The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

After a day to digest it. The Gold Cup win was unsatisfying. I just was not happy with the play. The result was amazing, but this massively pales in comparison to the 2013 Gold Cup where the only regulars were Landon and Beasley, though Landon was in the process of winning his position back and Beasley was trying a new position. Aside from them the team was basically Eddie Johnson and Onyewu attempting to prove they have quality, and a handful of guys trying to earn their spot with some talent like Beckerman, Wondo, Mix, Besler, Gonzalez, etc.

This squad was much more first team talented. Again established first teamers from that GC roster were Beasley and Landon, that's it. Others became established like Bedoya, Beckerman, and Besler, but overall they weren't the first team picks. In the final we had Bradley, Acosta, Gonzalez, Arriola, Jozy, Nagbe, Zusi, Howard, Besler, Dempsey, Dax, Morris, and Hedges who were all on the roster for both the Final and our last WCQ. You can't call it a B team when you have so many players carrying over. If you count Guzan going home it would make 14 out of 24 players on the CONCACAF Gold Cup final roster who were also on our most recent WCQ. Add in that Villafana has been the first choice LB and it's 15 out of 24. To me the results just weren't good enough. No one aside from Rowe to me made a significant stock move up. If anything some of our young (or youngish) promising guys like Acosta, Hedges, and Villafana likely saw some stock drop. I honestly can't imagine Acosta partnering with Bradley after watching the massive improvement the team had with Bradley and Nagbe in the middle.

 

[skraeling]

our last sub whos name i cant remember... guy has some SERIOUS speed. had the bleached braids. dempsy is devastating as a setup guy.

altidor if he whined less and played harder would be world class... seriously you outweigh your opponents by 50lbs... stop crying about fouls.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Sadly the world of soccer if you don't cry you don't get calls. Dempsey is probably the best example of that.

Gyasi was the fast sub, he's athletically gifted but kind of technically inept.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Well that was deflating after a 10 hr drive. At least I got to see the boys again and our section was standing and in full song for 90 minutes.

Woulda be nice if Spurs had bothered to show up, horrific officiating aside. Dismal show.

 

[robdogj]

new Wembley Same spudz xD

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

USMNT Roster announced

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 14/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 36/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 34/6), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 11/1), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 22/2), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 15/0), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas; 0/0), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 0/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 5/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 3/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 18/3)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 4/0), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 3/1), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 9/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 35/7), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 16/1), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 7/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 9/5), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 0/0)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 38/16), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 39/18), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 3/0), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 10/4)


Aside from a surprise in Roldan it's not a shockign roster. I don't get the purpose of bringing Wondo, Rimando, and beasley around, they're all old and not likely to contribute to much of anything. Also picking Zusi over Chandler is a mind****.

Given that Arena is unlikely to consider something fun like a 3-4-3 I'm hoping the lineups for the outfield are

LB - Villafana
CB - Cameron
CB - Gonzalez
RB - Lichaj
RM - Fabjo
CM - Bradley
CM - Nagbe
LM - Pulisic
ST - Jozy
ST - Wood

It would almost play into a 4-1-4-2 with Fabian running the wing play and Pulisic and Nagbe being more focused on attack.

 

[robdogj]

picking Zusi over Chandler is a mind****.

+1 on that one bro - I am like this atm

 

[Qhrumphf]

Lmao.

Happy day after deadline day, everyone.

Let the January rumors begin.

View attachment 1504291035008.jpg

 

[robdogj]

did anyone see this horrid tackle by the Uruguayan chupacabra in the match vs Argentina the other day?

Otamendi is lucky not to be injured on that play.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Arena needs to go. I know he won't because we can't fire another coach during this cycle but he was outclassed the last 2 matches and that's unexceptable. These 2 games were much worse results than the 2 losses that cost Jurgen his job. And I see a tactical regression. It's old school US game, which isn't what we should be doing. We shouldn't be playing route 1 ball all game.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Don't subscribe to any channel that it was on tonight so couldn't watch, but after seeing the result, and the quality of USMNT play last time out against Costa Rica, yeah, pathetic.

 

[skraeling]

Don't subscribe to any channel that it was on tonight so couldn't watch, but after seeing the result, and the quality of USMNT play last time out against Costa Rica, yeah, pathetic.

I watched it. It was one of the single worst games ive ever seen played by a professional team.

Passing was terrible.
Zero drive to get to balls.
no hustle, none. zip. Get beaten to everything.
The defense oh god the defense. We had some? news to me they never seemed to show up.
We got walked for 89 of the 90 minutes.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Normally I'd say no problem needing wins agains Panama and Trinidad, but with how the US has been playing lately, no WC seems an actual possibility...

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I watched it. It was one of the single worst games ive ever seen played by a professional team.

Passing was terrible.
Zero drive to get to balls.
no hustle, none. zip. Get beaten to everything.
The defense oh god the defense. We had some? news to me they never seemed to show up.
We got walked for 89 of the 90 minutes.

Pretty much this is all true. I haven't seen the US look that bad in a game they should have been playing with their backs against the wall. Usually after a shock loss the US bounces back because they relish in the underdog role.

I will give Arena a smidge of reprieve in that Brooks and Yedlin were missing. But missing them wasn't the reason that he trotted Zusi out for both games. He could have tried LIchaj (who was better than Zusi in the Gold Cup) or picked Timmy Chandler who's better than Zusi.

