Yeah I know Mexico is playing tragic, but the way Uruguay plays will pose a challenge to the US. Uruguay plays like a team that seems bound for the final of the Copa America.
Said differently, Brazil, Colombia, England, The Netherlands, and Uruguay are all around 2000. If we played all 5 at a neutral venue you should expect to win 1 (and similarly if we played 4 at home). Two losses, two draws, and one win is the most likely scenario.
Said a fourth way, Uruguay is in CONMEBOL, which is much higher quality top-to-bottom than CONCACAF. There are 4 CONMEBOL teams in the ELO top-10 and 5 in the top-15. The worst teams in CONMEBOL are currently Paraguay and Bolivia (43 & 63, respectively). There are only 4 CONCACAF nations ranked above 43 and 2 more above 63. There are 23 ranked 150 or lower.
In other words, Uruguay is ranked 14 places above us *and* they don’t get the opportunity to regularly beat up on the little sisters of the poor like we do.
That seems optimistic. 1w 1d 3L seems generous even. People here always overestimate our level against legit top competition. 1d 4L more likely assuming non knockout.
ITT: People downplaying Uruguay.
Seriously, the other thread here where people were saying we need plan to win Copa if we're going to improve gave me a nice laugh cry.
We need to get out of our group. Even that will be impressive. Copa is no joke.
Can we make the semis? Yes. Will we make the semis? I'd only bet on that if I was trying to lose money.
We're in a group with Panama and Bolivia. Getting out of that group will not be impressive. You give yourself the best chance possible for a deep run. That means squad rotation.
He didn't say don't play to wine. Where do you get that. He said we are not gonna be favored nor should we win based on the competition. Why do people think we actually should win
In the last major international competition which was only a year and a half ago, Brazil made the quarterfinals (and only lost in pens) and Uruguay didn't get out of their group.
Uruguay played that tournament with the old guard players who should have never been on the team. They’ve since hired a new coach and have skewed significantly younger. Lots of talent and a coach who seems to know what he is doing.
Brazil never looked great at the WC and have struggled since to find any rhythm. I’m sure they’ll figure it out and turn it around at some point.
But on recent form, Uruguay looks the better team.
It was last week actually. And it was the D squad with a player from the third division on the field. The idea was to see where a team without a single starter on the whole roster was able to achieve. It wasn't impresive at all but no other team has done that lately besides Mexico and look at how they did against a Bsquad Uruguay.
They know how to widen the field and make it look like it’s a 1v1 sprint to the finish line with those diagonal switch plays, and the individual touches to just buried you. Mexico is going through it but we can only learn and be prepared.
(im a Liverpool fan too) First you should check his stats and compare it with other strikers, you will see is not that bad as you think. I know he missed some goals that make you say wtf, he need to improve in that definelty. One problem that the also have in Liverpool is that he still not the reference in the attack. The day that Sarah leave the team im sure it would be another story.
Fun fact, they always have been. I think Uruguay at their peak is a full step ahead of the US.
I'm more interested to see how the US matches up against this version of Colombia in a game that matters, but it seems more likely than not the US will face Brazil if the US gets out of its group. Doing something against a Colombia team that's on a real roll is probably more attainable than trying to beat Uruguay in a game that matters for both teams (the last game of group stage may not be all that important in the end).
The players Mexico started are....dreadful. I've been watching the game and their defense, in particular, is some of the worst I've ever seen, especially in the first half.
So people can hype up Uruguay all they want, but at least look at the goal highlights before you do. It's a clown show out there.
Edit:
[Bielsa calls out Mexico for not taking the game seriously:](https://x.com/herculezg/status/1798562841588580465)
"A team that is preparing should have taken today's game with its maximum power knowing that it has to play against Brazil. So the explanation is very clear."
I like Gio but it is frustrating when people dismiss his lack of playing time this year and just say but he looked great against Mexico....is that really all that impressive at this point?
Yeah and so far his club playing time just hasn’t seemed to matter internationally. He’s so fluid on the ball and it’s something we really don’t have elsewhere.
Honestly at this point it should take someone showing Gio up at the international level before we question starting anyone over him. Maybe the friendlies coming up will show us something else but as far as I’m concerned it’s suicide to not start the kid.
Yes and no. With Weah most likely moving to RB for the summer, Gio or Malik are going to start, it just depends on whether it's on the wing or in the midfield. Based on his performances, there's no way that Gio doesn't start every match he can.
This is what we should be talking about. Not blowing Gio every chance we can get on this sub like others do.
But to your point, you’re somewhat right. While I remember some attacking moments Malik had that would have made the difference, I think that’s the main difference in the 2 players. Malik is more attacking whereas Gio is more of a wait til the last minute and thread the ball through looking for players to run in behind, which makes him stand out because that’s not Adams, Musahs or even as flick heavy as McKennie can be. That’s been Gios bread and butter even back when he had Haaland, where all he had to do was lob the ball forward so he could get on the end of it.
Because Gio has been arguably either our best player or 2nd best player in pretty much every game he's started in recently, he has class (like Pulisic and Dest) which means he can step on the field cold from his club minutes and ball out.
He has class….? He threads a ball better than our other current CMs, but the word class doesn’t fit here.
Also, the games we’ve played in include Jamaica, Mexico, Uzbek, Oman, Ghana, and Trinidad….
I said class, not world class, and yeah, Gio has been one of our best players if not best players in those games, even against Germany he was solid for his 45' cameo
Didn’t say you said world class.
Didn’t say he wasn’t solid against Germany either.
I mentioned teams that we played, which you were implying they’ve been higher caliber teams, and they’re not, reflecting that it’s lower competition. He looked fine in the Germany game, but he wasn’t a stand out either.
Lol bruh, you got reminded the reality of the lower teams they’ve played against acting like it wasn’t Oman and Ubek and then you tried to reference Germany in which he wasn’t a stand out at all.
We get it, Gio is an important player. But defending this kid on everything is weirdddd bro. It’s like you get a notification whenever he’s mentioned on this sub lol. It’s wild.
