well you saw the match today I am sure this all started because I said matches like bolivia were misleading because they were playing against terrible competition you said maybe its just that the young guys are that good how do you feel about that now that they took a step up to c level competition and struggled as much as they did? I like some of the young guys but there is a way to go. I am not instigating anything I am just saying don't overreact to matches against bad competition it can be very misleading.
Ahem, in an attempt to move this thread back on topic from the cat fight above: I thought Rubin showed pretty well against an admittedly poor Bolivia squad. He seems to have decent touch and skill on the ball, and seemed confident taking players on and attacking. I do think he was miscast a bit in a wide role as part of a 4-1-4-1. I see him as more of a support striker, similar to an Aron Johannsson (in style only, not in terms of ability or talent), or as a nominally "wide" inverted forward in a 4-3-3. That said, Rubin has yet to prove himself enough at the club level to make me think he'll be a national team player in the future. Let's see what he does with Tijuana over the course of the next couple seasons. If he becomes a regular starter and impact player, then he'll have a chance to become a squad player for the US.
Reminds me of the first year class in the department of engineering: "look at your left; now, look at your right; near half of those you see will never graduate; near half will be transferring to another department once things gets tough." Same idea here. I'd be surprised if more than a couple (besides Pulisic) become players good enough for a R16 NT.
Rubio Rubin looked eager - and committed when pressing on the left. . . wish Altidore pressed 1/2 as well. BUT Rubin wasted too many plays - looked even more selfish than Julian Green when he had a sniff at goal - and lost the ball too often. With no goals or real memorable plays - I say let's look at someone else - and Rubin can work on his game in LigaMX