USMNT - ‘23 and beyond (5 Viewers)

[44slayer]

Same for Pepi- said last night 2-3 years ago, he gets so excited he either offsides or flubs the control/move/shot once 1 v 1 w/ keeper. Last night he did BOTH, perfectly. Composure was key. Dont rush, dont get giddy...and he made it look easy. Thats what true scorers do...make it look easy.

100% on this. Pepi wouldve gotten flustered, took 2 less dribbles and kicked it right at Ochoa. The patience to wait for his spot was totally different. But thats a lot of the problem we have in the final third, guys just flip out and cant finish. I think you can play Pepi and Balogun together. Their games are different enough to make it work and 2 of your 3 best finishers are on the field.

 

[efil4stnias]

100% on this. Pepi wouldve gotten flustered, took 2 less dribbles and kicked it right at Ochoa. The patience to wait for his spot was totally different. But thats a lot of the problem we have in the final third, guys just flip out and cant finish. I think you can play Pepi and Balogun together. Their games are different enough to make it work and 2 of your 3 best finishers are on the field.

id love to see 2 viable strikers on field - 1. it gives you more attacking prowess and 2. now your opponent ( canada in this case ) HAS to adjust their formation to address it. If they like to play 4 back, now probably 5- and if they arent all that used to it, mistakes can/will appear.

The other aspect i enjoyed was our press. we didnt let up til really 2nd half when up 2-0. And it was "in unison" no one switched off. Put pressure on Mex to distribute quickly and precisely which they had some issues doing. Made them think vs just play. Loved it.

And finally - CP - FINALLY making defenders tight on him MISS and PEW- off to races. ( and dang he still got wheels ) I think there is one other player who has this ability and id LOVE to see him do it more- Musah. He is silky on the ball. Understands leverage/angles very well and takes false 1/2 steps to make defender commit and then "bloop"- he gone.

 

[SystemShock]

Agree with 44
For the most part I thought ggg did a good job getting the squad together
But it seems crystal clear that we had hit our ceiling with him - what about him says he’s ready to bring us to the next level both tactically and emotionally

But this feels like at least an answer to why

No, Christian, it is a testament to the work that 2 Argentinians put into the MX team.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Yeah, what an intro for Flo. He was in the right spot if Pulisic had decided to ditch it off on his first goal, and he took the right line and was wide open at the near post on Pulisics 2nd. Weah couldve left it for Balogun and it wouldve been an easy finish.

But you can tell he just doesnt have time with these guys. The timing was a bit off, he just doesnt have chemistry with any of them yet. Some of his runs were too close to others, just not having that game time with them to know how they move. But the guy works. I just hope they give him time to develop those things before going back and forth with Pepi.

Id like to see both on the field together. But I think Pepi scored pretty quickly as a sub in the last window as well. Theres value in a super sub that can score at a pretty good rate.

The most important thing that USSF can do at this press conference today is address the situation between Berhalter and Gio and tell us soccer fans that it has been smoothed over and both are ready to move forward. Gio is more important that Berhalter. So is Pepi. They arent going to make anyone happy from a tactical standpoint. No one is going to be happy with the wasted time. I was against bringing Berhalter back before the drama. So the only thing they can possibly do is let folks know that the locker room, gio and pepi are all ready to move forward together.

My concern is, they made this move faster than they wanted because of Berhalter and ClubAmerica and the Gio situation was never adressed. Theyll cross that bridge when they get to it, and have to hope they can make it work.

Either way, FIRE CROCKER first when this doesnt work.

 

[sfidc3]

Man, I fell asleep early and missed it.....Berhalter is actually coming back? No beuno......

 

[44slayer]

Man, I fell asleep early and missed it.....Berhalter is actually coming back? No beuno......

Giant letdown. Fresh slate with Crocker was sold as a fresh start. An outsider coming into a profoundly insider federation. And here were are, like nothing has changed. Same ole same ole with USSF. My hopes for 26 rested on a new coach with new tactics, a new approach. You had the players. You needed ideas. I just have no earthly idea if Crocker just needed a job and they installed a puppet to fill a role, but this whole thing is a sham.

You do have the USSF satellites out there preaching about how this was the right move, and how they interviewed a dozen people and firms did searches and Berhalter was the right guy all along. All they did was exactly what they did last cycle. Had Berhalter all along, and placed a phone call or 2 to a couple guys to gauge interest - not an interview. The spin doctoring by USSF, proven by how they let the information leak an hour before kickoff with our greatest rival, is in FULL force.

Berhalter is a round of 16 coach. We will have a quarterfinal or better roster by the time the young guys have 3 more years under their belt. Thats where we are. The roster is better than the coach. Again. I had very little confidence in USSF before, but this is a full on joke. More MLS wash outs and wont be's forced onto the roster over guys doing work over in Europe against better competition. Just dont let these media satellites fool you into thinking this wasnt the plan all along. MLS needs Berhalter, so USSF needs Berhalter.

 

[Beast]

This was a comment on the video of the Dest incident. Not a bad idea IMO.

 

[efil4stnias]

This was a comment on the video of the Dest incident. Not a bad idea IMO.

Im fine with that.

Also require them to qualify with all home games, fan-less.

Their fans either get with the program or watch their team slide deeper into mediocrity on the tele. And lets be real, their fans dont get that way until THEIR PLAYERS get that way. Every time. Once a player(s) from MEX lose their cool, fans see that as the signal to do the same.


As David Puddy would say " you know...support the team" lol

 

[SystemShock]

This was a comment on the video of the Dest incident. Not a bad idea IMO.

That's rich. Punish MX the country for the behavior of U.S. residents. Like 'Muricans don't do that.