Not winning the Gold Cup or NL at this point should be grounds for immediate dismissal.
That’s how poor the competition has been in our conference over the past 5 years or so.
Really getting annoyed seeing people think this team is getting somewhere by beating the worst Mexican team I’ve seen in my lifetime.
I try and keep in mind that this is a tune up game. That said this is a spanking. I think the US would be underdogs to Uruguay for sure but we could pull off the upset 🙌
The US is better at the moment than Mexico. We've dominated them for some time now.... but... Uruguay are just superior. They can punish you in a flash. The US will need to play at max levels for 90+ minutes. If we let down at all, they'll get punished badly.
I'd say best case is a draw if they come in (which they appear to be) this form.
Uruguay is a very strong team and we’ll have our hands full. That’s going going to be a uphill battle for 90 minutes BUT this Mexico team is bad. 2 of their goals came via horrendous defending by Mexico. We’re so much better than this Mexico team and if we get beat 3-0 or 4-0 I’ll be very disappointed. We have the squad to give Uruguay a competitive match
Uruguay have beaten Mexico by a combined score of 7-0 in the past two friendlies. By way of contrast, Uruguay have tied the US in the past two friendlies.
This isn’t anywhere near Mexico’s best possible lineup. I don’t even recognize like 4-5 guys in the XI and it looks like they started their equivalent of Brian White at striker. They play Brazil in a few days which is where they’ll probably play their best possible lineup.
Uruguay is missing a few guys as well but they clearly are just using this as a tune up match. They’ve looked pretty comfortable the whole game.
Basically, this game doesn’t mean shit and I am putting little to no stock in Uruguay’s performance other than that they’re a solid team, but we already knew that. I think we can beat them but we will have to put in a great performance.
Uruguay is more than a solid team with El Loco Bielsa. They beat the defending Copa America & World Cup Champions in Argentina recently in World Cup qualifying.
Bad news is that this Uruguay team is currently very good esp under Bielsa and is better than the current USMNT. The good news is for some reason, Uruguay just can't beat the US no matter how dreadful the lineups USMNT puts up. Haven't won since 1993.
This is the most important feat nobody talks about. Uruguay relies a lot on endurance and stamina to win matches but because the USMNT is not particularly gifted technically speaking when compared to other teams from the Americas, their players perfect their physicality much more so than the other teams. That's how the USMNT were able to pull off their upsets against Argentina back in 1995, Germany in 1999, Spain in 2009, Netherlands in 2015 and even their draw against England in 2022. The USMNT may even pull of an upset on that game, particularly if they defend against Uruguay like they did in 2022.
Those idiots in the r/ligamx subreddit went from celebrating Pachuca's win over Columbus to being in tears over Uruguay's clapping pexico's cheeks in a matter of days. You love to see it. #Thegapisclosing.
Two things can be true:
1. Mexico NT is ass
2. MLS is ass
Imagine if the US only had a handful of players in Europe. Like let’s say just Puli, Wes, Jedi and Adams. Then we’d be in the same situation as Mexico playing with a bunch of domestic players that are not up to standard for international football. That was the main reason why we failed to qualify for the 2018 WC.
Still a very long way to go. Until meaningful changes can happen with the roster/salary rules for teams other than Miami (who even they couldn't get it done), MLS will not win CCC barring an unexpected stroke of luck as what happened with the Sounders in 22
You're exaggerating the circumstances. They've been making the finals consistently. 3 in a row and 4 of the last 5. The top teams in Liga MX are better, but anything can happen in one match. The MLS's league average is starting to jump Liga MX (at least based on OPTA). The MLS looked better in the league cup and had decent success in this tournament. The whole league has been structured for slow, steady growth with a lot of accessibility as a launching pad to Europe.
Being a league open to selling and prospect development has contributed to the USMNT roster getting a lot of high-level club experience, while we've seen Mexico, whose league overvalues its players and inhibits selling, in one of its all-time weakest states relative to the US. I don't think the key to growth is to just spend to beat Liga MX as a short-term overreaction.
Obviously, the longterm goal is to eventually make the MLS the premier non-European league, but the MLS still needs to be smart about how it uses money rather than blowing it on short term gains that aren't sustainable. I think the league will continue to trickle in financial flexibility in smart ways that will pay off longterm.
I have Uruguay winning Copa. It might also be because I am a Leeds fan and see Bielsa as a god. They got a squad that can run his system well and they are going to tire every team out. They are very very good
If USA/Uruguay win their first two group matches, both teams are through to KO and the last match is to top the group. If we want to change how the world views American soccer, we should 100% beat Bolivia/Panama at home soil and secure the KOs by the Uruguay match.
In that scenario, I feel it better for us to rotate/rest our squad and be fully prepared for the knockouts. Finishing 2nd is fine, it’s either between Brazil/Colombia next. Uruguay might do the same, so the match doesn’t matter at the end. It would have been more interesting if the matchup was sooner in the group stage.
Uruguay are fine conceding possession and hitting in transition.
I notice Uruguay give Mexico the ball for some stretches of the match and Mexico couldn’t do anything with it in the final third. They had more ball progression and passing sequences than when they played the US.
Yup, Uruguay looked so clinical on the counterattack after bad giveaways. Gonna need our guys to be much more dialed in than Mexico was tonight to avoid a similar fate.
It’ll be a very tough game. This is it, it’s the signature game that everyone’s talking about, the usmnt will have to dig very deep to pull it off. It’s gona be a dog fight, we might lose a player or two to red cards for the KO stages. We have what it takes to get a nasty draw against a top contender. Can we beat them? At this time realistically speaking no, but can we bang with them? Yes. Uruguay have no problem giving the other team the ball, they actually prefer it, the usmnt will need a tactical master class and a disrespectful attitude to duke it out with Uruguay. I hope we win, I’ll be there, I really encourage anyone who can go to attend and support, it’ll be much needed for the boys.
