For better or worse, it will be the North American players that lead the U-23s in qualifying. As long as players like Pulisic, Weah, Adams, Sargent, CCV, and McKennie are playing, their clubs won't release them for 3 weeks. Generally, you're right. Unfortunately, with it being the early days, I would hesitate to make more than 4-5 changes to the starting XI for the Chile match.
But are the the u23 minutes really all that meaningful? If he’s the future and better now he should be in camp learning the system so he’s ready to play in it sooner rather than later. Great, we should be able to do that with our u23 that aren’t good enough for the senior side. We also have nothing to go on to believe those clubs will let him actually go when there’s no fifa date requiring it. Also if we assume there’s a handshake agreement what if the circumstances change? What if between now and then there’s some injuries and he absolutely slays in the minutes he gets. Then what? Still send him down? 3G said he needs more PT but let’s say he gets it. Wouldn’t it be better to have him already know the system. Especially when he’s already better than the players being called in to learn it. If he’s good enough now then he should play now.
1. Maybe. He has a weird mix of best-XI and randoms who know his system. Everyone who knows his system is an MLSer, he didn't bring many of the Euros who would be competing with those guys (Amon, Sargent, Weah, Robinson, CCV, Holmes, Nova, etc). And his U20/U23 teams don't play his system, so not sure how they're going to learn to play it when they're playing something different at the YNT level. That's what makes me question whether he's going to just stick with MLS guys because he had a 3 week camp with them, or whether he'll actually use his best players. 2. True, but oftentimes players who are significantly more talented than their specialist counterparts can bring new dimensions to the role that wouldn't even exist without seeing it first. And, unless the specialist is incredibly good, it's a big risk to leave more-talented players on the bench.
You know who did just fine in the most unusual role in this system? Tyler Adams, because he is a good soccer player and a good soccer player can come in, quickly learn a system and perform. We need to stop acting like this is brain surgery. Here was an example of a good player coming in who figured it out quickly and did the job. The better the player, the better their chance of picking it up quickly will be. Learning a new soccer system takes some time to be comfortable, sure, but let's not act like the better players in our pool can't step in and do the job after a few days of practice. If Berhalter can't get his concepts across more clearly and quickly, he needs to improve this aspect of his coaching. As an international coach, he will always have limited times with players to get them up to snuff quickly as that's the job. He's not a club coach who will be spending months with these guys, get used to it.
I looks as though Chile also bringing "a mix of best XI and others." On the roster listed on USSF site I see a few of the big names w/big clubs but then a whole bunch of players with <5 caps. Should be fun, even though it's apparent after just 3 matches that the GGG era is a total failure
It appears Horvath will start against Chile Berhalter says that he'll make "a bunch" of changes against Chile. Among those is that Ethan Horvath will start in goal. #usmnt— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) March 25, 2019
Or you could say that the meaning of these friendlies was to see if Adams would fit in the role Berhlater had in mind and, secondly, who would serve as back up. I wonder if he had in mind to play McKennie v. Chile in Adams' role, had he not been injured.
My buddies and I are looking forward to hosting our boys versus Chile here in Houston Texas! A special occasion considering these two flags are aligning up this way! GET ' ER DONE U.S.A!!!
Good pics of Molde (starts around 1 min mark of vid) where Horvath started out with OGS, including shot of the soccer stadium. https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...ople-were-stranded/ar-BBVdnXU?ocid=spartandhp
My lineup which I put up on ASN http://www.americansoccernow.com/matches/208/starting_xis As I was preparing it I found myself thinking how Canouse (rugged on both sides of the ball all over the pitch) and Delgado (faster close combat passing and defense) would fit nicely for the kind of game Chileans play - with Adams and McKennie no longer on the roster. Berhalter has always ended up with "soft" rosters who run into trouble against Chilean type teams. Like this one I made up with what's left of our roster. ---------puli-------burro-----arriola ---------lletget----trapp------roldan --ream---brooks-------miazga-----lima -------------------gk: horvath 2nd half -------------arriola---ramirez----baird -------------lletget---bradley----roldan -----lovitz----miazga---gonzo---yedlin ----------------------gk; horvath
For the life of me I can't figure the Omar call up. I would have called Tim Parker to try out for the Ream role - not as good passing but a rugged guy in midfield as Mbappe found out, where that sweeper type is needed
i tried making a formation without Trapp or Bradley, and it looks yucky. Baird and Pulisic get free range to go where they want/needed. Lovitz stays defensive, but Yedlin can go up in attack. .....Baird.....Ramirez.....Pulisic ......................Lletget ..............Roldan Lovitz................................Yedlin ......Brooks - Miazga - Long using Bradley : Baird.........Ramirez.....Pulisic .........Roldan.........Lletget ..................Bradley Lovitz - Brooks - Long - Yedlin Baird or Lewis. give each a half so we can get a good look. Pulisic out at 65' for whoever. Z, M, A Yedlin out at 60' for Lima Miazga in for someone. then the only player we havent seen would be Omar.
