad for the next 3 years that gets to play together and gel. Not a hodge podge of lineups (I believe he had a different lineup nearly EVERY single game he managed) that changes daily.
Also another thing is Berhalter was absolute garbage on the road. We shouldn't be losing to Honduras and Panama and teams like that no matter if we're playing them away
Not enough swear words in the English language for this one. Someone get me Rosetta Stone
Lol I remember when people on this site said Arena was a good hire after JK was canned...and it was not. At all.
Same story here. Bad hire, utter failure. More of the same from USSF.
It's shit like this that makes it easier not to be a US fan
At this point, I'm not sure what would be worse. Him actually signing after going thru 2 interim coaches, stepping away, being rumored for other jobs, and basically calling it a failed search and going back to the easy route, or this being a premature announcement that results in him NOT being the coach and truly shows the full load of incompetence held by the decision makers at USSF.
All of the above
yes.
PULISIC
TIMES 2. LETS GOOOOO
Hokies
And again.
Dos A Cero
FIGHT
McKennie a real one
And another fight
EL TRI MORE LIKE L TRI😤😂
TRES A CERO
Mexico players are scumbags. Landon was very right about them
There wasn't this much fighting when Pershing crossed the Rio Grande
Game called on account of homophobia
Disgraceful by the Mexican fans. Take your losses without be absolute scumbags
Best comment I've seen yet was "Happy Pride Month."
Well, that and "EL TRI.... A CERO."
What a shitshow of a night. Berhalter brought back, CONCACAF refs on their bullshit hard tonight, Mexican fans being an utter disgrace. At least the players on the field knocked the shit out of Mexico. Canada is our real rival. Mexico can kick rocks.
You forgot to mention their players also being an utter disgrace
Maybe if Mexico had a few more players with nicknames they would've done better tonight /ssssssss
WOOOOOO feels good to kick their asses every single time.
Lol that was a beatdown. Mexico looked like garbage. All they can do to hang in the game is kick us. Looked like 2007-era US trying to stay in the game with Mexico
Referee garbage, what else is new? The chant was happening from the 12th minute, did you forget to put on your hearing aid until the 2nd half?
Doesn't matter how much he sucks or how little he gets to play for club, Pulisic always cooks for the US
I love to see the passion from the players, but they needed to keep their cool better. They got baited into the absolute clown show that was that game and now we're missing two key players for the final. Mexico doesn't care about players missing for the 3rd place game. Dest lost his head, Reyna would've probably gotten into several more fights if he wasn't subbed, and many others. Absolutely hilarious though that McKennie is sent off for a "hand on the throat" when that's happened to him literally 2 of the last 4 or 5 times he's played Mexico and no punishment
The chant was so much louder midway through the second compared to the first. Obviously it's something that has gone on for years, and has been curbed a tad bit recently. But at this point, I truly believe they were using it to protest their own federation last night. They are understandably upset with what they had to watch and by stopping the game, they can make themselves heard. Being barred from their next home game won't stop them from voicing displeasure. Idk, just a thought. I was hoping it would get to a third stoppage because that's where CONCACAF is 'supposed' to do something.
They need to forfeit a game at some point or it won't stop. It's a disgraceful look for CONCACAF to have this happen almost every time they play.
Agreed, but do you think CONCACAF is going to make them ff a 'meaningful' game. I mean, I doubt the fans would care if they had to ff a friendly. The only thing damaged by that is economic impact of the host. It's just tricky and at the end of the day, it's CONCACAF. No one knows what they will do.
No, I don't think CONCACAF has the balls to make them forfeit even a game like this which is a real game but not as important as a WCQ.
Concacaf could at least make them play a punitive amount of closed door matches. Fans dont get to watch in person, team doesn't get the home support environment, venue loses matchday revenue, etc
On the Berhalter news: look everyone always wants a change when the team falls short of goals. I think you have to step back and look at the bigger picture.
- In terms of controlling games and being the protagonist in games both against lesser opposition and equal, we made huge strides forward under Berhalter.
- Defensively, we had the best record in qualifying, even when playing with 2 defensively below-average fullbacks and a single pivot midfield
- People don't want to hear this, but we were good at the World Cup. The one element we lacked was creating chances and breaking down teams in the final third. You know who else struggles with that? Everyone. This is clearly the area most in need of improvement
- The delay in hiring is bad - no sugarcoating that. Hired a search firm only to end up with the guy you already had. Imo, if the Reyna thing hadn't come out, they would have just extended him in Dec.
- As long as everything is cool with him and Gio, I think it will be fine. A lot of people (myself included) are overrating the attractiveness of this job. Making a change just for the sake of it is bad process and the reality is that the best non-Berhalter options were probably Marsch, Vieira, and Thierry Henry. I looked back at Palace this past year and they were pretty bad, so I was probably overrating Vieira. I'm not sure any of those candidates are good enough to warrant a change
Idc Berhalter tactics are crap and he never adjusts them. This team was free flowing and were having fun last night. Be prepared to go back to tight boring ass 1-0 games at home and at best 1-1 draws away
So who then? Everyone swears berhalter is the worst option but was Viera really that much better? We can't afford or land a Mourinho or Pep like the delusional fans think so who else is there? Curtain is the only other I would have been interested in but this feels like a lot of criticism that's more of a anybody but him which seems harsh considering how much the players like him.
As a Roma fan, I am not really sure why they would want Mourinho over Berhalter. I guess you can say that Mourinho is a proven winner, but his game plan is not much different. The games would not look much different than a Berhalter game. Roma lost or tied many games this year they should have won due to a defense first mentality and lack of adjustments, or just mind-boggling game planning (See Europa League Final).
I like Berhalter and think without the scandal, he would have been extended and we never would have been talking about this. His brand of soccer is not the most exciting, but he also had a very young team that was still learning to play together. He does need to get better at using the pieces he has and some meaningful in game adjustments. Just hoping him and Reyna and Pepe can move forward and continue to improve and contribute to the team.
As a united fan who survived his tenure there I wouldn't touch him at all. Shit football that does still work in knockouts but his brand/baggage would be insufferable for a full cycle.
Jose has 2 Champions League and 3 Premiere League titles. Berhalter didn't even win a MLS cup. That is why I would want Mourinho over Berhalter.
We couldn't have afforded to pay out his current deal and he did all that with world class rosters. He's a good manager but his style would either be brilliant or it would blow up immensely. I've watched him enough recently in his last two PL stints where I can say the football was shite and if you thought the Gregg and Reyna drama was absurd he would pick fights with players in a bigger way it's how he operates. Not my cup of tea but I can get why folks would want him.
I mean it's silly to say as a national team program that we wouldn't want a manager who has won CLs and multiple huge trophies. Like if he actually wanted to coach here of course we should do it.
But it would be an absolute train wreck
Thank you! I also really like Curtin but the people who are mad about Gregg wouldn't be happy with that either.
The reality is that national team success is maybe 80-90% due to the players. The coach just has to not screw things up. The vast majority of players, particularly the best ones, like him. Any coach who still has a chance to manage at a high level club isn't coming to coach the USMNT
Curtain was very much same level as Gregg to me. Gregg already has the rap with the players and has them playing well. Without the investigation his resigning would've simply been a formality.
I gave up my Union season tickets years ago because Curtin was still coach.