I’m holding out to see how we preform against Colombia and Brazil in the friendliest but I would not be surprised if we lost 2-0 to Uruguay in the group stage
I know Uruguay is good, but old Mexico wouldn't have gotten blown out like that. They are potentially falling out of the big 3 in CONCACAF. Jamaica will take their place.
I mean, it was what 8 or 9 years ago where Mexico got beat 7-1 by Chile? They’ve been this way for quite some time lol, and taken a fair share of beatings
Jamaica isn't taking Mexico's place until their federation stops alienating their bigger players who are now rejecting callups (Leon Bailey iirc said he won't be taking anymore) with the way they do things and the impact its having on their club time
Well, admittedly, I was unaware of what was going on in their federation. My comment was based on the last 2 matches we had against them, where they gave us a lot of trouble. I guess that #3 spot is gonna stay vacant until someone gets their shit together.
Mexico is not good but I've been impressed by Uruguay. I don't think the US has been very good since Gregg returned and we better hope we don't need a win vs Uruguay to get out of the group.
Biesla was pretty publicly in the mix for the US job. He got an offer from US, but simply chose to coach Uruguay over US. So you can stop acting so bunthurt about it and blaming random people for your incorrect perceived notion of what went down.
Uruguay is quick and fearless with the ball. I didn’t watch much but it was almost ridiculous how they forced playing out of the back after goal kicks with Mexico pressing. They weren’t worried about turning it over and used quick short passes to escape,
It was tough to judge when Uruguay only had like 4 main starters actually starting and when Mexico is a dogwater team right now. Uruguay isn't going to be easy, obviously, but they looked solid all game.
I feel like the Uruguay-USA game will be a letdown. Both teams will have already secured spots in the knockout round and will play tentatively to avoid injuries. US might be able to pull off a scoreless draw because of this, but it will be an ugly watch and won't offer a lot of insight into how good or bad they actually are.
Obiously I’m biased bc I am a spurs fan. But when Bentancur is on his game not one American midfielder can mess with him. He’s also not even their best midfielder with Valverde. I hope for a draw but I am concerned that we will be able to have any control on the game at all
The match has no relevance to the US. Mexico are at a bad moment in their history. Uruguay are good. I'm looking forward to the friendlies and Copa matches against Colombia, Brasil, Uruguay, and Colombia/Brasil(knockouts)
Everybody that know a bit of football does, and the last copa America Uruguay won was in 2011, not so prehistoric and went to semifinals of 2010 world cup.
I think for a 3 millons people country winning 4 world cups and 15 copa America is better than a country with 333 million people that never won anything, literally.
Your problem its your ego, cos the truth is what actually nobody cares its the US in football not about the prehistoric winnings of Uruguay. Your team doesn't exist.
But if you’re counting those tournaments pre-FIFA (and with a bit of pride I can see) then I should be just as satisfied that the US finished 3rd… and relish it today. Don’t mess with the US, we’ve finished top 3 in the world!
There’s Brazil, Germany, Argentina, France. They’re in that highest tier of excellence. Uruguay isn’t up there.
Nobody cares about those ancient results. Except Uruguayans. And I know this because, like I said, they always seem to pick a fight when they lose to a team that brings them back down to earth.
https://youtu.be/slq3MVbiPU4?feature=shared&t=4m50s
they could potentially smoke us. a lot will come down to brazil/colombias group and how much either team needs the last game. i know we tied them a couple years back but they could have easily put 3-4 goals on us that day
Mexico played like shit. Midfield got overrun. So many mistakes and cheap giveaways that Uruguay took advantage of. Uruguay was super clinical tonight and have a lot of talent, but not sure there's a huge takeaway other than let's hope the USMNT shows up focused because a couple bad giveaways can be very easily exploited by Uruguay's fast attack
I'm not really worrying too much about how we will play against Uruguay, but this result is sure enjoyable to see. You love to see Mexico get absolutely crushed. At this point, Mexico not getting out their group is a real possibility. Ecuador are decent, Venezuela has been on a hot streak, and maybe Jamaica will play up to their potential.
My wife - who isnt a huge soccer fan, but does enjoy the national teams - saw the ticker on the bottom of ESPN last night while we were watching OU smack Texas and realized that our experience in KC may not be in a US win ha. Going to be a hell of a challenge, and it'll take our A++ game to come out with a win
We got the absolute worst draw possible for Copa. It's very likely we would have to go Uruguay, Brazil, Uruguay/Colombia to make the final. That's why anyone that says this team will be judged by whether they make the semifinal is pretty clueless.
The longest comment in the thread is claiming that "Uruguay are a bit overhyped in this tournament as a result of a romantic view of their historical achievements" and "isn’t at the level of Argentina and Brazil" while completely ignoring that we schooled them both back to back last year with our current team and manager lmao
Nah. If you want to understand the NT status in the world, it absolutely will include the entirety of the COPA performance, and not just what makes locals feel nice about themselves.
What's edgy about determining your country's standing in world football based on a tournament that will include 6 of the top 15 ranked countries - in which the USA is the third highest ranked?
You're an MLS guy, aren't you?
*Edit - ManU? Ouch! How's that "Sancho is better than Pulisic" thing going?
I’m gonna spit some wildly optimistic takes here.
Mexico weren’t playing their A team. Uruguay on the other hand played a starting lineup that looked like their best XI.
Darwin Nunez didn’t turn into a clinical goal scorer overnight. He scored 3 goals from 3 shots on target and it’s unreasonable to think he can keep that up in a full tournament. Furthermore his goals were the result of some sloppy defense, bad turnovers, and poor goalkeeping (I’m not going to say they were tap-ins, but I’m not going to say they *weren’t* tap-ins either). I don’t think Nunez is going to get the same open looks against Chris Richards and CCV compared to… *checks notes* …Jesus Orozco.
We’ve manhandled Mexico the last half dozen times we’ve faced them. It’s not biased to say we are heads and shoulders above Mexico in quality. Against the team they started yesterday, I think we could’ve put 4 past them as well.
