Gold Cup

[TU_BLA]

US wins 4-0. Zardes is not the answer up top as a striker. He just doesn’t have the ability to hold the ball at all. Bad touches and missed opportunities. Good play from Tyler Boyd. He’s a stud. Good touch, great vision, and he’s an excellent passer. He’s also a pretty good finisher. Pulisic was Pulisic. McKennie was good but he left with either a leg cramp or a pulled hamstring. Bradley was fine. He was a ton better than Trapp both in possession and defensively. Defense wasn’t really tested or pushed at all. Arriola also played well.

 

[nevadanatural]

That back line needs help. If the Guyana striker was up to par the game would have been 1-1 in the first half and who knows what would have happened with that changed dynamic. If they don’t get better organized I really worry about games against better competition. A 4-0 win is nice but it was Guyana so I’m not wearing my red, white and blue glasses. The team showed some good things last night but at times they were lethargic and that needs to go away. Against good competition they will need to play hard for 90 minutes.

 

[TU_BLA]

That back line needs help. If the Guyana striker was up to par the game would have been 1-1 in the first half and who knows what would have happened with that changed dynamic. If they don’t get better organized I really worry about games against better competition. A 4-0 win is nice but it was Guyana so I’m not wearing my red, white and blue glasses. The team showed some good things last night but at times they were lethargic and that needs to go away. Against good competition they will need to play hard for 90 minutes.

You're right. I am worried about the backline as well, and mostly Long. Zimmerman seemed to play well and Ream was fine despite getting embarrassed on the meg. Lima is more like a MF in the way he plays and it seems the way Beerhalter is encouraging him to play.

The US' attack was fine last night. Good attacking runs, nice through balls, decent ball movement. When Bradley plays like he did last night and he pairs up with McKennie and they start finding Arriola and Boyd wide, it will open a ton of things up for Pulisic in the middle. Zardes needs to go though. The US probably should have had 2-3 more good opportunities to score on top of the 10-12 they had, and Zardes simply cannot hold the ball or be strong enough to do anything with it. That is a plus on Altidore but Altidore can't run and find space like Zardes does. Wood and Sargent are those combo type strikers (and Bobby Wood has a really good chemistry with Pulisic). The MF is about to get crowded though as Weah should become a more permanent fixture for the USMNT after the Gold Cup

 

[HuffyCane]

I remain hopeful that Zardes is just there to teach the other players how the coach wants to practice. I don’t think anyone thinks he is a CONCACAF hex quality striker at this point in his career.

Bradley was trash and should have been pulled. I didn’t watch the second half but the first half was filled with unnecessary back passes, mental mistakes caused by lack of aggressiveness/attentiveness and a few flat out arrogant passes that turned into turnovers when he tried to force the ball past opponents thinking they lacked the quickness to deny the pass. Disappointing.

Boyd, Arriola and McKinnie remain the ballers we discussed before. Lima is a nice bit of depth but not a world class right back. We are not winning a group stage in the WC with him at RB. Adams being hurt kills us there.

Zimmerman. Serviceable but not impressive.

We are not getting out of the group next time with Ream on the field. The WC is all about youth and speed. He’s got neither. Really nice guy when I met him, but he’s not the answer.

Pulisic pouted too much when things were not going his way with the ref or passes by teammates, etc. He’s still a little young on this team to be throwing his weight around. You wonder if that is tension that is holding this team back.

 

[TU_BLA]

Watched most of the Mexico v Canada game last night. I think Canada is getting closer to making the hex for WC qualifying. They're back line is more of a disaster than the US'. In watching last night, their defensive back line looked like my son's U13 team. Lots of missed touches, too much screwing around with the ball in the back when they should be clearing it to relieve some pressure, etc. However, they have some tremendously athletic (and fast) MFs and forwards who put a good amount of pressure on Mexico's defense. Canada's keeper is pretty good as well. I think they're closing in on the hex but it will depend on which grouping they get placed in the prelims.

Mexico was Mexico...flopping like a bunch of Neymar's at the slightest touch and then rolling on the ground for an eternity as though they'd been shot with a high powered rifle. My son even asked if it wasn't excessive and why the ref didn't card someone for the acting. Even funnier was the Canadian coach getting into a dust up with Tata Martino after one of the flopping incidents.

