By FRANCO PANIZO
There’s wild finishes, and then there’s what happened in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s friendly with the Netherlands.
The U.S. looked set to succumb to a number of defensive miscues on Friday, but managed to defeat the Netherlands, 4-3, after pulling off an incredible three-goal comeback that included two goals in the final two minutes of regulation.
U.S. substitutes Danny Williams and Bobby Wood opened their international scoring accounts in quick succession to finish off a ferocious rally that gave the Americans their first win over the Dutch. Williams netted courtesy of a deflected shot in 89th minute, and Wood pushed home the close-range winner a mare seconds after the post denied the Netherlands of reclaiming the lead.
John Brooks started the improbable rally in the friendly at Amsterdam Arena in the 70th minute, slotting a shot into the back of the net to give the U.S. some hope.
The Netherlands jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second half, scoring two goals in four minutes. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored his second goal of the game in the 49th minute with a headed effort, and then took a shot moments later that deflected off of teammate Memphis Depay before stinging off the far post and going in.
There was no flukiness to the way Depay and Huntelaar combined for the opener in the 27th minute. Depay whipped in a cross from the left, and Huntelaar took advantage of lax marking from Brooks and fellow U.S. centerback Ventura Alvarado to hit a nodded effort past goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Creating a number of chances of its own in the first half, Jurgen Klinsmann’s side pulled level through Gyasi Zardes’ first international goal. Fabian Johnson floated a ball to the back post in the 33 minutes into the game, and Zardes was there to meet the pass with a low effort that Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen could not keep out.
Shoddy defending was evident throughout the course of the match from both teams, but it was the U.S. that was worse off until late in the game.
The Netherlands almost took a 2-1 lead before halftime on two occasions. Georginio Wijnaldum saw a volleyed goal called back for a shove on Timmy Chandler in the 44th minute, and Depay misfired seconds later despite weaving through a pair of American defenders.
Netherlands captain Robin van Persie had a chance to give his country the lead as well. In the 47th minute, van Persie headed a ball on frame that Guzan did well to react to. Van Persie followed up on the rebound, but his back-heel attempt was cleared off the line by Kyle Beckerman.
The Americans also had opportunities to jump out in front before the late pandemonium. Zardes nearly opened the scoring in the 15th minute, hitting a low effort that forced Cillessen into a kick-save.
U.S. captain Michael Bradley hit a low but hard shot four minutes later, only to see it smack off the right post.
Brek Shea also had a look for the U.S. in the 22nd minute. Aron Johannsson slipped Shea in alone on goal, but the left back’s curled effort at angle was easily swallowed by Cillessen.
It was Huntelaar that eventually broke the 1-1 deadlock, slipping in between Brooks and substitute central defender Michael Orozco to push home a cross from Gregory van der Wiel.
Depay then accidentally directed Huntelaar’s strike in the 53rd minute to put the Americans in a deep hole that it did not seem they could climb out of.
Wijnaldum almost made it 4-1 in the 62nd minute, forcing Guzan into a big save after heading a cross from the left down and on frame.
Klinsmann made a flurry of substitutes in response to the Netherlands’ success, and it paid off.
Brooks intercepted a ball with 20 minutes left in the match and darted up field while the U.S. quickly moved it around. The play ended with speedy substitute DeAndre Yedlin hitting a low cross to Brooks, who tapped the ball in for his second U.S. goal.
The Netherlands nearly reclaimed a two-goal lead in the 83rd minute when Johnson’s attempt to clear a ball for the U.S. ricocheted off a fallen Luuk de Jong before hitting the post.
Williams then punished the Dutch for their continued poor defending. The veteran midfield took advantage of the space allowed in front of him, unleashing a shot that went in off the underside off the crossbar after taking a fortunate deflection.
Guus Hiddink’s team nearly came back and found a winner shortly after, but the post saved the U.S. and allowed the Americans to spring a counterattack. Bradley penetrated up the middle with a dribbling run before passing to substitute forward Jordan Morris, who then fed Wood with an inch-perfect ball across the six-yard box that sent Klinsmann and the American bench into a frenzy.
The U.S. will next take on Germany in a friendly on June 10 at RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne.
What do you think of the U.S.’s 4-3 comeback win over the Netherlands? Who impressed/disappointed you? Where does this game rank among the craziest ones you’ve ever seen?
Share your thoughts below.
Jordan Morris is the first college player to get a call-up in 15 YEARS. That was when the MLS was three years old. And he has been a complete revelation, the best player in the attack over the past few games. How many players have we ever had that balled against teams like Holland?
Yet no one is discussing the fact that maybe, just maybe, Klinsmann has a good eye for talent. The only thing we will hear about is how he gave undeserving Player X a few minutes in a friendly last year and how much that decision set back American soccer.
I can’t remember ever seeing such a warped public perception on anything in professional sport. This guy would be treated like a war hero if he were American.
If only we could use 6 subs in a real match.
The Dutch defense only leaked those late goals because they had fresh-legged American speedsters running at them late in the match. This match was exciting, but poor for us.
It was great to watch, sure, but it’s not an indication of progress in my opinion. That’s what I’m looking for, progress. It’s becoming more and more difficult to keep giving John Brooks free passes for his ball-watching, and Johannsson just can’t seem to click with Bradley. We know we have speed to burn and some wicked shooters, but I’m just not seeing the mental growth.
We still don’t know what our best midfield is, Chandler is still too shaky, and Brek Shea at left back won’t ever seem right to me. What seems clear to me is that we need to lean on youth and pace until we get players with vision and technique needed to play the “proactive” style successfully.
Hey Franco, no dangling participles, OK?
what a horrible day for JK haters. Bobby Wood scores…Bobby Wood he sucks. Danny Williams scores….he is terrible……JAB scores attacking out of the back….we’re the USA…he can’t do that….i want a statement from Gulati asap….oh yeah and Jordan Morris can assist….he is an amateur….actually he is a freakin beast….he also can jump out of the gym….which the dutch also saw in toulon.
one other thing….countless books have been written about dutch Total Football…..not even one chapter has ever been devoted to dutch defense…..TF founder Rinus Michels had this one line on dutch defense ” i don’t care who is playing rite back as long as somebody is”……
Troy,
Pretty sure DMB officially retired from USMNT on his own terms. BTW – think Beasely is 32-33.
Watched Houston-NYRB play later in the night and lo and behold Beasley was on the pitch. How quickly 2014 has come and gone. He was a solid player for the USMNT at the World Cup and now no call up.
Troy… beasley is what… 36? Friednlies are about the future
He announced his international retirement last year.
