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Ex-Sounders midfielder Gonzalo Pineda unimpressed by USMNT

Photo by Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. Men’s National Team’s run to the Copa America Centenario semifinals has been a positive step in the squad’s progression, but not everyone has been convinced by Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.

In an interview with Goal Mexico, former Seattle Sounders and Mexico midfielder Gonzalo Pineda claimed the USMNT has been lucky to reach the semifinals, where they will face Argentina on Tuesday night.

“I think it’s an illusion what they’ve got in this Copa America. Before this tournament I didn’t see, and I still don’t see, a convincing team beyond the results,” Pineda said“I don’t like the United States’ style. It has won, yes, but it hasn’t played to win, and for me against Ecuador the U.S. was saved from losing and even from being blown out.”

Pineda, now working for Univision, played the majority of his professional career in Liga MX, before finishing up with the Sounders from 2014 to 2015.

Despite Pineda’s comments regarding the U.S. team as a whole, the ex-MLS player stated the importance of former Sounders teammate Clint Dempsey, who has recorded three goals and as many assists at the Copa America.

“In general, I don’t see a convincing United States. It’s very dependent on Clint Dempsey, an extremely gifted player, a genius, an exceptional player with a winning personality who knows exactly what to do when the ball comes to him,” Pineda added. “Thanks to him, the United States is at this stage. Without Dempsey, they wouldn’t be where they are. There hasn’t been the generational change that was promised years ago.”

What do you think of Pineda’s comments? Is the USMNT too reliant on Dempsey in the attack?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Mierda! I came here to bash the guy but I actually agree with him for the most part. We clearly outclassed Ecuador with a better team effort, so I dunno what he’s talking about there, but he’s absolutely right in that the change that was promised has still been kept on hold in favor of these older players like Bradley, Jones, Beckerman etc who still play “soccer” instead of football.

    As far as our results go, I do think he’s shunting the credit a little to try and stir the pot. He probably rates Costa Rica highly, despite the fact we beat them off the pitch. I wanted to see a bit more from us in this tournament, honestly, and I thought we had the players to begin to make it happen. I’m not saying Klinsmann hasn’t made the best or the right selections thus far, just that he hasn’t brought in the organizational attitude change he kept spoonfeeding us for years. Reality is simply that we are a third tier nation trying to move up and rather than go for broke and let the chips fall where they may Klinsmann would rather take the tortoise’s approach.

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  2. You can be a good team and never win anything. You can also be a team that is good that gets a bit of luck and wins great things. Or a great team that is unlucky and never wins any thing.

    The moral of the story.

    Sometimes its better to be lucky than good

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  3. We just need to win. It the best way to shut up haters.

    I’m still “mad” at JJ we could’ve throttled ecuador. Bobby wood should’ve slid in front of Arroyo on that 2nd goal. I guess hes gets a pass for being a FW in defense. Those headers were missed because the USMNT were in Ecuadors heads at that point.
    We won back to back games with red cards when does that happen!

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  4. He went on to say that every 2-0 result for the USA against Mexico was lucky, and also, every result that landed Seattle in 9th place is also unlucky, and why can’t he get decent mexican food in the Northwest?

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  5. Sour grapes. One of the things I hate about the Mexican National Team is that they are the biggest poor sports when the lose. They are whiny and always have an excuse. The funny thing is that in this Copa the U.S had the group of death and Mexico had the easiest group.

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  6. He’s a pundit. And, in any case, I think there’s plenty of truth to his comments, when considered as a whole. I’m not sure why this is news.

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  7. There are a few things you can count on in life, death, taxes, and Mexican soccer players disdain for our soccer culture here. I put this on the level of the kid throwing a tantrum in mall, look, shake your head, move on.

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  8. Most Americans have a realistic viewpoint of where the USMNT stands…I mean, geez, the rhetoric is still very much anti-Klinsmann, “we’re not good enough,” etc.

    Everybody is certainly happy to get results, but few are acting like this is some referendum of an arrival as a permanent world power. In fact, most are nervous about getting a thrashing of our own from Messi and Co.

    Sporting-wise, El Tri has always been the one consistent thing Mexico can hold above the U.S. and any time it’s threatened this is what you get…talking down of the U.S.

    And to whoever it was who referred to the delusions of grandeur the El Tri fanbase has? Spot-on. They might actually be the worst with that on a world-level.

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  9. Not sure why we need to write an article about comments by a washed up player who is paid by Univision to placate their Mexican viewers. What else is he going to say, “El Tri really weren’t as good as they first appeared, quit half way through the Chile game, and the USMNT now has a chance to regain its title as the best Concacaf team”?

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  10. Eh… whatever. Reeks of a someone uninformed- a commentator going off past information/impressions. Being impartial, I can’t t o t a l l y disagree, but to those who have payed close attention to this team, there are significant signs of progress with a generation beyond Dempsey- Wood, Pulisic, Brooks, Nagbe to name a few…. as well as the standard of play on the field beyond last Gold Cup. Quite alright- there is always a lag between progress and recognition of such from the outside. No offense taken- lets put together continued, consistent results/quality over time and the plaudits will come.

