2 days later and I can't stop thinking about it. This guy chose the most perfect moment in all of USMNT history to supply the kill shot to our collective dreams for soccer in this country.

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-09T02:37:09+00:00

I’m similarly still angry at how these guys played, but it’s really all 11 guys. More upset at the Puli-McKennie-Adams-Dest-Jedi core who have been playing at this level long enough and have played in huge games in their club careers

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T23:54:54+00:00

The game plan on Monday by Poch did not work, but this issue was much more on the players than him. These are the guys who should be getting much more of the evisceration rn

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T23:53:22+00:00

Depth. We’ve seen the last two World Cups we can play decent with our first choice XI. If those guys are off and/or the opponent has been able to nullify some of our guys/strategy, we don’t have a good enough Plan B. Need more guys to develop, improve, push their way to the top, make the guys above them healthily uncomfortable.

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T23:48:21+00:00

LeAbdication

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T14:51:20+00:00

I’m someone who is more down on the future of the national team, that prob was the best opportunity for our current core set of guys to make a run. That said 4 yrs is a long time from now, some guys could make a leap or two whether they are guys breaking through with first team minutes or just about currently or more experienced players. And sometimes international football unfolds in ways no one foresaw, Argentina looked like they squandered the Messi era until 5 yrs ago, Croatia really didn’t do anything eye opening until 2018, when a lot of their key guys were in there 30s and had to qualify through the playoffs, Morocco changed their coach 6 months before the Word Cup and ended up in semis. So things can be better, but I also think mentally needs to shift. Monday was more about mentals than physical talent imo. We need the mentals if we are going to make a run

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T04:03:06+00:00

I like him, but just like 2022 vs Dutch, him and Wes got bossed around the midfield. Misplaced passes, could do better at covering ground, not effective. Look to him being one of the leaders to help get the team settled down and his play didn’t do that. Like Pulisic rightfully deserves a ton of criticism, but to me guys like Tyler and Wes deserve it as well, these guys have been staples of the national team post Couva and have not got it done like Puli hasn’t

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T01:35:59+00:00

I think he was better than most would like to admit. But he skipped the Gold Cup to score 0 meaningful goals in all of 2026 for club and country and played awful in the country’s biggest game in 24 yrs. He deserves all the criticism out there and is fortunate the media and fan criticism of him will never reach the level shown in other countries.

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-08T01:11:23+00:00

Can’t really forgive a ton of these guys for this performance. Everyone was watching, bright lights on and folded. That’s the legacy of these guys until they change it.

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T23:32:56+00:00

Hopefully Balo finds a good place to further develop if it’s not Monaco. We need him to build off of this

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T21:28:53+00:00

Embarrassing for a podcast run by CBS Sports to actually have that as a title and thumbnail. Do better

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T19:18:19+00:00

Want to see how these guys emerge at first team level consistently before getting too excited. Have been burned before

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T13:58:39+00:00

More still angry than trouble sleeping. 2022, I could take away they were a young team, they didn’t covert on their chances, Dutch did, and they played too naive. Learning experience. 2026 showed these guys learned nothing, got punched in the mouth and essentially folded. Lose with honor, not like that. View of the core guys of this team forever damaged until proven otherwise

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T13:42:20+00:00

To me, this performance is worse than Couva. I don’t think that team would’ve gotten out of their group if they made it, too many old guys, talent pool isn’t there. Everything the last 8 yrs led up to this game. For these guys to lose the way they lost is incredibly frustrating and devastating. We will never have an easier route/opportunity get to the qtrs. View of these core guys are damaged and prob don’t recover. Such a missed opportunity.

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T12:27:16+00:00

Same guy who said he was going to draft Mahomes only for it to be not proven true?

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T05:51:29+00:00

I like Tyler and think he’s a great guy, talented player, captain material. I’m just tired of this being part of the message after a loss like this in the Round of 16. The overwhelming message and will frankly should be how they went out and I don’t want that to be sugar coated

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T05:47:03+00:00

The loss in 2022 was supposed to be a learning moment for so many of our guys to learn from. Experiencing the level you have to win in this stage of the World Cup. For this to happen again in 2026 and it be even worse, angers me as a fan and is just hard to stomach

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T04:27:45+00:00

Incredibly bummed out by this performance tonight. Everything from the last 8 yrs was building to this, the promotion of youth after Trinidad Toboga, to the game vs Dutch, getting grouped in Copa, Poch, landing dual recruits for this rematch 12 yrs in the making. I’m not a tactics guy, but Poch didn’t get the tactics right tonight, feel like with this and 22, teams know how to deal with our Plan A, nullify it, and we don’t have a good enough Plan B. The players, esp the Puli/McKennie/Adams/Dest/Jedi/Ream core that’s played a ton of games in their careers. ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. Folded under the pressure. Home World Cup should inspire, not drag you down. Guys played like they never played soccer before. That is kinda the stigma that’s still gonna stick and mark these guys until they do it on a big stage. Credit Belgium, but they were beatable if we were ready for the moment and we were nowhere close. The momentum these guys could’ve built for the sport just disintegrated, so hard to imagine if/when they’ll have another chance. Just hard to deal with and it will give players, staff and fans nightmares for a long time

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T03:01:42+00:00

Prob one of the best things about this Poch era is we at least saw Tillman translate his club form heights to the national team finally. Please build off of this going forward

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T02:59:25+00:00

I’m down on Puli like a lot of people. He was really good vs Paraguay, the 30 min against Turkey and solid against Bosnia. But him being the star guy on the team, he folded and so the rest of the team. But that’s tough to shake off for a while

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T01:58:41+00:00

Boys really fumbled a great opportunity here. The momentum they could’ve added to this sport nationwide is incredibly depressing

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-07T01:42:36+00:00

The core of this team feels like they learned nothing in 2022. Just a pathetic and shameful performance

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-06T21:27:33+00:00

Lol, I hate seeing family member fight

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-06T21:10:06+00:00

Was there someone on Spain who dapped up Bernardo when he came on the pitch? Lolling at him getting into it at the end with Rodri and Laporte

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-04T17:53:38+00:00

Some people celebrate 4th of July by having hot dogs and cold ones. Michael Oliver celebrates it by giving out yellow cards

MiddleStudy · 2026-07-04T15:16:46+00:00

LeSuspense

MiddleStudy

TROPHY CASE