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USA 0, Canada 0: Match Highlights

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ntAqwqSKKc]

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  1. Why on earth would this game be scheduled when all of our overseas talent can’t make the game? Do we not want to qualify for the World Cup? Why only field MLS players? These questions just make me wonder why we even bother with a Men’s team. Let’s just have the women succeed at the International level. At least that way it will get better billing on TV for soccer fans and we can show our friends a good game.

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    • Do you really not know that Klinsmann couldn’t call in European-based players because there is no FIFA window for the match and therefore teams don’t have to release players? The game was scheduled to give fringe players and MLS players a chance to impress, and more importantly to give the MLS players who are already in the national team mix a chance to build up their fitness leading into the Honduras qualifier. The result of the match wasn’t really all that important. That doesn’t excuse the weak performance against Canada, but you’re going just a wee bit overboard about a result that was never going to matter.

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  2. Im very surprised at the reaction here…this result was exactly as I expected…Canada-USA games are always close…especially when you have 2 very weak rosters with no good players on either side…you guys were expecting a USA blowout?…when your 2 starting forwards are Eddie Johnson and Wondowlowski? WTF were you thinking?

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    • Did I miss when Eddie Johnson became some kind of a joke forward? He’s had SOME success both recent and historical and both for club and country.

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  3. Klinsmann’s game plan was way too defensive. He essentially had 5 players dedicated to defending at most 2 canadian attackers. It was so poor that we did not even see if the backs could handle any pressure since Beckerman defused most attacks before the happened, except for the early cross into DeRo, a test the backs failed woefully.
    The other 5 field players were left to face 9 or 10 defenders content to sit inside their own 30 and clog up the middle. With so many bodies in front of goal, there was no plan in place to draw them out or to get deep and make crosses with the defenders facing their own goal. Instead the game plan seemed to be drive long balls into the box where the 2 attackers were badly outnumbered, or try dinky little passes up the middle which was way too congested. The second half brought NO tactical changes and predictably similar results.

    The attacking plan seemed to be pray one of the forwards can magically get the ball and then dribble 4 or 5 defenders and score.

    With that game plan Messi would have had problems looking good (a solution against a packed defense is a good dribbler in tight spaces, something the US does not have), of course even Messi would have found going 1 on 4 or 5 defenders pretty frustrating most of the time. A Maradonna dribble ending in a pass to a teammate now wide open because all the defenders had to collapse on Maradonna would work, but again, the US does not have a Maradonna either.

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  4. Wondo had a chance to score if he would have taken 2-3 more dribbles and pull keeper but instead he saw open space and let it fly (or should I saw rolled) way too early. Doesn’t JK work on passing the ball through the defenders? Everything seemed to want to go sideways and the defenders just waited for the miss kick and off they went. Gatt is the only player that showed desire while his team mates just stood and watch…but at least he split players and gave us some excitement…Agudela needs a little more time out there…he should have come on for EK at half time..Just a sad team performance from unskilled players….This, alone, should show if you want to play at the International level…play in Europe and learn the game from them. I do support MLS…the American players are just not at this level.

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  5. Gatt was the one good thing to come out of this game. Looked really hungry and a little bit annoyed about how the team was playing. He actually looked like he was trying to get something to happen. First time I REALLY liked what I saw from Beckerman as well–he did what was asked of him. I don’t know about the rest of you, if the consistent “sleep” comments in this thread are in jest or what, but I was fighting sleep the entire second half…my final thought of the game was “…CRAP! 4 minutes of added time!?”

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  6. I don’t see anybody mentioning the refs. The ref’s did as much or more to take the fluidity out of the game as the players. ‘Creating’ anything is very tough when you have refs that are constantly interupting the game and playing against a team that’s parked the bus only looking to counter.

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    • All the US – Canada matches I’ve seen are never exciting or unpredictable, but usually dull. Both teams’ familiarity with each other doesn’t help the cause either. Why didn’t we play Denmark but Canada?

