NFT: USMNT v. Saudi Arabia

without tipping their hand as to make up and offensive plan?

In comment 15835654 section125 said:

Quote:

without tipping their hand as to make up and offensive plan?

It’s the Joe Judge philosophy. The 1st few group stage matches will be used to work on a strategy for the rest of the World Cup.

What could possibly go wrong?

In comment 15835654 section125 said:

Quote:

without tipping their hand as to make up and offensive plan?

Right now it seems like Berhalter is still trying to figure out what he's got with this team and seems to be hellbent on finding players that fit his system. I realize you want the coach to be able to implement his system, but when you do not have the player pool to implement your system effectively, you have to consider changing the system. .

I am not qualified to evaluate the players like Berhalter and his staff, but I can react to what I see during these friendlies. I see a team that cannot score off the run of play, a team that gives the ball up easily when facing an aggressive high pressure-style opponent and a team with no consistent quality at the top of the attack. This team has at best inconsistent play in the back and nothing to suggest that it can play a defensive style that relies upon the counter for scoring opportunities.

Maybe if Pulisic finds his form, Weah comes back, Reyna continues to round into shape and Musah is healthy then it looks better. Let's hope so.

Watched the game yesterday against Saudi Arabia.Boring!!! We will not get out of the group stage unless our form changes dramatically.
Pulisic is a non factor in this system.We turned the ball over in the defensive half way too many times.Our attack falls apart in the final third as we move the ball so slowly with no imagination at all.
Set plays once a USMNT strength is a non factor now.No one that takes on defenders in the final third.
Berhalter's system does not fit this group of players at all.

For a couple of months now.

Dest getting frozen out at Barcelona, Pulisic at war with Chelsea fans and not producing, A. Robinson and Weah getting injured, and both Reyna and McKennie existing in this 'half-fit' mode that has seen some underwhelming play at their respective clubs. I also feel like both Aaronson and Adams got a little too hyped up off of early results at Leeds that haven't held up (Queen's death not withstanding)

And this doesn't even cover the centerback situation.

Throw this all on top of the inscrutable Berhalter situation and these bad friendly performances and things are looking pretty shaky. I don't necessarily want to sink Berhalter on the Pefok and Brooks decisions; it's nothing new for USMNT managers to be at war with a segment of their players, whether it's Klinsmann and Donovan, Bradley starting journeymen like Rico Clark and Robbie Findlay at a World Cup instead of Feilhaber, etc. But ultimately these managers got out of their WC group. I do see this team doing the same given their current form.

If they're all healthy, Berhalter is going to have to leave 1 or 2 of Reyna, Pulisic, Aaronson, Weah, Musah, McKennie, and Adams out of the starting XI. Combine that with few these guys having attitudes as a result of their club prestige, and there's probably a non-zero danger of players checking out once - say, Reyna - is watching Long misplay a pass to the midfield.

Or maybe all the tension will bring them together. Gonna be a interesting cup.

especially offensively. If they werent passing around the perimeter there only move was kick it long and hope. Any time they tried any type of pass that wasnt "kick it long" they had no touch. Pass was either too short, intercepted, too hard and the guy put a bad touch on it and turned it over.

Its a shame since not that long ago it felt like we could maybe make some noise (not win it or anything, but knockout round at least) but im not feeling so good about that these days. I get we are like the youngest team by a lot, but there is a good amount of talent here for a US squad. Maybe they put it together and give us a decent cup, but im not feeling good about it.

Unlike our Giants who still have significant talent shortages at several positions, the USMNT has more raw talent now than they have had in years. The disconnect is that the coach has not figured out how to use the talent. Add in the realities of Weah and Musah being injured, Reyna coming off a year long injury and what appears to be a couple of players in Pulisic and McKennie whose self-perception is not in line with the way they have performed for their clubs (as well as Dest who is getting no playing time either) and it is hard to be anything but pessimistic about the WC.

Still what keeps me focused is the belief that there is raw talent on this team and if Berhalter can back off his stubborn insistence of playing his system, perhaps there is time to develop a system that suits the talent. Maybe it's time to stop looking for a pure No. 9 striker which simply does not seem to exist in the USMNT talent pool and figure out how to play with a front three of Weah, Reyna and Pulisic. If McKennie cannot play an aggressive and focused game, use De La Torre. Allow Dest to attack more like Robinson on the other side and have Tyler Adams play deeper to cover. Try something, but rolling with the same approach is guaranteed to lead to an early exit and possibly 0-1 points from the pool play.

is by far the best ever in the US pool. Players who will not start would be among the absolute best prior to this team. But of course, striker is a big gap. Most didn't like Altidore, but when he played for the US he preformed, which we had someone like him now.

.