I don’t know how many times Tim Weah created really good scoring opportunities v Mexico by finding ways to put perfect crosses from and into very tight spaces. But it was a lot. He could have had additional assists to Pepi,Wes and Aaronson. Combine that with the pressing ability and speed and I wonder if those calling for moving Reyna to the 8 have a point. Reyna may end up being our best player in the end, but couldn’t do what Weah did Friday night. Before his injury Reyna was bossing and distributing from the 8 spot for Dortmund. I hope to see a match in the new year where Reyna is playing centrally behind a front line that includes Pulisic and Weah on the wings.
Wes and Musah were also very good yesterday. Will be some tough choices to be made when everyone is available. Berhalter seems to like forwards that can press and pass, maybe Gio at can play at forward.
Yeah, sure, in a front 3 in which the “outside” players are ahead of the CF. More reasons for that: Dest likes to cut inside, and Weah likes to be wide. ARob is comfortable wide and Pulisic likes to cut inside. Those players — Weah, Robinson, Pulisic, Reyna and Dest — all play very fast. On the first goal you could see that they were two players thinking about possibilities that the rest of our players were not, and they made it happen. That comes from the experience of playing at very high speed in top 5 leagues (even if ARob is temporarily relegated). Others who can play that way are developing. In 2 years we could have at least 2 people at each position who are comfortable with the ball at their feet and capable of seeing and taking the right opportunities very quickly (as well as doing rest of their jobs well). You can’t help but think that Pepi and Aaronson are hungry enough for goals that they will remember how close they came to scoring if they had been a little bit quicker to make the run that Weah saw. Scally is already there as a FB sub, and so is Yedlin offensively. If Cannon and Reynolds ever get into their squads, maybe we will have more. We have two excellent speedy CBs, and at least two very good big strong CBs. (Van Dijks is a unicorn.). And on and on … And as more of our players hit the big time, more will emerge with this ability to see and play fast. Hopefully the lesson of game planning around the best players in their best roles is sinking in. Greg could be building an elite offense if he puts the right people in the right places.
I could see that working. Something like Spain 2008-2012, with the false 9. So, you would have Weah and Pulisic on the wings and Reyna playing in front of Musah and McKennie. That could give Pulisic more room to drift centrally too. That might be our best attacking lineup, with everyone healthy.
The question of where Reyna fits in a "Best XI" is a good one. I have no idea. I love the notion of having Pulisic and Weah start on the wings. And I'm not breaking up the midfield trio of McKennie, Musah, and Adams. But there will always be suspensions, injuries, squad rotation, etc. Its the type of problem France or Argentina has, and we're gonna have to get used to it.
The fact that a healthy Gio Rayna could conceivably be on the bench in an everyone is healthy and we have to win today…..and my reaction is to shrug my shoulders and say “I don’t have a problem with that decision”…..is an amazing ********ing feeling.
I think overall Reyna is a better player than Weah, but we seem to play better when we have wings who run aggressively and Weah does more of that than Gio so giving Gio his spot back immediately may o may not happen. Of course, the midfield is working well so it's not super easy to slot him in there either. I recall his coaches at Dortmund when he first came on the scene mentioned he was like a 9 & 1/2 and he sure drifts centrally a lot. I've been quite happy for Pepi to come into the team, But I think we could be well-served to revisit the false 9 with Gio instead of the lesser choices we have rolled out there. He's really the only player I see that we have who has both the profile and the quality to really make it work as a serious option in big games. A front six like this would be pretty interesting: Pulisic..Reyna..Weah ....Musah..McKennie ...........Adams Basically gets our most talented 6 on the field together in positions that they should all be able to excel in. Gio being able to play the 9, even if it is more withdrawn would be the biggest question but one that I think we should at least explore. One thing that would be great about qualifying early would be the chance to test these sorts of options out in high intensity games. Having two options up top, one a more traditional 9 and the other withdrawn would really give us some variety in how we play at any given time. I also think we seldom have the entire group healthy so it may end up being more likely that we mix and match based on who is available. But yeah, either way this is a good problem for any team to have. By the time Qatar rolls around, we will have no choice with everyone healthy but to sit a very good player or two. Even with the lineup above, that still leaves a guy like Busio, a full-time starter and key player for his Serie A team on the bench. We're in territory no US team has entered in terms of fitting all our talent on the field. And that's not even getting into the all healthy right back situation with Dest, Scally, Yedlin, Cannon and others all competing for a single position. We will very likely have multiple big 5 starters on our bench for the first time ever.
