I say we leave him at Wigan to give him a chance to SETTLE IN. No reason to call him to the US team, it might mess with his career as his coach might not play him when he returns.
Amid all the AC Milan talk, Wigan had a mid-week game a few days before the deadline. Robinson played every minute in that game. Just like he has played every minute of every game for Wigan. Many thought the fact they played him meant he wasn't going anywhere. Next day or two, he is on the plane to Milan with Wigan set to make $8MM+ in a few months. But something happens with the medical and now he is out with a groin pull. Did he injure himself in that game? Why did they play him and risk all that money? SO dumb.
Settle in? He's already a full time starter when healthy. He's settled. If he needs to heal an injury, that's fine. But, no reason to think he needs a period of time to settle at Wigan. Maybe if he gets transferred in summer, he will need time in his new club.
Sheffield United it is. Great move imo. I suppose the only way to avoid calling him up now is to go back to those "settling in to his new club" arguments. https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2...nson-move-premier-league-sheffield-united-epl
I think he should be called up but Cannon may also move so then it's a free for all between Dest, Robinson and Cannon and that's actually great with even more good to great lefties on the way. Need way more depth to cover for injuries, tactics, cards etc.
Agreed that everything is looking up with most of our young talent, so another option at a high level is nothing but positive. This move is great, Robinson's development is great, it's all great! I think the issue is that Egg has ignored him for some reason. The US ain't at a level where we can ignore a standout 22 year old in the Championship. I've said it before, but I prefer the US manager is proactive in talent identification. Robinson should have been more involved over the last couple years. It shouldn't take a move to the EPL for the light bulb to go on in his head. And I don't want to hear the "well he's better now" or "his development happened quickly". That might all be true, but our options are so limited that can't be the reason. There is a considerable gap between an EPL mid-table player and Daniel Lovitz, and that gap has been occupied by Robinson for the last 2-3 years until now. I think the idea that Robinson would be courted by England is a longshot, but what if he nails down a starting gig with a mid-table Sheffield and looks pretty good? Surely England would be at least in contact. The fact that this could even be considered at this point is a failure for the US program. Hope it doesn't, and don't think it will. But that's the same thing everyone said with the Jon Gonzalez situation, and we all know how that turned out.
The question would be, how much would they play him. He'd be going from C'Ship to Midtable EPL, 2 points behind Arsenal, low goals allowed already, top handful defenses in the league. He might offer more offense but for less defense. They had low goals for and zero GD so they might take the risk. Or maybe he’s a bench attacking option. I think people are hearing "Sheffield United" but not admitting "9th Place." It's kind of like when Stoke was very good for a period. The snob is like, "Stoke." We had people who went to Stoke and disappeared. I would like to see someone try him as a winger. He can motor down the line and hit a cross. Thus far he’s not much of a defender. Most players who people have said would figure that out, don’t. I don’t think Yedlin has, despite talk to the contrary. So don’t fight your essential self. I think you either have a knack for defense or not. He and Dest are both very jumpy.
"Development" is a vague thing. He's too old and experienced to be actually run through a youth program and taught. Plus no one identifies Sheffield United with training up kids. First teams aren't much of a teaching ground anyway. You're either ready to execute what I want or not. Maybe it rubs off that Sheffield plays some defense. Or maybe the whole idea would be he can get forward as a change of pace for a team that otherwise is averaging about a goal a game, both going forward and allowed. In which case he's not there to play 90 and shut down people, he's there to play 30 and run at defenses. I buy development more if Charlie Kelman signs in Germany and is sent to the U19s or Dortmund II to be taught. I am less convinced in the likelihood of significant growth if a player is being signed to take a first team number, in which case they are being picked as a current product that offers some specific perceived upside. In his case, he can hit a cross well. They might correct him once or twice, but if he has a running issue, he won't be coached, he will be sold on or released. Snobs like to believe Europe like rubs off. After 21 or so, no, I don't think so, it's just bringing out what you showed up with. Big time Europe spends money and accumulates more "shows up." If you want Europe to school your player, Reyna/Pulisic them and have them over there as teens. But that is only going to be available to so many kids with the right passports for FIFA rules ie the "age 18" rule. Which is part of the reason I harp on domestic development. Like it or not it will be pivotal how well scouted and trained our own kids are up to 18. You then might have a small window for an English or German or Dutch team to stick them in a youth team for 2 years, before they either turn out to their needs or not. There is no magic. Particularly if signed as a 23 year old adult they are looking for a mostly finished product, not a project.
I think sub minutes when they are chasing a result, as well as the occasional start when the Irish guy is unavailable (or starts when they are playing lower table teams) would be a great first season. I don't think anyone is saying "Sheffield United" while ignoring "9th Place". I think most of us are thinking "EPL player who will get minutes" while not ignoring "the US team has 1 or 2 EPL players total".
