Pre-match: WCQ: USA vs. Panama (10/6/17)

Besler-Gonzo or Besler-Miazga... The thing about centerbacks is that it's the pairing that you have to evaluate. You can't just plug and play with new individuals. For whatever reason, the Besler-Gonzo pairing has nearly always been solid. There's great understanding and chemistry there. But I can't recall the last time we've seen Besler-Miazga or how that went.

I realize there's a catch22, and you won't realize how a new pairing will go until you try it. But I'm not so sure you want to reach for "could be awesome (or really suck)" when you know you have "good enough" ready to go.

 

Given Bruce doesn't like Miazga I'd guess, given Cameron's injury, we might see Omar/Besler as a pairing.

And we won't get 3 points if that's the case.

Whether you want a Miazga or McKennie or Roldan or Williams, there's next to no chance Arena throws them out there in this type of game.

 

Depends on Gonzalez's form. Yedlin, if ready, would significantly shore up the back line.

 

Depends on whether Yedlin gets enough minutes in the coming matches. Otherwise, I'd be against using a guy just returning from injury and who's not match fit.

 

They've played together once, pitched a 3-0 shutout.

 

This is probably Bruce's most important game of his career. Get this right or else. Get 3 points or else.

 

We all remember how the Gonzo-Besler pairing went last time. And Besler-Miazga played at home against Nicaragua, Miazga scoring, and both keeping a clean sheet.

 

Decided to watch 3 or 4 MLS matches this week.

Good god. No wonder the US is a mess.

Coaching, defensive movement, 1 on 1 defending and defensive lack of leadership.

MLS may be the worst defensive league I have seen. It is really no surprise the US are having major problems right now. We can't defend. We don't teach defending. We don't implement proper defensive structure. We don't teach one on one defending. Our midfielders don't know how to pressure and cut out passing lanes.

You can blame individual players. You can blame the team, but the real problem is happening at the youth and MLS professional level coaching.

Perhaps the reason Arena was so successful in 2002 is because he ran what amounts to the US youth training center in Virginia.

 

Really impressive passing from Miazga compared to how he played with RedBulls.

 

Brooks injured. Cameron and Wood possibly injured as well. Yedlin and Johnson aren't playing. Neither is Williams. Chandler may or may not accept the call. Saief still injured. Johannsson not even making the squad.

The only guys we have playing first division soccer in Europe in leagues better than MLS are Pulisic, Miazga, and maybe Horvath, depending how you rank the Jupiler.

It's getting brutal.

 

Also Morris.

Yeah, we are up against it with these injures, but lets not make excuses. We should be able to win without those players. If we can't, we don't deserve to go to the World Cup.

 

The US should have "more than enough," but clearly, that hasn't been the case this cycle...

 

You don't put Miazga into a game of this magnitude. He's barely seen the National Team. Maybe you are speaking of the future?

 

disagree. He literally can't be worse than Gonzo, Ream, Hedges or even Cameron.

Tie him with Besler. In my opinion the two best natural CB's in the entire mix. Both are born defenders.

 

You don't insert a new central defender into the final 2, and most important, games of World Cup qualifying. We are at great risk of not qualifying, and Miazga has 3 caps total. Are you crazy? He's got 1 season in the Eredivisie under his belt. But most importantly, he has not been involved in WCQ!! Now is not the time to put in a newb.

 

Besler was capped first time in quali against Mexico? He did fine. Some guys have it from day one. Edu was another. Miazga has it. He is not a milk toast push over like Ream or Hedges. He is also not mentally absent like Brooks.

 

I agree with what you say about Ream, Hedges, and Brooks. Besler's first start was a friendly against Canada, and yes 2 months later his first US cap in WCQ was at Mexico -- a bold move by JK. However, @Mexico is not a game we had to win. The Panama match is a do or die situation where we may not qualify if we don't win. Miazga will get his chances. He played 1 match against Nicaragua in the Gold Cup this year. He's a good player, but this is not the match to screw around and take chances. We need a rock solid back 4, and for me that means Yedlin, Cameron, Besler, and FJohnson.

 

No kidding.

 

Johnson & Yedlin are not playing, and Cameron is injured and may not make it.

I agree those four in form are our best back line, but we may need someone to take Cameron's place if he's still injured.

 

It worked out well with Besler in Azteca.

 

Yedlin gets the start today for Newcastle. Thank god.

 

I'll take a not quite match fit Yedlin over Zusi.....period.

 

Yedlin should be plenty fit if he stays healthy. He has a chance to play in 3 games before Panama.

 

Yeah lets hope he stays on the field. But even if he didn't play a single match before Panama, as long as he was training I'd start him over Zusi.

 

Fab not starting again today.