USMNT 2022

[Firemans4Horn 18127]

This federation is laughably bad with an even bigger joke of a coach. 
 

let’s play in the Arctic circle in February against a team that has 3 points in 10 games for “HoM3 f1eLd AdVaNtAg3”

[eljinca 279]

It's also ridiculous that the excuse was travel time. As if flying charter from Columbus to Hamilton to Minneapolis is more taxing than Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville or Northern Florida. Greg consistently outthinks himself. The camp was in Phoenix, and apparently flying to Columbus was fine.

 

[kingkoopa6 8378]

Let’s gooooo

brrrrrrr! 
 

fuck me that’s cold. I remember getting popped in the face in a Sunday league game with 32 degree temp.  A ball at -0. My god. Fuck that  

[ztejas 43546]

Having the camp in Phoenix on top of it all is great. Can't think of a better way to prepare for some grueling contests in freezing temps than spending a week in Phoenix. 

[field 237]

29 minutes ago, eljinca said:

It's also ridiculous that the excuse was travel time. As if flying charter from Columbus to Hamilton to Minneapolis is more taxing than Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville or Northern Florida. Greg consistently outthinks himself. The camp was in Phoenix, and apparently flying to Columbus was fine.

 

Good article from The Atlantic on the (stupid?) decision to play the games in Columbus and especially St. Paul.

The USMNT arranged frigid World Cup qualifiers, which could be a boost…or a risk

Spoiler

For a long while, it looked like the U.S. men’s national team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Honduras would be played on the West Coast.

U.S. Soccer had an inkling that Canada would elect to play the Jan. 30 qualifier between the two countries at BC Place in Vancouver. Not only would the domed stadium and comparatively temperate climate allow for better playing conditions than most other potential venues, but Vancouver hosted the country’s three most important qualifiers in the last World Cup cycle. It seemed like a good bet that Canada would return to the city for the game against the Americans.

The federation was certainly prepared for the possibility of playing in British Columbia. According to sources, had Canada put the match against the U.S. in Vancouver, U.S. Soccer would have held the home matches against El Salvador and Honduras at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. and PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif. That news was first reported on Saturday by Grant Wahl.

As it turned out, Canada had other ideas. Nudged along by the travel-related concerns of head coach John Herdman and perhaps influenced by its team’s success against Mexico and Costa Rica in frigid Edmonton in November, Canada Soccer instead placed its match with the U.S. at Tim Hortons Field, an outdoor venue with an artificial turf surface in Hamilton, Ont. 

That decision forced U.S. Soccer to adjust. Having its core of European-based players travel all the way to the West Coast for a match on Jan. 27, fly back across North America to Hamilton, return to the West Coast for another game on Feb. 2 and then head back to Europe was deemed infeasible. 

But geography wasn’t the only concern. USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter and the federation have been very public in recent months with their preference to only host qualifiers in markets where they feel they’ll get a strong pro-U.S. crowd. Berhalter said in December that they felt they might have a hard time achieving that in many places on the East Coast, pockets of which have large Salvadoran- and Honduran-American populations.

And so, for the fourth time in four international windows, the USMNT turned to the middle of the country to host its qualifiers, but this time in the middle of winter when those locations can be at their coldest, or close to it. The federation will stage the Jan. 27 match against El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio and the Feb. 2 match against Honduras in St. Paul, Minn., making it so all three of the team’s qualifiers this window will be played in frigid conditions. It’s the second time this cycle the USMNT will play a qualifier in Columbus — it beat Costa Rica there in October.

A boost or a risk?

Ohio and Minnesota aren’t exactly balmy this time of year. The Weather Underground hourly forecast calls for the temperature in Columbus to be 29 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff time on Thursday. Accounting for 5-10 mile per hour winds, it’s projected to feel like 20 degrees. The forecast calls for a 24 percent chance of snow during the match. St. Paul will almost certainly be trickier. Weather Underground is forecasting a temperature of 17 degrees at kickoff with a real feel of 5. The outlet is calling for up to 2.6 inches of snow to fall in the area around Allianz Field on matchday. U.S. Soccer didn’t have any control over playing in Hamilton, but conditions are expected to be similar for the match on Jan. 30. Weather Underground is forecasting a gametime temperature of 19 degrees, with a real feel of 8.

