I think the last game of the Prem before the break is 7 days before the first match in Qatar. Just to give you a sense of how ludicrous this is.
If you’re right 10 times in a row but wrong the eleventh why is the eleventh defining and not the other ten. I’m pretty sure the people snd takes that you find annoying have been quite consistently linked to wasted minutes and caps over time, not simply this camp or tgat individual window. Nobody would give a ———— if Lletget or Roldan or Zardes or whomever we’re tried and dropped quickly but that isn’t what has happened, the whole point has been the litany of caps and mins received. The lack of other rocks overturned looking for someone to replace the near nothing Roldan has ever done as an example. Being wrong about these guys making the roster might be an example of hyperbole (the fears of a Yueill call up struck me as odd as he seemed tossed into the Trapp/Lovitz/Baird bin), but it’s more straw manning than steel manning of the point opposing yours. For most it hasn’t been this window or last that defined anything, it’s been the huge swaths of minutes stubbornly frittered away over and over on some of these guys (and FTR I’d fully expect Zardes getting the call if he hadn’t fallen out of favor and lost his starting gig, soft landing soon would equal more call ups until and unless the other Forwards wake up. Lletgets slump seems to have more firmly closed a door (especially considering the depth of talent there).
Can’t remember offhand but I think it’s something like 7-12 days for all the major Europeans leagues.
I agree I like Zims ruthlessness. I do see Brooks playing similarly, but agree he comes in softer. But I don't think he's slow (attacking the ball) or hesitant really. There were a couple games where I was kinda shocked how he'd come almost into our attacking third to try to win every ball, and I was like what are you doing. He's aggressive. But Brooks wants to win the ball or delay the play at times and that can lead to him getting beat or being a bit soft/late and fouling. I think overall it's not a big problem. So to your point #1 in an earlier post I disagree I think Brooks is good there overall if not perfect. I do prefer Walkers just brutal attack mode and I think he might even get called less for fouls even when you just come in strong vs. trying to win the ball. I think we're on the same page with the rest regarding Long/EPB/CCV and the meh of it all. Completely agree the West Ham fairy dust would change everything.
This move to November only happened because people realized it's hecking hot in Qatar in June AFTER voting for it. But they initially thought the cooling systems in the stadiums would have allowed them to play in the summer. Don't think too much about this nonsense it'll just make your head explode. That's not even to talk about the slave labor and the other...societal issues in Qatar. If the USMNT hadn't missed the past world cup I would be even more cynical about this location.
Um, so Brooks had 2 poor games in 2021 you say? Brooks also was a major factor in the Nations League championship in 2021. Brooks was huge in the semifinal run at Copa America 2016. Brooks scored the goal at the WORLD CUP FINALS in 2014 that put the U.S. in the Round of 16. Brooks is a Bundesliga starter who is in good form at the moment, where he regularly faces forwards such as Robert Lewandoski, Erling Haaland, etc. This team is very young and Brooks is one of the few veterans who has experience in the most pressure-packed elimination games internationally, and is currently playing at the highest club level. But yeah, kiss it off as normal that he is not in a 27-man roster that includes Aaron Long and James Sands, where the team faces pressure-packed elimination type games, that most of the players have not faced before. Maybe you should watch Herculez Gomez's take on Futbol Americas. Or check out the hundreds of comments on Twitter regarding the Brooks omission.
The Twitter comments are running like 25-1 pro Brooks, by the way. Earlier in this cycle, I imagined that Brooks would be a leader for this young team. Berhalter did not make that happen and I think that was a mistake. I see this as a big omission in many ways, others may disagree, but of course we are all entitled to our own opinions.
youve posted literally dozens of times that brooks is a prima donna who- if he doesnt start- doesnt even want to waste his time. you attribute a complete lack of desire to represent the us to him based on nothing. and you think getting roster predictions (based on literally every piece of data we have available) wrong is the same thing?
we have exactly one cb who has spent his career playing against world cup caliber players. spoiler alert- its not miles robinson or walker zimmerman. we are all hopeful they hold up when (if) we get to that level, but the truth is theyve never faced anything close to it. brooks has been at that level from the time he was a teenager. he is in his prime age-wise, and as you mention is barely a year removed from a career year (the best by any american cb ever). as much as people want to bury him (hes getting benched, hes lost his spot) every year he remains a stalwart. and maybe the most ridiculous part of the whole thing is using that decade of experience at a top level against him. most mind-numbingly stupid is the prediction he will "probably be in mls next year"; where our two starters currently play! exactly who or what is supposed to be offended there? this whole thing is a clown show. there are reasons not to start him, clearly. not suited for concacaf, or our system- no one argues that. no one. of course, you could talk about the wisdom of this team playing a high line with a pressing system when the comp is a little stiffer than panama and honduras (when we are still barely on track to hopefully qualify in the last automatic spot from this level) but i have a feeling the subject might change all of a sudden if that were to come up. so to not even have him in the team (especially while carrying far lesser players in every way) simply isnt defensible. after robinson, zimmerman and possibly richards its ridiculous argument after ridiculous argument to justify a manager simply refusing to put the best team together. thats all this is- backing a manager who has gone from two trophies(! tm) to (hopefully, if a lot of things go right) finishing third against those same teams. this is klinsmann/donovan all over again (but worse, cause brooks isnt on his last legs)- and this freaking site is filled with guys cheering it on and carrying greggs water.
