The U.S. men’s national team sealed its spot into the CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout stage after grinding out a slim victory over Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Chris Richards’ second-half goal was all Mauricio Pochettino’s squad needed to earn a 1-0 win at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The result propelled the Americans into the quarterfinal round, where they will eventually meet either Mexico or Costa Rica.
Feras Al Brikan had the best offensive look for Saudi Arabia in the 20th minute, but Matt Freese dove down to make a comfortable save at his near post.
Abdulrahman Al Obud looked set to test Freese for the second time in the opening half but the aforementioned Richards raced back to deny the forward with a heroic tackle.
Patrick Agyemang’s header in the 45th minute was the USMNT’s lone effort on target before halftime.
The USMNT started picking up the pressure in the second half with Richards delivering the breakthrough goal in the 58th minute. Sebastian Berhalter’s free kick was flicked past Nawaf Al-Aqidi by Richards for the defender’s second USMNT goal.
A
The USMNT closes out group stage play on Sunday against Haiti in Arlington, Texas.
Jesse back under investigation for conduct towards match officials during their match with Honduras. He got in trouble while he was supposed to be serving his suspension for poor sideline behavior. Happened on a YouTube channel from Canada (seems like their version of The Total Soccer Show) it siundedy like the Canadian soccer media are already souring on Marsch. They feel like he’s making drama were it doesn’t need to be. Making it about him instead of the team. One commentator said “It’s like he’s Herdman 2.0.” They’ve got their best team probably ever and Jesse is just being a distraction. No one is talking canning him but he’s not fitting with the Canadian vibes.
Haha, Canadian soccer media can be sour all they want……the Canadian Soccer federation, fans and the players are all in on Jesse Marsch. In their eyes he can do absolutely no wrong (and he knows it), especially after making Canada one of the best, if not THE BEST team in CONCACAF.
He just needs to turn it down a notch on the sidelines to avoid putting his team in jeopardy.
I’d say you’re mostly right as I read comments. If they were to drop a match in this tournament, without any ref shenanigans that could change fairly quickly. It’s ok if you’re an arrogant SOB if your ways are working but we’ve seen that wear out fast, Montreal, Leeds and Leipzig. Caleb Porter’s similar act wore out fast with my Crew even though he won an MLS Cup as soon he stopped winning. Unless he was using drones then apparently they’re running him out immediately on a rail. Apparently, the Canadian’s also believe Concacaf plays favorites with the US. Ha!
Oof, we’ll see how the fans feel about his suspension now. Jesse chose to rotate heavily tonight and it didn’t work. As long as they use that rest to win the tournament all this will be forgiven. Curacao is better than a lot of people think, especially since Advocat took over. Too bad they didn’t get the Timber twins or Patrick Kluivert to join.
JR,
It’s always been fascinating how:
Curacao / Netherlands lite
Guadeloupe/ France lite
Jamaica / England lite
The last time everyone was really high on Jesse was after that half time video about Salzburg with Jesse cursing in German and needing to “fight” vs Liverpool emerged.
A lot of the shine has come off him since then. Leeds really shredded his balloon. He’s always had that used care salesman aspect to him and lately he looks like he’s playing a role in Fargo.
It’s a shame, I was hoping he would settle in long term for Canada who have the makings of a team that could do some damage. If he gets canned it could be last chance salloon for him.
out of that game, richards and adams (duh), but also luna, berhalter, and freese. though freese didn’t have to stop much so we don’t really know much. downs looked briefly interesting and it’s telling he’s coming on and not white.
i wouldn’t be surprised if the coach liked tillman, though i think he’s hit and miss.
agyemang benefits from wright having issues, both for the tournament and in general.
subtle thing but i noticed technically it’s 26 for the tournament but 23 for any given game so some guys aren’t dressing every night.
so for last night it was brady harriel wright not dressed. for game 1 it was adams johnny downs.
what was on all night, but we didn’t do much of, was you get that wide ball on the chalk, and you swerve an early skipper behind the backline.
downs also made a diagonal run late where you could use similar principles to send the 9 behind the backs, but that ball takes you more to the flag.
or agyemang on the counter. beat the press, get to the high line, play it behind their backs.
some of the time we regressed back to berhalter ball. some of the time we had some directness. and that’s why we won 1-0 on a free kick.
