6/23/2024 - USMNT vs Bolivia - Upon Further Review

Summary

The USMNT drew CONEMBOL's weakest side in Bolivia to start their Copa America group stage campaign, looking to make an early statement to the rest of the group and build momentum. The US came out hot with a Balogun half-chance 30 seconds into the match, followed by a Pulisic screamer several minutes later to grab an early lead and force Bolivia out of their shell. The USMNT did little to take advantage of this, wasting possession until a great Reyna-Pulisic-Balogun play ended in a tidy left-footed finish by Balogun right before half time. The second half would be more of the same, with Bolivia doing very little to threaten the US goal despite several careless giveaways by Ream and Richards. Pepi came on for Balogun and proceeded to miss at least 2 clear cut chances to strengthen the lead. In the end, the 2-0 performance felt lackluster and clearly did not represent the US's best, but was enough to get the job done. Improvement will be needed in the upcoming matches if the USMNT wants to finish on top of their group.

Line-ups and Formation

The USMNT once again came out in the typical 4-3-3 , this time with Adams at the 6 in place of Cardoso or Musah. Balogun regained his starting role from Pepi as the number 9:

I'm not going to bother charting the build out unless things materially change going forward, as the USMNT remained in their 2-1-4-3 formation with the fullbacks pushing high up while one midfielder would drop in to help with the build out.

Similarly, the USMNT's defensive shape remained a 4-3-3, with Bolivia unable to hold possession long enough to see the US materially defend in this structure.

Goal by Goal Analysis

1-0 USMNT, 16:50 

This goal starts with the US winning possession at midfield in transition, and Pulisic playing a quick ball in behind to Balogun. Balogun does not have a great angle, but is able to clank the ball of the defender and out of bounds for a corner. From there, it is all Pulisic. Pulisic plays the corner short to Weah (something the US has not done in quite a while), and receives an immediate return pass. From here, Pulisic is able to dribble into the box, cut to his favored right foot, and unleash a perfectly placed curler in the top corner beyond the outstretched Bolivia keeper (who did a good job to even get a finger on the ball). Sometimes, individual quality wins out in soccer, and that was certainly the case here.

Praise: Pulisic (100%) 

2-0 USMNT, 25:08

This goal perfectly highlights some of the best qualities of the best players in the squad between Reyna, Pulisic, and Balogun: 1.Reyna receives a ball in his own half from Ream and is immediately able to scan ahead and play a perfectly weighted through ball to Pulisic through a line of the Bolivian defense. 2. Pulisic is able to turn and run with the ball, forcing the Bolivian defense backward until he is able to play a ball to Balogun in a pocket of space at the edge of the box. 3. Balogun is able to keep his composure and use his weaker left foot to beat the keeper to the far post from a low xG situation. I wish the US was always this clinical at punishing teams in transition, especially against weaker completion.

Praise: Balogun (70%), Pulisic (15%), Reyna (15%)

Not a goal, but I feel compelled to talk about it anyways

At about the 52 minute mark, the USMNT has a sequence of play that is by far the most aesthetically pleasing of the game and highlights how the USMNT should strive to play, especially against inferior opponents. 

The play starts with Richards seeing Balogun in a pocket of space and hitting a well placed through ball:

Balogun and Weah are able to hit quick passes to cycle the ball to McKinnie and run in behind the defense. McKinnie progresses the ball to Weah before making his own run, while Weah is able to find McKinnie's run with a backheel:

Lastly, McKinnie is able to keep composure on the ball and dribble through the Bolivia's defense into the box and locate Weah creeping in behind. Weah is able to cross the ball in front of the net for a Balogun tap-in:

Unfortunately, the ball got stuck on McKinnie's feet for fractionally too long, and the pass played Weah in an offside position. Nevertheless, this crisp sequence of play lasting 14 seconds and consisting of 7 mostly well-placed passes was one of best I have seen from the USMNT as of late. If the US can play quicker and move collectively around the ball, they can unlock defenses more consistently than by playing lazy crosses into the box.

Detailed Scoring:

As with before, please see the separate Scoring Methodology page for information about how scores are calculated. As I move forward with this, I continue to see higher scores than I would expect. 

Consider players with an average points per action of 0.6 and below a relatively poor performance. I also suspect that I may be giving players too many points for defensive actions, including winning headers and possession particularly in scenarios where the ball is hit right to them. More adjustments to come in the future.

