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Morris equalizer helps USMNT tie Uruguay

The U.S. Men’s National Team looked destined for another shutout loss on Tuesday, which would have been a third in a row, but some fortuitous bounces, and hustle, helped the Americans salvage a result on a night when they deserved one.

Jordan Morris scored a 79th-minute equalizer, bundling home a ball that floated to him on the back-post after Nick Lima’s hustle led to a blocked clearance off him that floated to Morris.

The result was a 1-1 draw that helped give the USMNT a positive end to the September friendlies after the disappointment of Friday’s 3-0 loss to Mexico.

It was a better overall performance against Uruguay than against Mexico, with the Americans creating more chances, but part of the improved performance could be chalked up to Uruguay’s defensive approach, which was to sit in a low block rather than trying to press the USMNT, which Mexico did successfully.

The lack of defensive pressure helped set the stage for a comfortable night for the young USMNT lineup, which created the first clear chance of the match, when Cristian Roldan forced a reaction save by Fernando Muslera after heading home a cross from Sebastian Lletget in the 11th minute.

Tyler Boyd also had a good look at goal, but couldn’t connect on a cross from Morris despite having a clear look in the 23rd minute.

The Americans also had a good case for a penalty kick late in the first half when Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez appeared to get away with a handball in the penalty area. No penalty was awarded though, leaving the teams to go into halftime with the score 0-0.

Los Angeles FC forward Brian Rodriguez delivering the opening goal for Uruguay with beautiful moment of brilliance just five minutes into the second half, beating Aaron Long with a cutback before blasting his shot past Brad Guzan.

That flash threatened to sentence the Americans to another defeat before Morris salvaged the draw by pouncing on the floating ball in front of goal and jumping to chest it home in the 79th minute.

The USMNT returns to action in October, with a pair of Nations League matches against Cuba (at Audi Field) and Canada (in Toronto).

Comments

  1. My comments
    The US is really hurting on the lack of a left back problem.
    .
    We need the full team here. The constant changing really causes the team to play like a lot of good players learning each others game.
    .
    Morris is fighting for a starting spot, without a doubt. he was our most dangerous player for both games and he only played 30 mins against Mexico.
    .
    There are a bunch of guys that are a dime a dozen guys in midfield trying to get back up spots.
    I dropped Llegget a while ago and Boyd after these two games. Roldan took over that game late. The others guys coming off the bench, really are just trying to get caps. They succeeded, good for them. Great players for sure. Excluded are some youth guys like Pomykal.
    He should have played 30 mins to see what he can do and to learn. Why didn’t he ? So Llegget could play more? I don’t get what GB was thinking.

    Reply
      • Thanks. Kid can play soccer, he progresses, look out. that midfield is getting very crowded with good players and two of the spots are REQUIRED TO be occupied by Bradley and Trapp. ( sorry couldn’t resist )

  2. I’m the guy who normally criticizes everything GB but I’ll give credit when it’s due and yesterday was the best I’ve seen us play under GB so far, I don’t count games against minnows. Sure we can say Uruguay didn’t get the memo on how to play us and didn’t press and wanted to play on the counter themselves but we pass well, linked well, spaced well, and defended well all night even on their goal that was not a easy shot. We attacked well down the left on Dests side in my opinion, I was expecting better final balls from Lleget though, I generally like what i see from alleged but think he’s a backup or third stringer in the long term at AM. Still we had a lot more good moments last night than bad. The passing, linking, and spacing stood out the most to me and all much better than what I’ve been seeing in other matches

    Reply
    • Lleget autocorrected to alleged, funny. To clarify though again I think he’s a decent player and is somewhere in the mix I just don’t see him starting for us. I do think he’s one of handful of AMs in our pool who can actually play. Was hoping to get to see more Pomykal with the full squad, 5 minutes not enough. This was the perfect match to see what he could do too especially against a team willing to sit back and absorb pressure. Pomykal not getting more minutes is probably my only major gripe with last nights performance, that and the lack of shots created in the final third.

      Reply
      • Pax has been pretty leg weary for FCD they’ve been managing his minutes of late. I would guess they passed that onto Gregg to not use him too much as they make a playoff push.

    • Let’s face it, the US wilted under the higher pressure Mexico applied after 20 minutes in that game. Uruguay never applied high pressure, so the US backs had time to wait until the midfielders eventually got to open spots. It was NOT anything the US did better in this game, it was simply that the inability of the US midfielders to move to open spots in anticipation was not as important under the low pressure tactics of Uruguay.

