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2019 Gold Cup


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#1 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 11 June 2019 - 12:28 PM

https://www.baltimor...nt-turn-corner/

 

Here's my preview of the Gold Cup.


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#2 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 11 June 2019 - 04:20 PM

Reggie Cannon has been called in for the Gold Cup as an injury replacement. That is pretty much confirmed. The rumor is that Tyler Adams will not join the team and return to Germany and take the summer off.

 

If the later is true that really sucks.



#3 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 11 June 2019 - 04:40 PM

Well suck it all its confirmed that Tyler Adams will return to Germany. Now the question becomes does Lima play RB and GGG keeps with his hybrid system or does he change the back line to a traditional system.

 

Lima is the only other player we have used in this role so there aren't a ton of options.



#4 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 17 June 2019 - 07:48 AM

ESPN: Jimenez stellar but Antuna the perfect 10 in Mexico rout

 

ESPN: Canada rout Martinique in Gold Cup opener match



#5 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 18 June 2019 - 05:54 PM

Men kick off their Gold Cup matches tonight with a game in Minneapolis against Guyana.

 

Given how bad they have looked in their last two friendlies its hard to put real numbers on the game tonight to say 'yup that was a good start.'  First off Guyana is one of the weakest teams in the tournament and we should have no trouble winning the match. The next two games are going to be much more indicative of how we have progressed in the last two weeks of training. Now that said here's what to look for tonight.

 

1. A comfortable margin of victory...along the lines of 4-0.

2. Controlling the midfield play and maintaining lots of possession.

3. Cohesive in the back line and no major mistakes by the back four or the keeper.

4. Good off the ball movement creating space on the wings.

5. Pressing forward and creating good goal scoring chances AND finishing. They created numerous chances in their last friendly with Venezuela. The finished ZERO.

 

They don't have to be flawless tonight but they should be dang close to that against Guyana.


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#6 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 18 June 2019 - 07:42 PM

On Sunday, Costa Rica beat Nicaragua 4-0. Haiti beat Bermuda 2-1.

Yesterday, El Salvador beat Curacao 1-0, and Jamaica got past Honduras 3-2. 

 

 

2nd half tonight, no score between Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.



#7 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 19 June 2019 - 08:48 AM

Men kick off their Gold Cup matches tonight with a game in Minneapolis against Guyana.

 

Given how bad they have looked in their last two friendlies its hard to put real numbers on the game tonight to say 'yup that was a good start.'  First off Guyana is one of the weakest teams in the tournament and we should have no trouble winning the match. The next two games are going to be much more indicative of how we have progressed in the last two weeks of training. Now that said here's what to look for tonight.

 

1. A comfortable margin of victory...along the lines of 4-0.

2. Controlling the midfield play and maintaining lots of possession.

3. Cohesive in the back line and no major mistakes by the back four or the keeper.

4. Good off the ball movement creating space on the wings.

5. Pressing forward and creating good goal scoring chances AND finishing. They created numerous chances in their last friendly with Venezuela. The finished ZERO.

 

They don't have to be flawless tonight but they should be dang close to that against Guyana.

So here's how I think we met objectives last night.

 

1. 4-0. Check

2. Control the midfield and maintain possession. 60%. Check

3. No mistakes by the back line or keeper. Only allowed one shot on goal. Distribution and passing out of the back was very good. Check

4. Space on the wings was there all night and created a lot of problems for Guyana. Check

5. Creating chances. They had 20 shots and 6 on goal. Finish could certainly have been better. Both Arriola and Zardes (among others) had chances that they failed to put on goal. Need to improve on the finish so I give this one a half check.

 

MOTM - No question it has to be Tyler Boyd. The most dynamic and dangerous player on the pitch last night. Created chances down the wing and came inside at appropriate spots. And he became an answer to a future trivia question. His first goal for the Stars and Stripes was the 1000 goal scored by the USMNT.


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#8 glenn__davis

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Posted 19 June 2019 - 12:39 PM

They probably should've won by a lot more.  Pulisic showed spurts but missed some opportunities.  A few other guys missed some chances to finish as well.  Tyler Boyd was terrific.  

 

They did what they should've done against a lesser opponent.  Saturday against T&T will be interesting.


