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Thread: Back to the important stuff....

  1. #331
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Great start to the Berhalter era.

    Emphasis on development of younger players.

    Lletget may move Pulisic to Winger.

  2. #332
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Lletget is legit! I also like Lima's energy. Well, all these youngsters are refreshingly energetic go-getters.

    Then Lalas is talking about the addition of Bradley and Altidore to the mix...I don't know. Maybe early in the process, and then only as off-the-bench. We are three years out from the next WC Finals. Plenty of time to develop these youngsters. Bradley and Altidore represent the past which was a dismal failure.

    Here's the truth. When Donovan, and to a lesser extent, Beasley hit the big stage as 22 year olds they instantly changed US Soccer. They had an instant impact! It was after both of those guys were retired...last year...that the MNT hit the skids. Outside of Pulisic I don't see any LD-level super star talent, and Pulisic is NOT the same type of high-impact player LD was. All that said, I think we should bite the bullet and go totally with youth.

  3. #333
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by dawg80 View Post
    Lletget is legit! I also like Lima's energy. Well, all these youngsters are refreshingly energetic go-getters.

    Then Lalas is talking about the addition of Bradley and Altidore to the mix...I don't know. Maybe early in the process, and then only as off-the-bench. We are three years out from the next WC Finals. Plenty of time to develop these youngsters. Bradley and Altidore represent the past which was a dismal failure.

    Here's the truth. When Donovan, and to a lesser extent, Beasley hit the big stage as 22 year olds they instantly changed US Soccer. They had an instant impact! It was after both of those guys were retired...last year...that the MNT hit the skids. Outside of Pulisic I don't see any LD-level super star talent, and Pulisic is NOT the same type of high-impact player LD was. All that said, I think we should bite the bullet and go totally with youth.
    I agree. Altidore and Bradley need to step down. Their era is over and it went out with a whimper.

    Right now we are preparing and playing for the next two cycles.

    WC2026 should be our target. ESPECIALLY since we are hosting.

    Yes there will be some mistakes by the youngsters and some mental mistakes, but they need to develop a solid core for the next two cycles.

    Good showing in 2022 followed by a deep run in 2026! That is the plan.

  4. #334
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    USWNT...

    US 2 Japan 2

    GK Naeher is simply too slow a-foot to be effective at this level. Davidson is a major liability at center back. Dunn tried...and failed miserably...to fill in for Horan on the back line. What a bad joke that is!

    We have major issues in the goal and in the back four.

    On the positive side of the ledger, Megan Rapinoe is back in form and playing well, and Tobin Heath is stepping up to fill that void being vacated by an aging Lloyd. Ertz was moved up to play holding midfielder, and she's good at it, but her absence on the back line is stark! She needs to be back at center back and captain of the defensive line again. HUGE hole in our defense!

    Christin Press should be a starter, up top with Alex Morgan in a true 4-4-2 alignment.

    Beyond the glaring glitches in the line up, this team needs to recapture a sense of urgency. They act like every game is a friendly...which outside of the World Cup, they are really. But they are developing bad habits. This notion that they can turn it on/turn it off like a light switch is alarming. In France this summer, that kind of attitude, over-confidence, will get you beat and in the knock-out rounds...there is no reprieve.

  5. #335
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by dawg80 View Post
    USWNT...

    US 2 Japan 2

    GK Naeher is simply too slow a-foot to be effective at this level. Davidson is a major liability at center back. Dunn tried...and failed miserably...to fill in for Horan on the back line. What a bad joke that is!

    We have major issues in the goal and in the back four.

    On the positive side of the ledger, Megan Rapinoe is back in form and playing well, and Tobin Heath is stepping up to fill that void being vacated by an aging Lloyd. Ertz was moved up to play holding midfielder, and she's good at it, but her absence on the back line is stark! She needs to be back at center back and captain of the defensive line again. HUGE hole in our defense!

    Christin Press should be a starter, up top with Alex Morgan in a true 4-4-2 alignment.

