2017 Gold Cup

[gtcam]

Yup, the Dozer STILL shot it right at the keeper. Shots going in half the time's even generous; maybe 2-3 times on slick grass or when the keeper just blows a save. With Hull, the Dozer's laser-focused ability to nail his few shots directly at keepers was downright impressive. Fast forward a few years, little to nothing's improved. Same same Dozer!

Sometimes, especially when the keeper is coming out in a line at the control player - a shot at the keeper is the best because the keeper will have a tendency to cheat to the short side.
So what appears to be a shot at the keeper as a mistake is not an error at all
And - I know what I am talking about - nearly 30 yrs of coaching

 

[gtcam]

Nagbe had a really good game but I don't see him as a better option than Johnson on the left. He hasn't done as well in the middle where it is more congested. The guy can dribble though.

In the channel between midfield and the attacking 18, he is the best we have with the ball. I don't know who he is bumping from the starting 11, though regardless of formation. Yedlin would be the closest I think in a wing back role.

Someone like Nagbe who is a creator with speed belongs in a wing midfield position and would be a waste in the middle. Leave the middle for the possession and transition players like Bradely who I thought looked like his old self and was particularly effective. I don't understand Johnson - he seems to take a step back when he puts on the national uniform/
I think Nagbe is a real sleeper on this squad and for his size, is not afraid to mix it up

 

[gtcam]

In the current pool of strikers we have, assuming you don't play Pulisic as a striker, the only two who you can make a case are clearly better than Jozy are Wood and Dempsey. And Dempsey is not going to play 90 minutes every 4 or 5 days through a World Cup cycle and neither of them (nor anyone in our player pool) is half as good as Jozy at hold up play as a lone striker. So Jozy is going to Moscow, and who starts and plays will depend on the team that Arena thinks will have the talent and style giving him the best chance to win. Morris has a defined role he is useful at, but is not as good an overall player as Jozy. He's just not. Neither is Dwyer or Agudelo or anyone else in our pool.

If Green can start actually getting on the field in Germany, or Johanson recovers to his pre-injury form, and they get to a level above Altidore great. But as for now, we are who we are. And like it or not, Altidore is an important piece of it.

Agreed
Jozy has the bulk to hold up to the larger marking backs. Dempsey and Jozy play different games and that, when they play together, really screws up the opponents marking. Jozy has been and will be a part of this team. Regardless what Zoo pontificates. Woodsy is always a dangerous attacker.

 

[businesslawyer]

Someone like Nagbe who is a creator with speed belongs in a wing midfield position and would be a waste in the middle. Leave the middle for the possession and transition players like Bradely who I thought looked like his old self and was particularly effective. I don't understand Johnson - he seems to take a step back when he puts on the national uniform/
I think Nagbe is a real sleeper on this squad and for his size, is not afraid to mix it up

Johnson should be our left back. I don't care what position he plays in Germany. He is light years ahead of anyone else at left back, but we can craft a midfield o.k. without him.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Johnson should be our left back. I don't care what position he plays in Germany. He is light years ahead of anyone else at left back, but we can craft a midfield o.k. without him.

My thoughts exactly. His speed and ability to recover and tackle without fouling are key in that role. I actually think Nagbe is more creative on the left wing anyway.

 

[ZooCougar]

Johnson should be our left back. I don't care what position he plays in Germany. He is light years ahead of anyone else at left back, but we can craft a midfield o.k. without him.

Disagree. We need as many difference makers getting as we can. After Pulisic and Dempsey, Johnson and Wood are about it.

 

[ZooCougar]

Yup. I'm so wrong that top notch coaches making millions of dollars continue to repeat the "mistake". You're pure comedy, brotha...

You were dead wrong about John Brooks. Get over it.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Disagree. We need as many difference makers getting as we can. After Pulisic and Dempsey, Johnson and Wood are about it.

When has he ever made a difference on the wing? I can't even remember it happening. I've seen him have more good offensive moments out of the left back slot actually.

 

[ZooCougar]

In the current pool of strikers we have, assuming you don't play Pulisic as a striker, the only two who you can make a case are clearly better than Jozy are Wood and Dempsey. And Dempsey is not going to play 90 minutes every 4 or 5 days through a World Cup cycle and neither of them (nor anyone in our player pool) is half as good as Jozy at hold up play as a lone striker. So Jozy is going to Moscow, and who starts and plays will depend on the team that Arena thinks will have the talent and style giving him the best chance to win. Morris has a defined role he is useful at, but is not as good an overall player as Jozy. He's just not. Neither is Dwyer or Agudelo or anyone else in our pool.

If Green can start actually getting on the field in Germany, or Johanson recovers to his pre-injury form, and they get to a level above Altidore great. But as for now, we are who we are. And like it or not, Altidore is an important piece of it.

Green is already better than any US MLS wing player. He's really not a #9.

If you use Pulisic as a cf/st then you waste what he does in midfield. Frankly, he needs to be roamer but time and time again, for BVB he seems to make the most money ruling sidelines.

