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Lorenzo

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wow this Arfsten guy is having a game. Good to see both he and Tillman recover after their initial miscues.
 

cardpa

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I'm really enjoying watching these young players grow and gain experience as they play. They are playing for each other and at least to me as I watched each game I could see longer and longer periods where they playing some good sound soccer. Sure they are making mistakes but it takes time to become a cohesive group and their lack of experience at this level doesn't help but you can see the progress.
 

gmabel830

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What a fantastic quarterfinals overall. I'm really liking the PKs right after regulation. I can see how purists would hate it (e.g., when the shootout was introduced in hockey), but it does very much add to the excitement of the game.
 

Ronin

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Ronin

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cardpa

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So, from what you have seen so far, who on this GC roster have made a case to be included on the WC roster who have not been on it before? In my opinion there are some players who have made enough of an impact and shown a level of play that will hold up in a WC and should have secured a roster spot.

No question:
Malik Tillman
Chris Richards
Diego Luna

Needs serious consideration:
Sebastian Berhalter
John Tolkin

On the fence/need to see more:
Max Arfsten
Luca de la Torre

Berhalter and Tolkin need to continue to raise their game and show consistency. They need to be in camp and need more minutes in friendlies before a fianl roster is named.

Arfsten and Torre have shown potential and should also be invited to camp to see if they can shine against top competition.
 

MigratingOsprey

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The silence is deafening. You would think Pulisic would toss a few plaudits at the team, instead zilch. Maybe this gives a little insight on his relationship with Pochettino as of now.
I just think Pulisic just has a bunch of doesn't get it. He's been that focal point star player and likes to be revered as such

I generally really like him as a player, think he can do really impactful things on the field and does play with pride for the national team

He just navigates all the stuff off the field really poorly at all locations and has a generally not great persona.

I think he's a vital part of the team, but cannot be in the real leadership of the team
 

MigratingOsprey

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The semi against Guatemala was a lot of fun. Wasn't always great, but was an enjoyable watch.

You could tell this really meant something to Guatemala and the US guys on the field didn't want to lose

Kudos to their support. Was fun watching them throughout the tournament. StL overall was a bit embarrassing. A ton of empty seats there, despite Guatemala supporters carrying the bulk. Again, for their supporters this meant something and they wanted to show up.

Houston will favor Mexico as well
 

cardpa

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It was kind of like that 2 steps forward, one step back thing and last nights game was the one step back. They looked a bit more disjointed and for whatever reason their passing was sloppy. Don't know about anyone else but I cringed watching Agyemang every time he touched the ball. He reminds me so much of Tarik Walker, an indoor soccer player back in the 90s. Big, strong, fast and a rocket for a leg, but shaky on the ball.

I thought Agyemang should have been subbed out earlier than he was as he was not having a great game and in fact seemed to be struggling. My only contention with Pochettino so far has been how late he waits to bring in fresh legs. I think Adams and Luna should have been subbed out earlier than they were as both looked a bit gassed.

Well onto Sunday and a date with Mexico. Should be a barn burner and I suspect a very physical match. I expect to see a few cards thrown and it's probably even money one or both teams could end up down a player due to a red card.
 

cardpa

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I just think Pulisic just has a bunch of doesn't get it. He's been that focal point star player and likes to be revered as such

I generally really like him as a player, think he can do really impactful things on the field and does play with pride for the national team

He just navigates all the stuff off the field really poorly at all locations and has a generally not great persona.

I think he's a vital part of the team, but cannot be in the real leadership of the team
Agree, he can be a player who can influence a game but he is certainly not leadership material. When you get the nickname "Captain America" at an early age, those types of things can just go to your head making you think you're more than you are.
 

ASUCHRIS

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I'm trying to muster the energy to get excited by beating Guatemala/Haiti/Costa Rica. We should demolish these teams with our D squad.
 
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