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USMNT 2, Mexico 2: Match Highlights

Eddie Johnson

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS1R4wxjUok]

Comments

  1. I was at the game. Had a friend from England there. Totally loved it. We even got to see some fights in front of us.

    Something we both agreed on. DEMPSEY should not be captain. He just fell all the time instead of playing the game. He is so slow and its time to use him as a super sub. Also, what gives with him wanting to take the final shot. As a captain, you must be ready to think for the team, not yourself. He should have played the ball in the box instead of shooting to win the game. Landon seemed to try to explain to him what is best but he was prideful and wanted to be a savior. We had height, and his poor decisions and mentality are not captain material. His demeanor also affects the team.

    We also stopped playing through Bradley. If we want to win, we need to play through him all the time.

    Green was not given much chances. They needed to get him more involved. It was great to see the fear in Mexico as they put 3 players on him.

    It was a goal. We were right at the line of sight with the Ref. Blown call.

    Glad it was a good game…did not want to see a blow out. It made it very exciting.

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  2. I know a lot of people are calling out Gonzo but I feel Beckerman could have done more on both those goals. On the second goal, The initial shot came from a guy he could/should have been marking. On the first goal, if he had seen the pick sooner he could have switched markers. I’m not saying Gonzo couldn’t have done better but Beckerman was also involved in both those goals.

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    • I remember Seattle picking Omar on an EJ goal last year as well. I also thought then why not just let Omar roam the middle and not even bother with having him mark someone?

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    • Also it’s not that I think Omar can’t mark but we can’t be surprised that teams are going to design picks that take or draw the tallest player who generally wins the most header out of a position where he is most effective.

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  3. So am I the only one in here who thought the AR was correct on the disallowed goal? Sure looks like the entire upper half of eddie is beyond the mexican defender.

    Definitely close enough that it would get called pretty often in any league in the world.

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    • I thought he was on at first, but I now agree with you. Camera angles are deceptive, as are the AR’s vantage point. Close enough for me to not worry (about the outcome of a friendly).

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    • I’m trying to find it in slow motion. At full speed, I would say the AR was 100% wrong. During the game the replay showed maybe an elbow was offside but… I still think bad call.

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      • This is presumably at the moment the ball was passed. Both players feet are on the yellow line, the mexican player is standing straight up, eddie is leaning toward goal: https://twitter.com/MarkMravic/status/451591392968466432/photo/1

        I’m with quaker though. Close enough that neither team would have much to argue about. Urkaine’s goal that was wiped off against us was more clearly incorrect. Win some lose some.

      • I mean, I’m looking at those fotos and still think eddie was _ever so slightly_ off. The author of the post seems to have a tenuous grasp of the offside rule when he urges readers to “look at his feet.”

        For me the feet are the dead giveaway. Considering their feet are almost exactly in line, eddie’s stance puts him off.

        And I like his disclaimer on the update: that the more revealing foto is taken from a bad angle. Meanwhile all his visual evidence is from a much worse angle.

      • That’s true feet don’t matter. Urg, I feel like his elbow if off. I hate an offside call for a elbow.

      • there wouldn’t be an offside call for an elbow; it has to be part of the body that can play the ball: hands, elbows, arms=no offside.

  4. Wrighteous, LIl’ Zeke, Jesse D, John Lowe said “I think I am dumber for having read this”, downintexas, bogie8 “you must be trolling”, ronniet, Gary Page, 57Tele, Ben, and Dukey.

    This is a list of just some of the folks who tried to argue with my correct understanding of the Landon Donovan situation in Ives “Who should start” thread from a few days ago. I was never trying to be “right” but just communicate my informed understanding of the Donovan situation. These folks expressed everything from simple disagreement (no problem) to utter contempt and dismissiveness (problem). How do you all like me now?

    Ives, we need to make the pie higher. It is one thing to love your country and the best player that country has ever produced, it is quite another thing to be deluded about a current situation based on a love affair with the past.

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      • You might be mistaken, Klinsmann was concerned about fitness too. But even if it were just an injury it would help explain everything I said about him, which denyers and h8ers tried to attack.