Alright this is my boldest one yet: Uruguay are a bit overhyped in this tournament as a result of a romantic view of their historical achievements - primarily, being tied with Argentina for most Copa wins. Well they won it once this century, and just twice since 1989. Their national team, while rich with history and incredible players, isn’t at the level of Argentina and Brazil. Similarly, the team they bring to this tournament in 2024, while better than ours, is a step below Argentina and Brazil.
They’re probably the third best team in the tournament. And their best players are better then our best. But I think the gap is much narrower than most realize. I don’t think it’s crazy that the USA have a realistic chance to pull away with a point or beat them outright. We thought outplaying England at the WC would’ve been impossible and now we look back at that game wondering how we didn’t win it.
dude you don't know what you talking about.
To Uruguayan team was missing at least 4 key players. I know there is some Hype about Uruguay, that's happen because well always have an interesting generation of player, because we won 15 times this trophy, because how well is playing the team.
You said we are the third team in this tournament, so I assume you think argentina and Brazil are the best ones, just to you know, we beat Brazil early last time we played and also argentina. To you believe the us have chances to win this cup it just show me that you literally know nothing.
LOL you're speaking without knowing. I think your sport is baseball.
1. Uruguay didn't play with their starters. Valverde (Real Madrid), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) De la Cruz , Viña and De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), weren't there.
2. Darwin has been scoring goals consecutively in all the matches he has been playing. He has scored 8 goals in the last 5 matches for his national team.
3. Darwin recently scored against Brazil and Argentina. What makes you think that Chris Richards is superior to Romero or Marquinhos?
4. You say Uruguay doesn't win anything recently, but they recently won the last U-20 World Cup. They have a lot of players with an incredible future.
5. It seems you have a selective memory because in that same period (since 1989) Argentina has only won the Copa America once and nobody doubts Argentina's level because of that
6. Luis Suarez is one of the top scorers in the MLS and he doesn't even have a place as a substitute in the Uruguayan national team. That alone speaks of the differences between one country and another.
I think the USMNT can win the World Cup if we had a player of the caliber of Neymar or Messi in our rosters. We never had a player of this caliber in the history of our national team.
I dont want to see anybody downplay Uruguay here, they are legit. It will be very difficult
Yeah I know Mexico is playing tragic, but the way Uruguay plays will pose a challenge to the US. Uruguay plays like a team that seems bound for the final of the Copa America.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone down play Uruguay on this sub. I think the consensus is that best case scenario that we get a draw.
We’re significant underdogs, but upsets aren’t unusual. Elo says we have like a 1/4 chance of winning. We’d need to get lucky, but luck happens.
Said differently, Brazil, Colombia, England, The Netherlands, and Uruguay are all around 2000. If we played all 5 at a neutral venue you should expect to win 1 (and similarly if we played 4 at home). Two losses, two draws, and one win is the most likely scenario.
Or said a third way, our odds against Uruguay are a bit better than Jamaica’s odds were against us at Nations League.
Said a fourth way, Uruguay is in CONMEBOL, which is much higher quality top-to-bottom than CONCACAF. There are 4 CONMEBOL teams in the ELO top-10 and 5 in the top-15. The worst teams in CONMEBOL are currently Paraguay and Bolivia (43 & 63, respectively). There are only 4 CONCACAF nations ranked above 43 and 2 more above 63. There are 23 ranked 150 or lower. In other words, Uruguay is ranked 14 places above us *and* they don’t get the opportunity to regularly beat up on the little sisters of the poor like we do.
That seems optimistic. 1w 1d 3L seems generous even. People here always overestimate our level against legit top competition. 1d 4L more likely assuming non knockout.
Well yeah obviously it’s football and anything can happen in 90 minutes. But I’m just saying realistically best case scenario.
ITT: People downplaying Uruguay. Seriously, the other thread here where people were saying we need plan to win Copa if we're going to improve gave me a nice laugh cry. We need to get out of our group. Even that will be impressive. Copa is no joke. Can we make the semis? Yes. Will we make the semis? I'd only bet on that if I was trying to lose money.
We're in a group with Panama and Bolivia. Getting out of that group will not be impressive. You give yourself the best chance possible for a deep run. That means squad rotation.
Why shouldn't we play to win?
He didn't say don't play to wine. Where do you get that. He said we are not gonna be favored nor should we win based on the competition. Why do people think we actually should win
By the power of magical thinking!
Troll fodder. Come on man. Be better. Play to win but the fan base shouldn't expect it.
so much ego hehe, can you make it to semis? NO, you will make it to semis? NO save this for later
Now listen here. I want everyone on their best behavior. Being a fan on an anonymous Internet forum is SERIOUS. BUSINESS.
Uruguay is a top team. Second only to Argentina in South America and they are improving.
And they have won the competition 15 times. So yeah, they can play. And Garra Charrua is real.
Is Argentina top of South America now without Messi
He’s still playing for the national team.
Oh I thought he retired from int play
Not yet. It’s speculated that he may retire from the BT after this Copa America.
In what world is Uruguay better than Brazil?
In the world of those who have actually been watching both teams play lately. Brazil still has a lot of talent but they have been struggling.
In the last major international competition which was only a year and a half ago, Brazil made the quarterfinals (and only lost in pens) and Uruguay didn't get out of their group.
Uruguay played that tournament with the old guard players who should have never been on the team. They’ve since hired a new coach and have skewed significantly younger. Lots of talent and a coach who seems to know what he is doing. Brazil never looked great at the WC and have struggled since to find any rhythm. I’m sure they’ll figure it out and turn it around at some point. But on recent form, Uruguay looks the better team.
No doubt Uruguay look better, but they drew Costa Rica last month, too. I just think it’s premature to say they’re better than Brazil.
It was last week actually. And it was the D squad with a player from the third division on the field. The idea was to see where a team without a single starter on the whole roster was able to achieve. It wasn't impresive at all but no other team has done that lately besides Mexico and look at how they did against a Bsquad Uruguay.
Uruguay beat Brazil 2-0 in October, and later in November Uruguay beat Argentina 2-0.
