I was on the Adams at RB train until a couple of weeks ago. Guy has just been too good in the middle lately. Look up his game from this past weekend and it's hard to argue that he'll play anywhere other than CM the rest of his career.
Mad props to you for having an open mind. It seems like most people are so married to being "right" in their initial opinion, that they refuse to ever budge in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Miazga used to be as bad as can be with his feet. He is now actually pretty darn competent. Trusty used to be unimpressive. Well damn, the man has stepped up his game. Hell, there are people (not necessarily in this thread) who refuse to accept that Amon has more than just good wheels. Where he ends up is yet to be determined. But we have to appreciate his development from where he was to where he is. If he could just stay healthy for an extended period of time, he may even turn out to be better than the optimists here believe. We shall see.
I hope you’re right. However, success in the minor leagues where Miazga, Amon and Adams play isn’t directly comparable to the big 4 / World Cup speeds. There are lots of guys whose games doesn’t translate at higher speeds. [note: there certainly are minor league players who can and will step up - it’s just that it’s hard to know based upon their league play.] We’ll find out a lot more about Adam’s potential if the rumored move to B1 goes through and he earns time. Here’s hoping.
I'm not talking about minor vs big 4 (and for the record, I hate that characterization). We get too caught up in those titles. I am talking about clear and consistent improvement. If we can't look at a player and accept that he is improving when he obviously is, just because he isn't improving in the league of our choice, then we have already lost the plot.
I generally agree with your intent behind using minor vs major league. The gap between MLS and the Danish Superliga vs the top leagues is akin to AAA to MLB. But I think you're using it in ways where it's too large a generalization. Miazga in Ligue 1 is much closer to the top 4 standard than where Amon and Adams play. Another disagreement is the upper echelons of club football are levels above your standard WC match in quality and speed of play. When you're playing for top 4-6 clubs across the top leagues and/or clubs getting into the knockout UCL rounds, international play is a step down. When Pulisic and BVB play Bayern, that's well above any standard he'll ever play with the NT outside of maybe facing France in a WC knockout match. That the NT level is a step up for so many of our players is an indictment on their club situations, their quality and is a big part of our struggles.
France in a friendly in France is better than most of what Pulisic will face in the B1. MLS players have excelled in WCs, Copas, and CCs against top teams. The top Euro-leagues sort talent; they don't create talent.
Hilarious. MLS doesn’t create talent. If imports mid level Latin American players. On the other hand, Germany, Spain, and Italy are talent factories.