Maybe a thread on the roster for the October window? Injuries could affect the roster a lot, but I at least hope Gregg knows to call in more players this time. Maybe 28? MLS will be in peak form, any surprises from MLS on this expanded roster? Arriola is likely back. Does someone like Flach get called in? What about new faces from Europe? Richards? Busio? Musah? Weah?
How serious is the injury to Dest? I thought he was the USA's best player against Canada earlier this month; managed to contain Davies very well just like in November 2019. It will be tougher for the USA to attempt to grab 9 points without him.
Regarding fitness only.... Definitely out: Vines, Long, Ledezma, Williamson, and Morris. Most likely out: Weah and Reyna. Should be fit: Arriola, Zardes, Dike, Sargent, Steffen, Dest, Musah, and Pulisic.
Gerard Piqué and Sergiño Dest have been declared fully fit pic.twitter.com/I9EAMAXngD— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 14, 2021
Interesting that a Canadian is the only one to say this. Dest was the US's best player early on and was having a great game only to be injured early. Now he was bad in the ES game.
i would name a 28 man roster gk steffen turner horvath def dest yedlin moore/scally m robinson brooks richards mckenzie miazga a robinson bello mid adams acosta mckennie musah de la torre roldan lletget fwd aaronson arriola ferreira dike hoppe pepi pulisic konrad with these 5 on standby/readily available replacements should they be needed gk johnson cb zimmerman cb/dm sands cm/am pomykal st zardes
My 30 Goalies: Turner, Steffan, Horvath Fullbacks: Dest, A Robinson, Bello, Yedlin, Reynolds Centerbacks: MRobinson, Richards, McKenzie, Brooks, Zimmerman 6s: Adams, Acosta, Sands hybrid 8/10s: McKennie, Musah, Busio, Lletget, Roldan wide attacking players: Pulisic, Aaronson, Konrad, Hoppe, Arriola forwards: Pepi, Sargent, Pefok, Zardes I'm assuming Weah and Reyna are not available Gioacchini, de la Torre, Dike, Cannon and Ream are possibilities as well I would like to see Pomykal called up but don't expect it to happen
Great game? Sorry, but I have to be that guy. He had a couple nice runs in midfield that ended in no actual danger, but his biggest contribution was getting stripped by Davies at the back, which resulted in a GREAT Canadian chance to score off a Davies pass, which was flubbed by Larin. Dest was better than he was against El Salvador -- in which he was putrid -- but he was not great either.
Mine is so close to yours: gk steffen turner horvath def dest yedlin moore/scally/araujo (invite him again before the others.. if not, scally) m robinson brooks richards mckenzie miazga --> zimmerman a robinson bello or tolkin mid adams acosta mckennie musah de la torre or sands roldan lletget fwd aaronson arriola ferreira dike hoppe pepi pulisic konrad
my thinking here is that we need to make sure we have cover at every position, and we have to include euro-based players in the initial roster cause we cant really bring them in as replacements. cause if zim went down we couldnt call in miazga mid-window, but we could bring in zim if miazga (or any) cb went down. same with ldlt "vs" sands. honestly im not wasting a lot of time thinking about araujo- ill consider him when/if hes a us player. but we definitely need 3 rbs- and short of any great options in mls its a tough call between shaq whos not getting pt and scally whos awfully green (and reynolds, i guess, though hes behind both for me). scallys ability to play on the left may make that decision pretty simple though, as ideally neither are needed to start.
Well someone has to be that guy. I saw him oozing swag and confidence and while nothing happened the Canadians were looking worried as he was toying with them. I'm just speculating but I think the way he was playing was going to leave Pulisic a lot less attention than normal but alas as always seems to happen lately the gang of 6 ... 7? is never out there together to learn to play together.
This is always the hope, as I love Dest's talent, but I am going to wait for him to put it together before I lather him with praise. What is clear is that we have to bring in a 3rd right back in the next window. Dest is obviously one, but the other 2 are up for grabs. Right now it comes down to form/playing time for me (Moore, Yedlin, Cannon, Araujo, etc.). Some people are calling for Scally, but I think it is too early for that. He has to have a bit longer run of well-played games before I can be swayed -- but not for the October games unless there is a disaster situation with the other players mentioned. If Ream in the squad, a third out and out left back probably is not necrssary (I call in Robinson and Bello again -- the latter whom I think is getting unfair criticism for in the Honduras match). When injuries hit in the last window, we were beginning to look real suspect on the outside, but that problem was on the right side. Question is, do you call him in or keep Zimmerman, who did not get a minute in the last window. I know I will get flamed for this, but I also think that Berhalter was right to be worried about "verticality" in this last window, so that must be addressed. Even just a couple guys, in addition to Pulisic, who drive at the heart of defenses with pace would make a huge difference. Guys like Weah and Arriola keep guys honest, even when their own final product stinks. It is why we are missing Jordan Morris. It is why Bob Bradley brought Robbie Findley to the 2010 WC. That balance in the squad is necessary if a change in tactics is warranted in the moment. Musah must be added. I would like to see Richards in the squad. Ferreira is a good shout -- he is starting to look quite dangerous and we certainly need more midfield playmakers. Riding into battle with Adams, Acosta, Lletget, McKennie, and Sands is not enough playmaking in midfield. When Reyna got hurt, we seemed to be really struggling for options. Very unfortunate that Williamson got injured too. Is it time for Busio to make his return? It would seem so based on the fact that he seems to be solidifying his spot at Venezia and playing decently so far. I still call in Pefok. With good service, he becomes dangerous. He is a natural finisher who just doesn't create for himself. But we have seen that he can score if opportunities fall to him, so hopefully a tweak in tactics elsewhere will give him the service we know he is adept at taking advantage of. Sands is another question, as he scared me. He seemed way too nervous and jittery, struggling mightily vs Honduras. Ideally he is a good swiss army knife that is useful as cover in the middle of the back and at dmid. But I have seem get beaten so often, including being easily skated around in the run-up to the Honduran goal, that I am not sure if I bring him in this next window.
