OT: Copa America - Quarterfinal: USA vs. Ecuador, 9:30pm EDT, FS1
USA plays Ecuador tonight in Seattle for a spot in the semifinals. The winner will face the winner of the Argentina-Venezuela match on Saturday.
USA has found a central defense! Can we rack up some goals against the talented Ecuadorans? Who is starting at right back for the USA?
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That was a helluva soccer game. USA USA USA USA
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The tougher team won.
Heh.
I couldn't believe the late subs. Their goal was in big part because of fatigue from Bedoya. And then it looked like Klinsmann was trying to sub in the 93rd minute and couldn't get Birnbaum in when he wanted to - amateur hour stuff, it seemed to me.
Is there anybody left or will we have to play Messi with just two guys?
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Damn. Now we'll only win by 2. We were going for style.
Gonna be an interesting line up on Friday. Maybe Nagbe and Pulisic will finally get some time.
Game is Tuesday, right?
Yes, it's Tuesday. I have no idea what I was thinking.
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Just in case we don't hold Messi scoreless . . . . Is there a third place game in Copa America?
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Yes - third-place game on Saturday, and final on Sunday
about Argentina being able to get another match after Tuesday?
So Yedlin is back, which means back four are the same as they were for first three games. Nagbe is my prediction to come in for Wood. Beckerman for Jones.
Another option would be to move to a 433 but Dempsey wasn't to effective as a false 9
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I like the Besler/Johnson idea, but I think we're going to get a rested young gun in against Argentina.
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I believe that USA can win Copa America. USA is starting to catch up to the world they may not be at the level of Germany, France, BRA etc.
Who do you start?
Pulisic in place of Wood? I like that move, but Wood has probably played better than anyone on the squad.
Yedlin comes back and Besler out...
Who plays in place of Jones? I'd play Nagbe. Please play Nagbe.
Who plays in place of Bedoya? I'd start Zusi for 45 minutes, after that...I'm praying that we're up 1-0 and I can bring Beckerman on for Zusi. He can't play more than 60 minutes.
If this is the case...go with Beckerman on in the 60th for Zusi. Get Wondo on in the 75th for Dempsey. Kitchen or Birnbaum on for Pulisic in the 80th.
Take your 1-0 win and head to the final.
If Puli is going to play centrally you have to change the formation. Maybe a 4231 with Bradley and Nagbe as the pivot in front of the back four. Keep besler in at lb so Johnson can play one wing with Zusi on the other wing. Have Puli play the 10 behind Deuce.
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Pulisic is a promising player and has probably seen more early success (at least in Europe) than any other US player, but I don't think you can give him his first start in a fairly unfamiliar position against Argentina in a semi. I favor starting him, but I don't think you can slot him into the main playmaking role. Given the options, I think I'd favor a 4-3-3, with Pulisic and Zardes flanking Dempsey (midfielf of Bradley, Johnson, and Nagbe). The more negative version is Johnson and Zardes flanking Dempsey and a midfield of Bradley, Zusi, and Beckerman.
Basically ANY extra curricular touch to the face is a straight red now. I like the rule but it will take the players a few games to adjust.
Wood is the story of the USA run for me. We all know Dempsey is a class talent but now Wood also has really established himself as a threat in high level matches. I hope I'm wrong but our other strikers are very average and Wood's loss severely impact our chances.
Brooks also has impressed me raising his level of play providing stability in an area that has been a weakness. Very solid.
Our midfield has to play better next game. Too many turnovers by Bradley. Bedoya looks like a deer in the headlights when he crosses midfield.
Still not sold on Klinsmann. Waiting too long to sub players nearly cost us the game. Quite frankly we were very lucky Ecuador didn't score more goals in the last 15 minutes against an exhausted 10 man line up.
Still a wonderful result. The US will have to win now moreso on emotion, high energy and crowd support and hope for some counter attack goal scoring opportunities.
It's a fun ride!
He waited too long to sub and then he subbed as if it were 11 v. 11. Beckerman's a great defensive sub with everyone on the field, as he does well defensively in tight spaces, but with the game more open, he would have been better off going with someone with more speed.
He's been good on the tactics from kickoff, and starting Besler instead of Orozco (shifting FJ to the right) was an unexpected and effective call.
It'll obviously be interesting to see what he does with all the changes he's forced to make. My faint hope is that Wood's card gets rescinded because it happened after an improper restart (Jones was still on the field). I really hope he doesn't go Beckerman, Wondo, Zusi. There's just not enough quality there to try to spring counters. I'd keep Besler in, shift FJ into the midfield in Jones's free role and insert Nagbe in Bedoya's role and, I guess Pulisic if Wood can't play. That's not his best role but Wondo seems purely to be a late game desparation move.
My thoughts exactly.
And its non-reviewable.
I do not see how soccer can have that rule in place when players flop and fake all the time - any brush, you can completely miss and you don't have enough eyes to catch someone faking it.
Sidebar: Does anybody happen to have a link to where I can watch a full replay of the game? (I don't have the tv subscription package thingy)
I've seen similar things for UM Football games using unlisted or hidden youtube uploads.
Would very much appreciate it! Thanks!