    Beyond the glaring glitches in the line up, this team needs to recapture a sense of urgency. They act like every game is a friendly...which outside of the World Cup, they are really. But they are developing bad habits. This notion that they can turn it on/turn it off like a light switch is alarming. In France this summer, that kind of attitude, over-confidence, will get you beat and in the knock-out rounds...there is no reprieve.
    I am beginning to wonder if the defense woes of US teams speaks to a development problem. Too many kids want to be strikers and midfielders. Even down to the younger levels where I coached. Parents want their kids to play up front where the action and glory is, not on the back line that rarely gets praise and often gets the blame.

    Also most teams (including my own) have he tendency to hide their slower players in the defense.

  6. #336
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by revf View Post
    I am beginning to wonder if the defense woes of US teams speaks to a development problem. Too many kids want to be strikers and midfielders. Even down to the younger levels where I coached. Parents want their kids to play up front where the action and glory is, not on the back line that rarely gets praise and often gets the blame.

    Also most teams (including my own) have he tendency to hide their slower players in the defense.
    Preface this with the comment that we gave up soccer pretty early, so this isn't really from soccer experience -- but that last line strikes me as something I see from a lot of American sports. I wonder if other countries do something differently. When your emphasis is on winning the game even at age 7, you are going to tend to try to put your best players where they can make the most difference. But that is going to mean that players don't necessarily develop the appropriate skills for later. How many players who are the best athletes around at 8-9, are less so at age 16? Maybe they could have found a niche in one of those less glamorous positions. A kid plays power forward in basketball but turns out to be 5' 10". Maybe he could keep playing if he had learned guard skills, but he wasn't the best possible guard at age 10.

    I don't know if I've really even got a suggestion here, just ruminating off of the point you made there.

  7. #337
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by revf View Post
    I am beginning to wonder if the defense woes of US teams speaks to a development problem. Too many kids want to be strikers and midfielders. Even down to the younger levels where I coached. Parents want their kids to play up front where the action and glory is, not on the back line that rarely gets praise and often gets the blame.

    Also most teams (including my own) have he tendency to hide their slower players in the defense.
    Agreed.

    And I "hid" my less athletic players in defense when I coached U14 and younger, because I could teach team defense, organization, and proper positioning and we employed a "defensive" defense. My players were reminded: when in doubt, kick it out!

    But that did not work at the high school and college level. Needed SPEED on defense and athleticism. Yeah, I often had a weak link on the back line, a slower player, but we could cover for one liability with a dropping mid-fielder. i.e. a defense-first midfielder playing in front of that fullback. But, especially at the college level, I always built from the back, with a mix in the midfield. One year I was so devoid of athletes...at that level, I put two of my weakest players up top and asked them to 1) be a target when we had to clear a ball upfield, and 2) be a pest with the opposing defense. I didn't expect them to do much. But funny thing happened, every time we mounted an attack the opposing defense marked them tightly...I suppose they thought they were skilled players, being strikers. I used them as decoys and often had them drift out to the touch line and my attacking midfield would slice inside that fullback.

    You are right about "parents," yuck! and Ugh! Had a huge issue when I coached a girls' U16 select team. Best player on my roster was a natural at holding midfielder. Damn! she was good at it. But, yeah, the parents whined about her playing striker.

  8. #338
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    I coached u8 and u10. We would usually have one or two really good players, two decent players, and the rest were okay to bad. Even at younger levels you can pick out the natural ball handlers for the midfield, the speed guys on the wings, and the trackers for the backfield. The main thing especially at U8 is helping them learn to patrol an area and help out, learn their side, tracking the ball, and getting away from the blob.

    Absolutely right I taught to kick it out if they got in trouble. Getting numbers back is a good thing. That was one of the most infuriating things of the klinsman era of soccer. They were told never kick it out and he sought to eliminate set pieces which have always been a fixture of US soccer.

  9. #339
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    US 2 England 2

    More of the same, lousy porous defense, stupid mistakes, HORRIBLE GK play, Franch getting her first cap, hope its her last cap...

