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Green shows flashes of potential in USMNT debut

Julian Green

By FRANCO PANIZO

GLENDALE, Ariz. — After several months of hype and excitement, Julian Green made his much-anticipated U.S. Men’s National Team debut in the 59th minute of their friendly with Mexico.

What followed was not exactly overly impressive or other worldly, but it did validate Jurgen Klinsmann and the U.S. players have been saying about Green: He’s full of potential.

The 18-year-old Green received his longest runout as a professional and showed flashes of that potential in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at University of Phoenix Stadium, his first taste of the intense U.S.-Mexico rivalry. Green struggled at times to adapt to the physicality of the match, which pitted the still-maturing youngster against players like Rafa Marquez who are almost twice his senior, and had a tough time beating defenders on the dribble.

That is not to say that there were no positive moments from the German-American attacker in his 31-minute cameo. Green, who did not speak with media afterwards, showed an aggressiveness and fearlessness about him by taking on defenders repeatedly on the left flank. Not all of his moves worked but one explosive burst on the dribble late in the game did, resulting in him being brought down in the box and appeals for a penalty kick going ignored.

Plays like that show just why Klinsmann, Bayern Munich and so many others are high on Green, even if he is far from a finished product.

“I think you saw in some moments what this kid is actually capable to do,” said Klinsmann. “How he goes in the box and draws two guys and should’ve gotten a penalty – the referee was five yards away, which is pretty ridiculous – but it is what it is. Obviously, he was nervous, too, and he plays his first cap in front of 60,000 against Mexico. Here and there maybe you slip, you lose your balance like it happened to him once there, but the team welcomed him with open arms.

“The team when you (see) other players, you check each other out and you understand within 10 minutes if it’s a good player or not. Julian is a very good player. We are happy to have him now with us, playing for us, and obviously that age gives you everything for the future. It was a start for him.”

Green’s introduction on the left flank for Brad Davis just before the hour-mark came with a loud ovation from the U.S. supporters who have been anxiously awaiting his debut to catch a glimpse of the type of player he is. Green’s only other professional appearance came via a two-minute cameo off the bench for Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League game last November.

Mexico then took its turning welcoming Green to the international level, delivering a hard tackle on his first play on the ball. That sent Klinsmann into a frenzy on the sideline, but also was a sign of things to come.

El Tri used physicality to try to impose themselves on Green, who was almost always forward-thinking in his moves. Green was never allowed too much time or space and was also involved in the sequence that led to Mexico’s equalizer (he failed to properly clear a cross-field switch and then didn’t track his mark all the way), but also did not look out of place and showed some good instincts with his runs and passes.

“He’s still an 18-year-old kid. He’s an 18-year-old kid with a lot of talent and a lot of good ability,” said midfielder Michael Bradley. “I think he showed a little bit of that tonight. He certainly showed a little bit of that in training and more than anything tonight was just about getting him out on the field for the first time and letting him enjoy that and almost, in some ways, getting that out of the way.

“Now, you feel like he’s a part of the group, he’s got the first one under his belt and now he can build on that from there.”

By all accounts, Green is fitting in just fine in the typically-welcoming U.S. locker room. The youngster is still a bit shy, but that is to be expected of an unassuming teenager who only recently was thrusted into the international spotlight after filing his one-time switch.

Like his game, Green’s level of comfort within the U.S. squad will improve over time, especially since veteran players are already doing all they can to make him feel like he is one of the guys.

“He’s coming to camp and still feeling his way into the team and quiet,” midfielder Maurice Edu told SBI. “I’m trying to get him out of his shell a little bit, getting a little bit of banter going on, but he’s a good kid. I think he’s finding his way into the group pretty well.”

Whether Green fits into the final World Cup puzzle that Klinsmann has to piece together in the next two months remains to be seen. It’s unlikely that Klinsmann refrains from giving Green another shot to prove himself in May’s pre-World Cup camp based strictly off Wednesday’s performance.

Yes, the hype might have died down a bit after his debut. The belief in him has not.