Dwyer is slow, needs 3-4 chances to actually finish but he gives us better energy than Dozy. I would be interested to see how he will do with Pulisic and Nagbe getting him better service.

 

[ZooCougar]

When has he ever made a difference on the wing? I can't even remember it happening. I've seen him have more good offensive moments out of the left back slot actually.

He hasn't had many opportunities to with the USMNT. But that's where he lines up for Gladbach, and is his natural position, and if they can make it work then we should.

 

[UConnDan97]

You were dead wrong about John Brooks. Get over it.

Don't worry. I called up Max Allegri and let him know that you thought he was dead wrong. He's very concerned. He is now aware that he's at risk of losing his $4 million per year job because he didn't talk to you first...

 

[ZooCougar]

Don't worry. I called up Max Allegri and let him know that you thought he was dead wrong. He's very concerned. He is now aware that he's at risk of losing his $4 million per year job because he didn't talk to you first...

About John Brooks? Or are you attempting to move the bar? Go ahead and rehash.

 

[businesslawyer]

Green is already better than any US MLS wing player. He's really not a #9.

If you use Pulisic as a cf/st then you waste what he does in midfield. Frankly, he needs to be roamer but time and time again, for BVB he seems to make the most money ruling sidelines.

Dwyer is slow, needs 3-4 chances to actually finish but he gives us better energy than Dozy. I would be interested to see how he will do with Pulisic and Nagbe getting him better service.

Which is why he couldn't get off the bench in the German 2d division last year? Please.

 

[ZooCougar]

Which is why he couldn't get off the bench in the German 2d division last year? Please.

It's still better competition than MLS. And Stuttgart is back in the 1st Division this season. Iwould caution against banking your argument on the performance of a midseason transfer anyways.

 

[businesslawyer]

It's still better competition than MLS. And Stuttgart is back in the 1st Division this season. Iwould caution against banking your argument on the performance of a midseason transfer anyways.

The second Bundesliga? Hogwash. Absolute hogwash.

 

[ZooCougar]

The second Bundesliga? Hogwash. Absolute hogwash.

Really? How so? Now I am really wondering about your knowledge level. You see tons of guys who aren't second division starters take over starting roles in MLS. That's SKC's business model.

 

[meyers7]

Really? How so? Now I am really wondering about your knowledge level. You see tons of guys who aren't second division starters take over starting roles in MLS. That's SKC's business model.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Sometimes, especially when the keeper is coming out in a line at the control player - a shot at the keeper is the best because the keeper will have a tendency to cheat to the short side. So what appears to be a shot at the keeper as a mistake is not an error at all. And - I know what I am talking about - nearly 30 yrs of coaching

A generous reach, as if Dozer's laser-focused shots clanged off of goaltenders are typically strategically targeted. Alas, you allegedly know a little about what you're talking about ... albeit not in the Dozer's case. Few can teach, coach, or develop his unusual capability.

 

[gtcam]

A generous reach, as if Dozer's laser-focused shots clanged off of goaltenders are typically strategically targeted. Alas, you allegedly know a little about what you're talking about ... albeit not in the Dozer's case. Few can teach, coach, or develop his unusual capability.

you paint with a broad brush when I am talking about a particular tactic but that's ok - you and zoo continue to think you know what you are talking about - Ive forgotten more soccer than you will ever come to know.
Continue bashing Jozy - at 41 minutes of today's final he was laughing at you

And Zoo's claim that the 2nd division Bundesliga as better than MLS - yeah - he's watched a ton of tier 2 BL matches

 

[HuskyHawk]

So. Nice win. Quick thoughts.

Morris clearly belongs. He will be in England eventually.
Nagbe was possibly our best player tonight. Electric at times.
Bradley, under Arena, is more like his old self. Played well.
Jozy was solid. Great free kick.
Zardes doesn't belong on the roster, let alone the field. What an oafish player.
Arietta has horrible hair.
Acosta...didn't like his game. Bruce correctly subbed him first.
Tough break for Andre.

 

[ZooCougar]

you paint with a broad brush when I am talking about a particular tactic but that's ok - you and zoo continue to think you know what you are talking about - Ive forgotten more soccer than you will ever come to know.
Continue bashing Jozy - at 41 minutes of today's final he was laughing at you

And Zoo's claim that the 2nd division Bundesliga as better than MLS - yeah - he's watched a ton of tier 2 BL matches

I used to live in 2nd Division city in Germany. Kaiserslautern. What are your questions?

I'm laughing at donkey zardes and some bad Jamaican goalkeeping. The MLSUSMNT is going to get murdered in Russia. But you Garber suckboys will still claim progress.

 

[UConnDan97]

So. Nice win. Quick thoughts.

Morris clearly belongs. He will be in England eventually.
Nagbe was possibly our best player tonight. Electric at times.
Bradley, under Arena, is more like his old self. Played well.
Jozy was solid. Great free kick.
Zardes doesn't belong on the roster, let alone the field. What an oafish player.
Arietta has horrible hair.
Acosta...didn't like his game. Bruce correctly subbed him first.
Tough break for Andre.

