US-Eligible WS Team of the Week 12(5/15-5/21) Player(score)rank within his team, for the game ---------------------------------Wondolowski(10)MOTM------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------Saucedo(8.6)MOTM ----Hollingshead(7.9)--Corona(7.9)1st--------Lletget(7.7)2nd ----------------------------------------Yueill(7.9)4th---------- ---Shea(7.9)MOTM-------------------------------------------------------Rosenberry(7.8)2nd--------- -------------------------Trusty(7.7)3rd----------Zimmerman(7.8)3rd------ ---------------------------------------Hamid(9.7)MOTM-------- Man of the Match: Attinella Finlay Frei Gonzalez Hamid Howard Rodriguez Saucedo Shea Wondolowski Goals: 4*Wondolowski Barlow Bwana Dwyer Hollingshead Finlay McNamara Mueller Rodriguez Saucedo Assists: Alexander Kallman McCarty Nealis Powers Rodriguez Saucedo Shipp Toia Yueill Key Passes: 2*Rodriguez(3) Lewis(5) Feilhaber(4) Salinas(4) Aaronson(4) Corona(3) Ferreira(3) Morrow(3) Powers(3) Roldan(3) Shea(3) Dribbles: Corona(6) Finlay(6) Salinas(5) Delgado(4) Mueller(4) Thompson(4) Yueill(4) DeLeon(3) Hayes(3) Lewis(3) Mihailovic(3) Rodriguez(3) PK Save: Gonzalez Richey Drawn PK: Ramirez Clearance off the Line: Anibaba Last Man Tackle: Trusty
Honorable Mention: GK: Attinella(8.5)MOTM Howard(8.1)MOTM Frei(8.0)MOTM Gonzalez(8.0)MOTM Bush(7.1)1st Rimando(8.0)3rd Bingham(7.0)5th Guzan(7.0)6th CB: Kallman(7.6)4thAnibaba(7.3)1st O'Neill(7.2)2nd Besler(7.2)3rd JRobinson(7.1)5th Nealis(7.1)6th Glad(7.1)9th LB: Toia(7.7)6th Lovitz(7.1)4th LWB: Nelson(7.0)2nd RB: Thompson(7.5)5th Herrera(7.4)8th Bye(7.0)3rd Gaddis(7.0)7th CM: Bradley(7.6)3rd Delgado(7.6)3rd Hayes(7.3)1st Feilhaber(7.3)2nd Canouse(7.3)3rd Acosta(7.1)8th Kljestan(7.0)3rd Hayes(7.0)5th Davis(7.0)7th ARoldan(7.0)3rd Durkin(7.0)6th CRoldan(7.0)6th LM: Salinas(8.5)3rd RM: Finlay(8.5)MOTM LAM: Rodriguez(7.4)3rd McNamara(7.3)3rd Mueller(7.3)1st Ship(7.0)6th CAM: Aaronson(7.0)7th RAM: Rodriguez(8.4)MOTM Bwana(7.4)3rd FW: Dwyer(7.2)6th Baird(7.1)9th Ferreira(7.0)3th RF: Mueller(7.8)2nd
Against the smaller, very athletic wingers, he has struggled, but Shea has otherwise been excellent. And against those wingers, FDB could put on Parkhurst, Nagbe, or perhaps Pogba. Despite the support, Ramirez hasn't been tearing it up with LAFC. Anibaba has got to be king of line clearances. Finlay stated before the match against the Crew he had a chip on the shoulder. Pity that before this, he hadn't played so inspired during his stint in Minn. Rodriguez and Saucedo showed nice versatiliy in winning MOTM opposite there typical left-sided positions. Hollingshead: should be in the convo for LB depth. Mueller and Rodriguez made the list twice. Mueller has got to be starter in Orlando, surely. Nice offensive stat line in one match, by Lewis: 5 key passes and 3 dribbles. But he needs to be more involved on both sides of the ball.
