Using goals/assists per 90 for a guy who's never had more than 8 goals or 4 assists in a season is a misuse of that stat. James Harden: 30.4 PPG Naz Mitrou-Long: 144 Points Per 48
Its one thing to not be sure of something I was trying to say and ask a clarifying question, but you and I both know that you were trying to call me out. Thats exactly what this was about. I would've reacted very different if you had approached it differently, but you didn't. If you are going to try to call me out, I don't know why you would get offended when I went right back at you.
I'm glad for Zardes that he's doing well with Columbus, but I don't think he's a NT player, and I've argued that for many years.
Assumption: Siebatcheau won't have committed. Prerequisite: have gotten decent minutes by now. Other factors: performance in previous tourneys, in the Hex, and in league. ---------------Pulisic-----Zardes---- ---Saief----McKennie---Nagbe----Yedlin----- ----------------------?????--- ----------Robinson--Miazga--EPB----- ---------------------Hamid----- ???? = Durkins, Adams, Davis, or Trapp
Klinsmann liked him because he had a hunger for goals. I agreed. His problem was always getting distracted about where he should play. I had him on my roster for the Panama/Trinidad games before Arena came out with his call ups. www.americansoccernow.com/matches/187/starting_xis/16925 ------------------morris--pulisic -vfana--zardes--Bradley--Delgado--Yedlin ---------------Besler--Gonzo--Cameron ------------------------GK: Guzan BriSciar's picks (bolded are guys I did not pick) http://www.americansoccernow.com/matches/187/starting_xis/16914 -----------------Wood---Morris ------Nagbe------Pulisic-------arriola --vfana-----Besler----Cameron---Yedlin -------------------GK: Howard As it turned out, Morris got injured before camp and wasn't called up and we went to Trinidad and lost. I didn't pick a roster after seeing Bruce's call ups. Zardes and Morris combined for the goal that won us the Gold Cup against Jamaica. b.t.w. - Agudelo might be getting the NPGA score because as a sub he is put in to help get a goal in an "all hands on deck" situation. Nothing wrong with that. But there's a difference between a starter and a sub. Jack Mac had a good NPGA for a while.
I don't have a problem bringing in 18 year olds with very little club time for meaningless friendlies a year before we play anything important. That said, The Gold Cup is an official competition, and I actually kinda care about winning it. If a guy like Josh Sargent can break through at Werder Bremen this season, then by all means bring him in. If he doesn't though, then the U20 World Cup next summer is a better place for him. I fully expect Altidore to be there, I'd bet on Bradley, and I guarantee we'll see a few other 27 to 30 year old players that make us say "meh". I don't like the mindset that if Player X isn't going to Qatar, then he shouldn't feature at all during the cycle. You can't project who will be good this far out, and there's important games in the meantime.
So Zardes' NT production and MLS production should take a backseat to Agudelo's lack of production for the NT and MLS?
Altidore, Sargent, Wood, Novakovich Weah, Pulisic, Amon, Lletget, McKennie, Adams, Roldan, Canouse Villafana, Robinson, Yedlin, Lima, Miazga, Brooks, Long, CCV Steffen, Horvath, Guzan
Altidore, Sargent, Wood, Weah Pulisic, Amon, Bradley, McKennie, Mendez, Adams, Ledezma, Canouse Dest, Robinson, Yedlin, Cannon, Miazga, Brooks, Long, CCV Steffen, Horvath, Guzan
I’m going with: GK: Steffen, Horvath, Klinsmann (third keeper taken as a throwaway) RB: Yedlin, Moore CB: Brooks, Miazga, Carter-Vickers, Palmer-Brown LB: Johnson, Robinson CM: McKennie, Adams, Trapp, Nagbe AT: Pulisic, Weah, Arriola, Amon, Gall, Green FW: Sargent, Novakovich ...cuts: FW: Zardes, Wright, Sabbi, Altidore, Ebobisse, Dwyer, Ramirez, Baird, Wood, MF: Lletget, Roldan, K. Acosta, Canouse, Mihailovic, Delgado, Morales, Bradley, Davis, Hyndman, Holmes, Parks, Corona, Gooch, Saief, Williams, DF: Ream, Chandler, Rosenberry, Lichaj, Garza, Lima, Lovitz, Sweat, Villafana, Long, Parker, Zimmerman GK: Guzan, Johnson, Miller, Bono, Hamid, Gonzalez ...Piere (EPB) and Siebatcheu (Nova) both included if they commit.
