Nations League A, Camp 2, Canada/Cuba, Nov. 15/19

last time we played them in havana was 2-0 and both were second half goals. our prior home games with canada were a lot of like 1-0 or 0-0. it will be work to get the home result, if we do. it will then be work in the caymans.

further complicating the process will be the paradox that without change you probably don't get the results but change would introduce uncertainty into must win games. my response: the more playful team that went out there and whooped cuba looked better than his A selection. i continue to believe even if you wanted to play to win absolutely, that your best chance might be the ostensibly more risky route of taking several personnel experiments.

part of the reason you use friendlies for experiments is not to make me happy or risk losing, it's that if a change is needed because the team in a game that counts sucks hard, you have a list of proven "next ups" who got their chance and showed well. not only have we sucked but we've been fairly consistent in selecting the bunch who suck, such that it's like, ok, which marginal players could come in and be guaranteed to play well? you don't know if you don't or rarely pick up the phone. could holmes, morales, green, gall, etc. be counted on to get what we need? but if you call the same people i can guarantee you the negative outcome.

 

caymans

 

they haven't dressed weah since he's been hurt. adams hasn't played a B.1 game yet this year. even if they got a club game or two before the selection, i would leave them off and point towards march. not a sensible risk. you play them, higher risk they get hurt, sucks, burns a sub.

 

add another to the "leave off" list. this is why you develop performers like 3 deep and don't obsess about XIs like we do.

 

don't you create a winning proof of concept first before you start popping out widgets for everyone and selling them retail

 

Pax will be out 6 weeks after surgery, so no USMNT or U23 camp for him in November.

📰 FC Dallas defender @Nelson_J14 and midfielder @PaxiPomy underwent successful surgeries this morning.https://t.co/wrFaQOdIi1

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) October 31, 2019

 

said it a jillion times, coach with this resume deserves less leash, not more. in practical terms that would mean no vague notions of pursuing a system. wins, prettier soccer, looking more like they played together, incremental piecing together of a selection. if there are no metrics used this is basically the emperor's new clothes.

 

He shouldn't be left off. Too valuable and it seems he'll continue playing for Seattle. He's managed to be effective still. He's a gamer. We need him for Canada.

Though I agree w/ the sentiment the importance of depth is underrated and we shouldn't be so obsessed w/ best xi since it's rare they'll all be available for us or anyone else. You see the drawback of depending too much on the best xi when they're available for the first 4 games of Copa America where we get pretty good results overall, then on the 5th a couple are lost to suspension/injury and all of a sudden we're getting off zero shots in a game for the first time in the modern era.

 

It's too bad we won't see him with the USMNT this November, but hopefully this will take care of whatever was nagging him in the 2nd half of the season, and he can be fully fit going into next year (and earn a nice summer transfer).

 

a frightening possibility is they treat 2022 as a throwaway along the road to 2026. no matter that changing a team is a lengthy process, "on that timescale we can do this forever." i recall snobs acting like we could treat some world cups as throwaways in service of their mission. "there are casualties in a war." no panic due to timescale, due to work in progress. lines up with public statements other than the timeline is not disclosed.

because, otherwise, evaluating individual cycles on their own terms, viewing system as means to a practical end, disposable if they don't work, should be panic city right now.

worth noting at that timescale you would be talking half of current U20 types' careers on what i see as a snipe hunt. in 2026 steffen is 31, mckennie and pulisic are 28, sargent is 26. at that timescale we better know wtf we're doing.

personally i think any system that doesn't leave you immediately better than canada is a bill of goods.

 

Pre camp for MLS players who've been eliminated. Final squad will come out on the 6th

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 62/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 8/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 0/0)


DEFENDERS (7): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 9/0), Chase Gasper (Minnesota United FC; 0/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 9/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 14/2), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 12/0), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 11/2)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 12/2), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; 5/1), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 20/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 4/0)

FORWARDS (5): Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 30/5), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; 1/0), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; 5/0), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 54/10)

 

You won't find me ever arguing that Sargent shouldn't have been on the Gold Cup squad. I've been one of his biggest supporters from Day One, and I said it was the big mistake of Gold Cup selection.

I wasn't making any kind of "under Sarachan" argument. I was pointing out the usual method of the anti-Berhalter crowd: make up an untrue stat that sounds ridiculous that Berhalter must be a moron!

The OP I was responding was blaming Berhalter for Sargent's first start being in such an important game -- only a moron would do that.

It wasn't Sargent's first camp, first minutes or first start.

