Futbol Talk

[jesmu84]

I don't know a great deal about soccer, but this seems to me to be a different US national team than previous World Cup appearances.  They are faster and don't seem to settle for home run lobs than previous versions did.  Put it this way, when I see this team play, they look a lot more like what I see from EPL teams than what previous national teams did.

Even if it doesn't work out for the US, I think Klinnsman has been a breath of fresh air and really knows what he is doing to make the US more competitive on the international stage.

This was incredibly put on display with the Yedlin sub. Playing a 20 y/o raw, athletic freak as an outside mid, no less. Absolutely pushing the right buttons with the subs.

[mu03eng]

I don't know a great deal about soccer, but this seems to me to be a different US national team than previous World Cup appearances.  They are faster and don't seem to settle for home run lobs than previous versions did.  Put it this way, when I see this team play, they look a lot more like what I see from EPL teams than what previous national teams did.

Even if it doesn't work out for the US, I think Klinnsman has been a breath of fresh air and really knows what he is doing to make the US more competitive on the international stage.

Could not agree with this more.  Also keep in mind there are only 5 players on this roster that have WC experience.  They most than likely get through but they also prepare the US to be one of the teams to beat in 2018.

Look at Yedlin....that was a brilliant move to bring him in as a winger.  The now and the future are bright

[ChicosBailBonds]

Just on this small sample it goes to show how varied perspectives can be from the play.

I thought Bradley played fine yesterday. Not sure where in all the criticism of him people ignore that he was a main cog in a midfield that overran Portugal for nearly 70 minutes. 99 of 100 balls from his spot go in the net. Just happened this one hit Costa's knee (who knew nothing about it). And, sure, Eder muscled him off the ball in Portugal's half but as rightly pointed out above the US was covered so well in the back it never seemed a dangerous moment until the ball was in net. Hell, who in their right mind would think Ronaldo would ever turn down the chance to take a defender (an old converted mid at that) on 1v1 in that spot?

Hadn't seen much on the Howard angle which was interesting from mu03eng. But I probably blocked it out because Howard made that game saving double save in the first half to keep it 1-0. For my money if you pin it on one guy, it has to be Cameron. For there to be only one opposition player in the box and a defender not have a clue to find him is nearly inconceivable. Throw in a grade school level clearance in the fifth minute and Cameron should be in hiding.

Bradley played better yesterday than the first game, but that isn't saying much.  I've always been the believer that center mid is the most important position on the field, not everyone agrees.  He's been lazy with passes this tournament, poor decision making, panicky at times, just not what I expect from a center mid.  I've seen him play many times, and he's a quality player so I don't know if he has the jitters, or what. 

To me this is about what expectations are for players.  Of course Cameron made a terrible play, but he rebounded to play well most of the rest of the game.  Cameron isn't the quality of Bradley either.  How Bradley missed that goal is still beyond me.  Wow.  Ultimately, it's the decision making that has me perplexed.  He's the QB out there, but he isn't playing like one. 

It's also about knowing the game situation.  You now there are 5 minutes in stoppage time, you know you are in the last minute.  Pass the damn ball.  It would be like watching a MU player with ball in hand up by 2 and 10 seconds left with 20 on the clock and we take a shot.  Mental farts.  Disappointing play. 

As for Howard, always some risk coming off your line and you don't want to get burned by a misjudgment that late in the game.  Overall, Howard had a few miscues in this game, the post saved him once.  We need to be smarter, understand the point in the game we are in.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Didn't miss an open net, was blocked by a defender(by definition not an open net).  Bradley struck a one time shot to the heart of the goal on a bouncing ball 10 yards from the goal that came off a deflection and a diving defend managed to get his knee cap on that ball.  Could he have done better, yes, but it was a good effort.

I'm not going to defend the crap out of Bradley, he's played below his standards but you have to look at the game in total.  Go back and watch his distribution.  He was absolutely feeding Fabian Johnson and Dempsey to stretch the defense and Portugal had to make a defensive substitution (Williams) to try and limit Bradley's and Jones' possession and creativity.  Again if Bradley's give-away happens in the 65th minute this laser focus isn't there.

Thing is, it wasn't the 65th minute and tactics change.  When you're up one in soccer with less than a minute to play, you need to play keep away. 

[Henry Sugar]

Lost in the draw is a point I've seen a few folks make. Yesterday was arguably the best performance the US has ever had in a world cup.

Sure, the late equalizer is a stomach punch. But screw it... the team played in a way that made me feel proud yesterday.

I'm excited to watch the US play against Germany. I'm confident the team is going to play well.

[MUfan12]

Lost in the draw is a point I've seen a few folks make. Yesterday was arguably the best performance the US has ever had in a world cup.

Sure, the late equalizer is a stomach punch. But screw it... the team played in a way that made me feel proud yesterday.

Very true. Yesterday should have been their finest hour. It's a shame, really.