Also watched the 2nd half of Cuba and Martinique. Cuba is a special kind of bad at soccer. Martinique showed some nice creativity and scored a 3-0 win...but Cuba's back line was a complete disaster. I've seen U14 teams with a better shape and organization in the back.

 

[TU_BLA]

Game 2 vs T&T tonight. Kicked the vet living bejeezus out of them. Boyd and Arriola were excellent again. Pulisic was fantastic. McKennie wasn’t spectacular but he wasn’t awful. I can see the point about Bradley. He made some really nice passes long and into space and made a couple of field switches that led to chances. Back line was better. Zardes had 2 goals...one was a gift and the other was a real peach set up by Pulisic. You can see the attack philosophy and this group is pretty good at carrying out Berhalter’s plan.

 

[drboobay]

This was my first time watching this group of guys. I like many of our attacking players from what I saw tonight. McKennie seems like a good complement to Pulisic.

Zardes looked lost in the first half but if he can put away chances on a regular basis who cares if he fades out for periods.

Hard to assess the defense this match.

 

[TU_BLA]

Watched the Mexico v Martinique game. Mexico was sleep walking through the game and had their backup GK in. There's a reason why Ochoa is the starter. Martinique showed some pluck though. They had some skilled guys playing up top, the issue was their D was slow and a little out of sorts 1v1. Mexico almost seemed to have a switch to turn on and play better if it wanted.

Martinique's 1st goal was a peach of a FK that was Messi-esque in it's placement. Just inside of the upper 90 on the far post. GK was well positioned and still couldn't get to it. Look it up, you'll be impressed. Theire 2nd goal came off of a nice cross and header. It appeared all the Mexican defenders just stopped playing.You could tell they were somewhat disinterested in finishing out the game.

BTW, everyone baggining on the US (and especially their backline, which I have been one of them), bottom line is 2 wins, 0 losses, 0 ties, 10 goals for, ZERO GOALS AGAINST. Yes, we expected that kind of performance against Guyana, but T&T was in the hex for WC qualifying last time and had the US come out and played with the urgency they played with on Saturday, then maybe we aren't talking about the abject failure of US soccer. They're not perfect and the team still has some key flaws it needs to fix (take control CB being one of them), but the offensive attack and flow through the middle 1/3 has actually been really good for the US so far. If they put up a 2-0 or better showing against Panama, they're in a good place moving forward. They may not win the Gold Cup because Mexico and Costa Rica are still good sides but at least they'll be moving forward towards the next WC cycle and remember, they can still insert Weah and Sargent and Adams and Yedlin (although I like Lima a lot on the outside). BTW, can you start 2 of the 3 (Yedlin, Adams, Lima) and leave Ream out altogether. Seems like everyone always pins any of those 3 onto the right side instead of opening things up with someone playing on the left? Is there a reason to have a bigger body on one of the outside back positions and only one guy with the mind to go forward? Another question, can McKennie be moved back to the #6 role that Bradley and Trapp have been playing. Trapp is going to get the US killed as he is simply not fast enough, nor accurate enough of a passer, nor a good enough 1 v 1 defender up against the likes of Mexico or better. Guardado will eat Trapp alive. McKennie seems to be able to do all of those, plus dropping him back will allow for the US to get more creative and maybe bring Tyler Boyd inside and put Weah on the edges.

 

[TU_BLA]