im gonna be that guy that rejects the premise- reyna is best as an 8. weah is our 2nd best winger. theres no vs. my perspective is that we have 3 wingers- pulisic, weah and aaronson, and three 8s- mckennie, musah and reyna. that means ideally (everyone fit and available) two of them sit any given match. or to put it another way- two of those guys are coming on fresh in every second half we play. the idea of getting all your best players on the pitch is fine in theory, but i think you play guys where they are best first. filling in an 11, or a rotation, or a roster is secondary to that. the better example of that is at fb- dest can play on either side but is best at rb (thats my opinion, want him on the wing, or as a wingback- which we dont use in our primary setup- all you want). robinson is a lb. putting the two of them in their best positions (for us) was a big step forward as a team. and its insane that thats only been the case for the last two windows. but now you add scally- who i think retains his quality more/can play on the left better than dest (on the left). but robinson is actually a lb, and that fact (for me) would nullify a negligible quality gap of any rb who "can" play on the left. (not that i think scally is at this point, and add your own disclaimer to all this that obviously scally hasnt stepped on the pitch for us yet) so with dest and robinson at rb and lb, respectively, based on that being the best use of them then scally is a secondary decision. it both works out incredibly well and isnt a tough decision then that hes our 3rd fb, the second option on either side. you could argue yedlin or cannon are better options as the second rb, or vines/bello as the second lb (though im not) but thats irrelevant. scallys ability to play on either side with so little (if any) dropoff means everyone else is now fighting for the fourth fb spot, regardless of side. and the most important and relevant factor (to bring this vaguely back on topic ) is that that lends itself to a much stronger rotation than a simple a team/b team model, say starting dest/arob for the two toughest matches and scally/whoever in the third. with genuinely high quality depth you can start dest/arob, then dest/scally then scally/arob depending on matchup etc. that also provides a starter quality reserve in every match- relegating our purely depth players to purely depth while not playing anyone more than roughly 180 minutes. you apply the same principle to the wing, or the 8. so to reject your premise yet again, @dspence2311 - its not about anyone being beaten out its about best using our talent. and i think we are in a really good place having that sort of quality depth- at keeper, at cb, at fb, at cm and on the wings. i agree with those who say the fourth winger, or fourth 8, shouldnt get as much outrage as they do but not in the sense of justifying "your" guy, or a comfortable, safe player you dont have to think about- but once you solidify that (for example) pulisic/weah/aaronson are your primary wing rotation then you can simply look at arriola, konrad, morris etc and take the most in form guy at any given time. its not some huge "permanent"/for the foreseeable future issue that begs a definitive answer.. ...and you handle injury/suspension/availability as it comes.
It is good to have these choices and this kind of depth. They will come into play in the two remaining three-match windows, where some rotation will be needed. They will come to play when the inevitable injuries and fluctuations in form happen. I'm a big Weah fan. But I would rate him behind Reyna, McKennie and Musah and of course Pulisic. I'm not sure I would rate him behind Pepi as a 9. To me in a situation where everyone is healthy and in form (which just about never happens) Weah might be my starter at center forward. Might. But first he needs some games there to see what he can do at that position.
I think we have to seriously consider the false 9 going forward. We just flat out have no actual 9s either currently or in the pipeline. Pepi may become one, but he was turrible against Mexico the other night and I’d rather find a way to get Weah and Reyna, when healthy, on the field together with Pulisic. A 4-3-3 with a false 9 is exactly how I’d do that with the MMA ( McK, Musah, Adams) midfield behind them. That’s a pretty solid front 6 wouldn’t you say?
This is an easy question because if you were playing Gio on the wing you’re making a big mistake. He’s wasted anywhere but in the middle of the field. the real question is whether the US can play with Gio as a false 9. I’m doubtful, but it’s a hard tactic and when we tried it before the team looked thoroughly unprepared. to get the best players on the field all at the same time- Tyler CDM, Musah and Wes B2B, Pulisic LW, Weah RW and Gio false 9. I’m doubtful about this, but it’s the only way to get all 6 of those players out there at the same time.
Frankly, nobody knows what we have with Reyna, so I don't know why folks are still penciling him in as an auto-starter / our best player etc. For me, both Aaronson and Weah are ahead of him based on their actual performances in meaningful WCQ matches. Reyna has yet to turn his potential and club form into actual great performances for the NT, while several others have. Reyna's also not better than McKennie or Musah at 8, either. No doubt Reyna will put his stamp on the team, but he hasn't done it yet. The question is "when will Reyna break out, and at what position?" Whether he starts is gonna be more about matter of fit and I speculate it's going to be the type of game where we expect to have the share of possession and might need a killer pass to unlock an entrenched defense.