U.S. Soccer’s own guidelines recommend that activities be canceled or moved indoors when the wind chill is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. FIFA doesn’t have any firm guidance on temperature, but FIFPRO, the global representation organization for professional soccer players, recommends that matches be canceled and rescheduled when the air temperature is less than 5 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill is less than -16.6 Fahrenheit.

Berhalter, who said on Friday that he used to rock short sleeves in sub-zero temperatures when he played in Germany, thinks the freezing weather will give the USMNT an edge against its Central American foes. 

“It’s a mindset. It’s mind over matter. Once you get running, once you get sweating, I think you’re good to go,” he said. “And for us, just as with all the times we go down to Central America and we’re playing in humidity and the heat and sometimes the smog and the altitude, this is an opportunity to gain an advantage on our opponents.

“They’re all coming from the equator. It’s going to be really difficult for them in these conditions. They’re going to take a couple of breaths in and it’s going to hit them like they’ve never been hit before. And our guys who have been playing in Europe in cooler temperatures, most of the guys (in MLS) have played in cool temperatures, will be ready to go.” 

While Berhalter is no doubt correct that the American players will be more used to the icy conditions than most of their counterparts on El Salvador or Honduras, playing in the weather currently forecast for Columbus and St. Paul comes with risk. 

Herculez Gomez knows all about playing in difficult winter weather. The former USMNT, MLS and Liga MX forward was on the field for all but the last couple minutes of the U.S.’s famous Snow Clásico qualifier against Costa Rica in Colorado in 2013. The snow was so heavy in that contest that the referee briefly stopped play in the second half to consider calling off the game. Gomez was also on the bench for the Seattle Sounders’ win at Toronto FC in MLS Cup 2016, which remains one of the coldest matches in league history.

“When I got a taste of promotion and relegation in Liga MX and what that entailed, you realize that these teams that are fighting to stay up in the top flight would try to level the playing field, literally, in any way they could,” Gomez, now an ESPN analyst, recently told The Athletic. “The grass would be longer, it wouldn’t be maintained, so to not let those better teams be able to play a smoother, faster type of football. They try to dirty the field in a way. This is the same thing. I just don’t know if it’s productive. It could be counterproductive.”

There’s merit to that point. The USMNT is markedly more talented than both El Salvador and Honduras. If the U.S. played either country in ideal conditions, it would be a substantial favorite. (The USMNT drew 0-0 at El Salvador and won 4-1 at Honduras earlier in this Octagonal). But if things turn truly nasty against either opponent — if players struggle to run or control the ball, if the field conditions become miserable, if the U.S. can’t play smooth, fast football — that talent advantage may be neutralized. 

That happened in the Snow Clásico. As snow continued to fall and conditions deteriorated, players struggled to even string together a few touches, nevermind combining on passing sequences. The white ball was just about impossible to see on the snow-covered field. The field lines all but disappeared. The best chances came when defenders or goalkeepers lost their footing at inopportune moments. Tactics and talent went out the window — the game was a demolition derby presented by Old Man Winter, a madcap match that the U.S. ended up winning 1-0.

“It was about these things I hate saying, these trigger words in American soccer, like fight, spirit, will. That’s what it turns into,” Gomez said. “It turns into a game of will, it turns into who could solve these problems the quickest.

“People don’t realize how difficult these things can be. It’s really cold, your cheeks are freezing. I had a beard in that Snow Clásico game and I had icicles on my beard. They’re difficult conditions. That day you started not being able to see the ball, you couldn’t dribble the ball, it felt like you were going through puddles and you had to lift the ball and juggle it. It becomes more of a chess match and it becomes ugly.”

Considering the talent disparity, playing a match that’s determined less by skill and more by determination and lucky bounces would only hurt the USMNT’s odds against El Salvador and Honduras. 

