Christian Pulisic best of awful bunch as U.S. crashes out of World Cup

[joseephuss]

http://www.espnfc.com/team/united-s...-world-cup-as-only-christian-pulisic-steps-up

Christian Pulisic best of awful bunch as U.S. crashes out of World Cup

The final game of the Hex delivered a simple scenario for Bruce Arena and the U.S. men's national team: Beat Trinidad & Tobago, qualify for Russia 2018. Instead of doing the job themselves, the Americans failed to show up, losing 2-1 to the Soca Warriors. By virtue of wins for both Panama and Honduras, the U.S. will miss the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

 

[Bigdog]

That was embarrassing and the players should be ashamed of themselves. They had no sense of urgency. All they had to do was a get a point against a country that has 1 win in the group. US has not given up a goal to them in the last 6 games. It looked like the players were just going thru the motions. Absolutely pathetic performance by this team and they don't deserve to be in the World Cup.

 

[dreghorn2]

Very disappointing.

 

[jimmy40]

I may know less about soccer than anyone in the world but I know a gutless performance when I see one, that was absolutely freaking pathetic.

 

[Sarek]

Disappointing indeed.

 

[Sarge]

I may know less about soccer than anyone in the world.....

Not true....

 

[Sasquatch]

I may know less about soccer than anyone in the world but I know a gutless performance when I see one, that was absolutely freaking pathetic.

Unfortunately, as Cowboy fans, we have become very knowledgeable when it comes to gutless performances.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I know pretty much nothing about soccer or the current US mens team.

However a few people on my facebook line were calling for the coaches (bruce?) head and calling out the players for looking like they just did not care at all.

 

[joseephuss]

I know pretty much nothing about soccer or the current US mens team.

However a few people on my facebook line were calling for the coaches (bruce?) head and calling out the players for looking like they just did not care at all.

The coach is not a top flight coach. He should have never been brought back in as the coach.

The youth development is lacking. The US has failed to qualify for the past couple of Olympics. Not surprising that there are few players ready now to help the squad get to a World Cup.

I like Time Howard, but he is 38 years old. He probably shouldn't have been the starting keeper in the last World Cup and they certainly needed to find his replacement for these qualifying rounds and next summer had they made it.

 

[Bigdog]

I know pretty much nothing about soccer or the current US mens team.

However a few people on my facebook line were calling for the coaches (bruce?) head and calling out the players for looking like they just did not care at all.

They are right. It was very painful to watch and it looked like they were going thru the motions. They had no pride or passion and the players should be ashamed of their performance. An embarrassment.

 

[dogberry]

The team is fortunate they aren't Japanese.

 

[jterrell]

That was the worst I have ever seen the US play.
There was zero sense of anything remotely like team football.

It is time to burn it to the ground and start over.

New everything.

And for the love of all that is holy stop relying on MLS guys.
Not a single US player who starred for us previously then came home to MLS has gotten better. Not 1.
They've all mightily retreated in talent.

Arena should be beaten with bars of soap like in Full Metal Jacket.
Not playing Cameron or Fabian Johnson is insane. Both are in our top half dozen or so players.

Fabian is our ONLY option at LCB. We seriously lack anyone of even mediocre quality. Not shocking we gave up a wide open 30 yard rocket from exactly that spot.

I love Tim Howard but he's done. Guys come back to MLS to cash checks and chill.

Pulisic trying to go 1 on 11 was hard to watch but he had zero support. Build around him and keep him the heck away form craptastic MLS.

 

[Rockdoc]

yeah the lack of mental emotional preperation and killer instinct is inexcusable
embarressing for the USA
the two goals scored on us were bad. especially kicking the ball into our net!
infuriating

 

[Nightman]

Very sad...........No Bueno

All they needed was a tie........... go four corners

 

[BigD16]

Truth be told, soccer is my first love and favorite sport. This is the worst pain I've ever felt from sports. Knowing that there won't be a "better luck next year". It'll be 4 1/2 years before I'll be able to watch my team in a World Cup again (assuming they don't choke again).