Thanks but no thanks. I know how his story would play out.
Really? I can't pretend to know a lot about him, but every time I've heard him talk I've been impressed. Him saying he would be assistant for the World Cup if they asked gave me good vibes. He seems fairly adaptable but has core tactics that overarch, great track record with young players, successful team in the last couple years.
What are your gripes with him?
No adjustments. No game plan. I can't count the number of times the Union would go up, or equalize, only to give away a dumbass goal literally seconds later.
He's been with the Union forever, and he's won nothing. To quote the great Marcellus Wallace, if he was gonna make it he would have made it
Boring can get results though. I understand Greg's results, I'm just talking in general.
Play to the strengths. It sucks if you want to see an open game but if guys get gassed or don't play well in that scheme are you willing for 3-0 losses for a "fun, open" game?
Viera wasn't bad, like for all the shortcomings of this season he deserves mad props for the season before. That being said hodgson coming on and absolutely rocking it with the same roster was a huge black eye
Had hodgson not come in and looked a revolutionary Viera may have been intriguing but palace were such a bad watch this season under him. Hell Hodgson to run USMMT would have been intriguing.
But if you look at the fixture run that ended with vieira canned and the fixture run that coincided with hodgson's success....
It's harder to beat good teams and easier to beat bad ones
Still thinking about how abjectly terrible Mexico was last night. Like, it was kind of sad. Each and every one of our players was just so much better than all of theirs. Their new coach won't last very long at this rate.
Sucks not to have Dest and McKennie but it will be a fun match with a team who's actually good in Canada. Think we owe them one for when we played them in WCQs.
Looking at their roster before the match I did an actual (not actual) spittake. It was just terrible. Bunch of LigaMX guys. Maybe they should consider trying to send some of their best young talent to Europe and see what happens /s.
Dest doesn't bother me much, assuming Scally takes his spot. McKennie is a dude, so that's concerning. Hopefully we get a baller LDT game and Canadas counter runs cold.
Some GGG thoughts:
I'm not jumping through the roof about the hire, but it's fine!
Saying we didn't hit our World Cup goals lacks for a bit of nuance. Sure, if you said before the tournament we lose in the round of 16 a lot of people would be disappointed, but the knockout round is all about the draw, and no one should be surprised, or really upset that we lost to the Netherlands in a fairly close game.
There's also a limited pool for the USMNT manager. We just don't have the money. GGG made around $1.6m in a World Cup year, and the Federation doesn't have the ability to go that much higher. We're not going to snag an elite coach with that. Not to mention that fact that the manager has a much more limited impact at the national team level, than at the club level. You're basically getting maybe a week of training with whoever you're able to call in for a given camp, then play two/three games, depending on the window. You're not going to implement a Guardiola-esque system as a NT manager.
As far as roster choices, he's largely made the right decisions with the starters (while dealing with a ton of injuries to key players for most camps). There are definitely nits to pick, but a lot of them were with the fringes of the roster, and I think he got the WC decisions mostly right. I haven't agreed with all his choices, but it's not like he's leaving out guys who are so much better than whoever is taking they're place.
Lastly, for tactics, he made huge adjustments to what he tried to do at the beginning of his tenure (shoutout to Nick Lima), and has put into place a system that largely suits our best players (a high energy, high-press, counterattacking system). We don't have the players to run a tiki-taka system out there. This article goes into some of the positives we've seen from him.
https://theathletic.com/3974522/2022/12/06/usa-world-cup-tactics-soccer/
Was not a close game. If it wasn't for a lucky Haji Wright goal it would have been 3-0
Some of this is game state influenced, but all of the stats now, and the eye test at the time showed it was a close game. Not necessarily that we should have one, but it was fairly even.
https://www.infogol.net/en/matches/result/fifa-world-cup/netherlands-vs-...
Okay but we were lucky to beat Iran. Had a very manageable group and a winnable game vs Wales that we dominated start to finish, took 30 crosses (for some reason) only got a foot/head on 4 of them, only one shot on target one goal.
Iran game we go up 1-0 park the bus too early, very lucky they didn't get an equalizer. Holland was good but we didn't give them near our best shot. Two of their goals could've been prevented with basic man marking
True, you can probably play the one/two things different, and it's a different result for most games. I'm just not going to go crazy over the rehire. I think it's fine. He's done a pretty good job with a still young/improving team, and going with continuity probably isn't the worst thing. I think us USMNT just overestimate how desirable the job is, and who we realistically could have replaced GGG with.
Armenia beat Wales yesterday 4-2. Something Bershiter couldn't do🤷♂️
Def have a hard on for the man. I'd just let it go because you can't change it.
I absolutely despise everything about this man. This hire process was a complete joke. Why the hell do you hire an outside company's when they know they wanted to bring back the idiot. Doesn't make any sense
I think his weird system actually helped us in a couple games, especially when we had to play up to better competition, but it also keeps teams that we should be roasting in games with us, especially at the WC level where everyone is solid and we're getting their best shot. In the long run sticking with him is a terrible idea, so I have no doubt the national team will extend him indefinitely
Agreed. If you look at his record outside of Concacaf. It just blows my mind why he got rehired
For context, the difference from the World Cup Wales squad to now is they lost Bale, Gunter, Joe Allen and appears to be in complete shambles. So, actually...the same as they were at the World Cup, just without Bale, lol. Was not expecting us to get pwned by fucking Armenia, tho, Jesus wept.
Wondering how we'll line up tomorrow with two big missing players. The obvious solution is just plug in Luca De La Torre for McKennie and Scally for Dest.
I did see a hypothetical lineup that I thought was interesting. 3-4-3:
MRob-Zimmerman-Richards
Weah-Musah-LDLT-ARob
Reyna-Balo-Pulisic
Would shift in possession to be similar to the 4-2-3-1 so maybe not a huge difference. OOP would line up with back 3 that Canada usually lines up with as well
The 3-4-3 is interesting! I like it for Robinson but worry about Weah getting exposed too far up the pitch. Honestly, I've never supported a team that regularly used a back 3 (Did not go well for the gunners in the early Arteta days), but whatever can tame the David/Davies combo best I'm down to try
He played a lot of FB/WB this season for Lille so I think it would be fine. Like I said, it changes in possession anyway. Just sort of a way of signifying that he needs to keep an extra eye on Davies.
Rumors about that Miles Robinson has an injury and Zimmerman replaces him as starter. Don't really have too many issues with that, but I might prefer someone a little quicker like Trusty. And tbh, if he's out that probably squashes the 3 atb idea anyway. 90% they'll plug in the like for like replacements and stick with the formation from Mexico.
Starting 11:
Very surprised to see Aaronson instead of Luca. Not really sure what that means. Aaronson and Reyna are both attacking midfielders, so I guess you could do Man City 433. But Musah isn't a DM, so that's just asking to be hit on the counter.
Very interested to see how it looks.
Dempsey Is asking the tough questions and I'm loving it 😤
Was it just me, or did Deuce seem like he'd had a few before the pregame show?
That seems very on brand
Reyna's gotta be more decisive in the attacking box
Like that?
Congratulations Chris Richards on your first international goal
Look what happens when somebody besides Pulisic takes corners! Love to see it
Balogun should not be back in this game. The close up on his face made it pretty clear he didn't know what planet he was on.
