USMNT: To Rüssia With Love

Titans Bastard

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Nice work from Nagbe on the build up to that goal.

Yeesh. The US defense is making me very nervous tonight.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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that was much more impressive than the first one. Although the pass from Jozy may have been even more impressive than the finish.

However, my player of the game is Geoff Cameron. Dude is where he should be all the time, like Warren Beatty.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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that was much more impressive than the first one. Although the pass from Jozy may have been even more impressive than the finish.

However, my player of the game is Geoff Cameron. Dude is where he should be all the time, like Warren Beatty.
if you mean flattening guys like a free safety, yeah
 

Titans Bastard

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My Roku decided to cut out and apparently I've missed a goal.

Anyway, the Dempsey sub makes sense to me. I'm not sure that Clint is still a 90 minute player for the US and I think the idea is to have Acosta stabilize the midfield. When Bradley is left to fend for himself unsupported at DM, bad things tend to happen.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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here's where we see the difference in production quality between Fox and NBC. If this was NBC's PL coverage, you'd have a goal-line camera showing that replay and the offsides, immediately, within 2 seconds. Here, you get a replay from the 10-yard line, 30 seconds later.
 

speedracer

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Come on Jozy, the refs haven't been calling anything all game (and it's worked out pretty well so far)
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Jozy should've been carded for that flop. Embarrassing. Let the Spaniards do it, Jozy, you stay up and do... whatever it is you do in the box.
 

speedracer

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I don't think I'm asking for too much when I say all I want is < 2 goals conceded, no injuries and no yellow-card suspensions for the last 15 minutes.
 

Titans Bastard

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That was a necessary three points for the US, but it was not a particularly confidence-inspiring win. Too many nervy moments at the back, where T&T easily could have scored a few. The US is weirdly weak defending aerial attacks, especially from set pieces.

Pulisic was good. Nagbe was good. I liked Villafaña tonight, though I thought he faded.

The engine room needs work if the US is going to have any chance of getting a result in Mexico.
 

speedracer

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That was a necessary three points for the US, but it was not a particularly confidence-inspiring win. Too many nervy moments at the back, where T&T easily could have scored a few. The US is weirdly weak defending aerial attacks, especially from set pieces.

Pulisic was good. Nagbe was good. I liked Villafaña tonight, though I thought he faded.

The engine room needs work if the US is going to have any chance of getting a result in Mexico.
I'm guessing 'engine room' means 'Bradley and Bedoya'? Eep.
 

wonderland

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Jul 20, 2005
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I liked Villafaña going forward but he's a liability defensively. I'll be shocked if he plays at Mexico. I think Johnson will be at left back.

I've never been a big of Nagbe but I thought he played well tonight. As did Yedlin.

I'm continued to be baffled by Bradley. He's in no man's land way too much.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Was listening to second half on radio, some takeaways:

--Arena ripped them at halftime to stop thinking about Mexico and get the 3 points
--Dempsey was apparently not slated to play against Mexico but Arena now wants him to and that means he can't go 90 tonight
--all the subs were apparently offensive subs, to get the guys prepared to what they might need to do Sunday
 
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Mr. Wednesday

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The only one of the three subs who was particularly offensive was Bobby Wood, and even that was like-for-like rather than offense for defense. Acosta for Dempsey was defensive-minded mid for forward; Bedoya for Johnson was a worker-bee mid for a more skilled mid.

I didn't have my full attention on the game, but when I was watching, Bradley looked fine.
 

Titans Bastard

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I'm guessing 'engine room' means 'Bradley and Bedoya'? Eep.
I wouldn't be shocked. It could be Acosta, as well, who got 30 minutes tonight to work on his chemistry with Bradley. Azteca is a tough place to get your first WCQ start, though.

I'd expect quite a bit of squad rotation. This game was moved to Sunday because of Mexico's participation in the Confederations Cup. There is not a lot of time to rest and recover.
 

DJnVa

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This is now Pulisic's team: https://sports.yahoo.com/u-s-mens-national-team-belongs-christian-pulisic-now-035504557.html

At his press conference on Wednesday, Bruce Arena talked about the challenge of bringing along young talents like Christian Pulisic. The United States men’s national team head coach was then asked why he was playing Pulisic smack dab in the center of the USA midfield, thereby placing most of the pressure on the 18-year-old to create scoring chances.

Arena shrugged. “Well,” he said, “where else do you want me to play him?”
The game was Pulisic’s fourth straight with a goal. He also has seven goals in just 15 international appearances, five in only eight World Cup qualifiers. But here’s the statistic that really shows how much the U.S. depends on his production: Of the last eight USMNT goals, Pulisic has factored into seven of them, scoring four and assisting on three others.
So, this week, Arena approached Pulisic with an idea: to have him become the primary kick-taker on set pieces. Pulisic needed some convincing this was going to be a good thing for him and the team.

“He wasn’t sure,” Arena recalled. “I said, ‘If I get fired because you can’t hit free kicks and corners, I’m OK with that. Just go ahead and take them.’ ”

“I guess I have to start taking more responsibilities,” Pulisic said. “It’s part of the team.”
 

InstaFace

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Upon review of highlights, on that first goal, if Pulisic isn't there crashing the box I don't think Dempsey gets there - he's two steps behind and Yedlin's ball is too fast. That was all Pulisic having the best footballing instincts on the team (and Nagbe having a beast of a run).

“He wasn’t sure,” Arena recalled. “I said, ‘If I get fired because you can’t hit free kicks and corners, I’m OK with that. Just go ahead and take them.’ ”
Hilarious stuff by Arena. He could pull out a voodoo doll of Sunil Gulati and take a steamer on it on national television and he wouldn't get fired right now.

But underneath that statement is this: who takes free kicks and corners right now? Michael Bradley. Could be a precursor to replacing his role on the team, and ultimately himself.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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I've heard European commentators, both british and german, pronounce it Poo-li-sich (particularly in Bundesliga games earlier last season), which is certainly understandable in places that have plenty of people with Slavic names and traditional Slavic pronunciations. But those who become more familiar with him have generally switched to his preferred, Americanized pronunciation.

I'm sure they'd do the same to Bill Belicic if he were around.
 

Titans Bastard

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Saw some highlights of last nights game with english comments. The guy said Pullissick (pull-is-sick in a very fast way..).
Germans say Poo-li-sich, seems to be the croatian way IMO, or what @Zososoxfan said.
Now that in thinking about it, I've convinced myself that I'm wrong and he goes by puh-LIS-sick which is what you've heard from English commentators. Brain fart on my part.

Another difference is that his first name is two syllables here and three syllables in Europe...