I’ll be there for the Germany match. I didn’t know if the big names would be called but it looks to be a fun squad.
USMNT Fall 2023 - Spring 2024: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
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Jealous! Do you mean on US side or Germany? I guess I’d assume both teams want the opportunity for their proper sides to see high level competition but I can never really track who is available for whom at any point.
I’m guessing Turner gets both starts. Pretty sure a U-23 roster is coming out soon, so I imagine the younger keepers will be in that camp. I’m cool with building towards the Copa America and Olympics separately unless someone is really pushing onto the senior squad, then starting fresh for the World Cup after next summer.
Heidenheim is having fun with this because apparently this is the first time a player from their club has ever been called to any senior national team.
Noel Buck has been called up to England's U19 squad ahead of some official UEFA qualifiers. This means that if he plays, he will be provisionally cap-tied to England. I find this very irritating, even though there's still a bigger chance that he plays for the USMNT than for England.
NYCFC's Christian McFarlane was called up to England U17 and will be in the same boat as Buck if McFarlane gets called up for England U17's qualifiers in November.
NYCFC's Christian McFarlane was called up to England U17 and will be in the same boat as Buck if McFarlane gets called up for England U17's qualifiers in November.
I confused Christian McFarlane with Kristian Fletcher, another young gun of unclear trajectory. (and there's even a Fletcher McFarlane!)
Turns out Fletcher (on loan at Swansea City from DC United) has not earned his way into the Champo yet, and has managed only 22 minutes in one game of the *shuffles notes* Welsh Cup. Which for a guy barely 18 years old isn't too bad, but after interest from Dortmund and other big-name clubs it's still a bit of a fall from grace.
Turns out Fletcher (on loan at Swansea City from DC United) has not earned his way into the Champo yet, and has managed only 22 minutes in one game of the *shuffles notes* Welsh Cup. Which for a guy barely 18 years old isn't too bad, but after interest from Dortmund and other big-name clubs it's still a bit of a fall from grace.
I will as well. Part of a big group of kids and parents from my son’s U13 club team.
We will be in Section 114 which is in one of the corners, I believe.
Putting together a fairly substantial tailgate for Hartford if anybody else is going (I already tagged @Saints Rest elsewhere). Burgers, dogs, brats, bifana... Ball and goals for the kids if we can find a safe(ish) area. If we lose one or two kids nobody will really notice.
Awesome. I'll be there with 3 buddies. Not sure how much time we'll have pre-game but bifana is a solid draw.
I was going to go- I grew up about 25 minutes away and my brother and I were thinking about it- but never pulled the trigger on tix. Wish I had, we could’ve had a BwG mini bash.
I’m not there, but Rentschler is a great venue for this type of match. Fans are very close to the pitch and it looks to be at capacity.
I’ve been to games at Gillette before, and the upper levels are usually empty and fans are significantly further away.
I’ve been there for UConn football. I remember thinking it would be a great footy venue.
would be a fine MLS park imo
Really fun half. U.S. had to absorb too much pressure, but they were clever when they had the ball. As fatigue sets in, I think depth will be a problem.
We really need better set piece service — we also could use CP in the box during set pieces. He has such good instincts and the ball finds him. I would love someone who could get balls into the mixing bowl, and I think Pulisic could find himself on the end of one.
We really need better set piece service — we also could use CP in the box during set pieces. He has such good instincts and the ball finds him. I would love someone who could get balls into the mixing bowl, and I think Pulisic could find himself on the end of one.
not a horrible showing all things considered. They're just better at the whole 'get numbers forward and try stuff in the attacking 1/3 and if it doesn't work out, trust that you can get the ball back or at least stop the other team from breaking out' deal.
I'll be much more concerned if we can't control the game against Ghana.
I'll be much more concerned if we can't control the game against Ghana.
I missed the first half and sounds like they were better with the starting XI? In the 2H they looked like the same team with few ideas to attack a well-organized defense. They get to a certain point on the field with the ball and everyone makes the same run or worse just stands still.
CB should be an interesting competition over the next couple years as Ream is phased out. Some very poor marking and discipline in the box today.
CB should be an interesting competition over the next couple years as Ream is phased out. Some very poor marking and discipline in the box today.