Wanna know why we choked? It's simple, we have no midfield. We wasted an entire cycle trying to accommodate Michael Bradley playing the 6. He's rapidly declined since he left Roma to come play in MLS. This guy is trash. He runs a lot and that's it. His quality is not there anymore and he leaves his central defenders on an island. We have other options in Geoff Cameron, Weston McKennie and Dax McCarty but old senile Bruce went with the old guard.

Howard is way past it, Bradley is way past it, and omar Gonzalez never was. The only player I hate more than omar gonzalez is graham zusi so at least Bruce saved me from having to see that stupid manbun again.

However this is a systemic problem. Internationally, soccer is a sport that is accessible to people of all social classes. Most of the best players (currently and historically) have been from extremely poor upbringings. In America, soccer is more of a rich kid suburban sport. It's "pay to play", and it ain't cheap. This makes it harder to find the most talented players and develop them. CONCACAF is the easiest to qualify for the World Cup and this should have never happened. Soccer just got delayed another 10 years in America.

 

[BigD16]

That was the worst I have ever seen the US play.
There was zero sense of anything remotely like team football.

It is time to burn it to the ground and start over.

New everything.

And for the love of all that is holy stop relying on MLS guys.
Not a single US player who starred for us previously then came home to MLS has gotten better. Not 1.
They've all mightily retreated in talent.

Arena should be beaten with bars of soap like in Full Metal Jacket.
Not playing Cameron or Fabian Johnson is insane. Both are in our top half dozen or so players.

Fabian is our ONLY option at LCB. We seriously lack anyone of even mediocre quality. Not shocking we gave up a wide open 30 yard rocket from exactly that spot.

I love Tim Howard but he's done. Guys come back to MLS to cash checks and chill.

Pulisic trying to go 1 on 11 was hard to watch but he had zero support. Build around him and keep him the heck away form craptastic MLS.

I pretty much agree with everything you said. I'm not a fan of MLS at all. Every year I say I will try watching it but it's so awful when you can just watch the premiere league and bundesliga in the states instead. That said, we got beat by national teams who's teams are made up of primarily MLS players. I still wonder what could've been if Bradley and Donovan decided to stay in Europe, oh well. Pulisic is more motivated than them and won't do the same.

I completely agree about Geoff Cameron. I would've played him over gonzo and started Dax McCarty or Kellyn Acosta next to Bradley in place of jozy and just played with a lone striker (Bobby wood). All we needed was a draw.

I wish Fabian Johnson would play LB for the nats but he only wants to play further up the pitch.

USMNT need to drop anybody 28+ years old and start bringing in the new blood. We should've done that during this gold cup but instead Bruce wanted to stroke his ego by winning a meaningless tournament. Systemic changes need to happen, starting with the termination of the manager and high officials. They've done enough damage setting back soccer another 10 years in this country.

 

[jterrell]

I pretty much agree with everything you said. I'm not a fan of MLS at all. Every year I say I will try watching it but it's so awful when you can just watch the premiere league and bundesliga in the states instead. That said, we got beat by national teams who's teams are made up of primarily MLS players. I still wonder what could've been if Bradley and Donovan decided to stay in Europe, oh well. Pulisic is more motivated than them and won't do the same.

I completely agree about Geoff Cameron. I would've played him over gonzo and started Dax McCarty or Kellyn Acosta next to Bradley in place of jozy and just played with a lone striker (Bobby wood). All we needed was a draw.

I wish Fabian Johnson would play LB for the nats but he only wants to play further up the pitch.

USMNT need to drop anybody 28+ years old and start bringing in the new blood. We should've done that during this gold cup but instead Bruce wanted to stroke his ego by winning a meaningless tournament. Systemic changes need to happen, starting with the termination of the manager and high officials. They've done enough damage setting back soccer another 10 years in this country.