Field quality

The cold alone might not create the conditions necessary for such a game. A blizzard would, but that seems unlikely this window. Barring a significant snow storm during a game, Berhalter is confident that the fields at Lower.com Field in Columbus and Allianz Field in St. Paul will allow his team to play its preferred, fast-paced style. 

“We know the field in Columbus is going to be good,” he said on Dec. 3. “Some other venues weren’t able to get the field up to the standards to play in the winter, so we had to exclude them. And Minnesota and Columbus popped out from the travel and field standpoint.”

The groundskeepers in Columbus and St. Paul both feel positive about the status of their respective fields heading into the qualifiers. Crew head of grounds Ben Jackson told The Athletic that the surface at Lower.com Field was “pretty thin, especially through the middle of the field” after the inaugural MLS season at the stadium concluded in November, but an aggressive postseason strategy led to “a lot of recovery and some pretty decent rebirth.” 

His team turned on the field’s substantial underground heating system just after the New Year, warming the surface to the point that he felt comfortable turning it off a couple of days before his interview last Wednesday. It snowed in Columbus on Monday, but Jackson, who knows Berhalter from the coach’s time at the Crew and has been in touch with him this month about the surface, thought his staff would be able to easily clear it prior to Thursday without the use of any heavy machinery. 

“The heating system is definitely going to help us out,” he said. “And I can’t guarantee this, but with the amount of snow that’s in the forecast, just throwing an army of shovels at it, pushing it off the field, that’s going to be doable.”

“I do think the field is probably, if it’s not the best shape it’s been in (since the stadium opened in July), it’s pretty darn close,” he added later. “We feel good about where we’re at.” 

Minnesota United assistant groundskeeper Mitch Ronning was mostly upbeat about the surface at Allianz Field, but he wasn’t quite as optimistic as Jackson. The club left the turf uncovered after the end of MNUFC’s season, applying a protector to prevent disease from taking root in the grass and then letting the snow cover the surface “like a blanket.” The grounds crew began dialing up the underground heating system in the week of Jan. 10. Similar to Columbus, Minnesota heats its field by warming a glycol compound, a solution similar to antifreeze, to 120 degrees and pumping it through a 10-mile maze of underground tubes buried 10 inches beneath the grass..

At the time of our interview last Tuesday, the turf in Minnesota was still covered with snow, but Ronning anticipated that it would be cleared within a week. At that point, the staff planned to cover the surface with something called a “grow blanket,” a light, translucent, permeable plastic that protects the grass from cold air temperatures and creates “somewhat of a late-spring, early-summer climate” that should allow the field to grow.

Snow on game day could be a real challenge, however. Ronning anticipated that the Minnesota grounds crew would be able to clear a 2-3 inch matchday total with backpack snow blowers and shovels. His team is prepared to paint the field lines red for higher visibility if needed, as well. Still, they’ll be at the mercy of the weather. And in St. Paul in February, the conditions are often unforgiving. 

“With it being the beginning of the year, you have to set your expectations, I don’t want to say low, but obviously the field won’t play quite similar to what it will in mid-June,” Ronning said. “The field is essentially just waking up. As far as speed, I would think it would play very similar speed-wise to what it would play during the other months. As far as firm or soft, it all depends on weather. I mean, if it snows four inches three days prior, you’re gonna have somewhat of a wet surface there. Not puddling or anything, but just softer because it’s been a bit wet. We always try to set the highest expectations and standards for ourselves, so we will demand that we give our best effort and then from there on, it’s all dependent on the weather. At the end of the day, it’s a soccer match on Feb. 2 in Minnesota. I think everyone’s expectations need to be tempered a little bit.”

The physical toll

USMNT players have said all the right things about playing the upcoming qualifiers in cold temperatures. Center back Walker Zimmerman, who, as an Atlanta-area native, didn’t exactly grow up in the freezing cold, told reporters last week that he’s “really excited” and thinks the team is “ready to embrace” the low temperatures. Defender Antonee Robinson echoed those comments on Monday. Midfielders Sebastian Lletget and Cristian Roldan didn’t go quite as far, but both indicated that they expect the USMNT to be fully prepared for the conditions and both expect that the cold will be an advantage for the Americans against El Salvador and Honduras.

