USMNT

[SerenityNigh]

Proud.

I've had a bit of time to reflect (and actually got a bit of work done), and I am massively proud of our boys. We had no business being in that game, but Tim Howard just played otherworldly. Ochoa vs Brazil was crazy good...but Howard, OUR Howard just put on a keeping performance for all time. Any other day, that could have easily been 5-0, but Howard was just incredible. I only wish we could have nicked that equalizer to see pens (how about that set piece!)...and to see the 'what if' of all of it.

Oh well. This tournament again shows that we are can compete with anyone on the biggest stage. Even when we are playing against a far superior opponent in terms of technical ability, somehow, some way, we find a way to make a game of it. Individually, we are still miles behind the top European and South American nations, but I think we saw glimpses with Green and especially Yedlin today, that we have quality coming through. Being from Seattle, I'm especially proud of Yedlin...I was worried that the stage would be too big for him, but cool as you like, he came in today because of an injury and looked as good (if not better) than he does in a Seattle Sounders shirt.

Anyway...getting to TL;DR length here. Proud of them boys...Tim Howard just made another save I think...

Imagine if we had a proper striker... if only Altidore wasn't injured...

 

[DanEFC92]

Nah, luck is really effort and skill. We had the former, but lacked the latter. Not at all disappointed; we had chances, but Belgium took theirs and we didn't take ours. Next time...

Didn't see much. Belgium were well and truly on top of what I saw, though.

Up the Everton though ey.

 

[Arteta2391]

Jermaine Jones is a cracking player

 

[ilikecheese]

ESPN Ratings...bit harsh on Jones IMO

Player ratings: (0-10)

G Tim Howard, 10 - Some might quibble with Howard getting beat to the near post on Lukaku's goal, but Howard was immense. His hands were outdone by his feet, as he used his lower limbs to make several fine saves. Was alert from the beginning, stopping Origi's early effort. Continued his fine play with stops of Vertonghen, Origi, Mirallas, and Hazard.

D DaMarcus Beasley, 6.5 - Timed his runs forward well, though the end product was lacking. Looked sharp defensively, and had a huge clearance that saved a goal in the 26th minute. Play began to erode in the second half against Mirallas, but hung in there.

D Matt Besler, 6.5 - Was positioned well to clear numerous deliveries into the box. Had a key block on a Van Buyten effort in the second half. Was certainly culpable on the goal, but stood strong for most of the night.

D Omar Gonzalez, 6.5 - Allowed Origi to get away from him in the first minute, but then settled in and was sharper thereafter. Still struggled to track Belgium's forwards, but came up with some huge blocks as well.

D Fabian Johnson, 5 - Got forward well, but found it tough to cope with Vertonghen's overlapping runs. Right hamstring injury ended his night in the 32nd minute.

M Alejandro Bedoya, 5 - Put in his usual shift defensively, and took good care of the ball, but just wasn't that impactful in the attacking half.

M Michael Bradley, 6 - Played a bit deeper, and it helped initially. Struggled with his long passing early on, but eventually found his rhythm, and delivered a gorgeous assist to Green. Struggled to be impactful for much of the second half, however.

M Geoff Cameron, 6 - His athleticism proved to be a boost, especially in the ground he covered. Battled well against Fellaini. That said, he could do little to stem the tide against Belgium.

M Jermaine Jones, 4 - Had less of an impact than in his previous matches as he blew hot and cold with his passes for much of the evening. Fought until the bitter end but couldn't stab home a chance in extra time.

M Graham Zusi, 3 - Struggled with his touch all night, and one giveaway sparked a Belgium counter. Did little to help Yedlin against the runs of Vertonghen.

F Clint Dempsey, 6 - Did what he could against the hulking duo of Kompany and Van Buyten. Still was plenty involved, though he should have done better with one first half chance.

Subs:

D DeAndre Yedlin, 7 - A revelation in the first half. He not only got forward well, but provided excellent defense, especially against Hazard. Struggled a bit against Vertonghen and Hazard in the second half, but an excellent performance under adverse circumstances.

F Chris Wondolowski, 4 - He'll have nightmares about his miss as well as failing to corral a late pass from Yedlin. His trademark positioning revealed itself, but he simply has to put that chance at least on target.

M Julian Green, 7 - It must be said, he took his goal with aplomb. Certainly an exciting prospect for the future.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Being from Seattle, I'm especially proud of Yedlin...I was worried that the stage would be too big for him, but cool as you like, he came in today because of an injury and looked as good (if not better) than he does in a Seattle Sounders shirt.

