USMNT - 2026 World Cup Cycle

[cgf]

I don't know what people are expecting sometimes. We don't have a single player that would start for Germany. Nearly their entire BENCH is starting players from Champions League-level squads. A Musiala or Wirtz would likely be the most talented player the US has ever had. More times than not we seem to be able to hang against that caliber of club, but it shouldn't be a big surprise if we lose.

Nah, Germany sucks now. So any of you whose team doesn't beat us by multiple goals should feel eternal shame. Like Evilo, he should feel shame beyond shame for cheering on a NT that couldn't even beat us


Anyways, was just coming in to say that was a really nice goal from Pulisic...though I don't love that it feels like every goal we give up is either a golazo, or a complete meltdown, and not just with the senior team; Bulgaria scored two beauties with their only two shots against our U21s.

 

[kingsboy11]

This is the crux of the issue for me. Just can't find ways to beat the top dogs. While the team had made tremendous leaps since 2017, it's still basically the same old song and dance with this program. Consistently one of the best in Concacaf, but Europe and South America are still a step above, even a team like Germany who have been struggling still showed their class.

I just don't think Berhalter can take this team that much further than he already has.

 

[Savant]

I don't know what people are expecting sometimes. We don't have a single player that would start for Germany. Nearly their entire BENCH is starting players from Champions League-level squads. A Musiala or Wirtz would likely be the most talented player the US has ever had. More times than not we seem to be able to hang against that caliber of club, but it shouldn't be a big surprise if we lose.

I mean I expected them to not re-hire Berhalter. But also wasn’t surprised

 

[cgf]

Both can be true. Berhalter may be a bad coach and the team may just have been outclassed. Unlike the disastrous summer friendlies, we weren’t experimenting with an unfamiliar shape and played our best front-4.

We lack depth in certain spots...and until our young CBs & Martel develop more we’ll be vulnerable even on our good days, but at full force there aren’t many teams with more attacking talent than Sane, Musiala, Wirtz, Füllkrug, Gundogan, etc.

I mean we just beat France with them playing most of their starters other than Mbappe, and it wasn't some flukey bunkering effort. We came out and played against them, creating enough against even their vaunted defense.

 

[John Price]

 

[bluesfan94]

Reyna is so good when healthy

 

[cgf]

Is Nathaniel Brown one that your FA is working on? Was killing some time watching Nurnberg clips to check on Castrop and was reminded that Brown's done well for our u21 NT, but I doubt he has a senior NT future for us with Netz, Rothe, Ullrich, and Kabar all looking very promising behind Gosens / Raum.

I know you're generally good at developing FBs, but he could be interesting.

 

[bluesfan94]

Is Nathaniel Brown one that your FA is working on? Was killing some time watching Nurnberg clips to check on Castrop and was reminded that Brown's done well for our u21 NT, but I doubt he has a senior NT future for us with Netz, Rothe, Ullrich, and Kabar all looking very promising behind Gosens / Raum.

I know you're generally good at developing FBs, but he could be interesting.

I think he's been discussed, yes.

 

[Eye of Ra]

How good was USA back in 1994 when Word Cup was held in USA?

Friedel and Reyna we know was good but was not John Harkes, Hugo Perez, Earnie Stewart, Tony Meola, Cobi Jones, Eric Wynalda and Marcelo Balboa pretty good aswell?

 

[luiginb]

How good was USA back in 1994 when Word Cup was held in USA?

Friedel and Reyna we know was good but was not John Harkes, Hugo Perez, Earnie Stewart, Tony Meola, Cobi Jones, Eric Wynalda and Marcelo Balboa pretty good aswell?

It's the first world cup I remember, they were better than expected, that win against Colombia was a legendary one (Colombia was one of the favourites going in, beating Argentina 5-0 on the way there). I don't remember who took them out (Germany?) but nobody expected them to do so well. I think they didn't even have a league back then in the States.

 

[KlausJopling]

How good was USA back in 1994 when Word Cup was held in USA?

Friedel and Reyna we know was good but was not John Harkes, Hugo Perez, Earnie Stewart, Tony Meola, Cobi Jones, Eric Wynalda and Marcelo Balboa pretty good aswell?

Though they ended up being two of the best neither Friedel or Reyna made it off the bench during 94. Hard to judge the talent of the individual players since most of the team didn’t even have club teams, they were essentially full time national team players.(which probably tells you their talent level) In the end that fact probably helped the be much more cohesive then normal national teams and punch above their weight to even get out of the group. Ended up only losing to eventual winners Brazil 1-0.

Pre MLS there just wasnt many options for US players. That 94 team was young players who signed contracts as full time national team players right out of college, a few guys who played in europe(mostly guys who grew up there), and older players who grew up in the US and mostly played indoor soccer because that was the only pro league in the US back then.

 

[KlausJopling]

Pulisic and Weah out injured. No real surprises.

 

[Ben Grimm]

... Pulisic and Weah out injured. No real surprises.

Injured Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah will miss USMNT’s November games | FOX Sports

Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah — who accounted for two of the USMNT's three goals at last year's World Cup — both suffered recent hamstring injuries and won't play in the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series.

www.foxsports.com

 

[kingsboy11]

Pulisic and Weah out injured. No real surprises.

Big blow to the starting 11, but they should still be able to handle TNT without them.

 

[John Price]

3 goals in 8 minutes for the US as they are certainly going to beat T&T.

 

[Savant]

3 goals in 8 minutes for the US as they are certainly going to beat T&T.

They have been god awful the entire game. They don’t score if T and T don’t get red carded in the first half

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

They have been god awful the entire game. They don’t score if T and T don’t get red carded in the first half

First touches and passing were atrocious all around. Too slow to develop attacks as well--the directness of a Weah was really missing at times. Tillman was very poor. Dest played really well most of the match and Pepi/Aaronson brought exactly what was needed when they came on.

 

[kingsboy11]

Took them long enough. Sat through 80 minutes of crap only for them score 3 in the final 10 minutes. Although to be fair I have no idea how they overturned that penalty call. Seemed pretty blatant to me.

 

[KlausJopling]

Dest with about the most ridiculous double yellows for dissent you will ever see. Completely lost his mind.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Dest with about the most ridiculous double yellows for dissent you will ever see. Completely lost his mind.

Not sure I've ever seen anything like it.

 

[hatterson]

 

[John Price]

Losing 2-1 to a scrub side

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

10-men or no, Turner probably should have had both of those.

 

[KlausJopling]

Turner was bad. Berhalter’s decision to keep playing two strikers when down to 10 men and barely make any subs over two games was bad. Dest was hilarious.

Part of me hopes the plan is to find a manager post copa. Because some of his decisions are baffling.

 

[Savant]

Turner was bad. Berhalter’s decision to keep playing two strikers when down to 10 men and barely make any subs over two games was bad. Dest was hilarious.

Part of me hopes the plan is to find a manager post copa. Because some of his decisions are baffling.

He’s teflon. It’s completely unearned but he’s teflon