I disagree
You ever had a concussion? Speaking from experience, he looked like he got his bell rung, despite that beauty of a goal.
I said what I said semi-sarcastically
Yes I have had a concussion.
At least two that I can remember
I should have picked up on that.
I had three in the span of like 6 months in college. Rough couple weeks immediately afterward, and it definitely had a lasting effect.
The two I know of were when I was a special ed aide, both caused by the same student in the same academic year.
See, at least you got yours doing something admirable. Mine were:
1. Playing tackle football on the drillfield and it hadn't rained in a while so the ground was hard.
2. Donated blood, drank too much water, had to pee and rushed to to the head, passed out and hit my head in the hallway.
3. Dipshit kicked a dorm door open and I caught it with my face.
I probably got at least one or two more mild ones playing soccer in MS/HS.
Balogun with his first international goal
How tf you not bring this guy to WC Greg!?
Edit: should have clarified "play Reyna" lol as he was assist in both
This is sarcasm, right?
If you're talking about Balogun I'm sure he was offered a spot lol
We are winning the whole fucking thing in 26 if this team stays healthy and plays hungry like this.
Appropriate that Balogun scores his first US goal on Fathers Day because he just sonned that defender
Is Germany having a massive sale on hydrogen peroxide? First Gio, now Scally going bleach blonde
Gio and Joe are BFFs from the NYCFC days, Joe is just supporting his guy
Watching on Univision how this game is paywalled again is a joke. Loving the attitude and play so far balogun took that goal like he wanted it bad.
Also sneaky free kick routine that was so so close
You know how APrimusHokie feels about Berhalter? I feel that way about CBS/Paramount+ right now.
Our centerback situation going forward when everyone is healthy. Just chef kisses 👏
Looking real good in the "tournament" so far. One thing I hope carries over when Gregg returns is leaning into the transition and tricks and flicks/vibes-based attack. Too many times in WCQ we would pull up and get into the "half-court" offense. Started to see the transition emphasis a bit more in the World Cup but not many teams will be that open.
Loving what I'm seeing from Balogun. Besides the goal, which was a great run and finish, his technical ability is so good, he gives us an element that none of our other strikers do, which is the ability to create danger from a ball played into the wide channel. The corner for the first goal came from him facing up the defender and having a ball into the area blocked. Add in his intelligent vertical runs and hold up/connecting play and he looks the real deal so far.
Canada has a long way back now. Playing from behind not their forte and the quality of their CBS is just not at the level of the rest of their team. Johnston is decent, but Kennedy has been straight garbage and Miller is just ok. As long as we keep up the pressure on their back line we should continue to dominate
You forgot Baloguns pressing. Almost got a freebie off the keeper. Given the overall athleticism, I would love to see this team play German gegenpressing.
Gio comes off for De La Torre after an injury. Sucks man, he was running the show. Hope (and think) it's just precautionary
Balogun. You a dawg😤
Would like to see Zendejas and Booth in 10-15 minutes
Watching the replays of our goals, their keeper Borjan is...not good. They need a replacement ASAP
This officiating, again, is so bizarre. Miles ahead of the other night but still just mystifying calls and non-calls.
Maybe I'm just comparing to the other night but I think this guys been ok. Some weird soft calls and non calls but nothing major.
the time wasting is super annoying. You're up 2 goals - there's no need for that. Just play
Nah - they don't need to be picking up cards but they should absolutely be time wasting. One slip and give up a goal and all the sudden it's a very tense 10-15 minutes
I don't like it. they should be there to play the game.
Waste it while keeping possession.
Agree, thought they went way too defensive.
No one likes wasting time but until FIFA does something to stop it it's foolish not to do everything you can to see out the game.
You want to see world class time wasting watch England taking it to Northern Macedonia right now
When was the last time we went back to back in meaningful CONCACAF games and both games were comfortable (dare I say dominant) wins?
Probably the 2013 WC qualifying against Mexico and Jamaica
And without Tyler Adams and McKennie for one as well, musah is in beast mode
We've essentially never been this dominant in big CONCACAF games (basically just Mexico until now). So never lol
Exactly. I'd put our best XI against anyone in the world right now. And my confidence is higher for 26 when we're peaking.
Yeah I wouldn't go that far. Best 11 is good, maybe even legitimate top 10. But no chance it's on the level of teams like France, Argentina, Brazil, etc where every starter is a key player on a top 5 league team, has world class players, and has multiple depth options in case of bad form or injury.
Gio does not look good
Too easy man. Bring on Copa America
Also, crazy that everyone was disappointed when we were forced into an injury sub and bring on...a LaLiga starter. We're getting there!
Wait wait wait. Gold cup still up😤
Is that a B team though? Not much overlap on the two squads
Yeah but I'm all in.... for BJ😤😂
Yeah no one cares about the gold cup though. Like it's nice to see if anyone on the B/C team can maybe be a factor with the full squad, but otherwise...
I mean I'm still gonna watch but Mexico and Canada are going to care way more about it than us since they haven't won a trophy in 4/23 years lol
Agree on the depth part but DLT did himself no favors last night. He was constantly being tracked down (which someone should call out the man), being dispossessed, or just being bodied. I'm a big fan of his, but his performance last night was disappointing.
Yeah it was probably his worst game for the USMNT. But the point is our first sub is no longer an MLS journeyman but rather a starter in a top 5 league (even if his team almost got relegated). The difference even with now and 5 years ago is staggering
Mexico just fired their coach lolllll
They are so deeply in the mud. They don't know what to do now that other nations have actually started producing good players. The whole federation is deeply embarrassing
You just love to see it. I can only hope they continue to sink into their own UVA-football-style of doom loop on a slow, painful descent to complete footballing anonymity.
I was lucky enough to be in Vegas on vacation this week and was able to go to last night's match. As a bonus my seat was behind the goal we scored on. Had a great time and it was glorious shutting up Canada and Mexico fans after we scored!
Gio's pass was perfect, he needs to start every match he's in. The front 4 of Gio, Pulisic, Weah, and Balogun is world class. We need to play them together as much as possible over the next 3 years. I'm excited to see how we do at next year's Copa America! 🇺🇸 ⚽️
First match of the Gold Cup coming up on Saturday against a strong Jamaica squad (930 PM ET). Jamaica has called in what appears to be their strongest squad with Premier League stars like Michail Antonio, Leon Bailey, Ethan Pinnock, and new arrival Demarai Gray. Gray has just changed his international affiliation from England. Jamaica has always had a decent squad, but their issue has always been management. Their current manager is Heimir Hallgrimsson, who managed Iceland to their best ever performance in a major tournament at Euro 2016 (QF) and led them to their first World Cup in 2018. Their front line of Gray, Bailey, and Antonio will be extremely dangerous, and I will not be surprised if they give our back line trouble.
The US is calling a heavily North America-based squad to GC as Euro-based players need time off before preseason and need to sort out club transfers. The squad is listed in the main post above. There are a couple holdovers from the Nations League: Matt Turner, Sean Johnson, Miles Robinson, Alan Sonora, and Alex Zendejas. Turner started both NL games and I would expect him to get the bulk of minutes in the GC as well. I would expect all of them except Johnson and maybe Sonora to be starters and get the majority of minutes in the GC.