With yellow cards, it’ll be more and more to call in 30 rather than 26... honestly, I would just call in 33 (3 deep at every position), but it doesn’t seem that is what Berhalter will do. Here’s what I see as the locks/near locks and the battles... out: Reyna, Weah, Ledezma, Long, Williamson, Morris, Vines. GK 1. Matt Turner 2. Zack Steffen 3. Sean Johnson vs Ethan Horvath (vs Brad Guzan). my pick: Johnson FB (at least 2 right, 2 left, and 1 who can play both sides) 1. Sergino Dest (RB/LB) 2. Antonee Robinson (LB) 3. DeAndre Yedlin (RB) (yellow) 4. George Bello (LB) (DeJuan Jones as alternate due to Vines injury) 5. Joe Scally (RB/LB) vs Reggie Cannon (RB) vs Julian Araujo* (RB - commitment) vs Shaq Moore (RB) vs Bryan Reynolds (RB/LB?)...my pick: Scally CB 1. John Brooks (yellow) 2. Miles Robinson 3. Chris Richards 4. & 5. Walker Zimmerman vs Mark McKenzie vs Tim Ream vs Cameron Carter-Vickers vs Matt Miazga (vs Erik Palmer-Brown)...my picks: Zimmerman and McKenzie. M6 1. Tyler Adams (yellow) 2. Kelyn Acosta (M6/M8/RB/LB) 3. James Sands (CB/DM) M8 1. Weston McKennie 2. Yunus Musah 3. Gianluca Busio vs Luca de la Torre vs Julian Green vs Christian Cappis... my pick: Busio 10 1. Christian Pulisic (LW/10) 2. Sebastian Lletget 3. Cristian Roldan (M8) vs Alan Sonora vs Caden Clark vs Paxton Pomykal vs Djordje Mihailovic vs Cole Bassett... My pick: Roldan. R/LW 1. Brenden Aaronson 2. Konrad de la Fuente 3., 4., & 5. Paul Arriola vs Alan Sonora vs Niko Gioacchini vs Matthew Hoppe vs Cade Cowell vs Caden Clark vs Emmanuel Sabbi vs Cole Bassett vs Paxton Pomykal vs Djordje Mihailovic vs Jesus Ferreira vs Josh Sargent....my picks: Gioacchini, Hoppe, & Arriola. FW 1. Ricardo Pepi 2., 3. & 4. Jordan Pefok (yellow) vs Josh Sargent vs Jesus Ferreira vs Daryl Dike vs Gyasi Zardes (vs Haji Wright)... my picks: Pefok, Dike, Zardes Vs Jamaica ———————Pepi————————- Hoppe———————————-Aaronson ————Pulisic————Musah———— ———————-Adams———————- Robinson————————————Yedlin ————-Brooks————Miles———— ————————Turner——————— Subs: Konrad, Busio, McKennie, Pefok, Gioacchini At Panama ——————Zardes——————- Konrad—————————-Arriola ———Lletget———McKennie—— ——————-Adams——————- Robinson——————————Dest ————Miles———-Richards——— ——————Turner———————- Subs: Musah, Roldan, Gioacchini, Pulisic, Pefok Vs Costa Rica ———————Pepi——————— Hoppe——————————-Aaronson ————Pulisic——McKennie———- ——————-Acosta———————— Dest—————————————Scally ————Brooks———Richards———- ———————Turner———————- Subs: Bello, Dike, Musah, Sands, Konrad *I would not play: Yedlin or Adams in this game since they’re carrying yellows, and I want to make sure they’re there for Mexico.
