I play with lads on Sunday’s who would’ve done better with the opportunity to get that much space in the center of the pitch. That’s a basic play, looks like he’s scared shitless.
The fullbacks were "always going to be a drop-off"? Weren't you one of the people defending Gregg's decision to call in Shaq Moore who doesn't even play in the Spanish second division, over Joe Scally, because Moore played well at the Gold Cup months ago? Sometime between then and now, you have decided to accept that his level is not good enough, based on what exactly if not hindsight bias? Certainly not based on how he's been playing, as he doesn't actually do that!
To answer your question: Paul Arriola, a defensive winger who is basically a zero in terms of being a threat to score goals, essentially plays every minute for Gregg Berhalter when he is actually healthy! #USMNT minutes under Berhalter:1. Arriola 1,7042. Ream 1,6813. Lletget 1,6614. McKennie 1,6085. Long 1,5346. Zardes 1,3617. Roldan 1,2608. Pulisic 1,2589. Acosta 1,22010. Cannon 1,16111. M. Robinson 1,07712. Zimmerman 1,05913. Yueill 92514. Dest 87915. Sargent 874— Garret Craig (@garretkc_fut) October 11, 2021 Edit: our starting winger Arriola: Arriola - 0 Goals, 1 Assist in last 13 competitive caps. Roldan - 0 Goals, 1 Assist in 29 total caps. Lletget - 1 Goal, 0 Assists in last 13 competitive caps.Zardes - 4 Goals, 1 Assist in last 14 competitive caps.— 11 Yanks (@11Yanks) October 11, 2021
No, Lletget was just ----, like he's been most of 2021. Negative, safe to the point that it's actually harmful, just utter ---- performance like almost everyone, but even worse because he was supposed to be the calming presence that could provide some possession, and some forward momentum, and instead, he was horrific, sponge bob back pass (to tweak an old Claudio reference).
bradley was pretty decent for a while, but then scored that olympico and literally spent the rest of his career trying to do it again
That’s a misleading and pointless stat. Do you really think Arriola starts if cp, Reyna, and Aaronson are healthy?
Feels like it's like a 2021 version of the old Simpson's soccer clip. So ----ing moronic it beggars belief.
Where is this misdirection narrative coming from that for those of us who wanted less of a rotation means that we did not want any rotation? Rotation does not mean 7 field players being rotated in. It's not 7 or nothing. Or that starting Adams and Pepi and Aaronson again means running them a full 90-plus minutes. Good grief the mental gymnastics here to try and defend what happened yesterday from a coaching standpoint. It's amazing how hard it is to just say that Berhalter screwed the pooch yesterday. There are no yeah buts here. It was a disaster and he was responsible for setting the table.
Aaronson is healthy RIGHT NOW, and Arriola started alongside him in the first game. Arriola played the full 90. Gregg pulled Aaronson after 68 minutes, presumably to rest him for the next game. And then in the second game, Arriola started and Aaronson did not, despite being healthy and having been rested. Oh and Aaronson didn't start despite having a goal, a goal, and an assist, over his previous three games. Meanwhile, Arriola almost never provides goals or assists, he is essentially a defensive winger who can only score against minnows, if at all. How are you seriously asking that question as if we don't have an example over literally the last two games??
Not saying he was good. Everyone was terrible sams Zimmerman. It's an open question whether it was his direction or instinct to recycle. If it was the gameplan for him to pass it back...and it becomes clear the gameplan is not working...its on the coach and players on the field to figure out how to adjust, and that just never happened. I think writing is on the wall for Gregg's guys after this one, there's little to suggest the players on the bench could be worse than Lletget last night.