This is my guess based on who I think Berhalter will pick, not necessarily my preferences. Assuming he sticks with a 4-2-3-1: Forward: Zardes, Wood, Sargent I bet he sticks with Zardes, since he trusts him to produce in his system. Midfield: Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, Trapp, Arriola, Weah, Canouse, Nagbe, Lletget Like with Zardes, I bet he sticks with Trapp. Sure-thing wide players are scarce after Pulisic, so I think Arriola makes it. Nagbe and Lletget fit the possession-based style he seems to be going for and can play as pinched-in wide midfielders to give some flexibility. Defense: Brooks, Miazga, Long, CCV, Yedlin, Cannon, Garza, Robinson Based on January call-ups, it seems like he prefers Garza to Villafana at LB, so I'd say Garza gets the nod as stead, MLS-based vet presence if Robinson isn't working. GK: Steffen, Horvath, Guzan
Do we even know the roster rules yet? In the past, didn't we get to replace 5-6 players after group? And shouldn't projected rosters reflect that?
I expect Pulisic to be MIA again so that he can focus on Chelsea. IMO he will never prioritize the USMNT the way we’d all like. Sure hope I’m wrong though.
The Gold Cup final is on July 7th, and Chelsea typically doesn't start their preseason tours til late July. I'd be stunned if Pulisic is not in The Gold Cup squad
We'd all? Pretty sure there's no 'we all' on BS. And I for one will never question his love of country after watching him cry. Or perhaps the eagle tat. He has a responsibility to club and country and he'll balance it well. Perhaps to the point of burning himself out. If he gives Chelsea his focus this fall, he's a smart man IMO but once he's established I wouldn't think twice about his decisions on country.
They usually start their preseason in the middle of July. First games around the 22/23 of July the past couple years.
I should not have said "all" because that left out that one person who put BVB above the USMNT in their profile. My bad.
Clever. I follow the best Americans and when I signed on here to this board it was the first team to come to mind because of CP. I will drop it soon and make it Chelsea until the USMNT actually deserves mention.
Updated prediction: GK: Steffen, Horvath, Johnson RB: Yedlin, Lima CB: Brooks, Miazga, Long, Zimmerman LB: Johnson, Robinson DM: Bradley, Trapp MF: McKennie, Adams, Mihailovic, Roldan RF: Pulisic (CPT), Baird FW: Sargent, Ramirez LF: Weah, Amon Contenders: Miller, Bono, Cannon, Rosenberry, Chandler, Alvarado, Garza, CCV, Trusty, Canouse, Morales, McKenzie, Nagbe, Delgado, Lletget, Lovitz, Wood, Zardes, Altidore, Novakovich, Gall, Wright Dual-NT: Piere, Siebatcheu
Forwards: Sargent, Wood, Weah, +1 (Altidore, Ramirez, Novakovich) Wingers: Pulisic, Amon, Arriola (or Lewis instead of the 4th forward? I doubt it, but... plus there's Kenny Saief) Midfield: McKennie, Adams, Bradley, Lletget, Roldan (or maybe Trapp) Fullbacks: Yedlin, Lima, Robinson, Garza Center backs: Brooks, Miazga, Zimmerman, Long (or maybe CCV) GK: Horvath, Steffan, Johnson (or maybe Guzan?)
Very close to what I have. Ask Fabian what he wants to do. I'd have him instead of Amon as LW, and he starts. Or if he will play LB then he starts there and drop one of those guys.
I wasn't particularly wild about Fabian as a LW in the latter days of the Klinsmann era, I have to admit, but he's a guy of a quality level that should probably get a mulligan with a new coach if he truly seems interested, even if I wouldn't give him a lot of rope performance or chemistry-wise, not just because of the past, but also for the fact that he's 31; he's not exactly the future. (The same could be said of the 28 year-old Chandler, perhaps, but he'd REALLY have to convince a coach that he's all in, and then the same caveats would apply.)
Both should be considered. Chandler was actually playing LW at a high level before injury. Remains to be seen with him on every front though. Agreed Fabian was usually underwhelming with us at LW. He was awesome there in what I think was his first cap. And maybe one or two others, but beyond that he was better as a FB. But, I don't think he wants to play there for us. Doesn't want to. Maybe that's enough to just move on. But.....LW (or LB) are the 2 major holes in this squad and he fills either.