US World Cup Qualifying

[meyers7]

Nagbe not called in for WC qualifiers.

US ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough; 11/0), Ethan Horvath (Molde; 0/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 32/0), William Yarbrough (Club Leon; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 8/1), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United; 2/0), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin; 0/0), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur; 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt; 1/0), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca; 10/0), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach; 13/1), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana; 5/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United; 4/0)

MIDFIELDERS (9):Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 6/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC; 29/5), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland; 0/0), Julian Green (Bayern Munich; 0/0), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids; 14/0), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls; 17/2), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund; 3/2), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz; 1/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 14/3)

FORWARDS (4):Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC; 31/16), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen; 3/1), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 3/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg; 6/2)

Really good mix. And no Wondo or Beckerman. Can't get any better than that.

 

[Kgun7]

What time is the game in Friday? I'm stuck in Vegas for work until my 6 AM flight back home to the East Coast the next day. Going to need to find a good sports bar.

Crown & Anchor all day! Classic English Football Pub ... I went to the one on East Tropicana for the US v England match in 2010 ... packed with passionate fans ... had a great time!

 

[businesslawyer]

They are all over, plus the sports books. My suggestion is to find out where the Outlaws chapter hosts their game watch. If confined to the strip MGM has a good sports bar without the huge cover you'd find at Emeril's. They had the Classico on last time I was there, so they hAve at least heard of soccer. But really any bar should have it.

Game is 7ET, so 5MT.

Pregame at 7 Eastern. Kickoff at 8.

 

[businesslawyer]

Omar had a good year in Liga MX. I don't get Birnbaum, but that just shows you how poor the American defenders are in MLS. I've seen him forget how to run sometimes.

Not a big Birnbaum fan in MLS but he has been more than solid in his national team appearances.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not a big Birnbaum fan in MLS but he has been more than solid in his national team appearances.

But my 11:

Howard

Yedlin, Omar, Brooks, Johnson
Bradley
Bedoya, Klejstan (assuming healthy) Pulisic
Wood Altidore

Wouldn't be surprised if we see Birnbaum for Oman or Jones for Klejstan. Anything else I would be shocked.

 

[LIuconn]

Birnbaum was the biggest deer in headlights against Argentina. Dude was so scared. And Omar, for all of Cameron's gaffes and penchant for losing his man is still miles ahead of OG. We'll need goals, period.

My 11 is the same as BLs.

 

[businesslawyer]

So Klejstan did have his nose broken on Sunday. Apparently, he's being given a fitted protective mask and at least he thinks he will be ready to go. He seemed o.k. In the 2d half on Sunday, but watching the blood pouring into his mouth and him having to spit it out while they were working on his nose was unbelievably hard to watch. I absolutely could see them thinking he can't go 90 and having him come off the bench. In which case it would be Jones getting the nod I would presume.

I had a nightmare last night that JK decided to start Timmy Chandler. Because ... German?

 

[spsct]

So Klejstan did have his nose broken on Sunday. Apparently, he's being given a fitted protective mask and at least he thinks he will be ready to go. He seemed o.k. In the 2d half on Sunday, but watching the blood pouring into his mouth and him having to spit it out while they were working on his nose was unbelievably hard to watch. I absolutely could see them thinking he can't go 90 and having him come off the bench. In which case it would be Jones getting the nod I would presume.

I had a nightmare last night that JK decided to start Timmy Chandler. Because ... German?

Chandler's been pretty solid for Eintracht this year... Doesn't mean much in International competition but at least I wanted to note that he's picked his game up a bit...

 

[businesslawyer]

Chandler's been pretty solid for Eintracht this year... Doesn't mean much in International competition but at least I wanted to note that he's picked his game up a bit...

I wouldn't be shocked if he gives Chandler a start, either at LB, letting Fabian move forward, or RB, letting Yedlin come off the bench and play right HB injecting speed, as JK kept doing at the World Cup. But given that such a formation would be more experimental, I think you're more likely to see that in Costa Rica after we've picked up 3 points in Colombus. As well as Chandler is playing in league, his national team record is such that I just don't see a qualifier versus the Aztecs being the moment to try to integrate him into the lineup.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So...Mexico match or UConn vs Wagner?

