@Chels1an This is correct. Balo may have been our best player to date, but he also happens to be the most replaceable based on depth and coaching options. Not mutually exclusive. Losing Tyler Adams or Richards would be much worse
@CoachRooney16@UTDKobi Fair. I just don’t think Argentina is as clear as France on the other half of the bracket (despite having to face more difficult teams). Colombia shares the South American mindset and knows what it’ll take to beat Argentina.
Not my wish, but I think it’s a legitimate matchup
@the_bonnfire Gio is the false 9. Leave Pulisic on the wing making diagonal runs. Belgium has struggled against pace - Pepi upfront would likely be their preference
@HiMyNameIsSeton It’s not about who the best player is, it’s about what’s behind him. We have solid options to backfill Balogun. Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Tillman - even Dest or Robison - would be more difficult to replace. I’d play Gio as a false nine and run pace at Belgiums back line.
@DanielTana90274@JonathanSeller@stoolpresidente Could make the case that replacing Dest, Jedi, or Adams are all more challenging / personally I’d be more concerned with any of those missing the next game. Balo has been great but there are better options for backfilling him. I like Gio as a false 9 over Pepi or Haji.
🚨🇺🇸 Zlatan Ibrahimović hails Christian Pulisic after USA 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina
“People always expect the captain to score the goals and take the headlines. But sometimes the greatest performance is making everyone around you better. Pulisic was the heartbeat of this team. Every dangerous attack started with him, he kept asking questions, he never stopped running, and even when a goal was taken away from him, he kept playing with the same hunger. That is leadership—not complaining, but responding.”
“When Balogun was sent off, I watched Pulisic closely. Some captains panic. Some disappear. He became even bigger. He demanded the ball, calmed his teammates, and made sure Bosnia never believed they had control. That is what separates good players from real leaders.”
“Tillman scored the masterpiece, Freese made the saves, the defenders threw their bodies in front of everything, but do not forget the man wearing the armband. Pulisic carried the pressure of an entire nation and still played with courage. That is why the United States are still in this World Cup. You need talent to win matches, but you need players like Pulisic to win tournaments.”
#USABIH
@__LV19__ The primary reason the sport isn’t more popular here is because weve never been very good at it. If we were, americans would love the sport - and complain endlessly about the officiating like every other country.
@CoachRooney16 Will say this too - I trust whatever choice Poch makes. First time I can recall really trusting a USMNT manager to make the right choice. Pretty great.
@CoachRooney16 Said exactly the same - only concern id have is his fitness. Need a consistently high work rate out of Gio if he takes the spot, but I think it’s the best option
@CoachRooney16@FulhamFC Gotta disagree here. He was fine against a Bosnia side that almost exclusively played it in the air, often from distance. Ream facing a quick team with technical skill in the final third (Spain) remains my biggest concern.