So Bermuda beat Nicaragua yesterday in a mild upset. Bermuda is a train wreck in the back and at GK, but they have a couple of MFs and strikers who are good players and really put the pressure on. In the 2nd game, Haiti beat Costa Rica 2-1 to win the group in a major upset and surprise. Haiti has some talented players but you'd have to ask questions about their limited resources and depth knowing Haiti has some $ issues and is one of the poorest nations on the planet. But they played hard and pulled one out. Their reward is a quarterfinal game against Canada where they will be the underdog. On the flip side, Costa Rica had some issues in the back, and some of it was due to a really poor tactical approach using only 3 defenders. Costa Rica is also without Keylor Navas, one of the best GKs in the world and they're using backup GKs for this tournament. It showed. Some questionable distribution errors and the GK kept spilling what should have been easy holds for that level. Not sure Navas would have made any difference in this game as the 1st Haitian goal came on a PK (warranted) and the 2nd came on a nice build up and well placed finish. So now Costa Rica will play Mexico in the quarterfinals instead of an anticipated matchup in the semifinals. Also, the US should be favored to make it to the semifinals vs Jamaica as a harder qf nmatchup vs Honduras is gone and the US will play either Curacao or El Salvador. The Costa Rica failure could help as it will now mean Mexico will play Costa Rica and likely Canada, instead of a Haiti/Costa Rica order which would have allowed them to rest regular starters in the quarterfinals. Canada pushed Mexico in their group match up.

Anything short of the finals for the US in looking at how things line up right now, would be disappointing.

 

[HuffyCane]

Bermuda is a train wreck in the back and at GK, but they have a couple of MFs and strikers who are good players and really put the pressure on.

Jill Ellis says “No problem!”

 

[TU_BLA]

Jill Ellis says “No problem!”

I see what you did there. The USWNT back line is not that bad...except for Dunn who gets caught going forward way too much when this team doesn't need that from her. Naher is a wreck at GK. You can see she questions her decision making ability as she is frequently caught making no decision and getting stuck in no man's land versus being confident in a decision even though it may be the wrong decision.

Plus, the back 5 (including GK) simply need to not lose the game for the US as they are far more talented up front than every other team in the world. No one comes close to Rapinoe's total game (when she is engaged and focused). Tobin Heath may be better than Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan puts a ton of pressure on back lines because of her pace. That doesn't even take into account Carli Lloyd, Kristen Press (both coming off the bench), or Sam Mewis right now. Stupid mistakes like yesterday can be avoided simply by telling Naher to punt the ball every time or kick the crap out of it off of goal kicks. The US has superior talent over the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th best teams in the world right now. That game vs Spain wasn't that close except in the score line b/c the US gifted them the equalizer.

 

[HuffyCane]

France’s wings are going to expose the USA in space between Dunn and the center and OHara and the center. Dunn is worthless if she gets turned and the wing has any speed on the ball. Pray the heat shuts down that attack after 40 mins of running or France could win by several goals.

As I posted earlier. England are unstoppable, as they were in 2015 except for that fluke own goal. The USA doesn’t play teams that can match their physicality and ability to play together. England far and away exceeds the USA in both.

Even if they beat France, England looms and that could be 3-1.

 

[mcane]

So, soccer experts, help me with this: What is the virtue of winning the Gold Cup? Does this automatically qualify the winner for the hex World Cup qualifying? Or is this merely a symbolic trophy? I just can't recall. Or maybe this qualifies for the international group winners trophy, the X? Please advise.

 

[HuffyCane]

The Gold Cup is a stand alone tournament of the CONCACAF nations. It is designed to mirror the Euro tournament which occurs every four years, two years after a World Cup. In the case of the Gold Cup it takes place every two years, the year following and the year just prior to World Cup competition. For this reason, it is often viewed as a tryout competition for future World Cup roster spots. In past years, the winner of the Gold Cup would compete in the Confederations Cup, which occurred the summer before a World Cup in the venues to be used the following year for the World Cup, against other World Cup bound teams, which conveyed an obvious advantage for logistics and player acclimatizing the following year. The Confed Cup has been abolished. Arguably the biggest win in US Soccer history came 10 years ago last week when the USA shocked the world and beat Spain, then considered invincible in the Confed Cup. That game would have never happened without a Gold Cup win.

