I've played in, coached in and watched the game a loooong time.
The one thing I can tell you is that "heart and determination" only takes you so far. Eventually talent wins out.
You might be able to pull of the upset here and there...and the US might just beat the Dutch on Saturday am (Eastern) but the Dutch are the vastly superior team from the system to the coach to the players.
What's hopeful is that England should be a vastly superior team as well and the US didn't look at all over matched in that game.
The Dutch will rightly be favored, but it wouldn't be a huge upset if the US tops them.
US certainly seems to step up when they are the underdog and gets tight when they are favored to win. It was clear going in that the US needed someone to step up on offense and could not rely on Pulisic alone. US has only scored twice in three games.
Of course, the good news is that the US only gave up one goal and it was on a PK for a stupid foul (stupid meaning the US defender had no reason to try to make a tackle inside the box with Bale facing away from the goal).
But the US defense cannot carry the team through the knockouts. Offense needs to pic up the pace and players need to finish.
The US will be one and done in the knockout stage.
I've played in, coached in and watched the game a loooong time.
The one thing I can tell you is that "heart and determination" only takes you so far. Eventually talent wins out.
You might be able to pull of the upset here and there...and the US might just beat the Dutch on Saturday am (Eastern) but the Dutch are the vastly superior team from the system to the coach to the players.
Yep. It will take a miracle for the US to advance.
The US will be one and done in the knockout stage.
I've played in, coached in and watched the game a loooong time.
The one thing I can tell you is that "heart and determination" only takes you so far. Eventually talent wins out.
You might be able to pull of the upset here and there...and the US might just beat the Dutch on Saturday am (Eastern) but the Dutch are the vastly superior team from the system to the coach to the players.
The US isn't as skillful as a lot of the European squads, but we tend to be physically superior. There are not a lot of times where opponents get behind our defense (which is why we shut out England) and the only goal we conceded thus far has been a penalty. Netherlands came out of a weak group (teams were ranked 18, 44 and 50). To be honest, Ecuador (#44 in the world) should have won their game against Netherlands as they out shot them 15-2, out played them, had a goal overturned on a questionable call and hit the post on another shot.
The US will be one and done in the knockout stage.
No matter, they were ranked 16th and have made the final 16. But the Dutch are no longer the force they used to be. Still formidable but they, like the US didn't qualify for the World Cup in 2018 and have rebuilt. Plus teams that had a higher FIFA ranking have been already been eliminated and several others need wins to advance.
I have watched both teams in this world cup and short of a miracle, the US will go home Saturday.
How many squads that have made or will make it to the knockout round would the US best player Pulisic start in? I can count very few which tells you the latent level of those other squads.
I've played in, coached in and watched the game a loooong time.
The one thing I can tell you is that "heart and determination" only takes you so far. Eventually talent wins out.
You might be able to pull of the upset here and there...and the US might just beat the Dutch on Saturday am (Eastern) but the Dutch are the vastly superior team from the system to the coach to the players.
The US isn't as skillful as a lot of the European squads, but we tend to be physically superior. There are not a lot of times where opponents get behind our defense (which is why we shut out England) and the only goal we conceded thus far has been a penalty. Netherlands came out of a weak group (teams were ranked 18, 44 and 50). To be honest, Ecuador (#44 in the world) should have won their game against Netherlands as they out shot them 15-2, out played them, had a goal overturned on a questionable call and hit the post on another shot.
Except for one guy US team is garbage in every way. Physically superior. Lol
The US isn't as skillful as a lot of the European squads, but we tend to be physically superior. There are not a lot of times where opponents get behind our defense (which is why we shut out England) and the only goal we conceded thus far has been a penalty. Netherlands came out of a weak group (teams were ranked 18, 44 and 50). To be honest, Ecuador (#44 in the world) should have won their game against Netherlands as they out shot them 15-2, out played them, had a goal overturned on a questionable call and hit the post on another shot.
Except for one guy US team is garbage in every way. Physically superior. Lol
This isn't 2018.
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2:18 at the casino and about to go back on the grid
So I asked how to correctly pronounce Qatar. I was told here that it is cutter. I keep hearing on the Sports and news it rhythms with guitar. So I called Qatar airlines and the voice recording said it one way but the girl who answered told me the other way. For now I think I will call them anti beer drinkers but I would like to get it right.
How many squads that have made or will make it to the knockout round would the US best player Pulisic start in? I can count very few which tells you the latent level of those other squads.
Pulisic would start in the midfield for Senegal, Poland, Morocco, Australia, Switzerland, and Croatia at least. The US squad belongs in the bottom half of the round of 16, but so do 7 others.
I've played in, coached in and watched the game a loooong time.
The one thing I can tell you is that "heart and determination" only takes you so far. Eventually talent wins out.
You might be able to pull of the upset here and there...and the US might just beat the Dutch on Saturday am (Eastern) but the Dutch are the vastly superior team from the system to the coach to the players.
Yep. It will take a miracle for the US to advance.
You are totally ignoring the widespread questionable officiating which, even with the advent of VAR, makes one wonder if FIFA haven't sent down some sort of directive.
Canada's Alphonso Davies is supposed to be a big international star and Canada to become a footballing nation, so his goal was allowed to stand, even though the play leading up to it was clearly offside.
CroMags did not protest, commentators were mute.
Same old peculiar World Cup odor. Numerous other examples.
Some African country will finally make the semis, which will be a WC first after almost 90 years. It will simply just happen, probably to the team that can come up with the biggest bung.
Teams ranked above USA in world rankings who didn't make it as far: #6 Italy (DNQ) #10 Denmark (last in their group) #13 Mexico (outdone by Poland)
Teams needing a match 3 result in the next couple of days to not join the above: #2 Belgium (lost to Morocco and even dominated in their win over Canada) #11 Germany (lost to Japan) #12 Croatia (have looked pretty good to be fair) #14 Uruguay (0 goals against Portugal and South Korea) #15 Switzerland (have looked pretty good to be fair)
Regardless of how the Netherlands match goes, the Americans acquitted themselves quite nicely.