PN…
1) How do you define good coaching?
2) Will good coaching allow for Agyemang to improve enough to make a significant impact on the field during the 2026 World Cup?
3) What role do you see for Luna after the Gold Cup and in the 2026 World Cup
4) What role do you see for Berhalter in the next year?..and is he better than other current options for that same role?
Johnnyrazor…
1) McGlynn is definitely not athletic enough to be a winger / wide player. Not sure what Pochettino sees in playing him as the RW. Around the 40th minute of the game, he tucked in and underneath Agyemang, and played a couple of nice combination / possession passes which illustrated that he is better suited as a 6 than out wide.
2) “Numerous times, Arfsten and Luna would combine…”…my notes / analysis of the game don’t show Arfsten and Luna combining. They actually show multiple missteps on the part of Arfsten in the 1st half…1st minute, 2nd minute, 8th minute…11th minute…14th minute…19th minute…29th minute…33rd minute…41st minute. Arfsten’s had one positive play in the first half…at the 45th minute, he had a great cross in. Others may say Arfsten’s sombrero in the 9th minute was also positive…I’m not one of those people. Arfsten was then non-existent in the 2nd half. What combinations are you referring to? Examples please.
2tone…
1) I don’t think Stryker91 is dismissing Berhalter after one game. He just doesn’t see him being a depth piece that can help for this coming World Cup. Me neither. But hey, you claim Pulisic is as good as Vini Jr., so what do we know.
PG:
1. I think the idea is Jack would then come in on his left and be able to pass or shoot (like the Türkiye goal). SA was jamming up the middle so that left him with only the endline run which isn’t his strong suit. Switching McGlynn and Malik allowed for better chances for both. I’m sure it looked great with Dest overlapping him in camp, but with Freeman largely sitting home.
2. I’m probably overselling the word “combining”. They were keeping good spacing. He also had the nice move where he dribbled across the top of the box around 18th minute but his shot was blocked. That’s a classic Max Arfsten move. There were options on that side of the field they just didn’t come off. I felt Luna often had to play Arfsten because Pat was just standing around. The one time in the second where Pat actually made the run Arfsten played him in behind and he cut it back to Luna but he got quadruple teamed. Huge Crew fan, not a big fan of Max, even for Columbus but Wilfred believes in him. Hoping to see Tolkin against Haiti. Yes, sombrero was not a good play in my book, but Tolkin would have done that too. I’m sure Max had a few other decent decisions but I’m not submitting myself to a rewatch of that.
Papi: ok, I did it, forced myself to rewatch first half.
1. Luna was not very good.
2. Arfsten was worse, but he did have a good play 13th minute where he, Diego, and Luca had a quick sequence that Luna got behind the defense as Luca tried to flick it over but didn’t get quite high enough. Then in 43rd he had a nice pass that put Berhalter in behind but his cross was blocked. Then of cross the nice cross in 44th.
3. I don’t think it was anything tactical from SA that had the ball more on our left, I think Ream was just being more aggressive with his passes than Freeman. So when Freeman was content to pass back to Richards, Ream would find either Arfsten or LDLT.
4. In the first 15 minutes Luna, Jack, and Tillman were moving around interchanging spots but then they just stopped and were staying in their initial positions. Not sure if Poch just tried to simplify it for them or they got tired.
5. Mostly everyone just looked risk adverse. Like the space wasn’t where they expected so they’d just play safe. The three best players in the first half were Richards, Ream, and LDLT, which also happened to be the most experienced players.
