By IVES GALARCEP
The U.S. Men’s National Team plays the first of two very difficult June friendlies in Europe today with a showdown against the Netherlands (2:30pm, ESPN).
Jurgen Klinsmann’s side is shorthanded, missing a laundry list of top players, but will receive no easy road against a Dutch team that will feature many of its top stars, including Robin Van Persie and Memphis Depay.
Michael Bradley will wear the armband for the Americans, as Aron Johannsson leads the attack and Ventura Alvarado earns his second start for the U.S.
SBI will be providing live commentary on today’s action so please feel free to follow the action here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today’s SBI Live Commentary is after the jump):
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Too bad MLS is hurting Bradley so much, right JK?
Where’s the grumpy commenter complaining that we didn’t try to lose this game 1-0?
“Bob Bradley’s teams woulda never given up 3 goals with second choice center backs! Harrumph!”
All right, haterz. Explain to me how a team that ended with DeAndre Yedlin at right forward – yes, he was playing right forward, we were playing a 4-3-3 at the end, whatever it started as on paper – Jordan Morris at center forward, and Bobby freaking Wood at left forward – ended up beating the Dutch. In the Netherlands. Oh, and Zardes got on the scoresheet as well…along with Jon Brooks, who showed his athleticism by rumbling all the way up from CB to collect an easy tap-in.
And oh, yeah, Michael Bradley somehow managed to look menacing the entire game as a center attacking mid. Maybe Jurgen’s onto something there and the only thing Bradley needed was the belief that he was something more than a hard-running D-mid.
Jurgen was unafraid to throw in his babies against the Dutch in their own house, and while they got a bit of luck there at the end, the result was not undeserved. He was completely willing to trade shots with them.
One thing I couldn’t avoid noticing was how confident and aggressive the US seemed all day. They attacked, attacked, and attacked some more…and it was evident they believed they could score.
A fluke, I guess. But has ANYBODY seen a US team this aggressive-minded before?
We brought in Jurgen to bring an attacking, proactive style of soccer to the USA, and to expand and freshen what was an aging player pool.
We just watched a bunch of babies – a lot of whom barely shave yet – trade punches with a team that just finished #3 and #2 in the last two World Cups, in their own house, and walk away with the win…and some idiots somehow don’t recognize the transformation and say “hey, uh…maybe Jurgen’s doing exactly what he was hired to do, here…”
Really loved the speed that we showed today. Blind was abused by Yedlin.
That speed! Please stay healthy Yedlin.
Man.. if only MB90 could of brought that form to the World Cup.
Game could have easily been 5-5, wild, wild stuff. Very poor defending from both teams. The Nats were unorganized and the Dutch were simply lackadaisical.
On the flip side, impressive display offensively from both teams. I was surprised by the fluidity of the attacking play from the US. Looked a threat all night and deserved to knock in a few goals.
All and all a meaningless, but nice win for the boys.
His last few games for the Nats really make me think that he was hiding an injury or something during the World Cup. He looks like a completely different player.
agreed. he was coming off that foot surgery which was furtively played down by US Soccer in the lead up to the cup.
Go USA! Well deserved win!
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.
I’m with you… not crazy about JK sometimes, but first wins against Netherlands, Ghana and Italy during his tenure. I’m probably forgetting a couple of other firsts as well.
Mexico in Mexico
Thank you. It takes a long time to revamp an entire system, especially with the players he has at his disposal. Jurgen is doing a fine job thus far.
Really considered turning the game off @ 3-1…glad I didn’t. Great job USMNT!
Wow the game ended with just two mls players right, Bradley and mix.
I only see room for Bradley, jozy, Dempsey and maybe Gonzalez in the national team from mls and Morris needs to go to Europe but for Russia 2018, I only got jozy and Bradley from mls making it, that’s if mls doesn’t have any breaking stars.
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
USA 4th goal. 3 people in the penalty area and 1 playmaker type, Bradley, just outside of the penalty area led to a goal. This is an example of compact, relentless soccer I have been preaching about. Also, keep Johnson in Midfield. USA had moments of compact play, but not consistent enough, and not part of a system. The USA, when we do play compact, do it more out of natural instincts on there own.
Wtf just happened!
Netherlands 3, Germany 2, USA 2. Netherlands wins!