        GOAT does not equal Greatest Today. Klinsmann knows this, lets see how long it takes USMNT fans to figure this out.

  5. After watching the highlights how do you explain not calling the foul on Julian Green at the edge of the box? the referee was literally 5 feet away. Not saying anything about the results, ot what should have been. Just asking how do you stare that in the fAce and not call it. I refereed basketball for 15 years. We were critiqued and accountable for our work at the high school and college level. There appears to be no accountability for horrible work. They are stealing money. Work harder at your craft, please.

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    • Much Agreed Byrdman.
      I guess the only thing one can think is that The ref had a brain freeze.
      A total glitch because of where the foul occurred,
      stuck between, is that a penalty kick?, or just a free kick at the edge of the box?.
      by the time he had any mind to do anything the play was already back down the field.

      I am not even going to get into EJ’s perfectly good goal.
      A really nice finish actually,
      clinical, would have beaten any keeper in the world.

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      • What you said, plus I feel like JG acted as if he expected the call, and that maybe swayed the ref the wrong direction. Sad to say, grabbing ankles and writhing in pain is the preferred method of asking for a call in CONCACAF.

    • That’s easy. USA has to be 1.5 goals better to win in CONCACAF, and sometimes even that isn’t enough. Witness the obviously clear goal disallowed.

      If FIFA ever went to laser review of offsides, USA would get 1-2 extra results per season.

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  6. The game gave as many questions as answers for who the 23 will be for Brazil.

    1.) MB great at pulling the strings in the middle, can he do that as effectively with JJones as a partner? Beckermann had some solid moments in the first half. Edu has great range and more speed. Who ends up partnering w/MB?

    2.) Gonzo had some hiccups (every player does). His getting picked doesn’t concern me so much as his lack of speed and especially “first step” change of direction speed. His turn is just slow, Ghana, Portugal, Germany= speed up front. I don’t dislike Gonzo, it’s just physics. Goodson also not fast, his turn and reaction seems a bit smoother. Besler is in the middle in Brazil, has some speed, good vision, reads the game well. Who partners with him? Geoff Cameron has pace, has played CB (his orig.pos.w/Dynamo). Edu has pace, has played minimally at CB. Both are also comfortable w/ the ball at their feet, to start play out of the back.

    3.) Speed v2. Dempsey is slow. What does that mean?, well he’s always had a bag of moves but when you make a move you have to have some speed to maintain the separation you created with the move. Chasing the ball Dempsey looks like his shoes are tied together. Speaking of shoes, how many times did Dempsey flop and sit on the ground adjusting his shoestrings. Stop the flop. If you fall down trying to draw a foul and you don’t hear a whistle – get up, unless you’re actually hurt. Out of 10 flops Dempsey got 1 call. Not a great %, keep possession, move the ball, connect w/team mates. He gets the same results in MLS. Add to that Dempsey’s finger pointing when he doesn’t get the perfect pass, just get on with it. A scowl, tats and an armband don’t mean jack, just let play your game and don’t use your energy for the other stuff.

    4.) Speed v3. Donovan is also noticeably slower (it happens to everyone). So much of his game is based on speed and getting past the first defender, can he have the same effect being a step slower? His passing is at the level of Dempsey or better. Even coming off the bench, he still has the ability and awareness to create. He may play that role in Brazil.
    Others-
    Wondo – loved his attitude. Positive, intense, clever, put the ball in the net. EJ – great sequence on the false flag goal, historically great in the air. Barring injury Jozy starts. Partners? AJ goes to Brazil, Wondo goes to Brazil, EJ goes to Brazil?
    Parkhurst was positionally smart, not fast but not molasses, can cross, can play multiple positions. I see him in the 23.
    Beltran – good outing, not out of his element at that level.
    Zusi – steady, smart, great engine, outside of MB probably the most calm on the ball of anyone on the USMNT.
    Davis – good crosses and soccer IQ, does the USMNT focus on set pieces increase his chances?
    Green – You can see his wheels are turning and he is willing to take people on. You can see his soccer IQ and calm demeanor (even though he had his hiccups during the game). Brazil bound?
    Yedlin looked more comfortable. Great asset to move forward and with pace. Is he a possibility for the 23?