Actually we have (or at least had) nearly 10 people technically the asset of EPL sides. As of last year, yes, Pulisic and Yedlin, who play, but also everyone who is in the reserves or out on loan, Scott (until recently), Miazga, CCV, Steffen, Mixx, etc. It's this odd thing where the club snobs who should know better than us who is in the reserves or on loan, pretend like they don't exist to argue the next guy should move to the EPL. I know you love the EPL but if you ignore the reservists and loan players you mislead about the chances of someone who signs EPL. Only a few people signing there, play there. Not many. The higher up the food chain a player goes, particularly one who needs work, the higher the odds are they get chewed up and end in the CCV/Miazga pile and not your Pulisic/Yedlin booster story. If you don't factor in this was a good team with a strong defense, you're doing him no favors. I mean, be real, he has technically been "EPL" until last season, inasmuch as he was Everton's asset. He spent 2 years on loan in lower divisions. He got sold to one of his loan teams. They went broke and had to sell him. Is he actually going to the EPL this time or back on loan like before? We shall see. Based on how good their defense is and the issues I remember, if he has been bought to play, he's a 30'/game sub put in to go forward late. Or this may just be a xerox of how he used to be Everton 4 years and yet had no league appearances.
I guess I don't really understand your point here, including a bunch of guys on the books with EPL clubs (Palmer Brown too right, or was he sold to Austria?). I think the excitement here is that he had numerous EPL clubs interested. He's 22-23, so not like a youth player who is signed in the off chance he might work out, or signing him as part of a loan army. They are signing him for the senior team. Thus, I think at worst, he's going to be getting sub minutes on a decent EPL side. We only have 2 players at that level, and they are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the US 23 (Yedlin has been, but he's struggled recently and on his way out, so he's not the best example currently).
Just as an aside, Sheffield United just recently extended their starting left back (Irish international Enda Stevens) thru the 2023 season........................ https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/so...tract-extension-at-sheffield-united-1.3802115 No matter what club a player goes to in a "big league" there will always be competition, though. Enda Stevens isn't Paolo Maldini.
To be blunt, if signing in England and Germany alone made players awesome, we'd be a better NT than we are. The reality is we have a lot of ambitious players chasing paychecks and name brands who sit or go on loan, and cumulatively all those splinters don't help the Nats. The reality is also if you aren't playing -- Green, Horvath, Wood, etc. -- Berhalter in particular forgets your number. To me the USMNT is in a paradox. We are now more signable than ever and can get deals at all the best teams. Back in the day about as good as we could usually hope for was Fulham. But Fulham would play you. We struggled to get in at ManU or the like, and even when we did, you could be Friedel or Howard and they'd find something not to like. And then you go on to be all-world at Villa or Everton instead. Now City or Chelsea will sign you...... but will you play?? So the amount they will sign has gone up but the amount they want to use hasn't much. I don't believe in comfort and playing time as Berhalter scouting but I believe in them for sharpness and confidence. I don't think all these signed-to-loan players help much. They aren't "at Chelsea," they are at Vitesse. And then someplace else, someplace else, someplace else. Maybe they play, maybe not. I think it would help if we got back to the 90s/00s idea of getting someplace that will play you. Of looking at how you fit. But I see the issue as now that City will sign people, loyalty to the NT is secondary. The NT used to be more primary when we were getting jacked around in Europe, Fulham was our peak, and the USA was where we earned respect. Now you can sign City tomorrow and get theoretical respect then. But that doesn't mean you will play there or be much NT help with your career path. If we want to pursue World Cup success we need a team with more players getting their playing time. Not so Berhalter removes head from tookus, but so we play better and look more confident.
Erling Haaland is instructive. His dad played at Leeds, Notts Forest, and City, all when they were Premier. His dad had every reason to be a starf*cker like y'all. "Go straight to City." "EPL EPL EPL." He instead went to his hometown academy, promoted to first team. Transfer to Molde for a year, double digit goals. Transfer to RB Salzburg for a year, double digit goals. Then, having established his bona fides as an adult player, and controlled his career, he signs for Dortmund finally. 13 goals in 15 games. That career path gives him more control over how he was used, and a better chance at success each step up the ladder. It offends the snobs living vicariously through the players because they are supposed to be blindly ambitious and sign biggest team and most money. The snobs aren't trying to make Dortmund at age 16 or 18. The snobs don't seem to care if while nominally "Dortmund" you end up shipped out to "Vitesse." The snobs don't care if going the lower road gets you controlled one year deals while the high road means a long contract and perhaps loans. Steadily climb the ladder and arrive as a starter at a good team in your 20s. We instead seem to prefer the Zelalem model where you are Arsenal in your teens but Swope Park at age 23. On those lines, Robinson should have re-signed into the C'ship or at best lower EPL. Midtable EPL is a big jump from where he was.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/borussi...se-how-he-became-soccers-most-wanted-teenager "Despite making several club visits across Europe, it became clear that young Haaland -- coached at the time by Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Molde -- would leave Norway only for a club that granted him status as a first-team player. Moving to an academy, as his compatriot Martin Odegaard did when he left Stromsgodset for Real Madrid Castilla a few years earlier, was flatly ruled out. The confident youngster wanted to learn while playing competitively...." "Choosing Borussia Dortmund over potentially more glamorous destinations has proven to be a cunning move by the Haaland family who, possibly to cement his growing global recognition, have "internationalised" Erling's surname from Haland to Haaland, losing the tricky Norwegian character å. The Bundesliga is a haven for attacking football and this Dortmund side, with its quick and attack-minded wide players, intelligent attacking midfielders and wide forwards whose movement creates space, are the perfect conditions in which a powerful and dynamic centre-forward can prosper....." You read this article and you sense a thought out plan. Styles of play, how he fits. How far to jump up the ladder each time. How many Americans do you think are planning like this? Our model too often seems to be the agent-driven model. What's the team name? How much? How many zeroes? But then we are also a Fed that thinks you can wave a wand and make the NT a Dutch passing team, without changing the players first, and without regard to what the rest of Concacaf thinks or does. That the teams with their axes to chop us down already, are just going to let us tiki taka them to death. Ask Mexico what they think of us working the ball up the middle from the back. They probably send whoever had that idea a fruit basket for Xmas each year.