“He’s a good player. He has a lot of potential,” said Edu. “He’s still only 18, though. A very, very young kid and I think he has a really bright future. He has his head on straight, he’s eager to learn and eager to continue to progress and get better, and I thought he had a good showing today.

“There was a questionable call on the box. On another day it might have been a penalty or at least a foul, but today I think you saw what he can do when he’s given the chance.”

Comments

  1. Give you guys a comparison,
    since he is out injured and will not be a factor going forward this cycle.
    no disrespect but remember Josh Gatt’s, debut?, night and day.
    Gatt, sure could sorta run fast, and that was about it.
    One can see that Green, already has the ability to create for himself and others, just needs a little more work with the team and familiarity both from him and other team mates.
    Some more Green jello, he’ll be fine and up to speed by next friendly tune up.

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  2. Julian looked like a boy among men out there…which he is and it is perfectly OK to expect a steep learnings curve for him … the players around him on both teams were physically and mentally sharper and at least half the time he looked like he did not belong (the unforced turnovers on short passes, the flubs/slips/letting ball go out without pressure)-there were at least a half a dozen to 10 plays that would have seen a Brek, or Davis, or anyone ripped to shreds over on this message board…. he made one very nice offensive move which drew an uncalled foul and was heady enough to lay off passes to the right man on the break at the right time (allowing offensive player to keep momentum) at least 4-5 times (half the USMNT pool lacks the skill set or soccer IQ to do that)

    He is nowhere ready to start or play major minutes at the World Cup. He is not a Neymar or whatever starlet, so let’s give him time to develop and hopefully by 2018, he is getting major minutes at a major club in Europe and is a major offensive threat, b/c with Donovan and Dempsey fading fast, there isn’t much attacking depth waiting on the wings

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    • No doubt, if Brek had that exact same performances he would be getting killed for it. The second goal, for sure would be all his fault.

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      • John,

        On Tuesday, everyone had the brainless, immature Shea in the dumpster.

        On Wednesday, Green has a tentative debut and suddenly Shea’s grass is now greener.

        I remember Shea’s USMNT debut. He looked completely useless, far worse than Green did. In his subsequent cap, he looked better. In his first appearance, along with the bad, Green looked very lethal, not something you can accuse too many USMNT players of, ever.
        My guess is Green will look a lot better the next go around.
        Everyone seems concerned that there are all these guys who deserve to go more than Green. Interestingly, many of these guys were not listed as favorites to go before Green came into play.
        The concern is these guys or their friends on the team will be resentful if he goes and they don’t.
        This is ridiculous.
        For one thing if they aren’t there any more who cares? Deserving players get left behind all the time, In 2010 Casey Conor’s two goals sealed WC qualification for the US. Brian Ching had had a long distinguished USMNT career and was finally healthy. You could have made a case that, unpopular as they were with the fans, both “deserved” to go to South Africa. Neither went.
        No one is safe nor should they be.
        JK has staked his credibility on that being the case until June 2. Bradley and Howard have come the closest to “safety” status at this time. This is about which 23 guys on June 2, are the best combination of guys to make the most effective team possible, not which ones have given the most time and effort to the cause or are the “most deserving” to go.
        The fans on SBI seem to think JK doesn’t have a handle on “team chemistry” which is strange since that is all he really talks about and since he seems to have taken great care in assembling a very tight group who, have by the way, made a big point of welcoming Green.
        Or do y’all think that JK did this by accident?

  3. Julian Green is gonna be a topic of conversation all the way up until the 23-man roster gets picked (maybe even after that), but I’m hoping that last night will at least cut down the hype a little. The bottom line is that he’s a creative player with balls skills, speed, and agility, who, because he’s so young, is physically underdeveloped relative to players at the senior level and doesn’t have much in the way of tactical awareness. This doesn’t mean he can’t be an asset in Brazil, but he’s only going to be a game-changer for us if used in a very limited way for specific situations.

