The future remains very bright for Jack McGlynn.
McGlynn scored his first U.S. men’s national team goal and also registered his first assist as Mauricio Pochettino’s squad defeated Venezuela 3-1 at DRV PNK Stadium. The Philadelphia Union homegrown midfielder earned SBI Man of the Match honors for his performance.
The 21-year-old delivered the opening goal for the USMNT, breaking the deadlock in the 37th minute. McGlynn received a pass outside of the Venezuela box and drilled a left-footed missile into the top-right corner.
Patrick Agyemang’s first USMNT goal would double the hosts lead before halftime.
McGlynn’s distribution was also on display in the match and the midfielder added to his productive stat-line with a first USMNT assist. His fast break pass to Matko Miljevic allowed the debutant to find the back of the net.
McGlynn played the full 90 minutes for the USMNT, completing 97% of his passes (86/89), creating the most chances (3), and winning three duels.
McGlynn edged Miljevic, Agyemang, and Caden Clark for Man of the Match honors.
What did you think of McGlynn’s performance? Do you see him earning a European move in the coming months? Will McGlynn force his way into the USMNT picture long-term?
Share your thoughts below.
Hadn’t realized Miguel Herrera has taken over Costa Rica, he was only hired Jan. 7, and CR’s domestic league just started so the roster played midweek with their clubs. Most of them are from the three big clubs in Costa Rica so they should still be decently organized if not very familiar with their manager.
Miguel Herrera?! Thanks — I hadn’t seen that either.
He’s really been on a downward track the last few years, hasn’t he. Can’t seem to control his weight, or his temper. (Though semaglutide might help? And/or therapy? Never too late for a new start …)
But on the other hand, he does have charisma, and energy. (Possibly at the risk of a heart attack? I worry about him when I see smoke coming out of his ears.)
So could he light a fire under C.R., and usher in a new era after the old guard retires? I for one will miss Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell, but time does march on.
Thank you to everyone for your assessment of the young USMNT players. It’s good to see so many looking promising, and Pochettino & Co. evidently encouraging them to improve.
All I can say is, if Agyemang (whom I had never even heard of) took human growth hormone, I hope it doesn’t come back to hurt him in later life. But in the meantime, I can see why he, er, leapt to Pochettino’s eye.
It would have been nice if we could have seen more of these MLS players on actual TV during the season, instead of only streaming.
But just in case anyone else on the planet still prefers traditional TV, here‘s the schedule for this week.
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(Central time)
Tues. 1/21
11:45 am Monaco vs. Aston Villa – UniMás
2 pm Benfica vs. Barça – UniMás
Wed. 1/22
11:45 am Leipzig vs. Sporting – UniMás
2 pm Real Madrid vs. Salzburg – UniMás
** 6 pm USMNT vs. Costa Rica – TNT **
Thurs. 1/23
2 pm Man. U. vs. Rangers – UniMás
Sat. 1/25
9 am Bournemouth vs. Nottingham Forest – USA
5 pm Cruz Azul vs. Puebla – Univisión
7:05 pm Chivas vs. Tigres – Telemundo
Sun. 1/26
8 am Tottenham vs. Leicester – USA, Telemundo
10:30 am Aston Villa vs. West Ham – USA, Telemundo
1 pm Fulham vs. Man. U. – USA, Telemundo
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i thought agyemang and shaq were the most consistent good players. those making the grade were schulte shaq miles agyemang, and then mcglynn might be very useful for those thunderbolts though he looked mediocre run of play. not everyone on our bench needs to be a 90 minute guy with a run of play role. i want him out there when we need a goal in the second half and he can take pot shots for a cheapie.
midfield transition defense was trash most of the game. gutierrez is good and technical on the ball but so slow he doesn’t separate enough. cremaschi was a mess. miljevic has consistency issues, he will do something you like then turn a ball over in his back third or duff a PK. luna needs to play faster for the level and was sloppy.