I think people anticipate he will likely start because he has started whenever healthy and available so far. I can see him getting worked back in slowly, but he's no stranger to the team without a history of starting. He's been in every lineup so far when possible.
Right now, Reyna is out with a long-term injury. He had been playing in Dortmund's central midfield, rather than on the wing. The National Team has since moved on. It's not clear that he is better than any of Weah, Pulisic, Musah, or McKennie. And Reyna is not a false 9.
Reyna looked like a cut above during UNL. We scored the same amount in that game (actually more w/ ET) w/ his help. And it took less time to get off the scheid. While he was the best player on the field. He even contributed defensively. And we've especially missed him when we needed a lock unpicker at CAM. That Costa Rica match, for one, could have turned out differently for a lack of one. Reyna could prove pivotal in window 4 if those lesser opponents actually bunker. But I don't know if anyone's spot is secure. That's a healthy competition. Chop and change when players are in better form or fit the style. There's a compulsion to get everyone on the field, but look how useful Pulisic was as a super-sub. That was his first legit goal or assist against one of the better opponents in competition. So we could have 90 minutes of combined danger. This is a good problem to have and is only going to become a bigger one if you look at the makeup of the u-20 team. A lot of comp in the attacking positions, up until striker. Maybe the long-term solution is, once Weah fills out, to move him back to striker. Play 2 offensive 8's, while 2 of Adams, Musah, & McKennie share the 6. And Cuadrado a couple of the wings into wb's or fb's. Then just need to solve the cb & maybe gk issues. For the cb maybe we could convert big guys who are probably a level below, like Tessmann. GK, maybe Horvath stops picking foolish club situations and gets his stuff together. Or a Slonina develops rapidly.
Goodness. There shouldn't be any kinds of threads like so and so vs so and so. Its all one team. The fact that we have depth developing is fantastic. It gives us options when considering the opponent, injuries, form, not to mention 3 game windows with minimal recovery time. If you want to discuss a certain players attributes to another's that makes sense. But this should be discussed from a very positive perspective.
Until Reyna is back healthy and playing at a high level, I am not going to be concerned how to fit him in. If he does play well enough to demand inclusion that’s a good problem to have. If we are ever magically fully healthy and in form, having fantastic bench options and opportunities for squad rotation without a drop off is a great thing.
Also, looking at this in more of a macro sense, it’s worth noting that in world cups ( or any extended tournament with games in relative quick succession) we have never had high level depth. With injuries, cards, suspensions, fatigue due to having to play 120 minutes due to draws, the teams that have made it deep can rely on high quality subs without the sub causing concern. I think we are entering/ have entered into this new realm as a soccer nation that will pay huge dividends..
Outside of some sort of false 9 setup, we’re not going to have all our best young players on the pitch at the same time. That is okay with me because the best nations face these kinds of decisions all the time, and it means that the depth will really come in handy at various junctures in the future.
Gio has 4 goals and 1 assist in 7 caps, four hundred some odd minutes, as an 18 year old. Much of those minutes came in competitive matches or against reasonably solid competition. He scored and assisted in the NL final. He often looked like our best attacker when the attack was not really clicking. I guess it’s possible that I am overrating Gio and his ceiling but damn, you think that you gotta get the kid back on the field and work him back in as soon as he is healthy prior to the WC. I can’t really agree with the Gio is getting passed by take.
How to quantify this statement that Pepi was “turrible”? His hold up play was good, he won the ball many times and shuttled it on when playing long, and yes he missed a couple tough bouncing balls that might’ve been good half chances but I don’t see this statement.
You have to remember that many people have the memory of a fruit fly... I think you have to find a way to get the most talent on the field as possible, not sure where to fit in Weah vs Reyna, maybe give a few different options a day in court... -------------------Weah------------------- -Pulisic--------------------------Reyna- ---------McKennie-----Musah--------- ------------------Adams------------------ --Jedi--Zimmerman--MRob--Dest-- ------------------Steffen------------------- -------------------Reyna------------------ -Pulisic----------------------------Weah- ---------McKennie-----Musah--------- ------------------Adams------------------ --------------------Pepi-------------------- -Reyna----------------------------Weah- ---------McKennie-----Musah--------- ------------------Adams------------------ (Pulisic supersub) --------------------Pepi-------------------- -Pulisic----------------------------Weah- -----------Reyna------Musah----------- ------------------Adams------------------ Generally I feel like the closer Reyna is to goal, the better.
Opinions vary. His first touch was really not good. As a 9 he was a bit of a black hole. Right now, I’d rather not try to play with a 9 that isn’t going to give us more than a Reyna /Weah/Pulisic front three would give. The issue is I don’t know when Gio will be back in action.