I agree with everything you've said except for Zardes. There's a place for him, but for me, it has to be on the left side. He's completely uncomfortable on the right...

 

[ZooCougar]

you paint with a broad brush when I am talking about a particular tactic but that's ok - you and zoo continue to think you know what you are talking about - Ive forgotten more soccer than you will ever come to know.
Continue bashing Jozy - at 41 minutes of today's final he was laughing at you

And Zoo's claim that the 2nd division Bundesliga as better than MLS - yeah - he's watched a ton of tier 2 BL matches

And one more thought, it's because rinky dink American "coaches" like you that we have donkeys like Pontius and Zardes gumming up the works. You pretenders sit back and say "oh look how tall and fast they are!". You've got 35 years of getting it wrong. You sound just like the loser CT high school football coaches who endorsed Paul Pasqualoni.

 

[BlueMAB]

Zardes was terrible.
We still have a ways to go.
But this wasn't our A squad anyway (no Pulisic who is the best player we have right now)
And god bless Zoo, but JK's team wouldn't have performed any better. In fact he lost to Jamaica 2-1 the last time we played them in the gold cup.

 

[spsct]

The second Bundesliga? Hogwash. Absolute hogwash.

I don't watch any MLS, but I would say the top 25% of the second Bundesliga (4-5 teams) could compete in the first division. After that I would say the quality starts dropping fairly quickly but I think that the top teams would do OK in MLS.

I won't say they're better because I don't know much about MLS other than some names.

Just a neutral opinion.

 

[meyers7]

Zardes was terrible.
We still have a ways to go.
But this wasn't our A squad anyway (no Pulisic who is the best player we have right now)
And god bless Zoo, but JK's team wouldn't have performed any better. In fact he lost to Jamaica 2-1 the last time we played them in the gold cup.

Don't forget his team also lost to Costa Rica 4-0 last time too.

But Zoo doesn't see any difference in the teams under JK and BA.

 

[upstater]

I don't see the big improvement expected in the USA either. The talent pool is small still and the dedication is not what it could be.

Claudio Reyna played for the USA 20 years ago. Have we had a field general like Claudio ever since then? No. I acknowledge that Pulisic is going to play at a higher level than Reyna, but we don't have people at key positions like the #6. Bradley is playing better. But compare Bradley to some of the guys from the past like Reyna. There is a night and day difference. Heck, Bradley is not anywhere near John O'Brien's level either.

 

[SubbaBub]

I think Bradley was an excellent 6. Now he is just a good 6, but so long as he doesn't have the responsibility to go box to box any longer, I think he matches up well well most any opponent.

With the exception of Villafana, who is emerging but not a lock starter yet, the entire back line for this gold cup is a hard pass.

Zardes isn't there. Nagbe has a chance to crack the WC 11 and will be on the roster. Acosta will be fighting with Jones for a spot. Though we could do worse than bringing those 3 plus Pulisic as our center mids. First time I can reminder not feeling panicked over yellow card accumulation at that position.

The wings will depend heavily on formation and opponent I think, but I'd like to see Johnson and Nagbe on the field at the same time.

Jozy made a really nice free kick and was way more active than he usually is. I still think we create more chances without him, but he had a good game last night.

I'm guessing Dempsey could get used to the play 30 minutes and generate a goal. His comeback has been amazing. His ball skills were so much better than everyone else on the field it was odd to watch. I hope he maintains his form for another year.

Morris will need to show against better sides. This one is already out of qualifying. He is starting to look comfortable at this level though. Next 12 - 24 months will be big for him.

The next qualifiers will have a different look, but I think Bruce will start to favor the younger fringe players over he older ones.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm not sure I follow the arguments. So the USA absolutely dominates Jamaica, start to finish, allowing them almost no possession and only a couple of chances, but the US squad isn't any good. Doesn't matter, I suppose that Jamaica just beat Mexico and that we just beat Costa Rica handily. Was CR at full strength? No. But they were closer to it than the USA was.

Has a U.S. team ever rolled through a Gold Cup as easily as this one did? With a B-level roster? I suspect that people are nostalgic for favorite players of the past. Yes, a young Reyna would be great and would let us move Pulisic to the wing. But at many other spots this squad is improved over many of the past. Gonzales has really improved playing without Brooks, and has taken on more responsibility. Besler has been good. Nagbe is legit. Morris is one of the most potentially effective attacking subs I can recall, and he even plays defense, so you can plug him in a tied game without adding risk.

I really can't recall any U.S. team playing as aggressively, with as much pressure as this one does. Maybe it will backfire in Russia, maybe it won't. Goakeeper is the spot that concerns me most. They look cohesive, and play pretty well as a team out there, except Zardes. I would like to see somebody besides Acosta in the sub center mid role. I think Nagbe got an audition because Acosta did little besides commit fouls.

 

[upstater]

This is a funny article from 2 years ago:

The United States' 10 best players under the age of 21