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My England USA Thoughts-what are yours?

Fk_Pitt

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Dec 3, 2007
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First off, England has still never beat the US in a World Cup

Our midfield is better than their billion dollar midfield

Adams is a beast

McKennie was very good. Proved me wrong. I didn’t think he should have started.

Harry McGuire was Englands MOTM. For us If McKennie finishes that chance, he’s the MOTM. But he didn’t so I personally give it to Tyler Adams. He was everywhere. He’s a star. Big payday coming for him.

Zimmerman? Man what do I say? He defended well but he’s so bad on the ball. Could have cost us another one today.

Tim Ream? Wow.

Matt Turner? Was very good. Scares me when the balls at his feet but he got the job done.

Of course if Reyna is on the field, we might find a goal somewhere.

Now…some thoughts from abroad. I’m a Chelsea fan and am dialed into what the Chelsea and English football influencers say…here are some samples:

Why isn’t Pulisic that good at Chelsea

Chelsea’s treatment of Pulisic is quite literally haram. He’s a star.

Only positive from that game was getting to see Pulisic ball out. Can't lie the US played really well.

If Pulisic plays on the left side at Chelsea he is one of the most dangerous attackers in the world.

I thought Pulisic was very good for USA tonight. McKennie and Musah also caught the eye.

Yunus Musah is only 19. We need to get him. He’s a young Mateo Kovacic

Tyler Adams covers the whole field










And lastly, I’ll just share this. It is kinda funny.

 
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First off, England has still never beat the US in a World Cup

Our midfield is better than their billion dollar midfield

Adams is a beast

McKennie was very good. Proved me wrong. I didn’t think he should have started.

Harry McGuire was Englands MOTM. For us If McKennie finishes that chance, he’s the MOTM. But he didn’t so I personally give it to Tyler Adams. He was everywhere. He’s a star. Big payday coming for him.

Zimmerman? Man what do I say? He defended well but he’s so bad on the ball. Could have cost us another one today.

Tim Ream? Wow.

Matt Turner? Was very good. Scares me when the balls at his feet but he got the job done.

Of course if Reyna is on the field, we might find a goal somewhere.

Now…some thoughts from abroad. I’m a Chelsea fan and am dialed into what the Chelsea and English football influencers say…here are some samples:

Why isn’t Pulisic that good at Chelsea

Chelsea’s treatment of Pulisic is quite literally haram. He’s a star.

Only positive from that game was getting to see Pulisic ball out. Can't lie the US played really well.

If Pulisic plays on the left side at Chelsea he is one of the most dangerous attackers in the world.

I thought Pulisic was very good for USA tonight. McKennie and Musah also caught the eye.

Yunus Musah is only 19. We need to get him. He’s a young Mateo Kovacic

Tyler Adams covers the whole field










And lastly, I’ll just share this. It is kinda funny.


This us funny too. Luckily with this new thing of adding back injury time second for second, you see are seeing like 0 injury fakings. Now if college basketball can figure out how to get rid of all the flopping

 
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I still say Tyler Adams was the MOTM. Harry McGuire also gets consideration. But more and more people dig CP10’s performance.
 
I thought McKennie played extremely well, all of the midfield really. They really could've won, if they could just develop a striker or two
 
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Regarding Harry McGuire, if you know you know.


th
 
I think if Maguire doesn’t play, the US wins. That 2nd half clearance from CP’s corner was headed right to Zimmerman
 
A lot of positives. Pulisic is a solid striker. Hitting that crossbar was tough.

I didn't like their corners. They looked disorganized and sloppy. England's we're dangerous.

USA wasted a set play at the end of the game.

I'd like them to shoot more inside the eighteen.
One too many touches on several good opportunities.
 
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McGuire was good today in key moments but he is still a weak link on that team in my opinion.

In the first half England was clearly the most clinically proficient team. You could look at their shape and tell exactly what they were playing. The United States barely kept their shape for a few seconds at a time. However England knocked the ball around the back and occasionally pushed it forward to generally no avail.

Harry is as incredible as he is billed. He is a tremendous defender for sure for a 9.

The biggest problem the U.S. has is we do not seem to have any single guy who can turn a ball at his foot into a shot in less than a millisecond. Every time we had to take the ball and settle and then decide to take the shot. By that time England is swarming us.

Pulisic’s one second half corner was exceptional and McGuire picked it out of the air Before we could lay a clean header score on that one.

Honestly, I almost didn’t want to make any subs in the second half in order not to eff up that flow.

We were pretty flucking good defensively that whole game.

I will be jacked up for Tuesday but also suspect that at the end of the day I will be saying what the fluck, how did we lose to Iran.
 