It is in tournaments like the Gold Cup that players can rise above the rest and get noticed. It is where they may be in a position to move up the ladder and be a candidate for a transfer. For players like Agyemang, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a transfer target for a mid-tier club in Europe, perhaps the Eredivisie, this winter. I think Luna may fall into the same category. The jury is out on Berhalter, but rest assured his father will give him the right guidance.
This was definitely a different type of game, a quick, defensively organized team that clogged the middle. We were really flummoxed in the first half trying to figure it out. That we did figure out how to get some chances in the second, and found the goal to win it, and then held the lead to see out the game is a big step forward for this group. I was a little disappointed we didn’t use our two biggest advantages very well in this one, the space out wide and a big advantage in size. In any case, with the group basically wrapped up, we can rotate for Haiti and should be fresh for the knockouts.
Jut a short time ago, people thought the sky was falling with this team, but many lost sight of the objective. This summer was the time to identify talent that can compete for a WC roster spot.
– Agyemang is still a bit raw, but with good coaching, he will improve. Here’s hoping Downs get a long run against Haiti. A set of tall, rangy strikers who can hold and distribute are hard for an opposing defense.
– Tillman is much improved after his year at PSV. Perhaps a starter with the full team.
– Luna has already made the case for future games after the GC.
– Berhalter has been a mild surprise thus far. For a newcomer, he’s made a good impression.
– The jury is still out on Freeman and Arfsten, but they would be depth pieces.
Poch wanted competition for roster spots after the C. We’re now starting to see some success.
PN,
Not to worry, there’s still plenty of time for the sky to fall.
The sky may only be falling as we look for a dance partner at CB with Richards, and perhaps at goalkeeper. I think with the rest we’re seeing momentum.
PN
1. Everyone on SBI will recoil in mock outrage, shock and horror but Chris’ most likely sidekick is still former Red Bull left back, Rim Team.
2. As for goalkeeper, I’m unable to detect much difference between Freese, Matt and Schulte’s best so six of one……….
dude, freeman’s glitches are like schoolboy stuff. it’s soccer 101 to be conservative on island defending risktaking. when all by your lonesome, you don’t sell out on a high header you’re not sure you’re going to get if your man is behind you far post. you don’t sell out on a bouncer you’re not sure of the bounces or if you can get it. you don’t make a forward stab at a throughball that will put your man through alone.
stay. with. your. man. win the footrace, triangulate and meet the ball’s arrival. or at least end up goal side.
if you make a play you better get ball or foul the guy. there is no room for ooops.
IV: Something we agree on! Do it once ok, everyone makes mistakes, but two or three times in a half yikes!
One thing we agree on is that the first job of a defender should be to defend. So often in the modern game it seems like too much emphasis is put on full backs getting forward. And playing out of the back is good, when it is safe. I wish somebody would be able to do a study on goals gained vs. goals lost by playing out of the back. I’m not sure playing out of the back is always a big bonus, especially when the opponent is pressing. I like to see scoring as much as anyone (I was a play making center back in the dinosaur age), but if you have a shutout the worst you can get is a draw.
Gary,
You may find this useful:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5295095/2024/03/04/football-teams-playing-out-from-the-back-why/
From the article on why they play out of the back:
“Speaking on condition of anonymity so that he can talk openly about his own experiences, the coach recalls a presentation that he put together for a group of players a few years ago (prior to the law change) showing multiple examples of what he describes as “really good teams” punting the ball forward from goal kicks.
Manchester United, at a time when David de Gea was in goal and Romelu Lukaku was up front, were one of those teams.
“And I said, ‘In that moment, no matter who you are, you could have the best striker and goalkeeper in the world, and the best midfielder in the world, that is a 50-50 ball. If we’re saying we really want to dominate the ball, we cannot kick it long and just hope for a 50-50. That’s not valuing possession.’
“So if you’re asking me why we’re doing it, it’s because we want the ball.”
To be honest I thought Tillman looked better at RM in the second half then he did at CAM. I wonder if a more traditional 4-4-2 is in order? Be a tad more direct and get Tillman and Luna combining and running off of Downs, and Ayge and or potentially Wright.
