Keita started and went 90 for the Richmond Kickers in a 2-0 win over Tucson tonight. I was unimpressed with his play - some needless giveaways and poor touches. Maybe he's just rusty but this is a level where he should dominate. I realize he won't be starting at the WC, but he is taking up a roster
I think you're preaching to the choir here There's a lot of head-scratching about how a player like Keita is selected over Sands of NYCFC. He's more versatile as well, as he can play as a CM. So the knock-on effect is if you take Sands, then you don't need to take Servania to be a backup 6. Then you find space for Aaronson...…………… Oh well. Frankly, I'm never going to be happy with every roster decision. If I'm happy with 95%, then I'm good to go. As constructed, this team is good enough to achieve some great results at the event.
My hunch is that Tab feels loyal to Servania after a Tournament Best XI performance in qualifiers. Maybe Tab sees him as a good locker room guy, too. And so my hunch is that Tab couldn't bring himself to drop Servania, but also couldn't justify cutting Durkin+Cerrillo, so he talked himself into carrying Servania as 6/8/RB coverage. Going three-deep at DM really amps up the pressure to make the team in other parts of the roster and leaves us unnecessarily thin in certain areas. (I'm not enthusiastic about Servania at RB, but in his post-roster comments Tab suggested that he could soak up minutes if Dest isn't available.) To me, Araujo over Servania was a no-brainer based on roster balance. Araujo can play DM in a pinch, anyway.
I think this needs to be the last cycle of Ramos. This team needs a new approach. The results have improved under Ramos each cycle so far. His coaching decisions have been all over the place, which does include some good ones, but he's not some mastermind that deserves to stay as long as he wants. With this team, there are going to be depth problems at certain positions because of the roster composition. We took four CF's, two back up left-footed CB's, a back up box to box midfielder for a set-up that doesn't employ box to box players. There are a lot of spots Ramos wasted on "his guys" (Real, Servania, Rennicks, Akinola). It might end up hurting this team, if we need to use players 18-21 during this tournament. This is one of the areas where US teams at all levels struggle. The back half of rosters we pick is filled with the coaches "guys" instead of players who deserved to be on the roster, and it leads to a complete lack of depth having to carry a few players who we know if they see the field won't be up to the level of play.
I don't know. Maybe. And there is the thought that you don't want too many completely new players to a U20 squad for a World Cup. I mean, we already have two guys on this roster with zero U20 caps this cycle. Cerrillo and Weah. Right? Does a coach want to use a centerback he's never worked with at a World Cup. I'm talking about Sands here. And I'm not just talking about the coaching staff. Has James Sands ever even met Chris Richards? I remember Bob Bradley saying he wanted to establish his CB pairing and keeper as early as possible in a cycle, and have them work together as much as possible. In Bradley's case that meant Gocch and Boca at CB over and over and over again. Form, fitness, opponent. It didn't matter. He wanted those guys on the same page when the games actually mattered. We saw the opposite under Klinsmann when he chopped and changed, chopped and changed, his CBs all cycle. When the games started to really matter, we were all over the place in the back. Its easy to say...…………"well then Ramos should have called Sands up to camps sooner!!!" But the response to that is that Sands has really only emerged as a viable CB candidate very recently. Six months ago we would have been arguing Sands versus Servania...……………..but then Servania went out and played well at the CONCACAF Championships. So I can see the Sands versus Keita thing from both directions. Real over Araujo makes no sense to me. Everybody sees the problem from a mile away.
There doesn’t appear to be any structural biases in this so it seems rationale to me. Every coach has preferences but the problem is when there’s a systemic bias that favors less capable players.
Sure. I think there's a real problem if a coach prefers B2 players over MLS/Championship and and even bigger problem if they prefer any of those three leagues over players in the Big 4. One can switch B2 for MLS or Championship and the point remains. Another problematic bias would be to only look at “technical” players and ignoring highly athletic players who don’t have elite technical skills. Our pool isn’t deep enough and our technical players aren’t athletic enough to make this a viable strategy. Biases against dual-Americans who were raised overseas (the official Wambach/Arena/Donovan position) because they are "less American" is particularly noxious and makes our team much worse. There doesn't appear to be any structural biases in Ramos' preferences.