Only Tottenham would be stupid enough to not play Yedlin. He has the speed, talent and work rate to be a regular RB in the Premier League which if he were english he would already be doing.
And the moral of the story iiiiiiisssss…..
Keep watching over rated English players in the PL
Or
Support an underrated and improving by the second, MLS.
Ps.not saying you cant do both
+1
PL is eye candy and a form of fast mediatized soccer that is probably hard to adapt to when you’re young and from another place. Anyways we watch it because it’s this testing ground for talent and individual failure is common and almost welcomed as much as success.
So it is a good thing that Tottenham is bringing Yedlin along slowly.
The Jordan Morris hype train must pick up steam and must go on. Cardinal Rooney
I watched the game afer work today, it was a very exciting game, but not one full of solid defensive efforts.
Before we get too excited about the US new-found attacking ability, it is worth it to reflec that, the Netherlands had no answer for speedy attackers. Zardes, Yedlin, Shea and Morris all exposed the Orange lack of pace in the back. (As well at the lack of good marking of outside runners.)
What i really did like about the US attack is that both Williams and Bradley were able to dribble against the Dutch midfield (and Mix did ok at it as well)).
From the Dutch perspective, there is plenty to work on, surrendering chances to the US as often as they did points to a serious lack of defensive capability and concentration as well as a serious lack of pace in the back.
Jordan Morris has good feet..
If he can do any thing with his head then he’ll definitely challenge people at the international level..
The US has a pretty good program in place at the moment..
The overall performances have been good enough to believe that guys have bought into the philosophy pushed by JK and staff..
The attrition is there..
The individual skill level and overall team play seems to be there also..
The Dutch were caught watching on key plays.. Probably didn’t have the proper inventory for the opponent..
Seems like a little doubt set in..
“The Dutch were caught watching on key plays.. Probably didn’t have the proper inventory for the opponent..”
Die Mannsvcaft will not be caught sleeping … Their eyes will be certainly be open after today’s victory.
Can someone say a bump in the FIFA Coca-Cola rankings?
dudes, its still a meaningless friendly. We played great, but its still a meaningless friendly… there won’t be any bump in the rankings.
Great result for the Americans. But will it ever matter? $90 to buy a national team jersey for a sport not too many Americans care for? How does that sell the sport? Ever heard of free advertising??
pretty much ALL sports jerseys are around $90… how does that prove anything? no one is stopping you from going to the flea market and getting a cheap knockoff…
You could look to a third party for that, which I did. I got 4 authentic/replicas NT jerseys for $90. It’s all about buying from the right source…
It was an amazing match!! Couldn’t believe the result! Mix looked like himself today! When he is playing with NYCFC he just looks fustratred. Yedlin and Morris are the truth! Yedlin is just so fast. The Spurs better get him on the field next year. What a waste just having him in the bench. Each cross was crisp. Depay made our defense look ridiculous on numerous occasions. That guy has quality. Bradley was great and showed his aggressive side and he proved why he’s our beat player. I like the way Danny Williams plays. He showed a lot in his last 2 caps. Ventura looks good out there and he’s young. Brooks and him will improve with age! Guzan did work back there! He looked solid. Bring on the Germans!!
You’d also be frustrated playing on a kiddie-sized field like Yankee stadium!
I called it! There’s still so much room to get even better that’s the awesome thing. And can all these “critics” stop whining.
Grades for the salutes: B-. That’ll cost you 10 push-up.
Grade for your joke…. F
Grade for your grading: D
at least i didn’t fail like you… lol
That Bradley run before the winning goal…. Good gosh!
Yep! That run will be in a highlight package for his 100th cap and again in his retirement ceremony.
The first time I saw him try runs like that was after returning to MLS ( specifically against New England). So it looks like he is continuing to improve and add to his game in MLS.
please, no more break shea at left back,
dude was toast!!
Shea has only played lb for what 3 months now? You could tell he lacked confidence in defending against world class players. That said Shea has all the physical attributes to be a great LB. Size strength super speed, a devistating left cross and an ability to take on defenders. He’s not there yet but he could be a great and should keep working at it.
exactly, don’t let one mediocre game by Shea speak for his whole potential. Shea has had some very good games at LB. so Depay makes him look bad but Depay makes everyone look bad. let’s not jump to conclusions is all i’m saying. he scored a beauty of a FK vs SUI (also it’s a huge weapon to have lefty FK taker to confuse the GK as to who’s taking the kick) and scored another beauty against Chile; all within the last 6 months; all as a LB. Shea is progressing at the LB position. One mediocre game against a top 5 team shouldn’t derail all the improvements he’s made.
For me, Shea’s a one-trick pony. Every once in a while he charges full-speed towards goal and takes a shot. For less-than-quality defenders this can be rather intimidating, I have to admit. But he doesn’t do his trick all that often and, in any event, it usually comes to naught. Otherwise, he makes a rather average contribution to the attack and is a serious liability on defense. In my view, Klinsmann should look elsewhere.
I think Shea has learned some things in the last couple years. At least now when what he can do is not working for him, he does not collapse with no new ideas about what to try.
He still needs to develop a more risk averse attitude if he wants to find a role as a starting back; he did get caught upfield less often against Holland than is usually the case for him and he did recognize his error and sprinted back to help rather than stand and look clueless.
+1
I agree, Depay made him look bad, but he was alone against Depay. After he was subbed, Klinsmann must’ve told them to double on Depay because he was not one on one anymore after that. Besides, Shea does not have the quickness to be left back.
Doesn’t have the quickness? Shea is one of the fastest players on the team.
I know English is your second language. That’s why I am going to explain here to you that speed is NOT the same quickness.
I know English is your second language. That’s why I am going to explain here to you that speed is NOT the same as quickness.
but Cherundolo was “quicky gonzales” right?……
Yedlin’s speed is a real difference-maker. Morris keeps doing right things. Zardes keeps getting into good spots, but needs to be more active with the ball. Bradley’s engine remains the heartbeat of the team. Brooks is worth being on the field, but needs a stable partner. Williams running into JK’s arms after scoring speaks volumes. Shea is unconvincing as a defender. Guzan leaves me a bit too nervous when he parried a shot. That was enormous fun.
Zardes is a sniper.. a young, developing sniper.. but a sniper none the less..
He’s an active body with very good anticipation..
“Nose for the goal” will probably be his calling card in years to come..
At times was pushed hard/leaned on by some of the bigger defenders but his concentration in terms of following a play is above average..
The guy can play..
The overall USMNT performance was on par with what seems to be the manager’s intent..
Every player on the field was aggressive and alert..
At this point, the USMNT seems to have the ability to throws waves of guys who can match teams in skill strength and game stamina..