My predicted starting 11 for Saturday:
Turner
Reynolds-Robinson-Miazga-Tolkin
Mihailovic-Sands-Sonora
Zendejas-Ferreira-Morris
Ooof the lineup we using 😨
What's wrong with the lineup?
No Cowell or Mihailvoic or Jones or Reynolds. This lineup could have been alot better against the 2nd best team in the group but nope
I mean I would have started Mihailovic and Reynolds but it's not surprising that the holdovers are starting them opening game. Now if they continue to start after having poor games when the replacement is better...
Also Morris has 9 goals this season. I know people don't like him, but there no case for Cowell to start over him based on club form.
Now, I didn't watch the game last night, but I heard that several players were pretty bad. Let's hope they're replaced next match. But we should also remember that the next opponent will be much worse.
Hope Busio gets some minutes, I thought he was really promising in the minutes he got last Gold Cup. He can't be much worse than what Sands did in midfield last night 🤷🏼♂️
Busio was okay last GC but has been non-existent for his club this season. I'm surprised he even got called tbh.
Looks pretty much as expected, Long gets the start with Robinson out with injury. Yedlin over Reynolds is a choice, but ok.
This is either gonna be a 1-0 usa victory with a late late goal or just a straight pumping by Jamaica
This game sucks. Such a drop in action from our A squad to our B/C squad (which also happened to be a lot of Greg's A squad)
Which players are you talking about? There was only 2 players from 2022 World Cup starters, and it was the goalie. I would say this was our D team, honestly, but Definitley not anything close to a Berhalter A squad.
Ok, I'll take the L on semantics of using the word "a lot of berhlaters A squad"; but Long morris roldan yedlin all played last night and were all also on the WC squad.
But out of frustration with how much better the starting 11 looked for nations vs the World Cup and last nights gold cup, I'll continue to be frustrated until I see Greg play his best 11 and not his favorite 11.
Morris played 4 mins in the WC. Yedlin played briefly. I don't think any of them should be involved in the A squad either, but I swear everyone gets so mad about these players who don't even play.
It's for sure frustrating to see the team play like 08-era USMNT after looking so good in NL, but the players are the main driver of the quality of play. And the players in this squad are just not nearly as good as the NL squad. I guess I'm just not sure why people are surprised by this.
It's concerning to me because quite a few of these guys played significant minutes in WCQ last cycle, and we barely squeaked out the last guaranteed spot on goal differential. Got very lucky that CONCACAF didn't have VAR in the 1st part of qualifying, because we should've lost 2-1 at Jamaica.
I think it's just frustrating to re-hash the guys that haven't shown out well over the past 4 years rather than just throw in the younger guys (Neal, Cowell) or the guys that haven't gotten many chances with the NT (Mihailovic, Vasquez) from the beginning. All 4 of them looked like upgrades when they came in. We know Yedlin offers nothing in the attack anymore - the best he can do is break up the play with a foul when he gets beat. Long is slow to react and always seems shaky (Miazga kept the guy onside for the goal but Long also gave up on tracking him). Roldan can't score for the NT to save his life - 33 caps and counting. Jesus is not a primary striker unless you're playing Grenada.
Tolkin and A. Morris didn't have great shifts, but I'm glad we had the chance to evaluate them. Soñora and Sands looked serviceable for a B/C-team. Miazga grew into the game in the 2nd half playing alongside Neal, but Jamaica inexplicably took their foot off the gas it seems.
It's a B/C team, I would say. A mix of players from different levels. The point is that it's clearly nothing like the A team and the fact is there are maybe 5-6 players on this roster who will play any meaningful role in the full team in the near future.
This legit is basically watching a decent team beat up on a MLS team
The quality difference between the US players last night and those in the final against Mexico was shocking.
Semi against Mexico and final against Canada...but agreed. Drastic difference in style of play.
Looked like classic Berhalter ball - have your fullbacks bomb down the flanks and put in shitty crosses (do we even have a fullback in the ENTIRE POOL that's consistently good at crossing?). Crowd out the wingers so they have no space, and then expect your striker to perform miracles. No creativity in the midfield, and very few guys out there with the technical ability to link up passes and play guys into the spaces between lines.
It appears the lineup was intended to be very safe and defensive with much lower-quality players than the Nations League. Nobody in the starting XI scared me as being goal dangerous or a chance creator - though if you move Jesus Ferreira back to the 10 or as a shadow striker with an actual 9 in front of him, we can talk.
Ferreira was cooking, I think he works fine as the 9 as long as there are runners from midfield/wings to finish. Morris had a chance, and I think he created 2 other good chances besides the goal (although that was when he was a SS).
I just finally got a chance to watch the game. I didn't think it was as bad as people were making it seem. Like obviously the quality is much much lower than our A team, but for a first game with the group playing together, it wasn't bad. And Jamaica looked pretty good at times too.
Obviously, it's frustrating to see some players that we know don't have a future get significant minutes when there are other options who maybe could. Hopefully, adjustments are made and those other guys take their chance. In particular, players who failed to make a big impact for me were J. Morris (although apparently he got injured during the game so maybe that was related), Long (although the goal wasn't on him), and Yedlin. Yedlin is just so frustrating to me because he just is so sloppy with his touch/passes. To a lesser extent, A. Morris wasn't great, but I think that was because he and Sands were mostly redundant. Not sure why they were started together. Felt like our biggest issue was no one showing for the ball in the middle of the field. Sands and Morris are both conservative and weren't looking to progress the ball much. Sonora was good when he got on the ball, but he needs to be better about getting in those spaces.
I thought Tolkin, Sands, Sonora, and Mihailovic were pretty good, Ferreira was very good, and Jalen Neal was great. St. Kitts and Nevis should basically be an exhibition game, so they better start guys who were deemed too inexperienced to start against Jamaica. Here's my 11:
Turner (or Slonina, but whatever)
Reynolds (PLEASE)-Miazga-Neal-Tolkin
Sands-Mihailovic
Ferreira
Zendejas-Vazquez-Cowell
mega bonkers to me that yedlin is only just about 30 -- feels like he's been around forever and hasn't ever hit the ceiling we all thought he'd be able to reach
Didn't he have a pretty good year for Newcastle and then kind of fall off a cliff? Was it injury?
he was clear first choice starter for nufc for 3 years, but the best one (the first one) was in the championship
Agreed, as a Magpie, I wouldn't hold any "success" at Newcastle as high praise in the previous 5 seasons.
That's a lineup I can get behind in this tournament. I don't know why I can't quit Busio, but I'd love to see him get more of Sands minutes.
He's a deep-lying playmaker who doesn't make a lot of plays and can't play defense. I'm not a huge fan. Takes good set pieces though
That's going down a rabbit hole for sure.
For sure.
Less about the GC squad which was obviously not a team that had played together a lot. But more about the NL squad, which was awesome despite not having many strong links between players.
USA v. St. Kitts and Nevis tonight, 10 PM kickoff on Fox Sports 1, Unimas, and TUDN. Sounds like Jordan Morris is probably out with an injury, but Julian Gressel has joined the squad and Miles Robinson is back in training. Will likely see some changes from Jamaica squad.
Important to win this one by as many goals as possible since we drew Jamaica. Could come down to GD for top of the group, and coming in 2nd could mean a Canada-Mexico QF-SF draw.
So you're telling me this will be a 1-0 snoozer?
