GatewayRedbirds.com

thrill wrote:

lukethedrifter wrote:

Fat Strat wrote:USMNT vs. Mexico tonight in Mexico.

Arena's lineup is not awesome. He's putting too much into the short turn around. A draw would be a good result.

That's what you got. Would have been nice to see Pulisic get off a better shot there at the end.

In the world we live in, a draw at Azteca is still an incredible, almost unprecedented result. Bruce planned to put a cynical lineup on the field for months. All camp long they prepared to execute two drastically different game plans with two drastically different lineups over the course of 4 days. When you think of it in those terms, it's very impressive.

It was far from fun, Bradley's insane goal aside, but last night really hammers home the difference between Jurgen and Bruce. Preparation gets results.

Yeah, I agree with that. Reacting to the lineup alone was one thing. But, the strategy that went into it -- that's something else entirely. Arena or someone talked about it after the match - they worked on that exact shape form the first day of camp for that specific game with those specific players. Yeah... That wasn't Jurgen's way.

Bradley's goal was just a thing of beauty. Wood should have one and Pulisic should have at least challenged on another. (And Bradley's shot off the post, too.) We could have easily won. They could have won with their crossbar shot... A draw is a terrific result, especially considering we were down 3-1 in possession time.

Looks like the Gold Cup is going to be primarily a domestic squad.
http://www.americansoccernow.com/articl ... e-gold-cup

Quarterfinals of the Gold Cup tonight. US vs. El Salvador. 8 or 9 pm, I think. FS1.

mikechamp wrote:Tomorrow night (9pm CT) is the Manchester Derby (from Houston). I don't understand why they are making those guys play in the middle of the night (Manchester time).

Probably because if they play while the sun is out in Houston, they might die.

USMNT beat Costa Rica last night 2-0. Good match all around. Dempsey tied Donovan for 1st all-time in goals scored with 57.

BTW, Bruce Arena can just go ahead and continue coaching this club. Wow, the strategic difference between Arena and Klinnsman is so obvious in retrospect.

Also, I completely agree with this statement from this article:

The last act for Clint Dempsey will be as a super-sub all-around attacker and, it seems, as Pulisic's "break in case of emergency" back-up playmaker

the Dempsey goal was a beaut. And that assist too.

Fat Strat wrote:Also, I completely agree with this statement from this article:

The last act for Clint Dempsey will be as a super-sub all-around attacker and, it seems, as Pulisic's "break in case of emergency" back-up playmaker

I'm obviously a Clint Dempsey fan boy, but I am blown away by his ability to evolve. At the height of his powers, he wasn't a good playmaker/#10 and could not have filled that role. Tottenham tried to fit him there and it just didn't work. He was much more comfortable up top or drifting wide trying to find the ball in an attack designed to run everything through Gareth Bale and he couldn't pull it off. Eventually it looked like he was figuring it out and he still scored some huge goals for them, but with Villas Boas' job on the line, they couldn't indulge him they way he needed. Now, as he's lost his speed and athleticism, his technique and use of space has gotten better and he's learned how to be a more patient fulcrum in the middle. By his intelligence and sheer force of will, he continues to find a way to be one of the best players on the field, no matter who else is on the field, at a time in his career when he's supposed to be irrelevant. He's just a special player who will never get the credit he deserves outside of the US soccer community, but because of what he's done, it will be that much easier for players like Christian Pulisic and the kids who come after him to reach the pinnacle of the game.

I'm just disappointed that he won't get the opportunity to break the record against Mexico, a team he's somehow never scored against, in the final.