The Saudi’s whole defensive plan was to clog the middle. He looked better wide because that was where they were conceding space. Also, their defense appeared to tire in the second half.
Exactly why a 4-4-2 is needed for this tournament. Exactly what Panama did to us multiple times. What Canada has done. What the Netherlands did in the round of 16. Go with two pacey physical strikers. Get Luna and Tillman more space to operate. Wear out that defense from the start.
Except that actually takes away attackers because now Tillman and Luna are out in the space that Arfsten was in. It also leaves Berhalter and DLT overwhelmed in the midfield. There were two main problems as I saw it last night.
-One McGlynn is not athletic enough to be the width player if the opponent is taking away the middle. This was made worse because it was Freeman trying to build out on that side and he is not as confident of passer as Ream. I think SA was also shading to that side a bit because the McGlynn/Tillman combo was on paper more dangerous. When McGlynn did get the ball in dangerous spots it was predictable because of his limited right foot. He did create one good chance when he actually trusted it but Agyemang was late.
Two- Agyemang couldn’t figure out how to combine with Arfsten/Luna side. Numerous times, Arfsten and Luna would combine and they’d look for the Agyemang run and he was standing flat footed. Pepi or Balo would have had 3 or 4 big chances because they’d make the correct run.
2Tone,
Not to parrot JR but one reason why the 442 died in Europe a while ago is exactly as he said:
+ The idea of two linebackers like Downs and Patrick running at the defense is pretty attractive but eventually our midfielders would get overrun. and neither one of those two appear to be competent midfielders.
+ Malik, on the other hand can double at striker.
+ Captain Jack, especially, is a fantastic passer and shooter and seems like a nice guy but otherwise, he’s useless. McGlynn is like David Beckham but not as good or as versatile. Seba Berhalter’s dead ball skill makes Jack a bit more expendable. Plus you can say things like “Berhalter ball” without the negative connotation. Talk about reclaiming your family’s honor.
personally i think we have mid posing as wings in which case you need to take more risks sending the forwards; or the mids need to be able to go to goal and dribble someone or bang a far post shot in like mcglynn.
i think we need real wingers but there aren’t much of any on this roster.
Not a very impressive showing since most of the possession consisted of square and back passes. I thought our performance was about the same as vs. Turkiye. Turkiye is a better side and one of their goals was a gift, so that was truly like a 1-1 draw and that’s about the level we played at tonight. Richards was a beast, Freeman was shaky and I’m still not convinced that Arfsten should be a starter. Luna still looks good and Tillman showed some bite and grit, but the offense generally was boring and unproductive.
Gary,
You are comparing a friendly with a competitive game.
so? in a world cup context trinidad is the game that will be anomalous and not useful beyond morale boost. every single other game is more instructive of who is up to the task and how we can play better as a team.
i grant the swiss started B/C but we finished putting on starters and still only played to a second half tie. so if you’re trying to learn, how do i score, how do i win, it’s look at who showed up for the tough games and what worked in them,
which, a lot of us agree on the players up to snuff, though perhaps not a full 11
and
play more direct and send the strikers through
the issue is again last night half or more the time it was back to keepaway in front of an established 11 man defense. when what was working was get it wide early and get in low numbers situations.
IV,
“I thought our performance was about the same as vs. Turkiye.”
If so then , that’s a good thing. All things considered, I’d rate the challenge posed by both Turkie and KSA as about even. The greater caution with KSA was due to the need to win above everything else.
And as I’ve made clear, I don’t care how they win, just that they do.
You want impressive? Then you shouldn’t be watching the USMNT.
Pochettino is rebuilding these guys from the ground up , and it ain’t pretty.
And it probably fails when it really matters.
IV, tell us something we don’t know.
“i grant the swiss started B/C but we finished putting on starters and still only played to a second half tie. so if you’re trying to learn, how do i score, how do i win, it’s look at who showed up for the tough games and what worked in them,”
This is nonsense. The concept of a second half tie is juvenile and childish.
