Official Team USA Soccer Thread

[wco81]

Oof, 0-4 to Switzerland.

Good thing hosts advance automatically to knock out in the WC ...

[El Turco]

Oof, 0-4 to Switzerland.

Good thing hosts advance automatically to knock out in the WC ...

They dont. Unless you meant group stage.


U.S looks terrible but I probably dont recognize any of them, surely they are missing alot of players.

[hermes]

just managing expectations ahead of the world cup

and maybe the gold cup too, which starts this weekend apparently

[El Turco]

So Gold cup and this club world cup is happening at the same time.

and both hosted by US, that makes sense.

[hermes]

nice win over trinidad & tobago

[wco81]

Oh boy, drama between Pulisic and Poch:

United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said his players "cannot dictate the plan," as he explained why he rejected star winger Christian Pulisic's offer to play in a pair of friendlies ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup but not the tournament itself.

"Players need to listen and to stick with our plan," he told reporters Saturday. "They cannot dictate the plan.

"The most important thing is that we explain why we decided not to include him in the two friendly games. And then if you have some problems, no, that is not my problem to understand.

"When I signed my contract in the federation, I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin."

Earlier in the week, Pulisic told the CBS Sports podcast "Call It What You Want" that he needed a rest after playing about 120 matches over the past two years for AC Milan and the national team but also wanted to play in two friendlies ahead of the Gold Cup. He said that he respected Pochettino's decision to exclude him but "didn't understand it."

"It's true that he wanted to come to be involved in the two friendly games ... [but] for us, the Gold Cup is an important tournament," Pochettino responded on the eve of the USMNT's Gold Cup opener against Trinidad and Tobago at San Jose's PayPal Park.

"Yes, it was my decision, it was our decision not to include [Pulisic] in the two friendly games, and that's it.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45514458/usa-mauricio-pochettino-christian-pulisic-gold-cup


So Pulisic didn't want to play the Gold Cup but offered to play vs. Turkey and Switzerland and Pochettino declined to let him play in the friendlies.

But the worst part is both are squawking to each other in the media and on social media.

Team isn't good enough to be having this antagonism between the best player and the manager ...

A year before the WC!

[hermes]

i'm with the coach on this, why is pulisic even mad?

he said he wanted rest but then wants to play? the team doesn't have a lot of time before the world cup to get things together and for the coach to figure out what he has. leaving pulisic out of the friendlies gives an opportunity for a young guy to make an impression