What a game, what a ride. Our young american studs are headed to the round of 16. The lads held on to a 1-0 lead for dear life and got the 3 points they required to move on. Our starboy Christian Pulisic sacrificed his body (100% his nuts) to score the bravest goal you will ever see, burying a cross from Sergino Dest and colliding with the keeper at full speed. We were worried but then this picture surfaced on social media after the match making CP10 an instant American legend:
Now we face the Dutch, the Netherlands, Holland ??? Idk what to call them but the country has canals, windmills and Amsterdam so I guess that's tight but still F&*K them. Now I've watched my tape on this squad and let me tell ya, they are a tough team to beat/breakdown. However, I think we will be able to keep up with these guys.
Formation wise, the dutch like to play a 3-4-3. They love having the outside backs get up the field and create offense while they hold down the midfield. When you talk about the Dutch and their strengths, you gotta start the conversation with the back 3 of Virgil Van Dijk,Nathan Ake and Mattijs de Ligt. These three dudes are legit aliens. They are tall, athletic beasts that win every aerial battle and have swift recovery speed. Like these 3 guys would fit perfectly into the base Jim Boheims 2-3 zone at Cuse. This defense saw the Netherlands concede only 1 goal during group play. The two wing backs will be Daily Blind and Denzel Dumphies. These two guys love to get box to box, maintain possession and efficiently cross the ball to the forwards. The three midfielders will be Frankie De Jong, Davy Klassen and Martin De Roon who will be sitting more defensively. Up top will be Memphis Depay who is still not 100% but started last game and the young superstar goal scorer of the World Cup so far Cody Gakpo. Gakpo has three goals in this tournament, and a grouping of him and Depay means the US back-line has their hands full.
Now what are the keys to this game for the US squad? First and foremost, you can't concede an early goal. As soon as that whistle blows for kickoff, our guys need to be switched on right away. Allowing a guy like Gakpo or Depay get in behind early and get a shot off against Matt Turner is no bueno. Next, the Americans need to be extremely disciplined when it comes to challenges inside the final thrid. You cant have a free kick 40 yards out from your net because the Dutch will send up the Monstars from their back-line. The Dutch height advantage is a complete mismatch for the Americans, kinda like a linebacker covering a RB running a wheel route. Lastly, be aggressive taking on guys in the Dutch final third. Weah needs to continue being a beast going at people and so does Pulisic. Ake and de Ligt both have yellows, which means if they get another yellow this game they will miss the quarterfinals so maybe this causes them to be targets for the Americans.
I do think the US midfield is better than the Dutch. Adams, Musah and Mckennie have been absolute animals throughout this tournament. They are way more athletic and physical than the dutch midfielders. Adams being the clean up man for Musah and Mckennie to go forward has been awesome, and we need that to continue. What we can't have is Gakpo or Depay running at Ream or the the other center-back in a 1v1 match up so Adams needs to work overtime to assist. Dest and Robinson will cancel out the outside back threat of Blind and Dumphries. These four players are like legit clones of each other so that will be an interesting matchup. Lastly, the American striker needs to be on his toes at all times in the box. The Dutch goalie is 6'7 so I'm expecting low shots all day which will create some juicy rebounds. Look for Jesus Ferreira, Wright or Sargent to bury one from the 6 yard box.
USA ML or you're a communist
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