Tyler Adams

Hahahahah well played. Didn’t even catch the fact that I used the wrong word twice.

 

Don’t worry. Using the wrong thing in the wrong place could always land you a gig as an international manager.

 

Well played

 

It's obviously a reach by me but I can't remember him ever making so many long diagonals in the air before. It got me wondering if GB had a talk with him about what he could improve on. I liked the players he picked out but I thought his long passes in the air were too high but if he keeps working on it and gets more zippy lower passes he will have added what GB wants from Bradley and Trapp to his arsenal and there would be absolutely no reason for him not to be first choice at that role then.

 

I actually think it probably was his club coach and it may have been specific to the particular game.

 

In any event, do many posters believe that TA isn’t as promising a long passer as WT/MB?

 

I just watched the all touch and I didn't really see long diagonals in the air from him. I watched the game as well but long diagonals didn't stand out to me. He had a couple of long balls early in the match, one was more of him being under pressure in his own end and lumping it forward while the second was trying to get it to someone. Then tried a few chips over the defense later in the game. The assist was one that you don't need a manager to tell you to do. It was wide open and set up perfectly for a right footed player without having to worry too much about trajectory or even weight. Just hit it at the forward and let it curl in the gap. It wasn't like RBL needed long diagonals, they won 5-0.

His strength is his quickness in speed and thought. He just gets his foot on the ball before the other player and is able to direct it in a positive direction. He is very, very good. I think the main reason he isn't at 6 for US (now) is that the combination of players resulting when using him as hybrid RB is better in the eyes of GB than having him as 6 but with less dynamic players on right. It will eventually change.

 

I'd wager, at this point, Adams does absolutely zero to impress the USMNT as RBLeap play at such a higher level than our Nats it's laughable.

 

tyler falls directly into the conundrum just about every national team manager faces: play your best overall xi players or play the best xi based on each position

 

I don't think that's quite accurate, because the players displacing him as the #6 aren't in the best XI, and the guy he's displacing at right back probably is. The issue here seems to be one of Berhalter's own creation.

 

I'd have to agree and even if Yedlin isn't best XI then there are a few other upcoming right backs who will soon be.

 

well that remains to be seen of course once we stop with the scrimmages

 

Are you implying that WT/MB are better at the deep-lying 6 than TA?

 

nope. implying we have no idea if Berhalter experiments with adams when the matches count

 

May also depend on when GB think matches count. GC or WC qualifying?

 

I have no knowledge of course but would imagine for someone like Berhalter who played for the national team the matches start counting when you need to beat el tri, so probably the gold cup?

 

I'll call it now. When we play mexico, formation eventually goes out the window and what matters is who are our 11 on the field vs. their 11. Unless we stick with something really dumb and they roast us.

 

Nope. The current USMNT manager is just an idiot.

You have one of the best CM/DM in the BL on your roster, so you play him as a CM/DM. You don't play him as RB, RW, WB, etc. Find someone else to play those positions.

 

feels like a cop out. maybe adams dominates that role in a way that creates huge confusion for any other side, maybe he doesn’t. if you can’t experiment now when can you?

I would agree that the threshold can adams adequately do this role so someone else less good can play the 6 is bad. however if adams is a man city starter at this new role and we find out by putting him there is anyone complaining? Sure odds aren’t great, but it has been zero matches that matter

 

I'd have blasted Klinsmann for playing Tyler at RB, I see no reason not to blast Egg for doing it.

 

Idiot might be strong, it's too soon to tell. But he's a career sub-.500 coach and that indicates no genius.

Adams is like Pulisic for the US, IMO. He plays where he's most able to deliver on his skills. That's not RB, in any system, for Adams. So, Berhalter while not being an idiot, doesn't get this.

 

All discussion needs to start with acknowledgement that adams is asked to play an unbelievably cerebral version of rb that is hoping to leverage his world class soccer brain

 

Yeah, but JK wouldn't have a tactical reason why he was doing other than to get the player out of his comfort zone. Gregg has a plan.

 

Ok with that logic, why not play Pulisic at that position? See how ridiculous that sounds?

 

The worrying part is that plan could be to make sure that eithe WT or MB have a central role in the USMNT.

They simply aren’t as good a player as the alternative