ivo

Hes going to get another red in his RBNY career, but hes been pretty good about avoiding them after his rough start.  Hes been really good for us when hes been healthy. If theres a concern about Reyes staying on the pitch, its about fitness, not red cards.

I think he's been down on the ground writhing in pain in every game so far. Some of it has beeb out of his control, but some has been self-inflicted. I think he needs to manage going all out or in dangerous tackles as his body can't handle it.

And that late tackle was... oof. Glad it didn't doom us.

Not much he could do on the OG.

The biggest thing for me is what he says about the Athletic article by John Muller. In my lifetime I've only ever seen the USMNT play bunker and counter at the World Cup. This was the first time they've ever looked like a modern team.

Is this because of GGG or is it because this was also the first time we had a starting 11 that was mostly non-MLS players? Would a different coach get more out of the same roster? (Usage of Reyna/Aaronson and lack of rotation all point to yes, imo.) That's the million dollar question.

It would be nice if Pulisic converted that early chance and if we had a 9 that can finish half chances (many teams can say the same), but the Dutch outclassed us, both with talent and tactically, come on. Blaming only execution is as silly as blaming only GGG.

The WC was not a GGG failure, obviously, but it was hardly overperformance either. Hanging on for dear life vs Iran can't be hailed as some tremendous success based on the outcome by saying "it worked."

Major kudos to Gregg for recruiting a handful of top dual nationals that will be mainstays for a long time. Would love to know who the actual options on the table end up being - think there is a better alternative in terms of motivation and tactics out there.

Doyle with a glass-very-full view of Berhalter's WC performance today. https://twitter.com/...5803559936?s=20

 

Most parts of this are true, of course, but some are revisionist history, and he almost completely glosses over the game vs Netherlands. Berhalter certainly hit par at the WC, and if (most) players like and want him to stay, it wouldn't be a horrible choice. Surely, we can do better, though, right?

I trust Schneider sees what we're seeing and is lining up the next transfer targets. But I'm losing confidence in Struber being able to coach a coherent offense. Should they have stayed with Carnell? He seemed like a no gimmicks, put your best players in their best positions and play hard kinda coach.

It's been 3 games, Barlow has played more than half the minutes, and Dante seems out of shape and hasn't played much yet. Giving up now seems premature. It's a long season.

Yeah - he looked very good.... I guess a false echo chamber narrative we were playing? 

Not much end product which stands out. Really helpful to see the build up play and progressive touches/fouls against.

Also, http://www.soccerpub...1

 

I can't tell you all the inner workings of Struber's mind (god help anyone who can), just what I picked up on through two games.

 

These are almost all of Luqui's touches against Nashville. He's mostly getting the ball from the back 6 at least 45 yards from goal, and barely even tries to connect with a striker all game. We all know Luqui is not the type of guy who hits long, perfectly weighted through balls from that range. If we know it, I assume Struber does too, and he's just OK using him in a way that doesn't directly create scoring chances.

Very good positive touches. Shift the point where he receives the ball 10-15 yards upfield and we're talking. 

Is it synced up with the video?

It is for me

Barlow hattrick in the home opener. Gets a tifo at the following home game. Proceeds to score zero goals the rest of the way.

Lol crisis. Come on man

I guess the one benefit is that we all know that in like 3 years they will change the format yet again lol

I'd say it will change next year.

Do many people watch sports on replay?  I thought Twitter/social media made that practically impossible?

Anyway I am sure they will fix it soon, because showing the score is incredibly dumb.

Maybe it's exclusively the new parent audience (the previous 2 posts and myself), but watching in the evening after kids are in bed is often the only option these days. In any case, no one is going on Apple TV to SEE the scores so hiding them only makes sense.

Tom Barlow doubles it with an assist from Cam Harper.

RBNY 2 - 0 SJ

Via twitter:
https://mobile.twitt...009705083301888

A Barlow brace... here's a phrase I didn't expect to ever have to type.

I guess he really wants to make this Europe thing work and doesn't care forthe USMNT job at the 26 WC. GL at Southampton, I guess, he will need it.

Summer 2016, Marsch's Red Bulls blew a 2-goal lead 6 times in 10 games.

Outside of that stretch, it happened 1 other time in his entire tenure (April 28, 2018), but in a 3-2 win.

I remember that stretch being immensely frustrating and impossible to turn away from.

I try to forget the exact details but thanks for bringing the torturous memories back LOL

 
There are two things that have been true *almost* every winter that I've been a fan of this team
 
1) A large number of fans spend the entire month of January convincing themselves that the team will not spend any money or sign any potential starters
 
2) The team starts spending money and signing potential starters at the end of January and through February/March
 
The only time this has not happened were the two years Hamlett was in charge, where he legitimately spent nothing and signed nobody. I'm sure that has still left a lingering sour taste with a lot of fans that probably makes the cycle above even worse.

A couple of things to note adding to the sour taste of this familiar cycle, for me at least. 
1) The caliber of players available in February/March is generally not what we need to get to MLS Cup. Compare and contrast with signings like Sacha or Morgan done early in the window (sure, they didn't get us to MLS Cup either, but performed at an all-MLS level pretty quickly).
 
2) The also familiar "would be better if [signing] had a full preseason with the team" excuse when Feb/March signings take a few weeks/months to adapt. Then have him signed earlier!