Yeah... Like I said earlier... I feel like have to root for the Galaxy due to my locale... but FC Dallas is must-see TV for USMNT Youth Fans. Not sure why the announcers were bagging on Tessmann in the 1st half. He had a couple of missed passes but I thought he played very well... especially considering it was his first game. He ends up with an assist and to Paxton of all players! I know people argue that Paxton broke out last season.... but he didn't do all that much with respect to scoring stats... so there is still a ton of room to break out IMO and that was a great start.Love watching Cannon and Ferreira too... and to think they have Pepi and Servania as well. It is like a US U23 squad out there. Just fantastic. On the other side... I thought Aaronson and McKenzie also had good games. The Union O just disappeared when Aaronson went off and I like McKenzie's speed and athleticism. We are so weak at CB on the USMNT... it would be nice to see McKenzie and Richards manning the back in the near future.
Hyndman with a fantastic volley for the Atlanta game winner. He has to fill some pretty big shoes there and he looks up to the task. If anyone in the world has any doubt as to whether Lovitz belongs anywhere near the USMNT... watch Brooks Lennon just gas by him towards the end of the game. Brooks still needs to work on a few things but he has legit pace, wins aerials and gets back on D. Between all the US players abroad and the MLS... there are just too many games to watch now. I think I have watched over 10 games since Friday. On to the NYCFC game... and then I will check out the Minnesota match.
1234162273364717571 is not a valid tweet id Also it should be noted that Paxton Pomykal is getting a lot of plaudits for his performance in a substitute role this past weekend. And as Doyle rightly points out, its Pax's motor, instincts, and 2-way play that stand out. [I don't know why he put that in a reply to an Impact tweet, but he did.] The next step for Paxton Pomykal was adding goals + assists. So far so good.But don't forget the first step – the stuff that got him on the field in the first place. pic.twitter.com/MDVUohy7wp— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) March 1, 2020
Tanner Tressman intrigues me. I am a big college football fan and Auburn had a walk on kicker named Will Hastings that did not pan out as a PK but really impressed with his athleticism. He really showed out and set Auburn workout records in some of the quickness and agility drills. He was moved to WR and earned a scholarship and was a sold contributor for Auburn. There was some talk before he sustained a bad knee injury of being a pick in the draft this year. He may still make it to the NFL as a free agent. Hastings does not have Tressmans size. Tressman has at least 5 inches of height and 60 pounds on him.
Yeah Duncan looked very solid in his game this weekend. It was just one game but he certainly stood out.
Duncan looked quite good, and certainly a U23 Olympics prospect, prior to his ACL injury. Sounds like he's finally all the way back......................... Prior to the injury, some had him neck-and-neck with Reggie Cannon in terms of domestic right back youngsters. Keep in mind that Tessman only played because Servania and Acosta are both out injured. Thomas Roberts has had an ankle issue all-preseason, and played in the NTSC game instead. Plus Pomykal wasn't fit to start. If everybody is fit and available, I'm not sure Tessman makes the 18. But of course when is everybody fit and available? Tessman himself may be gone a lot with the US U20s. FC Dallas has 13 USYNT eligible players in their first team. They only have 7 foreign born players on their entire roster. They're young. They're American. They're good.
How is Duncan at LB? I thought I remember him playing there some. I'll take any good young American player we can get regardless of position, but we're kinda full up at RB right now.
I realize this is blasphemy on these boards, but I'm USMNT first, DCU second. That's why I really like Dallas, they way the develop young players, especially USMNT ones.
Agreed, we need less twinks and more bears at d-mid these days. D-mid, cb's, cf, and gk's should generally be bears for the US. The positions for the twinks should typically be fb's, wings, and CAM. 8's are versatile.
Yeah... I want to see him do it consistently and against better opposition... but what a game. A goal, an assist and a hockey assist on offense and was pretty good on D too. Had his pocket picked in the 2nd half and was dogged enough to follow it up and get the ball back just outside the 18. Overall, he was pretty fantastic outside of the shank to start the game. The pace looks legit, has good vision going forward and tackles pretty well... RB is probably the deepest position we have on the USMNT.
There are 3-4 players in MLS that are capable to score goals like Pomykal's one. If one of them did it that goal would be nominated for goal of the week and praised highly. American kid does it, then it's not a big deal.
If it's more than a one-off -- if this is a signal that Paxton is going to be more aggressive and more goal dangerous this year -- then it's a very big deal. A player who controls the midfield as well as Paxton plus something like 10g+10a would be a MVP-caliber player (though he won't get the votes because goals dominate). And someone who may be able to take a Tyler Adams-esque leap. I'm not quite sure he's got all the requirements for that, but if he has that kind of year, it's not unreasonable.
