USMNT 2025

[Waquoit]

This Poch guy looks like he can coach a bit.

 

[meyers7]

Wow! A 5-1 blowout versus Uruguay. It is simply a fact at this point that Sebastian Berhalter provides the best service on corner and free kicks. He should make the WC roster based on that alone. But his overall game grows every cap.

Both teams should probably scored a couple more goals each.

We have some work to do on defense. Looks like Richards, Ream and ????? in a 3 back. Hopefully Dest and Jedi as the WB's.

Last night it morphed into a 4-4-2 defensively some of the time (with Tolkien dropping into the LB role). And occasionally, Tolkien staying back to make a back 3 with Dest and Freeman getting forward on the right side.

 

[HCCForever]

Sebastian seems like nice team guy as well as bringing skills to the team. Good interview with him after yesterday’s match

 

[ZooCougar]

Wow! A 5-1 blowout versus Uruguay. It is simply a fact at this point that Sebastian Berhalter provides the best service on corner and free kicks. He should make the WC roster based on that alone. But his overall game grows every cap.

I hope Poch sits Sebastian down before the World Cup and tells him that he will be on the team but won’t play a big role; just to mess with him.

 

[ZooCougar]

This Poch guy look like he can coach a bit.

Too bad we didn’t hire an American former gym teacher. Those guys can really coach!

 

[meyers7]

I hope Poch sits Sebastian down before the World Cup and tells him that he will be on the team but won’t play a big role; just to mess with him.

It was kind of odd/funny/refreshing to see Gio and Sebastian standing over the FK deciding who was going to take it. Their parents couldn't do that. At least civilly.

 

[ZooCougar]

It was kind of odd/funny/refreshing to see Gio and Sebastian standing over the FK deciding who was going to take it. Their parents couldn't do that. At least civilly.

That’s why we needed someone like Poch to leave the baggage behind.

 

[meyers7]

Yeah, it's 2026, but this thread is still here.

Poch's last call up before the World Cup Roster.

GK- Matt Freese, Matt Turner, Chris Brady, Roman Celetano
DF - Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Jedi Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Austin Trusty
- Weston McKennie, Tanner Tessman, Jonny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, Aiden Morris, Cristian Roldan, Sebastian Berhalter
FW - Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Brendon Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang

I believe Dest, Adams, Wright have injuries.

No, Musah, Zendejas, Luna, Schulte, de la Torre, Sargent.

Noahkai Banks hasn't decided who he wants to play for yet. (Germany or USA)

Not sure if Poch is going to go back to a 4-3-3 or keep that 3-4-2-1 he's used recently??

 

[Waquoit]

East Hartford in the house!

 

[Excalibur]

Banks is claiming an injury but looks to be holding out for a Germany call-up.

 

[ZooCougar]

Yeah, it's 2026, but this thread is still here.

Poch's last call up before the World Cup Roster.

GK- Matt Freese, Matt Turner, Chris Brady, Roman Celetano
DF - Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Jedi Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Austin Trusty
- Weston McKennie, Tanner Tessman, Jonny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, Aiden Morris, Cristian Roldan, Sebastian Berhalter
FW - Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Brendon Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang

I believe Dest, Adams, Wright have injuries.

No, Musah, Zendejas, Luna, Schulte, de la Torre, Sargent.

Noahkai Banks hasn't decided who he wants to play for yet. (Germany or USA)

Not sure if Poch is going to go back to a 4-3-3 or keep that 3-4-2-1 he's used recently??

There is just so little juice about this World Cup. And if things keep going the way they are it might be really easy to get tickets.

 

[meyers7]

There is just so little juice about this World Cup. And if things keep going the way they are it might be really easy to get tickets.

Oh you can get tickets, just gotta pay. Haiti-Scotland at Gillette tickets are $650-$1100 range.

England-Ghana run $800-$3500.

Stubhub.

 

[meyers7]

Well that wasn't pretty....at least overall. 1st half wasn't bad. We had a couple of chances there. 2nd half, everything seemed to drop off...or Belgium picked it up.

