Just watched the Jamaica game, and while the

[USAF]

goalkeeping wasn't on point, the bigger problem, in my opinion, was the nonexistent defense & surrendering the middle of the field to Costa Rica. The Ticos had clean looks & attempts on goal, as well as uncontested attempts on rebounds........This is the 1st time I'm seeing the ReggaeBoyz play since last Summer & I'm wondering where that TEAM has gone.......Is Winnie trying to play, especially the defense, like the U.S.???

[Mosiah]

For me, the team has quite a few deficiencies. However, I am forced to come back to the goalkeeping. It appears there is a philosophy at Blake's club that shots to goal should be pushed rather than caught. Knowing our local goalkeeping coaches, they must have been furious watching Blake not making any effort to hold on to the ball, or punch it to safety.

[Karl]

Here are the facts: We were beaten to the ball repeatedly!

- Remember that maxim - Meet the ball!
The Costa Ricans remembered it! Our guys did not!

Result: We were consistently losing balls that were ours for the taking!

We were out 'out-thought' all night long!
- Remember that maxim - Football is played in the head!

Result: We sat on the ball repeatedly and dribbled into opponents or in other ways allowed the opponents to be gifted the ball!

- btw - Was it noticeable how often we tried long cross field balls from the back whereon our forwards waited on the ball to get to them (DID NOT MEET THE BALL!) and gifted same to the Costa Ricans who attacked the ball?

Well being 'out-thought' was text-book teaching example of those two repeated failures - i) Not meeting the ball! ii) Doing the same thing over and over=repeatedly - sitting on the ball=dribbling into an opponent or allowing the opponent time to 'set-up on defense' - and expecting a different result!

Result: We repeatedly gave the ball to the Costa Ricans!

- Remember the maxim - Football is a TEAM game! Football is a game of SUDDEN!


The Costa Ricans were faster to, and with the ball!
Often we engaged the Costa Ricans in foot races? As fact, repeatedly we engaged the Costa Ricans in foot races!

The result was/the results were: The Costa Ricans at worse, were as fast as our players; at best faster!!!


We did not employ required sharing of the ball! = Not enough TEAM!!!

Just a comment: We were fortunate we did not lose by a wider margin!
6 goals? In my opinion that would be a fair reflection of our play...particularly of our players use of THEIR BRAINS!!!

There is a another football maxim: The best and easiest way to beat an opponent is, 'take a TEAMMate' = 'use a TEAMmate' = one-two passes/tic-tac toe = pass and move, move and pass!

Aside: It is amazing that the USA played the last two matches against Guatemala in the exact same way (- as did our REGGAEBOYZ!) That USA win against Guatemala is 'fools gold'. They played in an awful manner - anti-TEAM manner - and if they continue on that path shall be destroyed by TEAMs!!!

...hey, same for our REGGAEBOYZ!

[USAF]

You're probably right about Blake's coaching, and I've been noticing this from goalkeepers all over. I also notice that goalkeepers, in the last few years, seem to have difficulty collecting shots & holding on to the ball.

[USAF]

Karl, I'm sorry, but I just scanned over what you wrote. Couldn't stay focused. I probably have ADD.......Your analysis of the U.S. game is probably correct. I didn't watch it & I still haven't seen it yet......The U.S. play has been erratic & disjointed for some time now & I don't see them improving if they continue with some of these players, use a different lineup every game (when it's not necessary & prevents you from having a cohesive team), and playing the players out of position (which encourages mediocrity, rather than getting the best from them).......If there display in the GC didn't wake them up, then maybe U.S. Soccer needs a shake up.

[Paul Marin]

goalkeeping wasn't on point, the bigger problem, in my opinion, was the nonexistent defense & surrendering the middle of the field to Costa Rica. The Ticos had clean looks & attempts on goal, as well as uncontested attempts on rebounds........This is the 1st time I'm seeing the ReggaeBoyz play since last Summer & I'm wondering where that TEAM has gone.......Is Winnie trying to play, especially the defense, like the U.S.???

Question for the rules maestros among you. That third goal by Costa Rica came from a shot (from Player A) that rebounded to a teammate (Player B) who made a final pass back from the touchline to (Player A) who then punched the ball in the net. Hypothetically, had Player B been in an offside position when the shot was taken, would he have been offside when he touched the ball on the rebound?

BTW - initially I thought he was in an offside position, but he was not. Even so, I am unsure of the way the law would be applied in that situation had he been offside.

[Karl]

Off-side!

[Karl]

Sorry too!

As I have said before the US has tons of players with more potential than the current crop. It is either Klingsmann takes complete charge as teacher or those teachers at lower levels start doing a better job.