The Gold Cup has nothing to do with WC qualifying. That will begin with the announcement of the new qualifying format next month. CONCACAF is now headed by a Canadian, so it is expected that there will be a reformatting to allow a virtually guaranteed spot in the World Cup for an improved, but still not world class Canadian squad. The Hex will likely go away. There’s lot of rumors about various formats but the days of the top six teams always being the richest countries and always keeping the broadcast money from the games played in their countries (the true purpose of the Hex) are probably over. Expect some form of early group stage two years out with home and homes with the likes of St Kitts where they make out like bandits to placate the “every one is equal crowd” followed by a second round of qualifying where there are pods or individual mini tournaments that are segregated so that it is stupidly likely that the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada don’t play each other. Followed by a brief Final Four like tourney to determine the order they are placed into the World Cup draw, make money, and train the squads. So the days of USA-Mexico meaning something tangible are probably over, at least this cycle, just so Canada gets to go. And it leaves legit teams like Honduras and Panama wondering if they are actually getting a shot to go to the WC, since if they don’t beat the USA or Mexico at least once in the home and home of the second round, they could be out of the World Cup dream two years before it happens. Waiting six years for another chance is a whole generation of players. It’s also bad news for the US women, who depend upon the windfall of the Men’s hex broadcast contracts to pay for all their employee benefits and fund their domestic tour games that all lose money but we must support regardless.

 

[TU4ever2]

The Gold Cup is a stand alone tournament of the CONCACAF nations. It is designed to mirror the Euro tournament which occurs every four years, two years after a World Cup. In the case of the Gold Cup it takes place every two years, the year following and the year just prior to World Cup competition. For this reason, it is often viewed as a tryout competition for future World Cup roster spots. In past years, the winner of the Gold Cup would compete in the Confederations Cup, which occurred the summer before a World Cup in the venues to be used the following year for the World Cup, against other World Cup bound teams, which conveyed an obvious advantage for logistics and player acclimatizing the following year. The Confed Cup has been abolished. Arguably the biggest win in US Soccer history came 10 years ago last week when the USA shocked the world and beat Spain, then considered invincible in the Confed Cup. That game would have never happened without a Gold Cup win.

The Gold Cup has nothing to do with WC qualifying. That will begin with the announcement of the new qualifying format next month. CONCACAF is now headed by a Canadian, so it is expected that there will be a reformatting to allow a virtually guaranteed spot in the World Cup for an improved, but still not world class Canadian squad. The Hex will likely go away. There’s lot of rumors about various formats but the days of the top six teams always being the richest countries and always keeping the broadcast money from the games played in their countries (the true purpose of the Hex) are probably over. Expect some form of early group stage two years out with home and homes with the likes of St Kitts where they make out like bandits to placate the “every one is equal crowd” followed by a second round of qualifying where there are pods or individual mini tournaments that are segregated so that it is stupidly likely that the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada don’t play each other. Followed by a brief Final Four like tourney to determine the order they are placed into the World Cup draw, make money, and train the squads. So the days of USA-Mexico meaning something tangible are probably over, at least this cycle, just so Canada gets to go. And it leaves legit teams like Honduras and Panama wondering if they are actually getting a shot to go to the WC, since if they don’t beat the USA or Mexico at least once in the home and home of the second round, they could be out of the World Cup dream two years before it happens. Waiting six years for another chance is a whole generation of players. It’s also bad news for the US women, who depend upon the windfall of the Men’s hex broadcast contracts to pay for all their employee benefits and fund their domestic tour games that all lose money but we must support regardless.

U.S. women's soccer games have generated more revenue than U.S. men's games over the past three years.

That's according to audited financial statements from the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) obtained by The Wall Street Journal. In 2016, women's games generated $1.9 million more in revenue than men's games. From 2016 to 2018, women's games generated approximately $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9 million for men's games.

According to The Journal, this difference can largely be attributed to ticket sales. The USSF sells broadcast and sponsorship rights for the men's and women's teams together, and as a result, it can be difficult to determine the exact broadcast value of the two teams.


https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html

 

[mcane]

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[lawpoke87]

Not making the last World Cup cost the men's team millions of dollars. I don't think many would argue that based on performance our men's team was overpaid from 2016 to 2018. I also believe the women do deserve more $$$.

 

[TU_BLA]

100% lineup turnover for tonight’s game vs Panama. Panama is also playing quite a few subs as starters. Through the 1st 25 minutes the US is controlling possession and the chances but no goals yet. It’s funny how well things work when you keep it simple and keep the ball. Trapp looks better because he doesn’t look like he’s trying to hard to keep up with the better players. Back line playing simple and keeping the ball away from Panama. Both teams are playing pretty loose as well because they both know they’re going through. To me there is a big incentive for both teams to win the game and the group as it means playing Curaçao in the quarters vs playing Jamaica. The one thing the US is lacking in this lineup is some pure speed that you get with Arriola, McKennie, and Pulisic.

