Back to the important stuff....

[dawg80]

USWNT 9 Uzebistkan (spelling???) 1

Played a very, very young team but half our goals were a joke..,a joke courtesy of a horrible keeper. Kept coming off her line and then getting out-athleted as our attackers would make her look silly. Needed to stay on her line, then we would have won 5-1 instead. Very disappointed by our back line, weren't tested often because we had possession and kept the ball in their half most of the match, but we were shaky when pressed.

Early season friendly with a lot of rookies, so FWIW. Play again.

USWNT 9 Uzeb 0

Got the clean sheet tonight. Total mismatch.

[dawg80]

Seven potential starters for USMNT are out with injuries. Most of them, if not all of them, will probably be back before the start of the WC Finals in Qatar, but they are missing training time and will miss most of the pre-WC prep friendlies when teams bond and gel and iron out the finer points of playing as a team.

Weston McKennie broke a metatarsal bone (foot). I broke such a bone playing basketball when I was 13, came down with a rebound with a big fellow on top of me, planted my foot and the bone snapped. On cold, damp days it aches. McKennie should be recovered enough to give it a go by this Fall.

Reyna and the others have soft tissue injuries, which can be nagging and reoccur.

[DallasDog]

Reyna is arguably the most talented of this generation, but I am starting to worry the one thing he didn't inherit from his old man was Claudio's durability.

[dawg80]

Equal pay

In an amazingly generous concession, the US men's team has agreed to equal pay with the women's team. To accomplish this ALL monies earned by the teams will go into a single pool from which salaries, etc...will be distributed. USMNT has been bringing in more than 5X the amount the women's team has. Yes, even with the WNT sitting on four World Cup titles, including being the two-time defending champion (2015 & 2019) the men have generated WAY more income for the US Soccer Federation. Recently FIFA announced the total prize money for the next World Cup finals...for the men, $440 million, for the women, $60 million. The men's team can earn about $12 million just advancing out of pool play into the Round of 16. The women's team will earn about $4 million if they win the WC championship, again.

That is just the FIFA portion. Men's players and men's teams are in demand from sponsors and advertisers, promotional events, etc...Men's gear, jerseys, sell at more than a 20X rate than women's gear. The rest of the world cares about women's soccer much like sports' fans here care about women's hoops. Just doesn't generate much interest...and thus minimal revenue.

To their credit members of the USWNT acknowledged this reality and thanked the Men's players/team for agreeing to share all revenue 50-50. Veteran defender Rebecca Sauerbrunn was interviewed and all she could do was heap praise on the Men's players/teams. She, and the other women's players, know this is an incredibly generous gesture...it is good to see they appreciate it.

And, Becky Sauerbrunn is a helluva player, the rock-solid anchor in a very stingy defense.

So, this should put an end to all that mess. I guess Rapinoe will have to find another cause to bitch about. (On the field, Rapinoe is a helluva fine player too.)

[JuBru]

Anyone think the owner of the Dodgers buying Chelsea could help the USMNT at all?

[dawg80]

Anyone think the owner of the Dodgers buying Chelsea could help the USMNT at all?

How? Maybe indirectly, bringing more attention, and money, to developmental camps for youth. I suppose foreign players on Chelsea can/would seek US citizenship and play for the USMNT...maybe?

[HogDawg]

Equal pay

In an amazingly generous concession, the US men's team has agreed to equal pay with the women's team. To accomplish this ALL monies earned by the teams will go into a single pool from which salaries, etc...will be distributed. USMNT has been bringing in more than 5X the amount the women's team has. Yes, even with the WNT sitting on four World Cup titles, including being the two-time defending champion (2015 & 2019) the men have generated WAY more income for the US Soccer Federation. Recently FIFA announced the total prize money for the next World Cup finals...for the men, $440 million, for the women, $60 million. The men's team can earn about $12 million just advancing out of pool play into the Round of 16. The women's team will earn about $4 million if they win the WC championship, again.

That is just the FIFA portion. Men's players and men's teams are in demand from sponsors and advertisers, promotional events, etc...Men's gear, jerseys, sell at more than a 20X rate than women's gear. The rest of the world cares about women's soccer much like sports' fans here care about women's hoops. Just doesn't generate much interest...and thus minimal revenue.

To their credit members of the USWNT acknowledged this reality and thanked the Men's players/team for agreeing to share all revenue 50-50. Veteran defender Rebecca Sauerbrunn was interviewed and all she could do was heap praise on the Men's players/teams. She, and the other women's players, know this is an incredibly generous gesture...it is good to see they appreciate it.

And, Becky Sauerbrunn is a helluva player, the rock-solid anchor in a very stingy defense.

So, this should put an end to all that mess. I guess Rapinoe will have to find another cause to bitch about. (On the field, Rapinoe is a helluva fine player too.)

Wow! I can't believe this.

I guess women are right. Men really are stupid.

[dawg80]

Wow! I can't believe this.

I guess women are right. Men really are stupid.

