• The KillerFrogs

2024-2025 European Football Thread

Purp

Active Member
It's looking more and more like Gio doesn't want to play. He's got a golden opportunity to step in for teammates who'll miss a month or more and start some big games, but his body is less sturdy than a wet noodle. Kid needs a sports psychologist in a bad way. I'm convinced all his issues are between his ears.

 

Purp

Active Member
Puli with another one today. Dude's become the best player in Serie A. Flo got one too, but looks like it cost him with a shoulder injury. He's already been replaced on the campe roster for the upcoming window. Sarge, Pepi, and Haji all had productive weeks too. Pepi got a start and made the most with a brace. Good to see him getting back into the scoring groove.
 

Purp

Active Member
Just read where Milan had 2 penalties yesterday and Fonseca was furious that Puli didn't take them both. Apparently he's been designated the penalty taker, but others stepped in front of him and both were stopped by de Gea. He could/should have had a hat trick yesterday.
 

Purp

Active Member
Interesting lineup for Poch tonight. Musah on the wing is Interesting. Jordan Morris in the center of the park blows my mind, though. I like Busio at the 6, but running Morris out beside him is something I'd have never conceived of even on heavy drugs. Aaronson at center mid is probably bc of his work rate and wanting to press, but im surprised McKennie isn't there.

ETA: Apparently it's Aiden Morris. That's not as mind blowing. And McKennie not starting is a load management decision.
 
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Purp

Active Member
That goal from Musah was fabulous, but moreso bc of the build-up than the finish. Exquisite cross from Puli, yeoman's work from Jedi to win possession, and a deftly weighted ball from Aaronson to spring Puli. Really great goal. That's how you break down a CONCACAF opponent sitting back in a tight block.
 

Purp

Active Member
Pepi with another goal in Austin. I think that's 4 goals in 3 matches there with the USMNT. He scored a lot there with FCD too. We may need to play there more often.

Nothing spectacular about the goal. Got lucky going 5 hole probably on accident, but Tillman did really well to win possession and play Haji Wright behind the defense and Haji's cross was perfect.
 

Purp

Active Member
I know the timing for this match against Mexico is terrible for Poch with so many injuries and just trying to get a feel for the team and what he can do, but it's hard to watch a mediocre effort with the B team against LLLLLLLa tri.
 

Purp

Active Member
Zendejas and Vasquez looked good when they came on. Otherwise it was a listless performance. Too many young players who had no idea how to play an away game against Mexico. This side had no realistic expectation for a result missing all of McKennie, Puli, Weah, Balogun, Richards, Pepi, Dest, Reyna, and Adams. That's 8 of the 9 best players in the pool (Jedi played the 1st half unexpectedly tonight). I'm sure it was good experience for the young guys, but it really feels like a wasted fixture we'll get almost nothing from.
 

Purp

Active Member
This generation of talent is snake bit. Balogun gets into a good run of form scoring in 3 straight matches for Monaco and separates his shoulder to go out for 2 months. That makes 4 long term injuries (Dest, Adams, Gio, Balogun) to starters, and maybe a 5th depending on Richards' hamstring recovery.

Tyler sounds like he may be back this weekend; Richards' hamstring hasn't had any detail revealed so it could be a minor issue solved by a week or two of rest or a longer term nagging problem; hopefully Weah is back this weekend too like Adams; Dest is hoping to be back in a few months, and Gio may never play again b/c he'll injure himself again lacing up his boots the day he returns to training.

Poch deciding to sent McKennie back to Juve early to avoid playing him with a minor knock, getting Puli ample rest since he's become the most impactful player in Serie A, and limiting Jedi to about 100 minutes across 2 matches speaks to his long range outlook. He's looking at the 300 meter target and playing to defeat that. Getting this group healthy for 2025 and keeping them that way through 2026 is what will give him the greatest chance at success in the WC.

I suspect he's planning for getting the group together for a month for the Gold Cup to really build out his ideas and develop his tactics with the first team. From there he'll have a year's worth of friendlies to refine his tactics and settle into a proper game plan that the team can execute reliably. It all hinges on the health of that core group, though. If too many of them are missing we proved last night against Mexico that we can't play at a high level.
 

Morado Muerte

Active Member
Zendejas and Vasquez looked good when they came on. Otherwise it was a listless performance. Too many young players who had no idea how to play an away game against Mexico. This side had no realistic expectation for a result missing all of McKennie, Puli, Weah, Balogun, Richards, Pepi, Dest, Reyna, and Adams. That's 8 of the 9 best players in the pool (Jedi played the 1st half unexpectedly tonight). I'm sure it was good experience for the young guys, but it really feels like a wasted fixture we'll get almost nothing from.
Zendejas and Vasquez were the only bright spots in that second half. Was pretty rough after the first goal.
 

Purp

Active Member
If everything goes as expected and everyone else stays healthy this makes it look like we could have everyone except Dest back in their squads by the start of December. Adams came on as a sub over the weekend, which is great to see.

McKennie and Weah had huge days as did Pepi and Tillman. Saw tonight where Johnny Cardoso could be moving to Milan with Puli and Musah. He's on a strong trajectory right now with his club form. I hope he figures out how to put it together with the Nats.

 

EVOfrogMR

Active Member
That’s a nice report. I’d forgotten about Dike, who I think could, or sadly could have been, a great piece. He still could come back but he’s had the worst injury luck.

