Switzerland 5/30/21

The USMNT looked good for about a half in Switzerland, then the wheels fell off.  The Swiss switched formations at halftime as well as bringing on three of their better players.  From there forward we were second best and lucky to escape with a 1-2 loss.  Our transition defense was particularly poor specifically. 

After the match Gregg Berhalter (GGG) said he noticed the tactical switch by the Swiss and that his team "didn't adjust well to it."  Ummmm...you are the freaking coach!  How about, you know, making some adjustments of your own to match their adjustments so we don't get run off the pitch?  Nope, we kept doing the same things and probably deserved to give up 4 or 5 goals total.  In-game adjustments are not GGG's strong suit to say the least.  Which isn't good since we are finally about to play competitive matches that mean something. 

Ethan Horvath - Played well in his first cap since 3/26/19.  Neither of the goals were on him and he made some nice saves along the way.  He guessed right on the PK as well even though the guy missed the target.  Good to see he will be ready if called upon. 

John Brooks - He played well in his 60 minutes.  Had to do some emergency defending after being hung out to dry by Sergiño Dest several times.  Not at fault on either goal. 

Mark McKenzie - Very impressed with his first start, especially when you consider the level of the competition.  Didn't put a foot wrong and threw his name firmly into the mix for the spot next to Brooks.

Reggie Cannon - Wasn't good overall and was at fault for the first goal. He wasn't able to close the man down and then the ball deflected off him. (Looked like Horvath had it covered if not for the deflection.) Got forward pretty well but his crossing wasn't up to snuff. With options coming up behind him I'm not sure he did enough to keep his spot as a starter. Good depth piece though.

Dest - Oh man, did he have a shocker as they say. The second goal was completely on him. No idea what he was trying to do with that "clearance." Just a joke. Also left Brooks alone to cover for him far too many times. He also gave up an unlucky PK (ball don't lie!).

That said, he did have one decent pass and a good shot on goal that was saved. If he can't defend I'm not sure he should start on the left again. Also not sure we need to adjust our entire formation (back 4 to back 3 with wingbacks) to cover for his defensive lapses. I know he has to play somewhere for us, he's too talented not to, but the issue with him is simple, GET THE FUCK BACK ON DEFENSE!!!

Jackson Yueill - The drop off from Tyler Adams to him is STEEP. Yueill wasn't terrible, but in no way was he good. Looked a little out of his depth against this level of competition. He's still probably the backup #6 just by default, but he certainly didn't win the job outright with this performance. 

Weston McKennie - Was all over the place, playing much like he did at Juventus. He put out some fires but didn't seem to be as effective tracking back without Adams and Musah flanking him. He didn't get any service when moved up to play in the box either. Average good performance from Wes overall, and honestly I expected a bit more out of him. He was our captain and looked really intense during the anthem.

Sebastian Lletget - Scored our goal just by being aware.  Also had another glorious chance that he put into the side netting (assist from Josh Sargent).  I was a little surprised that he got the call to start over Yunus Musah here, but his performance definitely proved he deserved it.  When he plays for the USMNT he produces, so can't really ask more than that.  Playing him means so MMA midfield though, but I can live with that if he keeps scoring.

Gio Reyna - Played really well and hit the post at 52 (assist from Sargent). Kind of like Wes. I wanted more from Gio even though he played well. Our "big" players have to come up bigger than they did Sunday when the competition steps up a level. 

Brenden Aaronson - He also played really well in probably his biggest USMNT match to date. He wasn't overwhelmed by the moment at all, which is really nice to see. He obviously needs to get physically stronger, but he thinks the game so well he doesn't get bossed off the ball very often regardless. He already seems to be ahead of Tim Weah in the pecking order and I wonder if he can pass Gio at some point for second winger behind Christian Pulisic? Great depth piece any way you slice it. 

Sargent - His touch on hold-up play and linking with teammates was strangely off.  I watch Josh play a ton and I've never seen so many bad touches from him in one match.  He's never 100% accurate, but in the high-90s to low 80s I'd say normally.  He had two headers that missed, and neither was a very good shot.  He did very well pressing on D and creating for others in the box, but he didn't really have a clear chance on goal himself.  I've got him pegged for a breakout here in the next 3 games, but if it doesn't come his time as the first choice #9 might be ending before it begins. 

Kellyn Acosta - Didn't do much better than Yueill in his 30 minutes and looked slightly out of his league.  The spot behind Tyler Adams at #6 is WIDE open at the moment.  Seems like no one wants it.  

Musah - I was surprised that he didn't start until I saw him play. He did well driving the ball forward but immediately lost it every time he got into the attacking third. And it wasn't like he was trying to pull crazy moves or anything, he just lost the ball, and easily. I have to say his 30 minutes looked a lot like he does at Valencia, which is inexperienced. His defensive pressure can be huge for us when paired with Tyler and Wes, but the rest of his game? Yikes. I might give him a try at #6 if Adams can't go. 

Tim Ream - It only took him 30 minutes to prove once again why he doesn't belong anywhere near this team anymore.  If he plays in the Nations League we aren't going to win. 

Jordan Siebatcheu - Was given 20 minutes to prove why he should play over Sargent, and I'm not even sure he touched the ball.  Josh isn't a speed demon or anything, but Siebatcheu was noticeably slower than him in my eyes.  Like painfully obvious.  Jordan just doesn't offer as much as Sargent does and he's already 25 years old.  Seems like a late game sub when we need him on set pieces and not much more. 

Weah - I wanted to see him play for more than 20 minutes, but he didn't look like he deserved it.  He almost made a few dangerous things happen but lost the ball trying every time.  He's clearly 4th on the winger depth chart right now and needs to do something in the Nations League to keep that spot before someone else passes him by. 

DeAndre Yedlin - He only got 10 minutes but after how Cannon and Dest performed DeAndre has to be back in the mix to start.  It would not surprise me at all to see both Yedlin and Antonee Robinson (if healthy) playing as our starting fullbacks against Honduras.  I mean Dest has to pay some type of price for the stinker he laid.  Rather it be against Los Catrachos than El Tri.