Any team in the world will be hurt by the loss of three players, especially against a top team. Still, props to Argentina. Lets see if they can lose three major championship finals in three years. 
We are more than Golden State Warrior fans.
For god’s sake, Argentina is the #1 team in the world for a reason, and everyone saw why yesterday. Klinsmann has the best record in modern history as a US coach, and he’s doing fine with what he has.
Klinnsman is easily the worst coach out of the last 3 coaches the US has had (although Bradley and Arena are the two best we’ve had, so perhaps not a fair comparison). Best record? Who cares how well they’ve done in friendlies. They’ve looked worse in tournaments. 2015 was the worst year for the US since 1998 with losses to Guatemala, Panama, and Jamaica. The latter two coming at home.
That said, this loss isn’t really on him. I think putting Wondo in the starting lineup is ridiculous, but Pulisic was out of his depth as well. Nagbe did better, and perhaps he should have started over Beckerman.
Nobody should be shocked at this result, even if it is disappointing.
When’s the last time the US looked so thoroughly outclassed? Neither Germany or Belgium at the WC was like this. 2006 vs Czech Republic?
That Messi free kick last night might be the best free kick I have ever seen. It literally could not have been more perfectly placed, hitting the side netting first right in the top corner of the goal, with pace. The Roberto Carlos free kick for Brazil against France back in 97 would be the only other contender I can think of off the top of my head (and points off for him trying to replicate it again and again in his career and continually missing).
Staying out of the Klinsmann debate. Don’t watch enough of the USMNT to know one way or the other. Getting to the semis seems a good effort. On the other hand, the draw did sort of open up in a way that the US *should *have got to the semis, so that’s possibly not the evaluation that needs to be done.
One doesn’t normally think of the women’s game as featuring amazing free kicks, but the equalizer from Norway vs. Germany at around 1:15 in this video is nearly as good as the Messi kick, although at what’s likely an easier angle.
This. People make it sound like the USA lost 4-0 to Haiti.
Consider this: Paulo Dybala of Juventus, rising star of the Serie A, who would be the best player on the US team by a country mile, did not even make it into the final Argentinian Copa America squad. There is not a single position on the field where the US is not outclassed horrendously in terms of available talent - indeed, most of the players on the Argentinian bench would walk into the US starting lineup without breaking a sweat and make their compatriots look like inebriated toddlers by comparison. Gyasi Zardes, possessor of what may be the worst first touch in all of professional football, starts for the US, for crying out loud.
The US could easily have lost by 6 or more if you go by expected strength of starting lineups alone.
Yeah, Argentina has better players than the US, nobody is arguing that, but the US hasn’t looked that bad in almost 20 years. Germany, Portugal, and Belgium had vastly better teams than the US in the last WC and they managed to not be embarrassed in any of those games. England in 2010. Spain and Brazil in 2009. Argentina vs the US B team in the 2009 Copa America. Italy in 2006. Germany in 2002. All with vastly inferior rosters. This loss is beyond a skill difference. It’s not just 4-0, it’s the complete lack of anything positive. Venezuela lost to Argentina, but they looked infinitely better than the US did with a worse roster.
Klinnsman is a joke. His big offensive sub yesterday was taking out a midfielder for a centerback! Playing Wondolowski when the best chance the US was going to have is on a counter attack?! Busted ass Kyle Beckerman is going to be able to physically keep up with that midfield?
I mean has the US vastly outperformed in every game against top 10 teams for the past 17 years, or was yesterday especially bad?
Why can’t it be both? (Because it is.)
Just a horrific performance by the USA yesterday. Truly awful. And now some people are saying, “Well, what did you expect? They were playing the number one team in the world!!!11!! And… and… and… Messi!”
No.
Folks who say that either didn’t watch the game or understand very, very little about international soccer. I have never seen a competitive national team* that didn’t manage even ONE SINGLE SHOT in an entire game. That’s not shots on goal, it’s shots… period.
A nightmare.
*“Competitive” is rather debatable when describing the USMNT last night.
:dubious:
Must be a woosh, or the quality of the Women’s game is even lower than I thought, the ball was inside the box, this is not much worse a position than a penalty kick.
Messi; meh. He does the magnificent daily. I mean;
- the Iran Goal
*Goal in the 2015 Copa Final - Goal v Man Utd in 2011 CL Final (starts at 2:30)
Simply the best.
While the Messi goal was indeed spectacular, most world class goalkeepers stop it. There’s no way that a Buffon or Neuer allow that to get in. Even Howard stops it from going in on most days.
Right. It’s not the loss. It’s not even that it was a big loss. There was not one good thing to take from this loss. We’ve played games against teams in Argentina’s class. We occasionally get a win. We usually lose, but even when we lose, there’s usually some hard fight there, creating occasional good scoring chances, maybe have some good performances to point to. But this was just dreadful.
Yesterday was especially bad.
There’s a big knee-jerk anti-Klinnsy sentiment out there. I tend to think it’s a bit too knee-jerky, but Klinnsman really has been a pretty lousy coach. You lose three key players…but Wondo, Zusi and Beckerman are your answers?
Oh well. Better than 7-0.
I totally disagree with this. But you can’t prove it. And I can’t the other way either.
The only way that gets saved is if the wall is set up totally differently and the keeper is closer to side Messi hits it into. And then Messi would just take aim at the other side of the net anyway.
Agree, when a ball is hit that well the keeper is stuffed.
The ball sets out straight-ish and that leaves the keeper flat-footed. Then it starts to bend in an ever-increasing arc which means the keeper is playing catch-up and is constantly adjusting. Plus it has pace and accuracy.
So…it has disguise, pace and accuracy. Not an easy save at all.
The free kick from the women’s match looked like something from a junior game. An accurate but slow, swerving shot. From that distance, over the top of a small wall and against a small keeper takes a lot of the shine of it. A good free kick for the womens game but a male wall would have headed that away without needing to jump.
Indeed. Even Bolivia had 2 shots against Argentina.
Speculation here in Argentina is about how many minutes will Di Maria play before the inevitable injury, I’m betting that he doesn’t even make it to the pitch, abducted by aliens in the bus on it’s way to the stadium, he returns in time for the second half but he can’t play due to “internal injuries” of some kind…
I am predicting a USA win over Colombia Saturday.
And there I’d no way we can blame Klinnsnan for the poor development of our players. Many more should be playing in Europe from a tender age ala Messi.
I’m predicting a similar 2-0 loss to Columbia by the US as in the opening match. Especially if we stick to that silly 4-4-2 that Klinsi loves (with Beckermann since Jones is banned for the tourney, IIRC).
Who has ever blamed Klinsmann for US player development?