Unless the SKN keeper is secretly Keylor Navas or all of our players forget where the goal is, it better not be lol
the US players need to learn where the goal is before they can forget where it is
lol
St. Kitts- half the population of Roanoke- will find a way to earn a draw with the US. It like being a VT fan
If BJ lets them play lose and plays our best 11 this should be a 4-0 easy win
I'm fully prepared to see run-n-gun ball all night long. They played that way much of the Jamaica game, and with a lesser opponent, they'll try to beat them over the top quite a bit I'd imagine.
Pretty good, I like it
The entire population of St. Kitts and Nevis can fit in Lane Stadium and still have enough room for the Corps of Cadets and the number of fans to attend the UVA Spring Game
Hell yes. Get Busio running and good things happen.
MIHAILOVIC
OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH REYNOLDS
REYNOLDS
An absolute piss missile into the bottom right corner 😂
This the attacking I want to see every damn game 😤
FERREIRA
Jeez I can't keep up! Ferreira!
Make it 6-0 at halftime so I can go to bed 😂
Haha that finish was pretty rude...
Hello?
Police?
I'd like to report a massacre
Sorry, but 911 calls oftentimes go unanswered in St. Louis. Please try back later!
Didn't get to 6-0 but I'm still gonna go to bed. The rest of yall hold down the fort😤
Hat trick for Ferreira
Mihailovic with the brace
A moment of silence for the injury
he should go get that injury checked out. Unfortunately, looks like he'd need to see an ENT instead of a urologist
6-0 win
Didn't watch because 10PM kickoffs should be illegal. But I'm reading that Mihailovic, Ferreira, and Reynolds played well. Mihailovic is someone I really want to see with the first team. Not in the starting 11, but he can be a Reyna analog in midfield.
Reynolds was great, but there's never been a question about his attacking abilities. SKN isn't really going to test his defensive abilities, but still good.
Ferreira is clearly a good player (and only 22) but I think fans can just unsure how to evaluate a false 9. Obviously, he scored plenty last night but normally he is a distributor. Not saying he should be a regular starter or anything but he gives us something different and still has plenty of time to develop in terms of scoring.
I didn't watch the game either, but I don't read much into the results. St. Kitts & Nevis were so overmatched - we're supposed to go in there with the purpose of padding goal differential. The only thing to take away from the game is if somebody played poorly. Good performances are the minimum expectation against teams like them.
Ferreira has to be the most polarizing player in the pool. I think he can be a solid player, but the biggest issue for me is that his play falls off a cliff as a striker when he doesn't have time and space. MLS defending isn't the greatest (it's a scorer's league imo), and the same applies to the minnows of CONCACAF where he's racked up his international goals.
In 11 competitive caps (non-friendlies), he's scored 8 goals: 4 against Grenada in the Nations League group stage, 3 last night, and 1 in a 5-1 blowout win vs Panama at home in WCQ. Only 1 assist against El Salvador at home in WCQ as well.
In his 9 appearances in friendlies: 2 goals + 3 assists against T&T, and a goal against Mexico's B team.
I don't think he's a horrible player. He has his flaws, but he's young and I hope he gets a move to Europe where he can challenge himself to improve as well as find a situation that suits his game. But I do think he's a horrible fit for the USMNT right now, especially given the way we've seen that GGG wants us to play.
Yeah, tbc, not basing this off of last nights game. Doesn't mean anything. The more meaningful performance was Jamaica where he created several chances.
He needs to play in a specific system to get the most out of him. I actually think the 433 with no attacking midfielder is perfect for him, but we too often resort to cross-ball and he's probably the worst player for that.
With no AM, he drops in and combines with CMs and feeds goalscoring wingers like Pulisic and Weah. Liverpool style. It's actually a great fit, but he fired still need to score more when he gets chances. And obv, Balogun does those things to a lesser extent so again not calling for him to start. But he has a role.
Figured this is as good a spot as any to drop this.
Everyone knows my distaste for the flying right wingback that doesn't want to play defense. And how Gregg's enamored with that style.
Here's a statistical analysis of how goals are scored, the build up to them, and success rates...
https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2021/3/11/where-goals-come-from-putting-balls-into-the-box
Some nerdy stuff in there, but it shows how taking the ball to the corner and trying to cross isn't the most effective strategy. Also, looking at the numbers, and as seen in the WC and surround matches, we are dangerous we Pulisic gets the ball to the top of the box square to the goal. It's visible, and the proof is in the pudding there. (He's not the only one that has success in this approach, but he seems to create a ton of big chances himself in this attack.)
US v Trinidad and Tobago tonight at 7 (FOX). Would expect to see whatever BJ considers the strongest 11 (minus injuries to Morris/Soñora).
Turner
Reynolds (🤞🏻)-Robinson (if fit)-Neal-Tolkin
Sands-Busio
Zendejas-Mihailovic-Cowell
Ferreira
Kickoff time is upon us 😤
Let's Go
Sorry, late with lineup
Looks like Roldan playing on the left with Mihailovic central. Probably going to be a good amount of interchange though.
GOAL FERREIRA
THE PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN
X2
Bump
Zendejas looks terrible again. Thought he looked bright in the March window, but...yikes
Terrible on the ball
Popped up on the left and nice cross to create the goal. Maybe he should switch sides
Own goal or another one for Jesus?
Looks like they're giving it to Jesus
Penno
Arrgh he strikes again
Let's empty the bench around 65'. This one's over
Damn Roldan how many times you gonna kill a great chance
COWELL
CADDDDDDDEEEEEEEE
The kid is a straight gunner
Cowell needs to start the QF
Busiooo! You love to see it. Goal differential was getting a little too close
Busssssiiiiiiiiiii
Ref dropping his whistle, lol. YOU HAD ONE JOB CONCACAF REF!
Back to back 6 spots
VASQUEZZZZZ
I'm not a fan of this GD factor. Running the score up is low in sportsmanship, except for a few well-deserving opponents.
Especially not when it's a giant crushing tiny countries with tiny populations.
But it was important cause it gave us a easier team to face in the Quarterfinals
Which right now could very easily be either Canada or Guadaloupe
Que up the You are a pirate song😤
When USMNT Twitter isn't pissed.off it can be a beautiful place. All the pirates of the Caribbean memes last night were the best part
When has that ever happened?!
The USMNT post of Joey chestnut walking away after triumphant victory today w the caption "only if our best athletes played soccer" was gold today.
After our second consecutive 6–0 victory, we top group A and will face the runner-up from group D, which is currently Guatemala. However, it could be Guadeloupe or Canada as well depending on results tonight.
In group B, Mexico came in 1st despite losing 1-0 to Qatar, who finished 2nd. Qatar recorded one shot the whole match
We have a significant non-zero chance of our half of the bracket being Guadaloupe, Martinique, and Qatar.
Ferreira might break into the top 10 all-time USMNT goalscorers if that is the case.
With the US playing in the Olympics next year in Paris, Ferreira has got to be the 9. And for this reason, I can also see Gregg leaving him off the A squad while giving everyone else a look. We'll see how Ferreira plays in the tourney and if Gregg brings him along in the future.
I'd like to see U20 coach Mikey Varas get a chance. And I wouldn't be surprised if Pepi gets to go. We'll have Copa America as well so it will be a balancing act if we want to send any senior players.
