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| US vs Belgium (friendly); 29 May 2013 at Cleveland OH; 8pm | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 15 2013, 02:53 PM (604 Views) | |
| Sammy Maudlin | May 29 2013, 06:46 PM Post #16 |
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If the saying that you learn more from losses than wins is true, Klinsmann got a whole lot of learning tonight! ![]() Belgium just took the US apart without ever really looking like they were going full speed. Some pretty poor mistakes by the US all over the field but it was the defensive ones which were punished by Belgium. I thought Jones and Beasley for the most part did OK, probably the best of the starters while Johnson was for me the best sub. One silver lining from this game, Stuart Holden got some minutes at the end. You have to wonder how many more opportunities Kljestan and Davis will get? And after some initially good performances, Graham Zusi, such a strong player for his club, just looks a little out of his depth at the international level. Maybe the calls for a Donovan recall have merit as he has that extra burst of speed which the US needs in attack. On to Sunday and Germany... |
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| shelsoccer | May 29 2013, 06:48 PM Post #17 |
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Maybe three years ago elsewhere in this forum, I started a thread about what had happened to Belgian football. Well, I guess they've sorted it out. It'd be a shame if they don't qualify for Brazil, but they're in a tough group and it's no guarantee they will. A disjointed performance from the US, particularly in the back. However, I will disagree with Yogi that the entire back four was poor. I thought Beasley was good, particularly 1v1. I think it's imperative that JK settle on his backline. Many times, you're going to have someone missing due to injury or suspension, but you need to settle on your best 4-6 defenders. It's especially critical that you build a good partnership in the middle. I really like Gonzalez, but you can't pair a young defender like him with a revolving door of partners. Settle on Cameron or Besler as his partner; forget Goodson. That leaves you with three very young defenders, but they're the best we have and they need to start building some chemistry. |
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| Roosevelt | May 29 2013, 06:50 PM Post #18 |
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I agree, and it's not just this game, different 'wavelengths' (poor preparation?) was an issue again tonight. Within the back line, between the midfield and the back line, it wasn't all that cohesive. But man alive, this was a slow, narrow line-up that was trotted out. There might be a partner that would let you get away with a Goodson at this (admittedly high, Belgium is loaded) level, but it's not OG. Not now, anyway. And frankly, this should have been obvious to Klinsmann long before this point. Yes, Kljestan made very little impression in his 80 minutes, other than being the guy Stu Holden entered the game for (yea!). And Eddie Johnson did provide some rare danger in the attack. But a lot of weaknesses were exposed. All I can really say is, I'm sure glad the USA doesn't have to qualify out of UEFA! |
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Another day in June, we'll pick eleven for football We're playing for our lives, the referee gives us f**k-all | |
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| enganche | May 30 2013, 04:18 AM Post #19 |
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I have not seen the US overrun like that since, well last year at this time when Brazil did that in a 4-1 victory. Impressive play from Belgium who look very dangerous. I do agree that these sort of games are where a team learns about itself but Klinsmann has a lot of work to correct the backline. And without Bradley in midfield the team just were not able to link play well. I'll join the consensus here in praising Beasley, Johnson and Jones, the rest did not stand out. |
| Prefiero morir de pie que vivir arrodillado | |
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| Johnbuildr | May 30 2013, 07:02 AM Post #20 |
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Barely mentioned, but alluded to by Roosevelt, was Klinnsman's poor preparation of the team for this match. A loose, disjointed defense and an overwhlemed midfield sans Bradley. He's got far more of a team building job ahead of him than he should have at this point in the qualifying run and he seems to think he still just needs to move different players in and out of the line up like chess pieces at the moment. Yes, Roos, it is a damn good thing we are trying to qualify out of CONCACAF and not elsewhere, and not even that is a given, not by a long shot. Only hope for a decent US showing this weekend is that the Germans play disinterested and/or lackadaisical. |
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Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum | |
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| garbaggio | May 30 2013, 07:56 AM Post #21 |
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Just finished watching the game this morning (I work evenings) and I don't have too much to add. The best thing may have been that Belgium looked pretty good. It's often hard to make judgments about US players and overall team effort when we face a disinterested looking opponent. Frankly, the US could have lost by another goal or two without some dubious penalty calls and non-calls. I was disappointed to hear that Cherundolo is taking time off right as we hit a stretch of 3 crucial WC qualifiers. Dolo may be a bit long in the tooth but we don't seem to be have many bright young prospects ready to step into the lineup at right back. |
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| Rufus T. Firefly | May 30 2013, 08:44 AM Post #22 |
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garbaggio raises a good point about Cherundolo. There is, however, a good right back prospect ready to step in and replace him, Timothy Chandler, but he is currently injured. With Chandler unavailable then you would think Cherundolo would make himself available for these games, less so for these friendlies as they are a good chance to try out some other players, but to play Jamaica, Panama and Honduras where it counts then dammit Cherundolo needs to be there. I understand he is a veteran and coming off a long injury but he was back and playing for his club at the end of the season. What has become of the US' usual strong sense of commitment and spirit? First Donovan, now Cherundolo begging out of national team selection. To do so for qualifying matches is really inexcusable. Klinsmann is supposedly good at communicating with his players, well he needs to start getting on the blower and make sure no other players are going to "take a break" from qualifying and to try and reel Cherundolo and Donovan back in. As for the game itself, my views concur with those expressed by the majority here. Steve Davis of NBC Sports goes into more detail on a topic we have discussed here, how much the midfield was lacking without Michael Bradley. |
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| Roosevelt | May 30 2013, 09:59 AM Post #23 |
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Beyond even the veterans opting out, it's the open turmoil among teammates on the field that is most distressing, to me, to see. But, yes, I have no doubt that the way Bocanegra was treated, among other sore spots, alienated a few of the older core, and it's showing. (I say this as someone who has definitely been in the 'Boca and Dolo can't be relied on, and certainly not for for yeoman's duty, in 2014' camp. But he was treated shabbily.) I think Klismann's strength with regard to communication is that he's good at laying out grand visions. I don't think he has much patience with the details, but then asks those below to carry out a grand vision with no specific guidance given on how to implement a plan to achieve it, or even finding the best people and putting them in the best positions to carry it out. And all you're left with is a motivational speaker, which, tbh, I'm even beginning to question his ability to do that. It should also be noted, as disastrous as the defending was, the lack of offensive threat from the run of play continues unabated. There have been times under JK when the defense has seemed solid, but rarely can I remember such a sustained period of time where the offense created so few chances game after game. To me that says LD or bust, form be damned. No-one else has been doing it, so why not not him? |
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Another day in June, we'll pick eleven for football We're playing for our lives, the referee gives us f**k-all | |
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| Winslow | May 30 2013, 01:53 PM Post #24 |
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This match IMO wasn't a total disaster; the US hung with one of UEFA's top ten sides for an hour or more. Still, the overall effort was undermined by feeble attacking and naive defending. The Cameron issue is perplexing; he's a center back, not a wingback, but he isn't working well next to Gonzalez on the right, so how will it help to move Cameron to Omar's other side? Anyway, this result shouldn't matter. What's happening now, and in the week ahead, will show if Klinsi and his staff can actually coach. They need to use a video breakdown of this match to highlight the mistakes and show the players what they should've done. They need to reinforce those lessons in practice. And they need to identify the best American 11 for the three qualies coming up. If they can't do that--if they end up experimenting on the fly in these hugely important matches--then they shouldn't be in charge of this team. I'll head down to RFK Sunday, looking for signs of improvement. |
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