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American Soccer |OT| Life, liberty and the pursuit of the beautiful game

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xbhaskarx

Member
Landon Donovan critical of USMNT's approach: "I don't think we were set up to succeed"

He covers most of the main points... I can't say I disagree with any of it:
"I think we're all disappointed in what happened yesterday. I think the most disappointing is we didn't seem like we gave it a real effort, from a tactical standpoint. I thought the guys did everything they could, they did everything that was asked of them, but I don't think we were set up to succeed yesterday, and that was tough to watch."

"It's a results-oriented business, and so, results-wise, you can hold your head high," he said. "If you really look at the performances, there were some good performances by guys, some not-so-good performances by guys. As a whole, I think tactically, the team was not set up to succeed.

"They were set up in a way that was opposite from what they've been the past couple years, which is opening up, passing, attacking – trying to do that. And the team's been successful that way. Why they decided to switch that in the World Cup, none of us will know. From a playing standpoint, I think the guys will probably be disappointed in the way things went."

"Hindsight is 20/20, so in hindsight you would say we should've been more attacking," he said. "Maybe if we had been more attacking, we would have gotten four counterattack goals scored against us. So you never know. ... But my feeling as a player, if I'm in that locker room before that game – before the Germany game, before the Belgium game – and the coach walked in and said we're playing a 4-5-1 and Clint [Dempsey] is up top by himself, I would have been disappointed. Because I would have said let's go for it. I want a chance to go for it and try to win the game."

He lauded Tim Howard and said that only Kasey Keller's performance to beat Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals compares, in his mind, with the goalkeeper's 16-save performance Tuesday. He also asserted that Kyle Beckerman's presence would have helped the US be a better attacking side, and that the team deserves praise for fighting valiantly in difficult circumstances.

Donovan did not address how things might have been different had he been part of the team in Brazil, but he noted that Michael Bradley played in an "unnatural position" at attacking midfield and he would have been more effective in a deeper role with another player in front of him.

Donovan's best position arguably is in such a slot.

"Michael was put in the wrong position," he said. "He was put in a position that he's not used to playing. He does a better job, as you saw with Julian Green's goal, being in a deeper position. And having someone in a front of him, someone to help Clint also, makes him that much better because he's got more opportunity to pick out different passes, more attacking options ahead of him. I think that was clearly an error."
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It's like he read the conversation in this thread on the previous two pages...
 
M

Mully

Member
Osorio said:
That photo should have a Metrostars jersey on it ;)
Click to expand...

I've been a Tim Howard fan since 2001. Dude's been the man, and I mistakenly thought he played for my old club until recently. Howard's predecessor, Tony Meola played for my old club team.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Kaka pic:
LrgWSra.jpg
Click to expand...
 
A

Azuran

Banned
I'll take the draw. Good away result considering we could have easily gotten away with nothing after that red card.
 
H

Hasphat'sAnts

Member
xbhaskarx said:
Has no prospect who came up through Bayern's development programs failed to live up to expectations? Because I thought that was the case with most youth prospects at all clubs, and in all sports...
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Andreas Ottl, Christian Lell to name a couple from recent years. Diego Contento hasn't really been great either although he was probably just crowded out.

But Bayern has a very small youth setup so their failures less noteworthy because they never would've made it far enough to be known commodities.

xbhaskarx said:
^ pro/rel garbage above
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You can disagree with his statements about MLS and that's fine. I do too. The MLS does a great job and i like where league is going.

The central idea here is that it's an ass backward way to develop talent when the vast majority of youth players here in this country are playing for a scholarship.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Quakes rolled out the same lineup they played on Saturday. The team's not looking great right now, but at least they're playing Chivas at home. I have to think that Watson's job is in danger if things don't get better in an hurry.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Same lineup huh... If the Quakes are losing will Watson:
A. Bring on Mike Fucito who has literally never done anything in his career
B. Bring on Alan Gordon who looks like he's done being a professional soccer player
C. Sub in a defensive midfielder during added time
D. All of the above like he did against the Galaxy in front of 50k fans at Stanford Stadium
 
G

gutshot

Member
xbhaskarx said:
Landon Donovan critical of USMNT's approach: "I don't think we were set up to succeed"

He covers most of the main points... I can't say I disagree with any of it:


It's like he read the conversation in this thread on the previous two pages...
Click to expand...

I really don't think playing attacking soccer would have gotten us the results we were looking for. What happened when we tried to push forward and equalize after that first Belgian goal? An immediate counter-attack goal.

And when we did try to maintain possession, we often failed to make the correct pass. We just don't have the players yet to be able to play that way against quality opponents.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Osorio said:
Gotta love that build up play leading to a cross that almost lands in the seats
Click to expand...

Cornballer said:
Quakes soccer, man.
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Might as well put crosses into the seats when the four non-Wondo forwards (Gordon, Lenhart, Schuler, Fucito, Jahn) have combined for a grand total of zero goals this season.

