U.S. National Team Part VII

Big McLargehuge

Fragile Traveler
May 9, 2002
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Was it a purely dominating performance? No, there's still work to be done, lopsided results or not...but I feel far better about this team right now than I did a week ago. We should be beating teams like Trinidad & Tobago 4-0 at home...but we haven't been, so this is progress.
 

Gecklund

Registered User
Jul 17, 2012
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I loved the young talent on the field yesterday towards the end of the game:

Pulisic, Morris, Arriola, Stanko...that's with Yedlin and Brooks out, plus a number of quality young players on the verge of breaking through over the next 2 years by the time Russia rolls around.

Obviously as a Red Bulls fan it was great to see Sacha kick ass in these two qualifiers. He needs to start against Mexico imo...no more Bradley/Beckerman/Jones trio in the middle with worker bee Bedoya oout wide. Give me something like this if everyone is healthy:

---------Wood
Pulisic---------Nagbe
--------Klejstan
----Jones----Bradley
FJ--Brooks-Cameron--Yedlin
--------Howard

Then we have real options off of the bench like Jozy and Dempsey in attack


Also, has anyone noticed that Geoff Cameron always looks like he is in an utter state of shock?

I would prefer to stick to the 442
Dempsey(if he comes back)-Altidore
Pulisic-any 2 of Klejstan/Jones/Bradley-Nagbe/Finlay
Fabian-Cameron-Brooks-Yedlin

If Dempsey doesn't come back I would say either Wood or Morris. Someone that can make runs while Jozy holds in up. I really want Vincent to take a huge step forward so we can move Fabian to LM.

Also I think it's just like a focused face for Geoff. I make that face too when I play. It just kind of happens.
 

bluesfan94

Registered User
Jan 7, 2008
30,720
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St. Louis
Wood needs to be playing, whether he's a wing or a striker. Given full health, I would do this, assuming we won't go 3-5-2 even though IMO we should:

Pulisic - Wood - Bedoya
Jones - Kljestan - Bradley
Johnson - Cameron - Brooks - Yedlin​

Of course, what I really want is this:

Wood - Altidore
Johnson - Jones - Kljestan - Bradley - Yedlin
Cameron - Besler - Brooks​
 

MurrayBannerman

I post about baseball on a hockey forum
Feb 18, 2012
34,493
659
CHI
Wood needs to be playing, whether he's a wing or a striker. Given full health, I would do this, assuming we won't go 3-5-2 even though IMO we should:

Pulisic - Wood - Bedoya
Jones - Kljestan - Bradley
Johnson - Cameron - Brooks - Yedlin​

Of course, what I really want is this:

Wood - Altidore
Johnson - Jones - Kljestan - Bradley - Yedlin
Cameron - Besler - Brooks​

You leave sweet baby Christian alone.
 

Ugmo

Registered User
Oct 24, 2011
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0
Pretty obvious Donovan isn't going to be on the team. If Klinsmann didn't want him two years ago, he won't want him now.
 

kingsboy11

Maestro
Dec 14, 2011
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USA
GOALKEEPERS (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Ethan Horvath (Molde FK), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)

DEFENDERS (7): Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin),Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Perry Kitchen (Hearts), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Danny Williams (Reading)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Julien Green (Bayern Munich), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV)

Called up for the October friendlies against Cuba and New Zealand. Still trying to figure out how Wondo keeps on getting called up
 

Basement Cat

Frank Drebin
Nov 3, 2008
12,510
531
Hoboken, NJ
Thoughts on a lineup like this vs. Mexico in a month?

-------------Altidore
-------------------------Wood
Pulisic
--------------------Klejstan
--------Bradley
-----------------Cameron
Fabian---Brooks---Besler---Yedlin

-Altidore as the lead up top with Wood playing support striker but slightly more on the right, threatening the back line with timely runs and helping out Jozy in hold-up play

-Yedlin flying up and down the right side pretty much as a wing back with Cameron helping to clean up on the right side of the field

-Pulisic and FJ free to link up on the left all day long while Bradley mixes in with them and helps clean up when FJ shoots up the pitch much like Cam will do on the other side for Yedlin

-Klejstan with two defensively sound CMs behind him allowing him to be creative and play a similar role he excels at with NYRB. He is also much more defensively apt than traditional #10s in a 4-2-3-1

-Besler and Brooks are our two best CBs in my opinion and both are above average with the ball at their feet.

-Probably go with Howard in goal
 

Pavel Buchnevich

Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Dec 8, 2013
57,230
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Thoughts on a lineup like this vs. Mexico in a month?