Not sure on the PT/club situations for some guys, but here is my 30 man squad, assuming Reyna & Weah are out. GK (3). 1. Turner (lock). 2. Steffen (lock). 3. Horvath (iffy). Alternates: S. Johnson, Guzan FB (5). 1. Dest (lock) 2. A. Robinson (lock) 3. Yedlin (near lock) 4. Cannon (iffy) 5. Bello (iffy) Alternates: Moore, Scally CB (6) 1. M. Robinson (lock) 2. McKenzie (lock) 3. Brooks (lock) 4. Richards (near lock) 5. Zimmerman (iffy) 6. Sands (CB/DM) (iffy) Alternates: Ream, Miazga CM (6). 1. Adams (lock) 2. Acosta (lock) 3. Lletget (lock) 4. McKennie (near lock) 5. Musah (near lock) 6. Green (iffy) Alternates: Busio, Pomykal, LDT AM/WM/WF (6). 1. Pulisic (lock) 2. Aaronson (lock) 3. Roldan (near lock) 4. Arriola (near lock) 5. Hoppe (near lock) 6. KDLF (iffy) Alternates: Gioacchini, Cowell, Clark ST (4). 1. Pepi (lock) 2. Zardes (near lock) 3. Pefok (near lock) 4. Sargent (iffy) Alternates: Dike, Altidore
I have a question about roster size: Can a coach call up as many players as he wants for the roster or is there a limit for World Cup qualifiers?
32 players (no limit): CF: Pepi, Zardes, Hoppe, Dike Wings: Pulisic, Aaronson, Weah, KDLF, Arriola, Roldan, Sargent CM's: Adams, Musah, Lletget, Pomykal, LDLT, Sands, Acosta FB's: Dest, Yedlin, ARob, Bello, Scally, Araujo/Moore CB's: MRob, Zimm, Richards, McKenzie, Brooks GK's: Turner, Horvath, Steffen Jamaica: ------Hoppe--Pepi--Pulisic -----------Lletget--Musah---- ARob---------Adams-----Dest ---------MRob--McKenzie-------- ---------------Horvath------------ Panama: -----------Zardes---------------- --Weah-----Pulisic----Aaronson -------Pomykal--Acosta------ -ARob-------------------Araujo/Yedlin ---------MRob--McKenzie----- --------------Turner--------------- Costa Rica: --Hoppe------Pepi------Aaronson ----------Musah---Lletget--------- Bello---------Adams------Dest---- ------Brooks/Richards--MRob-------- --------------Horvath----------------
Wow so you’re leaving McKennie? I mean I’d rather just bring him back in and reintegrate as that’s going to happen eventually and he’s been punished significantly. If he’s healthy and we don’t call him in the story really starts to spiral. Plus he can help us and I think his form will bounce back.
Indeed. I suspect McKennie will be back with the group. Whether he starts or not is another matter for the coaching staff to decide. But let's start re-integrating him. He didn't murder a girl scout.
There isn't any limit to the size of the overall roster in a given window, but each matchday roster is limited to the customary 23.
Yeah, managing yellow cards is another added quirk to deal with (thanks for noting players on a yellow). The yellow card suspension rules this time around are very harsh. For those that aren't aware, every second yellow a player receives leads to a one-game suspension. Rinse and repeat. The most chronic of offenders could miss 4 games out of the 14 in the round.
I would keep Pefok. If nothing else he is perfect as a sub off the bench when chasing a goal. No he doesn't press much but let the young kids run and press the defenders until they are tired (Pepi and Sargent) and let them deal with Pefok. Dike is the Pefok replacement and Zardes is the Pepi and Sargent replacement but may be pushing Sargent at the moment. I do hope Berhalter learned a lot during the last window. It does make sense to have more players than you think you will need. It does matter that there are enough of every position in case of injuries, covid, cards and unexpected dumb-assery. It does matter that players are put in spots they play well in and it does matter that players get in there and play hard.
v Jamaica @ Panama v Costa Rica Unlike the first window in September, the October window sets up nicely for an ABA rotation - A being the first-choice, fast-track, we need to scores goals and win team; and B the smash-mouth, veteran, get a result on the road team. A few specific comments: Goalkeeper: With a number of provisos, I think Steffen/Turner/Steffen is most likely, with Horvath backing up Turner in Panama (and Steffen staying home). Backline: @ El Salvador MOTM Tim Ream is not getting a lot of love, above, even in very-expanded rosters, but if healthy he's a near-lock for inclusion and might even start (@ Panama, for example). Midfield: Will McKennie be reintegrated immediately? Will Musah enter the fray? Who will bring some creativity? Forward: Pepi of course, but who else? If Hoppe starts playing in Spain, he's a pretty obvious call (up) imo.
I’ll go a step further — it’s not only harsh but completely absurd. the fact that you can get a yellow a dozen games apart and be suspended for that is certifiably insane.
Yes, 1+ games is a slap on the wrist for multiple infractions. He could have gotten that from another yellow or two. Also, this would be the window to impose it, since the games project to be more possession-based, and he doesn't aid in that. Play Musah, Pomykal, or LDLT at the 8 to connect d to attack. McKennie could then return the next one where we play Mexico and a tougher roadie. The style should be more breakneck, which suits him.