Cornballer said:
Chivas score. Sheesh.
Click to expand...

Now we wait... place your bets folks.

xbhaskarx said:
Same lineup huh... If the Quakes are losing will Watson:
A. Bring on Mike Fucito who has literally never done anything in his career
B. Bring on Alan Gordon who looks like he's done being a professional soccer player
C. Sub in a defensive midfielder during added time
D. All of the above like he did against the Galaxy in front of 50k fans at Stanford Stadium
Click to expand...

If the Quakes lose to Chivas at home tonight, they will be dead last in the west... and 9 of their final 13 games will be on the road!

The Quakes' new "British" TV commentator is unbearable... how can the guy be such a homer with a team this crappy.
 
D

Draconian

Member
I know I'm a bit late on this (haven't been in this thread in awhile and forgot it existed) but to say Chelsea won the CL two years ago by parking the bus is slightly misleading. They didn't do it every game, mainly just against Bayern in the final and Barca in the semis, and as a Chelsea fan, the major reason we won that game is because Bayern wasted chances left and right (Gomez multiple times, Robben missed a penalty, etc.).

Anyway, it is one thing to do that when your squad is built for it. Mourinho did it several times last year, and it worked, but Chelsea has the personnel to play that way if they like to (as do Greece). The US clearly does not have that kind of squad. When we let somebody in on goal in the 1st minute of the game, that's a good sign that we cannot play that style very well. Howard was awesome, some of Belgium's shots were average to poor, and so it worked for most of the game.

I'm proud of the way we played though. I never felt like we stopped fighting or completely capitulated. We had a great World Cup with the squad we had, and I hope we develop a threatening attack over the next few years.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
xbhaskarx said:
Same lineup huh... If the Quakes are losing will Watson:
A. Bring on Mike Fucito who has literally never done anything in his career
B. Bring on Alan Gordon who looks like he's done being a professional soccer player
C. Sub in a defensive midfielder during added time
D. All of the above like he did against the Galaxy in front of 50k fans at Stanford Stadium
Click to expand...

71st minute: Alan Gordon in for Sam Cronin

79th minute: CB Victor Bernardez who "just got back this morning" in for Barklage... 3-5-2 with three CBs in the back
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
gutshot said:
I really don't think playing attacking soccer would have gotten us the results we were looking for. What happened when we tried to push forward and equalize after that first Belgian goal? An immediate counter-attack goal.

And when we did try to maintain possession, we often failed to make the correct pass. We just don't have the players yet to be able to play that way against quality opponents.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but he's right. Everyone was playing differently than they were used to, Dempsey and Bradley specifically. The team looked a lot better after Wondo came on in the last game, we probably should have been playing two forwards or at least had Mix in the whole time. We didn't have enough of an attacking threat on the field. We had Dempsey and that was about it, that's down to injury, but even with Altidore I think we needed an attacking midfielder to make runs into the box and generally be dangerous. We had too many defensive midfielders. Mix would have been good in that role, I think he should have started over Bedoya in that last game.

All it comes down to is we have a team that plays best when they're on the attack. We saw it in all our games, when we push forward and attack we create good chances. The problem was we didn't have enough finshers out on the field. There were points we could have scored on Germany with another attacking run into the box, we could have beat Portugal and we sure as hell could have tied or beaten Belgium (despite them being the better team). Shit, we practically scored on demand against Ghana--when we needed a goal we got it. We wanted on early to set up how the game would fold out and Dempsey scores in 30 seconds, we need to equalize and it happens a minute later. I think it comes down to us just showing everyone too much respect, we aren't on their level yet but we can sure as hell give them a bad day and steal a win. We're more than good enough to do that.

Going forward we need more of an attacking threat, we need guys who are going to get into the box and finish. That roster that ESPN or whoever drew up looked like the sort we need to be working towards. We leaned too far towards defense this time around and it showed.

Cornballer said:
Harrison Shipp again.
Click to expand...

He needs a call up to the big time.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Cornballer said:
*WILD CARD* Watson subs on a centerback trailing 1-0 in the 78th minute.
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Who just got back from World Cup duty this morning!

How come Bradley didn't play for TFC tonight, what a wimp.

Edit: Bernardez (who must be wondering if this is really happening) keeps Chivas onside but they're so bad they miss a wide open chance.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
xbhaskarx said:
Same lineup huh... If the Quakes are losing will Watson:
A. Bring on Mike Fucito who has literally never done anything in his career
B. Bring on Alan Gordon who looks like he's done being a professional soccer player
C. Sub in a defensive midfielder during added time
D. All of the above like he did against the Galaxy in front of 50k fans at Stanford Stadium
Click to expand...

71st minute: Alan Gordon in for Sam Cronin

79th minute: CB Victor Bernardez who "just got back this morning" in for Barklage... 3-5-2 with three CBs in the back
Click to expand...

