That had to be a penalty

How was that not a penalty on Balogun

This ref swallowed his whistle quite a few times a long plays, where it would have resulted in a dangerous free kick for us.

This generation of players is so overrated.

And it starts with Pulisic.

AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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Wtf is wrong with usa soccer?

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We don't hire good coaches, and said coaches don't have great relationships with players which is imperative at the national team scene

The best we ever looked was under the interim when GGG was on leave, probably because he actually did a lot of the coaching with them

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I think iys a much bigger problem than the coach. Itd just total ***** The team, the coaches, the organization, the MLS, the you development, college soccer.

Its all ****

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Again, talent is not the issue (with regards to being a top 15-20 ish team in the world) so I can't sit here and say development and college soccer (that 99% of these guys don't play) is a problem

Leadership above the coach of course has always been an issue, given they hire the coach

From a pure talent perspective, this is the best generation in the history of the US. They should be better than this

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I disagree. We have about 3 players worth a damn. And then a bunch of average.
This is not the most talented generation. That's fake news and has been for thr last 7 or 8 years

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This is 1000% the most talent they've collectively had. It's not even really a debate either

Don't confuse talent with will and desire to do the little things to win. That's kinda the problem actually

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No, its not. We dont have a striker thay can score goals for the usa. Sargent is great for his club but that appears to be his level of competence.

Dont have any decent options in the midfield save Pulisic and sometime mckinnie.

Our back line is decent with Richards, dest, and jedi. The fact that ream is still a starter should tell you all you need to know about our available "talent"

And, our historically best position of GK is ***** We formerly had world class keepers. This class is average, at best.

Id take any usmnt WC rosters from 2002 - 2010 and maybe 2014 over this current one.

Who?mikejones! said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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Wtf is wrong with usa soccer?

---

We don't hire good coaches, and said coaches don't have great relationships with players which is imperative at the national team scene

The best we ever looked was under the interim when GGG was on leave, probably because he actually did a lot of the coaching with them

---

I think iys a much bigger problem than the coach. Itd just total ***** The team, the coaches, the organization, the MLS, the you development, college soccer.

Its all ****

---

Again, talent is not the issue (with regards to being a top 15-20 ish team in the world) so I can't sit here and say development and college soccer (that 99% of these guys don't play) is a problem

Leadership above the coach of course has always been an issue, given they hire the coach

From a pure talent perspective, this is the best generation in the history of the US. They should be better than this

---

I disagree. We have about 3 players worth a damn. And then a bunch of average.
This is not the most talented generation. That's fake news and has been for thr last 7 or 8 years

---

This is 1000% the most talent they've collectively had. It's not even really a debate either

Don't confuse talent with will and desire to do the little things to win. That's kinda the problem actually

---

No, its not. We dont have a striker thay can score goals for the usa. Sargent is great for his club but that appears to be his level of competence.

Dont have any decent options in the midfield save Pulisic and sometime mckinnie.

Our back line is decent with Richards, dest, and jedi. The fact that ream is still a starter should tell you all you need to know about our available "talent"

And, our historically best position of GK is ***** We formerly had world class keepers. This class is average, at best.

Id take any usmnt WC rosters from 2002 - 2010 and maybe 2014 over this current one.

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Full of guys playing champions league football and you'd take the 02 team

Liking them because they played hard is one thing. I too loved Jermaine Jones. Absolute Dawg for the national team. But he's not more talented

Lol. "playing for champions league teams"

2025-26 champ leagues players

Quote:

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Weston McKennie (Juventus) he's technically on the team despite juventus efforts to get rid of him
Tim Weah (Juventus) loaned to Marseille, which is in the the CL
Folarin Balogun (Monaco) had 1 great season, increased competition and he goes away
Timmy Chandler (Eintracht)when was the last time this guy was called up
Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)tons of talent sure, but his head doesn't match his legs. And he's slow apparently. And he isnt on a cl team anymore
Sergino Dest (PSV) i do like dest
Ricardo Pepi (PSV) much like Sargent, cant score for the usmnt
Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid) good enough. Better than Claudio Reyna? Jermaine Jones? Bradley (at least early bradley)? Better than masteroni?

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So much talent...
I think youre suffering from a little recency bias

Our strikers continue to get zero service despite making plenty of solid runs. It felt like the only time someone looked for them were inaccurate long balls from the defense.

