MNT’s 2022 | Page 9 | The Boneyard

MNT’s 2022

Hard to speculate on whether this would have been a win or not if we really needed it. (I'm guessing not).

Good thing we got that point in Azteca.

Still zero from the 9 spot. Turner is the GK if he's healthy. Steffen just isn't good enough. Adams had a tough match and it left our back line exposed. So I'm not sold on Zimmerman just yet, but he still seems to be the best option.

Weah is the Andre Jackson of the USMNT. Does a lot of good things that don't lead to scoring goals and wins. I'll take Gio, Arriola, and Arronson over him at wing, but I would like to see him in the middle. He's in our top 6 forwards and rather him on the field than any of the strikers.
 
One of the announcers last night mentioned that Weah could play the 9 in pinch. I'd like to see what that looks like during upcoming friendlies.
 
Underwhelming and not exactly the statement, "turned the corner" performance we could have gotten in this window (chance to win @Azteca or San Jose), but we took care of business when and how we needed to (4 points vs. Mexico, running up the score against Honduras and Panama).

The concern is, what happens in Qatar when we face teams with physicality and who can take advantage of counters and set pieces, not to mention the Pot 1 caliber opponents who outclass us in skill and tactics. Need to be better in the final 1/3.
 
The were very deliberate and not very sharp in the first half especially early.

Our need for a big physical 9 is a huge issue.

In perspective, making the World Cup has been fairly easy for the USA. We have made it almost every time this century. We should always expect to qualify. That's what makes last night disappointing.
 
meyers7 said:
We didn't look great. We did make a few good chances though. Just didn't take them....or Navas.

That wasn't the B/C team either. (not that it matters) Costa Rica is in the process of turning over. Most of those guys who played last night are going to be on the 23 man squad. (if they get by New Zealand - which I would imagine they would) B squad at worst.

I mean we were missing 3-4 starters ourselves.
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Most of those guys had one or no caps.
 
.-.
Tenspro2002 said:
Underwhelming and not exactly the statement, "turned the corner" performance we could have gotten in this window (chance to win @Azteca or San Jose), but we took care of business when and how we needed to (4 points vs. Mexico, running up the score against Honduras and Panama).

The concern is, what happens in Qatar when we face teams with physicality and who can take advantage of counters and set pieces, not to mention the Pot 1 caliber opponents who outclass us in skill and tactics. Need to be better in the final 1/3.
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I’m not too down about it. Costa Rica rotated their team heavily. We did not. And that really showed.
 
ZooCougar said:
Most of those guys had one or no caps.
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Well 5 of the 16. But as I said Costa Rica is turning over. A majority of the 16 that played last night will probably be on the 23.
 
meyers7 said:
Well 5 of the 16. But as I said Costa Rica is turning over. A majority of the 16 that played last night will probably be on the 23.
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So it makes them even more inexperienced than our inexperienced players.
 
ZooCougar said:
So it makes them even more inexperienced than our inexperienced players.
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Some. But that doesn't make it a B/C team. Not saying we shouldn't have done much better. Just trying to correct some misrepresentation going on.
 
meyers7 said:
Some. But that doesn't make it a B/C team. Not saying we shouldn't have done much better. Just trying to correct some misrepresentation going on.
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Yeah it does. The first choice team was on the bench. This is very simple.
 
ZooCougar said:
Yeah it does. The first choice team was on the bench. This is very simple.
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So Navas started on the bench? Hmmm missed that. I'm not sure you understand the meaning of A/B/C.

No I take that back, I am sure you don't.
 
.-.
I know people have some mixed feelings about our results, but we should sit back and calmly analyze. After all, we came in tied for 3rd in our group. We only squeaked by because of goal differential. That's pathetic. With our talent and resources we should have been in before this weekend. Our only hope for success in the World Cup is for the players to take over. Kinda like 2014 UConn.
 
Waquoit said:
I know people have some mixed feelings about our results, but we should sit back and calmly analyze. After all, we came in tied for 3rd in our group. We only squeaked by because of goal differential. That's pathetic. With our talent and resources we should have been in before this weekend. Our only hope for success in the World Cup is for the players to take over. Kinda like 2014 UConn.
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I mean, we had the spot virtually clinched when we were tied for 2nd and behind only Canada and their Dream Cycle.

We didn't squeak by. We dominated goal differential. At no point in the last few months were we anything besides a heavy favorite to qualify.

Would the narrative really be that different if Mexico had lost to El Salvador and finished behind us?
 
So do I understand this right that we have a 1/8 chance of being drawn with Qatar instead of a legit Pot 1 team?

That's a major, major advantage to whichever Pot 2 team goes with them, no?
 
Tenspro2002 said:
So do I understand this right that we have a 1/8 chance of being drawn with Qatar instead of a legit Pot 1 team?

That's a major, major advantage to whichever Pot 2 team goes with them, no?
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Correct have to hope we draw Qatar as the Pot 1 team and avoid Wales as the Pot 4 team
 
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Tenspro2002 said:
What's wrong with Wales?
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They're 18th in the FIFA rankings and would have been the top team in Pot 3. But since their qualifying game was delayed due to Ukraine the winner of the play in game between them and Ukraine/Scotland is in Pot 4
 
They just mentioned being drawn into Groups G and H would give the team some extra time together before first game. I guess some leagues aren't stopping until a week before the WC starts. Yikes.
 
Methinks this is rigged? ha. Well I kinda like our chances against England at the moment, we'll see what these teams look like in 5 months and how Jedi Robinson does in the Prem next season. If he adopts well and Dest gets playing time at Barca that can help mitigate Foden/Sterling/Grealish/Sancho etc down the wings
 
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Went from one of the easier groups to the Group of Death.

The US is almost always guaranteed to be in a group with 2 Euros.
 
meyers7 said:
So Navas started on the bench? Hmmm missed that. I'm not sure you understand the meaning of A/B/C.

No I take that back, I am sure you don't.
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One first choice player does not an A team make. Come on.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
I mean, we had the spot virtually clinched when we were tied for 2nd and behind only Canada and their Dream Cycle.

We didn't squeak by. We dominated goal differential. At no point in the last few months were we anything besides a heavy favorite to qualify.

Would the narrative really be that different if Mexico had lost to El Salvador and finished behind us?
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We were a heavy favorite in 2017 until the second half of the last game.
 
Waquoit said:
In my mind, winning by tie-breaker is squeaking by. Some competitions use head-to-head as the first tie-breaker. In that case, we're off to Qatar to face the Kiwis.
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This is the correct take.

Tenspro2002 said:
Sure, in some alternate universe we were at risk of not making it.

Not in this one though.
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This is the incorrect take. Before the last Mexico game if you felt this way then you didn’t understand the situation. We avoided a playoff by the skin of our teeth. And we lost to a b/c team in San Jose.
 
England is tough. Iran is fairly weak. Wales would be the strongest of the pot 4 teams by a lot.

 
.-.
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