OT: World Cup

[meyers7]

Personally I wasn't sure we'd get out of the group. Figured Gregg would screw that up somehow. So I'm somewhat happy with us getting to the R16.

You know if we could get a couple "good" CB's who could play a high line without getting killed, we might be able to be a pressing team. I think we have the athletic players to do that. Although it takes a lot of practice to get the whole team on the same page. But, we got 4 years.

I don't know that we have the skill players to play possession like Gregg wants to. At least not against the bigger teams. In CONCACAF we can kind of get away with that. But not even great there. We ended up 3rd.

Anyway, it will be nice to have the games here in 2026. Hope I'm still alive.

 

[meyers7]

Brazil is doing what we l expected

Looks like Germany vs Brazil circa 2014.

 

[August_West]

Actually Weah had a couple decent finishes. He doesn't play the 9, but maybe he should for us. Would get Reyna or Aaronson on the field.

I'm not the biggest football fan in the world by any stretch (obviously), but they way we popcorn fart around the offensive box (we can't FIND the finishers) and then just fail to mark people in our own box ( netherlands should've had one goal, tops, given their opportunities) means we suck. Look at our game against England. We pressed and dominated that side of pitch, and never generated , except a crossbar (more ineptitude because every other team worth a squat buries that) .

Embarrassing.

 

[August_West]

Can’t defend? We had 1 goal scored on us in the group and it was a PK. Go back to the basketball board.

Even the Dutch goals were a result of counterattacks because we had to push to score.

You do not understand this sport.

How did we mark up against Netherlands? 2 slam dunks .

You want to put that 1/2 time goal to anything but laziness and sucking? Go for it, I dont know what to tell you.

 

[ZooCougar]

How did we mark up against Netherlands? 2 slam dunks .

You want to put that 1/2 time goal to anything but laziness and sucking? Go for it, I dont know what to tell you.

That’s because we opened up and pushed to score.

The Dutch were letting us have the ball so that we would throw numbers forward and then they could gash us on the counters. The goals came from tactical naïveté not individual or collective inability.

Berhalter got suckered.

England couldn’t score against and every other game they had was a romp.

 

[ZooCougar]

Eh, Pepe?

And Neymar

 

[HuskyHawk]

Men against boys? I was hosting my UK football loving insane people the last 2,weeks. They saw the same thing I did. US in 4 games can’t put a clean look on net with pace. And then can’t defend. Our country is 385 million people. Surely we can find 11 kids who have “ legs” and don’t gag in the boxes.

They are playing basketball and football (American). Anybody else think Andre Jackson could be an elite soccer goalie? I mean like, among the best in the world? Slowly, more are playing soccer and getting better coaching.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Brazil is doing what we expected

That third goal was just astonishing. Moments like that they just look on another skill level. But now RSK is showing some life and the Brazilians are ready for a siesta.

 

[August_West]

That’s because we opened up and pushed to score.

The Dutch were letting us have the ball so that we would throw numbers forward and then they could gash us on the counters. The goals came from tactical naïveté not individual or collective inability.

Berhalter got suckered.

England couldn’t score against and every other game they had was a romp.

We had everyone back on the halftime goal against netherlands.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm not the biggest football fan in the world by any stretch (obviously),

This is where you should have stopped.

But to address what you said, the system Gregg Berhalter implemented. It’s not an indication of our lack of ability.

The guy literally was fired from his first gig for not generating enough offense.

He also took 4 right backs to the World Cup but only 3 strikers. He left Pepi in the Netherlands and let Reyna rot on the bench.

Complete mismanagement.

 

[Viet Vet]

It’s out. That VAR angle can be manipulated. Ref should have blown the whistle. That was the error.

If the ball were between the posts would you call it a goal, or no goal?