If I'm being generous, the person forgot. But I see this all the time -- incorrect stats that support a prevoiusly held hypothesis and boom! so clear.

Would it have helped for him to be at the Gold Cup? Sure. But that's not what I was responding to. I was responding to a specific incorrect complaint.

People on this forum have a VERY fast and loose relationship with facts and the truth. You asked a bit ago who would block anyone. I've blocked two people who have clearly intentionally lied about things. What's the point with arguing with people who are so tied to their worldview/winning an argument that they will make shit up in an attempt to prove themselves right?

So making more of that is just pointless. I don't even want to how how you think I was making a comparison to Sarachan -- I was just point out he had starts then, though that was before Berhatler.

 

Lima, Ebobisse, Trapp and Zardes... the sh!t show continues.

 

Mihailovic? Was so outclassed the last time we need to see more of him? Another reason to stay away from USMNT. Baird?

Please make it stop.

 

lol on the usual method of the dare-to-criticize Gregg posters. It’s mostly this:

“There are a number of posters here who pointed out from the beginning that Berhalter’s MLS heavy roster construction and his “System” were both easy to predict and terrible ideas.”

Instead of acknowledging that these concerns were warranted, Berhalter/USSF/MLS backers pick off non-core comments and then characterize them as the gist of what people are mad about wrt Berhalter. SMH at the disingenuousness.

 

is there anyone, anywhere who want to defend the decision to have trapp, baird and lovitz in EVERY camp? im including their parents, spouses and children.

i cant believe anyone thinks berhalter shouldnt be fired immediately, thinking something will change or magically get better doing exactly the same thing with the same incapable players.

 

Chase Gasper! Loons!

 

This has become a very real concern for me.

I was perfectly fine -- excited even -- to see us try to implement the positional / possession style of play.

But that was always under the requirement that if it wasn't coming together quickly enough, or failed outright, that we would change gears and become more pragmatic to ensure qualification.

Then, if you wanted to work on it before the World Cup again, great.

But you have to start being pragmatic soon -- being more defensive, simpler.

And given Berhalter's Columbus track record, I thought he was fine to be that person. But it is clear there's a different perspective, perhaps forced from Earnie, perhaps shared, that is making me question whether they will do that.

 

@Patrick167 , what did I tell you?

 

SEE I LOOKED AT OTHER PLAYERS! then took my guys

 

Zardes, Baird, Trapp, Lovitz....

barf!

I’m about to quick to add Mihailovic to that group as well, but because of his age, I’ll give some slack if he’s there for experience.

Meanwhile, would have like to have seen Toye.

 

Call Frank Lampard and do whatever Lampard says to do.

 

I'm not going to get too worked up over the pre-camp roster. As several people here noted, there was always going to be an issue with wanting to call up MLS guys who hadn't played for weeks. And even if there are only, say, 10 such guys in that situation whom you're actually interested in having as part of the first team, you can't have a real camp with 10 guys. So, there needed to be some filler.

We know that there are some guys in the MLS final who will knock guys from the pre-camp off the roster (for better or worse)--Roldan, Morris, Bradley, and Altidore. We also know that at least Ream, Brooks, McKennie, Pulisic, Sargent, Yedlin, Dest, Steffen, and Miazga will added from Europe. So, that puts 10 guys from the pre-camp roster outside the top 23 right there (assuming those 13 I listed are healthy).

 

It's a pre-camp camp of MLS players (players abroad wouldn't be released) who are out of the playoffs. So it's more of a visceral rather than rational reaction, at this point at least. Save the drama for the final announcement.

The alternative is MLS players. So the question is who should have been called up instead...from MLS who are available? Hollingshead? Parks? Toye? There are definitely a few I'd quibble about. But it's not a crazy list considering the circumstances and it's an elective exercise.

If you're seriously complaining about Lima and Ebobisse at a pre-camp camp, that's a you problem. Lima has performed well for the nat'l team so far while Ebobisse hasn't had much of a shot and had a pretty good season at thin positions for us.

 

If i were inclined to give Berhalter the benefit of the doubt, I'd not worry too much about this grouping as it's only for a subset of MLS players who have nothing better to do.

That being said, with Berhalter's history, this is a bad base that will likely only be augmented by a handful of top tier European players. I wouldn't be surprised if it does not even include Brooks as he's a German American brought into the pool under Klinsmann who hasn't started his last couple of games.

It could just be Steffen, Ream, Weston, Sargent, Pulisic, Dest and Yedlin and the last two may compete for the same spot.

@Mahtzo1 and @tomásbernal - you guys are not anti-Berhalter guys from the start: what do you think?