    He’s not strong enough to play centrally yet (some commenters had him projected there) and because of his lack of strength, he can’t play extended minutes (aside from the risk of injury, he’s going to be a defensive liability who will leave whatever wing he’s on vulnerable to attack from a more physical or experienced winger). Because he is young, he is also a risk to make the occasional dumb play on defense (e.g. the header that led to the Mexico goal), something that Klinsmann has to be worried about given that our center backs are already mistake-prone and there’s about a 50/50 chance that our starting left back will be a converted midfielder. On the other hand, because Green is so quick and able to keep possession under light-to-moderate pressure, he can draw defenders to him, opening up runs for his teammates. He’s fearless enough to go at defenders, and skillful enough to occasionally make something out of nothing.

    Assuming that he continues to play the way he did last night, his ideal role might be as a 75th minute sub on the wing if we’re trailing . Assuming Fabian Johnson starts at left mid, he could come in for Beasley and push Fabian back to leftback, where he’ll have good defensive cover.

    As for who he would dislodge if picked for the 23, I’d say so far, these players, while not all locks, should be on the roster:

    Howard
    Beasley
    Besler
    Gonzalez
    Cameron
    Bradley
    Jones
    Johannson
    Dempsey
    Fabian Johnson
    Altidore
    Guzan
    Rimando
    Goodson
    Evans
    Diskerud
    Bedoya
    Zusi
    Donovan
    Eddie Johnson
    Boyd

    That leaves 2 roster spots open. I suspect 1 spot will go to another center back (since it’s our weakest position), probably Orozco or Brooks. The last spot goes to a wildcard player — someone who has a unique skillset and can change the complexion of a game offensively, but isn’t going to be counted on to start or play big minutes (basically, a situational offensive player). The candidates are Wondolowski, Shea, and Green, with a possible longshot candidate in Agudelo if he can play and score consistently inHolland. At the moment, Wondo probably has the inside track based on his finishing ability, with Shea slipping down the list due to lack of playing time, inconsistency, and general foolishness. If Green manages even a couple of moments of brilliance in training/send-off games, he’s got a shot at that last spot.

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    • let’s not forget Gringo Torres and Joe Corona, both of whom are currently light years in the international game ahead of Julian Green, as is Edgar Castillo. I think at least one of those three will be in Brazil, possibly two of them.

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      • Hmmm, I like Gringo Torres but I never got the impression he has a cutting edge to him.(He keeps scoring lately though) Corona has played on the left and done well but also not a stand out. Too many of these guys are more center midfield. I wish we had a proper left winger other than Shea.

      • Beasley is a pure LW. i’d realllllly like to see him there. heck, even Castillo is.

        luckily FJ and LD are very good there as well.

      • Castillo plays left wing from left back. Haha He would make a great wing back if we played a back 3.(probably)
        I would love to try it but…. it seems scary.

        And I don’t know what Beasley does at left wing anymore. I haven’t seen it for years. So hmmm thats one real left winger.

      • Oh for sure. Beasley hasn’t played that position in forever. But that is his position naturally. And Castillo should be a left winger lol

      • I would love to see Corona back in the mix. Has the same fearlessness that Green does and is built to better handle physical play. the only question is whether her can get consistent playing time and production. If he does, I’d definitely put him in the conversation.

        I suspect Torres essentially loses his spot to Mix, who is marginally more confident than Torres when pushed up into an advanced role. It’s a shame, because I like Torres as a player, but I think he’s sort of a ‘tweener: Too small to play in a purely deep-lying midfielder role against top international competition, but not creative enough with the ball at his feet to overcome that shortcoming with consistent offensive production (although he could prove me wrong if he continues his recent form).

        Castillo is a ballsy player, but I suspect he’s better suited to play left midfield than left back, and unfortunately, he’s come to the left midfield competition a little too late.

