USMNT Roster for Panama, T&T

[BlueMAB]

Klinsmann deserves some of the blame, he lost the team and was rightfully fired at that point. I never wanted Arena, we needed a tactical coach who can teach the team how to play as a unit. Arena does deserve most of the blame though, if you can't beat Honduras and T&T, something is really wrong.

I don't think anyone here wanted Arena.

But the entire system is broken. And JK may have been trying to fix it, but he lost the team in the process, and he wasn't getting the job done. Again, he had some really bad losses too. Change needs to come from the top down.

 

[spsct]

I'm going to have a long year ahead of me... First thing I met walking in the door at work were grinning Germans asking what happened...
Can't wait to go to the bar or football practice to really catch hell, my co-workers don't even care about football...

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Not to be that guy, but if CONCACAF had VAR or decent refs, Panama’s first goal doesn’t count and US is possibly through in 4th place. Doesn’t take away from how bad USMNT have been though.

 

[SAMCRO]

Meh, if there was a decent ref in the US game T&T is awarded a PK (to probably go up 2-0) , and Gonzalez possibly a red card in the 18th minute.

There's plenty of people to get some blame for last night and this cycle.... that list is long and distinguished... but last night the US got beat by essentially the T&T 'B' team. Let that sink in.

So Bradley, Howard, Guzan, Dempsey, Wondo, Zusi, Beasley, Feilhaber, and a few other 32+ year olds Im sure Im forgetting.... thank you for your contribution to US soccer, you can have free tickets to any game you like, but you'll no longer be invited to camp.

 

[Waquoit]

JK had the balls to kick Nagby to the curb after he refused a call-up. First thing Arena did was to make him a starter and Nagby responded by disappearing in the big games. But Arena made soccer "fun" again!

 

[SubbaBub]

You may have to get used to not playing in a World Cup. 2022 is no lock for qualification either.

Judging on the player pool from the hex

We have no goaltenders. Those 3 guys are done.

We have no central defense. All those guys except Brooks are done.

Yedlin and Villafana will likely stay in the mix on the wings.

Bradley is done. At his rate of decline he won't be playing for the US in the next round.

You have Acosta, Nagbe, and Arriola behind Pulisic in midfield. Whose wow'd? Anyone? Mueller?

Up front, Dempsey is done. Depending on the level of upheaval at USSF and the new coach, he'll get his goal and then he is done. You have Jozy still being Jozy only now past his prime. You have Wood who is still short of a game changer and you have Morris.

Regardless of which youngsters fill in the holes, that doesn't look like a qualifying roster to me.

MLS made all these small nations a lot better. It made us worse by coddling our players into a comfortable soccer lifestyle.

As for Arena, I thought Panama committed coaching malpractice in the last game. If your though is to play Jozy wide, keep thinking until you think of something else. His desperate sub pattern had his best players too far from goal.

 

[ZooCougar]

You may have to get used to not playing in a World Cup. 2022 is no lock for qualification either.

Judging on the player pool from the hex

We have no goaltenders. Those 3 guys are done.

We have no central defense. All those guys except Brooks are done.

Yedlin and Villafana will likely stay in the mix on the wings.

Bradley is done. At his rate of decline he won't be playing for the US in the next round.

You have Acosta, Nagbe, and Arriola behind Pulisic in midfield. Whose wow'd? Anyone? Mueller?

Up front, Dempsey is done. Depending on the level of upheaval at USSF and the new coach, he'll get his goal and then he is done. You have Jozy still being Jozy only now past his prime. You have Wood who is still short of a game changer and you have Morris.

Regardless of which youngsters fill in the holes, that doesn't look like a qualifying roster to me.

MLS made all these small nations a lot better. It made us worse by coddling our players into a comfortable soccer lifestyle.

As for Arena, I thought Panama committed coaching malpractice in the last game. If your though is to play Jozy wide, keep thinking until you think of something else. His desperate sub pattern had his best players too far from goal.

This is right on the money.

We don’t play another competitive match until the Gold Cup in 2019.

Time to overindex on youth and find the answers to all the questions you just raised.

 

[meyers7]

Wondered when you would bring that up. Took you long enough.

 

[ZooCougar]

JK had the balls to kick Nagby to the curb after he refused a call-up. First thing Arena did was to make him a starter and Nagby responded by disappearing in the big games. But Arena made soccer "fun" again!

Arena put everyone back in their comfort zone instead of stretching them out.

Based on what we saw with Arena this whole theory that Jurgen “losing the team” has to be called into question. Because the team was pretty non responsive to Bruce as well.

Maybe the players really are a bunch spoiled babies?

 

[ZooCougar]

Wondered when you would bring that up. Took you long enough.

Yeah all of like an hour.