89th minute: Mike Fucito is in! That's all three subs, so no d-mid in added time. Looks like A+B is the answer tonight. Bold move, let's see if it pays off in the five minutes of extra time!

Quakes TV commentator: "makes sense, Fucito is offensively minded..."
Dude has twice as many years in the league (six) as goals (three).
 
V

valeo

Member
How do people think TFC are going?

As a Kiwi, have been following them on and off because of the Nelsen interest.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
One month from now the basement-dwelling Quakes will open up the 49ers billion dollar stadium against Supporters Shield leaders Seattle... should be fun!
 
A

abuC

Member
I might try to get my nephew involved with soccer, he's 3 and already incredibly athletic for his age, really good coordination. He seems to like basketball more right now, but every kind of sport we've shown him he takes to like a fish to water.
 
O

Osorio

Member
abuC said:
I might try to get my nephew involved with soccer, he's 3 and already incredibly athletic for his age, really good coordination. He seems to like basketball more right now, but every kind of sport we've shown him he takes to like a fish to water.
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Que lo que ay

More Cubans should play futbol so I say go for it
 
F

FuturusX

Member
Mike Fucito scored an injury time winner for Seattle if that's worth anything.

At Seattle he mostly ran around chased everything which pleased the Season ticket holders around me....whilst they called for Montero to be benched. You see - Montero was 'Lazy' or something. Fucito the little engine that keeps on going - I'm glad he running around cluelessly somewhere else.
 
A

ActStriker

Member
Matthew Doyle's crack at 2018:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2...predicting-2018-usmnt-roster-armchair-analyst

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (33), Tim Howard (39), Clint Irwin (29)
Left Backs: Fabian Johnson (30), Chris Klute (28)
Right Backs: DeAndre Yedlin (24), Andrew Farrell (26)
Central Defenders: Matt Besler (31), Shane O'Neill (24), John Brooks (24), Omar Gonzalez (29)
Defensive Midfielders: Wil Trapp (25), Maurice Edu (32)
Center Midfielders: Michael Bradley (30), Gedion Zelalem (21)
Midfield Shuttlers: Luis Gil (24), Benji Joya (24)
Midfield Attackers: Julian Green (23), Harry Shipp (26), Darlington Nagbe (27)
Target Forwards: Jozy Altidore (29), Terrence Boyd (27)
Poacher: Clint Dempsey (35)
 
C

Cornballer

Member
It's MLS-heavy, but he provides some insight into some of the up and coming players in the league. There's a few vids and gifs, too.
 
O

Osorio

Member
Everybody's sleeping on Tim Ream

I know I have a bias but I'm a Red Bulls fan and I used to be a Bolton fan so I've been watching him for years now. We don't have another player like him with great distribution from the back.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- ASN notes that Johannsson is having ankle surgery. It's unclear how long he'll be out.


Osorio said:
Everybody's sleeping on Tim Ream

I know I have a bias but I'm a Red Bulls fan and I used to be a Bolton fan so I've been watching him for years now. We don't have another player like him with great distribution from the back.
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He's been falling in that Geoff Cameron category of playing out of position a lot. It'd be nice if Bolton just stuck with him at CB.
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
Hey guys I used to be a MLS regular on these forums. I supported the Fire pretty hardcore for a few years and then moved to Miami. I vowed to keep up my fandom but I won't lie it died for a bit there.

Anyways, the WC has rekindled that fire (pun intended), and I've been following them again. Good to know we still suck, though I am happy to see we have some super promising youngsters, some of which are homegrown.

Looking forward to hating most of you again.

Osorio, Cornballer - Whats up guys? Good to see you both still around. :)
 
O

Osorio

Member
Outdoor Miner said:
Hey guys I used to be a MLS regular on these forums. I supported the Fire pretty hardcore for a few years and then moved to Miami. I vowed to keep up my fandom but I won't lie it died for a bit there.

Anyways, the WC has rekindled that fire (pun intended), and I've been following them again. Good to know we still suck, though I am happy to see we have some super promising youngsters, some of which are homegrown.

Looking forward to hating most of you again.

Osorio, Cornballer - Whats up guys? Good to see you both still around. :)
Click to expand...
Miner! Yeah I was on lcvg for a bit but I felt like I was talking to myself when mentioning mls.

I haven't seen enough of Chicago but it seems like your CBs are the main problem. Y'all have a good keeper and solid attacking five
 
D

daoster

Member
Yeap, Yedlin should definitely stay and work on his game some more before he moves abroad.

Unless the move allows him to see the field right away, and if the league is a respectable one, and if the team isn't fighting relegation till the very last day of the fucking season.
 
O

Osorio

Member
Yeah Yedlin shouldn't bother with places like Inter

Go to Hellas Verona, Levante, Groningen, or something like that then move up.
 
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