US v. Mexico - CONACAF Cup Play-off

[SAMCRO]

4 days util US plays an away game in the Rose Bowl. JK going with experience over youth for the most part. Both countries will have their A teams (predominantly, a few injuries for both to contend with).
I gotta bad feeling about this one. Neither team was exceptional in the Gold Cup, both had runs f great play the months prior to the Gold Cup. Mexico was more on form than the Americans. Will be curious to see if it's Howard or Guzan in net.

Rosters

I for one am looking forward to a nice Saturday doubleheader of UConn FB and USA soccer going dos e' cero on the day (see what I did there)

 

[LIuconn]

Oh I see. Well done. Looking forward to both as well. I bought 4 tix and the 4th member of the group dropped out. Any SoCal BYers out there want to purchase the ticket from me?

 

[Kgun7]

I'm curious if it will be Howard or Guzan ... but it really won't be that big of a difference. I'm way more fearful if it will be Alvarado, Orozco, Besler, or Cameron!!! My hope for the back 4 L to R is: Ream - Besler - Cameron - Yedlin. Somehow I am afraid klinsmann will do Beasley - Alvarado - Orozco - Cameron.

 

[LIuconn]

....and there goes Landon popping off on JK again. Mexico game is important then comes WC qualifying

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If the US loses, I have a feeling that the crowd is going to be hostile towards Klinsmann at the friendly match on Tuesday between the US and Costa Rica at Red Bull in Jersey. I'll be at that game with a crew of 4 - 2 adults, 2 kids. Would have bough Outlaw tickets; but, that maybe much for a pair of 9 year olds.

 

[401husk]

Have zero confidence heading into this game sadly. Also no Johansen (I think injury), he was on form for club and would have been nice. If I see Jozy up top I might just throw my TV.

 

[SAMCRO]

....and there goes Landon popping off on JK again. Mexico game is important then comes WC qualifying

I know LD was just answering a direct question and he didn't make the statement out of left field, but it does come across as a bit whiny/sour grapes (in my opinion). Could have answered that a lot of different ways. The USMNT will be underdogs playing in a hostile environment Saturday. I'm hopeful, but not optimistic of a win.

 

[SubbaBub]

I know LD was just answering a direct question and he didn't make the statement out of left field, but it does come across as a bit whiny/sour grapes (in my opinion). Could have answered that a lot of different ways. The USMNT will be underdogs playing in a hostile environment Saturday. I'm hopeful, but not optimistic of a win.

Is it whiny if he is correct? I don't think LD owes JK any courtesy whatsoever.

JK needs to win this game to validate his vision. The defensive pairing have been a disaster. It's OK to do it your way in the face of consensus opinion, but you need to be right more than not.

So far the record shows, leaving Donovan off the WC roster in favor of Wondo potentially cost him against Belgium.

His favoritism of young and questionable defenders cost him the Gold Cup and necessitated this game.

His refusal to set a lineup this last few months may cost him Saturday.

He beat Germany and Netherlands and he's won in Mexico, but the lows have been pretty low. Bradley lost his job for losing a game much like Saturday's.

JK won't be fired, but he will have earned all the criticism or praise that comes with Saturday's result.

He is a lot like Diaco, some of his weird decisions work and some don't but they aren't the high percentage plays.

The high percentage plays are:
Start Howard in goal
Play Bradley deeper along side Jones in a 4-4-2
Play Besler and Cameron
Play Dempsey and Zardes up top
Play Yedlin and Bedoya on the wings

What we'll get is
Guzman
Bradley too far forward
Alvarado on the field at all
Jozy, until he pulls a hammy
Jones on the wing and Beckerman starting.

 

[businesslawyer]

Jozy will start up front and should start up front. Whatever his club issues are, his body of the work for the USMNT puts him in a class up front well above anyone other than Dempsey.

More than anything, I don't want to see Alvarado start in the middle. I want Cameron and Besler, and would be o.k. with Cameron and Ream.

 

[SAMCRO]

Is it whiny if he is correct? I don't think LD owes JK any courtesy whatsoever.

JK needs to win this game to validate his vision. The defensive pairing have been a disaster. It's OK to do it your way in the face of consensus opinion, but you need to be right more than not.

So far the record shows, leaving Donovan off the WC roster in favor of Wondo potentially cost him against Belgium.

His favoritism of young and questionable defenders cost him the Gold Cup and necessitated this game.

His refusal to set a lineup this last few months may cost him Saturday.

He beat Germany and Netherlands and he's won in Mexico, but the lows have been pretty low. Bradley lost his job for losing a game much like Saturday's.

JK won't be fired, but he will have earned all the criticism or praise that comes with Saturday's result.

If...big if...the US lays an egg v. Mexico, and follows that up with a dud friendly v CR a few days later, then I agree the criticism will be deserved, and a long hard look needs to be made as to whether he's the right guy to get them thru qualifying. But just losing Saturday is not termination worthy.Winning or losing v Mexico, in the Rose Bowl of all places, doesn't validate or invalidate JK's vision. That's probably the second toughest place to play Mexico, after Azteca.

 

[spsct]

Quick question... Who decides where the game is played? Is it the US or CONCACAF? I'm wondering because if it was our decision I would have chosen someplace like Chicago or New York or Boston (larger field nowhere near Mexico) to minimize the disadvantage of playing at the Rose Bowl.

