Best 11 Right Now

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by LuckofLichaj, Oct 19, 2018.

  1. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Spain and Germany both ran out club CB pairing to good success. We would have definitely been better served with KC's guys than Besler/Omar and Howard.

    It's not often where you would have the coincidence of having a U.S. regular whose club CB partner and GK are both playing at such a high level but I would like to take advantage when it happens.
     
    ifsteve and Pegasus repped this.
  2. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
     
    gogorath repped this.
  3. Bajoro

    Bajoro Member+

    Sep 10, 2000
    The Inland Empire
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rep for relentless negativity.
     
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  4. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    We have reason to be concerned about our defense.

    Things in midfield are going nicely, but anyone who has been following our players and is honest realizes our alternatives in defensive positions won't cut it outside CONCACAF.
     
  5. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    We better tend our own garden before worrying about that part. I'll worry about outside Concacaf when we place 1st or 2nd in the Hex/Oct/Dodec.
     
  6. ifsteve

    ifsteve Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Jul 7, 2013
    MS and ID
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I thought this thread was about the USMNT. Didn't realize you were talking Canada......
     
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  7. y-lee-coyote

    y-lee-coyote Member+

    Dec 4, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    I don't know why we wouldn't just go ahead and play with:
    ???

    Sergiño Long ?? El Jedi

    Adams Mckennie

    J Mo CP Gio

    ?hell if I know??

    I know Jedi made an appearance got absolutely worked by a world class player, but that was a while back and I don't think that should be a standard since we have no fullbacks that can keep that from happening. Serg has some weaknesses, but he is super fast and now I have wide speed, push your fullbacks up against us at your own risk.

    Seg and Ant both have technical skill and speed, They lack some defensive chops but they are playing and working on those areas of weakness I am sure.

    Guys like Gyasi might have some use late in a game on a humid night in the caribbean, or early pressing the hell out of some CBs and being a nuisance which he excels at. The three real attackers could use him to ping passes to themselves off of his arse or something.

    I think Long is pretty fast, he seems to be a decent defender without having a total donkey touch and I feel like we need some speed there. Miazga has never impressed me post MLS so I don't know what to do about the other CB.

    Mostly we need a real coach who looks at what we have and then decides how to put the best team on the pitch.
     
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  8. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Fair enough, but folks on these boards are already talking as if we were in the middle of a Golden Generation when even qualifying is iffy. We got a good midfield, but if our midfielders have to go support a weak defense, things get very complicated.
     
  9. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Dest and A. Rob are going to be moving with the attack. The problem is that central defense:

    ----------------Steffen/Horvath------------------
    ----------------Long---Brooks-------------------
    ---------------------Adams-----------------------

    We need Tyler to be exceptional to compensate for all the weaknesses behind him. And it doesn't seem to be happening.
     
  10. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    #3585 Excellency, Jun 30, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2020

    --------miles-------------long-------

    ----------------------------------------------------ream

    -----------------:)-------adams----
    -------------------------------------------pulisic

    ------dest
    --------------------------------gio

    ---------sarge/z/jozy--------------
    -----------------------------------------------morris

    Send Dest into attack and put our best 1v1 fast defender behind him (Miles). Using Ream's left foot compensates for no Brooks (I wonder how good Kobe Hernandez is yet.....developing. Said to be waiting for his 18th birthday so he can join Wolfsburg, I believe). Your doubts about Adams are shared by his coaches who put a baby sitter in with him - Marsch then Nagelsman. Doesn't mean Adams isn't any good. It just means he needs the right partner. How about that smiley guy? He'll work. Instead of Long we could play Miazga because he has a better passing foot
     
  11. ifsteve

    ifsteve Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Jul 7, 2013
    MS and ID
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Brooks is a starter in B1. I hardly think he is weak. Steffen is moving to one of the top clubs in the world. So I guess you must be talking just about Long.
     
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  12. RefIADad

    RefIADad Member+

    United States
    Aug 18, 2017
    Des Moines, IA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know it's unfortunately a theme for many of our guys, but Adams has been injury prone. Part of this is Leipzig wanting to make sure he's not getting overworked.
     
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  13. cyberthoth

    cyberthoth Member+

    Nashville SC
    Aug 7, 2000
    Nashville, TN
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't get where all this negativity is coming from with regards to our defense. Brooks is an average big 4 starting CB. Long is a high level MLS/borderline low level big 4 CB (remember EPL teams have submitted decent offers for him). Our best was probably Gooch and Boca who were basically one average big four CB and one low level big 4 CB. I'll give you Boca >Long but the difference isn't that much. Cameron and Brooks was also one average big4 CB/one low level CB

    Our RB pool is stronger than ever and we actually have one LB who appears to at least have the potential of being a competent international LB and maybe more.

