Post-match: USA vs. Brazil - June 12, 2024

no, thank you all for pitching in but i finally went googling and it was gus johnson. if i felt stupid not being able to place him, or even better describe him i feel even more stupid now...

i found it in the most appropriate place imaginable https://awfulannouncing.com/2015/gu...-soccer-announcing-career-was-a-disaster.html

 

Our keeper has no feet skills, our CBs can't pass, our CMs (Wes and Musah) can't make 10 yards pass either, CP is the only one who can sometimes beat someone on the dribble. We are probably the least skilled team in top 30. Our players are also young, fast, strong and feisty. We have counter attacking roster and trying to play like Barca. Otherwise we are just fine.

 

Hmmm...I could be wrong, but I think most people think of him being a good athlete.

Other than his athleticism, what are his strengths? I see a guy 1v1 defender which is the opposite of Dent. Is he a good passer, crosser, dribbler? I thought the he played well against Brazil (probably his best game for the US), but was just Ok against Columbia. I was most pleased with his crossing against Brazil.

 

Strengths:

Marking, Positioning, short passing, strength, agility

He's not dynamic going forward, but he sure can stick on his man and prevent most crosses or dribbles into the box from his side.

 

Heh, I still have to watch Jackson...

 

Yes. the reason is that Chelsea behaved stupidly. But that us excusable because they are a premier league team that got worse after he was driven out.
BTW: The first time Pulisic stepped on the field for Chelsea in a competitive match he scored a "perfect" hat trick. One goal with his right foot another with his left and a third with his head. That also was accomplished in the second half as he came on as a sub. I guess you are right, he chocked.
He also was one of the top (actually the top for some annalists) player for Milan this season.

He must look REALLY good when choking up the field.

 

Sometimes the line between being a good MLS player and a dependable national team player is blurry... I don't watch Quakes games, just the highlights. Jackson can look the part sometimes. Other times...eh.

 

Agreed. It looked like a training ground play, where the wall was tricked into shading to the far post, and then two guys peeled off, exposing the near post to a low strike from Pulisic

 

I wonder how CP feels about that...

 

We ignore the central lanes and swing wide. Our strikers and anyone else who prefers the central spaces are an afterthought.

 

People always say this without pointing out that “not parking the bus” or “not inviting pressure” also costs teams at some point. People frame it like “if we don’t park the bus, we will obviously score and possess more and it will be lollipops and rainbows but instead the evil coach is ruining Christmas” and that isn’t true. ..It is a picking of a poison and tends to be the safer choice. It doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe but probably on balance safer than extending your shape and opening up gaps against an opponent throwing everything forward.

 

Who is the guy you think the players all want gone but Gregg won't do it? Turner?

I've never heard anything about Musah's relationship--good or bad--with any manager at any time. Where did you come up with this?

 

"The CONCAFA thing...", then repeated by the other guy. Cringey indeed. Not to mention "The Europes". Oof.

 

Absolutely, but I'm very glad that this game went the way that it did. I think the players really needed it. A beating like they took against Colombia can mess with your mind. Turner's had a rough season, and I'm really glad to see him bounce right back with a plus-performance so that he knows he can still do it. Being overly cocky is bad, but losing your confidence is even worse.

Now on to the games that actually matter.

 

so "just ok is not ok" - excuse me but Scally was marking the guy who starts for Klopf's Liverpool and stoned him cold.

Do we want to beat top 8 teams or do we want to watch Dest dribble and get red cards and get beat by 30 year old+ left wingers like Daly Blind and cramp Weah's stye? I want to beat top 8 teams with wingers who play for Liverpool and Madrid.

 

It also helped that Brazil didn't apply nearly the kind of defensive pressure that Colombia did.

 

A lot of people don't get that teammates can make a good player look bad. That was always the case with Pulisic at Chelsea. Giroud, winner of a World Cup starting for France at the 9, always liked Pulisic and brought him to Milan (don't think Pulisic would have been purchased at Milan if Giroud had not given his blessing). Puli's other teammates at Chelsea were aholes.

 

The heat and humidity, combined with the inadvisability of pulling a muscle in those conditions, dictated that Brazil would play the way they did. So what, we had the same conditions. Take from it what you will. I think Brazil will be much tougher in a match that counts but they have issues, too.

 

That's a good point about why Brazil might have not pressed us so much. In a competitive match that goes out the window. But when it goes out the window, then the chance for said injuries rises. Of course, Brazil has the depth to deal with unfortunate injuries. But, still, you don't want to have to use up subs (and sub windows) to address injuries (Captain Obvious to the rescue!).

 

Enjoy this result as you can. But from the all games played, it may really like this:

Argentina > Uruguay>Colombia>Brazil>USA

 

I would not be surprised to see Colombia win this Copa. That was a well drilled team. Uruguay may be overrated (slightly, albeit) and Argentina may be aging. Colombia are firing on all cylinders.

 

Captan Obvious... great name for a sock puppet

 

First, yuck. Aaronson adds nothing, TBH.

Second, him coming on fresh late in the game vs a tired opponent proves little, other than he still can't finish. You note that Pulisic/Scally were tired late in the game, but fail to account for the tired opponent that Aaronson should have been able to exploit, but didn't.

That said, you're correct, in that the #9s haven't done much hereto fore, but then that's where a superior coaching mind would find a way to provide service to the #9, so that they can do some business for this side.

 

This sounds like he's more of a man-marking CB, than a modern fullback.

Which begs the question, why not simply go with 3 CBs, if there's only one real quality modern FB in the roster?

 

I gave you two specific examples of Aaronson adding something. I pointed out that it went for naught because players were too tired when Aaronson came on.