I still don't get your point. Robinson isn't a teenager. He was at Everton, tore his ACL, took a loan to the EFL, then another loan to the EFL, then signed in the EFL, and was a potential Best XI player this season for Wigan. As a 22 year old who is still improving, why would he stay at the EFL-level, where he has just shown to be at the higher end of that level? How is this anything like a teenager who goes to Man City, Arsenal, or Bayern?
It's my opinion any attacking left back was ignored because of the tactics/formation. I have never liked asymmetrical formations for this reason unless for a very short period of time or a wrinkle for a game. In this case an arbitrary tactical decision allowed a bunch of tweener left back/center backs to make rosters and get minutes while the best pure left backs and some of the better right backs who can play either side didn't play. Lets hope it's back to being more balanced and all the best players at all positions get their shot.
i see a lot more "9th place" and "mid-table" describing sheffield than i do "recently promoted" and "was in the colaship last season".
I’m happy for him, and truly hope this ends up being a good move, but the possibility of him ending up being either the backup LB all season, or being loaned to another championship level team is fairly high IMO. 2 million for the transfer isn’t much of a gamble. It’s great that he’ll be able to compete for a starting place on a decent PL team, and I hope he claims that place, but if he doesn’t and rides the bench for 95% of the season this move wouldn’t be good. Claim that spot Jedi!
My deal is you play the ball where it lies. Blades are not a long term EPL side but they are where they are in the table. That is the level of play you are setting yourself up for. And you were playing midtable C'ship ball this year, no pile of goals or assists. That's a decent jump. And what is your role, and are you starting. Based on trying to sign ACM the kid is ambitious. But I thought what would follow that is he takes some photos, sells some shirts to gullible Americans, then gets loaned. Someone mentioned, well, he got hurt at Everton. Knee cartilage. Signed there again AFTER THAT. Loaned twice, which was Bolton then Wigan. Finally settles someplace that will play him without a loan, he wants another move. My concern is does he start? Sit? Another loan? He had played himself into an outside shot at the NT. He showed some issues and faded. He had bad luck in how this year played out internationally. Personally I would suggest "consolidating" -- making sure the balance of this cycle he's getting minutes someplace that wants him. Berhalter would notice. Wigan is broke but surely some other C'ship or team closer to the bottom of EPL had some interest. I am sure the club snobs love Everton/ACM/and could perhaps even convince themselves on this one once they see the Blades' table spot. I am not sure it's just a pattern of stretching a little too much. There is literally one first team non-loan season on his resume at age 23.
There's pushing yourself -- let's go up a notch. And there's reaching. He was already surplus at Everton. Some might see that as defeatist, but I'm just saying, find your level. He has more work towards that than some of the cheerleaders admit. Second, 99% of players showing up to camp at any of these teams are there juiced up to compete for a role. Our nationals are not specially invested with ambition or talent or effort. Despite that Carnegie spirit, someone has to start, someone has to back up, someone goes on loan. The bootstraps narrative ignores few of these players suck, and pretends like you were chosen for working harder than the next guy. We don't know that. Maybe you played your best but ACM was only ever going to loan you unless you looked like Pele. I am not suggesting don't compete. I am saying be smart where you pick where it's not too big a reach, where you get a fair shot, and set yourself up for success. Maybe it works out well. I am open to that. But I am also open to an apparent pattern of being perhaps big for his britches.
Robinson had interest from AC Milan, Chelsea, West Ham, and Lyon. He was one of the top LBs in the C'ship, which is basically a top-10ish league in its own right. He won league-wide awards. The scouts rate him. Opta loves him. How is he reaching? What does Berhalter matter? What issues did he show with the National Team?