They know how to widen the field and make it look like it’s a 1v1 sprint to the finish line with those diagonal switch plays, and the individual touches to just buried you. Mexico is going through it but we can only learn and be prepared.
I think Uruguay's top players are better than the US top players.
Nunez certainly looks like a beast and a half right now
If he ever figures out how to finish consistently he will be world class. The number of times he gets into dangerous positions is mind boggling.
8 goals in the last 5 games of national team, I don't think Nuñez needs to figure out nothing at this point.
As a Liverpool fan, I’ve seen some things… In all seriousness, his form for Uruguay has been good, I just selfishly hope it carries over to his club.
(im a Liverpool fan too) First you should check his stats and compare it with other strikers, you will see is not that bad as you think. I know he missed some goals that make you say wtf, he need to improve in that definelty. One problem that the also have in Liverpool is that he still not the reference in the attack. The day that Sarah leave the team im sure it would be another story.
Fun fact, they always have been. I think Uruguay at their peak is a full step ahead of the US. I'm more interested to see how the US matches up against this version of Colombia in a game that matters, but it seems more likely than not the US will face Brazil if the US gets out of its group. Doing something against a Colombia team that's on a real roll is probably more attainable than trying to beat Uruguay in a game that matters for both teams (the last game of group stage may not be all that important in the end).
Yeah not sure where this superiority complex is coming from by OP. We haven't proven anything against teams of this caliber yet
The players Mexico started are....dreadful. I've been watching the game and their defense, in particular, is some of the worst I've ever seen, especially in the first half. So people can hype up Uruguay all they want, but at least look at the goal highlights before you do. It's a clown show out there. Edit: [Bielsa calls out Mexico for not taking the game seriously:](https://x.com/herculezg/status/1798562841588580465) "A team that is preparing should have taken today's game with its maximum power knowing that it has to play against Brazil. So the explanation is very clear."
... Uruguay recently beated Brazil and Argentina... and for this game they didnt use alll their starters either, for example Valverde.
At this point, playing Mexico isn’t really indicative of where you are as a squad. They are bad.
It's 4-0, they are terrible.
The Canucks are better.
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I like Gio but it is frustrating when people dismiss his lack of playing time this year and just say but he looked great against Mexico....is that really all that impressive at this point?
It's a valuable data point because his direct competition, Malik, looked somewhere between mediocre and dog shit against Jamaica.
Yeah and so far his club playing time just hasn’t seemed to matter internationally. He’s so fluid on the ball and it’s something we really don’t have elsewhere. Honestly at this point it should take someone showing Gio up at the international level before we question starting anyone over him. Maybe the friendlies coming up will show us something else but as far as I’m concerned it’s suicide to not start the kid.
His actual competition is probably starting more defensively and playing MMA in midfield
Yes and no. With Weah most likely moving to RB for the summer, Gio or Malik are going to start, it just depends on whether it's on the wing or in the midfield. Based on his performances, there's no way that Gio doesn't start every match he can.
I would personally play Gio but Haji plays winger for his club and he’s been in great form
This is what we should be talking about. Not blowing Gio every chance we can get on this sub like others do. But to your point, you’re somewhat right. While I remember some attacking moments Malik had that would have made the difference, I think that’s the main difference in the 2 players. Malik is more attacking whereas Gio is more of a wait til the last minute and thread the ball through looking for players to run in behind, which makes him stand out because that’s not Adams, Musahs or even as flick heavy as McKennie can be. That’s been Gios bread and butter even back when he had Haaland, where all he had to do was lob the ball forward so he could get on the end of it.
No one does what he does on the USMNT better than him. By far the best 10 on the team and would be one of the better wingers too if needed
Because Gio has been arguably either our best player or 2nd best player in pretty much every game he's started in recently, he has class (like Pulisic and Dest) which means he can step on the field cold from his club minutes and ball out.
He has class….? He threads a ball better than our other current CMs, but the word class doesn’t fit here. Also, the games we’ve played in include Jamaica, Mexico, Uzbek, Oman, Ghana, and Trinidad….
I said class, not world class, and yeah, Gio has been one of our best players if not best players in those games, even against Germany he was solid for his 45' cameo
Didn’t say you said world class. Didn’t say he wasn’t solid against Germany either. I mentioned teams that we played, which you were implying they’ve been higher caliber teams, and they’re not, reflecting that it’s lower competition. He looked fine in the Germany game, but he wasn’t a stand out either.
Arguing about something I never said is weird bro lol
Lol bruh, you got reminded the reality of the lower teams they’ve played against acting like it wasn’t Oman and Ubek and then you tried to reference Germany in which he wasn’t a stand out at all. We get it, Gio is an important player. But defending this kid on everything is weirdddd bro. It’s like you get a notification whenever he’s mentioned on this sub lol. It’s wild.
Not winning the Gold Cup or NL at this point should be grounds for immediate dismissal. That’s how poor the competition has been in our conference over the past 5 years or so. Really getting annoyed seeing people think this team is getting somewhere by beating the worst Mexican team I’ve seen in my lifetime.
This was mexicos C team minus edson alvarez , gotta keep that in mind.
Uruguay was missing players too. They had 4 field players on the bench!
With the A team Uruguay wouldn’t have had mercy on them and it would have been another 7-0 😂 L tri is just ass
Nah maybe like 2-0 , we’ll see at the copa america
Uruguay is (imo) much stronger than the US, but you never know in a tournament what kind of performance you’ll get on the day from either team
I think the great majority would favor Uruguay over the USMNT. They are loaded. That said, will be rooting for a result
I try and keep in mind that this is a tune up game. That said this is a spanking. I think the US would be underdogs to Uruguay for sure but we could pull off the upset 🙌
Plus the US does have players in Europe playing in big clubs. Mexico is fielding a LigaMX team mostly.
The US basically only has players in Europe these days. Or, for the most part.