...and for our Reggae Boyz there is the similar problem of poor teaching churning out poor graduate players.

[USAF]

I pretty much understood what you were saying about the Jamaica game, although I didn't go into detail, and I agree.
The U.S. youth development, at the club level, has improved & continues to improve, BUT the still have a lot to do. That's why there are clubs from BPL, Bundesliga, La Liga & Serie A scouting & signing these youngsters.......The BIG problem, when it comes to the national youth teams, are the unqualified & inexperienced coaches U.S. Soccer hires to guide them, and seems reluctant to fire, when they fail & it's obvious they can't do the job. Seems the most important qualification for U.S. Soccer's hiring is WHO THEY KNOW & not WHAT THEY KNOW/WHAT THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

[Gamma]

My question is who is going to score the goals? Would Barnes have made a difference?

[Muadib]

Lets hope McAnuff and McLeary can get match fit in time for September

and IF wi HAFFI play Watson..

Play 4-4-2 with Watson at Right-Back..Powell is a liability (young head)

Taylor and Morgan Central Defenders and.. that is 4 defenders (3 senior) relatively comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Hector in defensive mid with McAnuff attacking Mid operating in the final 3rd from the MIDDLE not a flank.

McLeary Right Mid and Phillips/Dawkings Left Mid

Mattocks and Donaldson as strikers..

Goals will come once chances are created that do not require special shooting skill.. what we cannot have is McAnuff and Watson having to shoot to score from just inside or outside the 18 yard box for us to score...

[Time]

Question for the rules maestros among you. That third goal by Costa Rica came from a shot (from Player A) that rebounded to a teammate (Player B) who made a final pass back from the touchline to (Player A) who then punched the ball in the net. Hypothetically, had Player B been in an offside position when the shot was taken, would he have been offside when he touched the ball on the rebound?

BTW - initially I thought he was in an offside position, but he was not. Even so, I am unsure of the way the law would be applied in that situation had he been offside.

If Player B was in offside position at the time that Player A took the the shot then Player B becomes offside when he collects the rebound.

The Costa Rica equalizer on Friday in Kingston was also an offside goal for the same reason. Our coach has made it clear that it was an offside goal that got them the equalizer.

[Jawge]

Karl give Klinsman a break he knows what he's doing. Didn't he start out the same way for Brasil14? At the end he qualified with a game to spare, then went on to leave that tough group. Fire Klinsman? History has shown that domestic coaches (for the US) don't do well in Europe.

March into Europe without Klinsman and you are dead! Talking to you also USAF.

[USAF]

Jawge stop chat crap. Who you hear calling for a U.S. coach???.......From '10, shortly after the WC, I was informed that U.S. Soccer was going to hire a "foreign" coach, and I was very happy with that decision, because there's no U.S. coach, that I know of, that can take us to the next level.......I wanted either Rijkaard or Zico, because of how they played the game, the system they came through & what they accomplished as coaches. They hired Klinsmann & I still supported the move. I even stated that support here.
As I've stated, as a TD, Klinsmann has accomplished a lot, BUT as a coach he makes some very questionable decisions & keeps calling and using some players who shouldn't be there.

[Karl]

Karl give Klinsman a break he knows what he's doing. Didn't he start out the same way for Brasil14? At the end he qualified with a game to spare, then went on to leave that tough group. Fire Klinsman? History has shown that domestic coaches (for the US) don't do well in Europe.

March into Europe without Klinsman and you are dead! Talking to you also USAF.

Give Klinsmann a break?

I think you misunderstand. Klinsmann, I inferred, is not the problem.
- The fact is you have a poor bunch of US players.
Look carefully at the leaders 'playing out' - Dempsey and Bradley?
They both have had extensive schooling in leagues where much higher standards of play holds than that in the US MLS, yet they were awful. They were responsible for 'hauling and pulling apart' the structure and shape of the US team. Their example on the basic protection of the ball and TEAM play was 'nonsense play'. They led on the gifting of the ball to the opponent.

- The rest of the TEAM had not the background on 'habit' to reflexively 'meet the ball', protect the ball through the avenue of quickly sharing the ball and maximizing on TEAM-play/possession.

Against better opponents such frequent gifting of the ball would result in 'serious punishment'. The US squad was lucky that they were playing a Guatemala that was even poorer at TEAM-play and even much more proficient at gifting of the ball. I would be surprised if the US meets any other CONCACAF squad as generous as that Guatemalan squad. Fact is, it would be surprising if even the Guatemalans can replicate their dismal show.