Morris still on the field

DEMPSEY. UUUUUUNNNNNHHHHHH

I never request to see boners, but when I do; it's when the USMNT scores.

another angry ag said:

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aggie kid, we'll win natties if you go Amish and remove all TVs from your residence. atmhockey only beat Tceh.

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For now, I've only beat CRC.

That was not only not a foul in Morris it was handling by the GK. Ref just bailed him out.

aggie kid said:

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another angry ag said:

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aggie kid, we'll win natties if you go Amish and remove all TVs from your residence. atmhockey only beat Tceh.

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For now, I've only beat CRC.

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Fair enough considering CR are kinda like the Tech of Central America

Yea Ive never understood the tendency to over protect the goalkeeper in that spot. He's just a field player at that point

That was weird. He made Howard hand him then ball then blew the whistle.

Clint Man of the Match

Nagbe is my man of the match

tysker said:

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aggie kid said:

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another angry ag said:

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aggie kid, we'll win natties if you go Amish and remove all TVs from your residence. atmhockey only beat Tceh.

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For now, I've only beat CRC.

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Fair enough considering CR are kinda like the Tech of Central America

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I thought about going that route, then had to stop and consider El Salvador and their penchant for biting.

PatAg said:

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Nagbe is my man of the match

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Warning...Stupid and unpopular soccer opinion coming

He's incredibly skilled and all that, I recognize. That said, a lot of what I saw from him tonight looked spectacular then led to a turnover. I don't remember seeing a cross at all. Granted, even though he technically started as a wide player I know that's not really his spot. Just still trying to figure where this guy fits.

When we have our full squad I think he fits like he did tonight as a creator on the wing, cutting in centrally and making through passes.
He has a rare talent of taking on defenders, easing pressure and creating opportunities. With Nagbe and Pulisic we finally have some options that can hold the ball under pressure.
I think back to the last WC against Germany and Belgium and how we struggled to hold the ball and possess. Nagbe and Pulisic help so much in that area.

Pahdz said:

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PatAg said:

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Nagbe is my man of the match

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Warning...Stupid and unpopular soccer opinion coming

He's incredibly skilled and all that, I recognize. That said, a lot of what I saw from him tonight looked spectacular then led to a turnover. I don't remember seeing a cross at all. Granted, even though he technically started as a wide player I know that's not really his spot. Just still trying to figure where this guy fits.

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Well, I feel like you cant really identify him as a typical wide player in that regard. Think about how much he got Villafana involved outside, and how many crosses he actually whipped in.

He was instrumental in his ability to receive the ball in ANY situation, turn and beat at least one defender if not two, and provide the link to the front line. Him doing that led to Dempsey's moment of brilliance, for one example. They could not get the ball off his foot all night.

Excellent point about Villifana, didn't look at it that way.

PatAg said:

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Pahdz said:

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PatAg said:

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Nagbe is my man of the match

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Warning...Stupid and unpopular soccer opinion coming

He's incredibly skilled and all that, I recognize. That said, a lot of what I saw from him tonight looked spectacular then led to a turnover. I don't remember seeing a cross at all. Granted, even though he technically started as a wide player I know that's not really his spot. Just still trying to figure where this guy fits.

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Well, I feel like you cant really identify him as a typical wide player in that regard. Think about how much he got Villafana involved outside, and how many crosses he actually whipped in.

He was instrumental in his ability to receive the ball in ANY situation, turn and beat at least one defender if not two, and provide the link to the front line. Him doing that led to Dempsey's moment of brilliance, for one example. They could not get the ball off his foot all night.

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Agreed. He and Villifana play well together.

wangus12 said:

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I read that last night. There is no necessary reason to put that in there

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Other than she being so hot, of course.

I'm not sure if this got mentioned elsewhere, but one El Salvador biter got a six game ban, the other, three.

Some measure of justice, at least.

Ugh, just stop that article after the first paragraph. There's literally nothing to be gained by adding those last two sentences.

PatAg said:

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Pahdz said:

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PatAg said:

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Nagbe is my man of the match

---

Warning...Stupid and unpopular soccer opinion coming

He's incredibly skilled and all that, I recognize. That said, a lot of what I saw from him tonight looked spectacular then led to a turnover. I don't remember seeing a cross at all. Granted, even though he technically started as a wide player I know that's not really his spot. Just still trying to figure where this guy fits.

