well, I think this is officially a battle royale that everyone benefits from now. It is possibly the one position in our 11 that I would be literally okay with any of them, being three deep. Did Lima get a leg up today? Is Yedlin still our entenched starter at Newcastle? Is Reggie Cannon primed to lock that position down this coming up season? Are any of them viable options on the left side? Surely an interesting discussion at this juncture.
Dest needs to be a regular for Ajax or prove himself with a lesser Eredivisie club/equivalent to thrust himself in this conversation. And still, he may be best used at a-wing, because there is a dearth of talent there, and he's a hell of a dribbler. If nobody emerges, or there's a glut in cm, Adams may be used in a fb/wb role. Taylor was alluding to that tonight. Offensively, at cm Adams still does by far his best work when he drifts out wide. I'm also interested to see what Rosenberry brings. It's been clear for a while, like with cb, we'd have options. It's just a matter of integration and utilization, that's to date been slow.
I don't know if Yedlin can adequately play the same type of fullback role that Lima had to play, at least at a higher international level than tonight (and obviously don't know if Lima can, either). I wonder if Gregg is thinking of him elsewhere.
Well, until Dest plays in the Eredivisie, I have a hard time putting him above Yedlin/Cannon/Lima. Lima's in the conversation, which is about all you can ask for in a Camp Cupcake friendly against Panama B/C. Cannon and Lima will push Yedlin, with Dest bringing up the rear as likely the most "talented" (he needs professional seasoning though).
Adams needs to be used strictly as a midfielder; maybe at most a RCM, but a midfielder nonetheless, until we somehow have talent somehow equal to his level.
The good thing about having options is it gives a coach different talents to play against different opponents using different schemes. Also allows for injuries, unavailability and rotation.
This is pretty easy right now. Lima is currently ahead of Cannon and Rosenberry and everyone else in MLS. We don't know what GB thinks of Yedlin, Moore, or anyone not in MLS. I don't understand how people, like Daryl Grove, can point to a mistake by Yedlin against Chelsea and Eden Hazard and then watch Lima do well (but hardly perfect) against Panama C and say anything about the situation. We will find out in March. We will get our first hint when the roster is named and whether Lima is on it.
I doubt it will be one fullback that always moves into midfield and one that forms the back 3. You would think you would want both to be able to do it. I just think Lovitz is not good enough, so 95% of the time, Lovitz hid next to Long and Lima did all the offensive work. But the role seems a very good fit for Robinson who has the most technical skill of any of our fullbacks. Dest is coming and if he dominates the U20 World Cup like he did the CONCACAF games he played in, he deserves a look even if he is playing reserves for Ajax. Weah, Sargent, have shown that the reserves of the biggest clubs are MLS level.
Not sure that's true. If Cannon starts at RB against Costa Rica and looks about the same as Lima did I'd say they're tied. If Lima starts again then you're correct as least as far as Berhalter thinks. I don't think Yedlin would be able to play the RB/DM hybrid but Berhalter may not use that wrinkle if he's involved.
So far GB has been pretty honest with the media. He said he wasn't going to just play everyone. I don't know if he said if CR was the game and P would be experimentation. I have to assume his 11 last night is first choice. There are 6 days between games, so no reason to rotate. Long, Bradley, and other CCL players might leave. I haven't heard anything like that though. You are right of course, if Cannon starts and goes 90 vs CR, we can think they are tied or Lima is only slightly ahead.
Adams should also be considered for this position. There's no need to decide yet. We have good candidates at RB. Not a bad problem to have.
I will wait and reserve judgement when seeing how Berhalter manages DY. He might get the most out of him. If GB gives him clear instructions and he follows them that might be great and then Adams can be a box to box midfielder like he is. Yedlin has loads of speed - it is the occasional bad decision that hurts him and you never know Berhalter might guide him ina way to minimize those mistakes.
Lima was awesome last night. Given Lima’s background as a forward converted to a RB, learning curve to play the Berhalter way at that position probably less steep than perhaps Cannon. Although Cannon has 2 years in the MLS, he had 1 min his first year. He will need to pick up quick if he wants a chance. Not sure about Keegan standing. The real questions are...Can Cannon learn this system? Can Lima or Cannon hang against better competition? Can Yedlin play anything remotely like this or will Berhalter use a different tactic with a Yedlin in the mix? Can see Adams playing this way totally. Lots of options and competition. Makes everyone better. Good thing! Lima had a big job tactically last night, curious to see what that looks like with a Weston and Pulisic on the field and against a better team. Other thought, some of the younger players perhaps like Trusty, McKenzie, Cannon, and Lewis may be close but don’t quite have enough experience tactically for prime time.....start with the U23’s for the future.
This thread is a major stretch. A Panama B team that look under USL quality is pretty useless to judge talent against. Yes GB may have a different role for the right back but think about it this way - could any of Lima, Cannon, Moore, or Rosenberry slot into Yedlins role at Newcastle and hold onto it? Either his back 4 role or the more recently used back 5. I think we all know the answer. Revisit the discussion when the competition has done something meaningful.
Re-watching the game, yes Lima tucks into the midfield to form a box of 4. But I'm 31' in and I don't think he has played the ball in that position. He is mostly just creating space for Bradley to use. When Lima does get on the ball, it is in areas a RB usually is on the ball. Yedlin, Moore, Cannon, etc. can all be decoys. I doubt this is "the system". Seems more like a gimmick or tactic to be used occasionally during games. Using it all the time would be too easy for teams to scout and counter.
These are good points IMO but according to certain posters, it's all wrong and reeks of Eurosnobberie - MLS and Panama B/C are equivalent to the best teams in the world apparently. Btw, it’s entirely possible that these players in lesser leagues are as good as or even better than major leaguers (look at Adams!) but one can’t tell just by watching them play vs a lower level....
If Steffan doesn't make that great save in the 56th minute, that is on Lima right? It is an unlucky deflection, but the Panamanian is in Lima's area and Lima is ball watching out of position.
Saying MLS guys can't play because they are in MLS is one thing. Obviously, in November Adams was in MLS and not much has changed. But we saw Adams do it against France, Brazil, Mexico, etc. Adams was on the All-Star team, Adams played great in the playoffs. Lima has not even been discussed as an All-Star; he was not considered the best American RB in MLS by most. It is not snobbery; it is logic. Nitpicking Yedlin versus top EPL teams and comparing that to Lima on Sunday is just dumb. I'm now 62' in to rewatching and Lima has not been passed the ball in the build up. Bradley doesn't even look for him. He is a decoy. Once he rotated position with Roldan and it led to a good move up the field but Lima gave the ball away and it led to a counter. Zardes ends the counter (which was not well done by Panama) with a foul in a dangerous area. I think Lima should get another camp, but people are going overboard on his performance. I think his best moments (and the 2nd goal is a great play) come after multiple Panamanian subs and when many on Panama were very tired. But minutes 0-60, Lima does very little and never is part of a build up from the back while in central midfield. Maybe I missed one early as it didn't occur to me to watch for it for awhile.
It’s not that eurosnobs don’t exist, I think that here in News & Analysis, it’s vastly overstated. Long gone are the days when simply starting in the Championship/B2 meant that you were better than anyone is MLS. The bigger and harder to assess question is comparing MLS/Championship/B2 regulars vs. up-and-coming reserve players at top 100 squads. Reasonable arguments can be made for both sides.