Time	Player	Action	Points	Location	Commentary
0:05	Mckinnie	Win possession	1	Mid
0:09	Weah	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
0:12	Weah	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
0:55	Ream	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Final 3rd
1:37	Robinson	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
1:42	Robinson	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
1:51	Robinson	Win possession	1	Mid
1:54	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
2:18	Weah	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
2:21	Pulisic	Goal	6	Final 3rd
3:39	Ream	Header won	1	Own 3rd
3:49	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Mid
3:57	Adams	Foul (own 3rd)	-2	Mid
4:50	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Mid	A bit generous, as I'm not sure Robinson knows who he's passing it to here
4:57	Pulisic	Lost possession	-1	Mid
5:13	Scally	Defended ball out of bounds	0.25	Mid
5:55	Ream	Header won	1	Mid
6:29	Turner	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
6:57	Adams	Win possession	1	Mid
7:00	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
7:01	Balogun	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
7:02	Pulisic	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
7:06	Weah	Shot on target	3	Final 3rd
7:14	Ream	Win possession	1	Final 3rd	Giving Ream credit for stepping up, even though Robinson ultimately ends with the ball
7:28	Robinson	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd	Prime Robinson touch
7:42	Richards	Progressive pass	1	Mid
7:45	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
7:49	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
7:50	Robinson	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
7:55	Scally	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
8:00	Pulisic	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
8:02	Balogun	Good touch	0.5	Final 3rd
8:20	Ream	Lost possession -	-2	Mid	Ream with a dangerous giveaway
9:03	Adams	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
9:09	Mckinnie	Lost possession -	-2	Mid
10:07	Turner	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
10:26	Ream	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd
10:27	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
10:30	Balogun	Shot deflected	2.5	Final 3rd
11:34	Richards	Defended ball out of bounds	0.25	Own 3rd
12:08	Scally	Header won	1	Own 3rd
12:14	Balogun	Good touch	0.5	Mid
12:27	Balogun	Lost possession	-1	Mid
12:40	Reyna	Win possession	1	Mid
12:43	Balogun	Lost possession	-1	Mid
13:04	Ream	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
13:13	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Mid
13:35	Richards	Header won	1	Mid
13:41	Weah	Foul	-0.5	Mid
14:26	Robinson	Header won	1	Own 3rd
14:39	Reyna	Foul drawn	0.5	Own 3rd
15:31	Adams	Progressive pass	1	Mid
15:34	Mckinnie	Good touch	0.5	Mid
15:37	Adams	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd	Hindsight 20/20 but if Mckinnie leaves for Balogun this might be a goal
16:19	Pulisic	Good corner	1	Final 3rd
16:30	Balogun	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
16:35	Balogun	Poor cross	-1	Final 3rd	Rabona cross!?
17:41	Balogun	Good touch	0.5	Mid
17:46	Adams	Lost possession -	-2	Own 3rd
18:13	Richards	Good clearance	0.5	Own 3rd
18:35	Robinson	Header won	1	Own 3rd
19:01	Turner	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
19:31	Richards	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
19:33	Scally	Progressive pass	1	Own 3rd
19:34	Weah	Good touch	0.5	Mid
20:00	Ream	Lost possession	-1	Mid
21:21	Turner	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
21:49	Richards	Progressive pass	1	Mid
21:58	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
22:01	Balogun	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
22:07	Ream	Win possession	1	Mid	Typical Ream play to sit back, then come flying in to win possession against a possible counter
22:18	Adams	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
23:12	Richards	Lost possession	-1	Mid
23:31	Pulisic	Foul	-0.5	Mid
24:20	Turner	GK Clearance	1	Own 3rd
25:05	Adams	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
25:18	Mckinnie	Corner won	1.5	Final 3rd
26:13	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
26:15	Reyna	Win possession	1	Final 3rd
26:36	Ream	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd	Tim Ream passing masterclass
26:49	Reyna	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
28:49	Richards	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
29:07	Ream	Header won	1	Own 3rd
29:10	Adams	Lost possession	-1	Mid
30:00	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Mid
30:04	Reyna	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