MLS has a place as a development tool and many of the poor players you mention in a prior post are coming through MLS type programs. FCDallas youth program is phenomenal.

I simply hate the MLS for it's use of USMNT stars to advertise the league. They are basically paying them to stop developing and instead become marketer.
I understand the business model but it's no coincidence that we missed this cycle with better talent all while Bradley/Dempsey/Altidore/Howard all moved BACK from Euro leagues to MLS.
2nd/3rd tier north american talent grow and develop in MLS. So our best were essentially training countries young players to beat us.

Arena was an MLS guy and it makes me vomit that he relied so heavily on bad/aging MLS players.

Klinnsman lost the team because he wanted them in Europe developing. I mean what does he know, he's only won a World Cup as player and coach....

I want to see our quality young players overseas. Get in the 2nd tier German/English leagues and fight for promotion or transfer to T1 stuff.\
So thankful Pulisic is in the UCL.

Every team that faces the US in Concacaf save Mexico and Costa Rica will park the bus and counter. If we cant figure out how to defeat that we should quit playing the sport.
A good start would be playing solid defense yourself so you don't fall behind and ten maybe you actually execute on set pieces to score.

 

[jterrell]

My 11 would have been.
3-4-3... old school.

Hamid
Yedlin-Besler(until Brooks is healthy)-Cameron
Fabian-Acosta-Bradley-Nagbe
Morris-Wood-Pulisic

I control game with midfield play, control the ball and allow the front 3 to use skill and sheer speed to go score.

Bring on Dempsey/Jermaine Jones
pocket 1 sub in case of injury.

 

[BigD16]

MLS has a place as a development tool and many of the poor players you mention in a prior post are coming through MLS type programs. FCDallas youth program is phenomenal.

I simply hate the MLS for it's use of USMNT stars to advertise the league. They are basically paying them to stop developing and instead become marketer.
I understand the business model but it's no coincidence that we missed this cycle with better talent all while Bradley/Dempsey/Altidore/Howard all moved BACK from Euro leagues to MLS.
2nd/3rd tier north american talent grow and develop in MLS. So our best were essentially training countries young players to beat us.

Arena was an MLS guy and it makes me vomit that he relied so heavily on bad/aging MLS players.

Klinnsman lost the team because he wanted them in Europe developing. I mean what does he know, he's only won a World Cup as player and coach....

I want to see our quality young players overseas. Get in the 2nd tier German/English leagues and fight for promotion or transfer to T1 stuff.\
So thankful Pulisic is in the UCL.

Every team that faces the US in Concacaf save Mexico and Costa Rica will park the bus and counter. If we cant figure out how to defeat that we should quit playing the sport.
A good start would be playing solid defense yourself so you don't fall behind and ten maybe you actually execute on set pieces to score.

I agree with pretty much all of this.

 

[BigD16]

My 11 would have been.
3-4-3... old school.

Hamid
Yedlin-Besler(until Brooks is healthy)-Cameron
Fabian-Acosta-Bradley-Nagbe
Morris-Wood-Pulisic

I control game with midfield play, control the ball and allow the front 3 to use skill and sheer speed to go score.

Bring on Dempsey/Jermaine Jones
pocket 1 sub in case of injury.

The only problem with that would be that the back 3 are typically center backs. Yedlin and Fabian Johnson for sure would work as wingbacks but Nagbe has no defensive qualities to play the position. I like Morris but he's not a winger. It would have to look something like

Hamid
CCV-Brooks-Miazga
Yedlin-Cameron-Acosta-FJ
Pulisic-Wood-Nagbe

I'm not sure the 3-4-3 would be the best formation but at this point we should be removing most of the old guard and experimenting with different formations.

Jermaine Jones is one of my favorites but he has no legs anymore. Bradley needs to stay as far away from the national team as possible. I would play Dempsey in a friendly against a minnow so he can get his record and then call it a career with the national. One of the greatest American footballers.

U-17 kids choke again in the second half due to conservative and just overall crap coaching. Keeping the American soccer tradition going.