 

[TU_BLA]

US wins 1-0 on a Jozy bicycle kick off of some chaos resulting from a corner. US keeps a clean sheet in the group stage. Sean Johnson wasn’t really tested at all. Panama found some space in behind a defender but they recovered well and forced the breaks outside. So the US’s scrub team as the play by play guy called the starting XI tonight, beat Panama’s “b” side. Should be favored in the game vs Curaçao.

 

[ctt8410]

Jozy >>> Gyasi

 

[TU_BLA]

Jozy >>> Gyasi

They each have different strengths. Gyasi complements more of what Pulisic, Boyd, and Arriola do in building the attack because of his speed. What he doesn't do a great job of is holding up play until those 3 and others can join in the attack. He is to slight and is too easily bumped off the ball. Altidore is the opposite. He wants to be in the mixer and is big and physical enough to not get knocked off the ball that easily. He doesn't pressure the backs in space enough because he just isn't a pace type of player. However, when he does get on the end of a long through ball, he is able to hold it up and then create chaos by involving Pulisic and others. One of the things I am disappointed is not having Bobby Wood w/ Altidore. Whatever the reason, the 2 of them had a real connection up top for the US.

 

[ctt8410]

Pray the heat shuts down that attack after 40 mins of running or France could win by several goals.

I guess the heat shut down that attack.

 

[HuffyCane]

They each have different strengths. Gyasi complements more of what Pulisic, Boyd, and Arriola do in building the attack because of his speed. What he doesn't do a great job of is holding up play until those 3 and others can join in the attack. He is to slight and is too easily bumped off the ball. Altidore is the opposite. He wants to be in the mixer and is big and physical enough to not get knocked off the ball that easily. He doesn't pressure the backs in space enough because he just isn't a pace type of player. However, when he does get on the end of a long through ball, he is able to hold it up and then create chaos by involving Pulisic and others. One of the things I am disappointed is not having Bobby Wood w/ Altidore. Whatever the reason, the 2 of them had a real connection up top for the US.

I’m disappointed that American soccer had Jozy playing facing the goal until he was 25 because of his speed and athleticism rather than playing a true 9 from age 11 or 12 and actually learning the position from people who know what they are doing. He’s not a bad 9, he’s just 15 years behind in his development. I don’t understand why Americans can not grasp that 16 is too late in this sport.

 

[HuffyCane]

I guess the heat shut down that attack.

Definitely a factor.

 

[HuffyCane]

Thanks for clarifying.

I wouldn’t call it clarity, but it’s an answer

 

[HuffyCane]

Not making the last World Cup cost the men's team millions of dollars. I don't think many would argue that based on performance our men's team was overpaid from 2016 to 2018. I also believe the women do deserve more $$$.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Did they under perform and not earn money or was the scouting system stripped down to subsidize the women’s side and they never had a chance to win?

Don’t get me wrong, I support both teams and I’m an American. Fair and equitable treatment is a core American value. If we have to set that aside to win, then it’s not worth it to be out there.

But we are dreaming if we think we can cut our budget in half and compete internationally in the men’s game at the level you guys are expecting.

 

[HuffyCane]

U.S. women's soccer games have generated more revenue than U.S. men's games over the past three years.

That's according to audited financial statements from the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) obtained by The Wall Street Journal. In 2016, women's games generated $1.9 million more in revenue than men's games. From 2016 to 2018, women's games generated approximately $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9 million for men's games.

According to The Journal, this difference can largely be attributed to ticket sales. The USSF sells broadcast and sponsorship rights for the men's and women's teams together, and as a result, it can be difficult to determine the exact broadcast value of the two teams.


https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html

Those numbers you quote are from a lawsuit that the women filed a few weeks ago and agreed to mediate before engaging in discovery of the defense of USSF. For non-lawyers, this means they know they don’t have a case.

They deserve to be treated with fairness and equity and heralded equally for their achievements. But the equality of pay issue isn’t as simple as giving each side fifty cents on the dollar. For no other reason than the women have flat out stated they want more than that but won’t say exactly what it is they want.