11 against Costa Rica
—–Agyemang—-
—–Jack—Luna—-
Arfston————–Jones
—–Eneli—-Benji—-
Ream—–Zim—-George
————-Freese——
That could be interesting
I don’t think Poch will suddenly change formations with the C team.
Just some stuff in no particular order:
With the possible exceptions of McGlynn and Diego Luna – who didn’t have a ton of time or moments but demonstrated pretty clearly (again) he’s got an ability to connect (often with one smart touch) and spring attacks and play in a shoebox very few guys MLS do, nobody really made a compelling case they’re ready, right now, to grab roster spots. Other than maybe Luna, who I still think the doubters just need to start trusting their eyes on, I didn’t see any future elite players, but I did see a fair number of guys with at least decent potential.
Agyemang and Campbell both struck me as rough-but-talented guys with potential Top-5-league upside. Agyemang is a lot like Haji Wright, but with better movement, though he shares with Wright the drawback that despite his size he’s obviously a whole lot better facing the goal than holding the ball up. (I also didn’t see enough of Agyemang to know if he’s got Wright’s finishing skills. Give Wright his due, the man can finish with either foot or his head, and he’s got that natural eye for goal all good scorers have.) Campbell needs a lot of polish but his athleticism and range were obvious.
While they all obviously have a ways to go, the others who impressed me to varying extents were Patrick Schulte, Benjamin Cremaschi, Brian Gutierrez, and, surprisingly, Matko Milijevic. Schulte’s not elite but he’s still a presence and I think he’s got a European future. Gutierrez was very positive and direct and I liked his touch and composure on the ball. I think he’s a future Europe guy in a year or two. Cremaschi was maybe the biggest surprise. I knew he was a good athlete and hard runner but I always had him down as a little too rough around the edges, but his progress after working with Messi & Co. this past year was obvious, and I was very pleasantly surprised how much he’s tightened up technically. Cremaschi’s comfort and ability to play in tight spaces likewise raised my eyebrows. I’d put him alongside Aidan Morris as a guy I once thought of as just fair-to-decent who now looks like he could be a good bit more than that.
A lot of us have had these occasionally heated discussions about the “shitbag diva syndrome”” – that admittedly talented guy who thinks he’s better than he is and has a bad case of the Me Me Me’s and is palpably toxic – and Milijevic jumped almost instantly off the field as a poster boy for SBDS. You could definitely see why Pochettino called him in. You could also see, and in flashing lights, the ‘tude that’s gotten him booted most everywhere he’s been. The guy has some skills, but I question Milijevic’s career trajectory, since he’s going to have to find a home at a good level to deliver on his obvious ability, which is what he’ll have to do to ever challenge for a spot in the 23. Talent’s great. You also have to play regularly at a high level to get to a form capable of making a good national team. Can he?
Caiden Clark, Emeka Enell, and Indiana Vassilev were all clearly Not Ready, if they ever will be. We already know about Miles Robinson and Shaq Moore – great athletes and very good defenders, but very technically mediocre. The Columbus duo of Max Arfsten and disappointingly, DeJuan Jones, were just meh. They didn’t play their way off the roster but they didn’t show a ton either.
I do not think we’ll see the same lineup against Costa Rica. It’ll be intriguing to see what adjustments Pochettino makes. ..and if anyone can join McGlynn and Luna in making emphatic cases they at least deserve longer looks.
I’d say with both Arfsten and Clark they weren’t put in their best positions to be successful. Arfsten until last year was a wing or forward. He’s been playing WB for The Crew. Then to make your first cap as a true FB would be a lot. Clark is stronger when he’s not out on the touch line. So either in the role Luna or Miljevic was in, or if the FB was pushing up and he could slide into the half space. Shaq did that some but Moore is more a go 100 mph and cross rather try to work some combination with his wing.
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If you had to name the WC roster today only Schulte, Ream, and maybe Miles would make it. Very few on this roster would even make a second 23 man roster. This is give some guys some time with boss, somethings to work on, and who could be the emergency 23rd man on the roster.