….
Kidding….
Hawaii scored a goal too.
Hah! That was actually a good one. +1
Now, I don’t care how bad in D we play as long as the football is exhilarating like this.
That was one of the most entertaining fake soccer games I’ve ever seen. It was like an NBA All-Star game defensively. Crazy fun, and full credit to US for fighting to the end. And Morris keeps doing good things…
fake?
Every US player with so much haters (slowleftarm) has silenced them. Hahaha I’m loving this.
+1 haha
A lot of national self-loathing on this site at times. I have never understood how people can be that way.
Holland! Isn’t that veird?!
There are only two things I can’t stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures… and the Dutch.
I think Europeans have a saying that goes something like, What do you have when you have two Dutch men in a room alone. Answer, an argument.
Bobby wood with the game winner vs Holland; 4-3…… what were the vegas odds of all that happening? lol
can’t wait to see the media articles after this game. lol
yo its like every USNT player with haters has shown up today. lol. bobby wood, bardes, brooks… lol
why does my autocorrect also change Zardes to Bardes?!?! what is a bardes?
Your auto correct thinks you’re trying to say BAD A$$!
Nice run/goal from Brooks, but do seriously want to see him in the line-up again?
LOLZ LOLZ LOLZ… take that you Dutch weirdos
hey, if they can get a deflected goal so can we right?
It’s like both teams said SCREW defense in the 2nd half.
Oh My Williams…. go on you Royal!
on a complete side note. Mix’s defensive ability and boldness has improved miles….
The centerbacks and Shea have been abused a little defensively, Zardes looks raw, but otherwise this looks encouraging, no?
And just as I typed that, clown show.
Brooks tryin to make up for giving up 2 goals, lol…
PS- Yedlin is fast…
Yeldin has really changed the dynamic on the right
Yedlin’s doing what i hoped Joe Gyau would have been doing if it weren’t for his knee injury 🙁
Brooks is the worst player out there by a county mile.
Maybe we can convert him to a striker. 🙂
after an hour, imho Zardes has played better than AJ. meh…
Only because Zardes kept missing good opportunities to pass it to AJ in dangerous spot.
I’ve seen 3 crosses come in to AJ where he missed and Zardes took a shot after it ran through the box
Brek Shea cursing like a sailor as he’s subbed off… lol
Is is my imagination, or is Jonathan Brooks back to looking like a big dumb kid? He’s been asleep on his mark for both goals, looking like he was surprised there was a guy in a white shirt standing near him. Be nice to see, oh, I don’t know, Omar Gonzalez or Matt Biesler get a run out for the last half hour. Or Jeff Cameron. Or Michael Parkhurst. Maybe Carlos Bocanegra.
your rant lost it’s credibility with “Jeff”…
And sealed his fate with “Carlos Bocanegra”
When I said Jeff Cameron, what I meant was Jeff Agoos
looks like Zardes was being pulled down there. should have been the equaliser. the dutch player had both hands wrapped around zardes’ arm.
Jesus, the commentator… he was like a villain railing against a bad guy there. HUNTELAAR!
Quick question: Keller keeps talking about Brooks losing his focus on the Huntelaar goal. I agree the play before when Huntelaar ran free into the box Brooks was sleeping. But on the goal it appears pretty obvious to me that Alvarado had him and then lost him.
Opinions??
imho, alvarado was backing him but brooks took a couple steps back which left Hunt onside. To me, those moments are the value of starting them as much as possible. they look to both have great qualities they just need to each put it all together and also gain chemistry for moments exactly like that.
Brooks in mo-man’s land on both goals.
One thing for sure, unless the goalie lets in a howler, Keller won’t be blaming the GK for anything. I thought some of his critical comments were unfounded. Sometimes the other team scores because they are very good. Of course, the US was lucky several times, too. It could have been a 6-5 game with all the chances created.
Wow. Holland is playing compact plus getting numbers and the ball into the US penalty area. Compact soccer on display by Holland. Predictably, the US plan to counter attack and utilize the wings with the empty bucket approach. Nothing new and dynamic employed by JK. Deja frickin Vu.
oops! foot in mouth
Man you called it!
