Plugging in now for a bit, how they look?
USA Men's Soccer National Team
Overall not bad and dictated much of the pace in the first half. The goal conceded was ugly and right up the middle against the center backs. I felt like Freese should have saved it but it’s still tough with the pace the ball had
We had our fair share of shots on goal and the Ecuadorian keeper is the man of the match right now or it could be 3-1 us right now
That actually looked like a solid goal
He learned that at arsenal
I’ll take the tie against a good Ecuadorian side. Their keeper kept it a draw otherwise I think the US scores 2 more.
Honestly one of the better games I’ve seen so far from a Poch coached side.
Honestly one of the better games I’ve seen so far from a Poch coached side.
Aren’t we starting to see that though in this window?
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Perfect execution on the run, the pass, and the finish! It’s a brace for Wright!
Sort of? I just feel he’s still trying players out and not settled on a starting XI
Counterpoint, and I can’t take credit for this, but it was brought up on a podcast I listen to recently, But for the World Cup, you don’t just need a starting 11 you need a roster of 20+
The rotations and going deep into the tale t pool this past year as allowed the coaching staff to figure out what that might be. People forget against Netherlands, our midfield got ran off the pitch. Part of that is talent, but part of that is Moussa McKinney and Adams were simply gassed.
Fair point and one I have considered. I am just still pessimistic from the summer drama that Poch is still searching for his starting XI and is moving pieces around to get there.
I agree we need a solid roster for the WC because you never know, so I am all for evaluations and all for letting players get time so see what live game action looks like. I just want to see a more consistent starting group and start to shape who the subs are.
That is also a fair point. Without being in the room, we have no idea if he could confidently say today. These are likely my starting 11.
I guess I’m trying to take comfort in the fact that he has been consistently stating the fact that ultimately he will be judged by next summer. The gold cup, these Friendly’s, and all the rest ultimately don’t matter. Time will tell if he is utilizing them properly or not.
On the bright side the last few games the players have seemed to better understand his playing philosophy and have implemented it well. They look better connected and from an attacking perspective look way more dangerous than they did early on.
So here’s a thought and curious your perspective.
I think this is the plan that he laid out to the Federation during the hiring process. The reason I say that is because even though there was a lot of angst in the fan base, we haven’t seen too many stories leak out about the coach, coaching staff, and really any questioning of the approach in the media. I feel like if Federation leadership was not told this is how it was going to be, there would’ve been more commentary around the performances this year.
Time will tell if the plan was the right one, but typically if you aggressively execute even an average plan, the results tend to follow.
I think he was hired with a specific purpose in mind. Turn our team into the players they can be and not hold them back. Our greatest strength is our athleticism and overall speed. I think that fits his system, but like you said, during the hiring process he most likely predicted "growing pains" while the players adapted to how he wanted to play.
I think all the "noise" from the Gold Cup on, was more due to fans expecting a GC Final (rightfully so IMO) and not understanding how toxic the locker room was with the players who think they will always get called up. Poch had to clean up the culture and instill a winning mentality which led to the media headlines.
The more that time passes, the more I think the Poch era can be successful. I just wish he would stop talking about "the crowd energy" during home games and realize that while we have passionate fans who will support, given our population diversity, they are not always pulling in the same direction but doesn't mean they team doesn't have support.
Lalas needs to back off the Turner talk. The ceiling is so different between the two players and that matters.
Agree, this is Freese’s goal until proven otherwise