30:28	Weah	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
30:32	Weah	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
30:33	Mckinnie	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
30:34	Balogun	Shot deflected	2.5	Final 3rd
30:41	Reyna	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
30:42	Pulisic	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
30:44	Reyna	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
30:56	Scally	Win possession	1	Mid
31:05	Adams	Progressive pass	1	Mid
31:05	Mckinnie	Good touch	0.5	Mid
31:11	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Mid
31:46	Ream	Header clearance	0.5	Mid
31:52	Robinson	Win possession	1	Mid
31:58	Balogun	Good touch	0.5	Mid
32:00	Adams	Lost possession	-1	Mid
32:10	Scally	Poor on ball defense	-2	Mid
32:15	Adams	Foul	-0.5	Mid
32:48	Robinson	Header clearance	0.5	Mid
33:30	Scally	Lost possession -	-2	Own 3rd	Not sure what Scally is trying to do here
33:38	Reyna	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
33:44	Adams	Progressive pass	1	Own 3rd
33:55	Weah	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
34:28	Weah	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
34:30	Weah	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
35:07	Adams	Header won	1	Mid
35:24	Adams	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd
35:30	Weah	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
35:41	Adams	Win possession	1	Mid
35:48	Reyna	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd
35:55	Mckinnie	Poor cross	-1	Final 3rd
37:21	Turner	Progressive pass	1	Mid
37:29	Scally	Progressive pass	1	Mid	Good example of what scally can do in combination under the right circumstances
37:35	Mckinnie	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
37:41	Balogun	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
38:13	Richards	Foul	-0.5	Mid
40:13	Richards	Header won	1	Mid
40:45	Scally	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
40:47	Balogun	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
40:48	Reyna	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
40:57	Weah	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
41:46	Robinson	Win possession	1	Mid
41:55	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
42:40	Scally	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Final 3rd
42:51	Ream	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
41:53	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Own 3rd
42:57	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
43:01	Balogun	Goal	6	Final 3rd
44:27	Reyna	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
44:37	Reyna	Lost possession	-1	Mid
45:00+0:48	Reyna	Poor free kick	-1	Final 3rd
45:00+0:55	Reyna	Lost possession	-1	Mid	Reyna tried to his best Jeremie Doku impression
45:04	Ream	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Final 3rd
45:30	Weah	Foul	-0.5	Final 3rd
45:50	Musah	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
45:54	Turner	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
45:59	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Mid
46:01	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
46:13	Musah	Foul	-0.5	Mid
47:28	Robinson	Poor on ball defense	-2	Mid	Robinson loses a duel in an important area
47:38	Pulisic	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
48:05	Richards	Lost possession -	-2	Mid	Richards does not have the passing range of Tim Ream
48:12	Mckinnie	Foul	-0.5	Mid
48:55	Ream	Header won	1	Own 3rd
49:16	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
49:38	Reyna	Progressive pass ++	4	Final 3rd	Threading the needle beautifully to Weah
50:33	Musah	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
50:38	Pulisic	Lost possession -	-2	Own 3rd
51:13	Richards	Progressive pass	1	Mid
51:15	Weah	Lost possession	-1	Mid
51:25	Scally	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
51:30	Balogun	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
52:03	Richards	Progressive pass	1	Mid
52:04	Balogun	Progressive pass	1	Mid
52:05	Weah	Good touch	0.5	Mid
52:09	Mckinnie	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
52:11	Weah	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
52:12	Mckinnie	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd	Beautiful sequence of play wiped out by an offsides. Sequence starts with richard ball through the midfield and a nice combination between Weah and Mckinnie
53:49	Musah	Block	1	Own 3rd
53:54	Robinson	Header clearance	0.5	Own 3rd
56:26	Turner	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
56:36	Musah	Win possession	1	Mid
56:44	Ream	Lost possession -	-2	Own 3rd
57:08	Ream	Good clearance	0.5	Own 3rd
57:12	Musah	Header won	1	Own 3rd