When you originally introduced the term it was diva shitbag as in Gio Reyna is a diva shitbag.
“Milijevic jumped almost instantly off the field as a poster boy for SBDS. You could definitely see why Pochettino called him in. You could also see, and in flashing lights, the ‘tude that’s gotten him booted most everywhere he’s been. The guy has some skills, but I question Milijevic’s career trajectory, since he’s going to have to find a home at a good level to deliver on his obvious ability, which is what he’ll have to do to ever challenge for a spot in the 23. Talent’s great. You also have to play regularly at a high level to get to a form capable of making a good national team. Can he?”
That’s not Pochettino’s problem.
What Pochettino needed to know was does Milijevic have the skill, the talent to play for the USMNT?
Based on this game it looks like he might. As for his “character” it was a dick move to steal the penalty and it blew up in his face. But he showed a lot of character in coming back from that, playing reasonably well and scoring. That took a lot of balls.
Now it’s up to Matko.
Maintaining his level and/or improving it? While I’m sure Pochettino will help him as much as he can, it’s up to MiIijevic now.
If he wants it bad enough he’ll find a way to turn things around and find a good situation. There’s enough time left for him.
If he doesn’t tough shit. No one will miss him. Matko will have blown the best opportunity of his career.
His passing ramge and vision are superb. That left foot is magical. He doesn’t need to be fast as long as his positioning and intelligence puts him in the right spots defensively. None of our current CM’s can strike a ball like that.
I assume you are talking about Jack?
He takes his time. “Slow” guys like him have the vison to operate inside their own bubble of time and space. When you see and do things before everyone else you don’t have to run around like a chicken with your head cut off.
Franz Beckenbauer is the most famous example of that kind of player. He seemed to know exactly where everyone was at any given time and rarely looked rushed. He could have played in a tuxedo and it would not have gotten dirty. Guys like Carrick, Pirlo, Riquelme were like that as well. They just saw things before everyone else. A more local example is Gio, who is not necessarily at the level of the guys I just cited but has that same ability to create their own “pocket of space and time ” and could get that level.
Plus, all of them were/are technically good enough to do something good with the ball given that time and space.
McGlynn is going to have to get to a higher level team than Philly to prove to doubters that he has that vision and can pull that same magic trick off against high level competition.
Gio has done that but can’t physically stay on the field. If Gio ever gets fulltime USMNT status it might be hard to put him and McGlynn in the same lineup.
I had house guests so could not watch the game closely enough to make an opinion on the defenders. Did any of those stand out or not?
They didn’t have a whole lot to do most of the day. Moore, Campbell, and Robinson were all in the area of the unmarked player who scored so somebody messed up, even if that mistake was not communicating.
I watched in a mirror so it was the left backs fault.
it looked to me like miles was marking air and the attacker floated back between him and shaq. but i thought other than that play they were the 2 guys making the big goal saving plays.
i would like to see us end the stupid zonal defense on set plays.
IV: I watched it again. Campbell is marking someone so it comes down to Shaq and Miles. Two vets like that who have played together should have been better. I think it’s more on Shaq as it happens behind Miles, but I don’t know what their zonal rules were. As for zonal marking just like playing out of the back everybody does it now so there must be a reason. I thought both were fine but they weren’t tested much. I thought at times Miles looked like a little disinterested.
all due respect to “must be a reason” but we give up a ton of goals where the scorer sits in the pockets in the zone either between the backs or in the space between the 6 and the CBs.
also, you can mark zone run of play but mark man on kicks.
if you watch the actual play in real time speed, if you are the wingback, the guy is next to robinson goal side, and then robinson doesn’t track the run, but that’s like less than a second for the wingback to try and get inside of that run and either clear it himself or contest it enough it misses or gets saved.
in short, asking that to be zonal marked is asking for those sorts of “i got him, no, you got him” sort of mistakes.