    Klinsmann has a lot of questions to answer – When things are fairly equal in terms of skill and fit within the squad, what do you choose? Do you go with experience or youth and speed? So many positions up in the air still. Is that a beneficial thing? I think there are more questions (and more options) than ever before. How will the cake come out of the oven? Time will tell 🙂
    Peace to you my soccer loving brothers and sisters.

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    • I agree with your #4. Watching the S. Korea v USA game I remember seeing Donovan through on goal and a S. Korean player chasing and hawk him down. The younger Donovan wouldn’t have been caught, that was an eye opener for me. He’s always been my favorite player being the same age as him, I’ve felt it growing older as well. He has to change his game to be smarter and much more clever since the physical attributes have faded.

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    • I agree with a lot of your assessments.

      Parkhurst impressed, and actually one full field sprint in the 1st half suprised me, because he’s fastER than I gave him credit for.

      It was disheartening to see LD dispossessed while trying to beat Marquez. LD might be old, but Rafa is older, and I hate him.

      I think that, after he settled, Green had a decent showing (late in 2nd half), but I don’t think he’s Brazil-bound. If he gets some 1st team minutes with Bayern (or is loaned out this fall), I can definitely see 2015 Gold Cup squad.

      I trust Cameron more than Gonzo by far at CB, but I just don’t think our fullback options are strong enough to not play him at RB. I was hoping we’d see Goodson and Besler partnered, because they did so well together in the Gold Cup.

      Beltran impressed me RELATIVE to how well I expected based on his prior 2 caps, even though I wouldn’t say he was exceptional. While I wouldn’t sign him up for Brazil (even as a backup), I’d be calling him in over Brad Evans as a backup any day of the week.

      Good to see Wondo prove he can score on non-minnows. He’d be my #4 striker for Brazil, and his performance (including a beautiful cross barely cut out before reaching Dempsey) has to strengthen his case.

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  7. Maybe the ugliest kits in USMNT history. Well, no, there was at least one I can remember from a while back. But these uniforms are bad. So bad that when I saw a video like at the top of this blog, I don’t even want to play it. I also forgot what I originally wanted to say here.

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    • We need to sever all connections with Nike. It’s bad enough they have made every national side they’ve touched in Europe look like pimps, but now they are screwing with us – please, go with Adidas only in the future. At least that company has some respect for tradition.

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      • If mls wasn’t tied down to Adidas I could see that happening. There must of been a trade off as Adidas used to make kits for the USMNT prior to MLS.

      • MLS is basically tied to Adidas? Seems like that ought to be a positive for Adidas to get the US kit contract. These kits leave you wishing your ’94 WC kit still fit.

        On EJ’s “goal”, I wonder if him clearly being in an offside position until a step or 2 before the ball was played didn’t factor into the decision (did the official have time to see he may have gotten himself back onside?). Still, a beaten defender should never get bailed out by a bad call … and it looks like it barely was/

        On the no-call on Green’s move, the defender was leaning hard right, and then Green played to ball to the defender’s left. It looks like the defender didn’t move his foot, but his knee clearly rose up into Green’s path … I think that’s still supposed to be a foul. The defender’s initial reaction of “Oh crap, what have I done?” should’ve said it all. Either way, it appeared the initial contact occurred over the outside edge of the line marking the box. For a PK instead of a direct free kick, the foul must be fully inside the box … right?

      • I thought it was a free kick.

        First replay I saw I thought he wasn’t touched but then I notice that Green’s knee not his foot was the think clipped.

        Green was fine. He wasn’t horribly out of his depth but he totally wasn’t ready to be hacked and not get the call. I thought I saw visible confusion as to why he wasn’t getting fouls. Welcome to Concacaf.

      • I’m certainly not advocating the Green-for-Brazil 2014 ticket, but he definitely settled after the initial nerves.

        Yes, he is at fault in part for Mexico’s equalizer (his header settled into the path of an onrushing player, and his ball watching afterward didn’t help.)

