Adams plays RB, RWB, and CM. There are more logical options to experiment with at LB. He hasn't even gotten a shot at CM with the NT. It's like folks are scared or something.
They kind of have to over emphasize goal scoring but that tends to cloud how somebody played in midfield, say. You can get to a subjective opinion anyway. From a statistical point of view, the problem with goal scoring is that it doesn't happen often and statistics love sample size.
Interceptions, clearances, blocks, passes made, pass comp%, goals, key passes, goals, and tackles are kind of relevant in the game.
The folks you call scared are likely the ones who actually followed his performances. It's really more about how you develop players and teams simultaneously. I've had it with the grab bag approach of "these guys Nagbe and Acosta run all day and never get dispossessed, let's put them in cmid". Klinsmann called up Nagbe but only used him as a sub. Looks like he wanted to see something more from the guy before starting him? Ditto K.Acosta. K.Acosta runs so much he catches up with chicharito then catches up with Vela, but what's the point? Hey coach I ran fast didn't I?
But they somehow struggled with the factuals of his career. And that development takes place at club level. Not getting dispossessed is kind of important in the game. Things didn't work out too well for JK, who had unprecedented losses that 2nd cycle. Yep, both he and Arena screwed up. You can play that game with any player.
There is a big difference between covering ground reactively, i.e. chasing back, and being proactive in your ability to cover ground. Adams seems like the latter, and the only times I see him chasing is to cover for teammates.
I thought he played better at the U-20 World Cup than many of you - my memory could be off, or I may not have as cultured an eye for the game as you all, but I thought he was a key cog in our attack and arguably had to play a more advanced role in central midfield than he was used to after Gedion Zelalem went down with an injury in game 1. I'd like to see if Adams can continue to project as a #6 in central midfield. DeAndre Yedlin seems to have the RB spot for the national team locked down, and he is still only 24, so he ostensibly will be around for awhile. If LB/LWB is a reasonable possibility for Adams, then great, but he's naturally right-footed. We have some good central midfield prospects, but the pool of #6s is more shallow than the pool of #8s. Jonathan Gonzalez likely projects as a #6. Weston McKennie, Kellyn Acosta, Emerson Hyndman, Cristian Roldan, and Gedion Zelalem (if he develops) all project as #8s. So, I'd love to see if Adams can develop into an international caliber #6 for us in the future.
Durkin, Gonzalez, Sands, Trapp, McKennie, potentially EPB are all candidates at DM, and lets remember that Bradley is still young enough to play this cycle, if the coach wants to keep him in the program. I think he should have a lesser role, but I don't think he's just going to retire from the NT or will stop being called in.
I think his immediate future with the NT will come at both fullback positions and the right side of midfield. But as time goes on i would expect him to move more centrally. He reminds me of Gennero Gattuso. The guy everyone hates to play against. Only I think he can get into the attack better than people give him credit for on these boards.
Gattuso is a good comp. A short, feisty, hard working, DM who found his greatest success in the quasi-wide role as a RCM. This required him to push out to mark and harass the opponent's left-sided players when the ball was on that wing and then slide into the DM position in front of the CB's when the ball was on the other side. For me Adams lacks some of the skill and most of the offensive mental game of a high level 8. If the system, like our U-20's, calls for him to be a marauding disruptive force and relies on transition moments to create attacks he could be useful. His best attacking moments come on the run, playing through balls into open space, or flicking passes on. He is not a buildup orchestrator, a connector, a tempo setter. He needs to get better at reading and evading pressure and then picking the right pass. Some people would respond, "Fine, I don't want that", but if they think about it hard enough they should realize that most of the greats had some of that in their game. I'm not talking about just the Xabi, Kroos, Xavi, Carrick, Scholes, Juninho, Reyna, or O'Brien style CM. I'm talking about the Viera, Vidal, Khedira, Jones, and Bradley types. A lot of this is mental, which is good. The reports I've read say he's a hard worker. I think he should learn what Mascherano, Makelele, and Kante do so well first and then build.
Higher level CM's require a higher level technical base. I simply don't see that in Adams. Guys like Gonzalez and McKennie just look cleaner on the ball. Superior touch, escape dribbles, just more composed. McKennie's quite impressive at knowing exactly where that first touch has to go and often times even while marked that one touch places it directly to a teammate at tempo. It's subtle but an example of the class required for higher levels. It's also the ability to quickly create space which is what allows the ability to dictate tempo. A guy like Holden had it. A guy like Acosta does not. I do think with the youths that Durkin showed some of that ability. Maybe Adams develops it. Probably requires moving to a better league with less time on the ball though. Bradley developed it when going Ered---->Bund---->Serie A. By the time he was with Chievo he was very good at creating pockets of space. And it was around that time he dictated tempo at a good level for our NT. People have forgotten about him but a dude like Hyndman has shown some of that ability. Needs a new league though. I'd wager if he went to Holland or France you'd see that brought out of him.
Tyler was one of our best players at U20 and had scouts salivating because he has 2 attributes, physicality, and mentality, that you can't teach. His technical and tactical skills are above average. His slip pass assist checked the right boxes. We need to hope he makes a move overseas, the sooner the better.
Agree. He was the most important player on that team. He is going to be a Jermaine Jones type wrecking ball to the opponent midfield.
