Hard to criticize too much with how both hands were tied behind his back, maybe a leg too. I mean we're talking conflict with Gold Cup, u20 WC, and club discretion. Looks like he just cobbled together a group from heavily backups, dispensable starters, non internationals, and youth players. You should be excited your boy Saucedo is on there. In all seriousness, it will be intriguing to see if he, Reyna (already, w/ the talent he is), Lennon, Williamson, Trusty, Herrera, and Aaronson; can fortify the squad going fw. They weren't part of last camp.
I agree it’s hard to criticize and it does seem very cobbled together - as if a big box of YNT fell off the back of a truck and most of the pieces were swept down a storm drain. But we were able to recover these. Even Bofo and Herrera’s inclusions aren’t really the emotional trigger for me they once would have been. Aren’t low expectations great?
A preview of the US U-23 team.. it’ll be big if Ferreira can get his citizenship soon. He had 2 assists (one was his shot that was going in before Badji tapped it in). Pomykal was sharp again. Servania is taking root. Pepi is so young he’s eligible for the 2023 US U-20 team https://t.co/HDspDXkgqu— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) June 23, 2019
Reggie Cannon has to start at RB for the team, right? Even though he isn't mentioned by anybody here. BTW, his mom is a surgeon and her dad won the Nobel prize. Not that it had anything to do with Olympics. But if you watched MNT against Jamaica last night, and still don't think he is good enough for U23 (he was born in 98), then I don't know what to say to you
He has looked sharper to me than has Lima at the Gold Cup. But yes, he should be starting off in the pole position.
Maybe defending. Dest has so many moves in his arsenal. Dest has no problem dribling inside. I haven't seen that from Cannon and I like Cannon better than Lima.
Dest has never played a first division game and is far from dominant at lower levels. Cannon is one of the best fullbacks in MLS.
Where’s the noise from? I’d say it’s not very informed noise. Getting games in preseason when players in front of him are away on international duty doesn’t mean he’s going to be playing for the first team this season. I doubt he gets more than 2-3 appearances this season.
I've seen @Susaeta say on Twitter that he's hearing Dest will get a shot with the 1st team this season.
I didn't mean he's not going to play for the first team this season literally. I meant in the sense that he's unlikely to be a regular in that team, either as a starter or on the bench. There are plenty of players who get a few appearances during the course of a season. There are three RB's at the club, two of which are senior internationals. If they need a fourth natural RB, he could find his way into a few matchday squads over the course of the season for a team that is going to be playing in many competitions, but unless something significant happens like a few injuries, terrible form for their first team RB's or huge improvement, I think its unlikely that Dest will be a first team player this season.
For the Olympics Dest would still be in competition w/ Cannon. But we'd potentially have a lot more useful info in a year. Dest could be a semi-regular for Ajax. That would say a lot. Not so much if he just got a cup of coffee like Perez. To wit, not many of our players would get significant p.t. for Fiorentina either. But being part of academies like that or in-between, even of pretty big clubs, only says so much. They're not proving nearly as much on youth teams/all but a few second divisions as if they're a good MLS player. So in Oct./Nov. he'd also have to deal w/ seemingly good MLS fb's like Duncan, Araujo, and Dotson. Dest back-ended a solid tourney but struggled early so far from dominated, sometimes being physically bossed, and not getting by folks in the final 3rd, blunting confidence a little how he'll far as he faces older/better players. Richards bossed, and is on a bigger club already in 1st team training w/ them, compelling more reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. Vis a vis qualifying though, players don't have to be released, and the kids discussed can't leverage it with the threat of a senior team inclusion instead. So it somewhat comes down to clubs being amenable to release. MLS is a lot more willing than the average league. So good thing they're giving so many youth players regular time now. We don't have to fill the qualifying squad w/ MLS bit players, reservists, and youth teamers abroad now. These are top level pros. So these games could be fun.
We have to keep in mind that it’s not even Cannon v Dest, it’s Araujo v Dest as back up to a full strength U23 side. Araujo is playing very well in MLS for a decent team. I think arguments like ‘player x could play at the level that play y is playing at’ are very unproductive, the truth of the manner is most coaches want the player playing first team soccer and not the one who could potentially in alternate universe. RB isn’t particularly weak for this age frame imo, there’s a lot of players with PT in MLS at the level, and a few who have gotten a lot and some are no slouches. Herrera, Lennon, Dotson, Reynolds, Duncan, Nealis off the top of my head all have minutes this year at RB.