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    • I’d add there may be a hint of damage control- feeble attempt at face saving………… “At least we went down playing proactive…” That works when you lose by 1 or 2 in a closely contested match, however…… there is no honor or respect due being absolutely over run and clearly quitting in the process. Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to quietly eat the caca. Going to take a lot of time and results hard fought on the field to heal that one….. words or justification will only make it worse.

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  11. Living in Chicago I have the opportunity to meet (and work) with many fans of Mexico. Some born in Mexico, but most are 2nd generation. Almost unanimously, all believed Mexico would win the Copa Centenario.

    Pineda summarizes what I mostly associate with the mentality of Mexican fans: delusional of grandeur. They get hot for a few months and suddenly they’re the best team in the world.

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    • I just had another sip of Mexican tears… I bottled them up Saturday night as an afternoon pick me up when I need it after lunch… I think I have enough tears for 7 days. They are sweeter than Ice Cream and more energizing than coffee! Everyone should try some. I know the Trump has his own stash somewhere too…

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    • Mexico goes through cycles of high peaks (like Olympic Gold, 3rd in U-20 World Cup, constant Concacaf U-20 champion since 2011, Gold Cups)….and then massive crash & burns like 2014 qualification and Chile.

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  12. A little bitter eh,
    It is concerning, and awesome, how much Clint carries this team in the score sheet but the other 10 players are just as important imo and are certainly playing at his level.

    But hey Gonzalo, keep to talking about what went wrong vs Chile!!!

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  13. John Brooks has been great, as has the defense in general. I don’t pay much attention to that stuff based on their most recent result though.

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    • Apparently Man City is monitoring him right now and Hertha Berlin is said to have a £20 million evaluation on him with growing interest this summer.

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    • Bryan, is that you’re impression of the Mexican? He won’t focus on the strength Brooks proved to have become in defense for the USA, because 7:0 He knows Mexico would kill to have had Brooks the other night?

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  14. I agree that much of this is an illusion but I am happy to see us get results… I have been a big critic of Jurgen in the past and I don’t see us playing better football than we did under Bob Bradley but he is learning to play the more “American” way. Thus far his settled line-up has worked and Clint has been clinical enough to see through. It will take a herculian effort against ‘Tina.

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    • I Disagree. The US played toe to toe with every team out here and had the hardest tourney run of any team (except maybe Colombia, because Bolivia played them hard). We played toe to toe, elegant soccer against Colombia and came up short b/c of 2 mistakes. We then thoroughly decimated CR and beat a very good Paraguay side by playing attacking football. At no point did we bunker and counter… then, same thing against Ecuador. To the extent we don’t make it further, it will be because of the yellow card accumulation which resulted from hard-fought physical matches and poor refereeing… which illustrates, maybe that we don’t have the depth required, yet to win a major tournament… but our run so far is anything but an illusion.

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      • Agree with you Turk, there is still plenty room to improve but to say we aren’t playing a more proactive style against teams we would have solely bunkered and countered in the past isn’t very accurate IMO. Specifically in this tournament. There are always variables, being down a man, etc but we finally have a line up and with each game played they are showing more and more cohesion and ability.

      • I was proud of our first half performance against Ecuador, but I was also really disappointed at how quickly we lost composure in the 2nd half. Once Ecuador made it 2-1 we completely stopped trying to attack or even hold minimal possession.

      • Completely agree with Turk. Only bunkers I’ve seen have been at the end..and that’s OK when down a man, with our reliance on over-30+ players with another game in the pipeline. You can’t play Tora,Tora,Tora soccer non-stop 90 with our lack of depth unless the other team has already completely given up and can’t even be bothered to chase the ball. That’s when you bring in the kids, let Christian, Nagbe attack ’em nonstop.

    • except for the part where he’s insinuating we were/have been lucky to advance to the semis which is the exact definition of off base! Our style of playing doesn’t and shouldn’t suit him or the rest of Mexico, we have been successful with our style but it seems we are starting to turn a corner towards a more possession based style in this tourney. The grit, heart and never say die attitude ain’t going anywhere anytime soon though!

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  15. Off topic: I saw Gonzalo with his family walking along Lincoln Rd Mall in April. Nobody knew who he was in regular clothes. Kind of surprised nobody approached him considering all of the foreign tourists who visit that area. Maybe only Mexicans and hardcore US fans know of him.

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  16. Yah, I guess he must be right about US-Ecuador because he surely knows what a blowout in the Copa quarterfinals looks like.

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  17. Gonzalo you mad ? or nah? Wood and underated Zardes and Jones have put in work for Dempsey to get those goals. Gonzalo made the USA is balling. I have Hispanos and Mexican Ancestry through my maternal grandmother, but wonder what he was saying when they needed us to help them get to the World Cup.

