News: 40 Man Provisional Roster For The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup

If the poster was thinking U21, he didn't articulate it.

 

Why does U21 matter? Name 3 players better we've had on the same field together.

 

I'd honestly take O'Brien/Reyna/Donovan in 2002 over the guys now. I'm not saying the current trio doesn't have the potential to surpass hem, but so far, especially for the national team, it's more hoping for what will come than what is currently happening.

 

Continuing a failed policy of shrinking our talent pool (particularly at the top end) is just bad. I personally think that excluding German-Americans who play in the B1 isn’t the path to winning games but I also believe that MLB players are better than AAA players where exceptions exist but are not the rule.

In other words, I think excluding dual-Americans is both terrible as an ethical matter and for the purposes of winning games.

 

Most likely, you'd take them because they were good at the WC and we all have nostalgia.

Adams and Pulisic were just significantly involved for top 3 Bundesliga sides, and McKennie has been playing two years in the B1, with last year's Schalke team a top 3 side.

Obrien played a couple years for Ajax? Reyna played for middling sides in Germany, England, and Scotland? Donovan was good for a month in a mid-table Premier league team?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the current guys have basically all surpassed the highest level achieved by anyone else, including your 2002 trio. You can't argue nostalgia, and you can't argue longevity, as those can't be compared.

 

If I am the original poster being referred to, thanks for spelling this out. I was about to make a very similar post in response to the criticism.

I would also add that these 3 all play(ed) for UCL teams from one of the top 4 leagues, which is a bit different than guys like Klestjan or Parkhurst getting in with Belgian or Danish teams. How many guys have we ever had who played serious minutes for teams from the big 4 in the UCL? Jones? Johnson? I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head.

 

Yeah, I think the young guys clearly still have to prove it on the field for the US the way that Reyna, Donovan, and O'Brien did. But even taking age out of the picture, we've been complaining about Pulisic having a down year, but he appeared in 20 league games and 7 UCL games for a team that came in 2nd in the Bundesliga by 1 point and advanced to the round of 16 in UCL. How many Americans in any era, at any age have had a better club season?

Same with Adams. He walked into the starting lineup of the 3rd best Bundesliga club and looked like one of the better defensive center mids in the whole league in the 2nd half of the season. It's a small sample, but how many other Americans in any era, at any age have done something similar?

 

Personally I'd say TT is more deserving at this point than Lima...and I'm a bigger fan of Lima in general. Particularly in Berhalter's hybrid position. TT has been top notch in the past several games at right back - he's a better defender than Lima. And going forward, he's pretty even with Lima - better with combination play and holding the ball, however, far worse finishing than Lima (TT can't score in the proverbial whore house).

Yueill has also been fantastic the past several matches. But 1) he needs to do that consistently for 10-20 games straight, and 2) is running up against a ton of competition in that central midfield spot as you mention.

 

Exactly. People get confused with how they want to rank these guys.

You want to talk about peak performance? This group of 3 is most impressive in US history, regardless of age, and it's not terribly close.

Overall players/careers in USMNT history, or club history? Yes, to be determined, since they are all 20, and being forced out of position so MB can get more caps.

 

You can make arguments for or against, depending what you place your faith in or what factors you want to cherry pick. You can say Pulisic is a big money transfer to Chelsea who already starred at Dortmund or you can say he was mostly a squad rotation player for the past year outside of injuries/suspensions after losing his spot. You can say McKennie was on Schalke and imply that is a big deal because of the hostorical reputation of the team, or you could say he was a guy shuffled all over the field on a dire Schalke team that was lucky to not be fighting relegation. Heck, Adams may have the hardest club situation to argue against, but even then we're talking about what 10 games and then out injured?

And, we're still waiting to see them produce for the US team. I certainly think it can happen and I hope that it does, but outside Pulisic shouldering the offense on a failure of a qualifying campaign, we're still waiting to see just what they'll accomplish for the US as a group. I'm not wanting to talk poorly about our three bright hopes who I expect big things from, but very few 20 year old players are really proven commodities. The reality is that very few players can stake a claim to have proven much at that point. When the new guys have booked us a place in Qatar and led a US team that dominates in the region and shows well at the World Cup, we can talk about what they've done for the US. I hope/expect it will happen soon, but it has not happened yet.

 

Perhaps a better way to put it is that he should be sensitive to the issue because it was a main reason why we didn’t qualify and we want to not only qualify going forward but to go deep in the World Cup.

