I'm not sure there's much point in making a counter argument to someone who's trying so hard to sound intelligent they use a term like "transitive property" on an internet message board but sure. One can easily make comparisons between two players on the same team who play largely similar roles. Roldan and Busio fit this description. I'm no fan of Roldan but he was a better player than Busio last summer and Busio is is a decent starter on a bad Big 4 league team.
Not sure how relevant it is (and its conjecture at best) but Lleglet or Roldan could probably play the role Bedoya did at Nantes.
Yes. Busio looks to have a higher ceiling than Roldan or Lletget. In terms of "who do you call up?" for October, though, who's the better player now is the important question. Busio is making a case, but, as I and others have noted, he didn't look the better player during the Gold Cup.
My hope for Busio is that he becomes what Holden was on the way to being before injuries. An offensive minded 8 that would be a perfect compliment to McKennie/Mussah.
Busio was a WS top 10 ranked player in MLS when he was sold. He was performing better than the other MLS players you mentioned in MLS. Your player comparison is so simplistic to be meaningless. In your player evaluations you should consider that Busio has a certain set of attributes that makes him more valuable in certain leagues and teams within certain leagues. Roldan, Lletget, and Acosta have a different set of attributes. Green has a different set of attributes.
Yep, I was just referring to club level. Lletget is currently the best CM of himself, Busio, and Roldan. Roldan is more of wide player with the US.
I won't be as tough as you are on him, but the general take on his play today is pretty correct. In the last 10 minutes in which Valencia threw away the game, Musah had zero urgency. It was thoroughly perplexing.
I wtched the entire second half and aside from one run he was dead out there. Gassed after 30 minutes and a 15 minute break? He isnt an out of shape middle aged guy
The kid from Medford, NJ scored again... 90+4' GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!! Aaronson seals the win!!!!!!!!!!#RBSSCR 2-0 pic.twitter.com/A808vxu3Qd— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) September 19, 2021 🗣️ Brenden #Aaronson: 'Huge win. It’s a big rivalry and for us to win and put us three points more ahead is really good.' #RBSSCR pic.twitter.com/E7BXHHoMzb— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) September 19, 2021
He hasn't grown as a player. His growth has largely stalled. His passing is only marginally better, his 1v1 defending and anticipation if anything has gotten worse, and he's as prone to mental lapses as he ever was. It's not a ridiculous claim at all, it's a very straightforward observation. He is not a significantly better player now than he was when he left MLS.
This seems to be a repeating issue with Musah................................................... But.................he's still only 18. Lots of growing to do. Lots of maturing to do. He's still one of the youngest players that we've capped. I believe only Pepi is younger than Musah. He's just so physically imposing that we forget how young he still is. We all see the raw tools. What I do know is that we should always see urgency and effort out there. I don't always see it with Musah. Maybe its unfair. I don't know. I sorta think people need to be a little more patient with Musah than they have been with regards to the USMNT. Right now I don't see a player that we should be calling into WCQers. He's not playing at the required level. I'd rather bring in midfielders like Green, de la Torre, and Busio. I just trust them more right now. I don't blame Berhalter for not quite trusting the readiness of Yunus. We're not calling up players in October based on ceiling and with the WC in 2022 in mind. We're calling up players who can win games RIGHT NOW.
Musah is still working his way back to fitness and this match will help him get there. He did run out of gas and was poor on defense. But he was also quite dangerous going forward and held the ball well under pressure. Right now he is only fit enough to go around 45 minutes. By this weekend maybe 60. And 70 the weekend after that. The qualifying window will come after two more weeks of training and club matches. I think both Musah and Busio should be called up for the next round of qualifiers. Busio was quiet in the first half of his match, but came out on fire in the second half. Every time I watch him, I become more impressed by his ability to pick out the right guy to pass to.
Some young players are kind of lackadaisical and then the lightbulb goes off and they get it. Reynolds was like that. Even Buzz at 3rd degree wasn't sure he was going to pan out and then he did almost overnight. Some never understand that hustle, grit and effort are big parts of their job. many games are won by just grinding until the end and stealing a goal. Looks like RM just did that against Musah. Did he get left out when not fit? Maybe but watch Pepi when he hustled to get an assist or goal (can't remember which) and was to gassed to move and celebrate at the end of a game. While the game was going he gave it his all. Musah and Pepi (and Reyna) are of a similar age so Musah needs to figure it out because when he does the sky is the limit.
