US Soccer Catch-All

TONIGHT! USMNT v Panama, 8pm ET, ESPN2. First game under Berhalter. MLS players only AFAIK, since this isn't an international window.

Hey we scored.

Actual game on ESPN that I can watch

Stele wrote:

Hey we scored.

Actual game on ESPN that I can watch

Hey, we scored a lot! That was a fun game for American fans. Good buildup, excellent finishing on the chances, solid midfield play. This brings me hope.

Seriously. At an absolute minimum, we need to be dusting most of the rest of CONCACAF.

Prederick wrote:

Seriously. At an absolute minimum, we need to be dusting most of the rest of CONCACAF.

That’s true; however, most teams in concacaf play very, very defensively and look for the one or two real counterattack goals and the US had such troubles when a team sets up like that - creating opportunities in little space and less time. Those goals against Panama were something - yes, they were mostly in transition from lost balls, but the build up and work around the ball and off it bodes well.

USMNT - Costa Rica is about to kick! Go go USA!

Nice final ten minutes!

Edit: I hadn't noticed that Lletget assisted the second goal in addition to scoring the winner. Nice game!

And now they're talking about USA - Chile, at the end of March here in Houston. TheWalt just got tickets for our usual Dynamo crew. This will be my fifth US Soccer match. Go USA!

Everyone is invited; the AO tailgate party for USA v Argentina was a blast. If you haven't done that and then marched in as a group singing, you need to do it!

https://streamable.com/b3kw2

The ageless one scored the winner for the Dynamo in CONCACAF Champions League last night! Nice one-time strike from outside the box.

Ah, DeMarcus. 36 and still getting it done.

And holy hell, Toronto lost 4-0 to some team from Panama?

Honestly, no wonder the US teams are such crap at the CONCACAF CL, the competition starts when they've literally just coming back for training camp.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

https://streamable.com/b3kw2

The ageless one scored the winner for the Dynamo in CONCACAF Champions League last night! Nice one-time strike from outside the box.

Houston also won the return leg 2-1 last night, and advance to play Tigres next (gulp)!

I had no idea that Tata Martino had left to coach Mexico and Atlanta United had brought on Frank de Boer.

It's gone quite badly for Frank, apparently.

Hell, I had no idea FC Cincinnati was a team this year, but I don't pay strong enough attention to the MLS.

Greg Berhalter, new USMNT coach, was in Houston last week and gave some good interviews to ESPN Radio. You can hear the one that's for "soccer people" on the Soccer Matters podcast with Glenn Davis. Glenn is a former pro player who calls the Dynamo games and seems to be a really cool guy. TheWalt and I ran into him at Houston's best (but not fancy) cocktail bar, Anvil, a couple years ago. Real passion for the game and for sharing it.

Gregg Berhalter says Tyler Adams will play right back in this camp. DeAndre Yedlin will play as a winger. #USMNT

Fair. It does seem like every speedy, attack-minded wing-back eventually gets turned into a winger anyway.

Prederick wrote:

Gregg Berhalter says Tyler Adams will play right back in this camp. DeAndre Yedlin will play as a winger. #USMNT

Fair. It does seem like every speedy, attack-minded wing-back eventually gets turned into a winger anyway.

I have long thought Yedlin's service into the box from out wide was the best part of his game.

Eh, I always had him as DMB 2.0, in which the best part of his game is "is really, really, really, really fast."

Prederick wrote:

Eh, I always had him as DMB 2.0, in which the best part of his game is "is really, really, really, really fast."

Really, really fast makes up for a lot of things when you’re trying to stretch a defense or your center back(s) have to continually roll to that side (and play a bit deeper) to help cover ground, leaving a bit more space on the other side.

USA v Chile esta noche!

Just ran into three out of towers wearing jerseys here downtown, and made sure they knew where the AO tailgate party is. I'll be serving that most American of drinks, rum (and Coke Zero).