So i get the Omar sentiment. He should have been through with the US about 4 years ago (I'd argue further he never should have been involved in the first place). My question is, how is he different than MB? They both haven't been good for the US in a while. Bradley's form the last 18 months has been atrocious. Has Omar been as bad in Mexico? Why is everyone ok with MB playing/on roster, but Omar is the scapegoat? Aren't they effectively the same? Or is everyone just resigned to the fact MB will be called in til he can't walk anymore? All else equal, I sympathize with Omar more because he took full responsibility and felt awful after T&T. Truly felt bad for the guy, as he's someone who just tried his best and was simply never good enough.
I think is the key in these discussions. Bradley was good enough. Once. And romantic fans hang on to that, far too long when it means the present roster.
My opinion on the roster was that Bradley and Omar call ups were wrong. They are different in the sense that the 6 role Berhalter envisions has a limited qtty of candidates. The list of cb candidates is very long. We don't have forever to get through them. MLS candidates need to be evaluated and counseled early. We cant wait til they are defender of the year at age 28 to give them their first international exposure.
Neither Gonzalez nor Bradley have been good enough with their clubs in league play to warrant their getting called to the NT.
Goodness knows when the end will be Oh, I don't know where we're at It looks as if MB will always be one Something must be done You say Roma and I say Toronto You say Booyah and I say Couva Roma, Toronto, Booyah, Couva Let's call the whole thing off!
I haven’t watched Toronto this year but I thought I read Bradley having a great start to the season. He looked close to burnout when I saw him play last year- like a guy who always used every scrap if IQ to make up for average to just above athleticism- whose athleticism has taken a significant drop. Based on reports of his play - I wondered if rest and a defined, specific role would extend his career. We’ll see - but his minutes against Ecuador looked closer to last year Bradley
These are good points. Berhalter, in January or thereabouts, did speak to the need for the coaching staff to refine the training of the system and its quirks so that they could effectively get the messages across during the brief international camps. He definitely recognizes that aspect as crucial. If I could find the link I'd post it. I can't, but maybe someone else will.
People are going to whine that "I always talk down our guys in Europe" or that "the MLS is really a Top 10 league," but the way I see it (and when you're impartial in a war, both sides hate you) is: Clearly sub-par and not International Level at this point: Ream, Gonzo, Lovitz, Morris. May be useful against Guatemala at home: Bradley, Zardes, Arriola, Miazga, Baird, Roldan. Could be good enough to qualify out of C-CAF: Yedlin, S. Johnson, Trapp, Lletget. Our best hopes that are looking just ok: Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, Horvath, Steffen. The guys who have looked good this time: Long, Brooks. Not enough data: Jesse G., Ramirez, Lewis, Lima. In short: we're looking in defense better than I expected, but that against a team that didn't have bite. Our forward shelf was bare this time around, though. We're going to need a striker, a LB and a DM to come out of somewhere --at least for the latter, Trapp may be enough, if we're lucky. Otherwise, if McKennie, Pulisic and Adams don't pan out, we're going to be in big trouble even to make it to Qatar.
The Crew ran the system with Afful tucked in centrally from RB several times. Not the majority of the time, but 3G did run it in Columbus. To say that he did not and that therefore Zardes does not have an edge in formational knowledge is just plain inaccurate.