Get you some teammates who huddle around a cell phone to watch your #USMNT debut. 💙❤️ @nick__lima | #ForwardAsOne pic.twitter.com/588sT6IesB— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) January 28, 2019
Quakes' Lima aces key hybrid role for USMNT Berhalter’s vision for wing play was demonstrated early on when Nick Lima, playing as a right back, penetrated deep into Panama’s final third in only the second minute of the match. It didn’t result in a goal at that time, but that sort of range earned the San Jose Earthquakes defender an assist late in the 80th minute. It also earned him a “Man of the Match” nod from U.S. Soccer, and Berhalter. “It was because of the complication of what we asked him to do and how he dealt with it,” Berhalter said of Lima. “It’s not easy to ask your right back to get the ball with his back to goal or to ask him to create space in the midfield, but he did a good job of it.” Gregg Berhalter addresses the media following tonight’s 3-0 win vs. 🇵🇦. https://t.co/QIkO1bbVkE— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) January 28, 2019
So happy to see Nick start and have a stellar game. To have Berhalter give him the nod as Man of the Match was fantastic. He played so well tucking in to the midfield support role from RB. I'm really stoked he fit so well in Berhalter's system...really ideal for him. I'd take him over Yedlin any day of the week. Can't wait to see him this Saturday.
Yedlin may have a touch more raw speed and athleticism, but Lima strikes me as having substantially superior game sense, positioning, vision, crossing, and general soccer IQ. He's also quite a bit stronger than Yedlin. I wouldn't be surprised if Lima winds up taking that position from Yedlin. At the same time, Yedlin does seem to have grown in these areas by playing in EPL. It will be good for both of them if they push each other.
As a Newcastle fan I wouldn't knock yedlin's game sense and positioning that much nowadays. Maybe in his MLS days yes but he has spent the past 2.5 years playing in England under a top manager in Rafa Benitez. he has grown a lot. Yedlin can deliver a pretty decent cross too I would say the one thing I don't see him do like Lima is cut in to the middle and shoot.
I'm glad to hear that. Watching Yedlin in those early years with Seattle and USNat it was hard to watch sometimes how often he'd find himself out of position and/or making bad decisions. My guess is he was such a superior athlete in his teens facing inferior competition that he was never pushed to learn to play intelligently. But it may not have meant he couldn't play intelligently, just that he was never in a position to become a student.
Lima is a well rounded player, much better than Yedlin up field, more intuitive with better decision making...mentally plays at a quicker tempo. Yedlin has improved his D but it has taken him years to be better with his positioning. He kind of brain locks up field. He can drive the line well but not combo cutting in. On D, his recovery speed saves him most of the time and covers up gaffes. But the kiss of death is he still has a couple mental lapses per game, especially with the nats...backside phase outs that cost goals and affect results. The last game he played with the nats was a perfect example. He subbed in late with the nats up 1-0 and promptly lost his man on the back side to give up the tying goal. If Berhalter continues to use his RB in the manner he did against Panama, Nick will be right in the thick of the competition for the starting job due to his savvy and speed up field. Imo, he's the best option in that capacity over Yedlin and potentially Dest...and maybe even better than Adams if they chose to move him to RB. I agree the competition will make everybody better. I would bet against Yedlin being the starting RB at the next WC.
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He was very good again today. At the end of the game I said to my wife, who is a big Lima fan, "unfortunately we might have just seen the beginning of the end of Nick Lima with Quakes". It is hard to judge against these makeshift opponents, but I think he has shown that he is even better than the Quakes have gotten out of him. I think he is a good candidate to move to abroad over the summer. Hopefully Almeyda can get the same amount out of him, and then we can sell him for a nice sum and he can seek his fortunes in Europe!
He is playing a very different role for the nats. The Quakes have used him as a traditional right back, pretty much how most teams use the position. Berhalter is having him play a role that is very unique and unorthodox. Would other coaches change their system so they could use Lima in that manner?
You thought Lima was in a different role than with the Quakes? I thought last season with the Quakes that Lima was playing an offensive-minded right back, advancing and putting in crosses. Then he got some kind of injury and after that, I thought he stopped going forward, just hung back and played traditional right back. I wasn't watching the USMNT game that closely (and I fell asleep from 30-59th minutes), but it felt to me like Lima was doing what he has done for the Quakes. Plus I thought the USMNT has tried to play this way many times before, especially for example, DaMarcus Beasley coming forward on the left side.
USMNT was definitely playing him in a different role. He was not rushing the end line and looping in crosses. At about 1/2 way to the goal he made a left and filled in that space. Sometimes he even entered the penalty box. It showed skills I had no idea he had. In addition, a proper winger went into the corner area and he would find them with tight little inside passes. What it meant to me was "Lima has way more ability to impact a game than the Quakes are getting from him". Any coach who can use him will have a much higher value on him that the Quakes will. But if the Quakes use him like that, and he succeeds, the Quakes will still need to sell him. The only case where I can see him staying would be if it turns out his success was only due to the strength of those two inexperienced CONCACAF teams.
Berhalter had him pushed inside and forward when we had the ball.There were even times where he was in the middle of the field when we had the ball on the left. This gave us more numbers in the midfield and allowed us to maintain a higher pressure and pick up loose balls. Neither Panama or Costa Rica had a serious threat from the wing so it would have been interesting to see how much Lima would have been forced back into a more traditional right back role had there been a danger.
Not following your logic. I agree the Quakes can get more out of Lima than they have, based on his talent, but if they do that does not mean they "need" to jettison him. Same for any other player. There is no necessity that MLS sell its stars to Europe.
Talked to an English scout/coach today and he said Lima is a great player. I hope someone doesn’t snap him up soon because he needs to stay with the Quakes! Start a new thread.... Keep Lima in San Jose!
He wouldn't elaborate or tell me the club he was with. He just said he was checking out players from the game yesterday. He also couldn't say weather they were from Costa Rica or the USA.. Thinking it over more, if they sell Lima for what Tyler Adams or Alphonso Davies was sold for, I'd consider it. As long as that money goes back into the team.
I think at the very least, Almeyda is going to have a back-up plan for right back for the Gold Cup and other USMNT games. Is Nick's contract up at the end of this year? On the national board, someone suggested Berlin didn't sign him because they could get him on a free transfer soon.
That may have been before they saw his last two national team games. Considering the money some teams shell out for players, his stock could have just risen in a week. Juventus went out and repurchased Uruguayan defender Martín Caceres on a 6 month loan worth $600k. He started yesterday and even cost his team two points as he got beat badly in the 93rd minute for Parma to tie the game. Heck if he is worth $600k for 6 months, then Lima has to be wroth something too. .
I believe Lima did most of the same actions in 2018. He was often sending in crosses and one of his goals was a dart to the inside to shoot. The problem with the quakes is there was often no one there to take those crosses and he would often have to be cautious to cover up for Magnus sucking. The new item was seeing him sitting like a mid-fielder and that seemed to be a Berhalter scheme. Remember that at CAL, Nick was a forward before being converted to defender to help out his team. Really having Magnus in front of him seriously tied him down.