Yes, but had you learned zonal marking and watched everyone play using zonal marking you’d be screaming about man marking because someone got picked or got caught ball watching. If no one ever gave up goals man marking everybody would still be man marking but most teams run at least partial zonal marking on corners.
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Sometimes the other team just gets it right, it’s a great kick and a well timed leap. 33% Miles, 33% Shaq, %33 Eneli for not winning the second ball that allowed the deflected shot to go out for the corner in the first place. I’m guessing they hadn’t spent a lot of time on defending corners last week, trying to get everyone to fitness as well. Everyone on the first team certainly performed better than the U20s against Nashville. Goal highlights can be found on Nashville SC’s YouTube feed in their “shorts” section. That doesn’t include Andy Najar dribbling thru half the team that they posted on X Saturday.
yeah, in select we did something closer to what atleti plays and everyone has a specific responsibility and defends, and no one passes the buck. you don’t give up cheap goals and we won bit tournaments sometimes based just on pitching repeated shutouts. defend like heck and look for your jailbreaks.
nah, you’re wrong, i did play zone first year in college, and while people can lecture me about its sliding nature, i felt like i spent a lot of time bailing out CBs, which was a distraction from my main task of marking the best opposing player out of games.
i personally feel like zone is attractive more for the spacing it creates in transition. ie for offense, not defense. in a man setup you are marked everywhere. you then have to run to space to outlet. in a zone you may be marking air and quickly open in transition. but shapewise that means the other team is attacking 11 and you have guys on no one.
example, elis-era dynamo, there was always a tension between we were best on offense when elis guarded no one and could be sent quickly downfield diagonal to a wing. but the team was so bad on defense in a 433 we would ship goals like mad up his wing. at which point he ends up being ordered to mark a wing.
also, like i said, dead ball defense is distinct from run of play defense. the other team is either shooting or trying to quickly pass to a dangerous place. it strikes me as idiotic to not have everyone man marked for that burst of action right in front of your own net. if you want to go back to zone run of play, fine. but it’s a smaller more dangerous game on dead balls and who doesn’t mark those tightly on purpose. ball is there in about a second and if you’re not marked it’s in the net. like you saw.
i think i was successfully picked once for a goal in many years of marking dead balls. it’s too easy to get fouls for obstruction or contact when a defender hits the deck in the box. people hitting the deck in space is exactly what refs look for.
I’ll say it again IV, and I’m only talking about set pieces. Almost everyone is using zonal marking on their corners so there must be reason. All the big managers both club and international almost to a man use zonal marking on corners.
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My guess is if this wasn’t a camp cupcake match with likely little scouting we might have done better but would you spend a lot of time on the guy who has been in the Spanish 3rd for most his career with only 1 professional goal, coming off the bench in his first cap. The guy had scored twice since he could drive once for the U20s and once last year.
Certainly looked like the closest one to getting a shot with the first team. Has a silky touch, a wicked left foot, and good vision. Didn’t see him switch fields or hit the long-range pass very often, although he has a rep for being good at that. I have to wonder if he is good enough defensively for the next step up, maybe we will get an idea against Costa Rica.
He switched fields on one of the goals and got an assist.
He has previously shown quality when he played for the US youth teams, it seems to me. While I don’t know if today was enough to get an offer from Europe, I won’t be surprised if he gets one.
He reminds me of prime Michael Bradley who played at Borussia Mochengladbach Joe Scally club. Good passing to set players up, nice through balls, and nice rocket shot🚀 🔥 ⚽️ 🥅
Real Sociodad, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, and of course PSV all had interest in the summer window. He’d fit nicely at PSV especially if Malik is going to be out several months.
A beautiful strike, doesn’t mean a whole lot given the competition in terms of his order on the NT. Perhaps it does encourage a club to make a good offer to bring him to Europe. Feels like Union are ready to sell given he was the only Philly player released to US camp this week for either NT or U20s.