  4. Yes he showed flashes but then so do many others in that position, most of which won’t go. Should he move ahead of those others? Not yet. He has not shown enough to even displace Shea or Davis yet IMO. Should he get more looks? absolutely, he’s young and may be a part of the future BUT as of now, he is not the anointed one and is not on the plane to the WC.. not yet. I think its more likely hes there next cycle

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  5. Julian Green’s inexperience showed quite clearly against Mexico. Does he have a lot of talent? Hell yes. Is he ready for the World Cup? No. We have other candidates who currently are much better and more experienced than Green and are deservedly ahead of him in line for tickets to Brazil. Green’s chance will come in 2018.

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    • Exactly. Have people forgotten how a young Juan Aguadelo scored in his first match for the US? Very few players ever do much in a WC at the age of 18. He still hasn’t played any first division football, unlike Aguadelo and Boyd.

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  6. “he failed to properly clear a cross-field switch and then didn’t track his mark all the way”

    i really don’t understand the second point. luckily most reviews i have read stop at saying he made a poor header. lets not surgarcoat it, it was not a good header and it DID lead to a breakaway of sorts. but to say he didn’t track his mark all the way is not true. as soon as he hit that header, he knew it was bad. he then sprinted to the guy because 1. he gave it away, and 2. Beckerman was on the other side of the midfield.

    Green caught up to him at about the same time Beckerman made it over. Both Green and Beckerman closed him down but a pass opened up because Parkhurst pinched in to help stop Aguilar. so it became 3 v 1. of course when Parkhurst does that, the winger became wide open and Aguilar made a “heads up” play to pass out wide pass our 3 players. As soon as that pass was made, Green immediately went to close down the winger (which is what he should be doing as the LM) while Parkhurst also backtracked to close down the winger as well.

    at that point, Aguilar is Beckerman’s mark. he’s sitting in the middle of the box. Beckerman is the #6 and Beckerman had caught back up with the play before the wide pass. to me, Green did the right thing by running out wide as soon as Aguilar made that pass and Beckerman should have then picked up Aguilar. Goodson, Omar, and Beltran had everyone else marked. instead, Beckerman overran Aguilar, Aguilar noticed and he stopped running, and the winger sent in a nice pass. Beckerman and Goodson both noticed Aguilar was unmarked, and they both lunged, but they each went to the same side of Aguilar and so he just shot to the other side.

    in short, i thought it was a poor giveaway by Green but i thought Beckerman and Parkhurst got caught out of position, Goodson and Beckerman lunged instead of each standing him up on either side, and then Omar just gave up on the play (probably because he thought there was no way that shot gets through Beckerman AND Goodson).

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    • I’m just not understanding the critique at all.

      There was a good 20 seconds and 4-5 passes and a missed shot between his clearance header on the wing like 50 yards from the goal.

      People seem to just be looking for a reason to hate the kid. Ridiculous.

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      • agreed. say what you will about the header, it was poor. but that goal was a result of sloppy defending and marking by Beckerman, Goodson, and Omar as well as Parkhurst for leaving the winger wide open.

      • Ya, I thought Beckerman made the ultimately fatal mistake there. A lot of people blamed Omar for that… which is odd.That initial shot never should have happened.

    • Agree with most of your analysis, I would go even a little farther on Greens, constructive criticism. On that head ball you always head it outside away from the middle if you don’t have a specific target.
      Secondly when he and Parkhurst, had the man on the flank the non designated defender should almost always challenge the ball first, thus allowing the true defender to stay more at home, in the box and closer to goal.
      Other than that and a slight case of nerves, he must get stronger.
      a lot of positive attack and promise for Green, to grow on.
      In closing I would say Green, survived his baptism by fire.
      look forward to seeing more next time.

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      • 100% agree. he should have hit it out of bounds. yes, there was a Mexican player directly behind him, but he could have knocked it up and back easier than what he attempted. rookie moment for sure.

        it’s true. Green did immediately press him which allowed Parkhurst to get back into position (which he shouldn’t have left to begin with) to block any potential cross. but the guy made a nice pass to a wide open Aguilar instead and at that point Beckerman’s reaction was too late.

