The best-11 never minding 3G's tactics. Only Bradley and Kyle Beckerman have extensive experience playing a single pivot at club level. The vast majority of the CMs play in double pivots or double-8s central midfields. Attack with one fullback. That would be Yedlin. Nevermind the hybrid stuff. Just unleash him to run up the touchline. He racked up 6 assists in his first two years when used essentially as deep-lying winger. The double-pivot can cover for him. One WAM on Yedlin's side with play like a forward. That would be Pulisic. The opposite WAM will play like a left mid. Adams will have the space to get forward and play his game. Any thoughts?
If Johnson would / could play left back until our prospects get a little more experience then I think it would show that Berhalter isn't locked into the formation and tactics that he unveiled earlier this year. Johnson could easily do what Lima did on the right and allow Yedlin to stay wide on the right side. I'd like it even better if both backs could tuck in when the back on the other side advanced or in other situations or with other personnel one of the twin 8/10's drops back. I'm sort of on board with another poster mentioned last month that every player has an offensive and defensive position and it will depend on what players are chosen as to who gets assigned what. Lima might be a wide right back on offense a defensive mid on offense while Yedlin would be a wide right back on defense and a wide right mid when the team attacks.
With both Yedlin and Robinson I would like both to be to attack depending on the situation and either Adams or McKennie to drop back and cover. There should never be a time when both attack together (unless it's late and anything goes). I would also move Pulisic into lletget's spot, Sargent into Pulisic and Weah into Holmes but that's just guesswork and preference until I see more.
Well, you saw Sargent wide to start Friday in Pulisic's position (right wing) and he was quickly moved to center forward when he couldn't hack it at right wing. At the moment, Sargent is basically a second striker like Dempsey.
Yeah it's a matter of opinion there. While I wouldn't rate the Swedish (#22) or Scottish (#20) leagues as strong as MLS, and put MLS above the Championship and 2.BuLi because it's a top division, right now I do rank the Jupiler (#8) and the Danish (#15) leagues above MLS. The latter can be argued though. They have a few teams that are above anything MLS can offer, IMO (Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Brøndby), but the bottom is weak, and Hobro is dire. So it's a borderline case.
I think when it comes to those leagues it’s case by case. The top of those leagues are better than the MLS. AIK, Malmo, Celtic, Rangers, top of Championship and BuLi 2 would crush a lot of the MLS. The top of the MLS would crush some of the bottom teams in those leagues as well. All in all league wide comparisons are tough. When they get to leagues that are close sometimes it’s better to look at it team by team.
And even that becomes a quandary. If you're in a weak team like Hobro, that means you're facing stronger opposition, including teams better than anything MLS has to offer, so your challenge is tougher. It could be argued a Yank in a bottom team of the Danish or Scottish league is under more pressure to play well than one in a team near the top, who can be covered by his mates, and who has such support he only needs to be mediocre to look ok.
I was thinking about it strictly how we played in January. I dont know anything about Lovitiz, but based on how he played, we might have been better off with a third CB. I think Yedlin is one of the best RBs we have, but not that excited about it. I've argued if everybody was healthy, Id call in 5 CBs, FJ, DY, and AR. I'd give FJ 90 mins in the Lima role, the other two guys a half in the Lima role and a half in the Lovitz role, and the other 90 mins to CBs in the Lovitz role. I agree with you that ultimately we would both of our outside backs to be able alternate stepping into the midfield. I'd go a step further and suggest that we should have our CBs doing the same. Brooks' distribution and calmness on the ball would be quite helpful. With a wide forward and 8/10s rotating outside there is less of a need for backs to provide width like they have in the past.
Also, why have we not seen Canouse get his shot? Guy has been on the bench for two camps already, and not a minute from him. If they keep ignoring him and don't call Morales for next camp, I'm going to start thinking those who talk about a conspiracy to favor Bradley and his heir apparent Trapp are correct.
I don't know anything about Holmes. How is he? What type of player is he? Where does he play? etc. Thanks
Holmes is an interesting player. Not really a prospect at 24. Completely developed in England. Wide attacking player. Good speed and very quick and shifty. Good dribbler with the ball. Thinks quickly which is more important. His coach and legend Frank Lampard rates him highly. He’s taken on a larger role as the season progressed and is playing a role in a team fighting for a playoff spot in the championship. Has 100% earned a call up in an area of weakness.
To clarify, the system would utilize one attacking fullback, Yedlin. The difference is that Yedlin's starting block is high. The left fullback can attack as the situation dictates though, realistically, wouldn't do so often.
My comments: first thing is, I'd make Yedlin the stay at home fullback and have Robinson be the runner. I like Lletget. At this point, who knows who is the best player for that position. Holmes? I haven't seen him play. Is he better than Weah or Saief. I know Saief had a bad match or two, but that was with Sarachan. I'm not giving up on him. I would definitely like to see Holmes called in. Oh, and, for me, Jozy is ahead of Wood every day of the week and twice on Sunday. And, Would could easily be replaced by Weah, Sarge, or Nova. I like his spunk, but that's about 90% of his game. JMO.
Yedlin's strengths are essentially those of a deep-lying winger. His weaknesses are 1v1 defense, possession passing, and weak-side defense. If a stay-at-home rightback were wanted, Lima would be the better choice. Altidore's competitive match record against decent sides doesn't support the claim he is better than Wood. Weah, Sargent, and Nova have done little in their club careers and very little in their senior National Team careers.
That's some different player from the Holmes that I know. A bench player on Championship team, 1 goal, 3 assist in all competitions this season, 1 goal 0 assists in Championship. And this is the best season of his.
Seen Holmes play. Not impressed. And it's not like he has any upside. I'd be more interested to see Amon on the wing opposite to Pulisic: he's been benched of late, but he was looking like a decent prospect when playing. Younger (19 vs. 24 for Holmes) and in a better league (the Danish Superliga has been steadily doing better in European competition, and doesn't trail the Eredivisie by much at this point).
Im going to be frank here. MLS in my opinion has jumped up alot recently. So many games I watched and saw, so much better possession and tactical soccer. MLS is Lower Bundesliga/ 2. Bundesliga (top/mid-table). Atlanta would be in the Bundesliga there with probably around Stuttgart/Augsburg level (15th/16th place of 18) and the worst MLS teams would be mid-table 2. Bundesliga. And the worst MLS team maybe 2. Bundesliga relegation.
ATL was just given a shellacking by Herediano and could barely connect forward passes. TFC was ran off the pitch by a Panama club whose home stadium sits 3K. When someone suggests a good amount of MLS is lower Bund level, if you were to expound on that it would mean Liga MX is mid/upper Bund level. I don't agree with that. The CONCACAF champs, Chivas, were knocked out of the Club WC in Dec by J1 club Kashima Antlers. River Plate was knocked out by Al-Ain of the UAE and then went on to roll Kashima 4-0. Something to remember is MLS defenses are moving closer to resembling the Ered. Weak. As most investment is going to attacking DP/TAM players. Teams also don't have the depth to compete over a season against top league clubs.
Danish Superliga is currently 15th on the UEFA coefficient, behind the leagues of such countries as Czech Republic, Austria, and Greece.
I'd probably take Altidore over Wood in general, but probably not as a single striker. I think Jozy may have a tough time with this system and I would probably try home out wide on the side where the 8/10 rotated wide more.
You think TFC is going to come back from being down 4 goals and no away goals? Atlanta's situation is much different.
And the Eredivisie is #12, yet here we all would agree the Ered is better than MLS. So if #12 > MLS, why is it such a stretch to think #15 is also slightly better? Or about the same?