      Of the midfielders, I thought Yueill was the best at being open in a timely manner early on in the game, but he failed to do that after about 30 minutes. Still I thought he was the best of the lot in midfield at that.

      GB’s tactics will work against teams that do not press high, but unless the US finds some midfielders who can anticipate where the need to be better, those tactics will fail against high-pressing teams. Adams will help, but a team needs more than one midfielder who can provide passing options..Bradley is the only other midfielder who has consistently shown the ability to anticipate where to be (the reason he receives so many passes from teammates). Physically he is unlikely to last much longer at the international level and you can argue that his time in that regard is already passing. –

      If you doubt what I say about the US midfielders, just go back and watch Spain or Barcelona of a few years ago, nearly every time a player received a pass on those teams, he had 2 or 3 passing options available immediately. Compare that to the last 6 years forthe US, who had only Bradley who was routinely open. (I think a reason why Beckerman was effective in WC2014 is that he knows how to position himself to be open and effectively gave an option in addition to Bradley, that, and his defensive instincts made up for some of Bradley’s softer defending.)

      Reply
      • “Bradley is the only other midfielder who has consistently shown the ability to anticipate where to be..” yet is the master of back passing and jogging necessarily just to look busy. He is slow, does not relieve pressure in defense, does not support the offense, is hurried off the ball constantly (hence the back-passing), does not contribute during counters (except for the long balls which thankfully the USA is moving away from), cannot tackle to save his life, has absolutely no aerial ability and is easily displaced off the ball. So, if we are taking names for “has been of the year” maybe he might be an option but fielding the best DM/CM that USMNT has in the player pool, I’m sorry, Tweedle dee is not even in the conversation anymore

      • I agree with paragraphs 3 & 4, Dennis. Anticipating teammates movements, making yourself available for a pass, making a measured pass to a teammate in scoring position are all important! Bradley is 2nd ALL-TIME in assists for the USMNT, hence the nickname “Sir Jogs a lot!”, when a 6, or box-to-box defender is supposed to stay in front of the back 4! O yeah! …and Captain Backwards pass! If he’s 2nd in passing the ball forward, had Bad is everyone else?! It’s seems some people, have been watching USMNT, since 2014 WC. Beckerman was also on the YNT in 99’, which also had Oneywu, Lando, DMB, so in 2014- 15 years later, continuity was extremely high! MB has been past his prime, w/ his 1st appearance under Arena. Dempsey, DMB, & Howard retiring, he’s the last one, from Arenas 1st go round. It’s T. Adams then, a whole bunch of players, out of position, (Roldan, McKennie, Nagbe, Morales, who all 8s.). Yueill played well, but I would like to see him, play more.

  3. Much improved from Friday, poor from Long in this one, and Dest really gotta improve his 1 on 1 defending. Good performances from morris, yueill and Roldan, but I think all those names are good depth and shouldn’t be in our starting 11. Thought sargent was disappointing, and if he’s not playing for werder im fine rolling with altidore, zardes or some fresh name (Toye). Boyd was disappointing again, as was lleteget. I would have really liked pomykal to get more time in this camp as well.

    Reply
    • I feel like if Dest played in MLS he would be written off and flamed to death on a site like this for even making the team.
      But since he went the Ajax system, ok he is fine. Just needs to improve his one on one defending.
      More and more of the US inferiority complex or putting the US down.
      .
      It isn’t just his one on one defending in my opinion. I am not writing him off, but he isn’t good enough for call ups. After watch him get torched time and time again, I don’t know how anyone disagrees with that. When he reaches his potential bring him back.
      He does have a good shot though.

      Reply
  4. Why does GB and USMNT feel like we *have* to play strictly possession soccer when the 5th best team in the world plays a bunker-and-counter game and no one complains? From 1994-2014, the USMNT punched above its weight, made decent runs in the World Cup, and owned El Tri and Concacaf. But the latter part of the JK regime and GB’s plans just won’t work for the foreseeable future. Can GB at least develop two strategies and train his team to be able to toggle between possession-soccer and bunker-and-counter, depending on the opponent? I don’t think that’s too much to ask from professionals who have to adjust to new coaches and strategies at the club level each season (sometimes several times in a single season if there are coaching changes). And yes, I know that national teams have very limited time together, unlike clubs. I still think they can handle the tactical demands.

