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Started By
Message
Sums It Up Well
Posted on 12/4/22 at 10:04 pm
Posted on 12/4/22 at 10:04 pm
LINK
Good summary from The Guardian
Good summary from The Guardian
quote:
As his players slumped to the ground after full-time at Khalifa International Stadium, their World Cup dreams in pieces, US head coach Gregg Berhalter took to the pitch brandishing his Moleskine notebook. As he moved through the throng – wrapping his arm around a weeping Tim Weah, offering words of consolation to Christian Pulisic, applauding the American fans – the notebook stayed with him, held aloft seemingly as a symbol of the task that lies ahead if the US are to progress any further than this at their home World Cup in 2026. A manager ready to get back to work at the very moment of defeat sends a strong message, but in truth the technical and tactical deficiencies on display throughout the US’s defeat to a ruthless Dutch outfit suggest that more work was needed before Berhalter’s squad touched down in Doha. What this team has most missed throughout the World Cup is basic football intelligence, the kind of smarts that the Dutch displayed in spades. Like Gio Reyna, Berhalter’s moleskine made its cameo in Qatar too late…..
quote:
But cliches and ritual expressions of pride can’t hide that the manner of USA’s exit here was particularly disappointing. A country of America’s size, wealth, and ambition – not to mention one in which soccer is such an enduringly popular participation sport – should aspire to more at the World Cup.
quote:
Having tinkered first with Josh Sargent, then Haji Wright, then Sargent again as his starting striker during the group stage, Berhalter here preferred Jesus Ferreira, but the FC Dallas forward struggled to get on the ball. Pulisic will rue the golden chance he spurned in the third minute, but the real emblem of America’s labors in front of goal was Wright, who come on late as the US was chasing the game, took an appalling first touch when he was clear on goal with only Dutch keeper Andries Noppert to beat, then scored by accident a few minutes later, the ball flicking off the back of his heel from a low cross then looping over Noppert’s head. The image of an American striker wasting a chance when he should have scored then scoring when he didn’t mean to offered a distressingly neat summary of the USMNT’s difficulties in front of goal at this World Cup. In truth none of Wright, Sargent, or Ferreira has convinced in Qatar, and against the Dutch Berhalter held off on unleashing Reyna, his one true wildcard off the bench, until it was too late.
4
Posted on 12/5/22 at 12:04 am to Alyosha
Spot on, thanks for sharing lad 
Posted on 12/5/22 at 7:48 am to SirWinston
Guardian is on point.
Great article.
Great article.
Posted on 12/5/22 at 8:34 am to Alyosha
It is criminal that Gregg opted to keep Gio on the bench while starting an MLS player.
Posted on 12/5/22 at 9:01 am to SUB
But we’re changing the way the world thinks about American soccer bruv.
Posted on 12/5/22 at 9:08 am to SUB
Three things we needed this World Cup:
1) A striker. Appalling that we still don’t have one, yet a nation like France can lose a player like Benzema, plug in Giroud, and not miss a beat.
2) Depth. Other than at the wing, we were one deep at every position. So we either had to bring in the like of Shaq Moore or get run into the ground. And, after four games in 12 days, it showed.
3) A manager. A skilled boss could have worked around 1) and 2) above. We looked dangerous for 15 minutes against the Netherlands with Pulisic, Weah, and Gio on the pitch. But by then the match was lost, and GGG steadfastly refused to switch to a False 9. And his roster management was almost criminal, from refusing to play one of our best, to waiting too long to bring on help, to bringing on guys who shouldn’t even have been on the plane. And his tactics and adjustments were complete shite, other than going to 5 at the back to hold off Iran. A team with our talent should not score only three goals (and one of them a complete accident) in four games. We were the Hammarby of the WC. If he’s in charge again in ‘26, I will not even watch. And I’ve been following the US since the ‘94 WC!
1) A striker. Appalling that we still don’t have one, yet a nation like France can lose a player like Benzema, plug in Giroud, and not miss a beat.
2) Depth. Other than at the wing, we were one deep at every position. So we either had to bring in the like of Shaq Moore or get run into the ground. And, after four games in 12 days, it showed.
3) A manager. A skilled boss could have worked around 1) and 2) above. We looked dangerous for 15 minutes against the Netherlands with Pulisic, Weah, and Gio on the pitch. But by then the match was lost, and GGG steadfastly refused to switch to a False 9. And his roster management was almost criminal, from refusing to play one of our best, to waiting too long to bring on help, to bringing on guys who shouldn’t even have been on the plane. And his tactics and adjustments were complete shite, other than going to 5 at the back to hold off Iran. A team with our talent should not score only three goals (and one of them a complete accident) in four games. We were the Hammarby of the WC. If he’s in charge again in ‘26, I will not even watch. And I’ve been following the US since the ‘94 WC!
Posted on 12/5/22 at 1:29 pm to Alyosha
I’m pretty Lukewarm on Berhalter but saying he preferred Ferreira against NED is completely disingenuous. Sargent would have started if he was fit.
Posted on 12/5/22 at 1:36 pm to RockChalkTiger
This team like most American teams just isn't that great. There's a big talent gape between 15-20 in the world where the USA is and the top 8-12 teams. We don't like to accept that, but its the truth.
The US has 3-4 players that get just decent playing time in top world soccer leagues. The rest are basically 2nd tier players. We don't have any all stars.
Hopefully we can get Pulisic in good form in 4 years and then have Reyna and Pepi as top tier goal scorers. At this point that's our best hope.
The US has 3-4 players that get just decent playing time in top world soccer leagues. The rest are basically 2nd tier players. We don't have any all stars.
Hopefully we can get Pulisic in good form in 4 years and then have Reyna and Pepi as top tier goal scorers. At this point that's our best hope.
Posted on 12/5/22 at 1:39 pm to RockChalkTiger
quote:
Three things we needed this World Cup: 1) A striker. Appalling that we still don’t have one, yet a nation like France can lose a player like Benzema, plug in Giroud, and not miss a beat.
I agree with you we desperately need one. However it’s hard to put that on the manager he can’t really do anything to develop one.
Also coaching around that gap in the lineup against the worlds best is difficult. That being said we could have done better than we did (No way a GB sympathizer here, I think when the tourney ends they need to move on)
Posted on 12/5/22 at 2:21 pm to baldona
quote:
This team like most American teams just isn't that great. There's a big talent gape between 15-20 in the world where the USA is and the top 8-12 teams. We don't like to accept that, but its the truth.
The US has 3-4 players that get just decent playing time in top world soccer leagues. The rest are basically 2nd tier players. We don't have any all stars
The hardest step in anything is to go from good to expert. We are good, but simply not on the level of the upper echelon teams.
France, England, Holland, Argentina, Croatia, Brazil are in the quarter final right now.
Who on our team starts for any of those right now? We need much more depth in guys playing in top euro leagues and we need 1 or 2 truly elite guys to move into the real contender club.
I mean Argentina has had Messi, Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria at the same time and hasn’t won a World Cup with that group. The next time the US has a single player in league with any of those four will be the first time in USMNT history.
Posted on 12/6/22 at 9:48 pm to Alyosha
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