Guys seem to want to beat people.. plays on both the defensive and offensive end were timely..
All this with one of the most battle-tested GKs in USMNT history out until September..
Good performance
sooooo you’re saying that Zardes is basically a “Wondo” except far bettering every area? I’d have to agree.
Pretty much..
Wondo bounces stuff of his chest.. knee caps.. anything to get a goal..
At this stage, Zardes is stronger.. faster.. has the ability to swallow passes from different angles and put very confident stuff on frame in a short amount of time..
He’s got a ton of young guy issues.. new teammate/system pains.. but his upside is tremendous..
He’s got a ton of young guy issues.. new team mate/system pains..
Wondo has the knack for being inn the right spots to get quality chances on goal. He also has a high % of shots on goal. Those 2 things are the reasons he scores so many goals. There are lots of players who are bigger, stronger or faster, but like Beckerman, Wondo has a great soccer brain and is able to anticipate well.
In the Gold Cup, soccer intelligence will be essential while the speed of Yedlin, Zardes and Morris will be less useful against the packed defenses the US will likely face.
So except for the proven ability to consistently arrive at the right spot at the right time Zardes does have it. We will see how well his soccer brain develops (he is not a schmuck, he did turn up in a couple good spots, but if you watch his movement vs Wondo’s he still has a way to go.)
Zardes had a great goal resulting from great service. However I just saw in an interview on the ESPN website that he seemed to give credit to Timothy Chandler for the cross, when it was Fabian Johnson.
The USMNT is 3-3-2 against teams in the FIFA Top 10. Hmmmmm,…
can you break that stat down by who was managing the team for each result?
Those are the results under JK. (C’mon dude!… Think we’ve only ever played 8 matches against top 10 teams?!? )
Kidding apart– it’s actually a good question… so I did the homework. since the rankings began in 1993: In total, we have played 60 matches vs. top 10 FIFA ranked teams. Results are as follows:
[Coach: W-L-T]
Bora Milutonvic: 1-6-0
Steve Sampson: 4-4-1
Bruce Arena: 9-13-1
Bob Bradley: 1-9-3
Jurgen Klinsmann: 3-3-2
Nice work. Sampson,…wow. Bob Bradley,….wow.
Thanks DM
haha thanks bro, i need to save this for all the haters saying JK hasn’t made us any better………
Really?
haha yea it was a half joke cuz i knew they were all under klinsmann but i honestly did want to see what the other coaches had done. I’m glad Diego did the analysis
Not sure what that time frame is, but if I didn’t know better. I would say the US is underrated. Thankfully, I have a bunch of insecure, whining bloggers and the trolls to set my dumb American soccer mind straight.
the dutch are clearly struggling on df now and i think they would have looked very different (conservative) if this hAd been an important game. THAT SAID, we were in their house, they don’t like losing ever, and we really went after them. very exciting for us soccer and jk’s ‘plan’. woohoo!
It was also nice to see that by the end of the match the Dutch came to their senses and realized that it is in their best interest to cooperate.
Now I don’t man to spoil the party here, but I am gonna say something. That central defense is horrible. Orozco, should not get the call anymore and Klinsmann needs to establish four players who will share the duties back there. There is no way we are winning any knockout stage game in Gold Cup in which we allow three goals to the opponents, being Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica and even Honduras for that matter. This was a friendly, and not to take away from the offensive display, The Netherlands were awful defending and took the pedal off the gas after being up 3-1.
-1
I don’t think Panama,Mexico, Costa Rica or Honduras have the same kind of seriously bad ass attacking threat the Netherlands do. Do you?
Get serious. Your main goal in your SBI posts (no pun intended) seems to be to spoil the party.
Not much dispute, in some ways. Let’s face the facts… both sides were an abomination defensively. Literally every cross the Dutch played in was catastrophic to our defense (certainly, it was top class service, but yeah we have to be able to do better than that). Similarly, we were able to run at the Dutch defense with unbelievable ease for much of the game. This won’t happen against a top 10 team in proper form.
Ultimately, CD is where we need to improve most. No argument here.
Love the result although the overreaction here is insane (i.e. Morris aka the “new Rooney” to ManU). If we can attack like this and actually defend a little, then we’ll be dangerous. Surely, Cameron has to play somewhere along the backline. Also, Yedlin looked really good and hopefully Spurs were watching. Give this kid some minutes!
I truthfully do not think Morris is the “new Rooney”. I honestly think he’s got miles to go before he approaches that level. I was sort of being tongue-in-cheek just because of the dumpers and haters. He does look, physically, like a young Wayne, though, and has a similar physicality and similar explosiveness. In terms of touch, finishing, skill, big-game experience…of course not, there’s a mile of difference between them.
Morris has got to go pro, preferably in Europe – I’d like to see him get picked up by a Dutch side with a vested interest in developing their young guys, like AZ Alkmaar – and I think he could make that kind of step. Right now what Jurgen is doing is putting this raw but obviously superbly talented prospect in the shop window and hoping Morris takes his chances, gets his confidence going…and that somebody big bites on him. I suspect somebody will. If I was a Dutch club, spending $750K or so to scoop Morris up now could look like an absolute bargain in a couple of years.
The ceiling is obviously there, considering a college kid has no business being as effective as he’s been against hardened European and MLS pros, as little practice time as he gets relative to them, and against, as you pointed out, as limited competition as he’s been playing. But as with so many young guys…will he develop to that ceiling?
Who knows? The point is, there’s about 6-7 young strikers in the pool right now – Morris, Wood, Rubin, Zardes, Agudelo, Kessewetter, and maybe Bradford Jameison and Maki Tall – who you could see making that jump over the next couple years. Some will fizzle…but some might not. Is it a jump to think we’ll have some TOUGH roster selections to make for the 23 come Russia 2018? Yup. Some very good strikers will be sitting at home.
You look at our midfield pool, and it’s the same thing – some established names like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian Johnson, Beckerman – with guys like Yedlin, Morales, Danny Williams, Mix, Julian Green, Gedion Zelalem, and Emerson Hyndman all knocking very hard on the door.
The TV cameras caught former US international Ernie Stewart in the stands. Ernie just happens to be the GM at AZ and was responsible for signing both Jozy and AJ. Could Morris be next?.
good point sir
The Netherlands has also been pretty terrible since after the World Cup. They haven’t won a single game in Euro qualifiers including a 2-0 loss to Iceland and are in danger of not qualifying. Still a good win by the US, but judging from how the Dutch U-21 performed in Toulan I think the Dutch are heading towards a bad cycle for the moment.
