The problem with Tyler Adams, for the forseeable future which includes Russia 2018, is that he is a bad midfielder who has shown some stuff at wing back but people here talk about him like a midfielder. His competition is Arriola and Yedlin on the right. On the left it is Fabian Johnson and Question Mark. Problem is he seems to be effective on the right and not so effective on the left, so far. Thus, talking about Adams is a way of sticking an obstacle in the way of getting our midfield sorted out. Adams sucked for the U20's at dmid then went on to suck for the Red Bulls at dmid. Picking him to back up Yedlin would be hazardous considering the level of people he would cover in Russia. The guys who are young and new and have shown high level effectiveness are EPB, Delgado - who have both shown effectiveness in a tournament setting (U20 WC)and at club in a competitive environment (Sporting and Toronto). McKennie will bring the most pedigreed training/match level of the bunch and the least tournament experience (I am excluding friendlies) .We must watch closely his development at Schalke and plan on bringing him with a restricted role that makes him the most effective, according to how things go at Schalke. Roldan - he already has call ups and I like him because he can bring scoring nous over Delgado but he doesn't have Delgado's high level of sophistication in reading the game and executing professionally in transition in the 6/8 area. Jonathan Gonzalez - he starts as a 6 for Monterrey but shows good flashes at a more free ranging 8 role when called upon. The rhinoceros 6 role restricts how much one can gauge his passing. My own preference right now on my planning chalkboard would be EPB for Bradley/Cameron, McKennie for Acosta, Delgado for Nagbe and J.Gonzalez /Roldan for McCarty. Some reasons: EPB can double as a cb, he was signed by ManCity, and, frankly, he'/s really tough to get around when he sets up around the 18. With EPB and Delgado teaming up to knock balls loose and transition and McKennie pouncing on the 50/50 balls, I'd hate to play against the USA midfield. I would bring Roldan for flexibility. Going full Ed Crocker here: ---------------------morris-----jozy/Wood---Pulisic ------mcKennie/Zardes---Bradley/Roldan-JGo---Delgado/Mccarty ---------ream*/Besler----Cameron/EPB---Gonzo---Yedlin/Arriola *Ream is in there as a way of saying gott I'm himmel, vas is happening to our wide left side? In conclusion, I like the usual suspects in the front and back but I would radically revamp midfield. Warshaw feeds US fans with a little "mental paradigm shift" for midfield on TTS here scroll to USA v Panama quick-take, hot-take with Bobby Warshaw
Cupcake roster, 23 + 7 if we qualify: GK: Howard, Guzan, Hamid +1: Gonzalez Outsiders: Melia, Steffen, Rimando RB: Zusi, Adams +1: Rosenberry Outsiders: Polster LB: Morrow, Garza +1: Beasley Outsiders: Vincent CB: Besler, Hedges, Zimmerman, Glad +1: Opara Outsiders: Parker, Birnbaum MF: Bradley, Acosta, Roldan, McCarty +1: Feilhaber Outsiders: Canouse, Trapp, Delgado AT: Nagbe, Arriola, Rowe, Bedoya +1: Lletget Outsiders: Manneh, Finlay, Nguyen, Kljestan, Carleton FW: Altidore, Dempsey, Morris, Dwyer +1: Ramirez Outsiders: Sapong, Agudelo, Zardes, Mullins Starting XI: ----Altidore---Dwyer----- ----------Dempsey-------- ----Nagbe---------Arriola-- -------------Bradley---------- Garza-----------------Adams --------Besler-----Glad------ --------------Guzan-----------
I surely hope Hamid isn't available. I'd go with Steffen over Gonzalez. I feel like Gonzalez has almost regressed this season.
What purpose does bringing that many vets to Jan. camp and playing them serve? What do you really learn? We're way behind on that front, no need to put us behind the 8 ball even more.
I understand that people always want to look at new players, but next year is the World Cup. The January camp is the longest chance Arena will have to look at players before the 30 man roster in picked. He's going to want to use that chance to work with as many A-team guys as possible - build chemistry, work on tactics, see who fits best. Using the camp to just test fringe and young options doesn't make much sense, especially when historically not many new players get incorporated at this stage. Last cycle I think Yedlin was the only players who was first brought in for the pre-World Cup camp who made the squad. Furthermore, if we do want some young/new players to make the World Cup squad, it would behoove them to compete and play alongside the vets. After all those vets will make up a big chunk of our World Cup team; any new players will need to learn to play with them. (All of this is of course predicated on us qualifying. Should we fail tonight, then I would want to give the vets the camp off mostly look at new options to build towards the 2019 Gold Cup.)
Preparing for the World Cup. At this point, someone is going to have to really standout to get an invite. Now, if we don't qualify, then that's a whole different story.
There were a few reports about Acosta as fatigue but more reliable ones said he had a groin issue. He did get subbed in his last game before the callup and looked like his old energetic self. Zimmerman hasn't been quite right since coming back from injury.
That would be my preferred approach too (and I would imagine the one Arena takes). The other issue is that I don't think there are too many young guys in MLS currently outside the pool who have even the slimmest of chances of making the WC roster. Maybe Glad, since I think at least one backup CB slot is/should be open for competition, or maybe Polster to push Zusi as the RB backup? That's about it. I would bet if there are young guys currently not in the mix who make the roster, they would come from outside MLS (e.g., McKennie and J. Gonzalez).