 

[Kolumbo]

The defense was so lax

1:00 - Adams jogs and lets Memphis run away wide open
2:00 - Dest lets Memphis run past him
4:15 - two Dutch players left wide open

 

[LIuconn]

The first dutch goal wasn't a counter attack. It was a beautiful, thorough dismantling of our team

 

[August_West]

They are playing basketball and football (American). Anybody else think Andre Jackson could be an elite soccer goalie? I mean like, among the best in the world? Slowly, more are playing soccer and getting better coaching.

Its still 385million

 

[August_West]

This is where you should have stopped.

But to address what you said, the system Gregg Berhalter implemented. It’s not an indication of our lack of ability.

The guy literally was fired from his first gig for not generating enough offense.

He also took 4 right backs to the World Cup but only 3 strikers. He left Pepi in the Netherlands and let Reyna rot on the bench.

Complete mismanagement.

So US soccer cant even hire a decent coach, and we are supposed to care? Is that your position?

 

[shizzle787]

So US soccer cant even hire a decent coach, and we are supposed to care? Is that your position?

Hiring a better coach wouldn't have mattered. If Timothy Weah is the best goal scorer you can find, you are going to struggle.

 

[ZooCougar]

So US soccer cant even hire a decent coach, and we are supposed to care? Is that your position?

I can’t and won’t defend that.

They choose to hire an American coach which means it will be an MLS coach.

In this case Berhalter was a nepotism hire. His brother was an exec with US Soccer and he was the only person interviewed and they waited a year to do it.

Brother was later fired for being toxic but is now a EVP with MLS.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Can’t defend? We had 1 goal scored on us in the group and it was a PK. Go back to the basketball board.

Even the Dutch goals were a result of counterattacks because we had to push to score.

You do not understand this sport.

Our defending in the group stage was elite, especially when you consider that England scored 12(!) goals in their other 3 matches and we held them to a goose egg.

It just fell apart in the few spots we needed it against the Dutch.

 

[ZooCougar]

Our defending in the group stage was elite, especially when you consider that England scored 12(!) goals in their other 3 matches and we held them to a goose egg.

It just fell apart in the few spots we needed it against the Dutch.

It fell apart because we stopped defending. We didn’t rotate anyone and went into attack mode. That’s what happens when you get opened up.

 

[ZooCougar]

Hiring a better coach wouldn't have mattered. If Timothy Weah is the best goal scorer you can find, you are going to struggle.

Who says he is the best goal scorer? What are you even talking about?

Striker isn’t the only position that scores.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So US soccer cant even hire a decent coach, and we are supposed to care? Is that your position?

US Soccer hasn't yet come to face the reality that it cannot serve two masters, the MLS and actual international success.

 

[shizzle787]

Who says he is the best goal scorer? What are you even talking about?

Striker isn’t the only position that scores.

I'm well aware of that but is it vital you have an elite #9 to win the world cup or at least go deep. We don't have that. If you expect Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie, etc. to provide you all of the goals necessary, you are going to be disappointed.

 

[LIuconn]

Clear to see which we've chosen so far

 

[shizzle787]

The real reason we didn't perform well goes back to a talent deficit vs. the top-10 nations.
The reason for this is not because we don't have talent but because in many cases that talent has parents who can't afford to send their kids to elite academies or travel teams in their youth. We have a pay for play system that values payment more than talent. By and large, upper middle class families produce the most players, but many more talented players never get a chance.

You don't see this in England, Brazil, or Germany. Money is not an obstacle there and thus the game is open to kids from even the poorest families. The talent (not money) ensures the cream of the crop rises.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm well aware of that but is it vital you have an elite #9 to win the world cup or at least go deep. We don't have that. If you expect Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie, etc. to provide you all of the goals necessary, you are going to be disappointed.

Again. You are not looking at the whole picture.

We hired a manager who sucks at generating offense. He was fired by Hammarby for being unable to score.

Look at our record since June. As we got closer to the WC the goals dried up even further.

We left an American off the roster who is scoring goals in a decent Euro league in favor of guys like Ferreira, Morris and FOUR right backs.

Why oh why did we waste 4 slots on right backs?