 

[TU_BLA]

Saturday's Mexico/Costa Rica game was a barn burner. One of the great games you expect in this tournament. Costa Rica finally showed up to play. I hate games that are settled with pks, mostly because my son is GK and the shootouts unfairly place the weight on the shoulders of the GKs

Haiti v Canada was a highly entertaining match. Haiti just doesn't give up. They're fun to watch and their enthusiasm right now is pretty contagious.

US v Curacao- great for the opening 30 minutes and then the US decided to go into a shell and not really press or force anything on Curacao. Pulisic was good, Arriola was good and McKennie played pretty well. And we keep bagging on the back line but they've played 4 games and have 4 clean sheets and Steffen was only forced to make one really tough save yesterday off of a screamer from 22 yards. Long and Zimmerman really seem to communicate well in the central defense. We are still having issues with properly weighted and directed passes that ended up in turnovers in the MF. I am going to chalk it up to looking ahead to the semifinals against Jamaica whose GK ended up stealing a game for them against Panama. I thought Panama looked really good and dangerous. Jamaica's only goal came on a PK on a questionable hand ball in the box call. Yes, the defender made contact with the ball with his hand but it was more ball to hand rather than the other way around.

 

[GoldenCaneKC]

I appreciate the nuanced evaluation of the US performance against Curaçao, but the reality is that the US only beat a country with a total population of 160,000 people 1-0 in a tournament knockout game. That is unacceptable and needs to create pressure on this coaching staff/federation leadership.

 

[TU_BLA]

I appreciate the nuanced evaluation of the US performance against Curaçao, but the reality is that the US only beat a country with a total population of 160,000 people 1-0 in a tournament knockout game. That is unacceptable and needs to create pressure on this coaching staff/federation leadership.

It happens in every sport. Teams look ahead and get caught off guard. The Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins this year...no explanation why. Teams simply don't come in to certain games mentally prepared to play and as much as you want to blame a coach for that, these are professional players and it's on them. At the same time, the US didn't look like they exactly expended a lot of energy in the game so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to get physically ready for Wednesday. There is also the unknown factor with Curacao. There is probably not a ton of film on them so you can't really prepare a game plan and if you have been paying attention to them at all, they don't really show a tendency or certain tactical strategy. They just sort of play the game in a free flow and take whatever is there. Most teams have a certain strategy or method of attacking. The US likes to come through the middle from the back and once into the middle to attacking third, they're trying to get the ball wide to Boyd or Arriola and then feed inside at the top of the box to Pulisic and McKennie and letting those 2 guys create chances. Every time. And watch what happens when teams take away the wings...Bradley turns the ball back to the central defenders. Curacao is very unorthodox that way. I felt there were a couple of opportunities for the US to press and they did and they were effective doing so about 35% of the time...but the other times, you simply couldn't press because there was no pattern. Typically during a press, your MFs drop abck to help and relieve the pressure...Curacao would drop someone (changed every time) and then sent a long ball or switched the field. The good news is the backline for the US stayed more compact in the middle and made Curacao play mostly from the outside in which is always better.

You can worry if they don't come out with a little more urgency against Jamaica.

 

[astonmartin708_rivals]

Saturday's Mexico/Costa Rica game was a barn burner. One of the great games you expect in this tournament. Costa Rica finally showed up to play. I hate games that are settled with pks, mostly because my son is GK and the shootouts unfairly place the weight on the shoulders of the GKs

Haiti v Canada was a highly entertaining match. Haiti just doesn't give up. They're fun to watch and their enthusiasm right now is pretty contagious.

US v Curacao- great for the opening 30 minutes and then the US decided to go into a shell and not really press or force anything on Curacao. Pulisic was good, Arriola was good and McKennie played pretty well. And we keep bagging on the back line but they've played 4 games and have 4 clean sheets and Steffen was only forced to make one really tough save yesterday off of a screamer from 22 yards. Long and Zimmerman really seem to communicate well in the central defense. We are still having issues with properly weighted and directed passes that ended up in turnovers in the MF. I am going to chalk it up to looking ahead to the semifinals against Jamaica whose GK ended up stealing a game for them against Panama. I thought Panama looked really good and dangerous. Jamaica's only goal came on a PK on a questionable hand ball in the box call. Yes, the defender made contact with the ball with his hand but it was more ball to hand rather than the other way around.