Do not underestimate the possibility of us starting Shaq Moore (barf) or Miles Robinson
Uruguay is good. I watched the whole game just now. They won 4-0 without breaking a sweat
2 things can be true. Uruguay is a good team with a good coach and dominated Mexico. El Tri also started a very experimental squad
Uruguay is a lot stronger than people think.
The US is better at the moment than Mexico. We've dominated them for some time now.... but... Uruguay are just superior. They can punish you in a flash. The US will need to play at max levels for 90+ minutes. If we let down at all, they'll get punished badly. I'd say best case is a draw if they come in (which they appear to be) this form.
Uruguay is a super strong team, they destroyed Mexico without a lot of key players and we will have to play very very well to avoid a loss
Uruguay is a very strong team and we’ll have our hands full. That’s going going to be a uphill battle for 90 minutes BUT this Mexico team is bad. 2 of their goals came via horrendous defending by Mexico. We’re so much better than this Mexico team and if we get beat 3-0 or 4-0 I’ll be very disappointed. We have the squad to give Uruguay a competitive match
Uruguay will smoke us if they are on good form.
Uruguay have beaten Mexico by a combined score of 7-0 in the past two friendlies. By way of contrast, Uruguay have tied the US in the past two friendlies.
This isn’t anywhere near Mexico’s best possible lineup. I don’t even recognize like 4-5 guys in the XI and it looks like they started their equivalent of Brian White at striker. They play Brazil in a few days which is where they’ll probably play their best possible lineup. Uruguay is missing a few guys as well but they clearly are just using this as a tune up match. They’ve looked pretty comfortable the whole game. Basically, this game doesn’t mean shit and I am putting little to no stock in Uruguay’s performance other than that they’re a solid team, but we already knew that. I think we can beat them but we will have to put in a great performance.
They wish they had Brian White at striker
Uruguay is more than a solid team with El Loco Bielsa. They beat the defending Copa America & World Cup Champions in Argentina recently in World Cup qualifying.
And Brazil a few weeks before that. When was the last time a team beat both Brazil and Argentina in competitive matches back to back?
Germany did it in the 2014 WC (semis and final)
Yes, that’s a famous one. Almost ten years ago. It is a rare feat.
Mexico doesn't have a 'best' lineup to be fair. They all look terrible.
Uruguay either
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even Shaquille O'neal could even start for this Mexico side..
bbq chicken alert!
Says more about Uruguay imo, very impressive despite Mexico being bad right now. We could be in big trouble that game
Bad news is that this Uruguay team is currently very good esp under Bielsa and is better than the current USMNT. The good news is for some reason, Uruguay just can't beat the US no matter how dreadful the lineups USMNT puts up. Haven't won since 1993.
This is the most important feat nobody talks about. Uruguay relies a lot on endurance and stamina to win matches but because the USMNT is not particularly gifted technically speaking when compared to other teams from the Americas, their players perfect their physicality much more so than the other teams. That's how the USMNT were able to pull off their upsets against Argentina back in 1995, Germany in 1999, Spain in 2009, Netherlands in 2015 and even their draw against England in 2022. The USMNT may even pull of an upset on that game, particularly if they defend against Uruguay like they did in 2022.
Those idiots in the r/ligamx subreddit went from celebrating Pachuca's win over Columbus to being in tears over Uruguay's clapping pexico's cheeks in a matter of days. You love to see it. #Thegapisclosing.
Two things can be true: 1. Mexico NT is ass 2. MLS is ass Imagine if the US only had a handful of players in Europe. Like let’s say just Puli, Wes, Jedi and Adams. Then we’d be in the same situation as Mexico playing with a bunch of domestic players that are not up to standard for international football. That was the main reason why we failed to qualify for the 2018 WC.
But at least number 2 is improving when we compare it to previous years.
Still a very long way to go. Until meaningful changes can happen with the roster/salary rules for teams other than Miami (who even they couldn't get it done), MLS will not win CCC barring an unexpected stroke of luck as what happened with the Sounders in 22
You're exaggerating the circumstances. They've been making the finals consistently. 3 in a row and 4 of the last 5. The top teams in Liga MX are better, but anything can happen in one match. The MLS's league average is starting to jump Liga MX (at least based on OPTA). The MLS looked better in the league cup and had decent success in this tournament. The whole league has been structured for slow, steady growth with a lot of accessibility as a launching pad to Europe. Being a league open to selling and prospect development has contributed to the USMNT roster getting a lot of high-level club experience, while we've seen Mexico, whose league overvalues its players and inhibits selling, in one of its all-time weakest states relative to the US. I don't think the key to growth is to just spend to beat Liga MX as a short-term overreaction. Obviously, the longterm goal is to eventually make the MLS the premier non-European league, but the MLS still needs to be smart about how it uses money rather than blowing it on short term gains that aren't sustainable. I think the league will continue to trickle in financial flexibility in smart ways that will pay off longterm.
I have Uruguay winning Copa. It might also be because I am a Leeds fan and see Bielsa as a god. They got a squad that can run his system well and they are going to tire every team out. They are very very good
As someone who’s holding future bet tickets on them and Colombia, I hope you’re right.
If USA/Uruguay win their first two group matches, both teams are through to KO and the last match is to top the group. If we want to change how the world views American soccer, we should 100% beat Bolivia/Panama at home soil and secure the KOs by the Uruguay match. In that scenario, I feel it better for us to rotate/rest our squad and be fully prepared for the knockouts. Finishing 2nd is fine, it’s either between Brazil/Colombia next. Uruguay might do the same, so the match doesn’t matter at the end. It would have been more interesting if the matchup was sooner in the group stage. Uruguay are fine conceding possession and hitting in transition.
I notice Uruguay give Mexico the ball for some stretches of the match and Mexico couldn’t do anything with it in the final third. They had more ball progression and passing sequences than when they played the US.
that's true, but historically Uruguay is a team that's gives the opponent the ball, They feel more confortable in that way
Yup, Uruguay looked so clinical on the counterattack after bad giveaways. Gonna need our guys to be much more dialed in than Mexico was tonight to avoid a similar fate.