Pick a squad-

Squad 1:

**Goalkeepers**

* Matt Freese GK
* Jonathan Klinsmann GK
* Roman Celentano GK

**Defenders**

* Sergiño Dest RB / LB
* Tim Ream CB / LB
* Tristan Blackmon CB / RB
* Chris Richards CB
* Alex Freeman RB
* Nathan Harriel RB

**Midfielders**

* Sebastian Berhalter DM / CM
* Tyler Adams DM / CM
* Diego Luna AM / LW
* Christian Pulisic LW / AM
* Jack McGlynn CM
* Luca de la Torre CM / AM
* Cristian Roldan CM / RM

**Forwards**

* Max Arfsten FW / LW
* Timothy Weah RW / FW
* Josh Sargent CF
* Damion Downs CF
* Alex Zendejas RW / LW


Or

Squad 2:

**Goalkeepers**

* Marcus Hahnemann GK
* Tim Howard GK
* Kasey Keller GK

**Defenders**

* Carlos Bocanegra CB / LB
* Steve Cherundolo RB
* Jimmy Conrad CB
* Cory Gibbs CB
* Frankie Hejduk RB / RM
* Oguchi Onyewu CB
* Eddie Pope CB

**Midfielders**

* DaMarcus Beasley LM / LW / LB
* Bobby Convey LM / LW
* Eddie Lewis LM / LW / LB
* Pablo Mastroeni DM
* John O'Brien CM / LB
* Ben Olsen CM / RM
* Claudio Reyna CM / DM / Playmaker

**Forwards**

* Brian Ching CF
* Clint Dempsey AM / WF / CF
* Landon Donovan AM / SS / WF
* Brian McBride CF
* Eddie Johnson CF
* Josh Wolff SS / CF

🇺🇸 USMNT has now lost five straight games vs FIFA top 25 teams by a combined 11-1.

🇺🇸 U.S. is winless in seven straight such games, getting outscored 17-3.

🇺🇸 Excluding Mexico, the last U.S. win vs a FIFA top 25 team was over Iran at the 2022 World Cup.

— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) September 6, 2025

So. Much. Talent. Our golden generation

This bit is old, try sharing some other opinions

Pochettino: USMNT 'better than South Korea' despite home loss

wtf you lost, how are you better?

If you were to ask if I felt Mauricio Pochettino knew about this program's past, including the finals won, WCQ, and WC, player equity, etc., I’d say NO.

You can see it in his player selection.

“You stupid Americans’ vibe”
He’s phoning it in. #USMNT

pic.twitter.com/T38WL3ildI

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) September 6, 2025

We're still not on the same page as a team. Luna presses and no one else presses with him, so SK nearly gets a breakaway as a result. Just pick a pool of 30-35 and stick with them.

pic.twitter.com/37cPICRAJ1

— - (@back_post_run) September 6, 2025

USSF continues to fail us, this Crocker dude has not made one good move since we hired him to run things has he?

TRM said:

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We're still not on the same page as a team. Luna presses and no one else presses with him, so SK nearly gets a breakaway as a result. Just pick a pool of 30-35 and stick with them.

pic.twitter.com/37cPICRAJ1

— - (@back_post_run) September 6, 2025

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They did all move up and press, they just beat it easily and then played a through ball no?

PatAg said:

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If you were to ask if I felt Mauricio Pochettino knew about this program's past, including the finals won, WCQ, and WC, player equity, etc., I’d say NO.

You can see it in his player selection.

“You stupid Americans’ vibe”
He’s phoning it in. #USMNT

pic.twitter.com/T38WL3ildI

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) September 6, 2025

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He made a lot of messed up comments in his post game apparently.
I dont know that firing him solves anything if you dont have a good hire to replace him.
Countries CAN fire and replace a coach this late in the process and still do well at the World Cup, just very risky

Dont know what to think anymore

It wasn't aggressive enough IMO

ETA: same with the 1st goal no pressure at all on that one. This one had token pressure.

I'm at a point where it can't be any worse. I understand the risk involved this close in, but we're not even competitive right now

Who?mikejones! said:

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Wtf is wrong with usa soccer?

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Everything is pay to play and the best talent in the country can't always afford it.

Those factors aren't problems for other sports in the US.

The biggest problem is that the best talent is playing football or basketball instead, trying to get scholarships. Soccer has very few pathways to college for men. To me, that's the biggest problem. Rightly or wrongly, US sports uniquely emphasize collegiate sports, but soccer doesn't have that same pathway (for men; the opposite is true for women and it's the reason they historically dominate).

AggieCrew44 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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Wtf is wrong with usa soccer?

---

We don't hire good coaches, and said coaches don't have great relationships with players which is imperative at the national team scene

The best we ever looked was under the interim when GGG was on leave, probably because he actually did a lot of the coaching with them

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100%, should bring Callaghan back. Don't think it could get any worse.

deadbq03 said:

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I'll suggest an attainable coach that a lot of folks won't like, but I'll say it anyways:

BJ Callaghan. Yeah, he's not doing great in Nashville, but as we're seeing with Poch, club and international management are two different things.

He knows the players, he knows USSF, and his interim tenure was the best these guys have looked. He's a guy who we can get and instantly look much better than we do now.

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He was at the helm for some of our best soccer in recent years. I agree with this.

Didn't Callaghan help us win one trophy with a B squad and one trophy with the A squad in that same summer? Or am I making that up?

Mars Blackmon - not ready. I like Poch trying new folks back there. Keep trying though.

