USMNT SOCCER

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Oof Aaron Long almost pounded that corner home. 

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Ferreira is so bad for country. Infuriating how good he is for club but ghosts us every time we expect him to be a straight 9. 

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That whole half was bad except for Turner and we're lucky to only be down 1. 

This is the worst passing USA team I've seen since T&T in 2017. 

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Good Christ the laziness with the passing is hard to watch. 

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Honestly I'd prefer a traffic cone to Ferreira at this point

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Whew! At the death Vasquez ties it up. 

[arein0 967]

1 hour ago, AUDub said:

Ferreira is so bad for country. Infuriating how good he is for club but ghosts us every time we expect him to be a straight 9. 

Could be different styles of play and he just might not fit ours. 

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Just now, arein0 said:

Could be different styles of play and he just might not fit ours. 

Nah. He's just not a threat to score in USMNT games for some reason. Same with Sargent (though Sargent brings a lot more to the table with his work rate and hold up play).

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Whew escaping with a point is nice. 

I understand these are our Cs and this is arguably the most loaded the Reggae Boys have ever been - their front 4 is freakish and they could very well win this Gold Cup - but I at least expect them to be able to string passes together. 

[arein0 967]

3 minutes ago, AUDub said:

Nah. He's just not a threat to score in USMNT games for some reason. Same with Sargent (though Sargent brings a lot more to the table with his work rate and hold up play).

I think it is. When I watch him, he looks more like a False 9 than a traditional striker. So when our wings get the ball out wide and send in cross after cross, you are asking him to play a role he isn't built for or regularly play. If your wings are your top threats to score, that's where you want a False 9. It looks like our wings are being taught to stay wide and send in crosses which requires more of a traditional 9. 

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Just now, arein0 said:

I think it is. When I watch him, he looks more like a False 9 than a traditional striker. So when our wings get the ball out wide and send in cross after cross, you are asking him to play a role he isn't built for or regularly play. If your wings are your top threats to score, that's where you want a False 9. It looks like our wings are being taught to stay wide and send in crosses which requires more of a traditional 9. 

At FC Dallas he's a finisher. Problem here is that his finishing from club hasn't come with him, and he really doesn't have the first touch to fulfill a creator role.

Last competitive game we did have him running some 10 but he sort of slipped into False 9 as the game wore on. He was flat out awful. I even said as much at the time. Unfortunately I think his lack of production, the emergence of Balogun, Pepi getting his form back and Sargent bringing more to the table means his window is closing fast. He'll be a Gold Cup guy at best going forward. 

[arein0 967]

1 minute ago, AUDub said:

At FC Dallas he's a finisher. Problem here is that his finishing from club hasn't come with him, and he really doesn't have the first touch to fulfill a creator role.

Last competitive game we did have him running some 10 but he sort of slipped into False 9 as the game wore on. He was flat out awful. I even said as much at the time. Unfortunately I think his lack of production, the emergence of Balogun, Pepi getting his form back and Sargent bringing more to the table means his window is closing fast. He'll be a Gold Cup guy at best going forward. 

Not going to lie, I don't watch MLS because it is painful. But you can be a finisher and a False 9. They aren't mutually exclusive. The False 9 is more what space do you occupy. Here are some examples of False 9s that were also excellent finishers: Wayne Rooney, Messi, Totti, Tevez, etc.

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9 minutes ago, arein0 said:

Not going to lie, I don't watch MLS because it is painful. But you can be a finisher and a False 9. They aren't mutually exclusive. The False 9 is more what space do you occupy. Here are some examples of False 9s that were also excellent finishers: Wayne Rooney, Messi, Totti, Tevez, etc.

A false 9s job is to get the opposing defense out of position to open things up. It deviates from the traditional 9 in that in drawing out players and breaking defenses in that manner you usually remove yourself as a target man. They have to, in effect, "catch up to the play."

It also requires an elite first touch, which Ferreira lacks. Sargent is better at the role.

And, yeah, our personnel does work better with a traditional target man at 9. 

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If we're going to play him going forward he'd definitely be a better fit as a second striker in a 442. 

[arein0 967]

10 minutes ago, AUDub said:

A false 9s job is to get the opposing defense out of position to open things up. It deviates from the traditional 9 in that in drawing out players and breaking defenses in that manner you usually remove yourself as a target man. They have to, in effect, "catch up to the play."

It also requires an elite first touch, which Ferreira lacks. Sargent is better at the role.

And, yeah, our personnel does work better with a traditional target man at 9. 

Again they occupy different spaces. On a break the traditional 9 will be on the end of a cross from the 12 to goal, so they will be taller and want the ball in the air. The False 9 will occupy the 12-18 and will look for the ball on or near the ground.

For Ferreira, you can get away with not having a great first touch in the MLS, but at higher levels your first touch is what makes or breaks you.

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5 minutes ago, arein0 said:

Again they occupy different spaces. On a break the traditional 9 will be on the end of a cross from the 12 to goal, so they will be taller and want the ball in the air. The False 9 will occupy the 12-18 and will look for the ball on or near the ground.

Yeah, and Sargent brings more to the table in that regard. At the end if the day I think Vasquez will as well. 

Ferreira doesn't have the movement, the physicality or the touch. 

Even then, we need that traditional 9 to finish our build-ups. That's gonna be Balogun and Pepi. 

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*shakes fist a Joevin Jones*

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Initial impressions Qatar is better than Haiti. They're far more threatening in the attack. 

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As expected given the run of play Qatar leads

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Haiti pulled it out after a far more even second half. 

Mexico smacked Honduras around, but the game wasn't quite as lopsided as the scoreline. 

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Oof Canada must be hung over. Guadeloupe has been the better side and just took the lead in the 22nd minute. 

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Jamaica is obliterating T&T. 

[arein0 967]

Cade Cowell gets the start 😎

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Just now, arein0 said:

Cade Cowell gets the start 😎

As he should. He was a spark against Jamaica. 

Pretty experimental lineup but we should be able to name our score.  

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by AUDub

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We knew it was gonna be quick and we're dominating the run of play. 1-0 in the 12th minute. Busio with a great cut back cross that almost finds Ferreira but sets perfectly for Mihailovic, who buries it.

Edited June 29, 2023 by AUDub