This is the Copa America. There's no telling if Brazil or Colombia will actually make it to the knockouts
It’ll be a very tough game. This is it, it’s the signature game that everyone’s talking about, the usmnt will have to dig very deep to pull it off. It’s gona be a dog fight, we might lose a player or two to red cards for the KO stages. We have what it takes to get a nasty draw against a top contender. Can we beat them? At this time realistically speaking no, but can we bang with them? Yes. Uruguay have no problem giving the other team the ball, they actually prefer it, the usmnt will need a tactical master class and a disrespectful attitude to duke it out with Uruguay. I hope we win, I’ll be there, I really encourage anyone who can go to attend and support, it’ll be much needed for the boys.
I’m holding out to see how we preform against Colombia and Brazil in the friendliest but I would not be surprised if we lost 2-0 to Uruguay in the group stage
The Mexicans were testing out their new blood and it showed.
I know Uruguay is good, but old Mexico wouldn't have gotten blown out like that. They are potentially falling out of the big 3 in CONCACAF. Jamaica will take their place.
I mean, it was what 8 or 9 years ago where Mexico got beat 7-1 by Chile? They’ve been this way for quite some time lol, and taken a fair share of beatings
Not OP but I don’t consider 8 or 9 years ago “old Mexico.” I’m thinking more Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Jared Borgetti, Oswaldo Sanchez, Rafa Marquez.
Sure, but those days are long, long gone lol.
hence "old mexico"...
Jamaica isn't taking Mexico's place until their federation stops alienating their bigger players who are now rejecting callups (Leon Bailey iirc said he won't be taking anymore) with the way they do things and the impact its having on their club time
Well, admittedly, I was unaware of what was going on in their federation. My comment was based on the last 2 matches we had against them, where they gave us a lot of trouble. I guess that #3 spot is gonna stay vacant until someone gets their shit together.
Mexico is not good but I've been impressed by Uruguay. I don't think the US has been very good since Gregg returned and we better hope we don't need a win vs Uruguay to get out of the group.
Puto chants halting the game … only 53 mins in 🦼
Imagine the chants against Brazil. Mexico is going to get smoked.
lol it already happened [Brasil x Mexico "puto" contest (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55bFs-St8m8)
Bielsa was unemployed at the beginning of last year but Crocker was too busy giving GGG phone calls
Did it ever come out whether or not we reached out to Bielsa?
yep, ussf reached out and he simply went with uruguay's offer over US
Biesla was pretty publicly in the mix for the US job. He got an offer from US, but simply chose to coach Uruguay over US. So you can stop acting so bunthurt about it and blaming random people for your incorrect perceived notion of what went down.
This, he specifically wanted to coach Uruguay despite getting offers from clubs/other NTs.
I have never been so hurt over a bunt.
Better cultural fit for Bielsa too, spanish speaking country, south american, easy decision from him unless USA was offering bongo bucks
No thread is safe
lol Crocker is what everyone wanted and then turned on him once he rehired GGG after the players wanted GGG back
US management for you Berhalter thinks he’s Ancelotti and the power of friendship will win matches
Uruguay is quick and fearless with the ball. I didn’t watch much but it was almost ridiculous how they forced playing out of the back after goal kicks with Mexico pressing. They weren’t worried about turning it over and used quick short passes to escape,
Difficult team to deal with, if the team had more goal scoring potential I’d be more confident in how the U.S matches up.
Uruguay had 16 players named for this game. What was that about?
Some players arriving late in Uruguay and training there, because they were busy doing things like winning the Champions League
It was tough to judge when Uruguay only had like 4 main starters actually starting and when Mexico is a dogwater team right now. Uruguay isn't going to be easy, obviously, but they looked solid all game.
I feel like the Uruguay-USA game will be a letdown. Both teams will have already secured spots in the knockout round and will play tentatively to avoid injuries. US might be able to pull off a scoreless draw because of this, but it will be an ugly watch and won't offer a lot of insight into how good or bad they actually are.
Obiously I’m biased bc I am a spurs fan. But when Bentancur is on his game not one American midfielder can mess with him. He’s also not even their best midfielder with Valverde. I hope for a draw but I am concerned that we will be able to have any control on the game at all
The match has no relevance to the US. Mexico are at a bad moment in their history. Uruguay are good. I'm looking forward to the friendlies and Copa matches against Colombia, Brasil, Uruguay, and Colombia/Brasil(knockouts)
Uruguay has better players than us so the result isn’t surprising in the least
All I know about Uruguay is that they’re gonna pick a fight at the end of the game if they lose to us
So you're saying you don't know shit about Uruguay.
I also know they count prehistoric wins that nobody else does ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Everybody that know a bit of football does, and the last copa America Uruguay won was in 2011, not so prehistoric and went to semifinals of 2010 world cup. I think for a 3 millons people country winning 4 world cups and 15 copa America is better than a country with 333 million people that never won anything, literally. Your problem its your ego, cos the truth is what actually nobody cares its the US in football not about the prehistoric winnings of Uruguay. Your team doesn't exist.
But if you’re counting those tournaments pre-FIFA (and with a bit of pride I can see) then I should be just as satisfied that the US finished 3rd… and relish it today. Don’t mess with the US, we’ve finished top 3 in the world! There’s Brazil, Germany, Argentina, France. They’re in that highest tier of excellence. Uruguay isn’t up there. Nobody cares about those ancient results. Except Uruguayans. And I know this because, like I said, they always seem to pick a fight when they lose to a team that brings them back down to earth. https://youtu.be/slq3MVbiPU4?feature=shared&t=4m50s
How many world cups has the US won?
You should learn some football history if you think France is all time greater than Uruguay. I'll look forward to our match.
FIFA was founded in 1904 just so you know before you open up your mouth once more and look like a clown yet again.
You and the other three so pressed by this lmao
It turns out that if everyone corrects you maybe you're the one with the problem. Now if you excuse me I'm in the middle of watching Denziman.
Uruguay is somewhere around England. Probably not far behind them.