    Reply
    • I agree, it is particularly silly to try to “build out of the back” when you have no midfielders who seem to grasp that they need to be open as soon as a teammate receives the ball. Without recognizing that, high pressure by opponents will continue to make the US look foolish.

      Reply
  5. I said it……get rigid of Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum and this style of play might work as at the end of the day, we look like a team for once in a long time. Yes we didn’t get pressured like the Mexico game, yes we need work on both sides of the field but it is clear to see Everyone participated on offense /defense.
    No player had to cover another player’s shift, no meaningless jogging, no 98.5% back passing, no defensive liabilities….there was actually decent connections in the middle of the field, with every player involved and every player participating. Not once, all game, did I think we would be beaten by speed, positioning or a counter.

    If GB doesn’t ditch this “Bradley or Bradley like midfielders” in the middle of the field, that brought down better coaches before him, he will lose his job soon. It NEVER worked with the original when he was actually a decent player so it’s definitely not going to work with a watered down version or knockoff. Hope he learned something in this Uruguay game

    Reply
    • everyone remember when klinsmann tried to prove a point and ditch bradley right when he was hired and we looked godawful without him? that was kind of funny, if a little sad.

      anyway, to your broader point, all the post-game analysis needs to say is: “We didn’t get pressured like the Mexico game.” i think pretty much everyone agrees that, yes, if the other team doesn’t try to stop us, we can play out from the back, regardless of personnel.

      Reply
      • No, we looked good. Bradley just finally earned his spot, so Bradley looked good too. And the original post still stands in that, Bradley and Trapp are current disasters that only till ply due to their old-boy connections and Garbers heavy MLS influence.

      • “everyone remember when klinsmann tried to prove a point and ditch Bradley”…..Nope YOU are the only one who remembers that because Bradley has been the most constant player on the USMNT, blocked the involvement of FAR MORE TALENTED players midfield (Jermaine Jones, Alfredo Morales, Geoff Cameron as a DM, Now Darlington Nagbe) has never been ditched by any coach since BB and we have struggled consistently at a team. EVERY COACH has tried to build a team around him and has failed….every single one. Nice try but I’m a fan who has wanted MB benched for a long time (3 coaches ago). He is a washed out version of the player that came from ROMA and I have been suffering through his average skill, abilities and talent for a long time!!

      • “everyone remember when klinsmann tried to prove a point and ditch Bradley”…..Oh and I forgot in order to FORCE Bradley’s involvement in the Midfield, Tyler Adams one of the most Talented, tireless and Dynamic DM we have, playing in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig, was moved to RB to learn a new position in a flawed strategy……just to accommodate dead weight

    • As always, I disagree with your constant denigration of Bradley. He is still the only midfielder in the US pool who is able to anticipate where to support teammates, even Adams who is the best of the rest can have long stretches in which he can disappear, though in his time at Red Bull NY, I did see improvement in that regard and expect he will get better.

      The point is no other US midfielders do that. Until the US has at least 3 midfileders with the soccer brains to anticipate teammates’ needs the US will continue to struggle against teams who press high when the US tries to advance with short passes out of the back.

      Reply
      • As always, I disagree with YOUR constant HAILING of Bradley. He is still the only midfielder in the US pool who is a back-pass general, especially when he is not able to anticipate where to support teammates…..better yet he cannot even support himself on the team. He is a liability to all around him. Playing with MB is like playing a man down. He is only good for the long passes AND THAT’S WHAT THE USMNT ARE TRYING TO AVOID, so hopefully he is gone for good

        He does not come close to most young DM on the team (who actually put in the work) let alone Darlington Nagbe. So until the USMNT gets rid of Bradley and his knockoff Trapp and field talented midfielders with actual skill, abilities and talent “with the soccer brains to anticipate teammates’ needs the US will continue to struggle against teams who press high when the US tries to advance with short passes out of the back”

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX5YZeeNIqY

        Published Sep 3, 2019 #RECOGNIZED

    • I do not know what you were watching. In the Mexico game, Trapp basically hid. McKennie could not even make a good simple return pass to a back and was responsible for multiple turnovers, Morales was more like Jermaine Jones, but he was woefully unavailable for the backs to pass to. Zardes drifted back, but mostly he just got in the way, Pulisic tried to stay wide, but he was so far from his teammates that they seldom saw him and Boyd just looked like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

      I agree, Bradley is on his last legs as an international player, but the US pool has no player capable right now of doing what he can still do to support teammates and every time they play a team that presses high, it will be obvious. I really hope Yueil or Adams or McKennie can grow to replace him (and to be fair, when teammates have more time, any of those 3 is more than adequate, but when the other team presses, they still need a lot of work.)