        But, after he went out briefly with a shoulder injury, he was pretty solid when he came back.

        ALSO, it was good to see him try to fight through the challenge (even though it wasn’t in the box) and not just dive.

      • have you seen the fire’s new home kits? they are atrocious, and designed by adidas and have no respect for tradition. so it’s pretty sweet being a fan of the fire and usmnt nowadays jersey wise…

      • Oh yeah – they do look like that! What were those things called? Bomb Pops or something like that. You could always tell when someone ate one, because his lips would be stained red in some places and blue in others – the colors never ran together to make purple.

        I’ll take Where’s Waldo over the Bomb Pop.

    • They weren’t as ugly on the field as when I first saw them (but that would have been hard, as I thought they were truly horrendous at first). But I still didn’t like them for a different reason- they didn’t seem like the U.S. It was like we were wearing the jerseys of Russia or the Czech Republic.

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  8. Overall a good showing for the US. Bradley looked great playing with Beckerman, it just concerns me that he won’t be as free flowing and fluid playing with J Jones.

    It seems to have happened overnight but Landon and Clint are clearly a level below what they once were.

    Omar G scares me, he still gets caught ball watching and the teams in our group will make us pay dearly.

    Mexico is not good. I see them getting bounced unceremoniously this Summer.

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    • ehh if the US looked good in the first half then it’s hard to say Mexico didn’t look good in the second half. Which is funny because we had a good chunk of our World Cup team on the field and on the bench.

      It would be dangerous to think that both teams didn’t contribute to each one dominating in either half. What I mean is that Mexico didn’t make any tactical changes in the second half, Herrera merely rearranged his pieces and took a player out. Why then, did we such a drastic, positive change for Mexico while the US looked like a shell of itself?

      It’s simple really, Mexico ran a lot in the first half but couldn’t compete. The US ran a lot in the second half and couldn’t compete.

      The reason I mention this is because I see way too much emphasis being placed on the offsides call, which to me was correct…..if just so, and not enough focus on what cause the US to flat line in the second half.

      Let us not forget that this was a trend a while back under Bradley, where the team had slow starts and eventually evened things out or overcame deficits. Klinsmann’s tenure has been the opposite with good tactical adjustments in the second half, coupled with subs, that lock games down in the US’ favor.

      That was, collectively speaking, a very young attack for Mexico and players we will see for quite a few years. I was not impressed with the way Besler and Gonzalez dealt with Jimenez and that’s my biggest takeaway from this game because we’ll see players like Jimenez in the World Cup (of a bit higher quality) and the way his movement and skill pulled our defense out of sorts was troubling. It forced Beckerman and Bradley to pinch in and help the defense and allowed Mexico to win pretty much every rebound in the midfield.

      Seems like we answered a few questions but a few more questions have arised.

      Same as it ever was, I guess.

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      • I’m not defending the US performance in the 2nd half (Gonzo letting Rafa Marquez of all people go unmarked…), but it should be noted that Herrera made THREE halftime subs. That’s simply not an option at 45′ in a competitive (non-friendly) match unless you’re in massively dire straits.

        To be fair, the same strategy of getting a result through mass substitutions has also backfired for opponents (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and, in different situations, worked for the US (JK’s 1st match vs. Mexico, match vs. Russia).

      • Not sure what you’re talking about since Herrera only made two subs at halftime, he brought Medina in for Zavala and Jimenez in for Pena. The goalkeeper substitution was already planned before the game and according to Herrera, the Jimenez > Pena sub was the only reactionary sub he made at half time.

        Mexico’s tactical set up remained the same and that was the main point of my argument. In the first half, Fabian was trotted out in a false 9 role and the inclusion of Jimenez pushed Fabian to the midfield where he helped Mexico take control of the game.

      • Not sure if anybody read a recent article on last nights match, but Gonzalez basically called out Beckerman for the first goal and pointed to a lack of set piece practice for the second. This type of character should not represent our country in Brazil. The ideal back line should be:

        Parkhurst-Cameron-Besler-Johnson

        with Beasley, Brooks and Goodson behind

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