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  7. Drop off between A team and B team is huge.

    Gatt made nice runs but needs to learn to pick up his head and pass. To me, he kept losing the ball. He also needs to learn to use his left foot.

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  8. Unfortunate…

    Well, maybe for fans watching the game.

    JK obviously got the bulk of the players on the pitch to buy into the ” Fight for your life” mantra.

    hopefully many of the guys provided enough highlight material for the coaches to digest.

    A few thoughts:

    Davis is a pro, sees the game well enough to warrant a start with some of the USMNT regulars

    Gatt possesses enough raw talent to warrant evaluation for some place in the 2014 team.

    EJ and Wondolowski were both asked to do more than there comfort level suggests. Both received no service and were asked to provide Dempsey (or to a lesser extent, Berbatov)-type striker/box play.

    Omar Gonzalez needs time with the first team, make that any first team that will allow him to show case his obvious talent.

    the USMNT played a few good balls, made quick decisions in the middle third, but did nothing to challenge a Canada defense that presented little on hostile turf.

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      • I watched a matched proctored by Jurgen Klinnsman….

        I watched a matched that obviously showed his willingness to allow players to “play” themselves onto either Gold Cup berth or at least a role in WCQ.

        I’m sorry, maybe you were looking for a mid-season Dempsey or a 20-goal campaign Altidore.

        These evaluations are based upon what we currently have regarding an “A” squad and how these guys measured up.

        The game was helter-skelter, unfortunately for the “oooooo he didn’t score” haters, you have to look at it as if it were a scrimmage.

        A raw evaluation of what someone brought considering the circumstances.

      • JK obviously got the bulk of the players on the pitch to buy into the ” Fight for your life” mantra. :: Huh? They played uninspired, lacked fight and could be one of the worst performances I’ve seen from our Nats in the last 10 years….in a draw no less.

        hopefully many of the guys provided enough highlight material for the coaches to digest. :: If the objective was to score zero goals, have horrible service, provide minimal links to the forwards and have the defenders barely need to do anything…I guess that’s quite the highlight material.

        Davis is a pro, sees the game well enough to warrant a start with some of the USMNT regulars :: Davis is a professional player. He’s paid salary to play for Houston. However, he made several turn overs, and even fewer opportunities. He’ll be lucky to make the squad.

        Gatt possesses enough raw talent to warrant evaluation for some place in the 2014 team. :: Literally the only point I agree with you on.

        EJ and Wondolowski were both asked to do more than there comfort level suggests. Both received no service :: EJ has a complaint but Wondo had plenty of chances and converted zero shots on target.

        Omar Gonzalez needs time with the first team, make that any first team that will allow him to show case his obvious talent. :: Of the two defenders who never really needed to defend, Besler had the best service…a trait JK seems to prefer. Gonzo was clearly balls into the stands, Onyewu style.

        Again, I think we watched two entirely different matches. Then again, I’m not trying to praise for praising sake or giving out participation awards.

        No orange slices are handed out…

      • You get an orange slice…..

        You obviously looked at a B/C side friendly full of guys with one/two caps vs an uninspired Canada side as a measure of the future that is the USMNT.

        These guys need reps.

        Plain and simple

        Sure, there are no such things as a good loss or tie; but unfortunately, for sideline pundits, there is a thing called progress.

        Throw in evaluation, even adjustment.

        These things don’t come with: Omar Gonzalez “kicked the ball into the stands”

        or Wondolowski missed a couple of chances.

        The question is: Who are these guys?

        Is EJ a guy to make things happen with stuff at his feet combined with good defensive positioning in the final center?

        Brad Davis is paid to play soccer ??

        Brad Davis has been paid to play soccer for a long while and it shows…

        To many observers, a wing-type/service type midfielder can have an awful 75 minutes if no one is there to finish something he started.

        but within the game, when a coach evaluates things like touch, timing and aggressiveness B Davis’ pitch time equated to something.