Not true, actually. They’re 2-1-2 in qualifying…their two losses were away losses to Iceland and the Czech Republic. They also tied Turkey at home 1-1 on a day when their offense uncharacteristically sputtered.
They also beat Spain 2-0 in their last friendly, just in March.
They’ve had some defensive problems, but there’s nothing whatsoever wrong with their ability to score…and they haven’t given up four to anybody in recent memory.
I like Morris as a prospect. I think he may turn into something fairly soon but Im not sold 100% just yet. I will say I like him better than Jozy and he did more with his few minutes than Bacon did with a a lot of minutes
Awesome game. We got exposed on D but it really isn’t that surprising given the opposition and the youth we have on D especially in the center. I’m sure if we hadn’t gotten those last two goals we’d been lambasting Brooks and JK’s player selection (wrongingly imo, considering the point is to baptize these youngsters by fire). However even if we had lost it was great to see us truly be proactive. We really did try to build attacks from the back and possess in the final third as opposed to countering or passing it back constantly to maintain useless possession in our half. Still room for improvement but it was a big step in the right direction. I’m sure some will argue the Dutch D was awful and while that is true they are still very talented individually and especially compared to our forward corps. Had we relied on fast breaks and individual brilliance I’m sure they could have handled us much better. Really impressed we beat them team offense.
The 4-3-3 looked like it could work. It allows Bradley maximum flexibility – he can play as an 8 or a 10. He was often the second highest man on the pitch for the US today. Speed on the wings at forward helps massively – Zardes and Yedlin. I was disappointed not to see Evans at CB. I suppose giving up a couple cheapies isn’t unexpected given that we were playing backup CBs.
The 4-4-2 diamond with Bradley at the top has looked great before too.
This is the kind of quality our players are capable of showing when they’re not getting constantly hacked and fouled by low quality negative football Concacaf teams and when the referee has the class to call a fair game and protect the players actually showing skill instead of allow the bruts to hack away.
Unfortunately, it’s back to the reality of Concacaf after the Germany friendly where the Concacaf refs will give teams the go ahead to hack away.
I wish we played in UEFA or Conmebol sometimes because today’s play could definitely become a permanent “style of play” for us, but once we go back to playing Concacaf opponents with lousy corrupt Concacaf refs we will see the same boring negative style because our guys are busy protecting their knees instead of making a forward pass.
redundant much?
That was a fun friendly to watch. Lots of goals, lots of shots hitting the bars, good saves, horrible defense on both sides, and a come-from-behind-win for the USA.
Keep it up, Yanks!
When is Klinsmann gonna drill through that thick skull of his that Mix is a starter in this team? And, Bradley is our best player, even out of position. Finally, some credit to Klinsmann; he has more than double the number of games USMNT has played in Europe. Now is time to take it to South America for friendlies and Copa America.
-1
It looked like we played backups to start, then put the starters in around the 60′ mark. (Other than Orozco.) Williams-Mix-Bradley were vastly better than Beckerman-Morales-Bradley. Other than the assist, Fabian Johnson didn’t do much, and Chandler was mediocre. Yedlin needs to start. I would have liked to see what Johannsson could do with Mix and Yedlin supporting him. Zardes wasn’t bad. Wood was OK.
I thought Zardes did very well. A nicely taken goal that was anything but easy, a couple of other good, hard, on-frame shots, the creation of several decent goal-scoring opportunities for teammates and tireless (if not entirely flawless) contribution to the defense.
zardes was ok but he had two additional chances he should have finished. Also Johannson wash brought on goal but for horrendous pass by zardes. Kid needs to improve a lot if he wants to be at this level. He has the raw talent, time will tell.
in regards to the one bad pass Zardes made: Van Persie made the exact same bad pass trying to spring in Daley Blind….. bad passes happen; they only become worrisome when constant.
Fabian didn’t do much? His cross was Zardes’ first goal… and a mighty beaut too.
anyone forgetting 6 subs in friendly? us put 6 fresh guys and holland didnt change lackluster tired defense
I was disappointed when Omar Gonzalez was left-off the roster, but then I read on the MLS website that Klinsmann was going to call him in but Bruce Arena asked Klinsmann to leave Omar with the Galaxy because they are short-handed. That made me feel better.
Like I have said before, Omar Gonzalez is the only defender in our pool that is actually “world class” at something. He is dominant in the air. That’s why he needs to be a USMNT starter always.
The announcer and Keller said the same thing happened with Besler
I seem to remember a game vs. portugal when Gonzo came on late for that exact purpose and failed miserably. He is not horrible, but he is far from world class even on balls in the air. Lets be honest
He did not fail. Did you watch the game? To head a ball you need to be able to get to it. Gonzalez wasn’t marking the guy that scored that goal, and that pass from Ronaldo looked like a pass a NFL quarterback throws to a wide-receiver, there was no stopping it. Being “world class” at something doesn’t mean you are perfect. Casillas, Buffon, Courtois, De Gea, etc all give up goals.
He did fail miserably. I watched that game.
I watched every last second of the game. The last ones being the focus. The ones where Gonzalez was specifically put into the game to stop the cross. There was one guy in the box, ONE GUY, ONE FREAKING GUY to mark. Cameron failed first of all, but Gonzo is supposed to be “world class”….. I think he is pretty dog on good in the aerial battles… But not world class. That was my point. To me Gonzo and Brooks are 50 – 50. They each excel at different parts of the game. Brooks can pass and run pretty well. Gonzo does well on crosses. Neither focuses well for long periods of time. The difference being that Brooks has the advantage of seeing better strikers on average to continue to develop. They both make too many mental mistakes for the USMNT team to have a lot of success at this point. but that will change hopefully.
GO USMNT!!!!!
+1
since you bring up that goal, it was conceded up field when for basically the first time in the game the USA was all spread out, a mistake late that cost. I won’t get into more of it there
as for Gonzo, he is not the same world class player in the air he was before the injury but I would say because of all the leg rehab he’s quicker and faster that before, interestingly
“since you bring up that goal, it was conceded up field when for basically the first time in the game the USA was all spread out, a mistake late that cost. I won’t get into more of it there”
So you are saying the second Mikey lost the ball far upfield, the goal was inevitable?
That is ridiculous.
I was more disappointed when Orozco took his place.
I suspected as much, especially since Zardes came along for the ride. Despite a bit of a war of words in the press between Arena and Klinsman (well, actually more like Arena criticizing Klinsmann), Klinsmann seems willing to work with club coaches regarding call ups for friendlies. Interesting side note, I read a little while ago, that in 2010 Arena hired Klinsmann as an adviser/consultant for the Galaxy. Despite that, Arena has heavily criticized Klinsmann for his “reliance” on German Americans. They seem to see eye to eye on Zardes, however. It was Arena who discovered Zardes and made him a home grown player when he was about 17 or so.