It was obvious in that game that Pomykal has already taken an Adams-esque leap. He is just too good for the level of play, in that game at least. Unlike Adams, in MLS, he has not stayed healthy long enough to make it obvious. If you watch that game, it seems like Pomykal is 3X faster than anyone else out there. Not only on the goal, where it seemed like everyone was standing still, but even on simply midfield plays. Pomykal would cover 20 yards not only very quickly, but faster than any Philly player was remotely expecting. Sometimes, they would just freeze because they could not process it fast enough. Kid just needs to stay healthy. He is not big but he seems to be stockier. He has elite quickness which will offset the size problem. McKenzie was good mostly. Cannon was good. Tessman was good, but the game was played at a glacial pace. The one time he actually had to receive the ball with some pressure, the ball popped up (but he did get a backpass off). Aaronson was spotty as usual.
There has been so much hype surrounding Paxton... and while I love the talent... it is all about the bottom-line. His scoring stats last year left a lot to be desired. This is a pivotal season for him... he needs to stay healthy and get 20+ goals/assists.... if he does that... then I smell an expensive transfer to the Bundesliga in the winter window. Not at all sure about the porn-stash... but I am confident in his potential. If he stays injury-free I think he pushes for MVP votes.
As long as Brooks is healthy (big ask), I think we have a really strong backline. Brooks will distribute and Long will put out the fires. Long had a really nice 2019 with the NT. Shame RBNY wont let the kid follow his dreams in England. Sad.
The pornstache stays. They are giving him a nickname of "The Sundance Kid" because of it -- and he does have a Redford look with it -- so I'm all in.
im not sure why pomykal is expected to be a goalscorer. yueill doesnt score goals. adams doesnt score goals. mckennie doesnt score goal. aaronson doesnt score goals. the way i see it we have one true 6 (adam), and a couple or three attacking-ish 8s- the rest are simply 8s. pomykal has shown he can strongly influence the midfield (if not dominate at times). he and mckennie are extremely disruptive defensive forces in the middle. again- why is pomykal supposed to be a goalscoring force, with counting stats? assuming adams as our best 6, mckennie as our best 8 and no true 10s in sight look at the numbers yall seem to think are so important: ledesma 4, lletget 3, holmes 4, pomykal 2, aaronson 3. and he missed over a third of the season. obviously thats at varying levels, but THATS a different conversation. why this extra expectation for him? why would a lack of goals put him behind anyone else (who also dont score) when his all around game is some degree of superior to all the alternatives save possibly lletget/holmes? which can only be determined by reps with the national team? look, show me an alternative whos comparable as an all around mifielder, a plus defender and passer who also has a 12 goals- im in. paxton can wait. until then i just dont get this standard hes supposed to meet before hes "viable" that applies to no one else.
I agree, but it's still notable they went with Tessman, I think. They obviously prefer more of an 8 there, but they've gone more defensive in the past with Cerillo, and I think Nelson played there at least some in preseason. Speaks to his talent and their confidence in him. Trying to figure out exactly who will be available and when with that team this year is a lot. I'm sure somebody's charted out all the call-up windows for the various youth teams and the senior team and how that lines up with Dallas's schedule, but there's certainly going to be minutes to go around.
Does a lack of goalscoring put him behind anyone else? I don't think so - I have Paxton in my USMNT 18 and challenging for a starting spot. But if he adds goalscoring -- and he's certainly capable -- then I think it takes him to another level, both in versatility for a US side continually plagued by injuries but also just in comparison to who he's competing with for a spot. A goalscoring Pomykal is well ahead of Lletget and Holmes, IMO, and only has to compete with Reyna for that spot (and both Reyna and Pomykal can play elsewhere). It seems also especially apt to the 8/10 role as Berhalter wants -- it's already a two way role, but only McKennie has provided goal production out of those spots so far. It's exciting to have someone who can play a central midfield role but also create like that. This team needs creators and finishers. An exploding Reyna and Pomykal put the most pressure on Berhalter's love of the regista position -- I love Jackson Yeuill, but talent-wise, there's not a place for him a pitch if Adams, McKennie, Pomykal, Reyna, Pulisic and Morris are all healthy. One of THOSE guys is likely getting benched...we shouldn't be looking at benching two of them to get Yeuill on the pitch. Hopefully, Berhalter will see that Adams can definitely play that role, especially if flanked by players like Dest, Paxton, McKennie and Reyna in the midfield. Get us a LB and a Striker, and get healthy, and this team is suddenly very talented.