We'll see. I won't be surprised is the USSF prioritizes Olympic qualification over the League of Nations. At least with our domestic U23s. We can take somebody like Yedlin to the League of Nations...……………...
I would, and it's also worth noting the first match in Nations League (I've already said League of Nations like a hundred times too) is against Cuba, for which the U.S. should bring a b-team, and not necessarily even one they're doing experiments with because they can't learn much. The Canada match would be a lot more loseable and experiments useful from. For Olympic qualifying we could see a team of about half FCD because of viability and familiarity. Maybe they do a whole cm of Pomykal, Servania, Cerrillo. It's functional enough to win some/lose some in MLS, a level higher than we'll see in CONCACAF u-23's.
Servania and Cerrillo have both shown that they are capable MLS players, but I think the jury is still out on whether or not a midfield with both of them in it creates enough going forward to be really effective.
(let me know if I missed someone) FW: - Mason Toye, Minnesota - Jesus Ferreira, Dallas - Jeremy Ebobisse, Portland - Josh Sargent, Bremen - Brandon Vazquez, Atlanta - Sebastian Soto, Hannover II - Ricardo Pepi, Dallas - Ayo Akinola, Toronto - Haji Wright, Schalke II AW: - Christian Pulisic, Chelsea - Timothy Weah, Lille - Jonathan Amon, Nordsjaellend - Jonathan Lewis, Colorado - Sebastian Saucedo, Salt Lake - Luca De La Torre, Fulham - Justin Rennicks, New England - Omir Fernandez, NYRB - Brooks Lennon, Salt Lake - Giovanni Reyna, Dortmund u-19 - Ulysses Llanez, Wolfsburg II - Emmanuel Sabbi, Hobro CAM: - Paxton Pomykal, Dallas - Brendan Aaronson, Philadelphia - Djordje Mihailovic, Chicago - Keaton Parks, NYC - Frankie Amaya, Cincinnati - Alex Mendez, Freiburg II - Thomas Roberts, Dallas - Richie Ledezma, PSV II - Andrew Carleton, Atlanta II DM: - Tyler Adams, Leipzig - Weston McKennie, Schalke - Erik Palmer-Brown, Breda - Jackson Yueill, San Jose - Edwin Cerrillo, Dallas - Brandon Servania, Dallas - Chris Durkin, DC - Christian Cappis, Hobro - Derrick Jones, Philadelphia - Eryk Williamson, Portland CB: - Miles Robinson, Atlanta - Chris Richards, Bayern II - Auston Trusty, Philaelphia - Cameron Carter-Vickers, Swansea - James Sands, NYC - Justen Glad, Salt Late - Donovan Pines, DC - Mark McKenzie, Philadelphia - Michael Edwards, Wolfsburg II FB: - Reggie Cannon, Dallas - Antonee Robinson, Wigan - Julian Araujo, LA Galaxy - Hassani Dotson, Minnesota - Kyle Duncan, NYRB - DeJuan Jones, New England - Tristan Blackmon, LAFC - Aaron Herrera, Salt Lake - Sergino Dest, Ajax II - Matt Olosunde, Rotherham - Chris Gloster, Hannover II - Danilo Acosta, Orlando - Andrew Gutman, Charlotte - Manny Perez, North Carolina - Marco Farfan, Portland - Marlon Fossey, Fulham II GK: - Matt Freese, Philadelphia - James Marcinkowski - Reno - David Ochoa - Salt Lake II - Brady Scott - Koln II - Jonathan Klinsmann - St. Gallen - Trey Muse - Tacoma
You are missing Nick Taitague (Shalke) RW Also, if you are counting eligible players then add Jordy Siebatcheu as a CF
FFS college football, they just became pros. Those examples of not being eligible so soon are a microcosm of how bad we used to have it when it came to fielding a viable u-23 team of solidified pros and thus were set it to fail when it came to this age classification. The hole has been closed for the most part because these, along with a Chris Mueller, are outliers. For the ones who still do exist, I'd look to back-door the experience for some by using them as among the over-ages if we qualify for the Olympics. They could use it for a scouting opportunity and higher-level competitive tourney development opportunity, to hopefully subsequently make a transfer to Europe, if need be. My over-ages as of today would be Mueller, Novakovich, and J. Gonzalez.