In fact though La Liga tried to deny call ups and was forced to back down because they couldn’t back it up. The only place where any call ups were denied was in the UK, because of the red list issues. There’s been no other instance of clubs from other countries using COVID restrictions to try and deny releases. And the UK situation did put clubs in a bad place as if they did release players those players would have missed multiple club games after the window. But FIFA and the UK worked out a resolution and there’s been no restrictions on call up this window. Antonio didn’t go because there were issues with him taking his own physiotherapist with him. Not because West Ham stopped him from going. I mean I’m sure we’re in touch with the clubs in regards to the fitness levels of the players, because we don’t want to run them into the ground and it’s in no one interest if they get injured due to overuse. And more broadly it’s in no ones interest in having antagonistic relationship with the clubs. But it’s absolutely not true that the clubs imposed restrictions in terms of being to play players a set amount of minutes or asked that they didn’t play in Panama. And honestly all you got to do is go look at the usage of European based players in South American qualifiers. No one is being held back because of club restrictions. Or look at Canada, they just started Davies and David for their first two games and presumably will start them again for game 3.
TBF, because of his injury issues the last 3 months, Arriola is only 17th during the COVID era (Pulisic is 18th). But there are some names that people don't like in this Top 15. Sebastian Lletget Kellyn Acosta Matt Turner Miles Robinson Sergino Dest Brendon Aaronson Weston McKennie Mark McKenzie Antonee Robinson Giovanni Reyna Tyler Adams John Brooks James Sands Sam Vines Zack Steffen
I was upset as anybody about Berhalter’s lineup choice yesterday, but it’s beyond intellectually dishonest to use that as evidence that he started Arriola over Aaronson. I’ll gladly bet you 100 dollars that barring an unknown injury to Aaronson that prevents him from starting against Costa Rica, he finishes this window with more minutes than Arriola. and you didn’t answer my question. Do you really think he starts over cp, Reyna, and Aaronson if they’re all healthy?
I think Lletget becomes a safe/negative player when he's working against the tide of the play. He's a more useful circulatory player when he's being asked to play, effectively, rhythm guitar to other people's lead. But that reveals the weakness of Gregg's lineup last night. If you go to the Jamaica lineup and ask yourself the hypothetical: "The U.S. won. Who had the match-winning performance?" You'd be able to come up with a big number of players, easy. In such an environment a guy like Lletget or Arriola can thrive and be a useful complement. On the other hand, take the Panama lineup and do the same hypothetical. Who's the match-winner? I asked myself the question before the match and was really struggling before I came up with "Matt Turner."
I just posted the numbers, Arriola is #1 in the entire player pool during Gregg’s tenure, despite missing a year with a torn ACL and despite missing the Gold Cup with a bad hammy. Facts.
I think that's not an especially convincing riposte though. Sure, in an ideal world Arriola wouldn't play. But as the world keeps on demonstrating, whether in soccer or not, you don't live in the ideal world -- and you have a responsibility to act in the actual world. And in the actual world, Berhalter chooses to give Arriola the bulk of the minutes. I'm someone who likes Arriola for both DC United and the USMNT. But, importantly, he shouldn't be given the responsibility of carrying the team. The devotion of minutes from Berhalter suggests something strange in that direction. If Arriola wasn't meant to be a primary creator last night, who was? Was Tim Weah supposed to be the alpha and omega? That's what made it a badly misconceived lineup, even granting the premise that rotation was necessary and desirable.
This is almost an impressive defense of Gregg and US Soccer… like something out of the Klinsmann era, it takes some real balls to push this lol Scrolling through #USMNT twitter the takes are bitter & bad even by the standards of the worst supporters base in sports. I am at a loss to grasp what it is US men's supporters expect? Perfection? Brazil or France? Circa 2011 Barca? Circa 2018 Man City? I don't get it...— Kartik Krishnaiyer 🇺🇦🌻⚽️ (@kkfla737) October 11, 2021 Not losing in embarrassing fashion (0 shots on goal) to a mediocre team full of 2016-18 Quakes that the US has NEVER lost to before in World Cup qualifying = "perfection" Truly an impossible standard!!
Would you like to acknowledge the fact that the bulk of the European-based contingent have frequently not been available for selection?
Congrats on the huge result. I said from the beginning of qualifying that you guys were the dangerous side that everyone was sleeping on. I love the transformation I’ve seen over this year, starting with the qualifying rounds to get into the gold cup to now. Good luck from here on out.