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Message
A few thoughts from today's draw
Posted on 9/5/17 at 8:18 pm
Posted on 9/5/17 at 8:18 pm
Squad Rotation: Arena seems to prefer to rotate his lineup after every game. He did this during the Gold Cup, and has done it several times during qualifying. I'm not sure, it's the right move for continuity's sake. I understand the environmental conditions that need to be taken into account for some of these games, but these are professional athletes. Most of them can handle two games in five days.
Fullbacks, aka a requiem for Run DMB: Beasley is too slow to play leftback at the international level at this age. He's shown it several times the past two qualifiers he's featured. He got burned by Carlos Vela and was targeted several times by Honduras tonight. If Arena doesn't fully trust Villafaña to play the position multiple games in a row, move Fabian Johnson back to that position. Also, DeAndre Yedlin has played three times for the national team this calendar year. The guy needs to get healthy, before we can count on him to be our starter at RB. Zusi can't be that guy.
Comrade DMB, many services thanked.
Midfield Spacing: Michael Bradley needs a stable partner in the center of the park. Acosta looks to be that player, but it's not clear what his role is when he's playing alongside Bradley. Too often today there were way too many gaps between Bradley and Acosta, forcing Bradley to launch long balls towards our forwards. Acosta should have been an outlet when Bradley picked up the ball from the defense. Nagbe is better suited to play on the left considering, we don't have many options there and we need to protect our feeble leftbacks.
Forwards: Pulisic was hampered by his positioning in the formation today, but also hampered because Dempsey is to slow to track back or press. Morris actually partnered well with CP, but Pulisic didn't get enough time on the ball. At this point, he needs to moved to the center of the pitch as a false 9 or a true #10. That might mean sacrificing Dempsey for some more athletic players.
Fullbacks, aka a requiem for Run DMB: Beasley is too slow to play leftback at the international level at this age. He's shown it several times the past two qualifiers he's featured. He got burned by Carlos Vela and was targeted several times by Honduras tonight. If Arena doesn't fully trust Villafaña to play the position multiple games in a row, move Fabian Johnson back to that position. Also, DeAndre Yedlin has played three times for the national team this calendar year. The guy needs to get healthy, before we can count on him to be our starter at RB. Zusi can't be that guy.
Comrade DMB, many services thanked.
Midfield Spacing: Michael Bradley needs a stable partner in the center of the park. Acosta looks to be that player, but it's not clear what his role is when he's playing alongside Bradley. Too often today there were way too many gaps between Bradley and Acosta, forcing Bradley to launch long balls towards our forwards. Acosta should have been an outlet when Bradley picked up the ball from the defense. Nagbe is better suited to play on the left considering, we don't have many options there and we need to protect our feeble leftbacks.
Forwards: Pulisic was hampered by his positioning in the formation today, but also hampered because Dempsey is to slow to track back or press. Morris actually partnered well with CP, but Pulisic didn't get enough time on the ball. At this point, he needs to moved to the center of the pitch as a false 9 or a true #10. That might mean sacrificing Dempsey for some more athletic players.
6
Posted on 9/5/17 at 8:30 pm to thenry712
quote:
launch long balls towards our forwards.
If I didn't know better I'd say that was our entire game plan.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 8:35 pm to thenry712
We really need some breakout central midfielders to help us this year. Acosta is unconvincing in his positioning, and I still don't get how midfielders playing in a midfield two can't figure out that both have to support each other. I see it at the club level and it doesn't make any sense.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 8:35 pm to thenry712
Agreed with everything. I will say that I think we resorted to so many long balls because of the turf. It was like playing a wheat field. You would see he ball just lose all of its velocity once it bounced. It's hard to have a good midfield connection in that type of scenario. And I also think Honduras stretched us. They didn't really attack through the middle, so it pulled Acosta & Nagbe out away from Bradley.
Could not agree more with playing Pulisic centrally from now on, especially with Dempsey not doing anything. When CP is a 10 he doesn't have to take defenders on nearly as many times. As a winger with limited time on the ball it often becomes an all or nothing play usually resulting in him taking physical contact. Besides, it's not like Dempsey was a ever a creative type anyway.
Could not agree more with playing Pulisic centrally from now on, especially with Dempsey not doing anything. When CP is a 10 he doesn't have to take defenders on nearly as many times. As a winger with limited time on the ball it often becomes an all or nothing play usually resulting in him taking physical contact. Besides, it's not like Dempsey was a ever a creative type anyway.
