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Concacaf Olympic Qualifying: USMNT U-23s vs. Honduras (Your Running Commentary)

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The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team will look to clinch its first berth to the Summer Olympics since 2008 with a semifinal victory on Sunday over Honduras in the Concacaf Qualifying Tournament (6pm, FS1).

Jason Kreis’ side comes in off the back of a 1-0 group stage finale loss to Mexico on Wednesday. Prior to that, the USMNT U-23’s defeated Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic by scorelines of 1-0 and 4-0 respectively. Hassani Dotson, Djordje Mihailovic, and Justen Glad have been among the top performers for the Americans so far.

In case you missed any of SBI’s extensive pre-game coverage, be sure to check out our recent articles previewing the match:

The USMNT U-23’s will face off with Honduras knowing a spot in the Summer Olympics is at stake. (READ)

Five years after failing to qualify for the Olympics thanks to a defeat to Honduras, the USMNT U-23’s will try to exact revenge on Sunday night. (READ)

The USMNT U-23’s suffered a slim loss to Mexico, but will try to avoid any self-inflicted errors against Honduras. (READ)

Here is the USA lineup that will play for a place in the Olympics:

Please feel free to make this your place to share your thoughts and opinions on today’s action. The SBI Editorial Staff will be checking in to offer updates and insight as well.

Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. normally teams adjust to reality. at what point are we going to quit pretending we have sweeper keepers who should be passing out of the back??? i realize it’s anathema to talk reality or suggest crude measures but as someone who used to take goal kicks and launch them past the center circle i giggle at our keeper distribution issues. clear the ball to the other half. save the slickness for rene higuita.

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  2. any time you want we can switch out of the stupid 433 formation. you use a formation to leverage a roster. you know you aren’t getting everyone available. maybe drop the arrogance and form us up like we are trying to overcome as opposed to in the driver’s seat.

    got lectured before the tournament about how we need to have kids playing attacking formations. these aren’t kids. the way we are doing things doesn’t qualify. do you want to qualify or do you want to lecture me about aesthetics? please pick a lane.

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  3. Final: Honduras wins 2-1 over the USMNT U-23’s to qualify for a fourth-straight cycle. A disappointing ending the Americans who picked the worst time for their worst game of the tournament.

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  4. Questions need to be asked. What kind of training and coaching is being offered up? This is shameful. Compare with the quality of the Euro U21s. This team has purportedly been together for close to a month now? They can’t string together 3 passes or maintain possession for more than 5 seconds. Constantly giving the ball away cheaply, constatly hesitating when the next, right pass to make is as clear as “trees are green sky is blue” and right in front of them. In theory your central D and central holding/attacking mids are your best safe-conducters of the ball, your best s=dribblers and distributors.
    No? That’s why you have them there. The US back line constantly missing the opportunity to feed the attck in he midfield by pasing the ball to one of he central mids, sitting, open, inside the pocket, ready to receive turn and initiate the attck. Instead, slow doddering, hesitating, passing back or sideways, passing to one of the wings, now, already covered, telegraphing our passes. This is atrocious, and shameful and Kreis and the whole US training nad coaching staff should be hung out to dry. Not acceptable. Simply not acceptable. I don’t care if the is is the A team, or the B team, or the C team – they know better and should have a far better idea of how to play as a team after a month of being together. Regression to to a confederacy of dunces. Against the DR, in the first half we looked drugged, sleep-walkig, scared and confused. Grossly inept. I wrote in big capital letters on my note pad watching the horrific display of atrocious, skill-less, AND incoherent soccer football – WE ARE NOT GOING TO THE OLYMPICS. PERIOD. Nauseating. Hurts so bad to watch this. At the same time knowing how much quality the whole program has overall in the under 25 group, in general, who were not called up for this US U23 side. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

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  5. Even if the US by some miracle manages to come back and take this game, questions need to be asked. If anything the team has regressed. They played much better vs. Mexico. In this game it seems like they can’t string more than 2 or 3 passes together. They once again are way too slow in attack. They’ve been there at least 3 weeks so they can’t use the altitude and the heat as excuses. It’s hard to believe that a number of these players not only play regularly on MLS clubs, but a number have played for the USMNT.

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    • OMG, AN OWN GOAL. Lack of concentration and intensit5y, which seems to be indicative of the US this whole game. Once again, playing from the back, especially with an inexperienced team, shows the risk associated with it.

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    • They looked better against Mexico because the game didn’t matter much. I beleive at halftime the shots at goal were 9-1 Mexico. Once Mexico scored they let the foot off the gas big time.

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  6. I would take out dotson put in saucedo and drop miha to the mid to create more. Lewis needs to stay but need to drop more too. This is difficult game, Honduras is not scared of us.

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  7. Obregon’s first half goal has Honduras up 1-0 at halftime. The USMNT U-23’s haven’t done much offensively and will need some kind of spark to get back into this tie. 45 minutes left.

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    • Kind of saw it coming the way the cleared that with a boot to the ball when there was No player from Honduras within like 10 yards and there were 3 US players near each other…and then we were slow to try to clear out for the offside trap. I hope they tidy up in the 2nd half, these players just have no sense of urgency.

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  8. 1st change for me, would be to bring on Benji, put em on the right. Switch Mihailovic to the LW. Take out Lewis. Coming out of halftime.

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  9. I think the team needs a little more creativity. Maybe pair Ferrera with Soto in the 2nd half? Or is there someone else on the bench that could help?

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  10. Yikes. Under ten minutes in and it looks like all you have to do against our U-23 team is man-mark the holding mid and our entire ability to hold possession and build in attack is muted. We’re going to have to really take advantage of set pieces today and hope we don’t get pressed too high. It’s still very, very early to make big claims of alarm, but I’m not encouraged so far.

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