US scouting folks were at the game today, and Vasquez responded to that presence with a very solid game. Im almost dead certain that this guy is getting on the roster, and it's going to shake up our roster pool. Discussing it with a few folks already, I think Pepi needs to be worried. He needs to establish himself with Augsburg quick or I think Vasquez is going instead of him. Maybe even bumps Jesus, I dont know. I think Pefok is okay.......provided he continues a strong start in Germany. I know camp is going to sort a lot of things out, but we could have our out of nowhere roster guy right here. And hell........he could even be a starter just given the sheer dearth of the forward position. Thoughts on Vasquez's rampaging form?
100% deserves a call up in September, but let’s slow the roll. What if Wright picks up where he left off at the end of last season? What if Dike finds his Barnsley form? What if Pefok carries his form from Switzerland to the Bundesliga? Tons of things can happen yet. Vazquez is intriguing. If only we could combine all our strikers into one person. Also I think Pepi has been on the outside looking in for a while now. Depends on how many strikers we take. Tillman/Weah/Morris can all fill in at striker.
Still too soon to tell IMO. Ferreira is likely safe as long as he finishes the season with a few more goals, but the other two spots are likely wide open until the beginning of October. I'm not 100% certain when the squad selection deadline occurs before the World Cup.
Does he look good in MLS? Absolutely. Should he get called into camp next month? Absolutely Has he punched his ticket to Qatar? Pump the brakes he as exactly zero minutes with the Nats. Go back and look at all the comments about how Wright was blowing up and just had to be on the team. Got called into camp and did not look like he belonged at that level.
My bet is that Berhalter should have a 26 player squad pretty much locked in by the weekend of October 15 and 16. 1st round of MLS playoffs are that weekend, so it's the last time that pretty much every available US player may be playing. After that, only health concerns and an absolutely torrid run of last-minute form in MLS or a major European league should impact the squad IMO. I think striker is the most likely position to watch in those final weeks.
He wouldn't have stolen anybody's spot. That 3rd CF slot is pretty much up for grabs for anybody who takes the bull by the horns. That may be Vazquez. I just hope he gets the chance in September. I'm still a little skeptical. But US assistants scouting his matches at least shows they're open to it. There could always going to be an exception to the rule of this upcoming camp being almost exclusively for chemistry purposes. If a striker bangs home 25 goals beforehand, pretty sure they've knocked down the door. I just don't know how reinforced that door is. Does 15 do it? Or 20? He's already on 14 non PK. If he gets another turbo booster, he'll be there. That's what I'm hoping for.
Would anyone really be upset if we left all of these guys off the roster and played each game with one of Reyna/Pulisic/Aaronson as the nine? Hell, I’d take McKennie as the nine over any of the guys mentioned in this thread. Pefok is the only guy I’d take because I think he’s the only one capable of producing a moment of class against a good team on a big stage. But even he would be on my bench.
Would anyone really be upset by it? Yes, those who don't believe in false 9's and think we need a target at that position. Dortmund has even proven to be dependent upon one. And we won't achieve near the game control they do in the WC. A 2 striker formation mitigates the problem. But it's not a magic bullet. At the end, we may prove we need to take the best of the true CF options. Ferreira may not even be workable considering his size. Pefok being the only guy you'd take is certainly not based on anything he's actually done for the nat'l team or a system fit. And if by take, you mean for the roster, we clearly need to use more than 1 of 26 spots on the position. Otherwise we could be left holding the bag in Qatar.
Watching Jordan Morris lately makes me upset that we haven’t started him up top as a #9 yet. His most productive years as a USMNTer have been as a FWD. Arguably as a Sounder too.
Basically, if most of the US #9s in contention are scoring and healthy heading into November, then I think Berhalter takes Ferreira, Pepi, and Pefok. If Pefok continues to settle in well at Berlin, then it's Pepi's spot which will likely be the one under threat.
I can’t recall him playing striker much for Seattle or any other team until recently so I don’t see it as some big oversight. I assume he will get called up in September so I guess they could try it but I assume he stays at winger as a sub. Vasquez has earned a September call up IMO, unless he falls out of form. Right now I think he and Pefok are the front runners to get an audition before the final stretch.
When he first became pro and at Stanford he played ST mainly. I’m sure doubled on the wing a little bit. Actually led the US in a Gold Cup win as the lead striker IIRC
The way I see it, we have three types of forwards in contention: 1) The false nine. Ferreira is basically the only one in this category. I'd like to see Reyna tried in this role, but given his lack of fitness and the lack of time before the WC, this probably isn't happening. 2) The well-rounded nine. These guys can do a bit of everything--pressing, hold up play, combining with others, finishing, etc. The guys from qualifying in this category were Sargent, Zardes, and Pepi. Zardes and Sargent seem to be out of contention, though maybe a hot streak (which Zardes might be on) gets them back in. Wright would go in this category too, but I think he blew his chance in June and is done for this cycle. I think this is category for Vazquez too, so it's basically him vs. Pepi for this spot in my mind. 3) The bigger guy. This is super sub option who comes on when we need a goal and need to frantically pump some crosses into the box. Pefok and Dike are competing for this role.
Wright definitely looked like he belonged. His problem is that he just doesn’t seem interested in learning how to press in GGG’s system, which is honestly pretty pathetic. It’s always been upstairs with that guy- the talent is there. Turkey’s gone down some but it isn’t some scrub league. I do agree, however, that Vasquez still needs a look and vetting.
Vasquez is a very complete forward, can be put in multiple groups. He isnt' great at anything (hopefully yet), but he is good at everything.
Was gonna say Vasquez is a big boy too, 6’3 and two hundred and change of good weight if I’m not mistaken. He moves much more gracefully than that, though. A lot to like there
Ok maybe its semantics. I count effort as lot of looking like you belong. He didn't display that for me.
Not yet. Need to actually have a call up and get a game or two. One good season doesn't just take you directly on to a WC roster. Plus, how does he fit with the other players?