Roldan, who, like Gomez, was part of that Sounders team at the freezing MLS Cup 2016, did point out that getting a proper warm up will be critical in the colder weather. There is a medical element to playing in the cold, particularly when players have to play three games in frigid conditions in the span of a week. An icy field can create additional injury risk; recovery can feel more difficult when a game is played in low temperatures.

“Any kind of harsh weather, I realized my body took longer to recover,” Gomez said. “It feels like you’re running with weights. It’s like you’re moving with more purpose, but less control. And that’s a difficult thing. If you’re going full speed, like you want to go full speed, and then you lunge for a ball that all of a sudden gets kind of taken from beneath you because of the elements, that can hurt you. You can get injured. And then after games, it’s not just, ‘Hey, it’s cold.’ Your body’s worn down more than usual.”

As director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer for the New England Revolution, Eric Bengston is accustomed to guiding soccer players through playing in cold conditions. He said that players are forced to use “slightly more energy” when playing in chilly weather as their bodies try to stay warm, a phenomenon that he feels leads to “a bit of a general increase in fatigue and soreness.” So, while the short flights between games will help, playing all three matches in the harsh cold could potentially prevent some USMNT players from suiting up in every game this window.

Still, as long as the USMNT takes the standard measures of providing players with plenty of thin layers to wear under their jerseys, allows for heating pads, hot beverages and a change of clothes at halftime and gives subs more time to get loose before entering the match, he thinks most everything should be fine.

“As long as the field is consistent, I don’t think the injury risk will be significantly more than normal,” he said.

The short distances between the three cities the U.S. will play in this window should also be a positive. The flight from Columbus to Hamilton takes less than an hour; it’s just about two hours from Hamilton to St. Paul. Those are significantly shorter flight times than the U.S. experienced between any two games in the first three rounds of qualifying. Berhalter mentioned those quick trips as a reason why he feels more players will be able to play in all three matches this window than in the three-game sets in September and October.

As Gomez put it, U.S. Soccer and Berhalter choosing to play these two home matches in Columbus and St. Paul “is a business decision. They’re doing this to try to gain an advantage.” But against El Salvador and Honduras, the more talented USMNT shouldn’t really need a boost from the weather. Playing fast, clean soccer in good conditions should have been more than enough for the Americans to pick up three points against both Central American foes. By playing the two matches in Columbus and St. Paul, the Americans are manufacturing adversity and opening themselves up to risk. They obviously feel it’s worth taking. We’ll see if their gamble pays off.

 

[The Dog 44160]

1 hour ago, Ted Lange said:

 

 

 

[dieucla98 2942]

This is so fucked up. You're putting 22 players at risk of serious injury. Columbus at 32 degrees - ok, that's not awful but still stupid and let's be honest, you got lucky it was that pleasant. 0 degrees and -20 wind chill? Fuck that. 

I think for many of these guys, to operate the way they do at the speed and agility they do, their lower body muscles are constantly teetering on the edge (Weah, Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Reyna have all had a hamstring issue just this season). Asking them to go full tilt, sprinting towards the end line when many have hamstrings that are notoriously suspect is reckless at best.

If it's true he has 51% of the vote, fuck this coach. If not, fuck this coach anyways.

 

[Blotto 23584]

Scheduling this match in January for an outdoor stadium in Minneapolis might be the dumbest thing US Soccer has done in a long time. fucking insane

[ztejas 43546]

Berhalter should be forced to manage in short sleeves for that comment. Germany gets cold. It doesn't get Minnesota cold. 

[Firemans4Horn 18127]

 

[Bottlecap 1523]

i fuckin hate this federation

0:0 final ... we're gonna be forced to get results away at either Mexico or CR and maybe both lol. FUUCK.

[Napoleon 8700]

With these shitty conditions, for all three matches, Cameron Carter-Vickers absolutely should have been called in.