      • I think it is safe to say green was at fault on the second goal, and heading the ball back into the middle of the field was only his first mistake on the play. the next was not fully engaging aguilar as he was racing up the field with the bad header from Julian.

        Julian started to engage, then backed off and found himself in the box, in no mans land, where mistake number three saw him taking up a poor position in the box.

        Julian should learn from this, and not be pumped up with how great he played.

        a lot of americans, yearning for more offense, have forgotten that defense wins championships!!!

      • Julian was never in the box. He tracked back and him and Beckerman closed Aguilar down outside the box. When Aguilar hits the wide pass, Green runs out wide to help Parlhurst out…leaving Beckerman to mark Aguilar, which Beckerman forgot to do. Beckerman is the one in no mans land while Omar stopped playing.

      • bryan, im sorry to be correcting you, and maybe you are referring to green never being in the goal keepers box, as opposed to the penalty box, but you cant watch replays of this second mexico goal and tell me green was not in the penalty box, im sorry, but you cant.

        Beckermans positioning on this play was correct, except for the fact that he did not block aguilars shot, because when he shoots, kyle is right in front of him, and kyle was protecting the near post, because he has instinct and knowledge, and when aguilar shoots, Beckerman is right there in front of him.

        green never fully commits to the defensive cause on this play and he is in no mans land in the box as the ball is sent in to aguilar. coach klinsmann will point these things out, and if not, im sure berti vogts will

      • Re watched and he was in the box but he is out wide. It wasn’t great defending but come on man, Beckerman should be on top of Aguilar the entire time. Goodson, Omar, and Beltran had everyone else marked.

        When Aguilar shoots he and Goodson are lunging at him because he is wide open. Both should have made the tackle but Beckerman should have been on top of him to begin with. That’s my main point.

      • Bryan, then I must correct you again, sorry.

        You defend from the back to the front, and from the inside to the outside.

        Sound team defense requires Julian to pursue Aguilar and not break off.

        You’ll notice on the play that it is in fact beckerman who forces Aguilar to pass the ball wide, then beckerman takes up a position closer to goal that prevents the #9, beltrans mark, from receiving a pass. Because Beltran is behind his man as he is running across the goal box, the Mx number 9 I’m talking about

        Beckerman takes up the positions that he is suppose to. He is the destroyer, not the man marker.

        Julian has to learn from this, and I think the fans should also.

      • Dik. Disagree. Beckerman and Julian forced Aguilar to pass. As well as Parkhurst leaving the winger open when he ran over to help them.

        Green and Parkhurst then run back towards the winger, Beckerman heads into the middle of the box but doesn’t stick with Aguilar.

        I maintain it was poor defending all around.

      • Dkranovich,

        You could perform that sort of critical analysis on just about any USMNT player in the pool during a given series of plays in a game and find serious fault
        .
        Perform it on Mikey and you will find he was responsible for the opening goal in the 2010 Ghana game that everyone loves to blame Rico Clark for; at least if you will if you run the analysis the way you do.

        Green is a rookie and any decent manager would have reasonably expected his veteran defenders to pick up the new guy when he screws up.

        What did you expect? That Green would chase down the lost ball, steal it back from the Mexican and then dribble the length of the field to score to make up for his unforgivable mistake?

        Green screwed up but you are making a lot more out of it than is really there.

        On paper the USMNT has zero chance to get out of their group. The only way they advance in this World Cup is pick each other up when they make the kind of mistakes that Green did, which they will, and fight for each other not pointlessly hunt for who to blame like you do.

        Green made his mistakes but he also was frequently dangerous a term not often applied to USMNT attackers.

        You are underestimating him.

      • I think it is better to underestimate than to over estimate our players. Past experience should make this obvious.

      • True, in the end Beckerman, could have saved that moment?, but just a split second late to react and that’s that.

  7. He embarrassed those Mexicans at the end there. That kind of control and movement is textbook Ribery, which you can definitely see in how he plays. Once he calmed down, his talent was beyond evident.

    You can see why Pep and the Bayern players rate him.

