US U17 & U20’s | Page 2 | The Boneyard

US U17 & U20’s

meyers7 said:
Well considering nothing is acceptable to you, about the best your gonna get.
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Sweet maybe Beerholder will start Steffen at Center Forward and we’ll get to watch you defend it.
 
ZooCougar said:
Sweet maybe Beerholder will start Steffen at Center Forward and we’ll get to watch you defend it.
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Not defending anything, just stating facts. Least I don't whine all the time like a little beatch.
 
That was no fluke. They played a good game against a good opponent. Some of the one-on-one, on the ball defending was outstanding. And they were ahead, fell behind, tied it up and won. Very resilient. Almost put it away late. Never stopped attacking. Good stuff.
 
That was a legit win, wow. The ball movement, the off the ball movement, Soto’s ability to finish and Weah’s ability to see the game and create were all very good.... this is a talented group... and they did it with Mendez and Durkin not playing - 2 regular starters- due to YC accumulation.

They play Ecuador in the quarters on Saturday, who finished 3rd in their group (behind Italy and japan, ahead of Mexico). Should be a good match, but it is a winnable game for the US (they’re all winnable st this point... and just as easily, losable). Should they win they’ll get the winner of Korea v Senegal.
 
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SAMCRO said:
They’re all winnable st this point... and just as easily
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I did not see the game; but like what I read about. Just have to keep in mind at U20, the kids can and will win a game in amazing fashion and then suddenly forget to how to even trap and ball and play a horrible game. Just look at Soto's first goal, the pass and run were amazing. Then in open space 1v1 with teh keppes, he almost trips over his own feet dribbling the ball; but, still somehow holds his balance long enough to be able to hook his foot around the ball to make a sweet curling shot into the low far corner. Could have gone either way. The glory and insanity of youth.
 
LIuconn said:
This group shows so much comfort and ability on the ball in tight spaces. Never have seen this from a US side before. Very impressive
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I agree. Their passing ability and communication are very good and have been evidence since the Ukraine game. I've seen many more successful give and goes from this group than you see from the older USMNT.

As mentioned, the youngsters can be inconsistent from minute to minute. But it appears less so as the tourney progresses.
 
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Not to keep harping on it, but the level of club ball these guys are at and starting to break thru @ makes all the difference. We will have field players with the ability to contribute to Champions League finalist-quality teams soon.

With that said, Chris Gloster got owned by #10 on France. That kid is gonna be a STAR real soon
 
Mali bests Argentina after Penalties in the final game of the day. The QF’s are set:

Colombia v Ukraine and Italy v Mali in one half on Friday, June 7th
US v Ecuador and Korea v Senegal in the other half on Saturday, June 8th.
 
LIuconn said:
Not to keep harping on it, but the level of club ball these guys are at and starting to break thru @ makes all the difference. We will have field players with the ability to contribute to Champions League finalist-quality teams soon.

With that said, Chris Gloster got owned by #10 on France. That kid is gonna be a STAR real soon
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Was Paxton really as good as people say he has been?
 
ZooCougar said:
Was Paxton really as good as people say he has been?
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He did look very solid to me. He is a skilled defender and seems to be in the right place when it starts to get dangerous.
 
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LIuconn said:
Not to keep harping on it, but the level of club ball these guys are at and starting to break thru @ makes all the difference. We will have field players with the ability to contribute to Champions League finalist-quality teams soon.

With that said, Chris Gloster got owned by #10 on France. That kid is gonna be a STAR real soon
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I agree but in the last 25 minutes or so Gloster defended amazingly. had some great last ditch tackles and stopped Diaby 1v1 a few times. Diaby is also probably PSG’s highest rated youngster at the moment, at the very least highest rated attacking youngster.

Read an article yesterday saying that Dortmund were seriously looking at Soto, and you can see why, kids movement is great. Honestly reminds me a lot of Sargent. Article also said some BuLi teams and a Champions League team were looking at Gloster as well. Hannover getting relegated may have been a blessing in disguise for these two.
 
I've been incredibly impressed with many of these players. It's so clear that our investments into academies and fomenting a soccer culture have begun to pay off. I mean, all of these guys are professionals (Rennicks played with IU last season but is now with the Revs). The days of calling in NCAA players for competitive U-20 fixtures should be just about over.

On an individual note, there's not much else you can say about Soto, Pomykal, Gloster (less so than these others but still impressing me) or Richards; they've been stalwarts. Weah has had moments of brilliance that make it easy to swallow his periods of inactivity. Plus, both he and KDLF tracked back really well against an elite, fast team in France. They've both got so much pace and some technical skills. Dest was a bit iffy in the GS but played a huge role on offense and defense against France. Ledezma, Mendez, hell, even Servania, who I do not rate highly (didn't think he should be on the team) have all played mostly well. Durkin wasn't great against Qatar or Ukraine (Go Ukes!). I think he's better as a 6 by himself instead of playing in a CDM pair with Servania. Keita is another player I'm not fond of; he's just so raw and it's clear he's not seeing quality competition. Still, even he contributed some good with the bad against France. Just very excited to see how this team progresses, both in the remainder of this tournament and in the coming years. To think, they could have Adams and Sargent, too!
 
Full Men’s team in the middle of the worst game i’ve seen them play in some time. My problem with the Berhalter hire was his MLS bias. Trapp is a worse version of Beckerman, Djordje hasn’t impressed me at all in any of his outings, yet I guess he may end up a good player. Roldan is bang average. Holmes has been our best player on the night and has played about 10 minutes this far. Awful showing.
 
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CardiacAndre7 said:
Full Men’s team in the middle of the worst game i’ve seen them play in some time. My problem with the Berhalter hire was his MLS bias. Trapp is a worse version of Beckerman, Djordje hasn’t impressed me at all in any of his outings, yet I guess he may end up a good player. Roldan is bang average. Holmes has been our best player on the night and has played about 10 minutes this far. Awful showing.
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It's impossible to be negative enough about tonight's game. Robinson by himself has made at least a dozen awful plays. They stunk as a team and individually. P. U.

For Jamaica, UConn GK Andre Blake was terrific as always but only tested once.
 
Palatine said:
Ecuador was better. But the USA had its chances.
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Yeah, there were definitely chances, but you can’t say they laid an egg against an inferior team. Ecuador looked like a very strong side. Semifinals should still be interesting with Ukraine and Italy on one side and Ecuador playing Cinderellas South Korea on the other.
 
I'd have a look at Pomykal as a replacement for the Trapp/Bradley debacle asap. He may not be true 6, but he can handle and distribute the ball better than both right now and he is young enough to learn to defend. Probably his best option to make the senior team anyhow.

I'd also get Weah into more camps and see if he can progress enough to contribute at the international level. His caps to date haven't been anything special but he was the best player on the squad.

Soto should also get a look. I didn't see anyone who projects as a difference maker right now but they all have a few more years to progress at the club level.
 
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