Between US Soccer and fucking Gregg Dumbfuck Berhalter, we have endured one moronic decision after another. 

In hindsight, on a narrow pitch in Hamilton, Canada against a side that pushed us around in the good weather of Nashville…

We should have had the in-season/ in-form bull of a CB, Cameron Carter-Vickers starting at one CB spot… probably with Richards, who is also in-season.

We should have had the hunchback bull, Jordan Morris starting at one winger to be a burly, disruptive force up front. 

Either Ricardo Pepi or a gargantuan Jordan Pefok at the 9 after Daryl Dike got hurt, but Dike’s brute strength would have be great on a tight pitch in shitty weather. 

And looking back, the direct runs and constant work rate of Paul Arriola would have been a good idea to start the match with the offensive subs of Pulisic, Aaronson, De La Torre, and Pepi/Pefok waiting on the bench in case we needed an offensive spark in the second half. 

Before the game I would have shit if I had seen that lineup, but looking back, that would have been the smartest lineup to put out there. Especially now knowing that the ref wasn’t going to call any fouls on Canada. 

Also, heads should roll at US Soccer for scheduling Minneapolis-St Paul, but they won’t. 🤬🤬

[Captain Ron 12931]

You know what is stupid about this more than anything, just a quick google search tells you this is a bad idea

 

 

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

I'm pissed in that I feel as if the extreme cold will neutralize any talent and home field advantage we have.  That being said, the cold itself is not that big of a deal.  I've played on icy fields, at 15 degrees, with 20mph wind.  As long as one prepares, nobody is going to freeze to death or get frostbite.  If this was an NFL game, nobody would be bitching.

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

To clarify, I wasn't trying to be an internet "tough guy".  My intent, for those that have not played in the cold, was to inform that once you get running, it's not hard to stay warm.  I just had issues with my hands once when I forgot my gloves.

I do acknowledge an earlier post worried about hamstring injuries.  I could see that being an issue.

[eljinca 279]

2 hours ago, Napoleon said:

With these shitty conditions, for all three matches, Cameron Carter-Vickers absolutely should have been called in.

Between US Soccer and fucking Gregg Dumbfuck Berhalter, we have endured one moronic decision after another. 

In hindsight, on a narrow pitch in Hamilton, Canada against a side that pushed us around in the good weather of Nashville…

We should have had the in-season/ in-form bull of a CB, Cameron Carter-Vickers starting at one CB spot… probably with Richards, who is also in-season.

We should have had the hunchback bull, Jordan Morris starting at one winger to be a burly, disruptive force up front. 

Either Ricardo Pepi or a gargantuan Jordan Pefok at the 9 after Daryl Dike got hurt, but Dike’s brute strength would have be great on a tight pitch in shitty weather. 

And looking back, the direct runs and constant work rate of Paul Arriola would have been a good idea to start the match with the offensive subs of Pulisic, Aaronson, De La Torre, and Pepi/Pefok waiting on the bench in case we needed an offensive spark in the second half. 

Before the game I would have shit if I had seen that lineup, but looking back, that would have been the smartest lineup to put out there. Especially now knowing that the ref wasn’t going to call any fouls on Canada. 

Also, heads should roll at US Soccer for scheduling Minneapolis-St Paul, but they won’t. 🤬🤬

Whatever the question is, CCV, Arriola and Morris are not the answer for the USMNT.

[Ted Lange 16144]

Salvadorian players threatening to not play tonight vs Canada, because of a payment dispute with their federation

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Ted Lange

[Ted Lange 16144]

Looks like things have been worked out and THE Salvador will play.

[Blotto 23584]

8 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

Looks like things have been worked out and THE Salvador will play.

THE Salvador is flush with them bitcoins  now. Should be plenty of funds for errbody

[Napoleon 8700]

17 minutes ago, eljinca said:

Whatever the question is, CCV, Arriola and Morris are not the answer for the USMNT.

Perhaps you missed the USMNT match vs Canada on Sunday when…

ARRIOLA was the team’s most dangerous player, MORRIS found open space, just begging for Pepi to get him the ball rather than shoot from an impossible angle, and MILES ROBINSON was running like he’d gained 15 lbs over the holidays. 

For that match in Hamilton, they were absolutely the best choices given the weather, the opponent, and the ref. 
 

But I would have never thought that before the match. 

[The Dog 44160]

1 hour ago, Ted Lange said:

Looks like things have been worked out and THE Salvador will play.

Yup. What a circus:

 

[Ted Lange 16144]

Just another day in CONCACAF 

[Ted Lange 16144]

Need to get this thing off page 13 

[Ted Lange 16144]

My GGG XI guess

turner

yedlin MRob Zimmerman ARob

Acosta

Mushah Mckennie 

Weah PEPI Pulisic 

[Ted Lange 16144]

I knew we needed to get this off of page 13

 

[Fudbelty 2791]

I hate how hard it’s to find where to watch this. Where is it playing/streaming?

[Ted Lange 16144]

FS1

[Ted Lange 16144]

As for the lineup, it should be more than enough for a win… 

[Fudbelty 2791]

Thanks.

[Ted Lange 16144]

 

[ztejas 43546]

I mean someone said it up thread but the lineups have hardly been the issue minus a couple things here and there. That's a pretty good lineup. Better than anything that anyone save Canada and Mexico is capable of putting out there. 

[Ted Lange 16144]

LDLT getting his first competitive start.  I don’t hate it, and am g,ad it’s him over LLetget.  

[Coach pop a bitch 5496]

 

[Ted Lange 16144]

Zimmerman was injured last match.  We have 1 back CB.  We have no backup 6.  I’d guess Mckennie would slide back there. 

[Ted Lange 16144]

Ok.  I’m ready now.  Please god get us 3 points. 

[RamjetFDO 10578]

Who let Nanook of the North on the set?

[Napoleon 8700]

26 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

LDLT getting his first competitive start.  I don’t hate it, and am g,ad it’s him over LLetget.  

He was the obvious choice to come in for Musah in the Canada match since we were down…

…but no. 

Weston McKennie did say in a press conference yesterday (?) that the team needed to play more quickly in transition. 

1) No shit.
2) I am thinking that he was absorbing some of the venom directed at Gregg after Gregg had immediately forgiven Weston for Nashville Penetration and brought him right back into the s squad, but…

I think that the slow transition was ordered from above  Especially when you think about the way they played against Mexico in Cincinnati, when the kids couldn’t wait to get out on the break. They didn’t suddenly decided that they didn’t like that style just a couple of months later  

Fucking Ggg 🤬🤬!

 

[TexasMan 10989]

2 minutes in and I'm already worried about a nil nil draw. 

[BachelorTrek 3062]

56 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

 

It was 2F there when I looked online 20 minutes ago.  #AssFreezeOffTime

You can never forget the feeling of the inside of your nose freezing over when you're in -20F conditions.  Lulz.

[ztejas 43546]

Horrible foul call. 

[ztejas 43546]

1 minute ago, TexasMan said:

2 minutes in and I'm already worried about a nil nil draw. 

Yeah but Honduras is miserable so it's a moral victory. 

[Coach pop a bitch 5496]

Acosta delivered that shit 

[TexasMan 10989]

3 minutes ago, TexasMan said:

2 minutes in and I'm already worried about a nil nil draw. 

OR

[RamjetFDO 10578]

Weston!

[shadow_operative 15932]

atta baby Weston!

[ztejas 43546]

What a fucking stud. Dude is in unreal form right now. 

Nice ball, too. Wish the rest of his game was as good as his set piece delivery can be. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by ztejas

[BachelorTrek 3062]

33 minutes ago, RamjetFDO said:

Who let Nanook of the North on the set?

I used that same expression to a friend when describing the head-coverings of some of the players.

[Blotto 23584]

That was nice

[ztejas 43546]

Use some help from Mexico? Fuck that I hope Panama beats their ass. 

[ztejas 43546]

What is this dickhead ref seeing? Are you fucking kidding me?

Lol "strong challenge"