Scottish pundits must be flummoxed by Gregg taking Ranger's back up CM as a CB and leaving behind Celtic's best in the league CB. I can't see any of the options starting over Miles. Miles has not been good in the Ocho and has been getting worse. In 2017, the manager stuck with a CB who was playing worse and worse until it led to catastrophe. Hopefully, history doesn't repeat itself. The Dest injury is depressing. Adding Scally to the roster to replace him would make this one of the better Berhalter rosters. I don't know why he isn't on the roster to begin with. Bello was a horror show in his two games, but that is not a reason to bring no one. There seems to be a lack of options to replace or fill in the back end of the roster. It is because we have persisted in giving valuable teaching time to guys who can't execute in Concacaf and are now gone. All those Lletget minutes, and all it got us is dropped points and he is finally gone. All those minutes with Zardes not scoring or doing anything useful. All those minutes with Acosta as an 8. It is crunch time now and we are lucky that Busio got Covid or LDLT wouldn't be an option.
I don't give a crap about his feelings or whatnot, just that it seems that a guy who is capable of starting regularly for a club in the 1.BL might have something to offer our team from a competitive standpoint? I don't think we're at the point with talent that we can disregard someone just because he rubs the manager the wrong way. Good leaders want people around them that will challenge their way of thinking /performing. I'm starting to think Berhalter just wants sycophants.
Maybe he's Protestant? Kidding, but yes that is a puzzling choice to bring Sands over CCV given how they've both fared this season. Odd choice. I did say on a Twitter thread that it is a big stretch outside his comfort zone for Berhalter to overlook Zardes. We do have to give him credit for that little baby step towards reality.
That's a spectacle that Wolfsburg has decided to play out in public, which for any club is a bit odd given that Brooks is hardly someone who moves any needle from a 1.BL fan perspective. It's massively odd for a German team, which is notoriously closed mouth when it comes to financial issues.
I suspect Sands' ability to play the #6 is also a factor in the his inclusion. Versatility on the bench. Also, Adams is on the cusp of yellow card suspension. We need somebody who can play that position other than just Acosta. Gut feeling? It was EPB versus CCV for that last CB spot, and Berhalter went with EPB. And Erik has earned that opportunity based on his play. I don't really know why people get flummoxed every time one of these rosters is announced and Brooks/Scally aren't on them. Its been clear for a while. For whatever reason, those two aren't in the "circle of trust." It is worth pointing out that the USMNT has conceded the 2nd fewest goals in the Ocho, and has scored the 2nd most goals in the Ocho. People fret and worry and predict a disaster..................that hasn't come. This team is fine in both departments for this CONCACAF level. We'll be fine. There will be knuckle-biting moments in this window, but we'll come out of it fine. WCQing is rarely easy.