Good comment, Arena and Kliinsmann seem to be classic frenemies.
I see as JK being a professional. He doesnt take criticism of his decisions personally, at least not publicly. Some people will say the Donovan thing was personal, and maybe it was. But i think there is more to the story than we know. Maybe we will never know or it will be like the Harkes Winalda thing that comes out years later. I am not saying LD has character issues like Harkes, just there may have been more to the story.
wow
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/06/04/bruce-arena-thankful-omar-gonzalez-was-allowed-usmnt-stay-injury-plagued-la-
Re; JK and The Bruce
Omar solidified a starting spot tonight, by staying home.
Dont care if he is World Class, no US player will ever get that title anyway. He is the best we got.
Very positive result! Really enjoyed the character of the US team when they were going forward, they always tried the dangerous ball and often developed marginal through balls into real chances.
The Dutch did expose the quality difference at times, and showed the US that their defensive shape can be broken down more easily than maybe the US thought about themselves, but the second half can only be good news for the US as they prepare for the Gold Cup.
I thought Yedlin made a big difference today. His speed caused constant problems for the Dutch. I also thought he crossed the ball very well. Although the team scored four goals they should have scored more. I was very impressed with the control, movement off the ball, and passing. This was a very good game for younger players to watch because was a good example of the style Jurgen wants to play.
Let ush be honesht here… Holland wash ashleep in the shecond half of the second half, no? Itsh ok to shay it, yesh? But U Esh A ish good. Toit like toiger.
The Hollow Boogie has made me shveaty, yah.
My voinky was da key?
I was reminded many times by the mental lapses, just how young this team is. Nbut i was also reminded throughout the game how many REALLY FAST guys we have out there. I think Jk realizes we are not close to closing the gap skill wise yet. But we are improving, and we can be as fast as anybody.
As a number of coaches have noted in the past, you can’t teach speed. BTW, when Klinsmann was a very young striker, he worked with a trainer and did things like running in heavy boots and other things and managed to increase his speed in order to improve his game. So Germanic, so Klinsmann. He recognized even when he was a kid how important speed is.
“Klinsmann was a very young striker, he worked with a trainer and did things like running in heavy boots and other things and managed to increase his speed in order to improve his game. So Germanic, so Klinsmann.”
This is ignorant, stereotypical horse manure.
Do you really think JK or the Germans have any monopoly on working yourself to death to become a top athlete?
That is an insult to athletes from around the world who have done this sort of thing for ages..
GW, it is your comment that is ignorant. Gary Page’s comments might not necessarily reflect the Germans but it fits JK to a T. The story goes when JK was young, just getting started, he worked with a sprint trainer to improve his speed and efficiency in sprinting, against the wishes of his club coaches. He also did all sorts of training outside of the normal training in soccer at the time to gain an advantage. Remember this was a time when sports nutrition was eating a huge bowl of pasta before a game, and only drinking a glass of wine instead of five beers before a game.
JK has been a trendsetter in bringing alternate fitness techniques from other sports into soccer, starting with bringing in the American company Athlete’s Performance to the German National team. All of the stuff that is common now in soccer, was not 10 years ago. Yes, athlete’s have been trying stuff for ages, but JK helped start using all these alternate techniques with the sport of soccer. Is he now trying to push the bounds of sports medicine and training a bit too far, leading to all those muscular injuries at the WC…maybe?
homerica7, Gary Page,
Oh please.
Going by you guys, you’d think Germans were the only people in the world who were driven, industrious, meticulous, dedicated, innovative, visionary and hard working.
This is stereotypical, ignorant, prejudiced and stupid.
JK retired as a player after 1998 moved to So Cal and after a time spent a lot of his time studying a wide variety of subjects about his sport and other sports, speaking with guys like Pete Carroll, Coach K, Phil Jackson and so on.. This is no big secret, you can look it up on Google.
So by the time he took over Germany he had assimilated many of the ideas , some of them even from Americans n other sports, wonder of wonders, from his time in So Cal.
In fact he came under severe criticism from those meticulous Germans who were leery of his airy fairy weirdo So Cal ideas.
Isn’t it funny that he manages Germany and they accuse him of being too “American”
Then he manages the USMNT and you guys accuse him of being too “Germanic”
Some guys can’t win.
I guess the national team is better Without mls players, except Bradley and for now shea.
If you look into the future, Gonzalez might be out unless he goes to Europe. Dempsey will be old by 2018, so probably it will only be jozy and Bradley in Russia from mls, that’s if mls doesn’t create better players.
shea looks promising but lacks commitment,hopefully more players go to Europe.
Ummmmmmmm…..the opening US goal was from Zardes…of the LA Galaxy…..of MLS.
And oh yeah, that one guy that played pretty damn well in mid too….what’s his face? Oh yeah Beckerman. I think he plays at RSL, which I believe is MLS too.
MLS lifer
So basically 36% of the starting lineup was from MLS, and all four of those players did really well. Not to mention that that our center backs were suspect at best in defense and who should have been there? Besler and Gonzalez. That would have brought the Starting XI to 6 MLS players or effectively over half the team.
K-Town
Are you saying JK has no faith in MLS players?
Silly comment. No basis in reality. Basic anti-MLS rhetoric.
Doesnt surprise me that you are an ESPN reporter.
We could have used some MLS central defenders.
In addition to all your previous mistakes. Yedlin played MLS almost all of his career too.
Huge. Coming of age. Historic.
I’m not a big JK supporter either but gotta give credit where it’s due First win against Dutch…and many other first . Credit where it’s due. That’s it.
We looked like a potent offensive team who needs some defensive work. That’s not the usual description of the USMNT.
Props to Klinsmann also for providing the scouting and internal evaluation apparatus to find guys like Morris and Yedlin…both of whom seem to be a really positive part of his legacy.
Klinsmann has made it clear that he will include young players in the team if they produce on the field. That makes for a competitive, dynamic group.
I still haven’t seen the game, but agree
It’s funny how people were talking about JK out and blah this and blah that are now going “wow what a game!!” So much positive words now hahaha JK out! Get JK out! He sucks. Hahahahahahaha y’all make me laugh GTFOH
Every US player with so much haters (slowleftarm) has silenced them. Hahaha I’m loving this
I don’t care about today’s tap-in, Bobby Wood does not belong on the USMNT. A striker who didn’t score a goal for two years? Come on. And I’ve said Jordan Morris should turn pro and then if JK wants to pick him fine. I don’t think there’s anyone else I’ve “hated” on played a role. But if there is I’m sure you guys will remind me. You remember more about what I write on here than I do.