57:20	Reyna	Progressive pass	1	Mid
57:23	Pulisic	Good touch	0.5	Mid
57:28	Pulisic	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd
57:31	Mckinnie	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
58:16	Scally	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
58:46	Richards	Lost possession --	-4	Final 3rd	Terrible giveaway by Richards gets bailed out
58:54	Musah	Good on ball defense (own 3rd)	2	Own 3rd
58:54	Musah	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
59:10	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
59:16	Pulisic	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
59:17	Pulisic	Shot on target	3	Final 3rd
60:19	Reyna	Win possession	1	Mid
60:32	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Mid
60:41	Scally	Foul drawn (final 3rd)	1.5	Final 3rd
61:54	Weah	Lost possession	-1	Mid
62:13	Robinson	Good on ball defense (own 3rd)	2	Own 3rd
62:13	Robinson	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
62:16	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Mid	Things like this are why Robinson is going to come out with a high score in this game
62:20	Pulisic	Lost possession	-1	Mid
62:58	Richards	Header won	1	Own 3rd
63:24	Scally	Foul drawn	0.5	Own 3rd
63:33	Turner	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
64:09	Musah	Win possession	1	Mid	Musah puting in the defensive work in this game
64:14	Reyna	Foul drawn	0.5	Mid
65:43	Musah	Progressive carry	1	Mid
65:50	Musah	Progressive pass	1	Mid	A bit generous here as his initial ball was cut out and sent right back to him
65:55	Robinson	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
65:56	Pepi	Bad Miss	-1	Final 3rd
67:10	Turner	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
67:12	Pulisic	Header won	1	Mid
67:39	Richards	Progressive pass	1	Mid
67:45	Scally	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd
68:23	Pepi	Win possession	1	Final 3rd
68:52	Pulisic	Win possession	1	Mid
69:01	Cardoso	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
69:26	Cardoso	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
69:29	Weah	Progressive pass +	2	Final 3rd
70:18	Scally	Good clearance	0.5	Mid
71:18	Pulisic	Progressive carry	1	Mid
71:24	Pulisic	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
71:50	Ream	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
72:10	Ream	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd	Ream loves playing this ball
72:13	Mckinnie	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
72:15	Pulisic	Win possession	1	Final 3rd
72:34	Richards	Lost possession -	-2	Mid
73:22	Musah	Progressive carry	1	Own 3rd	I started laughing as I watched this develop. Musah's signature ability to turn and run with the ball through the middle of the field is automatic
73:24	Musah	Foul drawn	0.5	Own 3rd
75:22	Richards	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Final 3rd
75:27	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
76:24	Mckinnie	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
76:28	Pepi	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
76:36	Robinson	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
76:41	Pepi	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
76:44	Richards	Win possession	1	Mid
77:49	Turner	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
78:30	Ream	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Final 3rd
78:34	Pulisic	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
78:35	Pepi	Shot on target	3	Final 3rd
79:23	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Mid
79:59	Ream	Lost possession --	-4	Mid	Ream temporarily loses his mind. Musah does a much better job tracking back to recover than against Colombia
80:32	Pepi	Shot on target	3	Final 3rd
80:43	Scally	Win possession	1	Final 3rd
81:16	Cardoso	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
81:19	Robinson	Progressive carry	1	Final 3rd
81:27	Weah	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
83:29	Cardoso	Lost possession	-1	Final 3rd
83:25	Turner	Forward ball leading to possession	0.25	Mid
84:03	Pulisic	Offensive pass	0.25	Final 3rd
84:13	Weah	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
85:00	Richards	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
86:15	Robinson	Foul drawn (final 3rd)	1.5	Final 3rd
88:16	Ream	Win possession	1	Own 3rd
88:38	Scally	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
89:06	De La Torre	Progressive pass	1	Final 3rd
89:08	Robinson	Good cross	1.5	Final 3rd	Not giving Pepi points for a point blank shot on target at the keeper
90:37	Robinson	Forward ball losing possession	-0.5	Mid
90:52	Cardoso	Foul drawn	0.5	Final 3rd
91:37	Pepi	Foul drawn	0.5	Final 3rd
93:19	Scally	Lost possession	-1	Own 3rd
93:23	Cardoso	Win possession	1	Own 3rd