        And by the way…

        A can-do cookie trumps any orange slice.

      • Sorry, I’m with Old School.

        Davis showed he is not good enough.
        Wondo showed he works hard, but… no. Despite the fact that Twellman spent the whole first half telling us how great he is.
        Usually, I have JK’s back, and believe he knows something I don’t. Possibly he was trying to see some very specific things, which resulted in the starting lineup being what it was. I can’t imagine what they were, but maybe. Personally, I don’t think these B side games ever turn out well. There were too many guys out there who don’t belong. Beltran couldn’t get a cross off the whole first half. So the few guys that might be fringe for the NT end up either trying to do too much, or are wasted because their teammates are inadequate, like any forward hoping to get on a cross when the ball is at Beltran’s feet. Not going to happen, and it’s not the your fault.

        If you want to play “B” side games, maybe the best place is in a scrimmage, so we aren’t so super critical. Just thinking out loud. Feel free to set me straight.

      • It’s also the opponent who are essentially a bunch of “try hard” guys, with the exception of DeRo.

        So there were no other teams available other than “0” Canada ? Even Iceland would have been a better test than Canada in that they play a European style vs Canada are essentially a US B or C team.

      • Canada went with a mostly North American based roster that included several guys who still play for the under 20 team. In fact, many of these guys were getting their first or second cap. This was USA B team vs. Canada B/C. Boring for the fan, but potentially very useful for the coaches.

  9. Gatt’s run’s didn’t even make the cut for the match highlights? haha

    I only watched the highlights to see the replay of that run.

    Oh well

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  10. We can change the story headline to: USA, Canada: 0 Match Highlights

    All jokes aside and in relation to Klinsmann’s New York Times interview, I think TomG in the game commentary said it best:

    “JK calls out his players publicly for lack of ambition. We must do the same with him.”

    I’m a supporter, not a hater of JK but it’s really hard to defend that lineup he choose for a measuring-stick match to determine who’s capable to contributing in the qualifiers.

    Fairness to JK, we’re not at the matches to see the performances daily or to see who’s looking sharp/excelling. However, when we have Wondolowski, Evans, Davis & Beckerman in the same line up? That’s WAY too many “try hard” players and not nearly enough spark, flair, flash or ambition.

    I won’t make a breakdown of what subs showed and didn’t show. Though, I will say this: for the first time seeing Gatt (who I’ve heard a lot about his speed), the main thing I took away was his attitude and fight. That “Dude, I’ll f**king fist fight you right now face/bravado” reminds me a lot of Clint Dempsey. That bodes well for the future, both for him and our width/wing play.

    All in all, 90 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. Why couldn’t THIS match be on beIN Sports and not the qualifier? At least then I could have avoided this like a plague.

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    • As usual, no “sports journalists”* will ask the tough questions of Klinsmann.

      *no one should ever write this phrase without sarcastic quotes after the Mantei Teo story.

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    • Out of the group of “try hard” players you mentioned the question must be asked: who didn’t do their job in this lineup?

      Maybe Beckerman can say he did what was asked of him, which isn’t anything to do with flair and flash. I’m not sure how to answer the question for the rest (although Wondo didn’t score and that’s his job) but that sets up who out of those four will remain with the full team in Honduras and who’s on to train with their club.

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      • The only person that did their job was Beckerman, as a destroyer.

        Of the other three, who’s job it was to create and/or score? One was moved back to RB, the other was subbed off at halftime and the remaining “creative” try-hard guy I mentioned didn’t even attend the match, aside from making it into the program.

        So, I say again…4 “try hard” guys that rendered our side impotent.

    • Forme Gatt played like a spoiled teenager. Lots of physicality, but no sense. If he develops a brain to manage his testosterone, maybe he will be something in the future. Dribbling until you lose the ball is not good soccer sense.

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