 

The original poster didn't say anything about the 3 best players who have PRODUCED for the UNMNT. Just the three best on the field at the same time and I don't see how that is an outlandish statement in any way. I noticed the poster pooh-poohing this didn't name his three (or six, or nine) better trio's.
You guys realize CP was voted 2nd best young player...by previous golden boot winners. That's an incredible statement of what great players see in him. And he brought a $70+ M transfer fee.
TA stepped into the Bundeliga and never broke stride, shining in every performance from day 1. Donovan, as good as a player as he was, never jumped to another league and showed immediately. His best stretch was the loan in EPL and it tool many weeks for him to even get beyond the invisible stage.
Maybe you could argue McKennie, but the dude's played almost every single outfield position as both a testament to his capability and his coach desire to get him onto the field.

 

ok, so let's take your worst position here. How many other players have the US had in history that have been squad rotation players for a team one point from winning the title in a top 4 league? Again, this is the worst possible portrayal of where he is.

 

Or, you could just add Beasley to the earlier group and recall he scored 4 goals as PSV went to the Semis in the Champion's League. Now how many did Pulisic score and where did Dortmund go? See, it's all about what data you want to select.

I am a big fan of our youngsters but I don't think it is unreasonable to ask they actually produce before we crown them all time greats.

 

Bruce Arena was undefeated. Then he lost to Costa Rica and Trinidad, and we were out of the World Cup. Please stop(and I've seen it ever since January) saying that he is "undefeated".

It's exactly the kind of stupid reasoning you are suggesting others are having, and flies in the face of the long-term patience viewpoint. If results aren't everything because we're 42 months out from Qatar, why does it matter that GGG has gone undefeated in meaningless Friendlies against mostly crap teams?

We can and should debate where this team is headed. There's no reason to not talk about snubs, because this is a long, slow process. The early returns strongly indicate preferences for MLS players, or at the least, players that have appeared in previous camps.

So guys like Nova, EPB, CCV, and other talented prospects will find it increasingly difficult to break into the team, a team filled with worse-than-replacement level players like Gonzo, Ream, and Bradley.

 

Lol, typical gunnerfan, you don't understand. The Harlem Globetrotters are 5085-0. Berhalter's early returns are similar. Not sure what else you can possibly ask for?

 

Dunno, but 5000 straight wins would win us about the next 60 world cups. I'll take it.

 

I'd like to see the 3600 or so roster selections before passing judgement.

 

Yes and no. People hated JK when he was winning, too. The issue with that is we haven't really played anyone outside of Chile and we didn't beat them. In fact, they should've beaten us. People have every right to be annoyed seeing names on the list who don't belong. Omar? Lovitz? Baird? Ream? Repeatedly proven they're not good enough even inside of THIS system and considering their history of being called up I'd say there's a more than 50% chance they're on the final roster. No thanks.

 

Pretty much. I think everyone would at least be open to the idea if we had some young and dynamic, or in his prime central midfielder, or a Jermaine Jones in his prime, and we could get both that other option, and Adams on the field by moving him to RB. However, if the impetus is, "Man, the only way to have the greatness of Bradley's carcass, or Trapp's "Never was international career" onto the field along w/Adams' dynamism is by moving Adams to RB, than the argument is complete and unmitigated horse bleep. And for all intents and purposes it sure as hell locks like the argument is the latter, which is essentially criminally stupid and totally unforgivable. Save these bird brained idiot ideas for when your several years into your term and have earned the good will to have the public at least consider trusting such a totally unjustifiable move. Instead, he's coming in w/a record not 1/10 as impressive as the Arena we all grew to hate and consider an idiot, or a blowhard or both, and immediately instituting an idea that is moronic from snout to tail and everywhere in between. You don't move a top 2-3 talent on the team, whose playing at an elite level in one of the worlds best leagues to make room for a guy who should be playing beer league softball at this point on the weekends, but instead is spending the last fumes of his career getting humiliated on a weekly basis in a mediocre league (and I say that as someone whose happy w/the improvements we've seen in the league over the past decade). It's beyond asinine. As for making room for Will Trapp. It goes w/o saying that that is equally ridiculous.

 

I'm still curious why Sargent was called up while Weah wasn't? Shouldn't Sargent also be with the U-20's riding then brought to ride the bench the entire tournament?

I'd have wanted Nova brought with us. I can understand the Wooten snub but Nova is 22 and has a future with the team. He's 6'4 and can be useful even in a limited role.

 

Sargent already played at the U20s while Weah asked to play in the tournament. Worked out great for all parties AFAIK.

 

What’s the over/under date for when Jozy is injured and sent back to Toronto?

 

No Hamid is just sad. Looks like Bill has been Benny'd. Best shot stopper by a good amount. Gets in a spat with Guzan who shouldn't be anywhere near the NT.....

Don't piss off the old boys fellas....they will come for you.

 

I'd cut the group down to 30 players for the camp. I'd guess that Berhalter does something like this:

Miller, CCV, both Robinsons, Fossey, Gutman, Garza (injured), Mihailovic, Gyau, Amon

That would be close to my choice, but I'd make a few switches. Guzan and Gonzalez would be out for me.