We need our A team for Copa America. It'll be our last best "practice" for the World Cup since we won't go through qualifying. The Olympic team is restricted to the under 23's so there should be enough roster spots between the two groups to give our best 40 players competitive minutes
A good amount of our A team players will be eligible for the Olympics. Plus three designated overage players allowed. Might not work out, but don't underestimate how much those guys will want to play in that tournament.
Off the top of my head, "A" team players who are age eligible for the Olympics next summer:
Dest
Richards
Musah
Reyna
Aaronson maybe
Pepi
Balogun
Ferreira
Sargent
Obviously not all of them will go (clubs don't have to release) but I am sure there will be some who pull double duty
Official: USA v Canada, Sunday, 730 PM in the QF
It's simply to fill out the roster. And bring another guy into the fold to get used to the National team way...
But he's already done that... 4 years ago. He was clearly not at the level. He's 26 years old, not a young player. Doesn't make any sense. So many other MLS players that make more sense - Tim Tillman, Keaton Parks, Erik Williamson (might be injured), Noel Buck.
Because he wasn't on that level 4 years ago means he never gets another shot at the 26th roster spot which is almost certain he won't see the field anyway? It's just a filler spot, nothing to read into this at all.
Plus you mention he's 26 (not a young player.) Tillman is 24, Parks is 25 (only 4 months younger), and Williamson is 26.
Fair on the ages, I didn't check the others. I'm not saying he should never have another chance, but I don't believe he's having an amazing season or anything. If he was a standout player, it would be a different story.
Normally, I don't think it would be a big deal at all, but we're now down 2 CMs and this is our only replacement, so he is definitely going to play. I hope he does well, but my personally opinion is that the opportunity would have been better served going to a player who hasn't been given a chance yet.
It had to be someone on the preliminary roster. I don't believe either Williamson or Buck were on the prelim roster, and Tillman just got back from injury.
I think the only logical choices based on who could be picked were Yueill or Parks.
I also think the likelihood of any replacement getting real minutes at this point is pretty low. The knockout rounds start on Sunday, so I doubt any who gets called in at this point plays much at all. Filling a training ground spot mostly.
Much ado about nothing, if you ask me.
Normally I would agree but we lost Morris and Sonora and Roldan is filling in on the wing. I think there's a very good chance Yueill will play. And like he won't be terrible or anything, he'll be fine. I just don't think we're going to learn anything new about him and for me that should be the point of this tournament.
US v Canada tonight at 8. Jordan Morris in full training again and available. Aidan Morris has not returned to camp yet (may not - no info given on his situation).
Mexico defeated Costa Rica 2-0 and Panama defeated Qatar 4-0 in last nights' QFs. Winner of our match will play Panama.
Qatar...what a fever dream it has been.
No major surprises except the wingers. Zendejas has been quite poor and Gressel is a crossing specialist and usually plays RW. If that's the case, it's two wingers playing on their strong foot side - leads me to believe they have a cross-heavy game plan. But that doesn't really track with Ferreira starting, especially over Vazquez. Will be interesting to see what the plan is here.
Re the cross-heavy game plan...that's nearly every game for the USMNT. The last 2 matches they've attempted 27 and 19 crosses per Footmob.
Yeah, man I know we've had this discussion 27 times. But they don't ever play with two "non-inverting" wingers. It's an abnormal decision.
Rip in peace linesman's face 💀💀💀
Holy sloppiness usmnt
So sloppy
Busio a walking turnover despite some nice defensive efforts
Definitely tell it's a young(ish) squad. Lots of guys chasing the same ball instead of worrying about getting in position to receive the pass. There were three guys with their foot on the ball at the same time a minute ago.
OH GOD THAT WAS CLOSE
Shaking my head
This team isn't going far, if they even get past tonight, with the way they're playing.
Awful
Ooo lucky
No free kick is a terrible call
Snooze fest first half. This has 120' + pens written all over it
Comment aged well.
But also terribly at the same time
Cade such a good change of pace sheesh
Every time I see Vazquez, I see the Major from Heartbreak Ridge.
VAZQUEZ YOOOOO
VAZQUEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
VAZQUEZZZZZZZ
When Ferreira doesn't wanna show up at least we got Vazquez 😤
What a piss middle from Jones! Wow
Omg Robinson
Get him off the team
Bad passing, bad defending, bad performance
Yep he has dropped out of my top 6 cbs
Let's remember that he partnered Richards in the defense that shut out Mexico and Canada A teams in Nations League. He had a forgettable game last night yes.
But please tell me who your *6* CBs ahead of him are. That is ludicrous
Two handballs in one match come on bruhhhh
Guess who was defending on that goal
Fucking garbage. Onto September where we see some actual good players
So lucky😂
Holy shit What
Holy
Fucking
Shit
I will say, this ref is terrible
Ok, so who are the 5?
Ferriera, Miazga, Vazquez, Roldan, Cowell?
SAVED
SAVED AGAIN
1-0 USA
2-1 USA off Busio
FERRIERA WITH ANOTHER
3-2 USA into the last round
QB1
Matty Ice
Snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory only for victory to chomp it back
Survive and advance I guess
Lmao Turner is a god-tier penalty stopper
Stick to hockey lads
Never a doubt!!! *
*It has come to our attention that there were indeed many doubts. We regret this error and will strive to do better in the future. Thank you for your readership.
First half poor, second half better, especially when Cowell was introduced. I guess the theory was him running at tired legs, but I really think he needs to start. He was very dangerous.
Tough night for the CBS. Robinson will want to forget that one, although both handballs are very much not dangerous or intentional and imo should not be penalties. But they are under the current rules I guess. Neal was good but made a lot of dangerous errors.
I really don't get starting touchline wingers and a crossing specialist with Ferreira at striker. He needs wingers who run in behind like Cowell. I would really like to see him play with Vazquez from the start as a second striker.
Matt Turner 👑
That's not the rule, and not how it's enforced. 100% handball on the second one that gave their tying PK.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/handball-football-rules-changes-fifa-uefa-hand-ball-soccer/tdnqkct6nzocrbfvscrxvtzl
Right, I understand that it was called correctly. I think the rule needs to be changed, because that infraction shouldn't be punished with a 70% chance at a goal. The ball jumped up and hit him in the hand in a split second and they're in the corner of the penalty area in literally the furthest possible location in the area to the goal. There's no reason that should be a penalty other than it's the way it's always been.
Agree; hate that the rule punishes a bad bounce on what is sometimes a no chance at goal or made no difference in the outcome of the play. If it was a handball in a blocked shot attempt I get it but such is the rule book I guess
CONCACAF gonna CONCACAF
Wow this is soooo close to being an ideal lineup with this squad. Really interested to see the Ferreira-Vazquez linkup from the start. I really just have no idea why Long is starting, but hope he has a decent game
Ferreira-Vazquez could be pretty spicy! I don't have Aaron Long posters on my wall, but I don't gnash my teeth over his inclusion either. Put it another way, I doubt it will be his fault if we lose (he said hopefully)
I wonder how long Cade will be playing in San Jose. Seems to me that he's ready for the next level and could contribute in 2026
Anyone else have delayed commentary it's a full second or two off it seems
Jesus christ this backline is awful
Just getting absolutely cooked this half.
