Camp Cupcake: Jan 2019 Edition

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by keller4president, Oct 12, 2018.

  1. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wonder what that says about Kellyn Acosta going forward.
     
    juveeer and TheHoustonHoyaFan repped this.
  2. largegarlic

    largegarlic Member+

    Jul 2, 2007
    #652 largegarlic, Jan 22, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2019
    It certainly doesn't look promising if he can't make a 23-man roster even without Adams and McKennie in the mix at CM. Things don't look good for Glad either for similar reasons. If he can't crack the lineup as a CB without the Euro options involved...

    I'm not surprised at all by the Bono and Miller cuts.
     
    jnielsen repped this.
  3. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    I don't think many would have predicted that these would be the four cuts, except maybe Miller. Acosta was seemingly a USMNT mainstay for quite a while, but first FC Dallas trades him to the Rapids, and now this. Bono has shown some flashes, but good on Sean Johnson for improving his game. Glad had been talked about as a next in line type of player. However, he never quite made the push to get to that level, and so maybe he's leveled off as just another CB in the pack.
     
    Patrick167 repped this.
  4. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    I wouldn't read as much into these cuts as some are doing.
     
  5. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Bono has been too erratic for some time now. The problem with Johnson is that managers are so blinded by his pluses that they choose to ignore the minuses with tragic results, ultimately. Don't think Glad is necessarily bad but hard to see him pushing up the ladder for Gold Cup even if he were to have stayed in camp, in view of his competition.
     
  6. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ACTUAL CAMP UPDATE: According to Paul Tenorio, who he's both observed and heard has been impressing so far are Cristian Roldan and Djordje Mihailovic. Said when he watched they played together as dual 10's with a true 6 behind them, and they were bossing the game with their coordination running off each other and incisive passes. They play the style Berhalter likes and can see them being regular members of his squads going forward.

    Made a note they were head and shoulders ahead of their counterparts. Even before I saw he was released, my guess was one of them was Kellyn Acosta, who at least Roldan has been clearly better than in MLS for a long time, and Djordje if he isn't already is on that trajectory. Acosta's stagnated. Unlike previous managers, good on Gregg for seemingly cutting his losses and realizing there's more to the game than running around and being on the end of an occasional goal.
     
  7. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This makes me wonder who is the true 6 that he has been playing behind them.
     
    juveeer repped this.
  8. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He didn't seem to want to give up too information because he's trying to be diplomatic and observant people could deduce who wasn't performing well by process of elimination otherwise.

    My guess would be Canouse, but that may be my confirmation bias. He is the best in that position in MLS. Trapp provides ball control but not ball-winning. It still might be him. I'd be shocked if it were Bradley because he really does neither at this point. Just chases the ball around and turns it over a lot. They'd be defending too much for the two ahead to boss the game.
     
    Patrick167 repped this.
  9. Sombrerito

    Sombrerito Member

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 6, 2018
    I like it. Acosta is not technical enough to play GGGs tiki taka style. He’s an old school CM in a 4-4-2 style. I won’t be surprised if his teammate Cole basset gets better numbers than him. If you haven’t seen this 17 year old play yet I recommend watching him and Hundley. Very impressive HG players. Excellent technique, skill, vision, and pace with both those guys
     
    USSoccerNova repped this.
  10. dlokteff

    dlokteff Member+

    Jan 22, 2002
    San Francisco, CA
    This cut may mean something or nothing, but I'm going to the game in San Jose and I keep seeing ads for it with either Trapp or Acosta and I'm like arggghhhh, why did I buy 5 tickets for this ish. I'm stoked.
     
    Sombrerito repped this.
  11. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    Hopefully it's some kind of signal regarding a switch to him playing left back for the national team.
     
  12. dlokteff

    dlokteff Member+

    Jan 22, 2002
    San Francisco, CA
    Goddammit it's still there
    [​IMG]
     
    ttrevett and largegarlic repped this.
  13. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Can we please stop with this ridiculous "switch him to left back" mantra for every guy that we don't like in the midfield? Kellyn Acosta is in no way, shape or form a left back. And I don't care if some coach played him there for a handful of games. He simply has none of the qualities to make him successful, long-term, at left back. He either makes it in the midfield or he does not make it at all.
     
  14. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    He's not making it in midfield.... that much should be pretty clear.

    What qualities is he lacking at left back? He came up there for a reason.....