Yeah it's not often that we're outclassed in talent on nearly every spot on the field. How many of our guys would start for Germany? Maybe just Pulisic, maybe Healthy Reyna?
We're a very different team with Adams in there. A Gio-based 4231 for 45' and an Adams based 4-3-3 for 45' would be pretty damn effective.
We did pretty well all things considered for the first 45'. I just hope Mexico does worse.
Nice place to watch footy. Festival/celebration vibes pregame in the tailgating. Field is a nice place to watch footy. AOs were more subdued than I’m used to. Crowd had a good about of German support (though their supporter’s section couldn’t be heard at all from where we were). These events always do a great job of catering to local teams and I think everybody had a blast.
There were MAGAs in the concourse trying to start some Let’s Go Brandon chants and harassing people that wouldn’t join, so that was cool.
Some real weirdness going on when I look at Germany's goals
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Jp8RxYFUI
First goal @2:49 Richards steps up on Sane, then completely abandons him as he makes the continuation run, is Richards expecting everyone else to step up? He's really far in front of the rest of the line.
Second goal @4:12 looks like Dest unexpectedly played the attacker on, Scally's raised hand seems to indicate as much.
Third goal @5:05 good tackle by Ream but a freak bounce to Fullkrug. Scally runs by Fullkrug to position himself and...completely forgets that Fullkrug is there??? Richards also is trying to get back into his CB position by running behind the line, which...seems like a really bad idea?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Jp8RxYFUI
First goal @2:49 Richards steps up on Sane, then completely abandons him as he makes the continuation run, is Richards expecting everyone else to step up? He's really far in front of the rest of the line.
Second goal @4:12 looks like Dest unexpectedly played the attacker on, Scally's raised hand seems to indicate as much.
Third goal @5:05 good tackle by Ream but a freak bounce to Fullkrug. Scally runs by Fullkrug to position himself and...completely forgets that Fullkrug is there??? Richards also is trying to get back into his CB position by running behind the line, which...seems like a really bad idea?
You say this like it’s mutually exclusive, but also if they’re ever simultaneously healthy we could go wild and have both our best offensive midfielder and our best defensive midfielder in the same starting 11.
I think this has literally not happened yet (they’ve been in the same lineup once or twice maybe, but when Gio was on the wing) and I would be very interested to see it. Probably with Wes as the third do it all guy and with Musah ready to dribble through and past tired guys off the bench as the situation demands.
Truly it would be an unimaginable luxury to have 6 healthy midfielders capable of playing at an international level, such that we could rotate them around during a tournament to give them rest, or choose a preferred formation based on the opponent. (yes 6, I'm a De La Torre believer and I'm counting Brendo as a MF because that's where Gregg plays him - but we all know who the top 4 are)
An Adams-Wes double pivot behind Gio as CAM would be amazing to watch just to see how it would go. Adams and Wes play really well together.
I believe there is one game in which both Gio and Adams started and both went 90. The first WCQ, in El Salvador:
https://fbref.com/en/matches/7734d999/El-Salvador-United-States-September-2-2021-WCQ----CONCACAF-M
We started a front line of Konrad de la Fuente -- Sargent -- Brendo. Lletget, Acosta and Roldan came off the bench. It feels like a different era from now (Pulisic was out for covid). But then Gio "tweaked something in training", missed the Canada match and at-Honduras and like the next 5 months for club and country. Didn't appear for USA again until the match in the Azteca where he came in for the last 30' and schooled HH and co so hard on that one run that the Mexico fans were actually applauding him. But I digress. Point is that's the only match I can think of where Adams and Gio were both healthy enough to play 90 together, and the rest of the team was at least half a mess at that point.
Agree, but I was hoping for better cohesion given that it’s still Gregg and his system. Yes, there’s lots of caveats, but it would have been nice to see more coordination among the back line and more consistent intensity + coordination in the midfield press. Germany were just pulling our guys around and making spaces to play into, especially in the second half.
The sky isn’t falling. There are some good things to take away and it’s a learning experience. But a disappointing performance generally.
A former work buddy went with his family. Got to take free photos and get autographs from Landon Donovan. Said they were signing up fans for US Soccer Insiders, with a perk being World Cup ticket pre-sale access.