-------------Altidore
-------------------------Wood
Pulisic
--------------------Klejstan
--------Bradley
-----------------Cameron
Fabian---Brooks---Besler---Yedlin

-Altidore as the lead up top with Wood playing support striker but slightly more on the right, threatening the back line with timely runs and helping out Jozy in hold-up play

-Yedlin flying up and down the right side pretty much as a wing back with Cameron helping to clean up on the right side of the field

-Pulisic and FJ free to link up on the left all day long while Bradley mixes in with them and helps clean up when FJ shoots up the pitch much like Cam will do on the other side for Yedlin

-Klejstan with two defensively sound CMs behind him allowing him to be creative and play a similar role he excels at with NYRB. He is also much more defensively apt than traditional #10s in a 4-2-3-1

-Besler and Brooks are our two best CBs in my opinion and both are above average with the ball at their feet.

-Probably go with Howard in goal

Most of that looks pretty exact.

Klinsmann has not once played that CB combination, and they won't be playing together before the Mexico game, so I don't think thats likely. Its much more likely Cameron and Brooks at center-back, and some other defensive midfielder to replace Jones or Gonzalez/Birnbaum and Brooks with Cameron as the defensive midfielder.

Wood's not good as a winger or wing forward, but Klinsmann has used him there before. I think the two full-back positions are also not something he has decided on yet. He might want Johnson playing as a winger, and if so, you need to bring in someone to play LB, could be Besler, could be someone else. The other full-back position is another question. Chandler is starting in the Bundesliga, Yedlin isn't starting every game in the second division of England. Klinsmann has given Chandler more chances than most coaches would, so I would not be that surprised if Chandler is starting at RB against Mexico. Klinsmann might decide to start him at LB.
 

kingsboy11

Maestro
Dec 14, 2011
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USA
I think the wild card in all this Brooks. He's been battling injuries and been in and out of form at Berlin. If he isn't healthy next month, then that moves Cameron back to CB with Besler which leaves a spot in the midfield. My guess is that Bedoya will take that spot on the right side with Bradley sitting in front of Besler and Cameron. And obviously FJ and Pulisic going up and down the left side and Jozy and Wood up top. Which is basically what they were running with against St. Vincents and T&T.
 

bluesfan94

Registered User
Jan 7, 2008
30,720
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St. Louis
Of course Wondo scores. As does Green, from Wondo.

Birnbaum catches a stud to the head. Scary.

Horvath has looked confident this game. I wouldn't be entirely opposed to him getting a look at the #1 spot. He's been great for Molde.
 

kingsboy11

Maestro
Dec 14, 2011
11,516
8,028
USA
Of course Wondo scores. As does Green, from Wondo.

Birnbaum catches a stud to the head. Scary.

Horvath has looked confident this game. I wouldn't be entirely opposed to him getting a look at the #1 spot. He's been great for Molde.

Absolutely shocking that Cuban player wasn't sent off for that challenge on Birnbaum.

Think Horvath and Green in particular played fairly well considering the conditions of the field. Other than that, not much to take away from this game.
 

Big McLargehuge

Fragile Traveler
May 9, 2002
72,188
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S. Pasadena, CA
Absolutely shocking that Cuban player wasn't sent off for that challenge on Birnbaum.

Disgusting is the word I'd use. That was painful to watch, and blatantly obvious to boot.

Wondo scoring was a given...he can only score when given an empty net, and Cuba is the type of team that will allow him to get in that kind of position. That outta keep him on the team for another year. :banghead:

That's 3 goals in 2 games against Cuba for Wondolowski, to go along with 2 in 2 against Guatemala, 3 in 1 against Belize...that doesn't mean he can do anything against a good team, though he did somehow score against Mexico once, so...national hero.
 

kabidjan18

Registered User
Apr 20, 2015
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authockeytxreports.wordpress.com
Disgusting is the word I'd use. That was painful to watch, and blatantly obvious to boot.

Wondo scoring was a given...he can only score when given an empty net, and Cuba is the type of team that will allow him to get in that kind of position. That outta keep him on the team for another year. :banghead:

That's 3 goals in 2 games against Cuba for Wondolowski, to go along with 2 in 2 against Guatemala, 3 in 1 against Belize...that doesn't mean he can do anything against a good team, though he did somehow score against Mexico once, so...national hero.
Well, you just described Jonathan Kodjia right there too...seems like it's an inevitable problem in every NT.
 
Sep 19, 2008
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23,944
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/201...diskerud-klinsmann?xid=socialflow_facebook_si

Abby Wambach is holding firm on her stance against the U.S. men's national team's use of dual-national players, doubling down on previous comments in an interview with the New York Times.

Last December, Wambach told Bill Simmons on his podcast that she would fire manager Jurgen Klinsmann and questioned his reliance on "foreign guys," saying "The way that he has changed and brought in these foreign guys, it’s just not something that I believe in."

Wambach was subsequently the target of ire from a number of U.S. dual-nationals, most prominently Colombian-American Alejandro Bedoya and Norwegian-American Mix Diskerud, with the latter imploring Wambach to "think about who you try to disenfranchise."
 

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