Confirmed by Men in Blazers as well. It's happening. Hopefully will be as successful as the Emma Hayes hiring.
They needed to go big and they absolutely hit it out of the f***ing park. I think it's a great hire. Brings credibility immediately. Success for the mens team is definitely measured differently than the women. Even with a coach like this, there's still no expectation that they're going to win a World Cup anytime soon. But conversations about real growth can be had...like getting back to at least a quarterfinal (which means 2 knockout stage wins this time around). It'll be tough for him to get his strategy in place since there will be little time with the team. At the least, Emma had the month leading up to the Olympics to get her plan in place. Poch will only have some short international breaks between now and next summer. I think, while we'd normally bring a B/C team to the Gold Cup, he's going to have to bring his A team next year so that they can get that extra time with him. All that said, I think this is a great hire and should inject some life into this team going forward.
Apparently there's a chance he won't be in place for the September friendlies. He's still working out the details of his Chelsea exit. Maybe Todd Boehly will get a sense of patriotism and expedite the matter so that Poch can sign his contract with US Soccer and get on with it. What I'll be most curious to see is how he handles player selections. Word is that he will remain based in Europe...which leaves him closer to a vast majority of his player pool. But he does need to still scout MLS. I'd love to see him bring in Patrick Schulte from Columbus and the Olympic team. He had a very solid Olympic tournament, despite the 2 lopsided scores. I'm hoping he'll prioritize players that are actually playing. If Matt Turner is sitting the bench at Nottingham again, then he doesn't start. Is Reyna not getting minutes at Dortmund, then he either needs to move or not get called in. I'm hoping this lights a fire under Weston McKinney to get the f*** out of Juve where he's clearly not wanted. Ultimately, players that have been on the edges should be excited because outside of Pulisic, Adams, and Antonee Robinson, no one should be guaranteed a spot. I think he'll have an easier time implementing his style than some pundits have been saying today. The US spirit, ultimately, has been to out work their opponent. In the time since 1990, the USMNT, if nothing else, is more fit and will out work just about everyone on the field. We now have a coach that can take that and integrate the higher level of skill that the US player now has. I'll also be curious to see what his staff looks like. He does need to have someone on there who knows these players. Tab Ramos would be perfect as he's coached most of the pool through the US youth ranks. I'm feeling the most excitement for this team I've had since they hired Klinsy. Even for all of his vast tactical failings, he was a huge name and brought a lot of credibility. He just shouldn't have been retained after 2014 because his message got stale. Poch will almost certainly only be here until the end of the World Cup when he'll be looking for a move back to club ball.
Really solid win tonight over Jamaica in the Nations League quarters. A little sloppy defensively a couple of times but nothing that can't be cleaned up. Pulisic with 2 (though I really thought the 2nd would be credited as an OG), the first was a beautiful run of play through McKennie. Really loved Pepi's goal. He's playing with the confidence of someone who knows the EPL is looking. Weah's goal was fantastic as well. It's exciting to see so many of our guys playing well both domestically and interantionally. Would be even better if Turner could get more games. People still question Tim Ream...but the dude is still consistently our best center back. Also, Jedi Robinson is fixin to get paid. I thought it was interesting having Weah and Pulisic come in from the left, with Robinson playing more centrally while with the ball. It worked very well for good stretches. I thought Poch did a fantastic job setting them up...made even better seeing that Bruce Arena AND Gregggggg Berhalter were both in the audience. So weird that GB was there so close to the time that he was fired.
I think MLS was having meetings in STL, hence the other coaches being in town. The first half was as good as this team has looked in a long, long time. Puli got a bit frustrated in the 2nd with some of the hard fouls. ...and I thought I saw some tension between him and Pepi at one point, but had the sound off, so couldn't hear what it was all about.
I’m 50…measuring my steps. I was in the building for both Rockets titles.and watched my Astros win 2 as well. I really need the Texans to get one…but I NEED a World Cup before I’m gone. Can we do that in the next 30 years or so? I can eat healthier and mall walk more if you think we need another 4 years.
I was in the building when the Astros beat the Mets 1-0 in 24 innings in 1968. It's time for a WC win. I'm nauseously optimistic.
I was there with my dad for a super long game vs the dodgers when I was about 14…so 1988 maybe? We had Antoine’s together before the game and sat in the outfield. Left in the 11th or so. Got home and showered thinking the game would be over. It wasn’t. Fell asleep before it was over. Doran ****ed **** up because of course he did. Next day they played another extra inning game as I recall. I hate the Dodgers. I LOVE USMNT! And also USA hockey. Sports where we’re the underdogs makes me want to throw tea in the harbor. My mom let me skip school my senior year to watch USA hockey sadly lose a game I was so pumped for in the 92 Winter Olympics. Sad result but at least I got to skip school that day lol
I'd go ahead and start working on that diet. I'll be 50 next year so I'm already working on it because we're not there. A quarterfinal run in 2026 would be fantastic, especially since there will be an extra round. That will mean they would've won 2 knockout games...which is huge. Poch definitely is bringing us the tactical side of things we haven't had since...maybe ever. The subtle changes he made the other night were fantastic. But we'll have to see how those changes work when they come against better competition. There's just too large of a gap between us and the top 8-10 teams.
Pathetic performance last night vs Panama in the Nations League semi. Poch, for as great as he is, made a lot of tactical mistakes last night. He seemed to be caught off guard that Panama would sit in a low block...especially given the very narrow dimensions at SoFi. How does he not play Reyna and Diego Luna when it was clear you needed people in there who could break down the lines? Why was Musah so wide (and at fullback?) when it's clear he's better more centerally. Tanner Tessman does absolutely nothing for me. Poch could've easily taken off one of the center backs and replaced them with a creative mid because Panama were absolutely no threat going forward. Their only shot on goal was the winner...which likely would've been an easy save had therre been a keeper playing who's played more than 4 games in the last year. Turner was badly out of position. Also...a big F**K YOU to CONCACAF for scheduling a game in LA on a weekday at 4 pm (local time)...let alone in a stadium that hardly is up to FIFA standards, pitch wise. This should've been played on the East coast. There is no reason they need to have both games in the same stadium. Have the first game on the east coast at 7 pm and the 2nd game on the west coast at 8 pm Pacific. Then meet in the middle for the final. Absolutely stupid on their part.
There were other options. There was no need to play anyone out of position. Even Weah...who typically plays on the right. I get wanting to get all of your best players on the field...but if it doesn't make sense tactically, why do it? Still not understanding why guys like McGlynn get on the pitch before Reyna. Either way...if Poch does anything other than call in the A team for this summer's Gold Cup, it's a huge mistake. The team he intends to play in 2026 needs to get as many minutes together as humanly possible. I don't like this.
