The Gyasi Zardes thread

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by Scotty, Sep 11, 2014.

  1. Eleven Bravo

    Eleven Bravo Member+

    Atlanta United
    United States
    Jul 3, 2004
    SC
    Club:
    Atlanta Silverbacks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If Zardes had better ball control and execution, he would be in the EPL. I believe that’s what frustrates fans about Zardes mostly. Because people can say what they will, he is always in the right position. He’s big. He’s strong. And he sees the game very well. He just struggles to execute.

    Is it better to have someone who is small, weak, and poor vision, but has flash? I don’t know.

    But, Zardes is a guy that I see as someone we can turn to, but let’s all hope that Sargent and Soto are that next level striker for the US program.
     
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  2. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bill James is best known as the popularizer of analytics. But he wrote tons and tons of great stuff that didn't use numbers.

    One of his insights is how he defined the difference between good (baseball, but it works in all walks of life) and bad organizations is that bad organizations look at someone who is a mixed bag of attributes and focuses on what that person can't do. A good organization focuses on what that person CAN do and puts the person in a situation to succeed.

    I did NOT favor Berhalter getting the job, but did say he was the best American candidate. The reason for that is that in Columbus he took players like Zardes, and Kamara, and Meram, identified what they could do well, and put them in a position to succeed.

    The US has less than half a starting field 10 of players who can more or less do it all for their positions...Brooks, Adams, McKennie, and Pulisic. (Boyd might be at that level but from what I've seen, he's not quite there because he puts his head down too much.) My point being, the US coach can't be someone who is best suited to manage 7-8 complete players and patch around 2-3 flawed players. He has to be someone who can get something out of 6 flawed players.

    Guys like Zardes.
     
  3. Eleven Bravo

    Eleven Bravo Member+

    Atlanta United
    United States
    Jul 3, 2004
    SC
    Club:
    Atlanta Silverbacks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Berhalter has aggravated the hell out of me but mostly for his opinion that Adams is a right back, withholding Sargent from the u-20s, and playing some crazy line up choices...

    On that point though, I can’t criticize a coach for a friendly performance. Bedsides, that’s what those games are for.

    I’ll give Berhalter credit that the USMNT has come out with progressively more energy and purpose as this tournament has gone on. I hope continues with that.

    That said, there are just not that many good CF choices out there.

    Jozy is always hurt and in questionable form.

    Sargent and Soto should challenge but not at the point yet where they can command to be a lock.

    Novakovich deserves a call up and a legitimate look but not much more yet.

    Wood is in my burn pile right now.

    I’d give Wooten a shot but he’s wildly inconsistent. As soon as he gets hot, he cools down.

    Wright and Ebobisse need to just be Olympic players at this point.

    And Ramirez and Dwyer are clearly below the Zardes line.

    Therefore, it does make sense to play Zardes.... as awkward as he looks sometimes until someone can take that spot from him. And let me loudly proclaim, I don’t think he should be considered a lock. He has a lot of work to do. But he did his job last game.
     
  4. tomásbernal

    tomásbernal Member+

    Sep 4, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great post. Thanks for writing all that down.
     
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  5. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
  6. MarioKempes

    MarioKempes Member+

    Real Madrid, DC United, anywhere Pulisic plays
    Aug 3, 2000
    Proxima Centauri
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Zardes is 28 in September. He's not getting any better. He has flashes of brilliance, but mostly mediocre play. He does have good movement off the ball and good understanding. This goal is simply beautiful:

     
  7. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He has a pretty fine shot in his arsenal. He can be deceptively technical.

    First-time volley from the penalty spot


    Side-netting from the top of the 18


    Top-left corner from top of the 18 (1:50)


    Zardes hits the crossbar 3 times from the top of the 18 in the crossbar challenge
     
  8. gunnerfan7

    gunnerfan7 Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Jul 22, 2012
    Santa Cruz, California
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think you can say that Zardes is above his veteran MLS competition (e.g Dwyer, Sapong, Ramirez) at this point.

    He is faaaar too inconsistent in front of goal. And, worse, he is inconsistent with his hold up play.

    His contributions outside of goalscoring range from acceptable to damaging to the team, more often on the bad side of that scale.

    For me, that seals the deal on his future call-ups. He can't do anything offensively that his counterparts can't do just as well. And he can't contribute in other ways, whereas our other veteran #9s can and do hold up the ball and contribute outside of poaching.
     
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  9. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think you meant to post this in 2016.
     
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  10. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why is this thread not documenting every Zardes lowlight for the next time Berhalter inevitably calls him up over half a dozen forwards who can actually play soccer...



    1160363278356361222 is not a valid tweet id
     
  11. tomásbernal

    tomásbernal Member+

    Sep 4, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great idea! We should do this for the whole forward pool. I'll go over to the Novakovich and Bobby Wood forums and post their gameday rosters.
     
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  12. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    video?
     
  13. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  14. SpencerNY

    SpencerNY Member+

    Dec 1, 2001
    Up in the skyway
    He’s got a mental block or something. Never seen anyone that can get in so many good positions to score and flub it so often.

    Jozy didn’t appear interested at all and put away the one chance he got.
     
  15. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
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  16. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great post. The vibe around here is Zardes is one of the scapegoats ergo he sucked.

    No, our tactics sucked and, in turn, our midfield was dominated the last 3/4 of the match.
     
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  17. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    True regarding the tactics... and yet maybe it's kinda strange that our coach and 3 of 11 starters all came from the Columbus Crew?
    Like if you WERE going to draw your coach and almost 30% of your starting lineup from one MLS team for some bizarre/insane reason, maybe pick one better than the dudes who managed 1 PPG in 2016 and are on pace to match that in 2019?
     
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  18. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Zardes, Trapp, and...?
     
  19. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Columbus Crew make up 1 of 24 MLS teams, that's 4.2% of the coaches and players. And then of course you the countless hundreds of soccer teams around the world that are not in MLS... that's another hundred or so US eligible players maybe, further dropping the Crew's percentage of the player pool.

    And yet on the current USMNT we have from the Columbus Crew:

    Gregg Berhalter (coach whose brother will likely be the next CEO of US Soccer)
    Josh Wolff (assistant coach, until he leaves for a highly coveted MLS coaching job that he has done little to earn)

    Gyasi Zardes (starting striker)
    Wil Trapp (starting defensive midfielder)
    Zac Steffen (starting goalkeeper)

    That's 3 of 11 starters, or 27.3% that played for Berhalter in Columbus... that is quite the statistical improbability unless we're accepting that at least some are being called up more based on their relationship with the coach than because they're actually the best players available. This is further supported by the fact that the Crew are hardly the FC Barcelona of MLS (see the Crew's 1 PPG in 2016 and so far in 2019, we're not talking about practically unbeatable teams like the 2017 TFC, 2018 Atlanta/NYRB, or 2019 LAFC here). Given the eye test showing that Zardes and Trapp are both pretty much a joke at the national team level against opponents tougher than Concacaf minnows, it sure looks to be the favoritism thing...
     
  20. Lance90

    Lance90 Member

    Feb 7, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    Oh, I see, if Zardes could play soccer he’d be a world class striker.
     
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  21. rgli13

    rgli13 Member+

    Mar 23, 2005
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    sure, thats fine and all in terms of who to blame today, but what the hell makes you think he would do anything if he got touches?

    no one thinks zardes sucks cause he doesnt get the ball- we think he sucks cause weve all seen when he does.
     
  22. vexco

    vexco Member+

    Nov 2, 2013
    You realize that our tactics can suck but Zardes can also suck, too, right? It's not an either/or thing.
     
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  23. FirstStar

    FirstStar Hustlin' for the USA

    Fulham Football Club
    Feb 1, 2005
    Time's Arrow
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don’t blame Zardes for all this mess, but he’s seriously not good enough. If he’s genuinely the best 9 the US can roll out there, then we suck. Period.
     
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  24. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Zach Steffen plays for Fortuna Düsseldorf.
     
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  25. nobody

    nobody Member+

    Jun 20, 2000
    Zardes was poor. He never got the ball, but part of his job is too work to receive the ball, not just run the same patterns over and over and hope it hits him in the foot. He wasn't the problem specifically and wasn't any worse than most, but he was still poor.
     

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