I know very little about US football apart from the four matches this world cup, but that team looks like it should be coached by a manager from the Red Bull conveyor belt
USMNT | World Cup Discussion Thread
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
I'm sure we will have a pretty favorable group draw as a host and this core group of young players are only going to get better. Final 8 will be a realistic goal to be aiming for by then.
Bad luck guys, here's me, a bit drunk with a maga hat
Bad luck guys, here's me, a bit drunk with a maga hat
haha...excellent trolling and quality banter so i like it
One Goal Gregg isn't going to get it done in 2026. I know it's not solely down to him, but the difficulty this team has creating chances and scoring is foundational. The second half was an improvement, but, as usual, our play was so ponderous in the first half after the decent start. Even against lesser teams in qualifying, we weren't good enough going forward.
bittersweet day...american by birth so i wanted the US to win but family heritage is dutch/irish so Oranje is my second favorite national team so now i want them to win the world cup
Think you will go further next time with a bit more experience honestly. Negative masterclass by Van Gaal today.
Imagine if Pulisic converts that chance in the 3rd minute though...
here is where fundamentally i had the issue with the defensive structure today....he put too much work on the middle three to press that they were consistently stepping out to press Timber or Ake. that put a huge running workload on them which took away any chance of them being effective going forward.
would honestly have changed the way both teams played and for a young team that would have been a HUGE boost.
i went to the match against Netherlands and Ireland when the world cup last came to the US.....ffs i met some of the most beautiful dutch women that day in Orlando. Had a great time partying before and after with dutch and irish fans.
Berhalter deserves credit for bringing youth to the national team and overall playing better football than past USMNTs. There was a period before Berhalter where I didn't watch the USMNT because they were so boring. I started watching a year ago because of what he has done for the team. He deserves an extension IMO.
- Why didn't Pulisic hit the first chance with his instep? I wonder if his injury played a part.
- Musah looked really nervous in the 1st 25 minutes and then slowly became a real factor.
- I think the US had 10 good chances to score and got one goal. NED had 5 or 6 good chances and scored 3. That sums up the match to me.
- We should be even better going forward and now have to go into WCs thinking about winning the group. That's how you make it to the quarters and semis consistently.
- Why didn't Pulisic hit the first chance with his instep? I wonder if his injury played a part.
- Musah looked really nervous in the 1st 25 minutes and then slowly became a real factor.
- I think the US had 10 good chances to score and got one goal. NED had 5 or 6 good chances and scored 3. That sums up the match to me.
- We should be even better going forward and now have to go into WCs thinking about winning the group. That's how you make it to the quarters and semis consistently.
They really lack a striker.
You had 10 good chances? I cant recall any aside from the Pulisic one. Even the goal wasnt a chance.
I disagree with giving Berhalter all that credit. When US didn't qualify in 2018, they were at the end of their cycle and there was a huge gap in talent that didn't develop to aid a 2018 run to the finals.
This is the most talented group of players at the right age heading into 2026. They have to be challenged by a much better manager.
9 of the 11 starting players (Zimmerman and Jesus) play in Europe. Reyna, Aaronson, Wright play in Europe. A more astute and experienced manager can bring the collective level up when the players mature in their mid 20s, then understand what it truly takes to win in their late 20s and early 30s mixed with the next generation.
Still need a better manager to get the best out of this group and able to understand how to counter tactics and styles of play. Retaining Berhalter for another cycle will stunt this group.
New address: Breukelen, Nieuw Amsterdam
I rewatched the game against Trinidad a few days ago. And like you said, there was no way that team could have continued into 2022. Some of the players on the pitch had no business being there. fecking Arenas.
Bad luck guys, here's me, a bit drunk with a maga hat
Arena coming back was such a US Federation thing to do and once that happened, it was evident they were fecked and it was confirmed not too long after. But that was where they were at and didn't deserve to advance. That shit happens like it has to Italy recently.
That fecking game was the uber display of Arena's arrogance. The same starting XI from the prior week's bashing of Panama without any regard to 1) location, 2) form, 3) away conditions, and 4) tangibles. Trinidad had nothing to play for but pride and seeing that pitch under water hours before kickoff should have sent a boot up Arena's arrogant ass that he needed to shake up that XI to have the type of players that can perform in a quagmire against a pressing opposition. The players were overly confident despite having been a collective unit of shit for two years.
I think there are plenty encouraging signs for the US, mainly in the age of their group and the capacity for improvement. But improve they must. They harsh reality is that they won one game out of four, a 1-0 against Iran, and finished with a negative goal difference. But tournament football can be harsh like that.