 

[meyers7]

"Even Poland ...": Huh? Acknowledging the well-intended facetious remark, other European national teams are likely better examples.

On top of European qualifying's leading scorer, Lewandoski, compare Poland's many well recognized players and European professional teams represented on their roster versus that of the US. Plenty of players in Poland's rapidly improving Ekstraklasa, but also good representation in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Premiership, etc.

MLS v Ekstraklasa: Reasonable debate on the 2 league's relative merits, but the latter's made tremendous advances in the last decade alone. Increasingly, EuroCup 2012's legacy co-hosted by Poland is reaping good rewards for the Poles.

Wondered if someone would jump on that. Poland are most likely going to be seeded for the 2018 WC.

 

[meyers7]

Absolutely, watching the 2 games simultaneously. Argentina via bein on television, the sad US appearance via some crap internet link on PC. Way to go Sunil!

Nothing to do with Gulati. And just get BeIN Sports.

 

[meyers7]

Yeah all of like an hour.

Try again. I saw Bruce's comments around 12-1. So at least 5 hours.

 

[meyers7]

Sunil and Bruce own this

Agree.

Arena had one job. He failed. He should be gone this morning. May take longer to get rid of Gulati, but it needs to be done.

 

[ZooCougar]

Try again. I saw Bruce's comments around 12-1. So at least 5 hours.

Some of us have jobs. What a weird thing to call out. You are a pretty strange person.

 

[meyers7]

Dax would have helped tonight. Arena was the failure. No reason for the 4-3-3 AT ALL! Here's what it did:

1) turned Jozy into a (bad) left winger.
2) forced Bradley more offensive which he doesn't do well in.
3) gave more defensive responsibilities to Nagbe which he doesn't do well.

Why? Honestly why? And why not start with Dempsey who was more fresh than the others who played a full game two days ago?

Arena's stupidity caused this...

We actually didn't play a 4-3-3. We stayed with the 4-4-2 diamond we played on Friday. When Dempsey came in, Pulisic moved out to the right and Dempsey came into the top of the diamond.

 

[meyers7]

Some of us have jobs. What a weird thing to call out. You are a pretty strange person.

I just found it very humorous you'd miss it for so long, you being you.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He did more than Dozy. Plus Mr. 41 goals should be leading by example right?

Let's hope he never gets a chance to get #42.

I thought it was telling that in limited time, Dempsey had our two best chances, and Jozy blew a header he should have buried. Even Benny generated some offense.

 

[ZooCougar]

Arena accepts blame in passionate defense of U.S. Soccer setup

""There's nothing wrong with what we're doing," he said. "Certainly as our league grows, it advances the national team program. We have some good young players come up."

This MLS centric focus has to end now. We have players in leagues all over the place.

 

[meyers7]

Time to hit the reset button. Bring in new everything/everyone. Every friendly until WCQ or the next Gold Cup needs to be young, fresh, up and coming talent mixed in with the guys who actually give a $#!+. Pathetic.

True. Was just thinking last night who should NOT be called in again. Howard, Guzman, Rimando gone. All the defenders except Yedlin (maybe Villafana?? 28), Dempsey, Wondo (thank God), Feilhaber, McCarty, Bedoya. May keep Bradley around for transition for a couple years?? Don't think he'll make it at 34 in 2022 though. (hope not)

 

[ZooCougar]

I thought it was telling that in limited time, Dempsey had our two best chances, and Jozy blew a header he should have buried. Even Benny generated some offense.

Coming from someone who has seen both play in person a bunch. Benny>Nagbe

Benny Feilhaber is the most creative center mid that we have.

 

[ZooCougar]

From the bunch we saw last night... Pulisic, Yedlin and Wood can stay. Adios everyone else.

 

[meyers7]

He did more than Dozy. Plus Mr. 41 goals should be leading by example right?

Let's hope he never gets a chance to get #42.

No not really. I think Altidore had a slightly better game than Wood. Neither one of them did much. Neither one of them got much service either. Pulisic didn't get on the ball much in the first half. Really no one had a "good" game.

 

[meyers7]

This doesn't happen to Jurgen

Klinsmann had already lost the team/plot. It would probably have been worse if he'd have stayed. He HAD to go. Unfortunately he was replaced with Arena. Granted we didn't have a lot of choices. We rolled the dice with someone who had got us there twice before. He failed this time.

 

[ZooCougar]

No not really. I think Altidore had a slightly better game than Wood. Neither one of them did much. Neither one of them got much service either. Pulisic didn't get on the ball much in the first half. Really no one had a "good" game.

I don't see why Altidore warrants further investment. Wood definitely.

Wood and Dempsey are the far better combination. Copa America showed us that. We should have never deviated from that.