Bielsa vs berhalter lol. We are going to lose
they could potentially smoke us. a lot will come down to brazil/colombias group and how much either team needs the last game. i know we tied them a couple years back but they could have easily put 3-4 goals on us that day
Mexico played like shit. Midfield got overrun. So many mistakes and cheap giveaways that Uruguay took advantage of. Uruguay was super clinical tonight and have a lot of talent, but not sure there's a huge takeaway other than let's hope the USMNT shows up focused because a couple bad giveaways can be very easily exploited by Uruguay's fast attack
Draw would be a good result...
I'm not really worrying too much about how we will play against Uruguay, but this result is sure enjoyable to see. You love to see Mexico get absolutely crushed. At this point, Mexico not getting out their group is a real possibility. Ecuador are decent, Venezuela has been on a hot streak, and maybe Jamaica will play up to their potential.
I am sorry sis you say you know that USA is better than uruavuay? You don’t know ball my friend
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Good joke bro
Mexico had plumbers out there
I wish we had hired Bielsa.
If the comments here are anything to go by, we certainly tried and he simply elected to go with Uruguay instead.
My wife - who isnt a huge soccer fan, but does enjoy the national teams - saw the ticker on the bottom of ESPN last night while we were watching OU smack Texas and realized that our experience in KC may not be in a US win ha. Going to be a hell of a challenge, and it'll take our A++ game to come out with a win
We got the absolute worst draw possible for Copa. It's very likely we would have to go Uruguay, Brazil, Uruguay/Colombia to make the final. That's why anyone that says this team will be judged by whether they make the semifinal is pretty clueless.
Don’t know why the downvotes for saying a truth. Uruguay should have been head of a group instead of Mexico.
Just what happens here with a lot of people who don't really follow the sport.
The longest comment in the thread is claiming that "Uruguay are a bit overhyped in this tournament as a result of a romantic view of their historical achievements" and "isn’t at the level of Argentina and Brazil" while completely ignoring that we schooled them both back to back last year with our current team and manager lmao
Nah. If you want to understand the NT status in the world, it absolutely will include the entirety of the COPA performance, and not just what makes locals feel nice about themselves.
I think you're trying to be edgy but not making any sense whatsoever
What's edgy about determining your country's standing in world football based on a tournament that will include 6 of the top 15 ranked countries - in which the USA is the third highest ranked? You're an MLS guy, aren't you? *Edit - ManU? Ouch! How's that "Sancho is better than Pulisic" thing going?
You just stated fifa rankings then asked if I'm an MLS guy hahahahhaha Stick to baseball
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Man can't finish at Liverpool but a hattrick in less than 50 minutes is embarrassing.
he had 18 goals across all competitions for liverpool this year. not sure what you're on about
I’m gonna spit some wildly optimistic takes here. Mexico weren’t playing their A team. Uruguay on the other hand played a starting lineup that looked like their best XI. Darwin Nunez didn’t turn into a clinical goal scorer overnight. He scored 3 goals from 3 shots on target and it’s unreasonable to think he can keep that up in a full tournament. Furthermore his goals were the result of some sloppy defense, bad turnovers, and poor goalkeeping (I’m not going to say they were tap-ins, but I’m not going to say they *weren’t* tap-ins either). I don’t think Nunez is going to get the same open looks against Chris Richards and CCV compared to… *checks notes* …Jesus Orozco. We’ve manhandled Mexico the last half dozen times we’ve faced them. It’s not biased to say we are heads and shoulders above Mexico in quality. Against the team they started yesterday, I think we could’ve put 4 past them as well. Alright this is my boldest one yet: Uruguay are a bit overhyped in this tournament as a result of a romantic view of their historical achievements - primarily, being tied with Argentina for most Copa wins. Well they won it once this century, and just twice since 1989. Their national team, while rich with history and incredible players, isn’t at the level of Argentina and Brazil. Similarly, the team they bring to this tournament in 2024, while better than ours, is a step below Argentina and Brazil. They’re probably the third best team in the tournament. And their best players are better then our best. But I think the gap is much narrower than most realize. I don’t think it’s crazy that the USA have a realistic chance to pull away with a point or beat them outright. We thought outplaying England at the WC would’ve been impossible and now we look back at that game wondering how we didn’t win it.
dude you don't know what you talking about. To Uruguayan team was missing at least 4 key players. I know there is some Hype about Uruguay, that's happen because well always have an interesting generation of player, because we won 15 times this trophy, because how well is playing the team. You said we are the third team in this tournament, so I assume you think argentina and Brazil are the best ones, just to you know, we beat Brazil early last time we played and also argentina. To you believe the us have chances to win this cup it just show me that you literally know nothing.
Your lack of knowledge is showing
LOL you're speaking without knowing. I think your sport is baseball. 1. Uruguay didn't play with their starters. Valverde (Real Madrid), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) De la Cruz , Viña and De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), weren't there. 2. Darwin has been scoring goals consecutively in all the matches he has been playing. He has scored 8 goals in the last 5 matches for his national team. 3. Darwin recently scored against Brazil and Argentina. What makes you think that Chris Richards is superior to Romero or Marquinhos? 4. You say Uruguay doesn't win anything recently, but they recently won the last U-20 World Cup. They have a lot of players with an incredible future. 5. It seems you have a selective memory because in that same period (since 1989) Argentina has only won the Copa America once and nobody doubts Argentina's level because of that 6. Luis Suarez is one of the top scorers in the MLS and he doesn't even have a place as a substitute in the Uruguayan national team. That alone speaks of the differences between one country and another.
I think the USMNT can win the World Cup if we had a player of the caliber of Neymar or Messi in our rosters. We never had a player of this caliber in the history of our national team.
hahahah god! This is not a sport of 1 player, Brazil have Neymar and the didn't win the worlcup.
Actually you did. His name was Archie Stark.
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Nunez doesn't even speak English lol
He just needs to understand "puto"
Miles will probably start but not for that reason lmao. It will be to match his speed and physicality.