#1 I am enjoying the game…
#2 Bob Bradley’s teams rarely gave up so many goal scoring chances once they team settled into the game… I have never seen JK coached USMNT look solid in defense… even in matches like Belgium we gave up chance after chance…
JK out if you ask me…
A man named Bernstein could help shore up this defense if you ask me..
Bornstein, autocorrect, I MEANT BORNSTEIN
That’s why nobody is asking you. Actually just having fun with your comment.
I completely understand why some want JK out. Personally, I think you have to consider what we have in the pool. Alot of young defenders, Gonzalez, Brooks, Besler, Alvarado, Shea, Yedlin, etc. When Jk took over the defense was old and bad. Now we are young and bad on some days( too many days 🙂 ),
“JK out” is such an overreaction imho. BB’s defense was a low ceiling/ high floor defense. they rarely did horrible but rarely were amazing; they mainly just sufficed. JK’s trying to push the ceiling by not worrying about the floor. This by itself doesn’t warrant his firing; but neither does his value to the public image of the sport, his boldness(sometimes craziness), his record as the coach, etc.
Because Bradly’s teams played a defensive, counter attacking style. This US team is concentrating on attack…at least in this game.
In Belgium they were just outplayed all around.
Dude… Belgium has one of the most stacked stables of attacking talents in the international game… shouldn’t surprise anyone a team full of Champions league talent is creating tons of chances against a team full of (at best) middling European club level talent
My point was we just get run over and allow teams to absolute destroy us in the attacking 3rd… in a way that I never saw under Bob…. we are so fortunate that our GK sitution is what it is…
I appreciate fun attacking play but we are just so clueless at how to play tight, tough defense…
So you long for the park the bus defense of Bunker Bob? There are teams that play that way…your Guatemalas and El Salvadors, and other leading lights in the football universe. It was a low risk/low reward strategy with Bob. The USA probably would have lost this game 2-0 and produced 2-3 chances on goal, but it wouldn’t have been an embarrassment or anything..
This is a crazy wide open enjoyable game in the first half. The U.S. with numerous dangerous chances going forward. Zardes goal was well-taken. Great assist from Fabian. Defense lacking to nonexistent on both sides, but US defense is concerningly poor.
Any defense is going to look poor against this class of an attacking corps. The Dutch have some bad-ass players. I think a goal was going to come at some point and I think another is going to as well. We are, however playing from the back and getting some possession in the midfield.
WHy is the lack defense by Netherlands less concerning than the US?
perhaps because the commenter is a US fan…? was that hard to grasp?
where are the Zardes haters?…
Not a hater, just not convinced. He was on the receiving end of a quality pass and put it away. Credit for doing his job on that level. But the pass to spring Johannson was terrible.
just joshing, but to be honest, AJ probably could have run that pass down. still it wasn’t an ideal ball but aj just gave up on it. aj missed a chance to spring in morales a few player later i believe. mispasses happen. van persie just over played daley blind in the exact same manner as zardes. while i don’t think zardes is the next pele i think fans are a tad harsh on him. he’s played a handful of games and has a good goal and a nice assist (to dempsey). let the kid grow, i say.
Johannsson was practically invisible the whole game and people jump on Zardes because of one bad pass. I hope the US players don’t read the comments on this site, sometimes they’re crazy. I predicted some time ago Zardes is almost certain to be on the 2018 WC squad and has a good chance to be a starter and I stand by it. He makes good things happen.
Zardes… terrible pass. Totally unconvinced by that guy.
and there lies the clear difference in us and the elite teams….
standing on the wing, takes one move and puts in an inch perfect cross onto Huntelaars head……
fwiw, it still could have been 1-1 right now
Shout out to Earnie Stewart there!
Is it me or are ALL of the USMNT warm-up kits better than their ACTUAL kits?
doesn’t matter. They’ll change them every week or two anyway.
haha also doesn’t matter because I’ll always hate our terrible 90s clipart crest; no matter the jersey.
more specifiaclly i just hate the fact that we felt the need to put a soccer ball (with “trails” no less) in the crest.
They should be made illegal on grounds of public obscenity. Can I hire your firm to file a suite on my behalf?
haha of course, i already have a petition going… lol
This….. so so much…
What’s the actual kickoff time? 2:30 or 2:45?
This has Aston Villa vs Chelsea written all over it. Poor Guzan.
nope