Gold Cup 2021

It doesn’t sound like rumors to me. Though there’s not an actual quote from Berhalter regarding Hoppe out wide, this snapshot from an ESPN article certainly alludes to it.

“The winger positions are another area that have some question marks, with Berhalter noting that "I don't think we have true wingers in this group." D.C. United's Paul Arriola and the Colorado Rapids' Jonathan Lewis are the closest fits, but Berhalter expects Schalke 04's Matthew Hoppe and SC Caen's Nicholas Gioacchini -- both strikers by trade -- to get some minutes out wide.”

My thoughts:
It’s good to see Arriola healthy again and, while I don’t see him in Qatar, this tournament is perfect for him.

I want to see what Dike will do with a full opportunity to be the main striker.

And while I don’t see a lot of the youngsters getting much time, I’m excited for their opportunity. I also want to see if Vines can follow up his good showing in Olympic qualifying.

 

The way this fits on the calendar gives this Gold Cup added interest to watch. It’s make or break for these guys to make an impression heading into WCQ (and hopefully Qatar). Really looking forward to seeing if Dike stamps his name as a must call up.

 

First USMNT group matches:

All times Eastern
Sunday, July 11
Canada vs. Martinique, 6:30 p.m. (FS1)
USA vs. Haiti, 9 p.m. (FS1)

 

Quick Takes:

Acosta was the best player from the Nations League squad.

Shaq Moore was a revelation for me. Read about him but never seen him before tonight.

Ball started moving faster after Busio sub. Love him constantly checking over his shoulder.

Ball movement was at its best after Sands came on and combined with Busio.

The Lewis experiment should be discontinued and Yueill should fall much deeper on the defensive midfield depth chart.

 

Bobby Decordova-Reid’s banger

 

Pretty much fully agree with BarryWhite but will add my two cent takes as well.

Acosta and Moore were the best players on the night.

I’m not sure what the game plan was, but outside of his goal, I’m not sure Vines made any more than a handful of passes that didn’t go backwards.

Is there a way that the rules can be amended so that we can put Zimmerman in for every corner?

I hope to see more Dike, and possibly Hoppe, in the next two matches.

 

Agree with you @astroevan - The combination of Vines and Lewis on the left were essentially invisible outside of Vines goal.

Love the Zimmerman rule. The man is good in the air.

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/sportin...-chart-his-own-path-amid-interest-from-europe

Good article about Busio

 

Tonight (Eastern Time)

• Arriola and Cannon will reportedly not be available for this match.
• Acosta is sitting on a yellow. One more and he is suspended for the next match.
• Some squad rotation is going to be needed to keep legs fresh.
• Lewis' had another very poor showing on the wing versus Haiti.
• Of the field players only Bello, Hoppe, Roldan and Pines did not appear against Haiti.

Adding all that up leads me to hope for the 3-5-2 formation that was used at the end of the Haiti match. If Berhalter truly trusts all 23 members of this squad and wants to keep legs fresh this is a prime match for heavy squad rotation and I believe that Bello, Sands, Pines and Roldan have all been playing in the 3-5-2 with the clubs so could we see:

Turner

Zimmerman - Sands - Pines

Moore - Roldan - Busio - Williamson - Bello

Dike - Hoppe

I doubt it to be honest. Even though this fits the personnel available and would keep key players legs fresh I don't see Berhalter abandoning the 4-3-3 or rotating his squad this heavily.

 

11 out of 12 ain't bad there @BarryWhite

 

Looking forward to watching this group and liking the idea of the 3-4-3 against Martinique.

 

Quick takes

• Dike, Hoppe and Sands were outstanding.
• Busio and Williamson were good (except for Busio’s corners) but allowed the midfield play to get a little loose with possession.
• Zimmerman and Robinson were solid.
• Tried to force the ball up the middle a bit to much in the first half.
• Outside backs went missing for most of the night.

 

Don is absolutely correct that Canada will be the toughest opponent the US will face in this group even without Davies and David. The bulk of their regular starters come from MLS with three European league players and one from Turkey. Cyle Larin is approaching DeRosario’s goal scoring record and if you haven’t seen Tajon Buchanan play he is a speed merchant on the wing that has improved exponentially under Bruce Arena over the last year.

With the short turn around time and the need not to be out numbered in the midfield by Canada’s 3-5-2 formation most of this roster picks itself given the following:

• Cannon is reportedly fully fit but no news on Arriola
• Lleget and Vines were fully rested
• Roldan played 90 and looked gassed
• Busio played 90 but did not look gassed
• Yueill and Lewis looked poor in their 1st appearance

For me:

Turner
Zimmerman Sands Robinson
Cannon Acosta Busio Vines
Lleget Hoppe
Dike

US has to play on the front foot and play line breaking passes to beat Canada’s midfield or it will be a long night. Hoppe and Lleget can support the midfield and create space with movement. We’ll see what Berhalter thinks later.

 

Now reading that Arriola is inactive and Cannon is doubtful.

 

Well…scored in first 20 seconds then spent vast amounts of time forfeiting the midfield and content to let Canada control things. Good thing Buchanan for the Canucks was the only guy for them that played well, otherwise that’s a draw or loss not a 1-0 win.

Better hope Zimmerman can recover because Pines his replacement was nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen.

No secret of my disdain for the manager, and he did nothing (literally until the 74th min) but add to fact that the second this WC Cycle is over, he needs to go.

I lost count on how many we missed (8-10), but the insistence to back pass to keep possession when we SUCK at it drives me insane.

Positives: Miles Robinson was a beast. Lleget has class, and the KC crowd was nothing short of inspirational.

 

Walker Zimmerman has been ruled out for the remainder of the Gold Cup. Beginning Monday New England defender Henry Kessler and San Jose forward Cade Cowell will begin training with the USMNT.

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2021/07/cowell-and-kessler-join-usmnt-camp-in-dallas

Zimmerman is a big loss in my opinion. I’m guessing Cowell has been called in to replace Dike or Arriola if one isn’t fully fit.