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    • I agree 100%. People wanted nothing to do with Yedlin after his first game, but now want him in Brazil. Green was obviously nervous, but definitely showed towards the end. Ibsay give him a start in the next game and let him get comfortable to see what he can do.

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  8. It was a very good game for Green. He will be invited to the 30 man camp (whether or not he makes the final 23 is very open).

    He still looks like a kid playing against men, but age and experience will fix that if he is capable of learning (and Pep G. thinks he is). In time for some playing time in Brazil, I’m not so sure about that, but surely in 4 years.

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  9. Every time I see any picture from last night’s game, my initial thought is still… Holy heck those uniforms are fugly!

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  10. FWIW, it also doesn’t surprise me that he struggled a bit defensively. Bayern’s system is far more 4-3-3, where the wingers do less tracking back than the 4-1-2-1-2 formation that we used last night. That is not to say he doesn’t need to work on that part of his game, it is just a part of his game that probably doesn’t get the same attention at his club than it would for us.

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    • By 2018, I think I will likely agree with this statement — but maybe not right now or for this summer. Shea has size, strength, and speed to burn — at this point, seems like Julian Green only has one of those attributes, and don’t even think I saw him get to open up and stretch his legs during last night’s game.

      Shea’s first touch can be abysmal, and the final product is often lacking, but I still believe he can be a difference-maker off the bench late in a game, and he is just so much more physically mature at his age than Green at 18.

      Not sure it will actually come down to Shea or Green for one of the final spots, but if it does I am still leaning towards Shea. Three more games for one or both of them to make their respective cases!

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    • If you just looked at Shea coming into the Ukraine match and Green last night, it’s a close one, we’ll have to see what the next couple months bring.

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      • Agree… Shea has the edge over Green by a couple hairs… is Green better than Shea? not at this moment…

        Shea is too physical and fast for the tiny Mexicans…. on the other hand, Green lost all physical challenges, though he was effective when he received the ball on the run due to his speed, nimble and dribbling abilities.

        JK knows he needs a physical natural left footer against the Africans and Europeans… problem is the other side of the coin, Shea cant play a lick worth of defense and neither does Green…

        BTW, something to be said for those commenting that bedoya and zusi can play LM…. please…

      • i have no disagreement with the rest of your comment, but i’ve seen the “shea can’t play defense” line a lot here, and i don’t know where it comes from.

        shea is pretty good on defense. i wouldn’t pencil him in at LB for the usmnt, but he’s actually pretty useful in tracking back.

  11. Green is definitely one to watch for the future, but I’m not sure what his place on the roster is right now, at least not as a left winger. He’s not as experienced as Donovan, who looked a step slow (for him) but still made several penetrating runs. Green is shifty with the ball, but so is Fabian Johnson, who is stronger and more experienced. I would even put Beas in as a game changer at left mid before Green at this point. He’s likely to be a really good player, and maybe will be a game changer for 2018, but I’m not sure what role he fills for this cycle. Would love to be wrong and have him rise to the top, but it seems like an awfully tall task

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    • Green potentially fills the depth role this WC. Fabian & Beasley will likely be filling the Starting LB/LM roles (barring injury). Donovan with Zusi & Bedoya, as backups, will be on the right side of midfield. Zusi & Bedoya could also fill in on the left….but would be nice to have a player with a left foot out there. I think that’s why JK has been high on Shea & Davis….Green would be another option for compitition and injury coverage as a late LM sub.

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  12. Meanwhile Aron Johansson playing a Hell of a game and I don’t even see a Thursday football thread to point out that fact. AZ looks great better than with Jozy they look like what tigers. Chasing possession, once they get the ball one touch lightening movement. Great squad.

    This is against Benfica a great team too. Best europa league game I’ve seen since Clint.

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    • AJ almost had a goal. AZ playing smarter or than the Spurs. That’s kinda embarrassing. The game is looking “dutch” right now. It’s like that Man City/Ajax game. Benfica are playing like AZ wants them to.