Weston McKinnie is done for the season with an ankle injury, and Tyler Adams was sent back to his club already. Still very excited to watch the third game of the new, Berhalter-led generation. And excited to see Chile in person, a team I've long enjoyed. Always cool and surreal to see people from TV up close and personal.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

USA v Chile esta noche!

Just ran into three out of towers wearing jerseys here downtown, and made sure they knew where the AO tailgate party is. I'll be serving that most American of drinks, rum (and Coke Zero).

Weston McKinnie is done for the season with an ankle injury, and Tyler Adams was sent back to his club already. Still very excited to watch the third game of the new, Berhalter-led generation. And excited to see Chile in person, a team I've long enjoyed. Always cool and surreal to see people from TV up close and personal.

Oh, nice! I think I can watch tonight. ESPN 2 at 6:55 CST, so perfect timing!

Well, thank God for Pulisic. I didn't see the game, but the stats aren't super-duper encouraging, I must admit.

Prederick wrote:

Well, thank God for Pulisic. I didn't see the game, but the stats aren't super-duper encouraging, I must admit.

Great pass from Zardes led to a great chip by Pulisic. Would have been a penalty if it hadn't gone in, imho as I watched it live.

It is more expensive to watch the US than world champions France. Why?

Since, the failure to reach a World Cup for the first time since 1986, a year of stasis under an interim head coach and a youth-centric rebuild has not inspired a reckoning over ticket prices. Tuesday’s crowd of 18,033 in a venue with an on-the-night capacity of 21,500 now seems a respectable figure for a programme with a pricing strategy reminiscent of a luxury brand pitching itself to high-end consumers.

It was reported that the average attendance for US World Cup qualifiers declined from 31,158 in the 2002 cycle to 22,636 for 2018, yet total revenue soared from about $7m to more than $17.5m as the average ticket price leapt from $28.05 to $97.06.

Of course, the more money the federation makes, the more it can reinvest in a variety of initiatives to grow the game, but Tuesday’s asking prices hardly seemed designed to tempt families or casual fans. Online prices ranged from $42.85 to $320.20 including fees, with a $600 “ultimate fan ticket” available that offered limited behind-the-scenes access.

A US Soccer spokesperson said: “Prices are set for every game based on a number of different market factors, including projected supply and demand, quality and type of event, the teams participating and other considerations.” A follow-up question asking why US Soccer does not offer discounted tickets was not answered.

It's terrible marketing. The mission of US Soccer is not to make the most money, assuming that this pricing strategy even achieves that efficiently. The Chile game was maybe 75-80% full, which is actually better than many of the other recent friendlies.

I'd love to see a comparison with attendance and prices for USWNT games, because I've been to two of those (same stadium as Chile, BBVA Compass) and they were both well-attended, with lots of obvious groups that I would imagine got package deals. We should be marketing both teams to youth organizations; get more tickets sold, more fans, more aspirational role models for the kids.

Totally agree. "Maximizing revenue" is short-sighted.

Yo.

It's one thing to have a championship hangover.

But holy shit, Atlanta United FC don't have a hangover, they are in intensive care due to championship poisoning.

Dead last in the Eastern Conference, two goals scored, two points, and just overally awful. And here I thought Frank de Boer was a half-decent manager. Sheesh.

And hey, when did Nani get here?

Meanwhile, Zlatan is such a colossal dick and it's hilarous.

US Women beat down Mexico 3-0. Next up, World Cup! Our first match is June 11.

I caught the second half. We're looking good. Can't wait for the start of the World Cup

Men's U-20s play their second game of the group stage in a few minutes, btw. I believe the games can be found on the Fox Sports app.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

US Women beat down Mexico 3-0. Next up, World Cup! Our first match is June 11.

Whoa, time flies. It's almost June? Awesome! I'm really looking forward to this.

USMNT U-20's playing France in first round of knockout stage at U-20 world cup today at 1130am EST on FS2. Going to load that up in the background today.

https://www.ussoccer.com/competition...

Great win for the U-20 team, 3-2, over France. France was the dominant team but we converted on our chances when it mattered. Soto and Weah up top was fun to watch.