 

[robdogj]

Arena could have tried LIchaj (who was better than Zusi in the Gold Cup) or picked Timmy Chandler who's better than Zusi.

I can understand why Arena didn't pick Timmay. IMHO he was one of the reasons why Los Ticos dropped 4 goals on the US in Herr Klinsmann last match. Arena probably has zero faith in Timmay. Timmay on the other hand gives zero ****s

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Actually Brooks/Gonzalez was probably the biggest part of that. Those 2 cannot play next to each other because they both are too aggressive. Brooks is an A+ most of the time. But the times he's struggled is when he isn't paired with a smarter CB like Cameron and Besler. He's worked best for us in those types of lineups. Not so much with Gonzalez or ALvarado.

Though Chandler did suck that game too. But I think that also came from a formation switch that lead to him having little midfield coverage. Yedlin is certainly the best USMNT RB. Chandler is certainly better than Zusi. Lichaj may be better than both of them. Either way I don't think Chandler whiffs on a tackle like Zusi did on the effort that lead to the Honduran goal.

 

[robdogj]

3 league home matches played at Wembley & still no win by spuds. This is the reason why I don't hate spuds. They always find a way to bring me comedy xD

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Arena doesn't pick Johnson, Chandler, or young exciting players like Miazga, Gooch, or Carter-Vickers, I'm over him.

 

[HoppyDaze]

USMNT is not good, not good at all.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

USMNT is not good, not good at all.

No Bruce Arena is a moron. First for not picking Fabian Johnson who I know prefers playing left mid, but would be easily our best left back. Second for watching the ****ty performance by Omar Gonzalez last game and going "Yeah lets play him again." and third for not changing that disaster formation. The only reason we beat Panama was individual effort. It wasn't from a solid tactical move or anything like that. It was because of Altidore, Pulisic and Wood taking it to the defense. Why was Nagbe picked ahain after he was medioce to invisible last time? Why was the same formation used? Why not go with amore defensive formation? Why was Villafana used when he's been the worst starter in WCQ? Why Tim Howard?

Arena deserves his "legacy" tarnished by this.

 

[robdogj]

"Come on guys! Don’t be hard on the team, they had to play against two teams at the same time: Trinidad & Tobago"
best joke I heard all day

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Reading what Arena and Gulati had to say about the loss makes me so mad. We weren't robbed of the WC by a few inches. This wasn't one result that cost us the trip. We failed to get any away wins in WCQ and lost twice at home. That's unacceptable and honestly the only home loss that was kind of sort of acceptable was the Mexico one because we were the better team of the 2 and lost because of fluke goals.

 

[fourfarthing]

We deserved what we got

 

[MSK_Chess]

I am sure gonna miss watching the USA and my heart goes out to their soccer fans. Scotland also failed to qualify

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

We deserved what we got

For sure. I don't get how Arena could march the same lineup out again. And for the billionth time this Hex aside from the 2 games we dominted teams build up a strong attack against the left side of our defense. Villafana was terrible but Arena wouldn't pick Fabian Johnson either for defensive coverage in midfield or as a defender. Arena is a moron. I will not watch the USMNT until he's gone.

 

[HoppyDaze]

No Bruce Arena is a moron. First for not picking Fabian Johnson who I know prefers playing left mid, but would be easily our best left back. Second for watching the ****ty performance by Omar Gonzalez last game and going "Yeah lets play him again." and third for not changing that disaster formation. The only reason we beat Panama was individual effort. It wasn't from a solid tactical move or anything like that. It was because of Altidore, Pulisic and Wood taking it to the defense. Why was Nagbe picked ahain after he was medioce to invisible last time? Why was the same formation used? Why not go with amore defensive formation? Why was Villafana used when he's been the worst starter in WCQ? Why Tim Howard?

Arena deserves his "legacy" tarnished by this.

Sort of easy to say in hindsight. Ultimately it is up to the players to perform. They should have won that match regardless of who was out there. They weren't even trying for some reason. If they don't try for that match, than what match are they going to put effort into? I think it's a reflection of the generation and change in our society...entitled little b!tches flopping around in the grass. Pathetic.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

It's not effort. It's about bad tactical error. Omar Gonzalez screwing up wasn't lack of effort it was a bad technical move. Howard concedeing a 30 yard goal wasn't a lack of effort, but Tim Howard screwed up because he does that sometimes.

Again if Arena had done what he did the rest of the year where Guzan played the majority of road games he saves that 30 yarder and Cameron doesn't concede that own goal.

 

[robdogj]

Sort of easy to say in hindsight. Ultimately it is up to the players to perform. They should have won that match regardless of who was out there. They weren't even trying for some reason. If they don't try for that match, than what match are they going to put effort into? I think it's a reflection of the generation and change in our society...entitled little b!tches flopping around in the grass. Pathetic.

My man Hippo predicted this failure back when the squad was announced. Remember that Chandler & Johnson weren't selected. You think they could have helped? Think about TnT's goals. Both came from the left side of the pitch. IMHO Johnson would have performed better at that position than Nagbe, but it's neither here or there because we are not going to Russia. Just a dream deferred.

 

[Qhrumphf]

What a day for Crystal Palace to learn to score and us to learn to win at Wembley.

 

[robdogj]

Hertha Berlin are making fans World Wide by taking a knee