Anyway...getting to TL;DR length here. Proud of them boys...Tim Howard just made another save I think...

Very impressive performance from him. To come on as a sub in such an important and difficult game is hard, regardless of experience.

But Yedlin was not only up to speed from his first kick but almost immediately started pushing back against Vertoghen/Hazard who had been carving us open at the start of the game.

Made some excellent crosses that unfortunately nobody was on the end of and his pace meant he usually got back in time to defend.

 

[OKEvertonian]

You pretty much summed up why I love this team so much... and, to a certain extent, Everton "plucky lids punching above their weight" as well.

NEA about our hoops "dream team", but will agonize over this squad of scrubs.

I feel similar as the 2009 Confederations Cup run opened my eyes to how beautiful this game is. While I had friends that choose (or had chosen) Chelsea, United, Arsenal, etc; I waited and watched. And I slowly figured out that I gravitated to this specific brand of Royal Blue and the nature of not picking a glory chasing club. (I'd be wrong if I omitted the factors of Landon's loan and Tim manning the goal in helping me figure it out).

And now maybe I'm grasping, but it seems the path of both have started to cross in the past year. This World Cup was similar to how I approached the past Premier League season. I had a guarded hope about my team but mainly I was just hoping to enjoy the ride. And both Everton and the US achieved moments that lasted beyond my exceptions. (Up until that certain cross, the second half of the Portugal game felt like a combination of those amazing April matches vs Arsenal and United).

It turned out the ride was much more fun than I expected and I'm very grateful for that. It seems there is a real similarity in how both the USMNT and Everton employ new exciting mangers who are and willing to use youth; and that fills me with hope for the next four years.

Or course I could just be rambling, as I've enjoyed a nice intake of whiskey since the match ended. But I'm very excited about the future of my country and my favorite club.

 

[Garrick]

I was actually watching the BBC stream of the game, and deep, DEEP in extra time, I think it was actually Green, but when calling out names of who's in possession, I heard...

"Donovan."

I think it made the heartbreak that much worse. Not because I wanted it to actually be him, but that even without him, even with the father of modern US soccer surpassed by a new generation, it wasn't enough today.

 

[fatshark]

Brace yourselves...we're starting next season with Robles...cos old Tim is coming from Brazil with severe back strain from fetching balls from the back of his net.

What a colossal great t!t I feel for that one.

@Garrick @ilikecheese @johnnydawg68 @SerenityNigh and all the other Americanos - well done guys. Proved the world wrong. Loved the guts and passion USMNT showed - no big names, looked a very limited outfit on paper, but a magnificent team on the pitch. Pretty much the Everton of international footie

 

[turner]

Preach it, our Yankee Doodle brothers! Preach the gospel of "Everton's Tim Howard" to your heathen egg-fondling brethren!

 

[ijjysmith]

ESPN Ratings...bit harsh on Jones IMO

Player ratings: (0-10)

G Tim Howard, 10 - Some might quibble with Howard getting beat to the near post on Lukaku's goal, but Howard was immense. His hands were outdone by his feet, as he used his lower limbs to make several fine saves. Was alert from the beginning, stopping Origi's early effort. Continued his fine play with stops of Vertonghen, Origi, Mirallas, and Hazard.

D DaMarcus Beasley, 6.5 - Timed his runs forward well, though the end product was lacking. Looked sharp defensively, and had a huge clearance that saved a goal in the 26th minute. Play began to erode in the second half against Mirallas, but hung in there.

D Matt Besler, 6.5 - Was positioned well to clear numerous deliveries into the box. Had a key block on a Van Buyten effort in the second half. Was certainly culpable on the goal, but stood strong for most of the night.

D Omar Gonzalez, 6.5 - Allowed Origi to get away from him in the first minute, but then settled in and was sharper thereafter. Still struggled to track Belgium's forwards, but came up with some huge blocks as well.

D Fabian Johnson, 5 - Got forward well, but found it tough to cope with Vertonghen's overlapping runs. Right hamstring injury ended his night in the 32nd minute.

M Alejandro Bedoya, 5 - Put in his usual shift defensively, and took good care of the ball, but just wasn't that impactful in the attacking half.

M Michael Bradley, 6 - Played a bit deeper, and it helped initially. Struggled with his long passing early on, but eventually found his rhythm, and delivered a gorgeous assist to Green. Struggled to be impactful for much of the second half, however.

M Geoff Cameron, 6 - His athleticism proved to be a boost, especially in the ground he covered. Battled well against Fellaini. That said, he could do little to stem the tide against Belgium.