Aren’t you more concerned about whether a striker might score for you today and going forward rather than the fact he hasn’t scored much for two years?
You betrayed me, but we think along the same lines. You are right.
Trouble in paradise?
Is the budding bromance between slowleftarm and el commandonkey coming to a premature end?
This is sad
Ya know
I always suspected that the burro wore the pants in this dangerous alliance
Is that what your mother called you when you were born?
I suspected this would happen. Poor slowleftarm.
When a person first gets started on binge hating, it all seems so innocent.
Then one day, you find yourself waking up alone with your new bff El Commandante, hating on the winning goalscorer, and confessing to a lack of remembrance of all of the players you have hated on during this ever-spiraling binge.
When you decide you are ready, we want you back, slowleftarm. Nobody can make this decision for you. But I promise____ You can do this!
Did you just fart through your mouth?
I agreed about wood. Glad hen fired but he has no business being on the USMNT at this point same with morales.
Right when I thought I was going to come down hard on Bradley he does a last minute solo run, getting by players, makes an awesome through pass that results in a goal. I guess I’ll wait for the Germany game then hahahahahahahaha………..
Bradley was excellent over the entire game. He had a fantastic game. He was easily the best player in the center of midfield for either team.
It was fun listening to the Univision announcers constantly talk about how good he is. Ha.
MB(90) was a beast and really bossed the midfield for portions of the game. Fantastic performance by him save for a few runs we he held onto the ball a touch to many.
This^ Best player on the pitch. Huntelaar close second.
Too bad we didn’t have Feilhaber for this game. I’ll bet he would have done well in midfield. I recall someone writing that all MB does is run a lot.
bizzy, I thought MB was man of the match material, actually. I think he is getting more and more comfortable up the field.
Nothing beats waiting on pins and needles for your own country to lose, does it?
So…uh…we hired JK to bring attacking, proactive soccer to the USMNT, and to freshen a player pool that was aging and apparently incredibly shallow in 2011. Does anybody remember how old, tired, and stale we looked in the Gold Cup in 2011? I certainly do.
Today we just watched a bunch of babies – a lot of whom barely shave yet – trade shots with the team that just finished #3 and #2 in the last World Cups in their own house and walk away with the win…yeah, we got some luck, but when you attack with intent and abandon, sometimes you make your own luck, too.
Isn’t that exactly what we brought in Jurgen to do?
That did not resemble, in any way, shape, or form, a Bob Bradley or Bruce Arena team out there. We ended the game in a 4-3-3 with three 20-year-olds up top, and a bunch of guys who weren’t much older than that behind them.
I know, I know. JK is terrible and needs to be fired. Wood, Morris, Zardes, and the Germericans need to go.
Uh…OK. Try telling them that. If these guys consistently attack with this kind of intent in the Gold Cup they’re going to break scoreboards against poor CONCACAF teams.
Brilliant statement on a brilliant game. I am in tears for this win by USMNT under JK.
http://tinyurl.com/pubmder
We put the Holland defense in a blender several times today, in both halves.
Bradley looked like Pirlo out there and the forwards looked to attack, not to backpass like they so often do.
Yedlin owned his side of the field when he came on.
He was The Difference!
Ok, lets hold off on calling Bradley Pirlo… He got his pocket picked 3 or 4 times putting the Defense into a bind. But yes, his run on the 4th goal and his run pass to set up the brooks goal were great.
I also remember a crap pass to zardes when he should have passed 2 steps earlier and a play when he had Johansson but took the foul instead… he is getting there though.
Shtop making sho much shensh. Thish is not aksheptible.
I haven’t seen the game and I am itching to get home and watch it (I recorded it). I am glad the USA won a road game in Europe against a top team!
Now as far as your comment Quozzel, this is getting old. When the USA wins it’s all about Klinsmann and the credit he should get (nevermind what the players did on the field), but when the USA loses its all about how the players are no good and poor ol’ Klinsmann, what is he to do with this player pool? And yes, I realize that you could easily say the same in reverse.
I won’t comment on this game until I actually watch it, but from other peoples comments it seems like there was bad defense being played by the U.S. (and by Holland also).
Oh, there was some steaming piles of defense being played.
The point is, if we’d sat back, the Dutch attack would have mowed us down. They can score with anybody – as Spain discovered this past World Cup – and easily could have scored 6-10 goals today.
Of course, we generated even more clear chances than that…by going after them. The 4-3 scoreline was…just, on the balance of chances.
That won’t win you World Cups – we’ve obviously got some pretty substantial tightening up to do defensively before we’re ready for Russia – but it’s more than a little encouraging when you see a bunch of young kids going at a monster Dutch team in their own building with that kind of fearlessness.
That’s mentality. That’s coaching. That’s good talent evaluation.
WE HAVE NEVER PLAYED LIKE THIS BEFORE.
Do we need to see some growth and maturity? Oh, yeah. Without question. But you can see what’s being put together out there and the upside of this bunch is just miles ahead of anything we’ve seen before. They thought they could get at the Dutch and they did. They thought they could win and they did.
And they weren’t scared. They made some mistakes but they didn’t get down, and they didn’t get rattled. They just attacked, attacked, and attacked some more, and eventually the Dutch went down.
JK’s got this bunch believing they can do anything. And they are obviously talented enough they can.
Are they MATURE enough to make some noise in 2018? Not yet. But with three years to season this team before Russia, give me a young, aggressive, talented team over an old, passive, defensive-minded stale one any day.
If we have “never played like this before” then I really need to get home and watch the game. I admit the first thing that I said when I saw that the goals were scored by Zardes, Brooks, Williams and Wood was “wtf?”
From what I read the Brooks goal wasn’t from a free-kick/corner-kick, so what was he doing so far up the field?
Brooks created the play and then finished it. I won’t spoil the rest for you.
Kompany-esque!
Powerful, committed and skillful
Sergio Ramos-esque, really
Considering we’ve only had a professional league for a few cycles, it’s nothing mind-blowing, but in terms of style, since 2013 this team has looked better than it ever has in history. Sure we got some excellent results under Coach Bruce and Coach Bob but it was never pretty. Putting together more than two passes was always a big challenge and there was never a Plan B to our bunker-counter style.
But especially over the past two years or so we occasionally have games where we play positively and even look like a European team. Most US fans haven’t been watching the sport long enough to understand the difference, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Take the 2013 Gold Cup for example. It was the best quality soccer I’ve ever seen the USNT play, and we did it with our B team. Sure it was CONCACAF, but a much stronger edition than in the past, and we had NEVER looked like that before, even when playing against Caribbean minnows. The biggest success of JK’s tenure was not the record winning percentage or even getting out of the group of death (and a Wondo away from the quarterfinals), it’s the transformation of the style of play.
This was just a friendly and we can’t take too much from one result, but the hatred US fans have for Klinsmann is utterly ridiculous. Occasionally someone needs to say what needs to be said.
+1
+1
All you really have to do is to see the pile of results Klinsmann is piling up.
Win in Azteca.
Taking points from Mexico in Azteca in WC qualifying.
Win in Genoa, Italy…first time in over 100 years anyone had done that.
Result in Russia.
Consistent results in Europe.
First place in CONCACAF qualifying.
Gold Cup victory.
Escaping from an incredibly brutal group at the World Cup 2014 that saw Portugal and Ghana both eliminated and the US and eventual champion Germany get through. This is not celebrated enough.
Many, many more including today’s victory in Holland where Klinsmann’s kids made plays to tie and win the game. Zardes, Yedlin, Wood, Morris, Brooks, Williams…those are Klinsmann kids.
Yesterday when everyone was arguing over what players to play and what formation to use, I wrote that i was just glad that we could put together a very competitive team even though we were missing a lot of World Cup starters. Some posters call me a JK lover and say the US isn’t any better than it was under BB or Arena. Allow me to crow a bit. We need to not jump to conclusions and realize that what Klinsmann is doing is a process that is on going and underway. Major changes don’t happen over night or quickly. What you saw today was sort of a first installment of some investments paying off. He has obviously recognized and even discovered possible major talents that could enable US men’s soccer to make significant strides, but there are sure to some bumps along the road and setbacks to go along with the successes and people need to keep that in mind. Finally, I still think that the best I have ever seen the US play was in a friendly against Japan played in the US before the 2006 World Cup. I think it was fall of 2005 or maybe early 2006. The US played wonderful, one tough passing, attacking soccer that left Japan reeling. Then, the US went to the World Cup and laid a stinker. So, you can’t be sure about what the future holds. Nevertheless, I think the future of US soccer looks brighter than ever before.
It’s funny you mention the 2006 team. I went back and watched all three games of the 2006 WC a while back and I thought that team played as beautiful of soccer as we’ve ever played. The games against Italy and Ghana were really very well played games that were undone by a mistake or two. I think this group will eclipse that level by 2018, and hopefully we’ll just keep it going from there.
We were undone by a B.S. penalty call and a ref who destroyed the Italy game. 9 v 9… what a joke that ref was.
Exactly. 2006 was not another 1998. Advancing in these tournaments is decided on such little things, one almost wants to call it luck. Of course it’s impossible to judge history that way, but compare 2002 to 2006 for example. 2002 team is so heralded but they barely held on to their good fortune after the 3rd goal against portugal and needed a lot of help from the tournament host to advance. 2006 team played a horrendous first game but rallied to tie and seriously frustrate the eventual champion.
Luck or not, it ain’t science.
I think they point is that few if any of these young hungry guys would have seen the field much less be given the chance to open up and play with abandon under the previous coach. with Bradley most young players would see the field for limited minutes, be forced to bunker in and chase the whole game and then never get meaningful minutes again because they were not effective. These guys feel like they are actually competing for a spot because from all appearances they are. One thing about JK is that nobody is entitled to anything.
Bradley did not have the same freedom to put together “his” team the way JK did and does.
If the USSF has been 100% behind what JK has been trying to do then it was maybe 50-60% behind BB. Bob had to win all the time if he wanted to keep his job.
So you can’t really compare the two managerial tenures.
add to that the fact that Bob Bradley has shown himself to be an excellent manager by all accounts since he was fired from the USMNT (for Egypt and Stabaek).
Bob was a fine manager BEFORE the US fired him. You just did not notice.
I did notice. I am not one of the people that complains about Bradley.
Bradley was too conservative. He had his players and good luck breaking into his roster. He played even fewer MLS players than JK does. JK is willing to use friendlies as a proving ground for young players regardless of the result. We get a lead iin the first half and he tells his young subs. GO SCORE MORE GOALS or GO PROTECT THIS LEAD an allows them to sink or swim. He drives the movement of mike bradley from the sidelines instructing him on where to be at all times. He gets in our players asses and makes sure they are performing at a higher level than they thought they could. His subs in matches that we value for morale or competitive matches his subs are nearly flawless. He schedules hard friendlies on foreign soil. Bradley used to avoid the tougher teams on foreign soil and schedule concacaf minnows on our soil. JK is adventurous and creative. Bradley was rigid and conservative.
“Bradley was rigid and conservative.”
That’s because he had to be
So true. There was never a time, starting with the year-long interim tag, when Bradley wasn’t on a very short leash results-wise.
Yeah baby! Oh yeah!
Do I still have to leave?
Good point, too bad it took him four years to do it. Let’s hope it lasts.
You think they could have played like this in 2011?
In the Gold Cup our opponents will not play attacking soccer and will fill the box with 6 to 10 defenders and only 1 in their attack. Yedlin, Morris speed will not be effective weapons very often in that kind of situation. To the extent the opponents are successful, the games could be very low scoring.
Those games will require more clever play in tight spaces to be successful, at least until the opponents have to abandon their bunker and play soccer. Mix, Bradley, Bedoya, maybe Feilhaber, will need to combine well up front and the forwards will need to be able to deal with tight spaces and lots of contact while trying to get off a shot.
Those games will be much different (the scores are hard to predict but the US should win). For much of the Gold Cup there is likely to be a lot more congestion in the attacking 1/3 for the US than there was vs Holland.
Who would have thought that Klinnsman would make Bob Bradley look like a sartorial genius.
And we now have at least 6 more caps for woods coming soon
Woods is big, fast, and strong. He also plays with a motor and a bit of an edge. Hopefully this gets his confidence going because he looked pretty sharp today before he scored the winner. He looked to take guys on and put the ball on the frame.
That’s an exciting young player there for sure. He covers a ton of ground with every stride.
Woods fits the JK checklist:
Fast, fearless, hungry, physical, good close control, hard working, young.
which ironically fits most coaches checklist, lol
And if he continues to contribute I’ll be ok with that. He didn’t like the world on fire in his previous caps but you got to give him credit for making the run and finishing with the game on the line.
Two huge winners today: the USMNT and Omar Gonzalez.
It was evident watching this game just how much higher the level is at the full national team level than that of the U23’s and U20’s.
Jordan Morris made things happen at this level too. He’s a legitimate future star for the USMNT. He comes in today, sets up the corner kick that Danny Williams subsequently scored on, and then he assisted on the game winner by Wood. Dude’s a baller. This is what young studs are supposed to look like. You’re not supposed to have to constantly make excuses for their inability to make an impact.
