next soccer question

[NewtonHawk11]

I mean. Mexico struggled at home with Jamaica. Concacaf is just weird. I think the El Salvador return matchup in the States is a 2-0 win. With a clear outclassing.

[jfish26]

I hadn't read this before I posted, but it speaks to me:

That Was Certainly A USMNT World Cup Qualification Game

https://defector.com/that-was-certainly ... tion-game/

Even without Pulisic on the field, the talent gap between El Salvador and the U.S. was huge. You couldn’t help but notice it every time Josh Sargent turned a defender, or when Konrad de la Fuente zoomed past some schmuck on the flank, or when McKennie out-jumped every Salvadoran on the field. It’s nice to see such obviously gifted players in a USMNT shirt, but it’s also hard not to grimace when those guys can’t put a few goals past a clearly overmatched opponent.

Such a dramatic improvement in the team’s makeup and talent level will naturally come with higher expectations, and why shouldn’t it? Wouldn’t Dest expect to whoop up on Málaga if he faced them in a Barcelona shirt? Would Gio Reyna not feel slightly embarrassed to see himself and his Dortmund teammates labor through a 0-0 draw against Paderborn?

There has been a lot of talk about how this version of the USMNT is different from any we’ve seen in the past, but at some point the team actually has to go out there and be different. Beating Mexico in the Gold Cup and Nations League this summer was certainly a fun time, but World Cup qualification season is where some bars need to start getting cleared. Because if the expectations for this team really are greater than “let’s just try to qualify for the World Cup and then go out there in 2022 and have some fun,” then a 0-0 draw with El Salvador isn’t something anyone should be satisfied with. If this is to be a team capable of doing real damage in Qatar, then it needs to start cohering into whatever that looks like sooner rather than later. So go out there and hang four goals on Honduras next Wednesday, OK fellas?

[pdub]

I watched the highlights and it seemed as if we had more chances.
McKennie missed two point blank headers.

We also didn't have our best player out there.

[NewtonHawk11]

I watched the highlights and it seemed as if we had more chances.
McKennie missed two point blank headers.

We also didn't have our best player out there.

Couldn't have been more unmarked and couldn't have been more of an open net in a true game style. He missed and he hasn't in the past in USMNT games.

[NewtonHawk11]

I hadn't read this before I posted, but it speaks to me:

That Was Certainly A USMNT World Cup Qualification Game

https://defector.com/that-was-certainly ... tion-game/

Even without Pulisic on the field, the talent gap between El Salvador and the U.S. was huge. You couldn’t help but notice it every time Josh Sargent turned a defender, or when Konrad de la Fuente zoomed past some schmuck on the flank, or when McKennie out-jumped every Salvadoran on the field. It’s nice to see such obviously gifted players in a USMNT shirt, but it’s also hard not to grimace when those guys can’t put a few goals past a clearly overmatched opponent.

Such a dramatic improvement in the team’s makeup and talent level will naturally come with higher expectations, and why shouldn’t it? Wouldn’t Dest expect to whoop up on Málaga if he faced them in a Barcelona shirt? Would Gio Reyna not feel slightly embarrassed to see himself and his Dortmund teammates labor through a 0-0 draw against Paderborn?

There has been a lot of talk about how this version of the USMNT is different from any we’ve seen in the past, but at some point the team actually has to go out there and be different. Beating Mexico in the Gold Cup and Nations League this summer was certainly a fun time, but World Cup qualification season is where some bars need to start getting cleared. Because if the expectations for this team really are greater than “let’s just try to qualify for the World Cup and then go out there in 2022 and have some fun,” then a 0-0 draw with El Salvador isn’t something anyone should be satisfied with. If this is to be a team capable of doing real damage in Qatar, then it needs to start cohering into whatever that looks like sooner rather than later. So go out there and hang four goals on Honduras next Wednesday, OK fellas?

I understand it's a bit facetious here. But you won't win on the road in Concacaf by anything more than maybe 2-1. Most likely scenario is a 1-0 win on the road. But it just doesn't happen much because concacaf always gonna concacaf. I mean it was evident like 5 minutes in that it was going to be a ton of fuckery.

[NewtonHawk11]

Heard an interesting stat on Grant Wahl's podcast today.

Concacaf teams on the road have only won something like 15% of the time in the last 30 years or something along those lines.

So many overreacting to a result that had probably over half of the team playing in a Concacaf qualifier for the first time.

USMNT will be fine.

That being said, I bet if this same group went to El Salvador in 2025 for the 2026 WC, then that team will win 2-0 or whatever.

[pdub]

Mexico barely beat Jamaica at home.
We good.

[pdub]

Also, while I think Gonzaga is always a very good team, the argument that their rank is inflated bc of their competition during conference season is valid -- and in this case, US has fed off some easier opponents to raise their rank ( and i know that's factored in ).

USA isn't the 10th best nation in the world.
But i'd put them top 20.

So for us to think we can go out and win the World Cup would be akin to KU thinking they could have won the NCAA tourney last season.

[jfish26]

Also, while I think Gonzaga is always a very good team, the argument that their rank is inflated bc of their competition during conference season is valid -- and in this case, US has fed off some easier opponents to raise their rank ( and i know that's factored in ).

USA isn't the 10th best nation in the world.
But i'd put them top 20.

So for us to think we can go out and win the World Cup would be akin to KU thinking they could have won the NCAA tourney last season.

Apples to walnuts, but I don't think anyone's saying the US should go out and win the World Cup. I think making it out of group is the floor, though, and from there it would engender a lot of goodwill going into the 2026 World Cup here if we could win a match or two. Round of 8 finish, plus/minus one round, seems like a reasonable zone of satisfaction.

[oreadical]

Does the Sporting conversation belong on here? I have a few things to get off my chest...

[pdub]

Who?

[NewtonHawk11]

Gotta get 3 tonight. Pulisic being evaluated today if his fitness is up for 90 minutes after Covid.

Steffen unavailable again.

[pdub]

You shouldn't need either to beat Canada at home.

[NewtonHawk11]

Pulisic in the lineup. Steffen has Covid.

[NewtonHawk11]

So many bad passes forcing to Pulisic.

Canada is dangerous on the counter.

[NewtonHawk11]

Brooks and Dest are really bad tonight so far.

[NewtonHawk11]

Pulisic getting beat up. Good for US team for sticking up for him.

[pdub]

Canada completely turtling.

[pdub]

Down McKennie, Reyna and Dest.

[pdub]

Bad defense.
Per usual.