      Reply
      • And please don’t insult Mckennie and Adams. Bradley in his prime would struggle to compete with them or get and keep a spot as a regular in the Bundesliga……let alone the washed out has been he is now lol

      • Nagbe and Bradley do not play the same position. Nagbe would be an 8 in the possession style game that Berhalter plays. The 6 needs to be able to connect long diagonal balls to the FBs and wings opening up space for the 3 central attacking players to run into. Nagbe doesn’t do that he carries the ball forward with his feet. He does it very well. When he does that in Berhalter’s system he leaves the back 2 because the FBs are high and wide exposed. In Atl they often play with 3CBs and Remedi or Larentowicz next to Nagbe as protection. Nagbe could play the 8 next to Bradley (or hopefully Yueill or I wouldn’t mind Lletget). It’s a similar reason as to why McKennie doesn’t fit that role (Adams could given the development of Cannon and Dest at RB). Then you’d have to weigh McKennie’s toughness and danger in the offensive box against Nagbe’s highlight dribbling that connected with his US squad for one assist and no goals over the Arena area when he played virtually every match. But of course Nagbe wouldn’t want to compete for a spot with anyone so he decline anyway. Bradley needs to be replaced and Nagbe could help but those two don’t go together. Maybe when Bradley was serving as the #10 under JK but not when he was the lone 6 under JK and Arena in the diamond and not now unless Adams is playing as the inverted RB to provide cover when we bombs forward.

  6. Side note Mexico lost 4-0 to a young Argentina possesion was 37 to 63 in favor of Mexico. Mexico is overrated that’s why this last game against them was important to take seriously berhalter decided to experiment when In reality he should have put his best line up a defensive line up we aren’t gna get far playing a possesion type game. So tonight the us played better because of the loss to Mexico as a motovational factor and a uruguay that wasn’t as grinding out tackles in the midfield. I expect Tyler adams and a Michael Bradley defensive midfield in the future with pomykal getting called up. At this point mckinney has to take a seat.

    Reply
  7. Uruguay thought they could play 11 behind the ball and suck the naive Americans into playing too high, then counter into space with numbers and create 1v1 in all of that space. They also thought the USMNT could not be able to crack that code. Turns out they got half of it right; Uruguay did create good chances playing that way, and scored on one, but the USMNT weren’t without ideas and created chances themselves, and scored. Also, Uruguay did look to press the US both 3 quarters and in the middle 3rd but once the pressure was broken, they bunkered in. Goals like the one Morris scored comes with the territory when you play the majority of the game in the opponents half of the field, which was the case in the 2nd half. And the US broke lines continuously out of pressure and switched the point nicely. It’s just one game, but it was a good one. On Berhalter’s ‘system’, on the defensive side, it’s an attempt to copy what some of the big timer’s are doing with pressure out of the 4 3 3 with the staggered front 2 lines. Uruguay tried it too btw. It’s not how Klopp does it out of that formation

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  8. I’m still not buying today’s better play it was due to Uruguay not pressing up top and not pressuring in the midfield. Also our goal was off of a deflection from a Uruguay clearing that deflected of lima and morris poached. We’re stuck with berhalter I will say that Bradley and Altidore become much more important for qualifying.

    Reply
    • I agree that it looked better because of Uruguay’s style of play. While it helps that Suarez and Cavani didn’t play, I think Godin not playing had a bigger impact. Uruguay was a bit looser in defence than I expected. Giminez is a solid defender, but the leadership Godin shows was missing.

      I didn’t get too watch a lot, but what I did see wasn’t much improved. Movement off the ball is still lacking. It helped that Uruguay was content to concede possession at midfield until a couple passes were made and movement improved slightly to open up the defense.

      Defending the counter was shaky also, and Guzan should be done. While the shot has a lot of power, and was a difficult save (Long more at fault in my opinion), his positioning was poor giving up to much space at the near post.

      Reply

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