Barring aggregate score situations, any team would be glad to tie in the second half of every game they play as long as they score more goals than the other team in the first half.
I am comparing how well we played in two different games. Even if it is a friendly, the team should seek to play well, especially if they hope to make a World Cup roster.
Gary,
“I am comparing how well we played in two different games. Even if it is a friendly, the team should seek to play well, especially if they hope to make a World Cup roster.”
No doubt. And all things considered the USMNT sought to play well in the KFC game.
But it’s a matter of context.
Without the A team, this is a shit USMNT. And they are shit even with the A team around.
A lot of raw potential but potential means you haven’t done it yet.
But right now they suck.
Y’all forget that not only are most of these guys playing together for the first time, they are newbie internationals and , in many cases, newbie professionals. And the coaching staff has had very little time with them.
A mini perfect storm.
And if no one noticed, Luna, Patrick and Captain Jack , our poster boy standouts, have sucked. Everyone complains that Timmy is too old but it is Diego who looks like he’s 38 years old.
The USMNT roster is overall:
1. Less talented and experienced than the opposition rosters for the Turkey/Swiss sandwich.
2. Much more talented than TNT
3. Probably somewhat even, more or less, with KFC’s roster. I don’t know as I’m not as familiar with them but they were well coached and they seem more cohesive.
That mirrors how the results went.
We beat the Kingdom. Not by much but a win is a win.
“the team should seek to play well, especially if they hope to make a World Cup roster.””
I don’t doubt that they sought to play well and what you saw was the best they could do.
Gary, these guys are just not that good right now.
Not pretty but it got the win.
You should not be surprised at the higher degree of Michael Bradley passes for a competitive game. Yeah. everyone here will be screaming go for it, press for 90 minutes, play three strikers, three attacking midfielders, fuck defense, be aggressive and all that bullshit. Go overdrive Bielsa ball ( maybe not a bad idea).
I get it. Given the expectations and the ticket prices the USSF is ripping you off and selling these guys as WC contenders. Big money coach, big euro stars, blah, blah blah.
It’s all bullshit branding. On the field, the USSF waited so long to dump Gregg that Pochettino has to ride with Gregg’s ponies.
Praised for his great “stable” it turns out that Gregg’s polo ponies were trained for three rider, indoor college polo. So now Mauricio, as a good Argentinian, is having to re-train them to be REAL 4 rider, outdoor polo ponies.
And that takes time that Mauricio does not have.
+ If you want to see good soccer don’t watch the USMNT any time soon.
+ If you’re interested in a team trying to recover from years of wrongness then the USMNT might be interesting, but it won’t be pretty.
I really think Berhalter can be a really good depth piece. Energy for days, great service, good nose when to get forward and the engine to cover a lot of ground. I could definitely see him making a jump to Europe in the next year.
Beerholder jr. assist on Saudi B team and your calling for him to be a depth piece lol. Look at Switzerland game he was constantly shut down and outclassed.
Yep I am calling for him to be a depth piece. I look at more data then just one friendly game.
And that was his first game for the USMNT. Makes me laugh when fans dismiss players after one game. I remember that happening to Jedi Robinson, Clint Dempsey, and many more who went on to have great USMNT careers.
one reason i am annoyed by the club snobbery is if a MLS dude plays well in these sorts of games, he is in europe tomorrow. and if a european doesn’t play well, he’s back in MLS or teaching social studies.
so do your scouting and earn your money evaluating talent and skill levels. because the supposed club hierarchy might be flipped next season.
i do think berhalter’s deadballs, while better than CP’s (i mean, they go around the first defender!!), need some precision work. a lot of his crosses are just a little ahead of the offensive line. eg richards is sliding for that ball.
IV,
“i do think berhalter’s deadballs, while better than CP’s (i mean, they go around the first defender!!), need some precision work. a lot of his crosses are just a little ahead of the offensive line. eg richards is sliding for that ball.”
