You're probably right but I personally don't think he has played well for LAFC in MLS and think others have looked better over the last 3 months. I just hope Berhalter hasn't just decided that the team that qualified is just going to be the team for the WC. There is alot of time from March to November with players losing form or others coming back from form or injury related absences to move past players from March.
Maybe we will see Roldan at mid instead of Acosta now. Also wouldn't be surprised to see a 3-4-3 at some point.
The problem with Acosta is that there just isn't a credible alternative as the backup 6. If he's healthy there's basically no chance he's not on the plane to Qatar. If he's injured for more than this game we'll almost certainly see a replacement, who I'd guess would be Sands.
I don't view that as a problem, as long as Acosta can play with more talented players, his defficiencies aren't as thoroughly exposed and he brings plenty of veteran wiles to the game as well, plus he has versatility, just don't ever play him as an 8, simple as that.
There's no way he is. He's a lite version at best. He'll work hard. We don't have anyone who replaces McKennie (or CP or Weah or Adams or...) Depth is a major work in progress for 1st teamers.
The largest ethnic group in Morocco is Berber. Arabia is a whole different continent, geography and history book away.
He is my backup 6. But the reason there isn’t another alternative is because Gregg really hasn’t tried anyone besides Sands in that non-regista DM role. I’d love to see Musah or Scally or one of the other mobile, rugged, athletic utility players in the pool give it a shot in a friendly.
To be fair neither of those players have played the 6 for their clubs. Scally in particular is still getting integrated at the fullback position. You don't want to throw too much at him too fast. I don't think there's anyone in the pool who has played the 6 at the club level who has really shown themselves deserving of overtaking Acosta.
It's not a depth issue that we have. It's a flexibility issue. Nobody really plays like Adams, but it's not like you have to play with a guy that plays like Adams to be successful. Rather than promote a knockoff version of a starter into a setup, maybe set the team up different. We have a lot of things that we can do with the roster we have available to us before we start worrying about finding someone who kinda, sorta, sometimes plays the game like another guy.
Yes yes yes. If you have some tactical flexibility in your thinking, you have lots of options about ways to put the pieces together. If you just want to run a particular system, then your mind has to be focused on finding the best pieces to fit that system. Two different ways of thinking.
Yup. Instead of actually ask why someone who has played badly in MLS, ever since recovering from his injury, is slated as a starter for the USMNT, it is so much easier just to troll those who might ask that question. It's the stuff that makes US GGGreat!
I’m saying I think he will be played as an #8 not a #10. All our players have strengths and weaknesses. Aaronson’s defensive #s are impressive. He should hold his own defensively, and we’ll get to see how much he brings to the attack from the midfield.
You've got past my comfort zone of Berhalter changing his style of play or formations. To say I have my doubts is understating it.
Yes except that Aaronson plays there for his club and has done well. Pulisic did much better for Chelsea when he was played on the wing.
Pulisic has done far better recently when playing through the middle. If you want him to be successful on the wing, he needs to be on the right. Otherwise he gets double-teamed/fouled out of the game every time he tries to cut inside.
I 100% hope Acosta is ok (I am writing this before reading subsequent posts which may explain his absence). That being said, this means that Gregg will not be tempted to waste minutes looking at Acosta instead of trying a more attacking substitution pattern later in the game -- maybe with a newer guy. That is a great thing.
Musah would be HORRIBLE there. He is in no way a defensive-type player. EPB could probably fill in pretty nicely though. He has had a few runs there. I know that back in the day, he played there for us in the U20s. He has good speed, is a decent passer through the middle, with good defensive chops.
US Soccer says Acosta has a minor injury. I hope so, because Adams isn’t playing all 4 games and Gregg’s backup after Acosta is??