This was the Mexico XI for the Nations Leauge final:
This was the XI today:
Pretty close to an A team, right? (Huerta, Reyes and Gimenez all played off the bench.)
Dang, I guess it would be closer than I thought, the Mexican fans didn’t seem to talk like it was going into it, but looking at their potential World Cup roster, that was definitely most of them.
Good tourney for Tillman, Richards and Luna.
The Berhalter being good at set pieces thing is such a catch 22 where the US needed it this tourney, but he doesn’t move the needle in any other way.
Team played hard I guess, but it was just not a very good team.
Poch has been thoroughly uninspiring up to this point.
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6/10 overlap
We had Adams, Ream, Richards, maybe Luna, depending on what happens
Both teams probably had their keeper
7 of the starting 11 overlap from Mexico but three others from the Nations League XI were in the squad and played today.
So more like 10/11.
Wouldn’t that be 10/14 then
You can’t move the numerator and not the denominator lol
I mean you can do whatever you want but
Yeah tonight didn’t change much for me. I think Tillman and Luna played their way into some time in WC. Obvi jumped the gun a bit with starting Luna and he didn’t look as good tonight. Think Freese is slightly 1A to 1B Turner at the moment, but that could change.
I think Poch has an impossible job really, we have this tournament and a bunch of friendlies to prepare, but I guess we’ll see. We set a year on fire rehiring GGG and really should’ve started with someone new going into the Copa.
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Well, 10 of the 11 starters from the Nations League title game were in the squad today.
The Luna hype is out of control. I can buy him making the squad, but the social media push to start him over Weah or whatever feels crazy.
This is the Gold Cup…
Also, Tim Ream starting next year’s WC is insane too. It feels like a mistake to be starting him in this tournament to me.
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I listed the reasons on why I was on that above and I still don’t think it’s the worst idea. Weah has been barely noticeable on the pitch for almost 2 full years and I think sometimes national teams need those grind it out type guys and Luna has been putting shots on net consistently this season.
I wasn’t really going full reactionary and putting a Gold Cup performance on a pedestal. His current form is definitely above Weah, but I don’t know if he can keep it on that level vs tougher opposition.
Tillman though, I could see it. He had a good chance to turn and shoot in the 90th minute before Agye overran him and barely put a foot on the shot.
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I definitely agree with this in that there was really nothing to take from this tournament when you are missing so many players but I don’t think he’s been awesome either way.
Pulisic, Balogun, Weah, McKennie, Reyna, Robinson, Dest are all probably WC starters who are missing and I might be missing someone else.
I also think the shaming Pulisic for not playing (and ignoring that so many other players can’t play because of CWC) is silly because I would say that Pulsiic can’t really prove anything in this tournament either, and him being healthy next year is most important.
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To try to but objective facts here instead of counting what we want.
Mexico guys who played and caps:
Jimenez (116)
Vega (43)
Alvarado (57)
Alvarez (91)
Mora (2)
Ruiz (7)
Gallardo (107)
Vazquez (35)
Montes (58)
Sanchez (50)
Malogan (15)
Subs:
Reyes (23)
Gimenez (41)
Pineda (84)
Huerta (23)
USA:
Agyemang (11)
Tillman (24)
De La Torre (30)
Luna (11)
Berhalter (5)
Adams (49)
Arfsten (9)
Ream (74)
Richards (30)
Freeman (6)
Freese (6)
Subs:
Aaronsen (52)
Tolkin (8)
Downs (4)
McGlynn (10)
Definitely more experience on Mexico
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More caps in the squad and also 10 starters from their last competitive trophy game in the squad, too.
Also this projected starting XI for Mexico in 2026:
Goalkeeper
Ángel Malagón (América, Mexico)
Defense
Jorge Sánchez (Cruz Azul, Mexico)
César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia)
Johan Vásquez (Genoa, Italy)
Jesús Gallardo (Toluca, Mexico)
Midfielders
Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow, Russia)
Edson Álvarez (West Ham United, England)
Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens, Greece)
Forwards
Alexis Vega (Toluca, Mexico)
Raúl Jiménez (Fulham, England)
Santiago Giménez (AC Milan, Italy)
Chavez is out with an ACL. Everyone else played. So pretty close to an A team.
I’d imagine we start Freese (gross), Richards, Ream, and as little as I like it, Adams
If think Tillman, Luna, Aaronsen will be in the squad, and probably some of the backliners because outside Robinson and Ream we are pretty rough
I guess my big thing with the CB is that I’m not really sure how it changes. Robinson, McKenzie and Zimmerman were all in this squad and didn’t get on the field really.
I don’t know that there’s some magical CB that’s just going to pop up in 12 months and save us.
Ream tried to do that last WC and now he is supposed to do it this time around at 38? Crazy.
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I think Berhalter is arguably the best set piece taker we have in the program (Pulisic is a good player, but he’s not good at these) but doubt he makes the squad
I think the fact Ream is plainly the best option is a dark sign! (To be fair, the fact that Ream had been out of US soccer basically prior to Miles’ injury was weird and made me wonder who hated him (Gregg?))
Miles Robinson hasn’t been the same since injury, and Zimmerman just seems out of the plan at this stage
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