 

[businesslawyer]

So...Mexico match or UConn vs Wagner?

I will watch the football match live. It's simply a much more important game.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I will watch the football match live. It's simply a much more important game.

That's why I bothered to ask. UConn vs. Syracuse against some lower level MNT game is a pretty easy choice (I think).

 

[SubbaBub]

Maybe it's historical bias but I don't want to see Steven Krajewski on the field. I just don't think he's up to the level of competition. His performances in the MLS and cupcake friendlies aside.

 

[businesslawyer]

Maybe it's historical bias but I don't want to see Steven Krajewski on the field. I just don't think he's up to the level of competition. His performances in the MLS and cupcake friendlies aside.

Klejstan did not do a good job in his earlier run starting for the national team. But too malign a guy for playing well in MLS when he played well in Europe and CL games is a bit silly.

We do not have another player in the pool who can make the final pass the way that he can, creatively and consistently. One day maybe Pulisic or Green or Zalalem will be that player, but now we either play without a true point guard so to speak or it's him.

 

[ZooCougar]

Klejstan did not do a good job in his earlier run starting for the national team. But too malign a guy for playing well in MLS when he played well in Europe and CL games is a bit silly.

We do not have another player in the pool who can make the final pass the way that he can, creatively and consistently. One day maybe Pulisic or Green or Zalalem will be that player, but now we either play without a true point guard so to speak or it's him.

Feilhaber can. But he may as well not exist to Jurgen. From July onward nobody in the league had more assists. He's been excellent for three seasons now.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Here's a prediction on lineups and formation. Armchair Analyst: Tactical preview of USMNT vs. Mexico in Hexagonal opener

At the end he says:
"I'd also happily see Sacha Kljestan in that central midfield role in place of Jones, who may not be fit to go from the start given his summer-long injury followed by a sudden return and heavy workload for the Rapids. Kljestan has played in this qualifier before, has a symbiotic relationship with Bradley, and seemed to have instant chemistry with Pulisic when they set foot on the field together against Trinidad & Tobago back in September."

 

[Waquoit]

"Kljestan has played in this qualifier before, has a symbiotic relationship with Bradley, and seemed to have instant chemistry with Pulisic ."

This. We need to give Pulisic all the tools we can.

 

[Waquoit]

That rule only applies to Donovan in JK's book.

Apparently not

 

[Eskapeesto]

Mexico takes the lead 2-1. 90th minute.

Between this and Wagner, the sports fan in me is on suicide watch. Pats better win Sunday.

 

[SAMCRO]

Ya, pretty bad sports day. At least UConn football can't lose this weekend.

Bradley had a bad game, IMO.
Wood and Pulisic are going to be formidable going forward.
Klinsman got too clever the first 30 minutes for his own good with his formation.
Mexico looked good tho.

 

[ZooCougar]

Ya, pretty bad sports day. At least UConn football can't lose this weekend.

Bradley had a bad game, IMO.
Wood and Pulisic are going to be formidable going forward.
Klinsman got too clever the first 30 minutes for his own good with his formation.
Mexico looked good tho.

I get why he went with the 3-5-2 but pulling in Pulisic centrally to replace Steven Krajewski wasn't a good plan. #10 is our best player but #7 was MOTM for us.

That Mexico team was really good. They had their heads in the game and showed up ready to go.

 

[UCFBfan]

I know it's been said before but man, Pulisic is the real deal. Some of the moves and plays he made in the second half of the game were great. I can't recall the last time I've seen that level of play from an American player. Really excited for that kids future. Wood was good too and I agree that the two of them are a solid and exciting building block.

 

[junglehusky]

I wonder if Klinsman was done in by his experience as an elite player. Maybe teams he played for, the German national team or Tottenham, were capable of going out in a novel formation and making it click off the whistle. US clearly isn't quite on that level.

 

[Waquoit]

Tough loss but something we can move forward from. Very entertaining game.

 

[LIuconn]

When's the last GOOD game Michael Bradley played? He was invisible all night again and botched an easy layoff to Wood that could have put us up 2-1. Would rather see Darlington or Sacha on the field than him

I'm a JK guy, but if we lose Tuesday that may be it for him