Well, this is just the funds tied directly to the two national teams and the US Soccer Federation. The men players still make a ton more from their clubs. They ain't hurting with their multi-$million contracts with their clubs. Versus the women players who might make $200K playing professionally.

[dawg80]

Final preps for the World Cup begin...

A series of friendlies begin tonite when the US plays Morocco. Will be a fair test for the US as they are ranked 24th in the world and have some very good players. Berhalter's squad will be missing several starters.

[dawg80]

US 3 Morocco 0

Good win! Worst loss for Morocco since 2014. They had lost only once in their last 35 matches and came in with 16 clean sheets in their last 23 matches. Liked the aggressive, pressing style Berhalter employed tonight. We took the game to them and never let our foot off the gas pedal all night. The 6 substitutions made (understandable) slowed us down as the subs had to get into the flow. Glad to see McKenne back tonight, played 20 minutes. Pulisic was spectacular, very dynamic. Weah is a striker! He has the right mentality for it. And Matt Turner cemented the #1 keeper's slot for me.

Only a friendly, but I like what I saw tonight.


Also, Ukraine beat Scotland and will now play Wales for a slot in the WC Finals. The winner of that game gets the USA in the opening match in Qatar.

[FriscoDawg]

US 3 Morocco 0

Good win! Worst loss for Morocco since 2014. They had lost only once in their last 35 matches and came in with 16 clean sheets in their last 23 matches. Liked the aggressive, pressing style Berhalter employed tonight. We took the game to them and never let our foot off the gas pedal all night. The 6 substitutions made (understandable) slowed us down as the subs had to get into the flow. Glad to see McKenne back tonight, played 20 minutes. Pulisic was spectacular, very dynamic. Weah is a striker! He has the right mentality for it. And Matt Turner cemented the #1 keeper's slot for me.

Only a friendly, but I like what I saw tonight.


Also, Ukraine beat Scotland and will now play Wales for a slot in the WC Finals. The winner of that game gets the USA in the opening match in Qatar.

Wasn't much bad to say about that performance except for the phantom penalty awarded to Morocco. Sporting gods took care of that one off the bar.

The entire buildup on the first goal was textbook. Big momentum swing in the match after the US dominated the first few minutes and then Morocco tried to bounce back.

If the USA plays with that attacking mentality they can create problems for opposing sides. Need to see more of what the team showed tonight.

[dawg80]

Now the bad...

the US used to be awesome on set pieces, just don't see that under Berhalter, we are woeful. The most glaring weakness is on corners. We have no scheme, no plan, no nothing! Every time, and I mean 100% of the time, all we do is float the kick long past the far post and have NO ONE there! What are we trying to accomplish? I thought it was just Pulisic, who takes the kicks, but it doesn't matter who it is. Tillman took the corner kicks after Pulisic subbed out and it was the exact same thing...harmless, floating balls landing harmlessly in open space, past the goal, and not a single US player around it. Are we supposed to have someone there, or someone making a run into that space and ....what? I don't get it.

The other concern is the lack of tight "world class" marking. Our defenders don't mark tough enough and our midfield....woe! They either don't get back on defense quick enough or when they do they are just standing around "spectating." This will get us bounced out of Qatar fairly quickly.

[dawg80]

US vs. Uruguay

Perfect time, in between our games vs. AFA and UT, the US hosts a match vs. Top 15 ranked Uruguay. This will be a much sterner test for our squad, but they need a challenge in prep for the World Cup. Need to see vast improvement in defensive marking and doing something positive with set pieces, especially corners.

[dawg80]

Wales 1 Ukraine 0

Wales will be the US's first game in Qatar. What a match! Wales' keeper Hennessey was sensational with 9 saves. Disappointed for Ukraine...wow. Their country could use a lift of some kind. For Wales it is their first appearance in the WC Finals since 1958, 64 years ago. Back then they advanced to the quarterfinals, the Elite 8, and lost to Brazil with a 17-yr-old Pele' scoring the game-winner.

Wales will be a tough opening opponent for the US.

[dawg80]

US vs. Uruguay

Perfect time, in between our games vs. AFA and UT, the US hosts a match vs. Top 15 ranked Uruguay. This will be a much sterner test for our squad, but they need a challenge in prep for the World Cup. Need to see vast improvement in defensive marking and doing something positive with set pieces, especially corners.

Uruguay started only 6 of their regulars but did sub in their best players later, including stealing a 7th sub the refs didn't correct. Made a difference but the US holds on to earn a 0-0 draw. Uruguay is undefeated this year including torching Mexico 3-0 recently.

Same issues for the US. Horrific set pieces, especially corners, and loosey-goosey defense absent tight marking. Great save by Sean Johnson, US keeper, who kept his 9th straight clean sheet for the USMNT. Just about blew it in the closing seconds, but world-class striker Carvani missed a gimmee at point-blank range. We got lucky.

In typical South American tradition Uruguay played an up-tempo attacking style and we did not look comfortable trying to run with them. We mostly chased the ball and then couldn't capitalize when presented a few good chances. Just a friendly but Uruguay has been smoking opponents in such friendlies. So, take the "one point" and move on.