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#9 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 19 June 2019 - 05:20 PM

ESPN: Boyd sees U.S. past Guyana, but tougher tests are to come in Gold Cup
https://www.espn.com...ome-in-gold-cup



#10 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 20 June 2019 - 11:44 AM

1758768_USA.jpg

 

Here's what I would like to see for Saturday's match against TNT. This to me is our first real competitive match since we lost to them in 2017 down in TNT. What has been come to be known simply as "Couva".  The match was played there and if you just say Couva to any avid fan they will instantly know what you are talking about. So its time for some serious payback.  So here's how this would work.

 

1. Three big centerbacks to stay home and defend. Little need to push up the wing with this formation. But they are all ok passers and can start the attack out of the back. Especially Zimmerman and Miazga.

2. Bradley must stay deep in defense. Provide outlet passes for the back three. Then use his passing ability to find the channels for the open wingers or upper midfielders. Use the occasional long diagonal to Arriola and Boyd. Key for Bradley. STOP trying to be a holding midfielder. You no longer have the speed and 1x1 ability to do that. Gather the ball. Compose the attack. Pass.

3. Lima should concentrate on supporting Bradley. Pick and choose when to run the wing and let Boyd move inside.

4. McKennie (assuming his injury from the other night really was insignificant) plays box to box. Be ready to run kid!

5. Arriola and Boyd play just like they did the other night. Keep creating chances down the wing and turns inside when the space is there.

6. Pulisic - kid you are great but stop trying to do too much. Beat one guy. Beat a second guy. But then find the open winger or Jozy posted in the area.

7. Jozy - Show the fans that you are past that lazy performance in Couva. Post up as a target. Hold up and then feed Puli, Arriola, and Boyd making runs. And after you have done that a few times look wide, roll your shoulders inside big man, and shoot.

 

If they play in this manner they should win 3-1.  And yes they should make me manager....lol.


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#11 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 22 June 2019 - 10:24 AM

Soccer can be such a cruel sport. Here's some stats from last nights Honduras - Curacoa match (which I watched).

 

Possession favored Honduras 64% - 36%

 

Passes favored Honduras 524 to 299

 

Pass accuracy favored Honduras 87% to 74%

 

Corners favored Honduras by 7 to 4

 

Shots favored Honduras by 35 to 7.

 

Let that sink in a minute. Honduras had 28 more shots than Curacao. Most soccer matches teams combined don't take 28 shots. If those stats indicate that Honduras was the much better team you wouldn't be wrong. Honduras was in Curacoa's face all night. Except for the last five minutes of each half.

 

The score?  1-0 and you guessed it. The one goal was not by Honduras.



#12 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 22 June 2019 - 06:44 PM

Interesting starting XI tonight....same as the first match. Quite surprised that Altidore isn't starting. Maybe Zardes will get his head in the way again tonight and score one of his patented excuse me goals.....lol



#13 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 22 June 2019 - 09:07 PM

Couple of post game thoughts.

 

1. Best game we have played in a long long time. A few defensive mistakes but totally controlled the game.

2. Excellent use of space. Switching fields a lot and side to side.

3. Passing was crisp and very dangerous. TNT just couldn't deal with it.

4. Finishing needed to improve the second half. And it did. Still could have easily had 8 or 9.

5. Altidore is clearly not fit. He made a couple of really good passes when he came on. But his movement looked very slow and lethargic. Not sure what is going on but he looks to me like he is got a hammy problem again and is trying to play through it.

6. Pulisic woke up today. Huge match for him. Ate them up and I give him MOTM.

7. Steffen showed why he is the #1 keeper. When a team is totally dominant its hard to keep your focus for that shot that finally comes. His three saves were solid. Great position. Strong and confident on the ball. Saved in a way to push the ball away from danger. Classic keeping there Zach!



#14 glenn__davis

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Posted 22 June 2019 - 09:38 PM

Soccer can be such a cruel sport. Here's some stats from last nights Honduras - Curacoa match (which I watched).

 

Possession favored Honduras 64% - 36%

 

Passes favored Honduras 524 to 299

 

Pass accuracy favored Honduras 87% to 74%

 

Corners favored Honduras by 7 to 4

 

Shots favored Honduras by 35 to 7.