    In any case, it damn sure not "ridiculous" considering our opitions at left back. The love for Robinson after such a short time and such glaring deficiencies is absurd.
     
  15. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What about striker? He can score, combine, make runs, and is pretty fleet of foot. IMO he makes it there or not at all. If he was going to make it in cm, we'd have in all likelihood seen it already. Just doesn't have the anticipation nor mettle.

    FB, we've kind of seen that already too, and he's only been an emergency option. There were some attributes to theoretically help him project there too like 2-footedness, crossing, and decent speed for position. But again, the lack of anticipation hurts him, and he can't beat a player off the dribble.
     
  16. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    Now this is ridiculous...
     
  17. AutoPenalti

    AutoPenalti Am I famous yet?

    Sep 26, 2011
    Coconut Creek
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Dual 10’s? I’ve never heard that before.
     
    largegarlic repped this.
  18. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I just explained it to you. You're acting like it's less reasonable because you've never seen it before. But ironically your argument was the opposite in selling him as a fb: (paraphrase) "we've seen it less so therefore he has a better shot because he hasn't failed like at cm". But actually he kind of has.

    A few other skeptics have shared this view about there's a realistic possibility he has something, and if he does it would most likely be as a striker. I'm fine with just trying higher percentage experiments though because caps aren't free.
     
  19. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Other than him having no defensive instincts, a weak left foot, very little strength with which to hold off attackers and no real recovery speed quickness .... yeah, he would be a perfect left back. [emoji849]

    And who the hell said anything about Robinson? I am on record as saying he needs a ton of seasoning before I would trust him in a game that counts. That doesn't make Kellyn Acosta any less terrible a choice to play at left back. The dude has more of a striker skillset than that of an outside back ... and yet almost no one clamors for that (previous post notwithstanding).

    This "dump x player at outside back because we don't like him where he is" notion simply needs to end. If you aren't good enough to be effective at the position you are best at, then you most likely shouldnt be on the team.
     
    jnielsen, Winoman and Patrick167 repped this.
  20. Marko72

    Marko72 Member+

    Aug 30, 2005
    New York
    Well, going into this camp I wasn't sure whether to rank Glad as CB #2 or 3 (behind Long, and possibly Zimmerman) of the group that was called in. He definitely wasn't the CB I was expecting to be cut. For me, that's a bigger surprise than Kellyn, who I figured might be a stylistic hit or miss with Berhalter, and hasn't exactly been compelling in his USMNT minutes in some time.
     
    Suyuntuy repped this.
  21. TheHoustonHoyaFan

    Oct 14, 2011
    Houston
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    2017 Wil Trapp gets called into Arena's Cupcake roster but does not make the final 23 cut.

    2019 Kellyn Acosta makes Berhalter's Cupcake roster but does not make the final 23 cut.

    What does it mean? Play the RunDMC version of Aerommith's "walk this way" backwards to find out.

     
  22. tomásbernal

    tomásbernal Member+

    Sep 4, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know how to play that video backwards. Could you just tell us what you're thinking instead of being so cryptic?
     
  23. TimB4Last

    TimB4Last Member+

    May 5, 2006
    Dystopia
    .t'nac eh diarfa m'I ,yrroS
     
    Eighteen Alpha, ttrevett and Red Card repped this.
  24. Patrick167

    Patrick167 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 4, 2017
    Djorde is probably the one kid emerging from this camp into the USMNT picture. Roldan is showing well too, but is not young. Even if Acosta was close to Llejet and or Delgado, it definitely sends a message to the entire pool to cut him. That message is a good one and is typical of something the great NFL coaches do all the time. Not much opportunity cost since the guy cut here is probably 6+ on the depth chart now at CM.

    If the idea is to possess the ball in midfield and then work it to the wings in dangerous areas, then someone with the touch of Acosta is not going to work.

    Depending on how you view Llejget, they took four (4) #8-10s and three (3) #6s. Either someone is going to get two halves as the 6 and the others one each; or we will play one of the games with two #6s.

    Maybe Canouse and Trapp with Mijailovich at some point? That would be interesting. Bradley and Delgado with Roldan less so. I think we see Trapp/Roldan/Djorde at some point too as there is a reason they would play them with the #1 striker in front of the media.

    Djorde is young enough and in a decent MLS spot to get minutes; that his emergence is probably one of the better outcomes possible in this camp. Has Chicago ever sold an American?
     
    juveeer repped this.
  25. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I guess Auston is just trustier defensively at this point.
     

Share This Page