On defense it seems like there's one guy having to defend two, but on offense there are 4 guys all within grabassing distance of their teammate with the ball.
The 442 shape has not worked with this front 2 a smart move might be to bring a midfielder on to help try and get a little more control in second half
Midfield is getting blasted. Getting cooked everywhere. Hope we can turn that around. But Panama is pretty good
Vazquez has to bury that
What a save by Turner
Vazquez is absolute ass this game.
great sequence by the USA. That was inches from a goal
Here we go again
I really don't wanna watch Extra Time
No finishers rn everyone looks gassed
Getting this game to extra time is more than we deserve. It was nice to start our best players, but then we didn't have any firepower off the bench. Players are looking gassed too. Gotta hope for another shootout at this point.
Becoming clear this is probably the weakest team we've ever sent to the GC.
And yet they are 30' from the finals
You sure about that
Burned by the same exact crap that they've been hurt by 50 times this game already
Berhalter ball at it's finest
Lol what does that even mean? Did Gregg call down and tell the midfielders not to put pressure on the ball?
Berhalter ball makes games against shitty ass Concacaf teams heart attack inducing. This the same shit we gonna see all the way to 26
When you disagree with every single thing someone does and blame them for everything that goes wrong, sometimes you're going to be right. But, most of the time you're just shouting into the void and it doesn't make for interesting discussion.
It's basically a tech game thread during the cornelsen era, best just to let it go since you're not gonna get rational level headed discussion
Yeah I've never been a game thread person. Now I remember why.
This USMNT team WAS a shitty concacaf team. I'm not sure what we all expected here 🤷🏼♂️
Turner screwed up there but no pressure on the ball. They deserved that goal
FERRIERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BRUH THIS FUGGIN TEAM
Woooof Ferreira beating the pirate allegations. Great hit
He scored against a non Caribbean island. I'm shocked
Panama does border the Caribbean
PK Time...Again
And we are all squared
Well, that ends the tournament for the USA and BJ Callaghan's tenure as interim manager.
He finishes with 4 wins, 3 draws, and a Nation's Cup trophy, and the best result percentage for an American men's coach in history.
That's truly wild.
If you want minimum 10 games managed, then its Berhalter
Nearly as wild...shows we've made strides but still feel like we're a long ways away at times.
I mean alexi lalas played for usmnt. We were a long looong way off not that long ago. Still a long way off where we could be and may never reach the levels of top European squads but things are better than they were
Not sure if you're positioning that as a good thing or bad thing regarding Lalas -- he's not really good on tv to put it kindly, but he was a good defender in his time.
Yeah, he was the first American to ever play in Serie A in the modern era, and at a time when Serie A was probably the best league in the world.
Can't complain too much - they were their better team. Hopefully Jamaica beats Mexico so there's a new champion.
God awful. Non of them deserve to to sniff the A team
Ferreira and Turner belong.
Nobody on that back line should see a meaningful match.
I keep forgetting Turner. I don't want Ferreira anywhere close to the 9 spot. He can backup Reyna
I thought DeJuan Jones had some solid play throughout, nice depth maybe? My heart melts for MRob. That dude was balling out before his injury
Keep going to penalities you'll get burned...
They're keeper couldn't handle anything to his left and Turner couldn't handle anything to his right. They caught on quicker...
Stings, but my expectations were crazy low with this roster. I hope neutral fans don't overreact and the team loses momentum. I'm also just so sick of watching players like Morris, Roldan, Yedlin, etc. Leave the MLS lifers at home!
We were inches away from the finals with a team (minus the goalie) that I would not even consider a single player in the top 5 at their position group.
DF: Give me Zimmerman, Jedi Robinson, Dest, Moore, and Ream before I take Yedlin or Miazga
MF: McKennie, Musah, Reyna, Acosta, Adams before Roldan or Mihailovic
FW: Pulisic, Aaronson, Weah, Pepi, Balogun, Sargent, Arriola and Wright before Ferreira, Morris, or Vazquez
Preach bro!
I think Sands had an excellent tournament and merits consideration at the DM spot. With Musah showing his ability to play there as well, there's less need for depth there, but I thought he was very good. Plus he has positional flexibility to play as a CB. I think he's probably in the conversation with Acosta and Johnny Cardoso as DM depth behind Adams/Musah.
As mentioned above, I think Sands had an excellent tournament. I think he's the biggest winner and was the best non-Matt Turner performer.
Other players who I liked:
- Jalen Neal: Still so young for a CB. Made some mistakes, but was really the only player willing to take risks at times. It's great that he's getting minutes for LA, hopefully he continues to progress and gets a move when he's ready (probably not yet)
- Cade Cowell: Really not sure why he didn't play more. Has a lot to improve upon, particularly technically, but he has traits that can't be taught and aren't common. If he can start making good decisions in the final third, watch out. Needs to move to Europe ASAP (there have been credible reports that fairly big teams are interested).
- DeJuan Jones: Pleasantly surprised by him - really impressed by his two-footedness. Not sure if he has enough to make it to the top squad but he played well.
- Jesus Ferreira (non-striker): He doesn't quite have the tools at this time to be a top-3 striker for the full squad, but if we are going to use a more attacking midfielder at times (Reyna) I think he has a place as he can play that role in a similar style. And he's still pretty young, so it's still possible he could develop some of those striker things. Needs to go to Europe, but it may be difficult since he's on a high salary and Dallas will likely want a pretty large fee for him.
Everyone else was either bad, didn't show anything new, or didn't play. It can be tough to evaluate players when the whole squad level is low like this, but we definitely didn't get any players vaulting themselves into the A-team conversation like last GC (Miles Robinson, Zimmerman, Turner).
Sands was gassed around the 80th minute. Should have been subbed then.
Don't understand why Jordan Morris and Roldan are on the C team. Use younger players?
Already have enough vets on the C squad.
Panama deserved the W
Yeah he was spent after going 120 on Sunday and playing most of the tournament. Problem is we didn't really have anyone else who could do the job he was being asked to do. Makes his performance in the tournament all the more impressive IMO. Busio, Mihailovic, Roldan, etc. were not helping him defensively in a meaningful way at all.
I agree with this. This team didn't need Yedlin, Roldan, or Morris. Pull more developmental players with potential (Cowell) and see who rises up and takes a leadership role. I have yet to be impressed with Jordan Morris in any of his USMNT showings.
Also: Why can't we get our coaches / development here to be as good as Europe?
Is simply a case that the MLS isn't as competitive in terms of talent?
Complicated issue but one big reason is it costs waaaay more to get fully licensed here in the US than it does is Europe. I think you can get UEFA licensed for a couple thousand but the equivalent here costs much, much more than that.
But also will just take time. No one took soccer seriously here until the early 2000s. We will get there but it's likely a much longer process than developing players.
And you aren't required to have a license to coach...and parents are good with that allowing it because they feel they can influence playing time or whatever.
You don't get on the sidelines in Europe without one.
I could've sworn that at least a C license is required for travel teams through the high school ranks. I thought a D was required for up to middle school aged. But I'm going off of memory from gosh maybe 15 years ago now.
That's the intent, and how the licenses are outlined. But may do not enforce it. I can almost guarantee that in the conference where my high school plays, there might be 2 E or D licensed coaches out of 16 schools. Heck, the last coach of the local D3 college wasn't even licensed. It makes for a good policy, but its rarely enforced.