I still think Gio should be removed from the pool. The staff should tell him he won’t be considered for selection until he hits 500 minutes with his club in a continuous period of time. He’s super talented, but needs to earn a place and not rely upon the Nats to keep his career afloat. A measurable target like that could have helped him making a wiser move last December to Spain or France instead of insisting on being on the bench for Forrest.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
This generation of talent is snake bit. Balogun gets into a good run of form scoring in 3 straight matches for Monaco and separates his shoulder to go out for 2 months. That makes 4 long term injuries (Dest, Adams, Gio, Balogun) to starters, and maybe a 5th depending on Richards' hamstring recovery.

Tyler sounds like he may be back this weekend; Richards' hamstring hasn't had any detail revealed so it could be a minor issue solved by a week or two of rest or a longer term nagging problem; hopefully Weah is back this weekend too like Adams; Dest is hoping to be back in a few months, and Gio may never play again b/c he'll injure himself again lacing up his boots the day he returns to training.

Poch deciding to sent McKennie back to Juve early to avoid playing him with a minor knock, getting Puli ample rest since he's become the most impactful player in Serie A, and limiting Jedi to about 100 minutes across 2 matches speaks to his long range outlook. He's looking at the 300 meter target and playing to defeat that. Getting this group healthy for 2025 and keeping them that way through 2026 is what will give him the greatest chance at success in the WC.

I suspect he's planning for getting the group together for a month for the Gold Cup to really build out his ideas and develop his tactics with the first team. From there he'll have a year's worth of friendlies to refine his tactics and settle into a proper game plan that the team can execute reliably. It all hinges on the health of that core group, though. If too many of them are missing we proved last night against Mexico that we can't play at a high level.
How many teams on earth can play without 8 of their top 9 players and go on the road against in a rival in a hostile environment and play well?
 

Purp

Active Member
That’s a nice report. I’d forgotten about Dike, who I think could, or sadly could have been, a great piece. He still could come back but he’s had the worst injury luck.

I still think Gio should be removed from the pool. The staff should tell him he won’t be considered for selection until he hits 500 minutes with his club in a continuous period of time. He’s super talented, but needs to earn a place and not rely upon the Nats to keep his career afloat. A measurable target like that could have helped him making a wiser move last December to Spain or France instead of insisting on being on the bench for Forrest.
That's a great point on Gio. I think a move to PSV with Tillman and Pepi and Dest could be just what he needs to reset his career. He would destroy that league if he could avoid another bizarre injury.
 

Purp

Active Member
How many teams on earth can play without 8 of their top 9 players and go on the road against in a rival in a hostile environment and play well?
Your point is well taken and I think compliments the point I was making. The discipline Poch showed to avoid the temptation to overwork the top players in the group in his first camp so that he could get a sense of their abilities seems to be very wise.

I know I'd have had a strong inclination to keep Puli in camp, play McKennie, use Jedi for 90 minutes, and stretch some other guys to make sure we beat Mexico b/c an 8 game losing streak for LLLLLLLLa tri sounds better than la tri. But by not doing what I would have done and doing some serious load management for these guys until they all get healthy he's going to give himself the best chance at long term success.

I was always a fan of the Poch hire, but more for tactical and irrational fandom reasons (I still feel like Levy did him dirty and I've always rooted for him to end up in a situation I could support him in). But the way he managed his first window with the guys really adds a layer of appreciation for him I didn't yet have. You could tell in the post-game interviews he hated to lose that game, but it's great to know that he knew it was better for the success of the program to not put his best team forward that night and take his lumps if that's what was going to happen. He showed more strategic aptitude in his first window than Berhalter did in both of his tenures.
 

Purp

Active Member
This generation of talent is snake bit. Balogun gets into a good run of form scoring in 3 straight matches for Monaco and separates his shoulder to go out for 2 months. That makes 4 long term injuries (Dest, Adams, Gio, Balogun) to starters, and maybe a 5th depending on Richards' hamstring recovery.

Tyler sounds like he may be back this weekend; Richards' hamstring hasn't had any detail revealed so it could be a minor issue solved by a week or two of rest or a longer term nagging problem; hopefully Weah is back this weekend too like Adams; Dest is hoping to be back in a few months, and Gio may never play again b/c he'll injure himself again lacing up his boots the day he returns to training.

Poch deciding to sent McKennie back to Juve early to avoid playing him with a minor knock, getting Puli ample rest since he's become the most impactful player in Serie A, and limiting Jedi to about 100 minutes across 2 matches speaks to his long range outlook. He's looking at the 300 meter target and playing to defeat that. Getting this group healthy for 2025 and keeping them that way through 2026 is what will give him the greatest chance at success in the WC.

I suspect he's planning for getting the group together for a month for the Gold Cup to really build out his ideas and develop his tactics with the first team. From there he'll have a year's worth of friendlies to refine his tactics and settle into a proper game plan that the team can execute reliably. It all hinges on the health of that core group, though. If too many of them are missing we proved last night against Mexico that we can't play at a high level.
And the rash of injuries persists. Sarge has been great for the Canaries this season and then suffers a groin injury requiring surgery. They're saying only 8 weeks, but I'd think it would take even longer to get him back to full fitness in the first 11. We may need to keep Haji Wright and Pepi in protective bubbles until the Nations League fixtures. We've gone from solid depth there to where we were 3 years ago.

 

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