Maybe I'm a touch prone to hyperbole here, but getting a result Thursday and advancing might be the most impressive accomplishment in US Soccer history. 2002 is up there, but they backed in to the round of 16, and faced a familiar foe. They will have earned every bit of this if they advance.

[mu03eng]

[quote author=ChicosBailBonds link=topic=27124.msg633584#msg633584 date=1403536114
As for Howard, always some risk coming off your line and you don't want to get burned by a misjudgment that late in the game.  Overall, Howard had a few miscues in this game, the post saved him once.  We need to be smarter, understand the point in the game we are in.
[/quote]

Are you counting a sniper in the stands as a risk?  That was as routine a cross that the keeper should gobble up as you will ever see.

[Henry Sugar]

I love the Men in Blazers

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/men-in-blazers/95/post/1904962/us-very-much-alive-in-the-world-cup

[jesmu84]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/world-cup-pass-move-i-cant-believe-that-we-did-draw/

An interesting take that Bradley's mistake wasn't so much mental as physical:

"Given a difficult ball to trap, Bradley’s first touch isn’t great and the ball gets away from him. He has to try to claim the ball at the second time of asking, at which point the Portuguese midfield has already closed in on him. It would have been exceedingly difficult for Bradley to boot the ball somewhere safe in that moment, and there was no guarantee an attempt to kick the hell out of the ball would have put it anywhere safe, given that he was all but facing the U.S. goal. Attempting to win possession, Bradley got muscled off the ball by a stronger player, which led to a Portuguese counter. It was a disappointing performance at a crucial time, but it was a physical mistake, not a mental one. More than likely, Bradley — who ran 7.6 miles during the match, more than anybody else on the pitch — was gassed."

Go look at the gif of it.

Would have been real interesting if Bradley would have gone down there, seeing if he could draw a foul.

[mu03eng]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/world-cup-pass-move-i-cant-believe-that-we-did-draw/

An interesting take that Bradley's mistake wasn't so much mental as physical:

"Given a difficult ball to trap, Bradley’s first touch isn’t great and the ball gets away from him. He has to try to claim the ball at the second time of asking, at which point the Portuguese midfield has already closed in on him. It would have been exceedingly difficult for Bradley to boot the ball somewhere safe in that moment, and there was no guarantee an attempt to kick the hell out of the ball would have put it anywhere safe, given that he was all but facing the U.S. goal. Attempting to win possession, Bradley got muscled off the ball by a stronger player, which led to a Portuguese counter. It was a disappointing performance at a crucial time, but it was a physical mistake, not a mental one. More than likely, Bradley — who ran 7.6 miles during the match, more than anybody else on the pitch — was gassed."

Go look at the gif of it.

Would have been real interesting if Bradley would have gone down there, seeing if he could draw a foul.

Hadn't read that article yet, but that is absolutely what I was thinking as well.

[jesmu84]

Also, fun fact, the 4th official was only going to add 4 minutes of ET. But, when Zusi was subbed off, the ref decided he walked off so slowly as to add a 5th minute.

So, I blame Zusi's lazy ass

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

US loses 2-0. Ghana wins by a goal. Ghana goes through.

The margin is razor thin for them. Just have a bad feeling that yesterday was the chance.

So goal differential still matters more than Team USA beating Ghana head-to-head? 

[Golden Avalanche]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/world-cup-pass-move-i-cant-believe-that-we-did-draw/

An interesting take that Bradley's mistake wasn't so much mental as physical:

"Given a difficult ball to trap, Bradley’s first touch isn’t great and the ball gets away from him. He has to try to claim the ball at the second time of asking, at which point the Portuguese midfield has already closed in on him. It would have been exceedingly difficult for Bradley to boot the ball somewhere safe in that moment, and there was no guarantee an attempt to kick the hell out of the ball would have put it anywhere safe, given that he was all but facing the U.S. goal. Attempting to win possession, Bradley got muscled off the ball by a stronger player, which led to a Portuguese counter. It was a disappointing performance at a crucial time, but it was a physical mistake, not a mental one. More than likely, Bradley — who ran 7.6 miles during the match, more than anybody else on the pitch — was gassed."

Go look at the gif of it.

Would have been real interesting if Bradley would have gone down there, seeing if he could draw a foul.

Roberto Martinez said the same. 50/50 ball and no problem its lost because the US had five players back to recover. I think you see the American tendency in other sports coming into play here so we can focus on one individual and one particular moment as "the" mistake. As Cobi Jones said on beIN sports, when you concede like that at the end it's more a domino of minor mistakes that roll into one big mistake.

For example, why no hate for Yedlin not taking ball to corner immediately? Why no hate for Gonzo being in midfield rather than part of a back five? Why no hate for Beckerman reacting slowly and not tracking back? Why no hate for Beasley sagging off Ronaldo allowing him the time? These are all minor issues that rolled into the mistake of conceding late. On their own, not terrible. Together, devastating.