And this holier than thou attitude about the chant... fact is, MX is way more tolerant and way more accepting of LGBTQ+ than the U.S.: in MX, you don't see people destroying pride clothing racks, shooting beer cans with shotguns, calling for boycotts, challenging little girls to prove they are female, banning books in schools...

If U.S. soccer wants to prevent this, there are a couple of things they can do, like not have U.S. - MX games in either country, have an agreement with MX soccer and play in, say, Canada; or stop scheduling games in places they know will be packed by La Raza, but then again, they want to fill that 70K-100K stadium, don't they?

 

[44slayer]

Their punishment is that they have a completely mismanaged federation from the suits to the pitch. El Tri is a disaster in every way imaginable. Theres no help coming. Frustration is only going to get worse in the stands. Let them host non MX games. US has outscored el tri 10-3 in the 6 game unbeaten streak.

I do appreciate the solution to this mess, is that the US should play home games in Canada. What.

But I also agree, the last 2 US-MX games have been in Las Vegas and Glendale, AZ (which was 100% money grab). USSF once again is choosing money over common sense. No surprise there.

 

[efil4stnias]

That's rich. Punish MX the country for the behavior of U.S. residents. Like 'Muricans don't do that.

And this holier than thou attitude about the chant... fact is, MX is way more tolerant and way more accepting of LGBTQ+ than the U.S.: in MX, you don't see people destroying pride clothing racks, shooting beer cans with shotguns, calling for boycotts, challenging little girls to prove they are female, banning books in schools...

If U.S. soccer wants to prevent this, there are a couple of things they can do, like not have U.S. - MX games in either country, have an agreement with MX soccer and play in, say, Canada; or stop scheduling games in places they know will be packed by La Raza, but then again, they want to fill that 70K-100K stadium, don't they?

first- the issue with the chant comes down from FIFA. Not US Soccer. FIFA.

You right, we just see Cartels beheading folks, kidnapping US citizens, trafficking migrants for $1000s they dont have....

US Soccer wants Mexico NT fans to get right. Starts with the MEX NT...act right.

Mexico has a say in this but the dont seem too keen on getting the message thru to the players or fans. And the FANS follow the players. Soooo have the players stand up and say enough is enough. I get last night, they quit halfway thru the 2nd and a tthat point had no intention of playing soccer. It was a sad way for Mexico to see that game out.

Mexico carries a very large chip on their shoulder and when they start falling back to mediocrity, it gets heavier, and they dont quite know how to deal with.

US Soccer absolutely wants MEXICO fans in the stadiums- denying them access doesnt help anyone. But there comes a bit of self-responsibility they need to exhibit. Same goes for the players.

 

[44slayer]

This press conference, is the biggest load of BS Ive ever heard. Crocker just said things, and basically had a gun to his head when he said it. "we wont be talking about all the other candidates" out of respect for them.

Its because there is none of them. There was no search. What is going on here?

Berhalter talking about the grueling interview process. Ive never trusted USSF less than right now. This is so unbelievably BS. I almost get 2nd hand embarrassment from all the lies they are trying to pass off as truth. Its like acting at high school drama club.

We have enough talent in better leagues in Europe, that we should not have more than a few MLS players on the roster outside of windows where we dont have a choice but to go with a MLS heavy roster. But as many times as Crocker keeps saying "this ISNT business as usual", it absolutely is.

If you are a US soccer fan, you owe it to yourself to rewatch this presser if you arent watching it live. Its, slimy.


I think ultimately, Im beyond floored that there was no notification, no discussion, no contact with Gio about this. At least to give him a heads up. Berhalter said that its a relationship they will have to repair, and nothing was discussed with him. That seems piss poor. A guy that important to the program, with that much of a rift. No contact, no heads up.

 

[sfidc3]

Giant letdown. Fresh slate with Crocker was sold as a fresh start. An outsider coming into a profoundly insider federation. And here were are, like nothing has changed. Same ole same ole with USSF. My hopes for 26 rested on a new coach with new tactics, a new approach. You had the players. You needed ideas. I just have no earthly idea if Crocker just needed a job and they installed a puppet to fill a role, but this whole thing is a sham.

You do have the USSF satellites out there preaching about how this was the right move, and how they interviewed a dozen people and firms did searches and Berhalter was the right guy all along. All they did was exactly what they did last cycle. Had Berhalter all along, and placed a phone call or 2 to a couple guys to gauge interest - not an interview. The spin doctoring by USSF, proven by how they let the information leak an hour before kickoff with our greatest rival, is in FULL force.

Berhalter is a round of 16 coach. We will have a quarterfinal or better roster by the time the young guys have 3 more years under their belt. Thats where we are. The roster is better than the coach. Again. I had very little confidence in USSF before, but this is a full on joke. More MLS wash outs and wont be's forced onto the roster over guys doing work over in Europe against better competition. Just dont let these media satellites fool you into thinking this wasnt the plan all along. MLS needs Berhalter, so USSF needs Berhalter.

I agree with all of this....well said.....

 

[efil4stnias]

If you are a US soccer fan, you owe it to yourself to rewatch this presser if you arent watching it live. Its, slimy.

can i just take your word for it? lol

cuz wont do me any good nor do i have any ability to change it. Which will then depress me even more

 

[44slayer]

can i just take your word for it? lol

cuz wont do me any good nor do i have any ability to change it. Which will then depress me even more

Man, its something to behold. Berhalter on Reyna "I acknowledge that there is work to do.......Theres work to do with Matt (Crocker) to rebuild that relationship" But then later said there had been no conversations ahead of time. It just seems like, you wouldve at least given Gio...something before this was "leaked" ahead of yesterdays game.