I don't agree with the smug obladee-obladah attitude looking forward to Jan camp. Costa Rica and Mexico know what they are doing. Not USA. We are looking at having to win away in Trinidad to secure qualification and a draw to secure a playoff berth against Australia. In any case, it is very important to establish back ups at each position even if Arena has some idea of a starting xi because we know that last minute injuries are par for the course in WC's. Even if we know we are two deep at CF, e.g., i.e. Jozy and Wood, if one of them is unavailable no3. will punch his ticket. Who is it? Juan, Dom, Ramirez or somebody else? Or are we going to get all Arena '06 smug and make some inane comment about Wondolowski's great prowess. Let's see how Rowe is doing. Bring in Delgado. Bradley and Dax are both 30+. Durkin is pretty mature. Hard to believe he would be celebrating his 18th birthday at camp cupcake. Let's check on Zardes as a mid. We are shallow in that wide left side. How's Letget doing? It may also make a lot of sense to fashion a 3cb back line. I fully expect that at Arena's speech at his induction into the Hall of Fame, Bruce will exclaim "USA's first World Cup trophy was won on the playing fields of Camp Cupcake"
This thread gets a whole lot interesting and a whole lot more relevant rolling into the new camp cupcake, everything has changed and everything will change. Go young, go bold, maybe 5-6 players over 25. GK: Hamid, Steffen, Jesse Gonzalez let the games begin for the new netminder, and dont let it be a foregone conclusion immediately. Institute a healthy rotation for competition. Central defense: Zimmermann, Parker, Glad, Redding (Zavaleta?) Not as much meat and potatos here as Id like, but EPB is going overseas so i cant count him. luckily EPB and CCV will shore us up here because I honestly dont have much faith in Glad or Redding. We are good with Zim and Parker, but after that its sketch. Both those two should be contending for the 4th cb spot (behind EPB, CCV, and Miazga). Zimmermann not playing is obviously shady circumstances and not down to his playing, he will be there unless hes on the move this winter. Parker is gonna be our new Besler hopefully, our nothing flashy but does the business hes supposed to do guy. Ive got a soft spot for Zavaleta too i think he could truly bring us some possession out of the back and hes been a rock for TFC, very underrated player for me. Outside back: Nerwinski, Lima, Vincent, Hollingshead Glad both of these guys stepped up this season and not a moment too soon. Lima is great because he can swing right and left back easily. At left back, vincent looks like hes gotten better since his last go around, where he obviously wasnt ready. Also happy to see Hollingshead get back into dallas's starting rotation. Useful player with a third lung. Center mids: Roldan, Canouse, Acosta, Tyler Adams I like Roldan a ton, but man the idea of a Canouse-Adams midfield is kind of exciting. Canouse has taken to MLS like a fish to water at that D-mid spot where we are short. Outside mids: Rowe, Lletget, Ariolla, Zardes, Hairston Loving this group of guys, possibly my biggest "old guy" carryover group with Rowe, Lletget, and Zardes, but the first two i really dig what they can bring. Ariolla can and will improve. Hairston is a lesser developed Rowe but I think hes a good option to bring in and kick the tires on, and has utility to play outside back too. And yes, im omitting Bradley and Nagbe for reasons that should be obvious by now. Forwards: Morris, Dwyer (C), Sapong, Agudelo, Carleton Dwyer is my camp captain. full stop. He may not be the most talented in the group, but he is the leader of the group and has the mental toughness to take on that important task. I think forward could be actually kind of fun. I know Carleton isnt getting playing time but he is a truly special exception to the rule that you bring in early and get him integrated quickly. starting 11: -------------------------Gonzalez------------------------ --------------Zimm-------------Parker------------------- Nerwinski-------------------------------------------Lima ----------------------------Canouse------------------------ Ariolla---------------------Adams-------------------Rowe ------------------Morris-----------Dwyer-------------------
Why would he be? He is running out his contract and DC needs to figure out what is next. On another note, Alex Bono had some wild saves in TFC's shutout.
How many examples of this can you think of when a team who has a player's contract running out (or a player they know is going to transfer) and they just abandon using them at all? Seems a rather shitty thing to do, you don't think sitting on the sidelines the last two months of the season hurts Hamid's game? And maybe they don't care at all, but there could be further implications, whether its later in Hamid's career returning to MLS or other players being alerted to what Hamid dealt with from DC.
Don’t let common sense get in the way of a good argument. Bill will start the RFK finale and take his craft elsewhere. DC will take the $700k they offered him and go get a striker. Win for everyone
-----------------------------morris---------dwyer----- ---adams-------zardes--------canouse---Delgado-----arriola ----(rowe)-------(Carleton)----(trapp)----(Roldan)----(lletget, lennon) -----------------------glad-----Zimmerman------parker ------------------------------------gk: ?
It's pretty uncommon in MLS, but it's not unusual in Europe. Among YAs, Emerson Hyndman at Fulham comes to mind.
Quietly having a very nice season. Crew fans are wondering as well from what I've seen why he's not been called up recently. 919713358559039489 is not a valid tweet id 919721396124684290 is not a valid tweet id
Flip, I think you summed up every BS post of the past 4 years in one post. New m.o. for the next cycle? Turn over a new leaf? I say Sunil needs to go. Agree?
Obviously now that the US has not qualified, we need to look at more younger players. We basically have a free year to experiment. Then it's time to build for the 2019 Gold Cup, 2020 Copa (should that happen) and World Cup qualifying. While I fear the pace of experimentation likely won't be as fast as either you or I would like, I'm optimistic that we'll have a bunch of younger players step up to phase out a lot of our disappointing vets by the next time we play a meaningful game. As for Gulati, I don't really care. I never was a Klinsmann fan, and obviously Arena didn't work out, but there's more to being the head of the USSF than picking a coach for the USMNT. And I think despite the disappointing results, there's been a lot of progress in US soccer. Definitely a lot to complain about too though, so I could see it being time for a change.