Some coaches (clubs) are more tolerant of letting young players go through these growing pains. If you are a selling club then obviously you play them rather than a veteran with "grit." If you are a club playing for silverware the calculation goes the other way. For a national team coach, I think you have to find a balance. Guys who can help you grind out a result. And high upside young talent that needs to be nurtured.
As an example......................Bryan Reynolds. Not even dressed for Roma's game this past weekend. We knew Mourinho wasn't going to be a guy that wanted to go thru those "growing pains" with Bryan.
I really think his lack of passing ability will get him benched in Europe despite the fact that he'd be a well above average defender anywhere that would buy him. I'm not saying he can't add value -- but he's paid over $1M, and I just don't see a fit with a team that paying that salary and his passing inconsistency.
First game back from about six months off, no? What you are describing is atypical to me. That said, he doesn't have a ton of first team experience in the midfield, so I wouldn't be shocked if his positional instincts and familiarity with the gameplan are lacking.
While I think Berhalter hinted at it in Nations League -- Musah had some fitness issues (still does as he's coming back) and perhaps some tactical awareness elements (he was one of the culprits in Switzerland's second goal) ... while I don't think those are wrong ... ... I would still almost certainly call him in. I've been a longtime fan of Busio's weird game when everyone was dogging him for a couple of years, but the Gold Cup said that he's not ideal of WCQ at this time. Physically, he needs strength, a bit more speed, and game-wise just generally to be more assertive. He's a weak link against most hex teams, IMO, and should be an option, but isn't a strong one. I really like De La Torre's last call-up with the US, but I really liked Musah when I've seen him. But the dude played only 33 minutes with us in two friendlies -- there's nothing definitive there. He has played many more minutes with Heracles than Musah has with Valencia, but there's obviously a difference in level there. I'll be honest: I haven't seen enough of De La Torre, either way, but if I were betting -- and I feel like I'd be betting -- I'm probably bringing Musah. People might be surprised, but Green is the guy I might most likely bring in. I don't think he's actually overall as talented as any of the others, but he's the one most likely not to make a mistake, I think. Furth is terrible, and Green has been pulled from 3 of 4 games he's played, I think, and benched for another ... so I'm not sure he's up to that level. But I don't know that you are looking for spectacular -- we have plenty of that. In the end, Musah's upside is hard to ignore, and with larger camps, I see not reason NOT to bring him in. But I may bring in a supplemental player as well in case he's not getting in camp or can't go 90. But talent-wise, it's not even close.
it is so frustrating to watch, especially at the national team level. If he could just increase his own passing success rate by 50 percent of what it currently is, we would have a hell of a player on our hands. Unfortunately, we have a turnover machine in the midfield. Both for us and for the opponent. He will make turnovers and he will create turnovers. I hope.......hope he can improve in that regard. If he can, he would be a great late bloomer story. Our program needs a few more of these this generation.
I'm sorry, but Acosta would do fine "in Europe." It just depends on what we mean by Europe. Acosta is a significantly better player than say....................Chris Durkin. Durkin starts in Belgium. [A team that's 3 points behind Anderlecht after 8 games.] On the USMNT, Kellyn Acosta is a backup #6. And that's great. More than good enough for the CONCACAF level and WCQers. A guy that literally played a key role in multiple Gold Cup titles and a Nations League title. If we had another #6 playing at the level of Tyler Adams, then obviously it would be difficult for Acosta to get a lot of playing time. We don't have that. We have some young guys charging hard, but they're not quite there yet. So Acosta is still part of the group and getting a job done. Do people not realize the USMNT's record in games that Kellyn Acosta has appeared in as a CM? Since the WCQing failure in 2018, we've lost only 5 games that Acosta has made an appearance in. They were against Italy, England, Brazil, Colombia, and Switzerland. He gets exposed in those games. Surprise, surprise he's not good enough for that level. If we had somebody who was, that's who we'd be using. Maybe a guy like Busio will get there. Fingers crossed.