    The only area that's really a step down from the last 20 years is in goal but that may not be the case in a year or two. Steffen's career doesn't look bad at this point in his development compared to goalies in the past that set the standard.
     
  14. y-lee-coyote

    y-lee-coyote Member+

    Dec 4, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Pre-WC JAB was a pretty good CB, but since he has been oft injured, and when available he has been from decent to shockingly bad. CB is a position I am okay with a lesser player that is solid defensively than a passing CB that forgets to play defense on the regular.

    For me defenders need to be consistently decent and sometimes pretty good, like Besler was for us. I do not like CBs who have three great outings and one outing of wretched.
     
    Excellency repped this.
  15. DHC1

    DHC1 Member+

    Jun 3, 2002
    NYC
    Fair enough. Whom do you like out of the candidates currently available?
     
  16. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But what is the cause of the wretched? Nagging injuries, going up against a team with small speedy attackers, loss of concentration/interest that flare up? If the first two he needs to be honest about injuries and probably not played against certain teams. If it's the last then he needs to be compared to what others we have that are healthy and flip a coin.
     
  17. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Brooks is terrible against dribbling forwards, the type that is a dime a dozen in Latin America (read: Mexico & CRC, possibly HON & PAN).

    The "X is moving to a top club in the world" line is almost a YA meme.
     
  18. dspence2311

    dspence2311 Member+

    Oct 14, 2007
    Brooks is the most solid CB we have IMO, and a leader.
     
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  19. Eleven Bravo

    Eleven Bravo Member+

    Atlanta United
    United States
    Jul 3, 2004
    SC
    Club:
    Atlanta Silverbacks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is he a leader? He seems the all-too-quiet type. Not saying that makes him a bad person. But I don’t know if he seems like he has that grab players by the scruff of the neck in the 89th minute mentality.
     
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  20. y-lee-coyote

    y-lee-coyote Member+

    Dec 4, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    I really do not know, I suppose it has to br Brooks or Miazga, but I don't rate either. I don't know enough about the rest of the candidates to say.
     
  21. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You have to play Brooks for normal ability on d or w/ his feet.

    But for games he can't match-up or compounds failures, like at Costa Rica, it would be nice to have a quicker, more consistent central defender next to him. That's what Long is, or Miles Robinson. Instead we had an oaf next to him in Omar Gonzalez & it spelled disaster.

    Maybe Otasowie or Richards develop into a better and more proven defender all-around, w/ consistency, but we are far from that pt. They are youth players for club and country ATM.

    Miazga's stagnated, has limitations, & doesn't pair well w/ Brooks, so he should be 4th choice, backing up JAB.
     
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  22. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    I wish we had an Azpilicueta, an all purpose flour, if you will (Jurgi would like that metaphor) to bind the defense together and patch up the holes. Jurgi had a problem in mid with the incompatible Bradley and Jones and moved Bradley then slipped Beckerman in to provide the binder.

    I don't see Berhalter as having that level of brains. We're screwed.
     
  23. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's not a matter of level of brains, rather blind devotion to a system, that's even suspect in the first place, in general, or as a fit to our talent.

    Adams may be that fellow in the center of the park to help provide cover to a back 2-4 that could use it, but we'll see if he even plays him there.

    If he's trying to provide it w/ the lb between Ream and Lovitz that'll be a disaster. The US doesn't have quality Azpi-type fb's, more ones who bomb fw.

    So that cover really needs to be provided in the center of the park w/ an Adams or stay at home fb. Philosophically that's where I like to see the support so the opponent can't just run at your back line unabated. Because then it doesn't much matter if you have Maldini & Desailly.
     
  24. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    #3599 IndividualEleven, Jul 4, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2020
    Google Brooks and 'leadership' and nothing comes up. I also didn't see any mentions of his having been a club captain or kapitan. Most mentioned characteristic is his skill on the ball. Miazga as a loan warrior has already been club captain.
     
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  25. RefIADad

    RefIADad Member+

    United States
    Aug 18, 2017
    Des Moines, IA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If only there was a formation where you could put two good, defensive-minded midfielders like Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams in front of two not so great center backs to provide cover while an attacking minded fullback can bomb down the field........
     
    Zinkoff, dspence2311, SCSAutism and 2 others repped this.

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