Sarge - looks like he took advice from the Aaronson brothers. Just run a bunch like a chicken with its head cut off and hope for the best.

Is Musah dead or injured? Someone get a wellfare check on him.

Barfsten - getting better. Still Barfsten.

Pulisic - master of the disappearing act for long stretches.

Tyler Backwards Pass Adams - surprisingly moved the ball in the positive direction. Maybe he is finally back in form.

Dest - welcome back. Try not to do something stupid and get a red card again.

The second Korean goal was just awful defending. Nobody near the guy. Wtf are we even doing back there.

Musah just finalized a loan Atalanta

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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The second Korean goal was just awful defending. Nobody near the guy. Wtf are we even doing back there.

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both goals- Blackmon doesn't belong on the pitch.

If you happen to have Sturm's substack, another ticket guy that does a lot of soccer stuff wrote a good article that I think would resonate with a lot of things we have been saying.
https://bobsturm.substack.com/p/happy-one-year-usmnt-anniversary

Some excerpts
Pochettino quote from a spanish prodcast " "If players in the U.S. keep seeing [soccer] only as entertainment, as a show to please the fans, then it will be very hard to compete. Football isn't just about stepping onto the field to have fun it's about living a certain way, preparing yourself so you can bring that onto the pitch."
" He's said it more than once: "You need to fight. You need to show attitude, the right attitude. And be brave.""

So one takeaway is that its 'loser talk' and Poch isnt the guy and everything we have recently said.

The other, potentially more real and depressing take is.. " Pochettino has measured this roster, spent time in the locker room, and concluded that too many of these guys don't take the job as seriously as he expects. That the mentality gap is bigger than the talent gap."

He says a lot more, but it makes me think the following.

Which I think we have all at the very least thought this to ourselves the last couple years, and some people have been more vocal.
I've definitely felt like none of these guys are the MAIN guy at their clubs, they can all play and belong on the field with talent but they're all supporting players. Like Pulisic is elite, but you cant flow the offense through him.

And thats where some of the MLS trash talking is a bit silly, because in the past some of our more important players (even center mids) still played in the MLS. They were good enough for some european leagues, but in the MLS they are day in and day outr the engine of their team. They make the game go, like Beckerman for example.

None of this is to excuse Poch, and all the blame will always fall on the USSF deciding to rehire GGG instead of a new coach for the next World Cup cycle.

It definitely doesn't feel like any of our top guys live for soccer. Guys like Luna and Adams, sure, but our big name guys just seem to love the lifestyle it feels like. Maybe that's harsh, but this generation just doesn't seem to have the all or nothing mentality like their preceding generations did. We all want these guys to be pissed off about the fact that US soccer is scoffed at by most of the globe and they don't seem to have that valuable chip on their shoulder. It's really frustrating. If they lose, I want these guys destroying locker rooms and showing some fire.

PatAg said:

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If you happen to have Sturm's substack, another ticket guy that does a lot of soccer stuff wrote a good article that I think would resonate with a lot of things we have been saying.
https://bobsturm.substack.com/p/happy-one-year-usmnt-anniversary

Some excerpts
Pochettino quote from a spanish prodcast " "If players in the U.S. keep seeing [soccer] only as entertainment, as a show to please the fans, then it will be very hard to compete. Football isn't just about stepping onto the field to have fun it's about living a certain way, preparing yourself so you can bring that onto the pitch."
" He's said it more than once: "You need to fight. You need to show attitude, the right attitude. And be brave.""

So one takeaway is that its 'loser talk' and Poch isnt the guy and everything we have recently said.

The other, potentially more real and depressing take is.. " Pochettino has measured this roster, spent time in the locker room, and concluded that too many of these guys don't take the job as seriously as he expects. That the mentality gap is bigger than the talent gap."

He says a lot more, but it makes me think the following.

Which I think we have all at the very least thought this to ourselves the last couple years, and some people have been more vocal.
I've definitely felt like none of these guys are the MAIN guy at their clubs, they can all play and belong on the field with talent but they're all supporting players. Like Pulisic is elite, but you cant flow the offense through him.

And thats where some of the MLS trash talking is a bit silly, because in the past some of our more important players (even center mids) still played in the MLS. They were good enough for some european leagues, but in the MLS they are day in and day outr the engine of their team. They make the game go, like Beckerman for example.

None of this is to excuse Poch, and all the blame will always fall on the USSF deciding to rehire GGG instead of a new coach for the next World Cup cycle.

---

I tend to agree with a lot of this. I think we are missing the real engine of the team. We have several really good role players, but nobody to really drive the thing. As such, we lack identity. I don't think these guys are apathetic. I think they just don't have the leadership skill to make it all work. Maybe we do need a less skilled player in MLS, but one that knows how to lead a team.
Luna seems like he might have some of it, but he has a way to go.

There should still be enough talent on the roster to get out of group.

Side note: I kinda want to see Poch find a game and play all the A team, win the game, then just say all cool 'can everyone relax now?'