I would never put too much weight on PK's as a goalie. You go out and do your best to stop them... but don't feel like you let the team down for missing a save. Just ask yourself... did you do everything you could in regulation to help your team win?

 

[TU_BLA]

I would never put too much weight on PK's as a goalie. You go out and do your best to stop them... but don't feel like you let the team down for missing a save. Just ask yourself... did you do everything you could in regulation to help your team win?

Try convincing 13 year olds that a GK shouldn't stop EVERY SHOT! There are too many parents that are hard on their kids to be perfect when they play games, and I'll admit, I would get upset at my son if it appeared he lacked focus or motivation during practice in games...and then he and I chatted. And then I watched De Gea give up the easy ground ball between the legs goal to Ronaldo last year in the World Cup and realized that the best keepers in the world give up bad goals so maybe the expectations for a then 12 year old might be a little high. My goal when watching my son play is now to only say "Stay focused" or "stay positive" or "keep your head up and keep encouraging your team". It's a rough position to play as a kid because until you reach a certain level, kids don't quite understand the concept of team and picking each other up and playing for one another. But when they finally do reach that time, things become a lot more fun for them (and a lot more fun to watch).

I think professional GKs have learned to shrug things off. They have thick skin and they are quick to let things go (unlike fans). I also hate it when teams play for PKs because they don't want to make a mistake in the course of play. I believe the US did this in 2014 in the knockout stage game vs. Belgium. The US showed they could attack and counter Belgium, they just chose not to and tried to get the game to PKs thinking they had an advantage with Howard in goal. Of course when the got down two goals and got desperate, they scored one and missed a golden opportunity to equalize late in extra time.

 

[HuffyCane]

That guy at your office that walks around telling people what to do and thinks he’s your boss when he really isn’t, that guy was a goal keeper and had a natural talent for it. #punchakeeper

 

[TU_BLA]

That guy at your office that walks around telling people what to do and thinks he’s your boss when he really isn’t, that guy was a goal keeper and had a natural talent for it. #punchakeeper

That's hilarious. And my kid has tried to direct traffic in games and had one of his teammate's yell back "You're not my mom. I only have to listen to his mom." At which point his mom yelled at him "Listen to your keeper!" LMAO

 

[TU_BLA]

That guy at your office that walks around telling people what to do and thinks he’s your boss when he really isn’t, that guy was a goal keeper and had a natural talent for it. #punchakeeper

So last year my son got to meet Fabian Cerda from the Roughnecks which he loved. And he asked him what was the most important thing he needed to do to get to that level of soccer and the answer was "have a big personality and be loud". Most half decent GKs can play the position. The great GKs set themselves apart with their instinct, footwork, and command of the box.

 

[lawpoke87]

That's hilarious. And my kid has tried to direct traffic in games and had one of his teammate's yell back "You're not my mom. I only have to listen to his mom." At which point his mom yelled at him "Listen to your keeper!" LMAO

That's fantastic. Do they work on the keeper getting his defense aligned on set pieces during GK training at TSC?

 

[TU_BLA]

That's fantastic. Do they work on the keeper getting his defense aligned on set pieces during GK training at TSC?

No. It's almost all technique with GK training. Very few game type situations. The biggest problem is most team coaches ignore the GKs as part of the team during training because they simply don't have the time NOR do they have the expertise. My son was lucky in that his team coach during the 2017-2018 season was Donovan Ricketts. Donovan didn't work a minute on his GK technique during team training BUT there was a lot of work in reading the field, communicating, and being part of the defensive unit in working the ball out of the back. They spent 20-30 minutes every practice just having the offensive players simulate pressure against the defenders and they would have to pass the ball around and work it out.

 

[HuffyCane]

High school game from when dinosaurs walked the Earth ....

At Tulsa Union, the Union keeper was yelling at his wall which was lining up to defend a direct free kick just outside the far right of the top of the penalty area: “Move right! Move right!” Whereupon the wall does nothing seeing that the far post would be unreasonably exposed. “Move right! Damn it!” He screams and moves hard right along his line.

