The Way Too Early Gold Cup Thread | Page 6 | The Boneyard

The Way Too Early Gold Cup Thread

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ZooCougar said:
Really it was kind of a piss poor performance. Hopefully it was just the heat and the game not really meaning much. I was glad Jurgen made those adjustments because we still wanted to win the game.
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US was already through and Panama needed a result, but the US did not seemed fully engaged in the first 45. Some of Guzan's saves were Howard-esque. I didn't think Panama was supposed to be THAT good (and they probably aren't), but as I said the US already won the group.
 
Husky25 said:
US was already through and Panama needed a result, but the US did not seemed fully engaged in the first 45. Some of Guzan's saves were Howard-esque. I didn't think Panama was supposed to be THAT good (and they probably aren't), but as I said the US already won the group.
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I know that. Before the tournament, Panama was probably the 4th or 5th best team on paper. They also almost qualified for the World Cup but didn't go thanks to US. So they had a chip on their shoulder. Haiti definitely passed them, they are kind of the surprise. So that Haiti win looks a little better now. I wish I had gotten there early enough to watch some of that game because people told me it was good.

But even with winning the group, it should have been a good opportunity to sort out the connections on the field. But I think that with some of those comically bad clearances and the disappearance of the midfield we were on our heels until after Panama scored.
 
Guzan has been money the past couple of months. Johannsen also brought some good energy in the second half.
 
I think Klinsmann recalls Agudelo to replace Jozy, along with Matt Besler and Demarcus Beasley.
 
Jaker said:
Sounds like Altidore is no longer on the team.
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Was he kicked off or just passed over because his hamstrings are actually string cheese? My guess is the latter.
 
ZooCougar said:
Other than Bedoya, Fabian Johnson is super.
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Would love to see Bedoya and Johnson as our outside mids. Don't really like Garza back there at LB though.
 
I would like to see Shea brought back into the mix. I doubt Wondo starts another game for JK or see many more minutes.
 
meyers7 said:
Would love to see Bedoya and Johnson as our outside mids. Don't really like Garza back there at LB though.
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I think the diamond is hurting us. We use it a bit differently and treat the outside mids as wingers. Which seems a little unconventional. When you see it used by Juventus they will put a player like Pogba who is a center mid on the outside and have the fullbacks create the width.

The US uses the outside mids to create width and I think that leaves the midfield kind of hollow. Bradley ends up covering a lot of ground and you even see Dempsey tracking back really far. I'd like to see us overload the middle a bit more with 4 center mids, but I don't think we can do that, because we really only have one fullback capable of getting forward and tracking back like you want.

I think that in this tournament with the personnel we have that a 4-3-3 would be better. With Bedoya, Dempsey and Johnson on the front line. Then you could have Bradley, Beckerman and ..... Diskerud? as the three center mids. And there lies the problem. We really only have two center mids that are trustworthy. Diskerud does a disappearing act. We would be better off with Beckerman as the dmid, Bradley as the box to box mid and someone like Lee Nguyen or Benny Feilhaber as the attacking mid.

I doubt we'll shift that much, although it appeared that we did that a little last night. But having Bradley and even Dempsey tracking back that much is just really inefficient.
 
Husky25 said:
Was he kicked off or just passed over because his hamstrings are actually string cheese? My guess is the latter.
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not sure, but I doubt JK likes his effort.
 
Husky25 said:
Was he kicked off or just passed over because his hamstrings are actually string cheese? My guess is the latter.
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Probably that and his form. Aron, Dempsey and Zardes are just better at the moment. Wondo and Altidore are about equal.
 
Husky25 said:
I asked last night who is behind Chandler. Either Klinsmann is in complete disagreement with you on Chandler's level of play so far or the Next Man Up is a folding chair.
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I would like to think that JK is way smarter then me; but, I am concerned that he has blinders on when it comes to players who club in the Bundesliga. If he is the best option, I am very worried as this a sample of Chandler's ratings last night: 3 (World Soccer), 3.5 (NY Times), 3.5 (ESPN), 4.5 (MLS Soccer) to 5 (CBS - how they give him a 5 with this note is odd, "Why is he on this team? Is there not anyone better? Often caught watching the ball and playing with no confidence").

PS - Altidore is off the team. Injury or performance driven?

http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/...dore-off-us-gold-cup-squad-for-knockout-round
 
Mr. Conehead said:
I would like to think that JK is way smarter then me; but, I am concerned that he has blinders on when it comes to players who club in the Bundesliga. If he is the best option, I am very worried as this a sample of Chandler's ratings last night: 3 (World Soccer), 3.5 (NY Times), 3.5 (ESPN), 4.5 (MLS Soccer) to 5 (CBS - how they give him a 5 with this note is odd, "Why is he on this team? Is there not anyone better? Often caught watching the ball and playing with no confidence").

PS - Altidore is off the team. Injury or performance driven?

http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/...dore-off-us-gold-cup-squad-for-knockout-round
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Not sure if him starting last night means that he was first choice. It looked like a mix of 1s and 2s. But I share the same concern.

