Robinson calls the refereeing “amateur hour” but says they can’t blame him for the result.
Scott Bassett on Berhalter: “Berhalter out. It’s not about one game. It’s about the pattern of his overall cluelessness about how to mold this most talented group of players we’ve produced into anything like a coherent team over the multiple years he’s been in charge. Berhalter out.”
I’ll wrap with this thought, from the perspective of someone who was following soccer in this country when that was a sure way of getting oneself labeled as a trouble-making geek.
The USA is much better at soccer now that it was in the past. Players can command top dollar (or Euro, or pound) with Europe’s top clubs, or at least their top leagues.
But so is everyone else.
In the 1990s, the typical English club was still … English. Now the players come from all over.
So we can’t just look at a bunch of players getting their chances in the EPL and Serie A and say that’s enough to make the national team better. It’s going to take something else to turn the US team into a side that consistently beats weaker sides and can create chances against stronger ones.
And it helps if your players don’t pick up a silly red card early in a game they simply have to win.
That’s all for tonight. See you for Canada’s next game?
Espen Bommen: “The camera at a random angle. The offside line drawn with a crayon. The VAR decision taking 5 minutes. Makes me realize how much I miss the premier league….”
Ouch. The Premier League has had a rough go of VAR. MLS, oddly enough, does it relatively well.
Pulisic is asked about the refereeing but says he doesn’t really want to talk about that. Probably best to take the high road, such as it is.