M Jermaine Jones, 4 - Had less of an impact than in his previous matches as he blew hot and cold with his passes for much of the evening. Fought until the bitter end but couldn't stab home a chance in extra time.

M Graham Zusi, 3 - Struggled with his touch all night, and one giveaway sparked a Belgium counter. Did little to help Yedlin against the runs of Vertonghen.

F Clint Dempsey, 6 - Did what he could against the hulking duo of Kompany and Van Buyten. Still was plenty involved, though he should have done better with one first half chance.

Subs:

D DeAndre Yedlin, 7 - A revelation in the first half. He not only got forward well, but provided excellent defense, especially against Hazard. Struggled a bit against Vertonghen and Hazard in the second half, but an excellent performance under adverse circumstances.

F Chris Wondolowski, 4 - He'll have nightmares about his miss as well as failing to corral a late pass from Yedlin. His trademark positioning revealed itself, but he simply has to put that chance at least on target.

M Julian Green, 7 - It must be said, he took his goal with aplomb. Certainly an exciting prospect for the future.

Is say they are pretty accurate from a neutral point of view.

Maybe Yedlin a little higher than a 7.

 

[pfim]

Is say they are pretty accurate from a neutral point of view.

Maybe Yedlin a little higher than a 7.

I thought Jones was terrible and deserved his 4, which is sad considering his play throughout the tournament. Zusi's 3 was generous, he should have been subbed off at half. Besler was poor on both goals, so I think his 6.5 is a bit high even though his play otherwise was good.

Overall the US played well, but it was a pragmatic approach from Klinsmann. While I agree that it was necessary, this isn't really what he was brought in to do. Perhaps what he was brought in to do is not possible. The next WC cycle will be interesting in how the team's approach changes, if at all.

 

[Rook]

I thought Jones was terrible and deserved his 4, which is sad considering his play throughout the tournament. Zusi's 3 was generous, he should have been subbed off at half. Besler was poor on both goals, so I think his 6.5 is a bit high even though his play otherwise was good.

Overall the US played well, but it was a pragmatic approach from Klinsmann. While I agree that it was necessary, this isn't really what he was brought in to do. Perhaps what he was brought in to do is not possible. The next WC cycle will be interesting in how the team's approach changes, if at all.

We tried to play the German 2006 style, none of our players fit that system.

I'm not Beckerman's biggest fan but I'm starting to become one.

Beckerman is a lot of things as a player—a smooth passer, clean in possession, even the occasional goalscorer in MLS—but more than anything, he is a damn pest. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. He's always there, floating around at the same speed, talking trash, making himself known. He's the little gnat buzzing around your head. What the hell, just leave me alone. (Beckerman once spent 90 minutes telling me, "Young c--k, you f--king suck." He has a special place in my heart.)

 

[pfim]

We tried to play the German 2006 style, none of our players fit that system.

I'm not Beckerman's biggest fan but I'm starting to become one.

Beckerman is a lot of things as a player—a smooth passer, clean in possession, even the occasional goalscorer in MLS—but more than anything, he is a damn pest. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. He's always there, floating around at the same speed, talking trash, making himself known. He's the little gnat buzzing around your head. What the hell, just leave me alone. (Beckerman once spent 90 minutes telling me, "Young c--k, you f--king suck." He has a special place in my heart.)

It's not necessarily a style that he was to bring in, but we were supposed to get away from the defend and counter-attack methods of the previous manager. Again, it was probably necessary with our squad (or you could perhaps say that it was necessary with the squad he picked), but there is really no difference in this team from four years ago til now.

Beckerman played his role well, but he won't be involved in the next cycle and I thought playing Cameron was the right move yesterday. In fact, you could make the argument that Cameron should be there going forward.

 

[Rook]

It's not necessarily a style that he was to bring in, but we were supposed to get away from the defend and counter-attack methods of the previous manager. Again, it was probably necessary with our squad (or you could perhaps say that it was necessary with the squad he picked), but there is really no difference in this team from four years ago til now.

Beckerman played his role well, but he won't be involved in the next cycle and I thought playing Cameron was the right move yesterday. In fact, you could make the argument that Cameron should be there going forward.

Cameron was fine and played pretty well for a position he rarely does. I used to think that Cameron-Gonzalez was the future strength of this side. Its not going to be all that but there is still a ton of time left in their careers for them to improve and make a formidable partnership.

 

[obc]

Soldier Field, Chicago, yesterday: