What does that mean to you?

What does that mean to you?

xGOT:

.59 🇺🇸
2.48 🇵🇹

Full time xG:
.68 🇺🇸
.74 🇵🇹

xG at half:
.45 🇺🇸
.26 🇵🇹

I've seen a few comments about Pochettino "abandoning" the back three against Belgium that I think point to a misunderstanding of what the shape actually is.

It's never been a strict back three. It's a 3-2-5 in buildup, but always a 4-4-2 shape when defending in a low block.

Opta/statsperform

xG at half
1.17 🇺🇸
.56 🇧🇪

Brian Dunseth said the team has been training in a “new” formation this week. Sounds like a back 4 on D (not new) but also maybe more of a back 4 in attack (kind of new).

My bonus rooting interest is that we get a good result so we can break the 3 ATB delusion that has infected the discourse.

Wes and Malik’s two-way play and versatility are crying out for playing more than 3 attackers. With them we can do it without having to sacrifice defensive stability. That kind of calculation is what made Donovan and Dempsey so important for a team of our standing.

Pochettino’s morphing 3/4 ATB system (which he’s used in nearly every match, nice to see others have almost caught on to it) fit the talent he had available to him when he started (aka no Dest). It no longer does. Its use should be situational and matchup dependent.

Wes has leveled-up his quick interchange play. He has long had an eye for it but too often he wasn’t reading teammates’ movement or he was imprecise with his passing. Now he’s locked in.

xGOT
3.24 🇺🇸
1.25 🇯🇵

7 - Balogun
6.5 - Pulisic
7 - Zendejas
6.5 - Arfsten
6 - Adams
6.5 - Roldan
6.5 - Freeman
6.5 - Ream
5.5 - Richards
5.5 - Blackmon
7 - Freese

6.5 - Dest
6.5 - Luna
6.5 - McGlynn
5.5 - Luca
NR - Downs
NR - Harriel

Classic uninflated rating scale, 5 is neutral.

Final xG:
2.01 🇺🇸
1.08 🇯🇵

Japan may have shifted into a 442 on D

xG at half
.78 USA
.88 Japan

If nobody in the press directly asks Poch if he is letting guys stay in Europe to prioritize their club seasons then what are we even doing here. They should also ask if he’s sending a message to players based on past performances too but I’ll take what I can get.

They fixed it so now when I open the app it goes to the last post I saw instead of the newest one?!?

Da numbers

I don’t have time to closely read this and I couldn’t find it but could you point me to the increases in HSR and Sprinting in terms of distance covered and % of total distance covered. In other work I saw sprinting going from 1.11% of total distance to 1.8% since about 2010 to now.

Donovan was a plus defensive player for his position. Same with Dempsey. Pulisic has not been.

Pulisic’s g+a/90 rate for the US is ≈ to Donovan’s except that he scores and assists against meaningfully worse opposition, on average, than Donovan or Dempsey.

FBref has incredibly limited national team coverage. It also omits MLS playoffs, the Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions Cup. TransferMarkt has more complete numbers on minutes.

Club and Country minutes per year:

Donovan (14.5 years) 37,888 Club + 12,872 USMNT = 3,500.7 minutes per year.

Dempsey (15 years) 38,944 Club + 11,074 USMNT = 3334.5 minutes per year.

Pulisic (10 years) 24,249 Club + 5,572 USMNT = 2,982.1 minutes per year.

Poch’s initial shape worked and then Turkey adjusted and the USMNT didn’t. Is it because our players are too dumb to figure out their own counters? I haven’t ruled it out.