They played with energy and verve, and there is no shortage of technical ability amongst the squad. They just lacked quality when they needed it most, don’t have a goal scorer, struggled to turn possession and energy into chances, and were tactically naive. But a lot of those issues can be ironed out with a better coach, and more experience.
We’ve seen better squads not perform as well, countless times. Heck, England several times. A bit of a reality check for the US but plenty to be encouraged about and proud of.
They played with energy and verve, and there is no shortage of technical ability amongst the squad. They just lacked quality when they needed it most, don’t have a goal scorer, struggled to turn possession and energy into chances, and were tactically naive. But a lot of those issues can be ironed out with a better coach, and more experience.
We’ve seen better squads not perform as well, countless times. Heck, England several times. A bit of a reality check for the US but plenty to be encouraged about and proud of.
I was there as well. Great time it was.
Spot on summary of the USA's tournament. Last 16 is currently about the right level for them.
LvG roasting GB
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And on one will bring it up during contract negotiations. It should be evident he's a bang average international manager. He righted the ship after the epic 2018 qualifying disaster and now hand off the keys to a better manager to take this side to the next level is the proper sequence. The federation should learn from past mistakes - don't keep managers beyond one World Cup cycle.
Obviously a lot of the fans from other countries here are going to be biased having watched high quality international football for years, especially the Europeans. But the thing they don't realize from a US perspective is that this was the first world cup where the US actually tried to play on the front foot and where we appproached having the sort of personnel to attempt it. Even when you think back to 2010 and 2014, it was all about holding on for dear life, the US played such awful football pretty much for the entirety of the men's national team existence prior to now. This tournament for me is the beginning of the US in international football proper and I would expect us to only get better over the next few cycles as player development continues to accelerate in the right direction. You can see even the likes of Canada trending in this direction. The one team that is regressing for me is Mexico, which is happening for a host of reasons.
One more thing, replace Gregg Berhalter. He got the job based on cronyism and it's time to find a solid international coach, preferably European, to guide the team moving forward.
One more thing, replace Gregg Berhalter. He got the job based on cronyism and it's time to find a solid international coach, preferably European, to guide the team moving forward.
You can't be serious.
Both sides had an xG of about 1.8
Well then xG is crap. Pulisic, Ream and Wright had 3 glorious chances so the xG should start at 2.5 and go up with the other chances.
Come on did you see the game sober! US had so many chances but just no one to finish. Dutch defended well. US defending was garbage
If Conmeblo and Concacaf were fused, the US will struggle to qualify. The same as Mexico.
I think many people see that to be honest. It's a night and day difference in the approach and it can be a painful step to take sometimes too. The US is on the right track, even if they would have gone out of the groups that would be true. We've all seen teams shithouse their way to QF places before, but if you want to really develop and make progress you have to actually trust yourself to go toe to toe with the top teams. The painful stretch for the US will be as they continue to attempt to go toe to toe with top teams they will be outclassed by better players as they were yesterday. But gradually they can get a little closer each time.
In the past we (non-US football fans) would talk about US teams just riding on fight and backs to the wall defending and wouldn't really critique them beyond that. Now I've noticed they actually get discussed and criticised as a serious team would. Which positions they are lacking, rather then which position they have a player we've heard of. They still have a long way to go for sure but at least they seem to be on the correct path.
Why do they use USMNT as a name but their chant is USA USA?
Because our woman’s team is also quite good and gets a decent (but not enough) coverage and it was easier to differentiate by using USMNT and USWNT.
Hell, we have trouble qualifying with just CONCACAAF. We use the stupid "Stoke on a Wednesday night" style excuse when we can't win on the road to teams like Costa Rica because we just have not developed properly.
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I did not
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Mostly MLS players backing him there, or am I missing something?
Be curious how the European playing contingent feel. They are working with better coaching and tacticians at club level so hopefully they're voicing their contempt.
They should make a run for Herve Renard but won't of course.
They should make a run for Herve Renard but won't of course.
The current quality in Conmebol is mediocre though, they sure could qualify if Conmebol and Concacaf are mixed.
Peru doesn't have any quality, and they made it to play-offs two times in a row, with a bit of luck...but they did it.
Plus Conmebol qualifiers are gonna even more mediocre for the next WC...7 slots for 10 teams.
funny how much shit the US took after the defeat yesterday but they are the only team so far that has been able to go toe to toe with England
It was England's off game against the US which every side has had They also knew all they had to do was get a draw against the US to qualify which Southgate's main objective. Not the right call but the US are always up for it against England than any other side.