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      • Whats crazy is the one touch short passes out the back. Defenders with ball handling skills better than man u’s midfielders. Its amazing. Once they then get in the midfield they eat up miles then pass it in the box. Its beautiful.

        That’s why we don’t use Johansson right. He’s seeing totally different game plan at AZ.

      • When I was reading these comments, without knowing the AZ score, I was thinking, oh great, aron has a goal or an assist and AZ are winning, but no, AZ were blanked at home.

  13. Not a bad debut in important game. Green didn’t get “Donovan-type” first cap, but Green is part of Munich’s youth system (Bayern Munich currently doing well in youth system), and Green isn’t Mueller or Kroos currently, just needs time and playing time in Bayern Munich or other club.

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  14. I appreciate the inclusion of Mo’s comments. Every article I’ve seen quotes Klinsmann and Bradley, but it’s nice to see a different perspective of the story and how players are trying to integrate Green into the squad. Interesting to see how this summer will go for Green, and the beginning of next season as far as him either staying with the Bayern reserves and picking up some more first team minutes or possibly going out on loan to a 2. Bundesliga squad or something like that. Everybody says 2018 is the year to circle for Julian, I think it’s 2015: that Gold Cup tournament with a chance for the U.S. to sweep the cycle and automatically qualify for the Confed Cup should be an interesting time in Green’s international career.

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  15. The replay showed clearly that the foul was outside the box.
    Lazy journalism or sensationalism? Either way we expected better from SBI …. Or at least we used to expect better.

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      • That is not to say that there were no positive moments from the German-American attacker in his 31-minute cameo. Green, who did not speak with media afterwards, showed an aggressiveness and fearlessness about him by taking on defenders repeatedly on the left flank. Not all of his moves worked but one explosive burst on the dribble late in the game did, resulting in him being brought down in the box and appeals for a penalty kick going ignored.
        Where are the quotation marks on this?

      • it says “brought down in the box.” And those quotation marks are my own as I am quoting the author, not anybody else.

      • “resulting in him being BROUGHT DOWN IN THE BOX and appeals for a penalty kick going ignored”
        He was not brought down in the box. It was outside.

      • “Down” being the key part of that sentence. It’s totally accurate. Contact began outside the box, so no penalty, but the player clearly was in the box when he went down.

      • No, I caught that too:

        “Not all of his moves worked but one explosive burst on the dribble late in the game did, resulting in him being brought down in the box and appeals for a penalty kick going ignored.”

        Ever so slight the spin. But I think that’s all it was. Not really “sensationalism” or “lazy journalism.”

  16. So If JG does end up getting a ticket to Brazil which of these players will not make the cut: Bedoya Diskerud, Shea, Corona. I think Bedoya will be on final 23, and maybe Diskerud or Corona. I think Shea is on the outside.

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    • If limited to just the ones you mentioned, then I agree. However, unfortunately, an injury is a distinct possibility and would change all that. That’s why I like JK bringing in 30 for the May camp instead of just 23 … that way, if somebody gets hurt, you don’t have to replace him with someone that wasn’t in the May camp at all

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    • How is Bedoya continuing to be mentioned here?
      Even more so after last night, I rate him as a likely starter on this team.

      He’s the MF currently playing and playing consistently at the highest level on the team.

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      • bedoya is been coming in off the bench the last three weeks… he only plays 30 minutes… that’s not enough to make the 23 rosters… 30 list, yeah, not final 23…

      • Yes! In the European camp Bedoya was named specifically by the coaching staff as a player looking particularly sharp. He also IMO has one of the highest work rates on the team. I see him and Zusi alternating starts at RM.

    • He will … he’s not enough close to hitting his physical strength peak.

      Also, the ref. was letting a lot of physical play go (I remember twice seeing a Mexican player trailing a US player with the ball and yank on the shoulder of the US player ’til he fell … in the NFL, that’d be a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for a horse collar tackle. Last night, it was just another “physical” play.