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It was a terrific effort. That was a very evenly matched game. I'd say we had a few more chances but we didn't have any quite as good as the one that Harry Kane headed off target.

I have one complaint. The coach has to know that, while it's nice to draw England, given the current group standings a draw didn't do us better than a close loss. A win, on the other hand, means we just need to draw Iran. We should have been extrenely aggressive those last 10-15 minutes
 
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Early on I was a little concerned because we couldn’t win the ball and then when we did it was an overexcited press up the field that would turn the ball over again.

But - as the game went on, we settled in and looked very confident in our transition and in the attacking 1/3.

I think the big advantage of this current US team (at least the starters) is that they’ve played these world class guys regularly - in games and training - and know they are human. It isn’t MLS + a couple of marginal European league players going against world class.

I really liked some of the creativity in the midfield and near the box. Dest was so close but blocked, Pulisic’s shot almost made it and there were a couple other decent looks.

On a separate note, Pulisic’s corners were a little better today but I can’t believe we don’t have a better person for set pieces. The loft, pace and texture are usually a little off and aren’t very dangerous.
 
My uneducated thoughts?

That was one fun match to watch. As yinz often said you don't need goal scoring to make it exciting.

I thought it was an entertaining game.

Pulisic really earned his rep tonight. As did McKinnie.

I love the US goalie

I thought the refs did a good job trying to not be part of the outcome.

On that note, I also thought there was alot of flow but also alot of respect between the two sides that there weren't alot of bullshit and cheap shots and fouls to slow the game down.

3 inches. Difference between Pulisic's rocket from being a goal or just a bunted foul ball.
 
I want a striker inside the six. Let someone else take corners. Pulisic's corners are.nothing spectacular. He's a finisher: put him in the box or back post.
 
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I wanna hear Musah and dest speak English and then sing the National anthem.
 
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First off, England has still never beat the US in a World Cup

Our midfield is better than their billion dollar midfield

Adams is a beast

McKennie was very good. Proved me wrong. I didn’t think he should have started.

Harry McGuire was Englands MOTM. For us If McKennie finishes that chance, he’s the MOTM. But he didn’t so I personally give it to Tyler Adams. He was everywhere. He’s a star. Big payday coming for him.

Zimmerman? Man what do I say? He defended well but he’s so bad on the ball. Could have cost us another one today.

Tim Ream? Wow.

Matt Turner? Was very good. Scares me when the balls at his feet but he got the job done.

Of course if Reyna is on the field, we might find a goal somewhere.

Now…some thoughts from abroad. I’m a Chelsea fan and am dialed into what the Chelsea and English football influencers say…here are some samples:

Why isn’t Pulisic that good at Chelsea

Chelsea’s treatment of Pulisic is quite literally haram. He’s a star.

Only positive from that game was getting to see Pulisic ball out. Can't lie the US played really well.

If Pulisic plays on the left side at Chelsea he is one of the most dangerous attackers in the world.

I thought Pulisic was very good for USA tonight. McKennie and Musah also caught the eye.

Yunus Musah is only 19. We need to get him. He’s a young Mateo Kovacic

Tyler Adams covers the whole field










And lastly, I’ll just share this. It is kinda funny.

I have to be honest. I never thought I would say this but I thoroughly enjoyed this nil nil game.

Beat Iran.
 
The biggest problem the U.S. has is we do not seem to have any single guy who can turn a ball at his foot into a shot in less than a millisecond. Every time we had to take the ball and settle and then decide to take the shot. By that time England is swarming.

Absolutely. I have said this for years. I think it has to be primarily a function of American youth soccer programs. Young players here are encouraged to pass…pass…pass. It’s a pass first mentality. Learning how to make a great first touch to be able to get off a quick shot isn’t taught, practiced or encouraged.

I’m spoiled, having watched Messi so many times and for so many years, because his first touches are phenomenal and he is able to get away hard, on-target shots so quickly and with so much power that the GK has no time to react. Today I saw 3 or 4 instances where American players failed in potential scoring situations with the ball at their feet.

Tyler Adams reminds me a lot of Gavi, the Barcelona/Spain whiz kid midfielder. He is like the Energizer Bunny out there. I think though that he lacks the edge that Gavi, only 19, has in his game.

Every time Zimmerman is on the ball, I am scared to death. He made 2 passes today that could have resulted in England goals except for the intervention of his teammates.
 
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I have to be honest. I never thought I would say this but I thoroughly enjoyed this nil nil game.

Beat Iran.