Well, 90% of the roster is what we all expect and hard to argue against, so that's the good thing. Also, I'm glad to see Pefok get another shot and EPB getting in the team is interesting to see. I think his selection over CCV shows Berhalter values some specific things in his center backs in terms of covering space. I think Sargent deserves a spot in many ways, but I also don't see him as necessary as anything other than a backup because if we stick with a single striker, I'll take Pepi and PeFok ahead of him, so he's third on the depth chart and unlikely to get many if any minutes. Brooks is foolishness to me, but completely expected. It is a shame when a coach either through esoteric evaluation or personals issue or whatever decides to finish a player's international career, but that's where we are. So, those are the biggest snubs to my mind and one I'm on the fence about and the other is something I will never agree with but we should stop pretending Brooks is going to get a fair shake in these selections. Long over Brooks is frankly an insult but again goes back to Berhalter being pretty adamant about wanting center backs he considers quick enough to cover open space. I'm not as sold on CCV as many, but I think this could be causing his issues getting into the team as well. I agree with many that Sands is an odd pick. He was atrocious his last time out for the US and he's struggled to make his mark in a poor Scottish league. We can throw out all the nonsense excuses about player form and where guys play with this selection. These kinds of picks make it clear these are Greg's guys and he thinks they are his best players. It's not about form or league strength or most of those sorts of issues people love to argue about. It does look like a possible 3 in the back situation and maybe he's useful there, especially since without Brooks we basically have no center backs who can pass forward effectively beyond dumping it to the nearest center mid, which seems Gregg's preference anyway. No matter the setup, we are looking very thin at the outside back spots, especially now with Dest hurt. Scally would have been easy logic, but we know Berhalter doesn't think much of him at this point. I don't find a still not peak form Morris particularly inspiring of late and Arriola is a very limited grinder but we're not faced with Zardes up top again and really as mediocre as Sargent has been when he's your biggest snub up front, it's hard to get too upset. Ferreira is a bit of a question mark for me as he has moments he looks really good but has lacked finishing and has those moments he just doesn't execute. But, he could be useful if the wingers cut more centrally and he plays deep. He's got skill and combines well so I don't dislike him out there, just needs to execute a bit better. Maybe this is the window he puts it together and with Pepi and Pefok, that trio together gives you some variety to play with up front. Kind of tied with trying to make logical arguments when these picks really just come down to Berhalter's personal opinion and while I disagree on several fronts and so do many other coaches, it's a coach's prerogative to pick who he thinks are the best guys and its his responsibility to make those calls. That's why he's getting paid. Rail against his picks all you want, but don't pretend there is some sort of external scale beyond these being the guys this coach thinks are the best. He's gonna sink or swim with the guys he selects and that's his right. I think it makes the team worse in several spots, but that's why they play the games. Hopefully, we eventually see how it shakes out in Qatar, but I don't think anyone is expecting much from this team the way they are playing other than qualifying by slight margins and likely 3 and out in Qatar. With a roster full of center backs and missing a couple key parts of our offense, it looks like we're gonna really slog it out in Mexico and Costa Rica at least, probably hoping for 2 ugly games and at least one point in those. Hopefully, we attack a bit and win the home game and take care of business. Without McKennie and now with Dest going out, we are going to struggle to score unless Pulisic come on strong, and fortunately he's looking in good form lately. Gio is a bit of a wild card since he's been out so long and we don't know what kind of minutes we can expect to get from him safely. But his last outing at BVB makes me think him getting free kicks to Pefok can at least get us a goal somewhere. If he ca play ore minutes and hit some good for, that would be huge. You gotta think Pulisic gets one at some point the way he's playing, and Weah is going to create a few things. Hopefully some guys step up and make some plays and I'm confident of qualification. But, this isn't likely to be a pretty window. Hopefully it will at least be successful enough that we can start looking at what this team will look like in Qatar with qualification safely behind us.
I don't mind Sands. I think he might be a better backup to Adams than Acosta. But we have never seen it ever; so Gregg must not think he is even a possibility there. Gregg plays him as a CB or the one time in a disastrous double pivot with Acosta. But Sands as a CB is a strange decision because he is not actually playing for his club and doesn't play as a CB. I get not bringing McKenzie, because he isn't playing either. But he is a CB. Whatever, "tweak" or flaw, real or imagined, in Brook's game has to be the same for Sands. Sands is not faster than Brooks, not as good in the air, not experienced as much, can't pass as well. It is weird how Berhalter boxes himself in with tactical straight jackets. He must want to play that 3-4-3 that was a disaster in Honduras and only marginally better in the GC. Whether that is a good idea or not is beyond this post. But the idea that you have to have Sands for that, that it can only work with a backup CM in Scotland, and no other player, is beyond ridiculous. But that is how Gregg thinks of these things. He hasn't taken any time in the past 7 months to try anyone else in the hybrid role he wants for that. So, a guy who as barely played in qualifying and hasn't played well, barely playing with his club, now has an entire formation hinging on him in one of the biggest games of the last 8 years. Amazing.
Both are true. The promise of air conditioned stadiums gave the bribed FIFA members cover to vote for Qatar. But you are right, that they probably didn't think it was possible in their own minds.
I don't get it with the Sands talk. Adams is on the cusp of yellow card suspension. We've talked about this for two years now. Who is the #6 folks want if one of Acosta and Adams isn't available? Jackson Yueill? I'd argue that its our weakest position, and I don't actually see a lot of help on the way. Sands isn't going to start. He's not one of our top 4 CBs. Its possible he's not top 8. What he is...............is a versatile guy that can play both CB and the #6 slot well enough against the likes of Panama. Not only do I not have an issue with it, his selection makes complete sense to me. Do you know who else can actually play the #6 slot in an emergency? Erik Palmer-Brown. He won "player of the tournament" at the U20 CONCACAF Championships playing that position. Although he hasn't done it in a while.