      The kid will continue to improve (please stay away injury bug). Don’t know if he’ll have time to make the plane to Brazil, or even if he’ll ever be on a plane to a WC, but I think he more than justified that a close look at his ability was warranted.

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      • There was one nasty horse-collar. It was insane he didn’t get a yellow. Oh the ref played advantage but you go back and yellow that.

    • I agree. He is talented and I am glad to have him. But he looked like a scholl kid getting beaten up by bullies his first ten minutes.

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    • These comments always make me laugh. It reminds me of the typical american soccer Dad, who only vaguely understands the game. “That boy needs to bulk up!” It is the same with Mix. I doubt the Spaniards tell Iniesta he needs to start lifting.

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      • It’s more like the referees actually call fouls. Iniesta is not known as a diver. If anything, he’s known for literally always staying on his feet and keeping his balance.

        He and Messi must have centers of gravity in their feet.

    • Said that 4 years ago about this group when Jozy and Bradley were seemingly kids ready to conquer Europe; we were solid in the back; and the Germans were coming with JJ and Chandler either locked down or getting locked down.

      Stuff happens.

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      • Sure but MB and Jozy are still young. Every 4 years our depth keeps on growing. This team is better on paper at least then it was 4 years ago. And will be stronger in 4 years.

      • Even with our question marks, this is still the deepest and potentially best US World Cup team ever. We also happen to be in the worst draw ever for the US, so we could do well and not make it out of the group.

    • Maybe, maybe not. The world powers have 20 julian greens right now. They don’t even know the names of all their julian greens.

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  17. Clear signs of nerves, to be expected. But, overall not a bad debut. That was not a penalty. It was a foul, yes. But, not a penalty.

    And, let’s please keep in mind that he is 18. He is not going to win the golden boot at the WC (if he goes at all).

    Patience is a virtue, peeps.

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    • Agreed…I believe the commentator mentioned that his mom still drives him to practice. His early nerves were obvious, but I think he calmed down towards the end of the match. I just try to imagine being introduced in that environment as an 18 year old. I think he calmed down nicely and showed his potential. Lets all not be so reactionary and let time ( and his play in camp and the send off games) settle if he is on the plane to Brazil.

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      • You can’t drive until 18 in Germany anyway. It doesn’t have the same “coming of age” thing as in the US.

      • Disagree, not only is he ready to win the golden boot at the; Bundesliga, World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Polka Cup, it should be expected that he will. Anything less than that should be considered a failure. He should make Lahm his own personal whipping boy while securing a move to Real Madrid as the start of the future Galacticos.

      • At least make your sarcastic comment somewhat reasonable: Lahm and Green play for the same club (Green with the reserves).

    • I think it’s worth noting this was Yedlin’s second cap, and he looked MUCH improved from his first where he was clearly dealing with nerves. I expect we will see a similar jump from Green (assuming he gets another go).

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      • You make a good point but I wouldn’t expect anything. It’s pretty tough to say anything definitive about the kid after that performance. He showed flashes but lots of guys show flashes like that. Brek Shea has shown plenty of flashes. He had way too many turnovers and he sprayed his first touch around a few times but lots of guys have stretches like that. IMO you can’t tell much of anything right now. Just give him time. If he’s good in training he will get more chances.

      • He makes me think of Gyasi Zardes of the Galaxy. A lot of athleticism, but still not a polished footballer. We have seen so little of Green, but from what we have seen, I think Zardes is actually more developed (he’s several years older, too), but both are raw talents with a lot of potential.

      • You’re comparing apple and oranges. I’m a galaxy season ticket holder, I’ve watched Zardes live countless times. Yes, he’s athletic and can occasionally beat people with that athleticism. Green, however, is much better with the ball at his feet, technically, mentally with his runs, and in tight spaces. If you put Zardes in that game last night, I think he struggles much more than Green did. By the way, I thought Green did well to come in and settle the nerves and attack the Mexico defense. He has the talent, if he gets consistent minutes this season now that Bayern have the title wrapped up, I can see him growing exponentially.

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