    Now, to keep this on an even keel, England is the 4th ranked side in the world and did finish 3rd at the 2015 WC Finals. They were at full strength last night, playing their best game, and the US is still short Lindsey Horan in the middle, and O'Hara just returned off a long injury recovery. Becky Sauerbrunn returned and saw some late minutes as well. She is 33 and has one WC Finals left in her. BUT! as anyone who knows, knows, it takes a roster of 23 players to win a WC. All teams have to deal with injuries at times.

    I found it interesting when Coach Ellis moved Ertz back to center back in the last 15 mins, obviously to preserve at least a draw. Shows who she has confidence in, and who she doesn't, in crunch time. Lavelle is pretty good, and has potential. Ellis is counting on her to improve her game to become a world class midfielder. She shows flashes of brilliance, but then disappears for periods of time and/or makes a horrid mental mistake. Too inconsistent for my liking.

    Rapinoe and Heath scored the two goals...Rapinoe's shot from the 18 was brilliant! Great shot! And those two are playing very, very well right now. They are ready for France in June. The rest of the team needs to catch up. If Ellis and the coaches don't solve the GK and back line issues, we won't win a 4th WC title this go-around. IF, HUGE IF! we could muster a strong defense, I could see the rest of the line-up, in a 4-4-2, being:

    Morgan and Press - strikers
    Rapinoe and Heath - outside mids
    Lavelle -attacking mid ( or Horan if back and in top form)
    Ertz- holding mid

    Carli Lloyd first off the bench in the midfield in the 65-70th minute.

    But, only if we can find a back 4 and a GK.

  10. #340
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    1-0 vs Ecuador.

    I though Morris was onside for the earlier score, but refs waved him off.

    Arriola looks good. McKennie has great recovery speed and good intelligence on the pitch. Burkhalter is still experimenting with style and formation which is good.

    Brooks looked better than he has in years past. Morris lost his man getting back but the kick was too high.

    Young team making young mistakes. Playing time and growth is the most important thing right now.

  11. #341
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Zardes' goal was lucky, but it also shows what happens when you don't play good defense, Ecuador went to sleep on that play leaving him unmarked just outside the 18. The US was lucky when our guys made bonehead plays on defense, the other guys didn't finish. Eucador did not make the last WC Finals, and won't again next time. They are not a good side. A win is a win, and yes, I like what I'm seeing from our youngsters. I am cautiously optimistic. But, a performance like last night vs. a Top 10 side gets you beat 3-0. World Class strikers make you pay for defensive mistakes.

    Overall, I am enjoying this. Yes, it's all about playing time and development.

  12. #342
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    First draw of the berkhalter era.

    Chile is a legit top 15 team. Maybe close to top 10. (Argentina is overrated in my opinion especially with an aging Messi)

    It was a good test to see how we faired. Decent goal from Pulisic. A draw is better than a loss, but we have to shore up that defense. I still think berkhalter is experimenting right now with positions and players and that’s okay right now. Westin out for the season is concerning. I thought he brought a lot of energy and was willing to track back on defense and saved a goal vs. Ecuador.

    It’s still early.

  13. #343
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    The US side can ill-afford injuries, especially season-ending ones.

    Possession... Chile is a good team, but not world-beaters, yet they out-classed us for 90 mins. We mostly chased the ball. Until the US consistently has opponents chasing the ball we'll always be chasing that Final Four appearance in the WC Finals.

    Defense... MARK UP! Goal side! And that doesn't mean staying 5 yards away.

  14. #344
    Champ Champ967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond reputeChamp967 has a reputation beyond repute Champ967's Avatar
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by dawg80 View Post
    Defense... MARK UP! Goal side! And that doesn't mean staying 5 yards away.
    This is what I say to the U11 girls team my kid plays on.

    It's seriously a problem for the US team?

  15. #345
    Champ dawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond reputedawg80 has a reputation beyond repute dawg80's Avatar
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    Re: Back to the important stuff....

    Quote Originally Posted by Champ967 View Post
    This is what I say to the U11 girls team my kid plays on.

    It's seriously a problem for the US team?
    Yes, that and keep getting caught "ball watching."

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