I’m at the top of the arc looking to make a late run and pipe crash because I know our guy is going to put it on frame with power from that distance and I can see that he will open his hips and go around the wall to the far right post upper 90. So I want try and time it for a keeper mishandle or finger save and I can poach some garbage but still be free from traffic to track back on any counter.

Union is man marking me so I tell the kid standing next to me “Can’t that idiot see that we are just going to shoot around that wall.”

Union teammate, obviously annoyed at the theatrics of his keeper and at me for talking to him “shut the **** up”

I know the kid, we used to play classic together, so I retort jokingly “Six pack, if I go up strong?”

No reply from Union guy.

Whereupon the keeper, who hasn’t heard any of this, starts screaming “Left, left!” Which causes heads to turn around and give dirty looks all along the wall.

Predictably the ball goes into the far side netting untouched for a goal.

About 20 minutes later I went into the mixer on a corner with a strong challenge that beat the keeper to the ball. It bounced in front of the net and a teammate tapped it in. The keeper took awhile to get up and clearly had his bell rung by my forehead/headbutt. Im not going to lie. I hope to score and hurt him but not injure him. I hated Union and still do and the kids mouth needed correction.

I walked back towards my goal as we got reset after the goal and the defender mentioned above just looked at me and nodded. I was a little concerned there may be punches from him or others because of the verbal protests from the Union players and crowd over the contact. So I jogged back.

We won 2-1.

I understood the nod when I got into my car after class the following Tuesday and there was a 12 pack of warm Busch in the floorboard. The first one tasted fantastic.

 

[HuffyCane]

No. It's almost all technique with GK training. Very few game type situations. The biggest problem is most team coaches ignore the GKs as part of the team during training because they simply don't have the time NOR do they have the expertise. My son was lucky in that his team coach during the 2017-2018 season was Donovan Ricketts. Donovan didn't work a minute on his GK technique during team training BUT there was a lot of work in reading the field, communicating, and being part of the defensive unit in working the ball out of the back. They spent 20-30 minutes every practice just having the offensive players simulate pressure against the defenders and they would have to pass the ball around and work it out.

Ricketts is a god. But LEC is the God of keepers. He can show your youngun all he needs to know.

 

[TU_BLA]

Ricketts is a god. But LEC is the God of keepers. He can show your youngun all he needs to know.

How do I not know who LEC is for real? I swear we were at TU probably about the same time or close to it. All I remember for GKs is my buddy Cronk who Randy refused to give a scholarship to after he earned the MVC keeper of the year aware as a walk-on freshman and Chris Dodder who reminded me of Ivan Drago but taller.

As for Donovan...he is one of the shyest, most mild-mannered people I've ever met. As parents we only heard him raise his voice while coaching twice the entire season he was coaching. One was to blast a referee who called an offside on our striker who started his run from his defensive side of the field. The AR was right on the MF stripe and didn't call it...the other team's defenders just pinched too much and got burnt. Next thing you know the ref goes on his own and calls the offside. The parents were about to start going ballistic when we heard Donovan and it was the first time we had heard him get upset. we all just stopped and listened. The AR turned and said "I don't know what the ref saw but he wasn't offside. Maybe he just wanted a 1 on 1 chat with Donovan Ricketts". The 2nd time was near the end of the season and the kids were playing a really good team from OKC. They got in on a break and into the box when our defender seemed to shoot out of a cannon, caught him, and executed a great slide tackle from behind. The attacker went down after the ball was away and pay went on. Opposing GK starts shouting from 60 yards away, "That's a foul. PK! PK! PK!" and Donovan turns to him and in a thick Jamaican accent says "That's a grown man's tackle BOY!" One, we were shocked because he had never addressed any players on the other team the entire year...and two, we all started laughing hysterically because the kid just shut up.

It was always funny that after every game there were always a handful of people who asked for his autograph. He was always generous that way and always willing to take pictures. He's just a good dude. My understanding is he is in the process of getting visas for his family and getting them relocated to Tulsa. I believe he is also in the process of getting US citizenship.