Tyler needs to play in Europe. At least in a small team and/or league so he can get playing minutes and slowly moving up to better teams.
Personally, Think he should try his luck overseas. His game is based on speed, either recovery or shutting down. He is effective at this. If we were to go to a 3man back, we would need 2 in front. Here he could be very effective. If he could up his soccer IQ to become a better passer, he would push his way into 4131 to the front of the back 4. He is 18.
You have to think today helped get him over seas if he takes an offer. Can't see an offer not coming.
He struggled with the tempo in the attack more than Williams/McKennie. His speed of thought wasn't the same, passes not as accurate. That means he needs to play at a higher level/tempo weekly.
You're saying he's got that MLS pedigree. I agree but I also see a skill set and mentality with an upside. Decent one too.
I still say his highest upside is at LB. Many of the games best LB's are right footed and had previously played some mid. Italians are well known for this. But if he wants to continue as a CM he needs to go somewhere with less time on the ball and learn to read/execute at tempo. McKennie's IQ just looks much more polished in comparison, as does his comfort centrally. And that's what a top league mid looks like.
I really hope he upgrades within the RB family and heads to Leipzig. They're looking for a long-term CM replacement for Keita and aren't afraid to give youngsters a chance. He could also rotate at the fullback spots for them. Their quick, direct style of play would also suit him well.
If Tyler Adams continues to develop, at worst (floor), he looks like a Ricardo Clark type player. A rangy, more defensive-minded central midfielder who is athletic, covers a lot of ground, and can pop in and contribute to the attack. That said, I think he has a higher ceiling than Ricardo Clark ever did and at best I think he could be a Jermaine Jones type in central midfield. Or he could move to outside back. I don't have a strong opinion about that, but given that DeAndre Yedlin is pretty entrenched at RB, I think Adams' national team prospects are better in central midfielder or at LB.
For sure - it's great to have versatile depth pieces on any tournament roster. I just think Adams' best chance to become an "every game" starter for the national team will be at CM or LB, as long as DeAndre Yedlin continues to emerge and stay healthy.
What about Chandler? The left side is a different story, he could theoretically become the starter there pretty quickly.
I am a homer so I would love to see him playing RWB in Tedesco's 3-4-3. He does have a lot of similarities to Keita as far as ball winning and work-rate are concerned. Keita's tight space dribbling is however just out of this world.
We've had plenty of central mids also excel as outside back. John O'Brien and Claudio Reyna both were played at fullback in their club careers..................... I personally think Adams will stay in central midfield with McKennie/Gonzalez/etc. and its Kellyn Acosta who could move to fullback with the national team..............................
If people go back and watch McKennie and Adams as youth players they would notice (I'm being nothing if not generous) that Weston was more offensively skilled and a better passer. Specifically he was good at quickly playing throughballs on the turn. Adams was pretty much a Tasmanian Devil-like figure who caused more havoc for the other team than his limitations caused for his own, I was a fan.
Chandler hasn't been a reliable part of the program. AT LB, I'd like to see K. Acosta, D. Acosta, Remick, and Nagbe get opportunities.
This is my full-back list for the next few years Yedlin, Chandler, Adams, Rosenberry, Lima, Vincent, D. Acosta, Garza, A. Robinson. Thats 9 players, I'd like to see the non-established ones get a chance. We have enough caps to test these guys out. I also wouldn't disagree with K. Acosta and Nagbe at full-back experiments, maybe it works, although I haven't liked K. Acosta as a full-back. Its also possible some others emerge, whether its Moore, Cannon, Olosunde, Farfan, etc.
I think it’d be really good for him to move to Germany where they would hold him accountable and demand more out of him. If he can fix his passing issues, he is a huge asset. I think his creativity and ability to contribute offensively have gotten a lot better this year.
I have never been sold on Chandler. He has had glimpses of promise, but so inconsistent, and never a solid player for the Nats. Plus, he is 27 which will put him on the older side come our next cycle. I am not throwing out the idea completely, but hopefully we have better options. If he isn't able to solidify a spot at 27, what makes us think he can suddenly improve years down the line? There has been a lot of discussion on who we keep or discard from the old guard. To me, anyone we keep needs to not only has to keep up with the physical rigors of the game, but also HAS to provide leadership. I don't see Chandler as a leader, or being able to up his game. Hopefully he proves me wrong.
When has he gotten a recent chance to solidify a spot? I'd argue he's in the best form of any of our players at the club level the last year. He's younger than Bradley, Johnson, Altidore, Williams, Bedoya, Villafana. He's certainly not too old, he's right in his prime, 32 is not too old for the next WC.
I forgot about Lima. He'd actually be the top MLS-based prospect at LB where in addition to RB, he has excelled. The red flag on Robinson is that he has had microfracture surgery. Olosunde has looked pretty awesome in the clips. Does he go out on loan next year?
I was trying to be optimistic about his game going forward but you said it. He is an MLS style, athletic, press but no possess type player then?
Worth noting that Eric Lichaj is only 28.................................... If you're telling me that at Gold Cup 2019 we'll have Yedlin as a starting RB and Lichaj as a backup................I'm fine with that. And we'll work on developing a couple of the youngsters. If one of them develops to the point of moving ahead of Lichaj, then that's great. The shine really seemed to come off of Rosenberry this past MLS season....................and the commitment issues of Chandler seem to be real. I'll say that we don't know what formation our new coach will want to employ. What if he wants to employ a 3-5-2? (a convincing argument can be made for fitting our young pool into this formation) If that's the case then our analysis changes dramatically. Can a guy like Justen Glad play on the left in a back 3 of that type? Sure can...................