This El Salvador match has been pretty exciting through the first 25 minutes.
This El Salvador match has been pretty exciting through the first 25 minutes.
Yeah, that turned out well.
The defense got caught a little bit at times IMO, but didn't let it bite them.
Landon:
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
Another night, another win!
Mexico and Panama in the very late moments, 2 - 1 Panama right now. Mexico has been pressing hard though.
Johnson's run on the first goal was a thing of beauty.
Donovan is in form, I think he has to rejoin the team for WCQ.
"The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson
I think a few players on the B squad have made their way to the national team roster.
Donovan will absolutely be on the roster, unless Klinnsman has lost his mind.
Great result and some great passing in the final third this game.
Could easily have been 4 or 5 to 1 as well, if not for some incredibly questionable officiating. I think Wondo had a run late where he was fouled three separate times inside the 18.
Also, loved seeing Klins get tossed for calling the official out on the endless botched calls at the end.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
The ref in the Gold Cup Final is making no friends on the US sideline.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
Looks like Mexico has reached the crucial decision point on whether to fire their coach. Do they do it know and give the new coach time to work with the team before the next WCQ in September, or do they let Chepo have a shot at making adjustments before September and risk having to throw a new coach into the fire if Chepo fails to get a result.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
What players from the B squad deserve consideration for the WC squad?
My opinion:
Donovan - obviously
Beasley - I was pleasantly surprised by his defense, but it is possible he would get ripped apart by european and south american talent.
Diskerud - Really enjoyed his abilities in the middle of the field and seems like a sharp passer.
Goodson - Solid defender
Brek Shea - Like his size and strength, able to physically dominate smaller defenders. Can be inconsistent. Good player to come off the bench and play physical against tired defenders.
Assuming the worst for Holden's knee? That's just brutal luck if it's as bad as they fear.
I agree with all of the choices. I remember advocating Beasley at left back late in the Bob Bradley regime and he got what seemed like one maybe two games there and they gave up on the experiment pretty quickly.
I've got to think this is going to be the deepest team the US will have ever brought to a World Cup.
Did the other nations play their B team in the Gold Cup? More than anything it was nice to see some added depth to the regular guys. One thing I did notice was the difficulties getting the ball to the strikers against Panama. Granted they sat back concentrating on defense, and having better midfielders would have helped, but when the US has its best players as strikers they need to do a better job of getting the ball to Donavan and Altidore.
I feel like Beasley will lose out on a spot as Donovan moves into the starting XI and pushes Fabian Johnson to left back. I think Beasley played well in this tournament, but I agree that he'd get exposed against better competition.
I think Brek Shea is an interesting case -- he's raw, but I agree with the assessment that he has the potential to be dynamic off the bench due to his combination of size and speed. The main problem with Shea is that, unless things change dramatically, he just doesn't get enough PT w/ Stoke City to develop and keep his game sharp. I don't know that he'll be in a position to contribute in Summer 2014 after riding the pine for a full season in England.
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