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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 12:51:47 GMT -6
Tonight we play Morocco in a friendly and since qualification, a lot has happened in terms of players moving to EPL or other euro clubs. Also some USA prospects choosing to play for the USA in the future, but the USA still has the most priority in filling certain needed positions due to injury or lack of a bona fide starter.
Tonight’s game will not see GK Zach Steffan which means Horvath or Turner will play. All three keepers are now in the EPL, but it’s young star Slovina, who is making the news and who could be the future GK for team USA. Will it be before the cup? Who knows.
There are lots of other unsolved positions and none as desperate as striker. Haji Wright after a good season in Turkey is looking to show he can be a dependable player. Other positions needing fixing is CB now that Miles Robinson looks out of the World Cup with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Ouch! That one hurts USA’s chances.
Lots of new faces look to be playing for the USA tonight and for the other fixtures as well as getting a look see at some regulars, but Berhalter may be inclined to give them as much rest as possible after a long club and international season.
ESPN2 is showing the game which is a surprise since they only seem to report on soccer news that is anti mens team including the womens equal pay news by USSF which does nothing to booster players choosing the USA over other countries, but so far, it has not effected them yet as a winger with Nottingham Forest selected to play for the USA today over England. We will see what he brings soon enough as well.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 13:03:29 GMT -6
Also, Ukraine is playing Scotland in Scotland right now on ESPN2 with the winner meeting Wales. Whoever comes out of this three team group will play the USA in our first World Cup game.
0-0 16th
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 13:35:44 GMT -6
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 14:04:15 GMT -6
49th min header by Yaremchuk puts Ukraine comfortably up 2-0.
Now in 58th min.
Ukraine look to be the superior side so far and the home team crowd is getting upset over Scotland’s performance. Ukraine has only been to one World Cup, but the Russian teams of the past relied heavily on Ukrainians to make up their past World Cup teams.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 14:24:38 GMT -6
2-1 79th min. Game on!
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 14:56:39 GMT -6
3-1 94th min Ukraine.
Now final. Ukraine advance to play Wales in Wales, Sunday, 10:30 am our time, ESPN2. Winner meets the USA in their first game of the World Cup.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 17:32:55 GMT -6
Turner in goal. Aaronsonn playing midfield. Long and Cannon part of the back line.
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Post by beasleyisbeastly on Jun 1, 2022 17:59:11 GMT -6
That GOL was a thing of beauty. I like what I’m seeing from our forwards so far this game
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 18:01:00 GMT -6
Pulisic takes a long pass over his head with a nice first touch going to goal, fakes a shot and cuts it back to lay it off for Aaronson who finishes it nicely as the goal was wide open due to Pulisic’s assist. 1-0 USA 26th min. This came after the water break. Before that, USA seemed to be on top for the first ten minutes and then Morocco seemed to have the second ten minutes. Weah and Ferreira had good opportunities and Turner made a key save as well as our defenders for Morocco’s opportunities. Morocco brought a loud crowd with them and at times sound like the home side. 31st minute.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 18:03:35 GMT -6
Weah with a long distance cracker off the keepers hands for a second goal. 2-0. 33rd.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 18:19:55 GMT -6
Halftime.
Ferreira had another good opportunity before half, but was unable to finish. Weah had three good shots. Ferreira two. Berhalter says Scalley, Vickers, and Haji Wright will be coming in for the second half. Let’s see what they got.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 18:57:04 GMT -6
Hadji Wright converts penalty after Pulisic wins one in the box. 3-0 USA. Tilman comes on for Pulisic for his first cap. 3 international debuts for the US: Wright, Scalley, and Tilman. DeLa Torre got in as well earlier.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 19:05:39 GMT -6
Morocco get a penalty surprisingly after Scalley defense whiffs and missed a player yet ref calls the no contact as contact. No VAR, so a phantom foul. Penalty hits the crossbar before a whistle from the skirmish after the miss stops play. 3-0. 77th min.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 19:11:12 GMT -6
McKinnie got into the game for the final sub so that is good news on his return to fitness. 82nd min. USA trying to close game out.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 1, 2022 19:26:04 GMT -6
Solid win tonight for the USAMNT. We show lots of depth in players, but we still have issues in certain parts of the lineup.
