That’s a hell of a statement. We have waited all cycle for a striker to put gas name down as the guy…….. could we finally have that guy at the very end of the cycle?
Armchair Analyst: I did my best to capture as much as I could of what was the most insane Saturday in @MLS history. Including the Fire balling out, LAFC on a record pace, NYCFC in trouble...And the league's best 9 in Cincinnati.https://t.co/sihYNAOYiC pic.twitter.com/lXMNIRtDHT— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) August 7, 2022 Shaqiri's heating up, Zelarayan looking MVP-like, Vazquez is league's best 9 & more from Week 24
Receipts on what? Nothing I said was wrong. Cincy passed the test this week. Good on them. Vazquez, Brenner and Lucho Acosta are a handful for defenses.
Heading into the MLS All-Star game, league leaders in...non-pen expected goals:1. Brandon Vazquez, 12.16 xG2. Hany Mukhtar, 11.16 xG3. Jeremy Ebobisse, 9.93 xGexpected assists:1. Lucho Acosta, 7.33 xA2. Emanuel Reynoso, 7.30 xA3. Cristian Espinoza, 7.22 xA— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 8, 2022
I think what's interesting about Vasquez is that he's not just about goals. He's got only one less assist than Ferreira too. [For those of us that say the difference between the two is how Ferreira sets up his teammates.] Ferreira the last two years combined has 20 goals and 13 assists. Vasquez has 18 goals and 7 assists. [According to transfermarkt anyway.] An argument really doesn't need to be made anymore regarding a callup for Vasquez. Everybody agrees. Give him a chance in September head to head with the current pool and see if he wins a spot. Compare this to Ebobbise who has 2 assists in the last two years.
It sounds like they are about to update shortly and we should see a good sized jump in the value for Vazquez. With the window closed, the long process of finalizing the new MLS market values begins. Tentative date is around August 18. This is a big one and might also include a Chivas target 😉— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) August 8, 2022
Aaaaaand MLS leaders in non-penalty expected goals + expected assists:1. Hany Mukhtar, 17.77 non-pen xG + xA2. Brandon Vazquez, 14.573. Taty Castellanos, 13.044. Sebastian Driussi, 12.785. Jesus Ferreira, 12.696. Jeremy Ebobisse, 11.827. Chicho Arango, 11.41 https://t.co/RpaKj7dgnv— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 8, 2022 MLS leaders in xGSeq (npxG+xA+all other touches in any build-up that leads to a shot):1. Mukhtar, 22.932. Lucho, 20.613. Driussi, 20.474. Taty, 19.345. Gil, 19.246. Vazquez, 18.607. Gazdag, 17.268. Reynoso, 17.269. Ferreira, 16.6210. Lodeiro, 16.10 https://t.co/auJb8nBBSf— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) August 8, 2022
Tolkin is another one that has to be in January camp at the least, if he's not getting a shot in September... No player has made more interceptions in the #MLS this season than #RBNY defender John Tolkin (51). pic.twitter.com/udz3stuG28— Pedro Rondon (@usasupersoccer) August 7, 2022
Ebobisse also does fairly well and is a good presser too. Would have been nice to have seen him get a look, but he’s behind Vazquez and I think he’ll have to wait till January.
It’s probably too much of a jump for now, but he’d be an interesting fit for Leeds who is the market for a left back.
I'm sure the replies to this video will be very rational... Quick visit from coach. 🇺🇸@USMNT 🤝 #MLSAllStar pic.twitter.com/GFZYugY3jL— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 8, 2022
it should come as no surprise he spent 80+ seconds greeting ferreira and vazquez only got a mop up greeting.
Seriously you guys should just stop trying to make a mountain out of every mole hill. You have zero and I mean that literally what took place during those greetings. Berhalter could have had something very specific he wanted to talk to Ferriera about and he may have said to Vazquez "fantastic game kid...keep it up and see you in September."
One person said he "could have" done something, meaning that it's a possibility. The other person wrote a sentence as if it's fact. So, no, not the same boat.
It is a struggle, but with proper care and medication it is possible to live a decent life, despite the handicap of having opinions
Brandon Vazquez for USMNT: "100 percent he deserves a chance" Vazquez revealed Berhalter’s staff was in touch as recently as this past weekend, after he scored in their 3-1 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union. “I talked to [Berhalter’s] assistant coach a couple days ago after our game [against] Philadelphia,” Vazquez said. “They said they're happy with my performances, to keep it up and there's a national team camp coming up that I could possibly be called into.” ... Just how motivating is this all for Vazquez? He was rather direct, six weeks out from the USMNT’s upcoming Europe-based friendlies against World Cup qualifiers from Asia, when they’ll face Japan on Sept. 23 and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27. “I've got a couple of goals in the back of my mind,” Vazquez said. “It's helping Cincinnati get in the playoffs, fight for that Golden Boot and at the end of the year trying to get in that World Cup roster.”
I'm a big believer that the team needs to spend its remaining time much more focused on getting the guys who are in the team paying together more than auditioning new guys at this late date, but Vasquez looks like a really solid exception to that rule both because of his successes on the field and the lack of options for the center forward spot. If there is any spot on the field that makes sense to try out someone new, it's that #9 role and he's certainly making his case.
A lot of focus is on Vazquez numbers but for me, he's a call-up in September because: He's an excellent hold-up player in MLS and I want to see if he can do it against better comp. Pefok is probably our best other option if we have to go over the top, and he's mediocre at best He's a capable presser, so we don't have to compromise there He's a decent passer and not incompetent in the build up (even if he's not a drop back type) so he isn't likely to hamstring us and will likely still get some nice set up to Pulisic (he likes to pass left) He's decent in the air I don't really think he's going to come in a score like a demon; if he finishes at a high percent, it's probably small sample size and if he doesn't, it's the same. I think he makes nice runs and maybe has a bit of a poacher, but I really don't know if the scoring will be materially different than most of our guys. If we're expecting a goal a game or something, I wouldn't go there. I would say that like Ferreira or any of the others, it's an open question on whether England's centerbacks just completely shut them down. But he brings a well-rounded skillset. He doesn't make the rest of the team compromise. Where Ferreira is very good in the build up, can playmake, and can allow for a false 9 which has tactical advantages at times, BV brings a guy who can play if we need to bypass the midfield, can provide an aerial threat, etc. In short, he actually seems a good fit for a game where we are overmatched. You've really got to get him in to compare to Pefok, especially if Dike's injury is going to keep him out.