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Well, I feel like you cant really identify him as a typical wide player in that regard. Think about how much he got Villafana involved outside, and how many crosses he actually whipped in.

He was instrumental in his ability to receive the ball in ANY situation, turn and beat at least one defender if not two, and provide the link to the front line. Him doing that led to Dempsey's moment of brilliance, for one example. They could not get the ball off his foot all night.

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Nagbe has great on the ball skills but sometimes it appears as if his decision making is too slow. He always seems to take that extra half-dribble which he can compensate for by being so strong on the ball. Also he's not much of a risk-taker so unless there's a perfect pass to made he moves laterally or backwards (also compensated for by being strong on the ball). A lack of risk-taking isnt a bad thing (especially when you Clint and Pulisic as your creative force) but it can be slow going for your #10 to be guys like Nagbe and Bradley. You can tell he prefers playing from the middle of the field where he can see more of the field

Well put. He's a strong player, and he should be an automatic inclusion in our WC 23... but I don't know if he's in my first choice XI. Not yet.

gig them said:

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Well put. He's a strong player, and he should be an automatic inclusion in our WC 23... but I don't know if he's in my first choice XI. Not yet.

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I think his big value for US is to help maintain possession when playing top tier teams, which we seem to have significant issues. That would be a huge bonus.

Agreed but one thing Nagbe has going against him is a lack of true outside backs. Can we trust a Nagbe/Yedlin combo on the wings in a 4-4-2? I think he fits is great as any one of the 3 mids in a 3-2-3-2

Somthing like:
Jozy-Wood/Morris
Nagbe-Dempsey-Pulisic
Bradley-Acosta
Villafana-Cameron/Brooks-Yedlin

You could switch anyone of the 3 mids around and not miss a beat. Also Bradley and Acosta relieve much of the defensive duties (when they communicate and the outside backs dont get caught too far up field).

akm91 said:

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gig them said:

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Well put. He's a strong player, and he should be an automatic inclusion in our WC 23... but I don't know if he's in my first choice XI. Not yet.

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I think his big value for US is to help maintain possession when playing top tier teams, which we seem to have significant issues. That would be a huge bonus.

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He can maintain possession very effectively, but he's not quite good enough going forward. At least not on the NT level.

He has a role to play, and he should certainly see the field (even in the WC) in the right scenario... but that's the best I can do based on what I've seen.

tysker said:

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Agreed but one thing Nagbe has going against him is a lack of true outside backs. Can we trust a Nagbe/Yedlin combo on the wings in a 4-4-2? I think he fits is great as any one of the 3 mids in a 3-2-3-2

Somthing like:
Jozy-Wood/Morris
Nagbe-Dempsey-Pulisic
Bradley-Acosta
Villafana-Cameron/Brooks-Yedlin

You could switch anyone of the 3 mids around and not miss a beat. Also Bradley and Acosta relieve much of the defensive duties (when they communicate and the outside backs dont get caught too far up field).

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You ditching FabJo, or just can't find a place for him? I want him on the field, even if it means putting him at LB. Villafana is coming along nicely, though.

Personally, I want four at the back, because I want Cameron and Brooks at CB at all times.

I like Dempsey as a super sub at this point, but he can obviously still play and has the legs to start.

The pundits have been repeating a comment from Arena along the lines of "I don't think Nagbe understands what all he can do". I agree - despite scoring a wondergoal for Portland a couple weeks ago, I think he views himself strictly as a facilitator. He will get the ball to the opponent's box, and he can dribble through traffic to do it, but he always seems to want to play someone else in. That's not all bad, but I think with a change in mentality he could be a real scoring threat.

I'll bet if we look at statistics, Nagbe takes fewer shots for the US than many other players who sit deeper than him.

Totally forgot about Johnson. I think Bruce will go 442 with Brooks and Cameron in the back but Cameron' and Johnson's versatility adds something I hadnt thought of:

Jozy-Wood/Morris
Nagbe-Pulisic-Johnson
Acosta-Bradley
Villafana-Brooks-Cameron

(Dempsey as supersub)
So they could play it a 442 on defense and 352 on offense. Johnson going to put in a LOT of work though.