I forgot to mention what a handful Morris was against Mexico’s full national team as well.
I don’t think it will be long before England comes calling for Morris. He’s the prototypical English forward. I would not be surprised at all if Man U or someone similar moves for him at some point.
“What a handful Morris was against Mexico’s full national team ” Your joking right? There were maybe 2 fringe players that will make the “Full Mexican Nation Team” on that Mexico team.
I like Morris and think he’s a great player too. But seriously, tone down the hype.
OK, try this for hype: am I the only one struck by how much Morris resembles a young Wayne Rooney?
Yes…Morris is the American Wayne Rooney.
I think I have made that comparison here on this site before too.
W Rooney looked best in MU when he got C Ronaldo as his partner. W Rooney could not score in any big stage or without any super athletes on his side. Just check out his world cup performance. He is just another over-hyped English player.
Intellectual curiosity could be an important character of good football players. That is why Morris could be a better player than this Rooney. That was why Jorgen, a thinking player, differentiated. That was why Dr. Socrate, captain of the best ever Brazilian team, differentiated.
The difference is that this American W Rooney is a college student in Standford U.
That has no bearing on anything other than that we know that Morris is much smarter than Rooney.
It’s quite obvious that Morris can play at this level. The kid just had a hand in two of the goals that helped us beat the Holland in their own house for the first time ever, and he did it in just 10 minutes of play.
Come on – why do we have to be so ridiculously over the top? When Wayne Rooney was Morris’s age he was an established star at Man U. He’d been the best England player at Euro 2004 and scored a hat trick in the Champions League.
Morris has played better than I expected for the national team but his “club” is a college where he plays against future lawyers and dentists two months a year. There is zero comparison with Wayne Rooney and ManU is not about to try and sign him!
I guarantee that Morris is being looked at by European scouts. Which ones? Who knows…we’ll find that out at some point.
Like Donovan, he may not even really want to play over there.
However, Morris looked like a man among boys in Toulon, which is a scouts tournament. I’m sure Klinsmann undoubtedly has received inquiries from people who are interested in him.
“Morris resembles a young Wayne Rooney”
it’s the receding hair line and the squat bulldog build but he looks more like Blanco or
Donovan.
Rooney at age 20 had already scored 17 goals for Everton in two years and then scored 17 more in his first season at ManU (at age 20)…. pretty sure Morris is no where near this. perhaps you meant the STYLE morris plays resembles Rooney…
Morris is CLEARLY the “next Freddy Adu”. A star in the making…..a League Championship team will likely snap him up ANY minute now!
You know, his speed and strength on the ball reminds me of ’09 Charlie Davies.
Morris is far better on the ball and has a better first touch than the 2009 edition of CD9.
I don’t know if he has the same raw naked aggression and power that Davies had.
tru
take a step back man. he looks a useful player but he also fits klinsmann’s system perfectly. Speed, strength, good work rate. Same qualities that made JK rate Yedlin so highly before world cup.
I hope he goes to Europe, but it’s a big if. It sounds like he is interested in staying in Seattle. That said if he does go across the pond I’d hope he lands at a smaller club where he’d get minutes.
Morris is earning the hype.
We are not having to imagine him making a difference in the future. He’s making a difference NOW…as a 19-year old college kid who is producing and directly contributing to wins against Holland and Mexico.
He has earned the hype with his play and production. Teams are going to have to start planning for him because he is so strong and fast that he is difficult to contain. He’s also skilled, creative, and has good vision for a forward of his style. He scores scrappy goals and he scores beautiful ones. He’s a fantastic, well-rounded player with some intrinsic abilities that you cannot coach that have already separated him from his peers and made him a contributor at the level of full professionals. He’s also a humble, fast learner who shows marked improvement from game to game. His runs were much smarter today.
This kid is the top American prospect by a long shot, and I don’t remember seeing a young player this good since Donovan and Beasley.
He’s definitely not the top American prospect. Just at striker, Rubin is undeniably a better prospect. Agudelo isn’t as fast, but he’s still quick, and he’s taller and better in the air. That’s not even mentioning his superior first touch.
If you look deeper, John Anthony Brooks might be the best American center back prospect ever; he’s a talented athlete, with better passing range than most of our midfielders and doesn’t look out of place on the ball. Mentally, he needs to make strides, but he has all the pieces you look for.
In the midfield, Hyndman and Zelalem are better prospects than anyone since Bradley; their touch in tight spaces is better than anyone currently on the first team, and it would be a huge shock to me if they don’t at least end up as solid professionals in Europe.
Morris is a good prospect, but if everything works out for him he turns into Donovan. That would be awesome, and Donovan’s undeniably one of the top Americans ever. But the guys I mentioned have upsides that are better than anyone who have ever played on the field for the United States.
Eh.
Donovan’s “upside” was unique. There is nobody on these youth teams with that kind of upside.
Young people tend to overrate young players because they don’t understand that things work out differently than the wild projections that they have in their heads. Jordan Morris is not a projection. He is already making a difference on the full national team. We don’t have to imagine some fantasy “upside” because he is already showing that he can produce in reality.
“Upside” is fantasy.
Wait a minute. Aren’t you talking about the same guy that people were saying WTF is Klinsmann bringing this guy into the team for? Isn’t this guy Morris a sign of how Koliinsmann’s player selections are all screwed up?
people said that about bobby wood too, lol.
people even said that about d williams believe it or not.
people were even saying, DURING THIS GAME, that Brooks should never be called up again….
people even said that about Zardes…
hilarious
I thought the same thing about Omar today…we need him against big aerial teams like Holland.
Brooks really needs to work on that area of his game.
I agree, though I wonder how much of this is a function of Brooks perhaps needing more reps with his potential partners in central defense.
He seems to play MUCH better when he has had some serious reps with his partners, either in matches or extended camps. This reminded me of the time we paired him with Gooch vs. Ukraine last spring, and it was comedy. Yet at the WC and many games since, he was fine.
One thing is certain– we defend like that on crosses vs. Germany, and it will be a farcical beatdown.
Remember who you are talking about. Gonzo has had plenty of bloopers of his own. He is far from the answer in my opinion. Is he better than Brooks or Besler or Alvarado?? Maybe, but none set my heart on fire.
He said that because Gonzalez is excellent in the air much like Gooch Onyewu used to be like us. Gonzalez is very similar to Gooch in his proficiencies and deficiencies as well.
Omar would have cleaned up some of that mess in front of our goal. Holland dominated us in the air.
If you want someone to dominate the air. Chad Marshall is his name
+1
#omarsmash
+1