The definition of a precision pass is that Richards is the guy with the very best chance at that ball. Being just a little ahead for a half volley is perfect.
I thought the US was too content to play safe, especially in the first half. They did to advance the ball up the wings, but could not seem to cross the ball or cut inside and take on defenders. I thought is was nothing ventured nothing gained.
Although Freeman did not have the best game, it was his attacking dribble that drew the foul which lead to the Berhalter assist – Richards goal. It can pay to take some chances.
about everything the US does i was taught the opposite of. eg i was brought up on create chances as opposed to hold possession. i was taught taking the ball to the flag as much as we do demonstrated a lack of ideas. stress the defense, make us less predictable. make them work. when we do this half court stuff it’s very predictable and seems to inaccurately assume we are so much better you can see us coming and still not stop us.
which, to be blunt, often assumes either a dynamic 10 or a physical 9. reyna and vazquez are the closest thing to those. like someone who can either take you on and beat you from 10 or too tough a target to stop at 9.
we did enough to win — and i was moaning about that the other day — but we need easier goals and some concept other than hoof a cross in or try wall ball in a static way. it needs to be like chipped over the whole defense, or played faster with some anticipation runs.
we don’t anticipate enough. most of what we do except sending agyemang is predictable and plays out in front of a watching defender who at the highest levels is at least competent if not excellent.
You might want to watch San Diego FC when you have a chance o see them play. They are constantly pushing and probing, moving both with and without the ball and creating open spaces and exploiting them. Because they are constantly pressuring the opponent defense, they can afford to push defensive backs forward. I think a team is a lot more vulnerable when playing passively while still pushing defensive backs forward. An expansion team, SDFC are scoring a lot and are in 2nd place in the western division. Nobody expected it, but their style seems very effective.
-Look at baseball, football and basketball, are any of them played with the same tactics as the 80s & 90s? No, and soccer isn’t either.
-I’ve been a teacher for 25 years, best practices for teaching have changed. If I tried to teach my students the same way I was taught, I’d have a pretty negative end of year review because it wouldn’t meet the quality teaching criteria. I’m sure in your profession how things are done are different too.
-Things change, guess what a lot of smart soccer guys were watching how good teams, like yours, were playing and they found ways to beat that. And then they found ways to beat those ways, and now the current preferred method is possession. But possession doesn’t mean just Barcalona ball, or Pep balll, or even Berhalter ball. It means we’re going to move the defense primarily thru short passes to create advantages that lead to scoring opportunities. Sometimes that means defenders have to jump into build up or even attack to create those advantages and opportunities. Guess what at some point someone will figure out something different. Your way, saw Saudi Arabia only give up three shots on goal, 2 off set pieces. Poch’s way held the opponent to one shot on goal, tired the opponent in 2nd half on a hot night in Austin, and a FB pushed forward and drew a foul in a dangerous position because we had a numbers advantage. We scored off that free kick. Poch’s way worked. Against Panama they managed one shot on goal to our 5, but their one shot got past our keeper and their keeper had a great match. There is no one way to play, if there was everyone would do that. Take Gary’s advice watch San Diego or Columbus (our finishing stinks this year but the movement is there) possession soccer but the movement and speed of attack are nothing like the methodical build of the US vs SA.
While the US had 68 percent possession it did not produce chances. 5 shots and 3 shots on goal is not attacking soccer. Quite frankly I say keep on rolling out two strikers. Give opposing CB’s problems go more route 1 with two pacey 6’4″ strikers.
in the 442 more of the passing angles are diagonal. as it stands we’re straight lines up the field in 433. and the wide forward is often in the place the wingback wants to go. and so they end up passing back and forth by the flag. then get impatient and hit a cross. you play 442 the strikers are mainly central, the wing channel is open, but the striker can make a run to the wide space if they want — like downs did.
to me we have an abundance of 9s and wings. we have a meh midfield. so get more strikers and wings on the field at once. we keep trying to act like we’re a short passing team. we’re not.
also IMO 442 gives us better cover for a meh defense.