The post I was replying to refered to Pulisic and Reyna as alphas who are uneasy about it. I weighed in with my opinion that McKennie is the only player who seems uneasy. Why can anybody around here say anything they like about players but if I say the same thing they go bananas?
What's with the klown obsession? This is the second time you refer to it today. We heard you the first time. What's the repetition for?
You spend extra efforts in posts not related to Wes to call him names, etc. Did he take your girlfriend? Your agenda is clear and everyone seems to get it. Yet you persist. Suggesting he is 'uneasy' is indeed your opinion. But then again you try hard to find fault in one of our top players. Suggesting he may not be a lock starter all the time is great. Hard to argue against. You go overboard in your efforts to get there IMO.
The context was about starters, not the 26-man roster. If Aaronson is healthy there's zero doubt he makes the final roster.
The topic is Aaronson starting and pushing Reyna at 6'1 to CF. Pulisic is great and all, but do you want a 5'8 CF?
Don‘t worry, Hoppe, Pefok, Dike, etc can score a goal or two and the constant, relentless GB brasher will have a lot more to hang his hat on. At least I‘ve made him have to seem like he is being reasonable. There is still only one agenda. Still transparent. Still clear. How‘s John Brooks doing? Stupid GB. He only sees what almost every coach in Europe sees. What a dope.
Not saying I want Pulisic to play CF, but he isn't much smaller than Jesus Ferriera and has played that more professionally than Reyna has.
Yeah, size isn't the thing. Personally, I think Pulisic doesn't get enough touches as it is and playing up top won't help that. Aaronson is the guy if we want a false 9. He's one of the best pressing players in the world, seriously. So check the hell out of that box. He has a nose for goal, little bit Dempsey without the tricky feet, check that box. And dammit it gets one of your best players on the field at the expense of one of your weaker players. I've cracked it!
I hope you are right! I don't think many will agree with you but Aaronson has done a great job at exceeding expectations. Based on his trajectory, I definitely won't rule it out.
What a debut for the lad. Caused a turnover that led to the first goal. Had the second goal (the OG call is egregious). The supporters on Leeds forums are saying he’s the MOTM. An absolutely fabulous first shift.
Indeed, it's pretty hard to have a much better Premier League debut than Aaronson had today. Leeds fans are already pretty enthused about him, and have been since pre-season.
I completely agree about how good he is, but oddly enough I still don’t think that great play would lock him into a starting spot for the national team. His best chances would be succeeding at rw with Leeds and pushing past Weah there, or GB sticking with the midfield he used against Morocco. I actually really like what Weah brings as more of a traditional right wing though, and would prefer to see him in midfield if he’s a starter.
If Aaronson keeps playing like he did this week, it will be tough to keep him out of the first 11. He was consistently dangerous in attack and still pressed relentlessly and worked back on defense. I agree with many that Weah has been very good through a lot of qualifying and provides a directness we otherwise can lack, but if Aaronson can play this well week in week out and still produce as he becomes more known, it will be tough not to get him on the field. And if he keeps getting all his time on the right wing, he is going to look like a solid option to challenge for the starting role. I think we still lack depth in some key areas and have weaknesses but if the season goes well for a few guys, the competition for starting places is going to get heated fast. And quality players are going to be left on the bench. Aaronson did his best this week to make sure he's not one of them. Still a lot of time left for others to step up and we don't know how things will look in the next several weeks. But on current evidence, Aaronson is making a strong case to not only make the squad, which I consider a given, but to start.
If Aaronson continues like this, then it definitely creates a situation where I don't see any US attacker as being a lock starter in the World Cup. Pulisic is still the guy, but we've seen that Berhalter isn't afraid to begin a match with him on the bench. Weah has actually been the most locked attacker in the US lineup recently - but he needs a strong start with Lille this season if everybody else for the US is producing. Reyna has locked phenomenal when healthy, but I'm hesitant to use him as more than a spot starter for the US in the World Cup. I could see Morris start a match - if he makes the squad, but that's not certain; while I see Arriola as more likely to make the squad, but less likely to start a match. And if Berhalter pushes Reyna or Aaronson further away from goal, then suddenly that blows up the MMA midfield. My gut feeling is that the two most likely set of wingers to start for the US against Wales in the World Cup would be Pulisic and Weah or Aaronson and Weah.
Absolutely. I would look hard in September camp at a 4-4-2. I get its late in the game but its not that different than a 4-3-3. Plays to our strength and depth in the midfield. Pulisic Weah Aaronson Musah Adams McKennie Jedi Richards Zimm Dest Keeper
If we're going to do that (and I'm not really a proponent), I believe it would more likely look like this: ---------Pulisic------Weah---------- -------------Aaronson---------------- ---------McK-------Musah---------- Jedi---------Adams-----------Dest ---------LCB------Zim--------------- ---------------GK---------------------- With the width being provided by the overlapping fullbacks and MMA still operating as a central triangle.
Gregg is going to have to sit CP, Reyna, Weah, Aaronson, Wes, and Musah in a room and tell them that one of them (or two if he insist on a low-scoring CF) cannot always start, and they should all get mentally prepared for that.