[jesmu84]

So goal differential still matters more than Team USA beating Ghana head-to-head? 

Goal differential is tiebreaker #1.
Head to head is tiebreaker #2.

...i think

[mu03eng]

So goal differential still matters more than Team USA beating Ghana head-to-head? 

HtH is the tie breaker after goal differential

[mu03eng]

Goal differential is tiebreaker #1.
Head to head is tiebreaker #2.

...i think

Correct....and faster 

[MUfan12]

HtH is the tie breaker after goal differential

Goals scored is after differential.

[ChicosBailBonds]

[quote author=ChicosBailBonds link=topic=27124.msg633584#msg633584 date=1403536114
As for Howard, always some risk coming off your line and you don't want to get burned by a misjudgment that late in the game.  Overall, Howard had a few miscues in this game, the post saved him once.  We need to be smarter, understand the point in the game we are in.


Are you counting a sniper in the stands as a risk?  That was as routine a cross that the keeper should gobble up as you will ever see.

I didn't think anything about that cross was routine, in my opinion. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Goals scored is after differential.

That's my understanding as well, which is why I said yesterday the #2 tiebreaker scares me.  

EDIT:
Here are the official tiebreakers directly from FIFA

1. Greatest number of points obtained in all group matches.

2. Goal difference in all group matches.

3. Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.

4. Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned.

5. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned.

6. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned.

7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organizing Committee.

[ttheisen]

FIFA organization’s book of regulations:

1. Greatest number of points obtained in all group matches.

2. Goal difference in all group matches.

3. Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.

4. Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned.

5. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned.

6. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned.

7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organizing Committee.

[mu03eng]

I didn't think anything about that cross was routine, in my opinion. 

Go back and watch it again....Howard takes at least 3 steps if not 4 before the ball gets to Valera.  If those steps are forward(first was) he easily gets to the ball.  It was a beautiful cross and if there is a lot of traffic an extremely dangerous one.  But a cross from 25 yards to the far post landing around 7 yards from the end line with no traffic in front of the keeper whatsoever....no matter how beautiful the cross it is routine.  I could make that play in the clothes I'm wearing right now including my dress shoes.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Go back and watch it again....Howard takes at least 3 steps if not 4 before the ball gets to Valera.  If those steps are forward(first was) he easily gets to the ball.  It was a beautiful cross and if there is a lot of traffic an extremely dangerous one.  But a cross from 25 yards to the far post landing around 7 yards from the end line with no traffic in front of the keeper whatsoever....no matter how beautiful the cross it is routine.  I could make that play in the clothes I'm wearing right now including my dress shoes.

http://www.espnfc.us/video/highlights/114/video/1904113/varela-scores-last-gasp-leveller

Here's the play, the ball is curling back. I don't think Howard gets there in time.  Too close of a call because if he doesn't get there, he's screwed.  That cross gets there in a hurry, has pace on it and curls back.  IMO, don't think Howard gets there.  IMO

[WarriorInNYC]

Lost in the draw is a point I've seen a few folks make. Yesterday was arguably the best performance the US has ever had in a world cup.

Sure, the late equalizer is a stomach punch. But screw it... the team played in a way that made me feel proud yesterday.

I'm excited to watch the US play against Germany. I'm confident the team is going to play well.

This. 

It was so fun watching us be the aggressor.  We were pounding the Portugal goal with shot after shot instead of teams past relying on counter attacks and set pieces.

Germany will be really tough, but after this game now I feel like a draw is very doable.

[mu03eng]

http://www.espnfc.us/video/highlights/114/video/1904113/varela-scores-last-gasp-leveller

Here's the play, the ball is curling back. I don't think Howard gets there in time.  Too close of a call because if he doesn't get there, he's screwed.  That cross gets there in a hurry, has pace on it and curls back.  IMO, don't think Howard gets there.  IMO

Pause the replay at 25 seconds.  Look at where the ball is(from Howard's perspective he can know the trajectory) where Valera is and where Howard is.  Howard has 5 yards to cover in the same time Valera has at least 10...yes Valera is at speed but Howard has 4 steps, his entire length and his hands.  The ball was flat vertically and driven(to get the pace) which means Howard doesn't have to jump on it.  Plus his instinct was to go, that was his first step but then he backed off.  We may just have to agree to disagree.

[jesmu84]

Watching that replay again a few times confirms my earlier suspicions --> Cameron had NO IDEA Varela was there. Cameron took a couple quick glances back at the trailing Portugese players, but Varela was behind/above Cameron until the last second. Poor communication from Howard, Fabian and Cameron there. Not sure if the US back 4 zones up on crosses, in which case Cameron should have covered (but someone also needed to tell Cameron Varela was coming) or they man on crosses, which means Fabian should have been tracking on Varela.