Y'all do realize we got played off the park against Venezuela in the QF's and Adams was maybe the worst player on the field in that game? He was subbed out very early, just after halftime. We had nearly no possession in that game. There were complaints about the midfield during the group stage, as well, and he was part of the complaints. I remember this exact same discussion happening about Zelalem's play two years earlier at the 2015 tournament, it was eerily similar. Some insisted though that he had played well. And thats not to say his career will go like Zelalem's will, but I remember both U-20 WC performances playing up a cycle being very similar. I like the guy's game, just not centrally. He's prone to get bossed centrally due to poor possession skills, positioning errors and not a particularly high soccer IQ. I don't even understand the idea of why he would be suited centrally. It's like some are convinced he's Naby Keita or N'Golo Kante 2.0 because he has a very high motor. Full-backs also have very high motors. To me, he has a full-back skill-set.
Durkin is already way better than Adams as a 6, not to mention EPB. Roldan, Trapp and J.Gonzalez. Adams has zero sense when it comes to anchoring a defense. The game just runs right by him. Actually if people would look at what Adams does along the touch line, it's pretty good and he has better vision there, plus he has to improve his longer passing because he is a bit of a dinkballer and not very good at it - kind of playground level. It's just a waste to play him at the 6. I would aim to replace Yedlin's English game with Adams' more dynamic American style. He should follow the Gareth Bale track and we'll sell him to Real Madrid for $100m
No. We do not realize that, because that is not what happened. Regardless, you have already made your one single point repeatedly. You think he is a better full back than central player. Got it. Now, it would be flippin’ fantastic if you would stop trying to drown out those who might disagree with you. This is the Tyler Adams thread, not the @ussoccer97531 thread. Thanks.
I thought Adams was mostly quite good at the U20 WC. He had a hand in most of our goals in the first few games until the NZ explosion. His only underwhelming game was versus Herrera. As for RBNY, the shift of formations was not driven by any poor play centrally. Rather, it was driven by (a) a desire to get Davis on the field due to an anemic offense, (b) injuries/international duty for everyone on the backline but Aaron Long and (c) a way to incorporate new, speedy players in the constantly shifting backline. The Red Bulls big vulnerability during Marsch's tenure and high press system, as many know, is when they give the ball up in the attacking third teams with good, fast players on the counter beat them up (see Accam a few years back, Piatti last year). Lawrence, Murillo, Long and Adams are fast and largely ameliorated this. Adams was very good for the Red Bulls wherever he played. The notion that he is poor centrally is in my mind untrue. As a RWB more often than not he pinches in centrally.
I actually don't think Mike has grown much at intuiting and avoiding pressure. I think at Herenveen what I said is that he got good at playing quick and simple in the direction where he is facing. He doesn't have great peripheral vision, he doesn't check over his shoulders enough, and he forgets about what the wide open fullback or winger is doing on the opposite side of the field from where he is looking. He doesn't process as much information, as quickly, as the really good CM's. What I think Adams can learn is how long to hold onto the ball, where pressure is likely to come from, where the open teammates will be, and when to cut your losses and play long.
If I feel like people are putting out faulty opinions, I can say why I think that, and try to prove why my opinion is the correct one, there is no rule that you give your opinion, and then you exit a thread. Its not your job to decide which opinions are valid and not valid. I'm sure you wouldn't do this if you agreed. And I find this ironic coming from you. You complain and complain and complain about our U-17 results not being good enough losing to the best team at the tournament, but when Adams playing centrally was one of the main culprits why we struggled against fricking Venezuela at the U-20 level (we only got there because we drew lowly NZ in the Round of 16), lets just sweep that under the rug, and forget about it.
For both McKennie and Adams, they should take a long look at what Jermaine Jones did off the ball to receive passes. He gave himself time on the ball by making good runs off the ball, and receiving passes in space. Both are great at pressing opponents. They both need to mature in presenting themselves as passing options. Pretty typical in their point in development, but crucial to maturing into the players they have the potential of becoming. Bradley has always been average in his work off the ball. At this point in his career, that will not change much.
@bshredder with a good article on Tyler Adams. I guess BS will soon start to accuse both Adams and McKennie of positional discipline issues. “Sometimes it's hard to believe that he's one year younger than me,” McKennie said from Portugal. “He's such a mature player. He was starting for New York in the semifinals against Toronto. He's one of those players that is so energetic and he works so hard. I remember I was watching that game and thinking: 'gosh, what position is this guy playing?' He was all over the field. He's a player that is going to be a big piece of the future. You can see it now and you could see it before.” http://americansoccernow.com/articles/tyler-adams-is-the-present-and-the-future
Hopefully the first thing Weston says to Tedesco and Heidel when he gets back to S04 is "guys there is this kid you have to look at"!
He was effective today especially in the second half . First half he couldn't connect a pass but you can see the raw talent. His mobility is better than McKennie in fact. I like his athletic talents and motor. Maybe he is a more offensively minded Bedoya/Zardes? I think he renders Bedoya obsolete.
[QUOTE="beerslinger23, post: 36077578, member: 173463" I think he renders Bedoya obsolete.[/QUOTE] Without offense to Bedoya, who I think has done good for us in the past, I sure hope so.