Another match I am happy to have missed while at work.
Uh.....
EDIT: WELL THANK FREAKING CHRIST.
Thank Acosta, Morris, and WOOD.
Omar Gonzalez should have to walk back to the States after that goal they conceded
Bullet. Olé!
Glad I missed this one - sounded grim.
Pulisic is a big talent, but to the extent we rely on him for our attacking threat, we will struggle. It's simply too easy for teams to defend one player.
Though I don't know who is coming through the youth system, I'd be up for giving any promising talent some minutes (assuming we still manage to qualify).
Are we ready to discuss how the team did better in the Gold Cup, without most of our players who play club ball overseas?
Small sample size, but it's weird. I know Costa Rica gained Navas, but AFAIK only Navas. If Honduras gained anyone, I'm unaware.
Obviously many of our overseas players are our most talented, but are they not as good at playing together on this particular squad?
Bumpity bump, it's that time again!
Who's watching tomorrow's game vs Panama?
Bumpity bump, it's that time again!
Who's watching tomorrow's game vs Panama?
Can't wait! It's going to be quite a day for sports, with the Astros playing game two in the early afternoon.
Our backs are really against the wall right now. We need to win both games and avoid the playoff. We can, but will we?
A win against Panama and a draw against T&T *should* be enough for the USA to make it through, no?
Honduras has to play both Mexico and Costa Rica. Even with both teams not needing points, I can't see Honduras winning both those games. A win and a draw for them would give leave Honduras and the US tied if the USA wins one and draws one. And we've got them on goal differential. So I don't see Honduras as a threat if we get four points.
Panama sits one point in front of the USA. A US win would put us up by two. That would mean that Panama has to win against Costa Rica to force it to goal differential against us if we tie with T&T. Possible given that Costa Rica doesn't have anything to play for, but still a tough task for Panama.
It'd get crazy if Panama and the USA draw, though. The US really needs a win tomorrow. Crunch time!
Home early from work. Game on. Early chances. Good atmosphere. Nervous.
Edit:. PULISIC!!!!!!!
Decent start
We do not deserve Christian Pulisic.
3:0
A couple more and I might relax.
With a panenka, no less. DON'T GO GETTIN' TOO FANCY JOZY
TheWalt and I are at the AO Houston watch party LOVING THIS ****!
Why can't I stream this? I am a sad Wembley!
Edit: Oh, I totally can. I am just an idiot. Hooray for Verizon and WatchESPN. A shame I missed that great first half.
Double edit: I live within an hour of Hershey. Nobody calls it the chocolate bar town, announcer guy.
HAYULL YAYUH! What a game!
Step 1 done! One more to go!
Super fun game to watch.
I don't know what the Panamanian coach said to the team at halftime, but they came out so listless and sloppy in the second half. I was expecting some pluckiness or some sort of a push, but ... nothing.
Amazing game! Amazing goals! Amazing Wal-Mart t-shirt design tattooed on Pulisic's shoulder!
Scoreline flatters us, but was a good performance, for sure - I can't remember the last time I enjoyed watching the USMNT play as much as last night.
We don't deserve Pulisic.
Things I was happiest about:
* Clean sheet. We definitely conceded some chances we shouldn't have, and would have been punished by stronger teams, but at the end of the day we made it to the final whistle without conceding - which has not been a given for us.
* Goals. Sure it's Panama, but they'd only conceded five goals total in the hex until last night. And it easily could have been higher - had we been just a little more clinical, we could have had six or seven.
* Distributed scoring. Pulisic is amazing, but to the extent that he is our only attacking threat, we are in trouble - it's far too easy for an organized defense to mark a single player out of a game.
Still a ways to go book our tickets for Russia, but last night we looked like a team who wouldn't look out of place at the World Cup.
Onwards.
Why can't I stream this? I am a sad Wembley!
Edit: Oh, I totally can. I am just an idiot. Hooray for Verizon and WatchESPN. A shame I missed that great first half.
Double edit: I live within an hour of Hershey. Nobody calls it the chocolate bar town, announcer guy.
Me too! Chocolate Town, maybe. Heck, they don’t even make candy there anymore!
Final game Tuesday. Win and we're in.
Tie and Panama would need a win where they improve their goal differential a crazy amount (they're 7 behind us), or Honduras would have to do even more than that.
Lose and we'd better hope neither Panama nor Honduras win their games, but even if one does we should still have a shot at the playoff.
I think the only real scenario where we don't even make the playoff is if we lose and Panama and Honduras both win. Verrrrrrry unlikely, but who knows.
Edit to add: Both Mexico and Costa Rica have already qualified now, so they could run out weak line-ups if they wanted to.
Edit to add: Both Mexico and Costa Rica have already qualified now, so they could run out weak line-ups if they wanted to.
Mexico should remember that they still owe us big from the last WC cycle.
Fedaykin98 wrote:Edit to add: Both Mexico and Costa Rica have already qualified now, so they could run out weak line-ups if they wanted to.
Mexico should remember that they still owe us big from the last WC cycle.
Some folks on the US Soccer subreddit were talking about taking out an ad in a Mexican paper to remind them and "repay the debt of honor", but I'm not sure anything ever came of it. I think it would have been posted to the sub if so.
This is the origin of the "San Zusi" (Saint Zusi) nickname, which you see from time to time. 
Suboptimal start! But we're still on pace to back or way into Russia.
Time and time again I say don't start Omar Gonzalez and time and time again he backs me up.
Okay, now it is VERY not good.
Time and time again I say don't start Omar Gonzalez and time and time again he backs me up.
More infamous than Wondo if we don't Q. That said, we can lose as long as Panama and Honduras do, too.
Ugh, this is about as bad as I've seen the US play. Poor passing, poor movement. Altidore has turned the ball over 1000 times. Too many easy turnovers across the board. They just look lifeless as a group. I'm so disappointed.
We deserve Pulisic about as much as Argentina does Messi.
We deserve Pulisic about as much as Argentina does Messi.
Hey, at least Argentina has soccer history. Pulisic was arguably an immaculate soccer conception.
But I agree with you, because no one country deserves Messi.
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