 

[ZooCougar]

F Landycakes.

 

[SAMCRO]

Quick question... Who decides where the game is played? Is it the US or CONCACAF? I'm wondering because if it was our decision I would have chosen someplace like Chicago or New York or Boston (larger field nowhere near Mexico) to minimize the disadvantage of playing at the Rose Bowl.

CONCACAF selected the site. If it was the U.S. That game would have been in Columbus, OH... Dos e Cero

 

[spsct]

CONCACAF selected the site. If it was the U.S. That game would have been in Columbus, OH... Dos e Cero

Thanks...

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not going to be calling for JK's scalp if we lose to Mexico, assuming he starts Tim Howard and we don't see the team penalized for another personal grudge when he doesn't find Americans to be as focused and dedicated as Germans and can't deal with it.

If we lose with Guzan -- well, when you touch the merchandise, you have to buy it when you break it.

 

[businesslawyer]

F Landycakes.

Quick. You're alone in the woods with Landon Donovan and Randy Edsall, holding a gun with just one bullet. What do you do?

My bet is you shoot yourself because you can't live with the possibility of not having taken a free shot at one of them when you had the chance.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Thanks...

And the main reason why it is at the Rose Bowl is money. That's 92,000+ tickets that can be sold and it will sell out and it is for all intent a neutral site, if not leaning towards Mexico with a 60/40 split. Azteca is Mexico City is slightly larger but that would be a 99/1 split favoring Mexico with that 1% needing body armor and a small army to get them in and out safely. The other big stadiums in the southern US are all NFL football stadiums and either use artificial turf (AT&T in Dallas 85,000, NGR in Houston 71,000) or are too small (U Phoenix Stadium 68,000 & Levi's Stadium in SF 68,000).

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I'm not going to be calling for JK's scalp if we lose to Mexico, assuming he starts Tim Howard and we don't see the team penalized for another personal grudge when he doesn't find Americans to be as focused and dedicated as Germans and can't deal with it.

If we lose with Guzan -- well, when you touch the merchandise, you have to buy it when you break it.

I have no issue with Guzan. He is not as good as Howard; but servicible. Now, if Alvarado sees the pitch, then, well, I will be a six-pack in by half time watching the game by myself because I really don't need my kids to learn that word can be used as a noun, verb, adjective and several strung together makes a complete sentence.

 

[ZooCougar]

Quick. You're alone in the woods with Landon Donovan and Randy Edsall, holding a gun with just one bullet. What do you do?

My bet is you shoot yourself because you can't live with the possibility of not having taken a free shot at one of them when you had the chance.

If the US loses then Jurgen ought to be in real hot water. But Landycakes has been pulling for the guy to fail ever since he discovered that he wasn't as priveleged as he thought he was.. It was a professional grudge for Jurgen, but it's personal with Mr. Don O Van.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If the US loses then Jurgen ought to be in real hot water. But Landycakes has been pulling for the guy to fail ever since he discovered that he wasn't as priveleged as he thought he was.. It was a professional grudge for Jurgen, but it's personal with Mr. Don O Van.

Based on Jurgen's son's immediately viraled reaction to Donovan not making he team in 2014 on Twitter, its looks like egos on both side are involved.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/...wes-landon-donovan-huge-apology-controversial

 

[ZooCougar]

Based on Jurgen's son's immediately viraled reaction to Donovan not making he team in 2014 on Twitter, its looks like egos on both side are involved.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/...wes-landon-donovan-huge-apology-controversial

Landon used to be one of Jurgen's boys. He even brought him over to Bayern Munich on loan. I think Jurgen just got fed up with Landon's quirks. German's don't have much of tolerance for that from players who should be producing more based on their ability. Jurgen always thought LD was even better than what he was putting out.

 

[SubbaBub]

Landon used to be one of Jurgen's boys. He even brought him over to Bayern Munich on loan. I think Jurgen just got fed up with Landon's quirks. German's don't have much of tolerance for that from players who should be producing more based on their ability. Jurgen always thought LD was even better than what he was putting out.

I know he had the talent to be the US all time leading scorer and playmaker. What a waste.

 

[ZooCougar]

I know he had the talent to be the US all time leading scorer and playmaker. What a waste.

He could have done more in his club career.... but he wanted to be a soft California doughboy.

 

[businesslawyer]

He could have done more in his club career.... but he wanted to be a soft California doughboy.

My God, are you judgmental. All he did in his club career was probably have the best career in MLS history. Yeah, you wanted him to leave the country and be great in a better league. Guess what -- he didn't want to be away from is family forever and choose not to. Like 99% of us would.

 

[businesslawyer]

If the US loses then Jurgen ought to be in real hot water. But Landycakes has been pulling for the guy to fail ever since he discovered that he wasn't as priveleged as he thought he was.. It was a professional grudge for Jurgen, but it's personal with Mr. Don O Van.

There is not a human being on the planet -- including the Pope -- who wouldn't be rooting for JK to fail if he did to them what he did to Donovan. Donovan was nowhere near "the margin" of whether or not to make that team. Nowhere near it. Now, I give JK credit for getting us to the knockout phase, which was the reasonable goal to achieve. But we would have been better if Donovan was part of the team. And based on track record, you may be the only American who follows this who isn't absolutely convinced that if Landon Donovan was there instead of Wondo that ball in stoppage time is in the back of the net and we're in the quarters.