Point well taken, but I don't think this is the issue with this selection. There is clearly better league compatible players that didn't get selected. Sands should be in this team, a long time ago. Akinola may look great in a US jersey but Aamon should have been selected as a winger instead and have Weah cover either as a winger or CF. It should have been a no-brainer.
I may not be understanding your point. To clarify, I think that while there may be individual head scratching roster calls, it does not appear that it’s because “I like League X”.
Is there any chance Araujo and Sands are actually taken to the GC and that’s why they weren’t invited to the U20 WC? I’ve been disappointed not seeing Mckenzie for the Union this season, but you have to say Sands has the leg up on him as well.
I think its worth pointing out that we are talking about three players (Araujo, Sands, and Aaronson)......................who made a late charge to this roster. We know the issue with Aaronson. He's stuck behind the buzzsaw of Pomykal, Mendez, and Ledesma. Do we actually need another #10? We're not hiking the Trail of Tears. If we'd taken Aaronson and left Ledesma or Mendez off, then folks would be freaking out. This is a "first world" problem To many quality options for limited roster spots. Don't get me wrong. I like Aaronson. I just don't think we NEED Aaronson. I think we'll be fine in that part of the field. I think that of the three, its actually Araujo that the roster NEEDS. Real must be a real leader with the group, because its hard to explain Real over Araujo. It must just be a team chemistry thing. Araujo is so young that he is eligible for the next u20 cycle. So it could also just be about that. I always say that in the event of a tie, we should go with the player in his "natural cycle." I just can't believe this is a tie......................
I think Sands is on the 50-player roster. I doubt he will be added unless there are multiple injuries. To make things simple, I don't think Ramos rates Sands but he could get added if there is a flat-out need. You would need two defenders to go down before Sands enters the mix. Araujo would be the first add. I am with @Clint Eastwood that the toughest cut is Araujo. But Aaronson, Cappis, Amon, Amaya, and Sands were very tough cuts to me. But that is more a testament to the depth of this team. After them, you start getting to players like Carleton Vines, and Fernandez who would have made the team in years past. Besides Araujo, I am not including players available to the next U-20 cycle (Roberts, Booth, etc.)
Cappis is an interesting one. We just don't see him play (unless there's somebody watching Hobro out there). Right now we're not talking about the exclusion of Cappis, but maybe its one we'll be talking about two years from now. Imagine an alternate universe in which FC Dallas is able to sign Cappis. Would they then even have signed Cerrillo to an MLS deal? Tillykke til amerikanske @CCappis_99 som i dag blev kåret til kampens spiller. 🇺🇸💛💙 #Sldk #HOBVB pic.twitter.com/mn4wD87fXr— Hobro IK (@hikfodbold) May 12, 2019
I am not sure Cappis plays as a No. 6. Cerrillo is a dedicated No. 6. I haven not see much of Cappis but everyone was telling me that he was really good at the last U.S. U-20 camp. If Hobro get relegated, I am not sure what the next step for him is. He has a future, but career decisions are so important at this stage.
Cerrillo often plays as a #8 for FCD with Grueso playing as the #6................ When Grueso hasn't been available, Cerrillo has moved back. It seems that its Servania that's being trained to be the #6 for when Grueso leaves. (and I think his contract is up after this season?) If we were to get all three of these midfielders into an FCD starting lineup, I think Luchi would do this......................(with Roberts backing up Pax.) Where would McKennie, Cappis, Acosta, Ulloa, Hyndman, etc. play in this lineup? Its another FCD Central Midfield University question. -------Cerrillo-------Pomykal---- --------------Servania--------------
I think Cappis could play almost anywhere. Very smooth on the ball and a hard worker. I think he's a different version of Servania meaning he could play the #6 or #8. Could play elsewhere too. Concerning Sands does anyone have an inkling of why Tab doesn't rate Sands? I haven't seen much of him in MLS but the consensus is he's very good. Is there a stylistic or locker room issue?
Cappis reminds me of Parks but with a lot better defense and engine. Smooth passer like an 8, can score like a 10 and has an engine and bite like a 6.
Interestingly, maybe everyone is seeing why FCD didn't sign Parks. He's very good but midfielders grow in trees in North Texas. When the storm blew through the other night I found a few laying on the ground the next morning.
I guess I'm just confused by it. I don't know if there is any marker available than something totally mystifying, nebulous, and hunch/preference based to explain leaving off Sands. It's a team need. He's doing very very well, better than seemingly all or most guys playing the same position, he's also versatile, providing the ability to cover for multiple positions via injury. I understand that sometimes guys just don't like guys game, so to speak, for what they want. But when the guy is better than all the other options available and provides added value through versatility I begin to wonder if it's just a locker room issue because otherwise Tab's just flat out blind to value and talent when it comes to the player. This has definitely happened before. Every cycle their are confusing ommissions, there always will be, and it's nothing remotely on the scale of the hideous call ups and even starting lineup decisions GGG made back in March. When we're whining about 1-3 choices instead of a dozen, that's a good thing. Still I'm left wondering. Is there anything in particular to Sands game that Tab wouldn't like based on his past decisions w/players that sticks out? Anything? It's confounding to me. I can understand just locker room issues, and when players have different tool kit than what the coach wants, but when it looks like there's nothing to explain it, it just gives me headaches. It is interesting though. Every cycle this happens at the end before the tournament, and yet other than '13, he's generated better results than expected. I hope people give him a bit more rope this time because despite teh quality of the roster, I don't know if we've ever drawn a tougher group/knockout round situation with Tab w/a team that could actually do something ('13 was worse, but that team was acknowledged dreck pre-tournament). It's an exceptionally difficult knockout round draw unless we finish maybe first and maybe third, and even possibly 1st depending upon results. It's a weird situation in which our knockout round group pairing is so rough, it kinda makes finishing third more attractive than 2nd and even possibly first pending rsults.
Otoh, he's produced consistently well despite rosters we always complain about, including winning qualifying in back to back cycles. His '17 squad seems to have had a good chunk of talent on it that is moving up to the senior team even if '13 and '15 are less inspiring with full national team advancement levels. His teams also have seemed to get better and better over time, and have shown a remarkable ability to handle adversity and injuries ('15 injuries, and adversity, '17 multiple key players not released), and probably the most impressive thing has been how the team has handled being the inferior side against Colombia, Serbia, and Venezuela in the past two tournaments. In all three instances they pushed the games to extra time despite being the inferior side, and in many cases the side w/o anywhere near all it's weapons, and in two of those three instances they came out of regulation and extra time either level or winning. For all the issues we have w/his rosters maybe there is something of value to players getting the experience of fighting, and winning in the group stage, and in the knockout stage, and getting up every time it's been knocked down in the quarterfinals and against Colombia in the Round of 16 no matter what it faced. The PK Save, forcing Serbia (the eventual winner) to penalties, getting beat up by Venezuela, still forcing extra time, then falling behind 2-0 early, but coming back to make it tight late a la Belgium 2014. I still value the team playing well, rather than results, and players hopefully maximizing their skills/tool kits on the field, playing at their best etc more than the actual win/loss results. I'll take playing great, and losing to a good team, over playing crappy and eking out a win generally because over the long haul, playing well has more staying power than "luck" or random good fortune in a game. Developing the habit of bringing your a game to tournaments, and all given matches is crucial to me in that sense. However is there not a ton of value in the fight and togetherness and chemistry Tab's teams have played with? It seems to me that as much as he aggravates me w/his choices (as I know he does you as well), he gets more out of his teams than any USMNT coach I've seen since Bradley Matchday 3 and beyond at the Confed Cup in '09, and Arena in '02, Sampson at the Copa America '95 (uggh, I know, but he deserves credit) and Milutinovich in '94. I just haven't seen USMNT's fight harder, and be tougher outs than Tab's teams this past decade. There is value to that, especially to players who clearly have a USMNT future, players that come out of those tournaments w/that fire are unlikely to jake it like so many of the vets did at Couva.