50 replies to this topic

[tracer]

can't watch this till i get home...so quick question. is this a typical win against a top country where we get a few breaks and then hold on for dear life as we're pinned back, or did we actually look different and like we belong? i.e. did we boss this game at times and/or play toe to toe with them


EDIT:

here's what ives tweeted:

@SoccerByIves
And the USA plays two defensive midfielders, defends tightly, creates a goal and holds on for the result. No, that's not a new formula.


....


that's what i was getting at... i wanna see a change, not what we've done under bradley.... but that's just ives' opinion....what is yours soccer know it alls?

[S.Bones]

I doubt he got a lot of ball time, but i Stopped watching when Buddle came on (damn job), how'd he look?

His one touch was several degrees of magnitude better than every touch Sacha had.

Thoughts

• Sacha was lost out there. It looked to fast for him.
  
• Goodsen isn't bad, he's just not good enough to play there.
  
• The Germericans were all impressive today
  
• Well, maybe not Boyd. But if you need a foul or a boot to the face, yeah!
  
• Spector looked OK.
  
• Dempsey is magic right now.
  
• Jozy, I don't know, man. He just has so many bad moments but then does something good. But let's not get too excited - I've seen Alan Gordon hold up and lay off the ball like Jozy did on the goal.
  
• Bradley was a revelation today. Read the game well, go forward at the right times, and for the first time ever, made excellent passes to start the attack.
  
• I liked the way we moved the ball around in the attacking third. It didn't really break down Italy, but it will when we play away in Central America.
  
• I wonder how Landon would have changed this game.

[Slug]

This win makes up for the Academy giving Roberto Benigni the Best Actor statue.

[S.Bones]

This win makes up for the Academy giving Roberto Benigni the Best Actor statue.

Bello

Tracer - I thought we were less defensively oriented than the Bradley teams. We played a higher line and counted on the back four to do more with less help from the midfield. Dempsey stayed pretty high and I think Edu was supposed to go forward more than he did.

[tracer]

Bello

Tracer - I thought we were less defensively oriented than the Bradley teams. We played a higher line and counted on the back four to do more with less help from the midfield. Dempsey stayed pretty high and I think Edu was supposed to go forward more than he did.

you asked what we'd look like with landon... what do you think we'd look like with torres in for EDU and/or bradley? is bradley doing what torres is expected or could we play the two together?

...

EDIT: @PCarrESPN This is the 1st time #USMNT has earned a road point vs any of the 8 countries that have won a World Cup.

kewl

[RobertTheBruce]

that's what i was getting at... i wanna see a change, not what we've done under bradley.... but that's just ives' opinion....what is yours soccer know it alls?

I'd say he was right and wrong.

It was that familiar pattern. But I would say we had better possession than we've seen in similar games in the past. It wasn't 50/50 for sure. But up until the goal, it wasn't like we were dominated.

And in the last 25 minutes, we were pretty much holding on but it didn't look desperate. Italy had a few decent chances but but there wasn't much panic in defense.


And when did Bernie Madoff start coaching Italy?

[S.Bones]

you asked what we'd look like with landon... what do you think we'd look like with torres in for EDU and/or bradley? is bradley doing what torres is expected or could we play the two together?

I think Torres in front of today's Bradley would work really well.

If we could just turn back Brian McBride's clock ten years...

[galaxyfan03]

Saw the second half at Big Wang's in downtown LA...in between eyeing the HOTTTT waitress serving my co-workers & me ...and loved the result!

Jozy, FINALLY, did what he's supposed to do as a target forward & Bradley was really good. What can I say about Timmy...so glad he's our GK! GREAT finish by Deuce on the goal!

Not the greatest performance...and wanted to see more PT for Buddle...but an historic & signature win for Klinsi and, hopefully, just the beginning of bigger things ahead

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A

[Lsanchez06]

[RobertTheBruce]

See? Cuz the pope is German... and.... now the USA is like, well, German. Sort of. And Italy lost. So...

[fredo9]

I watched game on small computer screen which may have affected my vision but, I thought...

Italy allowed us to have that much possession in the first half.

Jozy sucked, except for that one assist.

Jr. was composed and effective.

Italy kept attacking our backline with balls over the top which led to at least two 1 on 1's on our keeper that were onside but called off.

We packed it in and hung on for the last 25 minutes for sure. Italy put in their youngins to try to get a goal and it didn't work for them.

It was a nice goal by Demps.

Buddle should have come in right after the goal.

Jozy sucked.

It was a good result but nothing new... except for the result... and the Germericans.

[LOBO 13]

I would say that the Bradley formula was the backbone of this experiment. Just add in a touch of "possession" and a hint of a "higher defensive" line.

Italy doesn't have the speed to exploit the latter so it worked to a degree this time. Other teams with a quicker attacking front line will cause a bit more havoc I think.

Landon would've added an attacking threat on the right flank which almost seemed non-existent at times. All US attacks came almost exclusively from the left side. Also, his set piece service is still the best on the team.

Fabian Johnson seems to be a bit better at LB than Chandler. Offers good service from that position as well.

Expecting Jozy to be anything other than the player we've seen for the last 5 years is an exercise in frustration. Any decent touch or foul he may draw is just an added bonus. I don't expect much from him anymore. I'm pretty confident Clint was yelling at him to lay that ball off when he really wanted to turn and shoot...

Micheal Bradley's time in Italy has done him some good it seems. The hustle and hard work was there, but his positioning and passing was top notch. In the past he would often get the ball in midfield and just launch it forward. I saw a lot of conscious effort to hold up the ball and maintain possession on his part.

Sacha is not an outside midfielder. I don't know how many times we have to see the guy being played out of position. He is a central attacking midfielder. It's unfair and stupid to stick the guy at LM and ask him to come in and basically defend for 30 minutes. That move almost cost the team, as Italy focused on that left-side with Spector and Klejstan being the obvious weak links.

[Foose]

Genoa is shitty.
Military "fans" are embarrassing.
Jozy stunk, outside of the hold up.
One of the big Italian sports papers gave Goodsen player of the match.
I met Sunil G.
I was asked by an Italian "where Donovan?"
I am very glad we won.

[Zero Cool]

Best postmatch review I've read.

[galaxyfan03]

http://sportsillustr...ef=twitter_feed

Great article on importance of historic win, while putting it into its' proper prospective! Also, interesting to read that Jozy did look to shoot first but saw Dempsey making the run into space for the goal

Not a Jozy "hater" like most but peeved that Buddle doesn't get more "looks" under Klinsi...might be a better target forward than Jozy, though I still believe that the USA needs TWO strikers, up top!