USA MNT WC 2022 post-mortem

I'd say that Fulham also had a pretty good showing at the tournament although only Palhina is left in Qatar. Firstly, no one got injured! (Knock on wood for Palhinha) Ream and Robinson were arguably the best players on the US squad. Robinson did leave a man unmarked for a score in the Netherlands match, but otherwise he had a number of really good games. Meanwhile Ream played like a guy who had been the leader of this squad for a cycle or two rather than a late addition to the roster.

Mitrovic scored a couple and did about all that you could expect from him, but the Serbian defense just couldn't hold on to leads two different times. His header against Switzerland was one the the prettiest goals I saw in the tournament.

Wilson and James certainly had a disappointing tournament, but despite their lack of scoring it seems that most of the fault seems to have placed on Bale and the manager.

The guys did well, but not so well that they are likely to attract too much attention from bigger clubs during the winter transfer window, so all-in-all a positive experience for Fulham.

 

@HatterDon Great stuff as always HD, to a couple of your points;

Turner, he for sure needs PT, but kudos have to go to whomever is the Arsenal GK coach, Turner has obviously worked his butt off and taken to the coaching, because his foot work and long range kicks are night and day to where he was a year ago (I’ll throw in Ramsdale should be the #1 for England).

I can ramble on about Berhalter (not everything has been bad to be fair), but this quote after the Holland match made me lose my mind. ‘We don’t have a Memphis Depay right now, someone that scores in the Champions League’…..Jordan Pefok’s last 12 CL matches…6 goals

I don’t have a replacement in mind, but sign him for another cycle, and we got no shot to get past the round of 16.

 

Agree with both summations. Turner really commanded his area and then some, without coming close to committing any tourney killing howlers that seem to befall other keepers. We’re a nation of midfielders right now. We need a couple of talented youngsters to get greedy and audacious enough to be like Berbatov, Ibramimovic, even Mitro and, yes, Deuce brave enough to “try shit.” I thought the finals roster was the best thing Berhalter got right. How he used them, or didn’t, as has been noted, is suspect. That Haji Wright saw more of the pitch than Gio Reyna (137 vs. 53) is but one of a number of head scratchers. CCV over Zimmerman, as Don’s drum banging confirms, looks legit (does CCV attempt that ill advised challenge on Bale? Methinks not). I’d like to see Jedi buckle down on his defensive responsibilities. He’s way above average going forward, but you gotta shut the back door at this level. Hard.
Finally, I wouldn’t necessarily rule out Tim Ream for one more World Cup cycle. He’s playing quite possibly his best football right now, and the grace period for center backs is a bit more generous than, say, attacking mid or second striker. Pepe’s having a very fine World Cup for Portugal at age 39. He’s looked a consistent threat on corners and direct free kicks as well, creating havoc when not soaring for a thumping header past the oppo keeper.
I’m not qualified to express an informed opinion on big picture stuff like calendars and leagues, but it would seem to make sense that we try to get on the same page as the Europeans wherever and whenever we can. I think we’re going to have to rely on MLS players more than we might want to. And it’s going to have to get on the same international calendar eventually, along with some workable promotion-relegation protocol. I know this is old stuff, but accelerating the pace toward all of these will help us best in the long run, and competing better at the big soiree every four years. But…not too much will change until we’re all within driving range of it in 2026.
Anybody up for a F-USA meet up?

 

Forgive me for forgetting the details, but didnt we have several starting lineups with zero MLS players? Depth is a whole other issue, but Gregg did find a medium between all-MLS and Jurgen era "cap anyone with American heritage, even if they suck, provided they arent in MLS"

Anyway, not sure if folks saw the various bits going around but it seems Gio's lack of PT was allegedly down to attitude problems. Skeptical of some of it (sending him home would have created a massive Streisand effect) but where there is smoke...

 

.
Good old Don! Some refrains never change. But yeah.
ADDED:

We’re a nation of midfielders right now. ​

You guys are far more up on it than I am, but that's my impression, too.
In fact always was. That's why McBride and Dempsey stood out.
Sidenote: My ten yo grandson is a standout on his select team but both his Dad and I stressed the value of the Assist early on .. Now he typically gets two A's for every goal he scores.
Have to wonder if that's a good thing.

 

Got my first true extended look at Cameron Carter-Vickers during this morning’s Old Firm tilt at Ibrox. I must agree with HD that we would have been much better served with CCV as Berhalter’s first choice partner for Tim last month in Qatar. In a scintillating 2 all draw, he came up big on numerous occasions, especially down the stretch in the 2nd half. Could easily have been the dark horse MOTM.