an awful lot of passes where he immediately starts running to new space. you unambiguously love to see it
Thanks. This was fantastic. There were a few times where it looked like he could have tried to drive and take a shot on goal, but instead held up and passed. I'm sure he felt a bit nervous about being too "selfish", but at some point you want to shoot when their are opportunities. His dad was much more of a creator than a goal scorer, at least once he left UVa, but I'd love to see him do both, a la Donovan.
Reyna actually didn't create very much. He was more of a possession-based CM who circulated the ball but wasn't too creative. In fact I don't think his game would transition well to the modern game given he definitely wasn't a defensive presence either.
Another Wow! Not over his head and clearly fully embraced by his teammates. Rode some tackles and even got some rough treatment, but got up and carried on. And playing more in the middle of the park! The future is bright.
And always looking to make the pass, but never to the exclusion of working a dribble. Awesome, actually.
is pretty much a perfect example of why you need to push players consistently to avoid stagnation. he looked completely different than u17s
But he played similarly in preseason, which was his first action w/ BVB in any capacity. It seems like he was capable of making that adjustment upon playing with better teammates. Adapting to what his group needs. Unlike the player who shall not be named who plays the same way regardless of his teammates, w/ a lot less physicality to not be pushed off the ball, and w/ a worse outside shot. More like the player that was named earlier, Donovan, only seemingly a mentally tougher, bigger version. It's realistic to be very optimistic about Gio's prospects.
He didn't look nervous at all to me and that was what I was most impressed about. He looked like one of the better players in the 1st half and that is amazing given his age. Really happy that it was on ESPN+ when I got home and quite content with how he played. Dortmund is totally stacked on O now that they have the wonderboy from RB Salzburg so it is going to be hard get minutes but I still think he has a chance to make the bench at some point this season. The future certainly looks bright for him. His size/speed combo is legit. I love the way he is able to hold the ball when under attack. I am a big fan
90' Schluss! Das erste Testspiel im neuen Jahr endet torlos. #BVBSTA pic.twitter.com/f8zxYqvdQ2— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) January 7, 2020
Yet somehow most of us thought Claudio was one of our few best players and one of our few best creators from about 1994 to 2006, +/- a year or two on either side.
He was a good player; he just wasn't very creative in my opinion. Donovan had more than 2.5 as many assists.
You mean to say he had fewer assists than our all-time assists leader? Having trouble wrapping my head around that one.
Like one third as many...18 assists in over 100 games many against poor competition isn’t that great.
Reyna was not a dribble through the defense and square for a goal type player, but he certainly had an eye for a pass to unlock the defense. 4 USMNT players have 10 assists and a higher assists per game rate; LD, Eddie Lewis, Tab Ramos and Fabian Johnson. Pulisic should join that group soon. based on data here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_men's_international_soccer_players
So, how good are Donovan's kids? How about Tim Howard's kids? How about Brian McBride's? Do these kids with a pro soccer parent inherit their parent's style and abilities and strength and weaknesses on the soccer field? My point is, who gives a crap how good Gio's Dad was. Let's quit railing on his pop and appreciate this gifted soccer player named Gio. Gio is Gio. How good Claudio was or wasn't is a moot point. And now back to your regularly scheduled high bullocks BS programming....
Probably. He was more a metronome, and a deep play-maker. Like someone said above- looking to make the pass that unlocked the defense. From everything I've read, his US teammates (*especially* Landon Donovan) loved playing with him because of that. So, I'd say his creativity was just a little different. More a string puller, less a fantisista. Still, when Claudio caught Kahn off his line in that QF game . . . . oh my. That would have been goal of the tournament had he put it on target.
Our Starting XI vs. Feyenoord 📝 pic.twitter.com/5fpM9bUjfW— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 11, 2020