The Soccer Thread (Version 12) — Revenge of the Backup GK

[Webster]

That was a heck of a header to go up 2-1.

 

[TrooperBari]

That was a heck of a header to go up 2-1.

Someone in the post-game show I watched described it as a 'very Wondo header'. I wonder what Brian McBride, Conor Casey, and Brian Ching did to be disrespected thusly.

 

[Webster]

Someone in the post-game show I watched described it as a 'very Wondo header'. I wonder what Brian McBride, Conor Casey, and Brian Ching did to be disrespected thusly.

Or what McBride did to be lumped in with those other two!

 

[TrooperBari]

Someone at MLS HQ is really feeling their oats.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Someone at MLS HQ is really feeling their oats.

Too late to see if David Beckham will make another return to MLS?

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Yeah, five points is pretty much the baseline for acceptable. Anything more would've been gravy, despite what the USMNT hype machine would have us believe. Being joint-second and two points behind Mexico going into the next window of home to Jamaica, at Panama, and home to Costa Rica is definitely workable. Six points from that stretch and the US is on 11 points -- halfway to the expected cut-off line of 21 points (based on averaging 1.5 points per game being enough to qualify in previous cycles).

That said, 45 good minutes isn't strong enough deodorant to cover up the previous 225. The performances have got to improve -- the US will be more than one goal down if it sleepwalks against Costa Rica or Mexico like it did in the first half today -- and that starts with putting the right people in the right places. Adams and Acosta are not fullbacks or wingbacks, Dest isn't a reliable defender at the international level, and Sargent does not work in a three-striker system (one might question if he works in any other system, but that's a separate discussion). I'm sure Berhalter has some grand vision in his head for how all this fits together, but this mad scientist stuff has to stop. Brooks looks out to sea in a three-man back line and plays like it. He's a much better defender than the floundering visage we saw today, provided you don't ask him to do things that are beyond him.

Stop overthinking things. You have a bunch of good defenders who are used to playing in a back four, so play them in a back damn four. Adams is a rock in the middle of the field, so play him in the middle of the field. This team has the talent to succeed and the guts to get results when things get tight. Stop hamstringing them in pursuit of this notion of what "modern football" should look like.

Trying too hard? Overthinking? If the latter, then play to strengths and, for the love of everything sane, stop trying to make odd parts fit some sort of dream scenario.

The U.S. looked like crap in the draws. They're still clearly in it, but the next trio of matches is where they need to get some breathing room. The home matches against sides not looking like top-notch CONCACAF should be six points ... can I say that without jinxing or getting roasted for saying the quiet part out loud? If that occurs, then the match in Panama is house money.

Cannot have another T&T moment like what occurred four years ago. That memory should be all the motivation anyone in that program needs to never duplicate it.

 

[Webster]

Landon made an interesting point on Grant Wahl's podcast that the US and Mexico have an advantage because they have the depth and spend the money on travel so that the 3rd game in a week is less of a burden that other CONCACAF teams.

 

[Cosmo]

Peacock won't load for half of the games this morning. fork you NBC.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

That new Manchester United signing seems to know his way around the goal.

 

[Webster]

That new Manchester United signing seems to know his way around the goal.

The game isn't going in the Newcastle GK's scrapbook.

 

[TrooperBari]

Good thing there are no other fanbases that exhibit this kind of behavior.

 

[Spartan Squad]