We seem to be out working our opponents and that may be a strength of our youth, but with that youth, we seem to make many mistakes like dribbling into our opponents. Overall a good night. I liked Aaronson showing well after playing in the midfield. Turner had a good game and had many touches with his hands and feet. The newbies seemed to all get baptized, but held up without making major mistakes. I just would have liked to see the attackers making their debuts make a little bit more opportunities. And, we seem to not being able to convert our opportunities like Ferreira, but I guess we got to keep plugging away. Guys like Adams and Weah were relied on and they seemed to do well.
Next up is Uruguay, a stronger team than Morocco, so we will see if that 2nd game in a window lull continues like it did against CONCACAF competition.
USA gets its first win over Morocco after 3 losses., the last in 2006 and Greg Berhalter wins his first match over an African opponent after his first game against an African opponent. A good result for the USMNT.
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Post by beasleyisbeastly on Jun 1, 2022 19:31:43 GMT -6
Really great performance against a solid word cup team. If Ferreira and Wright finish their best chances it’s 5-0. Also much better from Turner with his feet and passing.
Team created multiple great chances that started with the goalkeeper. Credit to Gregg too. He gave us all the subs we wanted. Scally should have started over Cannon but what ever
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Post by Cooldaddy on Jun 2, 2022 2:15:04 GMT -6
Good result. Should've scored more goals. Good thing Morocco had trouble putting some shots on goal. Turner's distribution with his feet was good and I was really focusing on that part of his game. Musah still aggravates me...constantly dribbling into opponents and holding on the ball too long. He's young, I know. but I currently wouldn't have him as a starter come World Cup time. Pulisic struggled on the ball a bit as well. But heck, 3-0 win, so there's that.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 2, 2022 7:36:44 GMT -6
Good result. Should've scored more goals. Good thing Morocco had trouble putting some shots on goal. Turner's distribution with his feet was good and I was really focusing on that part of his game. Musah still aggravates me...constantly dribbling into opponents and holding on the ball too long. He's young, I know. but I currently wouldn't have him as a starter come World Cup time. Pulisic struggled on the ball a bit as well. But heck, 3-0 win, so there's that. Yes, I saw us turn the ball over a lot by not making the pass and holding on to the ball too long, but we seemed to always be able to get it back and at times we passed it in tight situations, especially along the touch line. I think our strength is that we really seem to be more in shape in that we push the ball fast around the field, but in terms of physicality, we are not the strongest on the ball, so when we crash into other players, we usually turn it over. Again, I think that can all be a symptom of our age. When players get in their prime years, they usually seem to get better at this. I remember Ronaldo and other great players have these issues in their younger years and then as they developed, they seemed to clean these aspects of their game up and became better distributors of the ball in tight situations. I still worry what will happen if England dominate possession against us, or will we be able to hold possession against them, because they will have issues against us. I doubt it, because this England team is deeper than past WC teams. They are strong all across the roster and so I do not expect them to be effected by our youth and speed of play. They invented that style of play. Will we be able to break it or will we succumb to the defensive breakdowns that we seem to give up occasionally, but lately have been getting away with it. That second ten minutes last night would have felt a lot different if Morocco had capitalized on those opportunities.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 5, 2022 8:27:55 GMT -6
ESPN sports center has more coverage of Ukraine than the men’s USA national team.
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Post by usasoccerboy on Jun 5, 2022 10:02:01 GMT -6
Ukraine at Wales is on ESPN now and the winner advances to the World Cup to take on the USA in their first match with the group Bs Iran and England.
ESPN is fawning over the Ukraine and barely mentioning the USMNT’s upcoming game with Uruguay later today. Fox will be showing that game.
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