September Friendlies USMNT Standouts

I don't see too many reasonable poster arguing that Altidore belongs in the MB category as his recent and current performance hasn't fallen apart and there aren't great options....

 

It's the problem of measurement in soccer: in the time it takes to test other forwards while we don't play Jozy, we stop knowing where he stands in the pecking order.

We'd have to play him again with the NT to see if he's still our top (or close) striker. But we don't have many games to see who fits where. Hopefully, by the time we get to competitive matches (next summer) we've finished testing all possible candidates to be our #1-#2 strikers, in the systems we plan to use for the next four years, including Jozy.

With no long-term coach in place, that looks very unlikely.

 

My issue with Altidore is that when we needed him most, he's cratered over the past half decade or so.

Take the semi-final before the hex:
Vs St. Vincent & Grenadines: 2 Goals
@T&T: 0 goals.
@ Guatemala: 0 Goals
Vs Guatemala: 1 goal
@ St. Vincent and Grenandines: 1 goal (PK)
Vs T&T: 2 goals

So far, adequate. He got skunked on the road at T&T and Guatemala, at home he colected 3 goals against both of them, then he added three goals against St. Vincent, 1 being a PK.

Take it for what its worth. 6 goals in 6 games sounds like a great tally rate until you think hard about how they scored them (half against St. Vincent, and the other half all at home, and to top it all off he scored zero on the road in the run of play which considering the competition, was a problem).

The Hex:
Vs Mexico: 0 goals
@ Costa Rica: 0 goals
Vs Honduras: 0 goals
@ Panama: 0 goals
Vs T&T 0 goals
@ Mexico: 0 goals
Vs Costa Rica 0 goals
Vs Honduras DNP
Vs Panama 2 Goals
Vs T&T 0 goals

No matter how you slice it, 9 games, and 8 starts, and getting a goose egg in 8 of the 9 games? That's freaking hideous. That's one of the many reasons he hasn't been called up, along with the youth movement.

When you play in 15 World Cup qualifiers across two years and can't score a single goal on the road in 6 of 7 games, the only exception being on a penalty against St. Vincent, you suck. Add in that the goals he did score were exclusively against Concacaf dregs, not even concacaf mid table sides (home vs Guatemala, home vs T&T, home vs St. Vincent, road vs St. Vincent, and home in a nightmare game for Panama on matchday 9: zero against Honduras, Mexico, or Costa Rica, typically are chief challengers in concacaf at home or on the road).

I kinda think there's no reason to really call him in. Do we really need to bring him in after that? For christ sakes Dempsey was coming off a serious life threatening heart ailment and was still scoring a hat trick at home against Honduras, a crucial road goal vs Panama, and other than Pulisic, he was the only guy to even threaten to score against T&T (hitting the post) and he's retired a few months later. Then add in that Jozy's hamstring has knocked him out of the Copa Centenario and World Cup '14, and you have a guy who doesn't score except at home vs minnows, and is oft-injured to boot.

I fully expect Altidore to be ushered back into the team over the next few months and to play a role in '19 and perhaps '20, but if it were my gig, he would not be an option. I'd just roll with Wood, Sargent, Nova, Sabbi, desperately call for Siebatcheu, Green, and even Pulisic, and any other kids of interest we can drum up and be done with it. I know there are things he can bring to the team that others can't, but I just don't think he's worth the trouble. He peaked from '07-'13 and that's it. Not much of note since over the past five years. Time to move on, hope we do, even if we have major struggles at the position as a result. It's not like we'd be missing any production after all, his line in qualifying in '17 was awful, not much better in '16, in '13 he did better, but that was five years ago (scored on matchday 4 at Jamaica, matchday 5 vs Panama, matchday 6 vs Honduras, and matchday 9 vs Jamaica against scoring all but one of his goals in qualifying against concacaf dregs, w/only the home goal (another trend with him) vs Honduras, a goal against a team of even slight quality).

I don't think we miss much in leaving him off, whether it's these forwards not scoring, or Altidore, either way, the trendline suggests Altidore won't make a difference against any side unless the squad sucks and is on the road in the US for the match.

 

I'm not going to post my list because I still haven't seen the Brazil match but I think it is telling, having read through the posts, that there is scarcely a mention of Yedlin, either as a standout or a flop. Should we expect more from him? I've never been as high on him as some others have but I have definitely seen better moments of him in a NU shirt than I have with the Nats recently.