A snapshot of the MLS-based US-eligible pool for Olympic Qualifying. I used minimums of a 6.6 WS and 1 start. Reflecting 3G's tactics, the left CMs would be the a-mids and the right box-to-box. ---------------------------------------------Akinola(6.9)Ferreira(6.9)/Fernandez(6.8)/Ebobisse(6.7)----------- -----Bassett(7.9)/Saucedo(7.5)Bwana(7.1)/Lewis(6.8)-----------------------------------------------------------Saucedo(8.5)/Lewis(6.6) --------------Pomykal(7.6)/Mihailovic(6.8)/Bassett(6.7)Aaronson(6.7)--------Pomykal(7.8)/Durkin(7.2)/Yueill(7.2) ----------------------------------------------------------Pomykal(7.3)/Yueill(7.1)/Sands(6.9)----- --Duncan(7.6)/Gutjahr(6.6)/Nelson(6.6)---------------------------------------------------------------Duncan(7.1)/Araujo(7.2)/Herrera(6.8)- -------------------------------Trusty(6.9)/Pines(7.3)------------------------Robinson(7.0)/Sands(7.0)/Nealis(6.9)------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Freese(7.1)--------
Don't you mean, Pity Martinez, "2018 South American Player of the Year"? Isn't that his full name? I've certainly not seen anything from MLS or its media or heard on ExtraTime anything but his full name. Huh. Maybe the fact that the best player in South America in any given year is the one left behind the hundreds that have already left for Europe or other destinations? Going the other way, it is probably a good sign for MLS that the SMPotY, doesn't come right into MLS and light it up. At least not like old Champions League players like Rooney, Ibra, and Nani can.
The man marking system is a bit of a gimmick and teams will catch on after awhile. Plus, Almeyda coaching the USMNT would be like Bob Bradley coaching Mexico.
Nani, Zlatan, and Rooney benefit from teams that revolve around them. Pity, by way of contrast, is a cog in Atl's attack.
He also was burdened by the expectation that he'd come right in and be Miguel Almiron 2.0 right away................................
My impression was that Pity was portrayed as a different sort of player, more of an enganche rather than a super-direct attacker. Barco, on the other hand, was the Miguel Almiron 2.0.
Shep Messing: "Cincinnati has great fans, a great stadium, but their team is officially pathetic". lol Harsh but true. That may be the most scathing analysis I've ever heard from an opposing team's announcer. They were doomed to fail from the beginning the way they built, and they've put up the foundation for next to nothing. Call them Fulham West Jr.
I will never understand why Bruce didn't call in Opara with the defense leaking goals. He could have just put Besler and he out as a pair.
Prospect Hot List: Sebastian Saucedo - RSL's best player since getting the starting nod a few games ago. Jonathan Lewis - Has provided a spark to Colorado's previously dead attack. Scored this weekend and overall played well. Brian White - Kind of considered a fringe prospect at this point, but productive since finally getting some opportunities. Hassani Dotson - Received his first major league start at left back, a dire position for the U.S., and received rave reviews. Eryk Williamson - Finally made his first appearance in a respectable league, after getting off to a hot start in USL. Memo Rodriguez - in 8 of 9 starts this season has posted a 7 or higher on Whoscored
12 total appearances, but yeah, those were all scored in the last two games. That's a high for any player in the league regardless of nationality. I think next highest is Vela with 4. He has a remarkable knack in that league. We were just left wondering how he'd have fared in another comparable or better league like the Eredivisie or Liga MX. Just too slow for the international game on a team who doesn't dominate the ball like the U.S.
Yea that’s what I was getting at in two games he’s scored 6 goals. But yes you are correct 12 total. He is lethal in front of goal. Would have loved to see him in Holland or the Championship.
I think he’s on the books at Queretaro still after his 2018 loan with the Dynamo ended. Maybe he’s on the Jonathan Bornstein 8-year plan to become a scratch golfer.
Well, it makes me pretty sad that Wondo's the top scoring American in MLS, a player very near retirement. That's why I posted it. It's extremely concerning that American forwards in MLS are, as a group, so poor. We don't have an amazing European-based striker in the pipeline, and marginal ones are eschewed in favor of domestic flavors, so unless we start producing some better strikers, we're going to waste a potentially World-class midfield.
Here’s to hoping Sarge and/or Weah pans out. If one does then we have two of 3 for a front three. As well as 2 of three for mid 3. Not a bad place to start. With some capable players to fill in the rest of the positions. Unfortunately, we have a coach with a different mind. One that seems hell bent on shoe horning a couple of players into his 11.
It sure feels like a kinda 2007 mini crisis where we the likes of Ching and Twellman were the best we could do .
Costa Rica made a lot of noise with a CF who got run out of MLS. If we have two goal dangerous wingers and a goal scoring midfield, an honest #9 could get the job done.
A much more exciting prospect than most discussed in this thread. A guy that is victimized way too much by some.