This post was edited on 9/5/17 at 8:37 pm
Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:03 pm to crazy4lsu
quote:
We really need some breakout central midfielders to help us this year. Acosta is unconvincing in his positioning, and I still don't get how midfielders playing in a midfield two can't figure out that both have to support each other. I see it at the club level and it doesn't make any sense.
I like Acosta's technical ability. He showed flashes of tactical discipline against Mexico in the Azteca, but he's also looked lost a few times against worse competition.
The field condition was typical CONCACAF, but Honduras still was able to ping around some tight passing sequences.
I was also surprised that Paul Arriola didn't get more playing time when we were starved for any kind of link-up play from the wings. He also does a good job of tracking back and assisting our defenders. I don't want Pulisic dropping back too deep to get possession, hence why he should be played centrally, and someone else play as RM.
Against Honduras at home, we played him as a true #10 in a 4-4-2 diamond with Lleget (later Bedoya) and Nagbe on the flanks. It worked. We won 6-0, and Pulisic had a hand in every goal.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:06 pm to thenry712
Anybody but me notice Guzan kicking it directly out of bounds a few times with the goal coming right on the heels of one of those poor kicks?
Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:08 pm to GeismarGeauxer
We looked like arse... Yedlin is the 2nd most important player in our pool simply because his backup is Zusi
Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:11 pm to Broski
too true amigo. Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:14 pm to Broski
I can't fathom how Arena rates Zusi higher than Eric Lichaj, other than one error Lichaj made in the Gold Cup that led to a goal.
Also, again Fabian Johnson should probably just play in defense if Yedlin isn't healthy.
Also, again Fabian Johnson should probably just play in defense if Yedlin isn't healthy.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 9:18 pm to thenry712
quote:
Lichaj
Services: Thanked.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 10:51 pm to PhilipMarlowe
quote:
If I didn't know better I'd say that was our entire game plan.
sad
coaching change came too late
Posted on 9/5/17 at 10:55 pm to CelticDog
Not playing Pulisic in the middle or Besler/Cameron together in either of these two games are fireable offenses.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 10:57 pm to thenry712
quote:
Fabian Johnson should probably just play in defense if Yedlin isn't healthy
Has Fab ever played on the right for us?
Posted on 9/5/17 at 10:58 pm to CelticDog
quote:
coaching change came too late
The timing of the change was fine. It worked. We did a job, got the point, maintained 3rd place.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 11:30 pm to Meursault
Did not maintain 3td place, Panama jumped us.
Posted on 9/5/17 at 11:43 pm to Broski
We essentially have to beat Panama and get a result against Trinidad and Tobago to guaranty qualification. This is so absurd
Posted on 9/6/17 at 12:31 am to thenry712
Good thing US is in CONCACAF, they would already be eliminated from any other region except for Oceania.
Posted on 9/6/17 at 12:41 am to Meursault
quote:
Has Fab ever played on the right for us?
In the last World Cup he did.
Posted on 9/6/17 at 7:07 am to thenry712
quote:
Fullbacks, aka a requiem for Run DMB: Beasley is too slow to play leftback at the international level at this age. He's shown it several times the past two qualifiers he's featured. He got burned by Carlos Vela and was targeted several times by Honduras tonight. If Arena doesn't fully trust Villafaña to play the position multiple games in a row, move Fabian Johnson back to that position. Also, DeAndre Yedlin has played three times for the national team this calendar year. The guy needs to get healthy, before we can count on him to be our starter at RB. Zusi can't be that guy.
It's truly sad we have to rely on DMB, a guy who already retired from international soccer, to start for us in crucial WCQ games.
I know Bruce promised Fabian he would play midfield, but at this point if you don't trust Villafana, you have to have a serious talk with Fabian about helping this team out and playing LB or at least LWB in a back 5.
Yedlin can't get healthy quick enough but it is still inexcusable on Bruce's part to play Zusi there in these games. He is an absolute liability against any winger with any sort of pace. And when he is playing alongside Omar whose strong suit isn't chasing guys down after they get past Zusi, it creates more of a problem.
I agree about the MF spacing as it seems we lost every damn second ball yesterday. I think maybe Bradley's best partner might actually be Cameron. With Brooks being injured often and nobody else stepping up to claim the CB spot though, it's hard to move him out of that position.
And play Pulisic as the damn 10. We were absolutely dynamic when doing so and again I have no idea why we got away from it.
Posted on 9/6/17 at 8:20 am to Broski
quote:
Did not maintain 3td place, Panama jumped us.
Sure, but we momentarily maintained it over Honduras, which was more important since we still play Panama. It is now impossible for Honduras to jump us if we win out. We just needed to create a wedge between us and Honduras. And we did, thanks to GD.
This post was edited on 9/6/17 at 8:20 am
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