Think it was dumb to switch to the 4 back. Created lot of problems for us vs Doku. If you have Weah on that outside, he definitely needs help. (most RB's need help with Doku). And Weah's not really a RB, but as a WB, much better.

I half understand why Poch went with the 4 back. He saw Richards and MRobinson out injured and went with 2 CBs. I'd rather McKenzie/Ream and Trusty? or Freeman? . Then Weah and Jedi can play those WB positions. (3-4-2-2 which has worked the last few games for us.).

And that would move McKennie back into one of those two 10's where he belongs. Then remove Tillman or Pulisic, who neither one did much of anything.

We definitely need Richards and McKenzie in those back 3, along with I guess we're stuck with Ream. But at least with the 3 back, he's not as exposed.

Then Adams/Tesserman/Cordosa, any 2 of them in those CM positions . And that's all I really need to see in there. (maybe let McKennie cover in there if needed).

In the 10s, Pulisic, McKennie, Tillman, Reyna, Aaronson, whoever is playing well.

The WBs, Jedi, Dest, Weah, Freeman, I guess we're stuck with Arfsten (for some reason - he's not horrible in the attack, as long as he doesn't have to defend. Just hope Jedi is really healthy this summer. (IDK, maybe Dest can play on the left WB if needed?) (I'd rather have Weah/Dest right and left, than Dest/Arfsten right and left.)

 

[SubbaBub]

Can't play Ream in a back 4 with who he had protecting him, if at all. The amount of ground you are asking him to cover when Jedi goes forward, Mckenzie (who showed nothing) worrying about his half and a Weah/Dest type on the right side is tactical malpractice. When the holding midfielders are Tessmann, Carduso, Roldan, Berhalter or anyone not named Adams or McKennie it is madness.

Now I think we can pair Adams with Tessmann or Berhalter in the group stage if we think we need McKennie higher up pitch in a 3-4-3, but I'd prefer to have Adams/McKennie at the pivot and use Reyna either in the center or on the right. Weah can play wingback but you need 3 CBs with this talent pool. The GK, CB, DM options can't play 4 in the back and expect to beat decent sides. It was also kind of unfair to Turner hanging him out like that but I also didn't see him covering for any of the mistakes in front of him. He should have covered those shots from distance and maybe caught the punch clearance.

The match was only successful as a definitive statement on what not to do going forward. Will only help if the lesson is learned.

A recurring theme is that players who may look good against minnows rarely show up against the top 20 sides. We really need to stop being fooled by these performances.

All 3 strikers looked pretty good, though.

 

[SubbaBub]

Well that wasn't pretty....at least overall. 1st half wasn't bad. We had a couple of chances there. 2nd half, everything seemed to drop off...or Belgium picked it up.

Think it was dumb to switch to the 4 back. Created lot of problems for us vs Doku. If you have Weah on that outside, he definitely needs help. (most RB's need help with Doku). And Weah's not really a RB, but as a WB, much better.

I half understand why Poch went with the 4 back. He saw Richards and MRobinson out injured and went with 2 CBs. I'd rather McKenzie/Ream and Trusty? or Freeman? . Then Weah and Jedi can play those WB positions. (3-4-2-2 which has worked the last few games for us.).

And that would move McKennie back into one of those two 10's where he belongs. Then remove Tillman or Pulisic, who neither one did much of anything.

We definitely need Richards and McKenzie in those back 3, along with I guess we're stuck with Ream. But at least with the 3 back, he's not as exposed.

Then Adams/Tesserman/Cordosa, any 2 of them in those CM positions . And that's all I really need to see in there. (maybe let McKennie cover in there if needed).

In the 10s, Pulisic, McKennie, Tillman, Reyna, Aaronson, whoever is playing well.

The WBs, Jedi, Dest, Weah, Freeman, I guess we're stuck with Arfsten (for some reason - he's not horrible in the attack, as long as he doesn't have to defend. Just hope Jedi is really healthy this summer. (IDK, maybe Dest can play on the left WB if needed?) (I'd rather have Weah/Dest right and left, than Dest/Arfsten right and left.)

It is really a statement that we had to even consider Ream, let alone have to rely on him. Not sold on MeKenzie but time is short.