 

Good to hear you like him. It certainly would be a big disappointment if he didn't get more games this year than last. That would be a sign it's time to move.

While I disagree with you a good amount of the time, I certainly respect your knowledge of the formations etc. that are played, and especially your insight on the BL players. I'd kind of been waiting for you to make some comments on Weston here. I found it a bit disconcerting that I did not see you pumping him up or defending him anywhere.

I finally saw some McKennie commentary from you in another thread a few days ago, mainly in comparisons to Jones. The Jones comparisons for McKennie are obviously natural, if not necessarily the right ones. I believe you said, other than in tight ball control, he had quite a ways to go to approach Jones. You seemed to imply that there was little chance for Weston to match Jones in any other area going forward.

Jones is a pretty high bar, Weston doesn't need to be better than Jermaine to be a player for us obviously. But it seems your opinion is Weston's ceiling is far below Jones, and if that's the case, the anointing of him as a 10 year piece for us is either premature, faulty, or depressing.

edit:
p.s. Whoscored has Mckennie playing RB and Caliguri playing RM vs. Hertha. That didn't happen right? Just that Shalke was so out of whack that their field positions looked that way?

 

He only really played against Brazil. He was very good defensively, imo, but could not get anything going in attack. He tried to do some dribbles, but that is not his game and it showed. A defender playing Brazil is probably doing well if nobody really notices them

He is actually very good, sneakily so, at reading plays when we are being counter attacked and covering for the #6 or CBs. He bailed out Omar early in the Panama home game and he bails Trapp out in the Brazil game. Just two recent ones that come to mind.

I think he has become much smarter defensively, but I don't think there is much upside left. But he is clearly the best option at RB and the only American starting regularly in the EPL.

 

No that is how Schalke lined up to start that game. McKennie sort of played RB, RCB, and DM in that game. He is very versatile and can play many places ok. I think with the USMNT, he is also viewed as a swiss army knife by Sarachan to kind of do three things at once and make up for a lot of deficiencies in the Dave 4-1-4-1 with Trapp.

Not sure if Sarachan is capable, but I'd like to see Dave try in October to figure out how to get McKennie in a role he can excel in. Probably means dropping Trapp and playing a double pivot with Adams. Possibly in November, Adams won't be called and McKennie can play with Williams again like last November where he was bright.

He is 19, he played Brazil and France the last two games. He was actually looking good against Mexico, but then picked up a knock.

 

I might make too much of this stuff...but another thing Yedlin did was foul Neymar pretty hard in the beginning of the game. Nothing malicious, just treating Neymar as just another forward in a game. I just thought it was a good reminder to all the kids around him that this is just a game and these guys are not superhuman. He went at Neymar a couple of more times and Miazga did too later. Neymar obviously noticed and DY must have gotten under his skin as Neymar felt it necessary to talk about Yedlin after the match.

 

I think he's one of those guys that hasn't busted, but also hasn't reached the potential once dreamed of five years ago. He just shows flashes, and seems to have never developed into a sound, reliable, defending right back in the way Dolo was. He's not Dolo, will never be, he has some things Dolo didn't, and he lacks some things Dolo had, but I think one of the chief frustrations is what he does well are cherry on top skills (speed to track back after mistakes, and speed to scare the other teams left mid/left back), and what he is inconsistent with are foundation level skills (competent, consistent defending).

I've heard mentioned from a few people that Tyler Adams should get a look there, don't have enough of a feel for Tyler, and I'd still like to see what kind of player he could become in the central midfield since Yedlin is still adequate compared to other problem areas.

 

That is very similar to my assessment. I like him, but I am absolutely against anointing him as a lock starter just because he starts in the EPL. Unfortunately, it might be a little early for some of the other options and I agree he is our current best option. I just think he needs to bring it. At this point he is being outshined by Robinson.

 

I am not a hot-taker. I do not give up on guts after a poor performance (particularly if out of position or vs a superior opponent) nor do I slobber-nob after a nice play or two and forget the mistakes.

As such,

Standouts:
1. Steffen
2. Brooks

Flashes of potential:
1. Miazga
2. Robinson
3. Weah
4. Adams
5. CCV

Just fine:
1. McKennie
2. Yedlin
3. Green
4. Zardes
5. Trapp


Not good/tough situation
1. Lichaj
2. Moore
3. Acosta