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  18. What i would like to know is did he just come out and say this or was he asked about the US team in this Copa because I gotta say this reeks of envy and the mere fact that the Mexican program, on a year to year basis, is put on a pedestal and underwhelms when it matters most is a joke and one he needs to be addressing since he’s in the mood to examine the state of the US program. No one with any soccer knowledge or who knows the history of the US/Mexico rivalry can take his opinions as anything other than being butt hurt or the proverbial “sour grapes”! I wonder what his answer would have been in reference to the this same US team helping El Tri get to the WC 2 years ago?? Sadly another case of Mexicans deflecting their failures by addressing, intelligently, the state of the US’ game. And lastly, why is it always “lucky” when the US beats big teams or get results when they are unexpected, which again shows his lack of intelligence unfortunately.

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    • “Sadly another case of Mexicans deflecting their failures by addressing, intelligently, the state of the US’ game”
      Those time when you try to sound intelligent and it blows up in your face.

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    • And lastly, why is it always “lucky” when the US beats big teams or get results when they are unexpected, which again shows his lack of intelligence unfortunately.

      Unfortunately, many Americans are guilty of doing the same thing. Either because they dislike the manager or because the inferiority complex is self-perpetuating.

      Additionally, these same American fans are often guilty of falling under the spell of seeing Mexico play position-oriented soccer and associating that with a higher level of skill while ignoring whether that translates to a higher level of success.

      I’ve grown incredibly tired of fellow fans doing both over the years since I started following soccer and it’s far too prevalent than I think people want to admit.

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      • Old School, I agree with most of what you said except “seeing Mexico play position (possession?)-oriented soccer and associating that with a higher level of skill while ignoring whether that translates to a higher level of success”.

        Of course that means Mexican teams are usually more skilled and technical at that aspect of the game, which is an extremely important aspect. And yes Mexico has been more successful because of it. That is why the USMNT has traditionally lacked possession of the ball and had to defend and counter. The USMNT has other qualities that allow them to overcome this at times, that is why they are still able to have some success. But imagine how good the USMNT could be if they could pass and retain possession AND have their normal positive qualities on top of that.

      • I disagree that the US would be better if we were playing a possession based brand of soccer. Countering has long been a successful tactic employed by very good teams. Every Jose Mourinho team, Leicester and the Italian national team come to mind. Just because you concede possession doesn’t mean you’re an inferior team. You play to your strengths.

      • MLSnob, of course they would be better if they had more technical skill and could play possession based soccer. You are arguing counter vs possession as tactics which is different from what I am arguing. I am arguing that as a whole the USMNT couldn’t play possession based soccer right now against most good teams even if they wanted to. I am talking about their skill set not about the tactics themselves. When that improves the USMNT will be top 10 in the world.

  19. In what parallel universe is a Mex national going to praise USMNT? Kinda be like Messi taking Maradona comments to heart…

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  20. Is he even watching the games? Aside from Colombia, the US has pretty much dictated attacking play when playing 11v11. Ecuador almost blew us out? Not from what anyone with eyes can see.

    We haven’t played the sexiest football, due to our personnel, but to say we haven’t played to win is just flat out wrong

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    • Ecuador missed some clear chances against us. Had they been as clinical as, lets say Chile, we could have easily lost that game. Not that it would be a blow out.

      You cannot say that the US missed too many clear chances, or even created too many more chances than our goals.

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      • not so sure i agree with that entirely. against Colombia, some clutch saves kept Dempsey from scoring. We also had 1-2 chances that were taken terribly.

        against CR we created endless chances and finished ruthlessly.

        against Paraguay, we were doing well until the red. So I think it should be excluded in the conversation.

        That leaves Ecuador. we had so many chances in the first half including a handful that should have been goals (Bedoya!!!). Yes, Ecuador also created a ton of very good opportunities it should have finished. But if you look at the Expected Goal maps…both teams were even.

        in other words, i think the US has, for the most part, created almost as many chances as they have allowed (excluding the Paraguay 2nd half).

      • I was really just commenting about the Ecuador game – and particularly about the second half 10v 10. I didn’t see the Colombia match; we overwhelmed CR; and we were running uphill the second half v. Paraguay after Yedlin’s card

        We weren’t over-run by Ecuador – like Mexico was by Chile, – but, we got our fair share of the breaks as Ecuador couldn’t put the the ball on net. E Valencia had a few good chances that he either plain missed or scuffed. We played well, but I wouldn’t argue that we were 100% in control of the game.

    • I think there’s some truth to his comments. We’ve played to win in the first halves of games but not in the second halves. We can overlook the 2nd half against Paraguay because we were a man down, but there’s no denying that we were panicked in the 2nd half against Ecuador. In particular after they scored, we failed to even attempt to possess the ball for the last 20 minutes.

      Compare this to e.g. the way Chile played against Mexico – same offensive style, no matter what the score.

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  21. Easy to (wrongfully) critique a national team in the semifinals while sitting on your couch. Would love to hear what he thinks of the Mexicants

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