Its what I always say, if you have a rooting interest, 0-0 can be edge of your seat excitement. If I tell you to watch Chelsea vs Man City, with world class players all over the pitch and it ends 0-0, I can understand you finding it boring because you have no rooting interest. When you have a team to root for, that one goal, that one moment can come at any time and change everything
 
Absolutely. I have said this for years. I think it has to be primarily a function of American youth soccer programs. Young players here are encouraged to pass…pass…pass. It’s a pass first mentality. Learning how to make a great first touch to be able to get off a quick shot isn’t taught, practiced or encouraged.

I’m spoiled, having watched Messi so many times and for so many years, because his first touches are phenomenal and he is able to get away hard, on-target shots so quickly and with so much power that the GK has no time to react. Today I saw 3 or 4 instances where American players failed in potential scoring situations with the ball at their feet.

Tyler Adams reminds me a lot of Gavi, the Barcelona/Spain whiz kid midfielder. He is like the Energizer Bunny out there. I think though that he lacks the edge that Gavi, only 19, has in his game.

Every time Zimmerman is on the ball, I am scared to death. He made 2 passes today that could have resulted in England goals except for the intervention of his teammates.

I can say that my kids' teams do almost no shooting drills. All footskills
 
I was an assistant coach on 10-11 and we did a ton of positioning, conditioning, footwork and passing drills. Not so much on shots. It was a great time.
 
On a different match note....the head referee. While he didn't give any yellow's to England that were deserved, he was pretty consistent. It's almost like he didn't want to make the match about him.
 
On a different match note....the head referee. While he didn't give any yellow's to England that were deserved, he was pretty consistent. It's almost like he didn't want to make the match about him.
Yeah. I thought about that. He was trying to be like the old adage about a boxing referee... the best boxing ref is the one you dont remember. His penalties were correct but he should have awarded at least 2 yellows.
 
I only watched the second half, and my inexperienced soccer eye thought the US outplayed them pretty bad. It almost seemed like England was ok with a draw.

I don't understand why they kept kicking the corners where they did. Many seemed way too tight to the goal. Maybe I just have no idea what I'm looking at, but that's what I kept thinking.
 
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I only watched the second half, and my inexperienced soccer eye thought the US outplayed them pretty bad. It almost seemed like England was ok with a draw.

I don't understand why they kept kicking the corners where they did. Many seemed way too tight to the goal. Maybe I just have no idea what I'm looking at, but that's what I kept thinking.
The US was definitely on the front foot. Having this midfield is a complete game changer for this team. You control the midfield, you have a very good chance at success.
 
Now…some thoughts from abroad. I’m a Chelsea fan and am dialed into what the Chelsea and English football influencers say


Once again today we saw why Pulisic should be getting the playing time that Chelsea continues to give to Mason Mount. Mount was nearly invisible out there. Pulisic is so clearly better that at this point the only reason why Mount plays ahead of him is because Mount is the English star, and the English fans would have a fit if he was losing playing time to an American. Even though the American is clearly better.
 
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Once again today we saw why Pulisic should be getting the playing time that Chelsea continues to give to Mason Mount. Mount was nearly invisible out there. Pulisic is so clearly better that at this point the only reason why Mount plays ahead of him is because Mount is the English star, and the English fans would have a fit if he was losing playing time to an American. Even though the American is clearly better.
Mount also came through the Chelsea Academy, that could certainly factor into it as well.
 
Absolutely. I have said this for years. I think it has to be primarily a function of American youth soccer programs. Young players here are encouraged to pass…pass…pass. It’s a pass first mentality. Learning how to make a great first touch to be able to get off a quick shot isn’t taught, practiced or encouraged.

I’m spoiled, having watched Messi so many times and for so many years, because his first touches are phenomenal and he is able to get away hard, on-target shots so quickly and with so much power that the GK has no time to react. Today I saw 3 or 4 instances where American players failed in potential scoring situations with the ball at their feet.

Tyler Adams reminds me a lot of Gavi, the Barcelona/Spain whiz kid midfielder. He is like the Energizer Bunny out there. I think though that he lacks the edge that Gavi, only 19, has in his game.

Every time Zimmerman is on the ball, I am scared to death. He made 2 passes today that could have resulted in England goals except for the intervention of his teammates.
So......in the late 70's and early 80's a guy named Dave King was in charge of Canada's international hockey. The same time a legend in waiting named Mario Lemieux was coming up through the ranks. King had this maniacal focus on defense, back checking, dumping the puck, ya know "team" stuff. In fact, Lemieux sat out one of the World Jr championships because of it.

And Lemieux was so gifted having him play this was like having Bach play Chopsticks. Dmen like Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque made it past King, but he then throttled a generation of young talented puck rushing Defense.


That seems to be American soccer. Well schooled in their responsibilities but very few willing to be finishers.
 
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