ADVERTISEMENT

OT : ALL THINGS SOCCER (-) WC and EURO CUP 😜

First 15 minutes and the USMNT is dominating possession so far. I'm amazed at how passively Uruguay is playing.
 
TV announcers felt the Uruguay goal should've been called for offside. If it was offside, it was barely, but has USA caught a single break this entire tournament?
 
I feel like CONCACAF has been set back 10 years. The USMNT and Mexico are supposed to be the best teams in CONCACAF. Well, Canada did finish atop the last World Cup Qualifiers and Panama did beat the USMNT in the last Gold Cup semis. But other than that!...

The USMNT has had better results with less talent. We have some great players but they are being held back by Berhalter. If we replace Berhalter, maybe grouping out of the Copa America is a price worth paying in the long run.

We were the host. The HOST! Of South America's big tournament, and we hosted the South American "Centenario" tournament, too. I wonder if the non-American refs of our matches (and the countries that comprise CONMEBOL as a whole) harbor some resentment about that? I wonder if that's why we never got "homer" calls this tournament despite being the host? Do the CONMEBOL nations resent having to play on our narrow "American football" fields?

Does the fact that the USMNT always hosts the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments feeds into this resentment? Is the USMNT soft because they don't like to play on foreign soil?

We have a toughness problem and we have a coaching problem. Maybe there's too much money at play to fix the former, but if there's that much money at play, we should definitely be able to fix the latter. It's way beyond time to fire Berhalter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MineroFanatico
At least we qualified for the Olympics, right? If I remember correctly, don't we get to choose up to 3 veterans to play or something? We'd better go balls out for this.
 
It was offside by a shoelace. I'm not sure it would pass the NFL's "indisputable evidence" standard for overturning on replay. And even if that call went our way, we would still need to score a goal of our own, which we did not. That call is not the reason we were eliminated.

It's amazing, though, how we couldn't catch a break the entire tournament, got screwed over on stoppage time, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
It was offside by a shoelace. I'm not sure it would pass the NFL's "indisputable evidence" standard for overturning on replay. And even if that call went our way, we would still need to score a goal of our own, which we did not. That call is not the reason we were eliminated.

It's amazing, though, how we couldn't catch a break the entire tournament, got screwed over on stoppage time, etc.
The officiating was atrocious last night, however like you said, it wasn’t what kept the US from advancing. The lack creative play in the top 1/3 of the field was/is the reason. The usmnt can’t put the ball in the net against top tier teams. Berhalter uses this “system” he believes in, that he sells to everyone, that seems to undervalue specific skill sets that individuals bring to the game. There are guys on the roster who “fit” the system who should not be on the roster and guys not on the roster who should be. The US has never been much of a soccer “power” as we all know, however at different times they’ve been a threat to varying degrees. This is the most lackluster I’ve seen this team since I’ve been watching the usmnt. They have more opportunity, more resources, more everything than anyone before them, yet they continuously do less with more. So frustrating.

My only hope is that US Soccer sees that the team has reached its peak under Berhalter’s leadership. This squad has not improved a single iota since the WC. We have 2 years to get this thing moving in the right direction again. Better start now. 2 years is not a long time. Fire Berhalter!!
 
Last edited:
Some really exciting games on both continents. Colombia is looking really good with the Jaimes resurgence and scoring prowess. The Colombia vs Uruguay game should be a barn burner (hopefully it doesn't get too ugly).

Interesting to hear the commentary about the U.S. and some other north american teams potentially wanting to join CONMEBOL. Maybe at least it will force CONCACAF to allow for better competition.

I was really pulling for Germany to go all the way. Rooting for England / Netherlands winner now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MineroFanatico
Can we get Klopp? We need a slam dunk hire with 2 years to the WC. We need an attacking aggressive style.

Cherundolo seems like a good option too, but I think Klopp should be the guy.
Yeah. I’m torn on Klopp. Not because he’s not a great manager. But because putting Klopp with the USMNT would be like putting a Ferrari engine in a Ford Fiesta. Klopp has had all the talent in the world to work with. He does well managing that talent. Not so sure he could necessarily make it work for the US.

Honestly, I think we missed out on the one guy I can think of that really might’ve made all the difference. Bielsa. What he did with Leeds was incredible. IMO, Bielsa is the Mike Leach of futbol.

I’m not sure who can get it done, however I know without a doubt it isn’t Berhalter.
 
I’m not sure who can get it done, however I know without a doubt it isn’t Berhalter.
We just need somebody who plays to win. Berhalter is too passive and plays not to lose. If your dream is to play England to a draw, though, then Gregg has a gameplan for that. We have the most talented roster (A-team, at least) in CONCACAF, but we play scared against the other CONCACAF teams.

Fortune favors the bold, and Berhalter ain't bold. If we have aspirations for the big time, then we need to play like we're big time.
 
We just need somebody who plays to win. Berhalter is too passive and plays not to lose. If your dream is to play England to a draw, though, then Gregg has a gameplan for that. We have the most talented roster (A-team, at least) in CONCACAF, but we play scared against the other CONCACAF teams.

Fortune favors the bold, and Berhalter ain't bold. If we have aspirations for the big time, then we need to play like we're big time.
While I don’t disagree at all with that statement, we need to get this one right. It’s not enough to just take someone who’s style/approach is opposite of Berhalter. This is arguably the most pivotable time in the history of soccer in the United States. US Soccer needs to collect themselves, get their sh!t together, get on the same page, and go big.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: FeralFelidae
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT