Preliminary rosters are now out. I haven't looked at the other countries' lists closely, but ours has: Adams Amon Cannon Carter-Vickers Fossey Lewis McKennie Mihailovic Pulisic Robinson, A Robinson, M Sargent https://gallery.mailchimp.com/78d35...oncacaf_Gold_Cup_Preliminary_Lists_May_20.pdf
Fossey! Dave, can you remember his uncle's handle? Also, could (e.g.,) Tim Weah be conscripted for the Gold Cup (after the U20s) or would he have had to appear on the 40-player GC list?
It's a tricky one. His real-life name is Trevor Fossey, but I believe his BigSoccer ID is @Trevor Fossey.
Great to see Marlon Fossey on the USA Gold Cup list - he has worked so hard on his rehabilitation to get back to fitness, following serious injury which has kept him from playing for the past couple of years - featured recently in a video on Fulham FC website
I am pro more unique hairstyles in the USMNT picture. Give me some busios, fosseys, I'll even take some haaks
Jonathan David is on Canada's roster. Benji Michel is on Haiti's. Danny Acosta is on the Honduras roster. Nobody for Mexico. Did I miss anyone?
EPB and Glad both should've been on the list. They are better than half, if not more, of the CB's. Berhalter has started developing a habit of preferring CB's who are immobile, can't pass that well or both. I think he's a good coach, but his roster selection is some of the worst I've seen from recent USMNT managers. Arena and Sarachan didn't coach as well as Berhalter, but were better with squad selection. Berhalter is better suited as a club coach where he doesn't pick the players, and is tasked only with coaching them up and winning games.
What CB outside of Omar Gonzalez was called up that can't pass well? The only gripe I have about the CBs is Omar was called in over EPB. Beyond that, I think it's fine.
Carter-Vickers, Robinson, Miazga and Zimmerman all are below-average passers. Long isn't bad. Brooks (when not injured) also passes well. Gonzalez being in the team is a disgrace, considering his significant participation to the failed WCQ campaign.
I updated this tracker of MNT callups under Berhalter by birth year: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17xb1g8Jd2bWrXU4g3fXX1aC4A3EQcKYir1ZtHXXGoT8/edit?usp=sharing Without looking, guess which year has the most called-up players. It includes the GC provisional roster since it's meant to illustrate the pool broadly.
I'm leaning towards 95. If I'm wrong, my comment will be deleted before anyone realizes. Edit: I think I'm right? Anyways, it really lets you visualize how bad the middle years are. 96s only players with callups are Andrew Gutman and Corey Baird. If we had that output every year we'd be worse than Jamaica.
Unless my data's wrong, you're right... Though if you look at this through U20 "classes" the 97/98 group is currently in the lead, barely.
I know this isn't the place, but I really don't want to go into the USA Men forum and since we're on the topic, EPB should absolutely be on this roster over Omar. He's had a solid 2019 after struggling earlier in the season.
I’d argue that it’s Berhalter who isn’t helping with the healing process by consistently calling in the players who were responsible for us not qualifying. Gonzalez was done when Arena shipped him out of LA after the 2015 season. Tbh, I don’t really blame him that much for us not qualifying. But he’s definitely a reminder.
The more egregious omission to me is Glad. That’s not because I think he’s better. I think it’s because it shows that Berhalter does not pick the roster well on the margins. I’m sure he’s watched EPB play a lot this season and there’s some reason (likely not a good one) that is keeping him out of this team. Has he watched Glad play much? On the margins having Robinson and Carter-Vickers over Glad I think gives a better look into how Berhalter selects a squad.
Miles Robinson has been pretty easily the best defender on Atlanta this year and arguably the best player on the whole team so far, I haven't watched a ton of Glad but he hasn't stuck out to me as much as Robinson has. I have literally watched zero CCV this year so I have no opinion on that front. Miles Robinson deserves this callup more than Glad does. I also think that Robinson and AUFC play in a tactical setup that is more alike what Berhalter wants the USMNT to play than RSL does.
Glad has a pulse and 2 working legs (as far as I know) so he is far more qualified to be on this roster than Omar Gonzalez
I think Robinson should be in consideration for the Gold Cup team, but to me Glad is perpetually the most underrated player in the youth player pool and now the senior NT player pool because this guy now has a long track record of playing very well against professionals. @irondeepbicycle can back up what I'm saying about Glad. He's having a very good season, and has been one of the best defenders in MLS this season, despite an injury. He had a slight dip in form last season. It wasn't that bad and it was over discussed. Most people don't bother to watch RSL. Glad doesn't play for one of the big teams in MLS. Berhalter likes big and strong central defenders, and sometimes they can pass the ball or are mobile (Robinson is definitely very mobile), but Glad's lack of size works against him. I think we are going to be pinned in our own defensive half a lot with the CB's that Berhalter is going to use against good teams. If you have players who can't bypass pressure or pass around it, you are going to be giving the ball away a lot.
Justen Glad was one of my favorites in the last U20 World Cup. I haven't really seen much of him since as I don't watch RSL very often, so I took the general word that he was not performing well last year. From what I have seen he has excellent defensive positioning and provides enough going forward to be competitive. I thought he was a lot better than CCV in the U20 World Cup (although I can't remember ever being very impressed by CCV)
I would agree, but just add that I don't think Petke has been particularly good for him, and people are comparing Glad to where they'd hoped he'd be by this point. It's easy to forget now but Glad was on a short list of early favorites to win DPOTY going into last season. That obviously didn't happen and he dipped a bit in form (like you mention). He's been disappointing compared to what we'd hoped he'd be by this point, but he is still a very good player. He still struggles with physical center forwards and he is prone to mental lapses, but he's an outstanding passer when he's in form. I still think very highly of him.