 

Let that sink in a minute. Honduras had 28 more shots than Curacao. Most soccer matches teams combined don't take 28 shots. If those stats indicate that Honduras was the much better team you wouldn't be wrong. Honduras was in Curacoa's face all night. Except for the last five minutes of each half.

 

The score?  1-0 and you guessed it. The one goal was not by Honduras.

 

I got to catch the 2nd half of that game.  Honduras may have had a lot of shots but very few of them were good.  They just kept trying long-distance with easy saves for the keeper.  They had maybe 1 or 2 good looks but no real ideas on how to get them more often.  Maybe the 1st half was difference but you felt like they could have played another 90 and Honduras still wouldn't have scored even with all those shots.



#15 glenn__davis

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Posted 22 June 2019 - 09:40 PM

Pulisic was great for the US tonight.  Good to see a really dominant performance from a US player, it's been a while since we've seen that.  Be nice to see him stay healthy and get his career arc back on track.



#16 Mashed Potatoes

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Posted 23 June 2019 - 06:30 AM

I'm just excited to see national teams at the varsity and under 20 levels with the skills to pass out of pressure from the back instead of booming it ahead or turning it over. Literally never seen this before out of a US side.
@DaKittenz

#17 glenn__davis

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 08:52 AM

Curacao, whose stated goal for the Gold Cup was simply to score a goal, is through to the quarterfinals.  Really cool for them.  

 

US plays tonight vs. Panama.



#18 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 09:10 AM

Going to be interesting to see how Berhalter sets his lineup for tonights match.  The tournament bracketing is different from almost all other tournaments. Usually winning your group vs taking second has some significant differences. Typically the second place teams flip over to the other side of the bracket. Therefore, depending on who is in each bracket it can actually be advantageous to not win the group.

 

Not the case tonight. Both the US and Panama are on to the knockout stage no matter tonight's result. And since both teams stay in the same bracket you are going to play the same teams anyway just in a different order (of course an upset can change who you would face). So there are two thoughts for tonight and they both have their merits.

 

1. Stick with your main lineup and win the game. This makes your first knockout match a bit easier in Curacao. Rest players in that game giving you the most fresh legs for Jamaica and then the semifinal and final. Keep your lineup as cohesive as you can as you are still trying to build the team up.

 

2. Rest your players tonight. You should be able to handle Panama with a handful of substitutes tonight. Then you can rest additional players against Curacao. This gives you the freshest set of legs you can have for the rest of the tournament and gives you a much better idea on whom on the bench can provide value to the squad in the future. This is needed information.

 

I am going with option #2 but we'll see. In an interview yesterday Berhalter was very non commital on his plans for tonight. I'll give this some more thought and put together my suggested starting XI and formation a bit later today.


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#19 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 12:04 PM

1759882_USA.jpg

 

Ok here's my lineup for tonight. Now don't read too much into it because I don't think this is what we will actually see. Its what I would do but I am not getting paid to make this decision like Berhalter plus I don't get to see how the training has been going.

 

But here are my thoughts on this approach

 

1. Ream has not looked terrific at LB. Ok but certainly nothing great so I am resting him and giving Lovtiz a start. Need to see if he can handle this lever and this is a good match to do so. High stakes but not crushing if you falter.

2. Bradley needs to sit. Trapp isn't probably as good (neither of them are) but he  has fresh legs and good spot to rest Michael.

3. I am not starting both McKennie and Pulisic. They need rest so keeping Pulisic out and if the match goes as I suspect then I am pulling McKennie out early second half too. Roldan is seviceable.

4. Also not using both Arriola and Boyd. They have been total workhorses and need a night off. I might play one of those and sit the other depending on how I see their fitness.

5. Assuming Altidore is fit (big assumption) then he needs serious minutes. Morris looked really good in his minutes the last game so starting these two up top. If Altidore can't go then Zardes stays in.

 

Now what I suspect to see. Same lineup as the first two matches with two or three changes. Bradley sits for Trapp. Arriola or Boyd sit for Lewis. And perhaps Altidore starts over Zardes. I will be pretty surprised if Berhalter sits both McKennie and Pulisic.



#20 BSLSteveBirrer

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 07:56 PM

Well shocked I tell ya, shocked. Berhalter changed the entire lineup. Good for him. Hope Altidore looks fit and ready to roar.






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