So technically, it is required, just not enforced. That's the main difference there I guess I was wondering in your OP. I know it is hard to get coached in some areas, so they may look the other way. I don't believe I ever had a coach that was there without the proper licenses. We also had folks like Ken Krieger coaching in our area that made sure things were maintained to the status they were intended to be.
I can understand your frustration if things aren't being maintained to the intended use of the licenses so kids aren't getting the proper training in youth programs.
Edit: I had it written as so kids are getting proper training when having gone through programs 15 years ago I agree they weren't then and probably aren't still now. It is better but being unplugged with no kids nowadays I don't have any firsthand accounts for the current status. It seems with the rise in the sport in our country there is more influence to help, but as Nerf pointed out there are still gaps as we push forward.
I'll add that it is better, just still hodge podge. You take a few hours in a class, and a few hours in the field, and blamo, you have a license. Doesn't certify quality or consistent development.
I definitely understand your point now. Some people just do it because it is required versus doing it to better themselves and the players. The intent is there to develop the players but is often used a a quick stepping stone to satisfy the requirement from what you've seen. That is a damn shame. Wish there were people that took it more seriously as intended in your area. I guess I'm of that mindset either do it correctly or be on the sidelines. The kids deserve better.
High schools will never enforce any requirement. Central Virginia schools barely can find a coach willing do it for the small stipend they offer.
High school soccer also isn't where anyone improves or is noticed (partly because of the lack of coaching). It's still all about club soccer, like Europe, but it costs money to play in the US. I think the last 10 years have seen a giant improvement in this with the growth of MLS team sponsored youth development programs. But you still have the "academy" programs that are pay to play as well.
Because US Soccer never cared about youth development. And when these guys were younger, we had the Jurgen effect of wanting players to go overseas to academies. That meant those that styed played whatever style and ball their coach had for them...which typically was get Tim the ball and let him score. There was no development, just leaning on the best player, build up his ego, and let him go. (This can definitely be seen in Busio as he carries the ball for 40 yards before looking to get it off his foot.) The kids that jumped to Euro academies early are on a different path, those that stayed and ended up in MLS just play run and gun ball. Might be athletic, but not tactical like Euro soccer where they learn it at a young age.
The top of US Soccer has always been closed off and wanted to hoard all the money themselves. Every MLS squad functioned fully independently as well. (You had to PAY to tryout for DC United, where Philadelphia Union pumped all sorts of money into youth development...just an example of the yin and yang.)
Not sure I agree with the point you're making here. The level of coaching the current generation of USMNT players has had is light years ahead of the guys before them (dudes like Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, etc). The US Soccer Development Academy was a huge boon for US Soccer in general, and a bunch of the guys who are playing national team minutes have gone through that system.
The DA required higher level licensed coaches, many of whom came from UEFA countries. And MLS required all its clubs to have teams in the DA (even if each MLS org did not treat them the same, as you referenced).
Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna (before he moved to BvB at age 16), Brendan Aaronson, Ricardo Pepi... all these dudes spent significant time in the DA system before moving to Europe.
Talking the lower levels (younger ages) aren't there. Heck, I even know travel teams for showcase level (jr's and sr's) that don't have licensed coaches. Yes, the current guys have had some coaching, but no where near the level of academies in Europe...that's my point. And just because an MLS squad has a DA, it doesn't mean it's high quality, or producing technical ability. I've seen some kids in the DC United DA, and they played run-n-gun ball, just a a better personal skill level. Just because now is better than then, doesn't mean it's superiorly better all around or up to the level it should be.
When the DA's required licenses, and they came from UEFA, not all the top guys wanted to come to the US. We had a guy that was somewhere, then with Man City Academy for a bit. Was around him for coaching clinics and for trainings. There's a reason why he wasn't still with City.....
And the "before moving to Europe" is my point. They advanced drastically when that happened. Those that stayed still had to deal with the system they were dealt. It's night and day between Euro and here. And just because it's mandated to be had doesn't mean it's quality or CONSISTENT across the board. Having 12 different left backs playing 12 different styles doesn't feed the big by team with consistent quality and approaches for in-game play.
I feel this generation does have it better, and dang now I feel old saying that. It seemed like previously you either did go into a MLS development program, or did ODP and hoped that garnered attention during tournaments. Hopefully this new step forward does help us in the future and we can get more athletes skilled to make us more competitive on the world stage.
F**k
- Roy Kent
Saw a compelling argument that this GC team should have been the Olympic squad to get them tournament experience and learn to play together. Can't say that's a terrible idea. But instead we selected a hodge podge team with only a few guys that will be playing in the Olympics, if that. Welp, yet something else meh from the upper management of USA Soccer.
I think it's an interesting idea, but "the Olympic squad" is not really even a squad at all. There's no longer an Olympic qualifying tournament and now the U20 Concacaf championship is used as a qualifier for the Olympics and the U20 World Cup, which just happened. But the Olympics is U23. So, if we were to use the actual "Olympic squad" they would have been a) very unsuccesful in the tournament because they're all children and some aren't even professionals yet and b) have quite literally just finished missing time from their clubs to play in the U20 WC.
I suppose the actual intent of the suggestion is that we should have brought more young players who could have both contributed at this level and will be eligible, such as Cowell. I don't think many would have argued with that, but it's nearly impossible to know how the squad dynamics will shake out for the two competitions next summer, especially a year in advance and without knowing who is even coaching the Olympics. Is that an organization failure on US Soccer's part? Yes, they could definitely be more prepared, but it's not as simple as it seems.
There's no denying that making the GC squad with a purposeful eye toward the Olympics would have been more preferable to what ended up happening.
No, it's not simple. And it's not just a basic pick of the squad. But provisions should have and could have been made to include many of the guys that will be playing in Paris in 12 months. And we do have a U23 squad. Who cares about how they do, get battle ready. They didn't even take the A team, so what difference does it make at that point. The guys that played in it got some reps, won't be playing in the Olympics, and there's not much room on the A-team due to aging out or attrition for them to take spots there. The ones in the front office are making the big bucks, figure it out.
We don't have a U23 squad. We haven't had one since Olympic qualifying for the last Olympics, which I think was in 2021 post-pandemic (we didn't qualify). Since then, the Olympics is the only U23 competition that exists.
Just saw a blip that says Gregg still has not spoken with Gio since the WC last year. I hope this isn't setting us up for failure and discourse in the locker room down the road.
Gregg: "I'm sorry for talking publicly about locker room matters. The shit with your parents is gonna take a while to fix, but that's not going to affect our professional relationship. If you're healthy next window, I'm calling you up and playing you at the 10"
Gio: "Sounds good and I agree - let's move on from this drama. See you next camp"
Pretty much all that needs to be said. Can I get the money that's going to these fancy "experts in mediation work" that GGG is consulting?
Seriously. If he can't have that conversation with one of his players. It's not difficult. Heck, send him a damn text! Something. Head in the sand is a bad sign for a "leader." (Yes, I know that you know how I feel about Gregg, but seriously.)
And...Gio is NOT on the roster for September. The USMNT needs some adult supervision in some capacity soon.
I didn't think he'd make this roster - just returned to training for Dortmund. If he's not on the October roster and healthy, I'm raising the alarms.