Player	Actions	Points	Points per Action
De La Torre	1	1	1.00
Musah	13	12	0.92
Pepi	7	5.75	0.82
Pulisic	26	21.25	0.82
Balogun	17	13.5	0.79
Reyna	24	19	0.79
Robinson	27	21	0.78
Cardoso	6	3.5	0.58
Weah	21	11.25	0.54
Adams	16	5.25	0.33
Mckinnie	14	4.25	0.30
Ream	22	5.25	0.24
Scally	24	2.5	0.10
Turner	12	0.75	0.06
Richards	20	0	0.00

New +/- table:

Player	+	-	Total
Pulisic	26.75	-5.5	21.25
Robinson	25	-4	21
Reyna	22	-3	19
Balogun	17.5	-4	13.5
Musah	12.5	-0.5	12
Weah	16.25	-5	11.25
Pepi	7.75	-2	5.75
Adams	11.75	-6.5	5.25
Ream	15.25	-10	5.25
Mckinnie	8.75	-4.5	4.25
Cardoso	4.5	-1	3.5
Scally	13	-10.5	2.5
De La Torre	1	0	1
Turner	3.25	-2.5	0.75
Richards	11	-11	0

The Good

• Pulisic has been in great form this season and it appears that he is translating this to his USMNT performances. He is still the best player the USMNT has, and at his best he can be unplayable - driving at defenders, shifting the ball to either foot, playing crosses, passes, and shots with precision. The only minor gripe is that his set pieces, particularly his corners, leave a bit to be desired. All-in-all pulisic gets my MOTM.
• Musah recovered nicely from a poor showing in the prior two friendlies. My theory with Musah is that he is a minnow-killer: Great against CONCACAF and weak opponents where he can power dribble his way through the midfield, but poor when he is asked to play passes in the final third or hold possession tightly under pressure (notice I said "hold", as in receive the ball in build up, not "carry", which is quite adept at). I chuckled a number of times on rewatching observing how consistent Musah is at setting up the defender and then turning and dribbling out of reach and into open space:

Musah got out of this position no less than 5 times in this game

 

 

 

 

• What was even more surprising about Musah's performance this game was his defensive presence and effort. Musah won possession a number of times and was quick to track back and help in the few dangerous chances Bolivia had. If Musah can sustain this level of defensive quality, I think there is some use for him in starting lineups that involve a double pivot, even if I don't think he is one the best XI right now.
• Robinson also rebounded in a big way this game. Robinson consistently won the ball in defensive duels and was often able to find progressive passes to build possession, something he had almost no success in doing against Colombia or Bolivia. Robinson will always give you 100% effort, but you never know what kind of performance you are going to get from him from game to game. Particularly when time and space is compressed (e.g. when playing elite teams) he seems to struggle more relative to other players. When has time and space, he is able to be very effective as a left back.
• Reyna is the king of consistency for the USMNT since I started charting games. He has an ability to find incisive passes that no one else on the team has, and almost always makes the right decision on the ball. He is becoming more adept at supporting the defensive side of the ball, partially so that it may lead to quicker counters with the ball at his feet. Reyna should play as many minutes in this tournament as he is able to in order to give the US the best chance of success.

Probably the only player in the pool willing to try these passes consistently

The Eh

• No one for this game. Not many players in the middle, mostly good or bad. 

The Bad

• Scally returned to earth after two good-to-great performances against Colombia and Brazil. Scally offered little going forward in this game, often losing possession and failing to combine with teammates. He was also unable to showcase his defensive prowess in a game where Bolivia did little to challenge the wings (or USMNT in general). I will reserve judgement for 1 more game before I am willing to walk-back my "Scally is a better fullback than Robinson" hot take.
• Richards had another stinker after two lackluster games against Brazil and Colombia. One thing I've started to notice when Richards partners with Tim Ream is that he will often defer to Ream to make the incisive passes forward. Ream himself was not perfect in this game, but the difference in passing range was on display here. Richards had two or three bad giveaways on the ball or in trying to force passes into tight windows. However, he has the ability under the right circumstances, as he was able to hit a line breaking pass to initiate the Balogun goal ruled out by offsides.

This is a very bad place to lose the ball

• McKinnie needs to step up his game, simply put. After two underwhelming performances against Brazil and Colombia, I expected some return to form. However, McKinnie remained largely anonymous in this game, rarely showcase his talents on the ball. He had a few sloppy giveaways and poor passes, and only 1 promising moment in the Balogun goal ruled offside where he was able to link up with Weah, dribble into the box, and lay the ball off for a dangerous cross. His best is better than most on this team, but it has been a long time since we've seen it in a USMNT jersey. He need to find ways to assert himself into the game.

Overall Takeaways

1. This team will go as far as their best players (Pulisic, Reyna) can take them: The US's best moments often come from their best players, and this game was no different. Pulisic and Reyna's best can carry this team and create goal scoring chances critical to advancing far in the tournament. The rest of the supporting cast cannot consistently be relied upon to produce goals without these two pulling the strings.
2. I remain concerned about the future of the center backs: For the USMNT, Richard has not been the incisive, ball-playing centerback that 36 year old Tim Ream has been. While I believe he has the potential to get there and has flashed with Crystal Palace, there is still development to be had in his game. Couple that with the large drop-off beyond Richards and Ream, I am less than optimistic for center back play going forward. Given Berhalter's reliance on playing out of the back, center backs who can make a line-breaking pass are at a premium and I just don't think we have the player pool for it in the near future.