On Altidore, it's gotta be both.
 
ZooCougar said:
Other than that, how did the crowd look on TV? Attendance was only 18,300 something and the seats were mostly full. CONCACAF doesn't allow the stadium to utilize the standing room area, but if they could, it would have easily been 22,000.
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Thanks for representing. If I am not traveling for work, I need to look at getting tickets for the final at Lincoln if the US makes it. How was the weather? It looked like everyone sweated off about 10 pounds. I am surprised that cramping was not an issue, especially for US players coming in from Europe.
 
Mr. Conehead said:
Thanks for representing. If I am not traveling for work, I need to look at getting tickets for the final at Lincoln if the US makes it. How was the weather? It looked like everyone sweated off about 10 pounds. I am surprised that cramping was not an issue, especially for US players coming in from Europe.
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Sauna.
 
Beasley for Garza (Jurgen said that Beasley is needed to stabilize the back four with his experience and mentality)
Corona for Morales (JK says that Morales is still developing but not ready yet)
Alan Gordon for Altidore (Jozy still not fit enough and not playing fast enough, needs to go back to Toronto and get fit, at least he can play in that friendly against Sunderland, Alan Gordon is a battering ram who has a knack for late goals)
 
ZooCougar said:
Beasley for Garza (Jurgen said that Beasley is needed to stabilize the back four with his experience and mentality)
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I'm thinking, hoping, with Beasley there, Johnson can move up into midfield or to LB.
 
ZooCougar said:
I think the diamond is hurting us. We use it a bit differently and treat the outside mids as wingers. Which seems a little unconventional. When you see it used by Juventus they will put a player like Pogba who is a center mid on the outside and have the fullbacks create the width.
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Well Bedoya cuts in a lot. And I know Chandler and Johnson like to get forward. But when they do the midfield coughs up the ball and we keep getting burnt on the counter. And the FB's get antsy about getting forward. (I don't think we'll be confused for Juventus anytime soon. ;))

ZooCougar said:
I think that in this tournament with the personnel we have that a 4-3-3 would be better. With Bedoya, Dempsey and Johnson on the front line. Then you could have Bradley, Beckerman and ..... Diskerud? as the three center mids. And there lies the problem. We really only have two center mids that are trustworthy. Diskerud does a disappearing act. We would be better off with Beckerman as the dmid, Bradley as the box to box mid and someone like Lee Nguyen or Benny Feilhaber as the attacking mid.

I doubt we'll shift that much, although it appeared that we did that a little last night. But having Bradley and even Dempsey tracking back that much is just really inefficient.
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I certainly wouldn't consider Beckerman as a trustworthy mid. Not sure Dempsey can play that CF either. Not really his best position. We saw them try that at the WC, with Bradley in behind him and it didn't work at all.

I think Mix and Bradley pretty much both should play the 8, but having both of them out there and no 6 doesn't seem to work too well. Maybe Jones or Williams with them? But then not sure what to do with Dempsey??? Need a good CF to play a 4-5-1 (4-3-3). We don't really have one. Altidore is a close as we've got and....well...there you go. Don't know if Zardes or Wood can do that???
 
I'm happy that my Beasley kit is still current for at least 1 (hopefully 3) more game.
 
With Canada bowing out...goal-less....again, El Salvador is praying Cuba pulls off the upset over Guatemala (very doubtful)
The quarterfinals are looking like:

Quarter-finals
US v Group B or C #3 (El Salvador or Guatemala...very long shot of Mexico)
Jamaica v Haiti

Group C #1 (Trinidad or Mexico) v Panama
Costa Rica v. Group C #2 (Trinidad or Mexico....very long shot of Guatemala)
 
SAMCRO said:
With Canada bowing out...goal-less....again, El Salvador is praying Cuba pulls off the upset over Guatemala (very doubtful)
The quarterfinals are looking like:

Quarter-finals
US v Group B or C #3 (El Salvador or Guatemala...very long shot of Mexico)
Jamaica v Haiti

Group C #1 (Trinidad or Mexico) v Panama
Costa Rica v. Group C #2 (Trinidad or Mexico....very long shot of Guatemala)
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USA has to be thrilled with the way the bracket is panning out (assuming Mexico avoids 3rd place meaning an insanely early US/Mexico matchup in Baltimore).
USA will likely have to get through ElSalvador/Guatemala and Jamaica to get to the final (no cakewalk but considering what the other half of the bracket looks like...)
 
ZooCougar said:
Other than that, how did the crowd look on TV? Attendance was only 18,300 something and the seats were mostly full. CONCACAF doesn't allow the stadium to utilize the standing room area, but if they could, it would have easily been 22,000.
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I gotta say, of all the MLS stadiums I've wanted to go to, it was always Portland but after seeing the game last night I think KC is up there. On TV the stadium sounded like it was rocking. Maybe it's the difference between a football stadium like Gillette and a soccer specific one like KC, but it was a massively different sounding crowd between the two games.
 
this could not have gone any better for the USA as far as a path to the finals. No excuses now (not that any would be okay before hand)
 
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