TAKE NOTICE: 620 days, 1 missed World Cup, a few assault charges, and several therapy sessions later, it is finally here!! OUR VENGEANCE DAY!!!!!!!! USMNT v. Trinidad & Tobago
The last time the USMNT saw T&T was the last time any of us had hope or joy in our hearts. Since then, it has been a long dark road of sadness, meaninglessness, and woeful attempts at pretending we weren’t crying in our apple pies covered in American cheese. But we all were. Now, under our new manager Gregg Berhalter, we have been given an identity, a purpose, and a sense that we might actually know what the f&#k we are doing. That, of course, was right before we limped into the friendlies we had to warm up before the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Facing Jamaica and Venezuela with lesser teams than we could field was an extreme low point. Those old feelings cropped right back up, as if T&T was looming right behind us.
But then, after trimming the roster down, sending the injured players out, we took on Guyana in our opening match of the Gold Cup. In regards to this match, let us all remember… It was only Guyana. With that in mind, it was still enjoyable to see what I’ll call a B+ squad to take the field and let it rip. With Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie headlining this team in the midfield, we also allowed newcomer Tyler “Kiwi Krusher” Boyd make his first real statement for the USMNT. Pulisic showed off his usual pace, ball skills, and passing. McKennie showed off his passing, positioning, and determination. Boyd showed his deadly pace, his great cross-field passing, free kicks, and goal scoring ability. Paul Arriola also continued his solid performances under Berhalter with great runs, passing, and finishing.
However, while we all may have been pumped for these goals and watched some of the skills from Pulisic and Boyd like…..
….this match was not without its many faults. We failed to keep possession and control the game as we should have, our pressing was very weak at times, we failed to win WAY too many second balls, and our passing out of the back and through the midfield was sloppy. These are the aspects that lead to quick and easy counters that always tear the US apart. I expect the defense to sure up by bringing in Matt Miazga, and eventually with the return of both Tyler Adams and John Brooks, but in the meantime, players like Tim Ream, Aaron Long, and Walker Zimmerman need to be smarter and sharper. Ream’s play has been especially frustrating. I think we all expected a little bit more from someone who has Premier League experience. He may be out of his normal position, but it seems every time he is with the National Team things go South. Regardless, with a 4-0 win the USMNT gets a slight boost of confidence and another match with the Berhalter system under their belt. But we still have a long way to go to reach the potential this team has and to become a force to be reckoned with on the World stage.
But we still kicked our first competitive match since the disaster of October 10, 2017 right in its limp dick, and we head into VENGEANCE DAY LOOKING TO BRING THE PAIN!!!!!!!!
T&T better be ready for an improved and angry Pulisic and a group of hungry wolves behind him who are here to make a statement to Berhalter and the World. This is not just another match in the CUCKACAF Gold Cup, or a stepping stone for this team. This is a match that will speak volumes about this squad, this coach, and US Soccer as a whole. We must prove ourselves, take our vengeance, and put the past behind us by burying an ax into those who took everything from us!!!
To achieve our goal and have the celebration we all deserve on Vengeance Day, complete with mass calories, mass alcohol, twice the insulin, and three times the freedom, we need to put a solid squad together. This could be a bit more challenging after we saw Weston McKennie leave the field with what appeared to be a slight hamstring injury, and we also saw the Kiwi Krusher come up a little limp after his attempt at a hat trick. Hoping its nothing serious, but possibly a foot or ankle issue. Hopefully both are available, but if not then this could get interesting.
If everyone is healthy, here is what I think we might see, and I will dub this lineup the USS RED WHITE AND BLUE REDEMPTION!
I know, I know, I know…. Believe me, I get how frustrating it might be to bring back several of the players who were in The Disaster match, but I think Berhalter wants to give the guys a chance at proving themselves and getting their revenge. I think we see Jozy Altidore come in to give Gyasi Zardes a break after going the full 90 last match, plus, how many Gyasi-type goals can happen in back-to-back matches?! Never seen a ricochet goal like that before, but obviously its a Gyasi specialty. If Boyd and McKennie are healthy, I don’t think we see any other changes up top or in the midfield. If not, then be prepared for Christian Roldan, Jordan Morris, or (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE) Jonathan Lewis to be coming on. I think where we see the biggest changes are the back line. I think Miazga and Omar Gonzalez come on to bring in more experience, talent, and let Omar recover his reputation a bit. While he may not be forgiven, I truly hope he comes out and just goes wild on T&T. What a great story that would be.
We press on in our quest to defend the Gold Cup. We look to continue building this squad and our style of play under Berhalter more. This is going to feel like a must-win match for the USMNT We have to save face, we have to overcome the past, and we have to do it convincingly. I do not care what the final score is (in any match or sport), we need to make it as high as possible and celebrate every goal like we just won the World Cup. We should have a two-minute team tea party after every goal. Whether it be 13-0 (Yeah, the USWNT should have scored more and celebrated harder; I only hope they do in a future match!) This isn’t just a game, this is a statement from the USA, and last time I checked, the USA wasn’t a bunch of cucks! WHEN WE MAKE A STATEMENT, WE MAKE IT HARD, WE MAKE IT LOUD, AND THEN WE RUB IT IN YOUR STUPID FACE!!!!
SO HAPPY VENGEANCE DAY, AND LET’S BRING THE NOISE FOR THE BOYS!!!! GET THE W AND OUR REVENGE!!!
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Your humble servant,
Mr. Silence Dogood