Nobody contributed more chance creation in qualifying than Weah. I don't buy, AT ALL, that Weah's suddenly gonna get dumped on the side after being the linchpin of everything good that happened after window 1 in qualifying. It strikes me as borderline crazy, especially considering what he actually does from that position. I can buy that Weah might be injured, that really any of these guys might be injured. We haven't gone a season w/o multiple of them going down at least once or twice pretty much ever, so the reality is, our MF, and WF's will probably be determined by health. I think going in the WF depth chart is: LWF: 1.Pulisic 2.Aaronson 3. Reyna RWF: 1. Weah 2. Reyna 3.Aaronson 4. Arriola I do agree that if our top 4 WF's are all healthy and match fit, it will cause Berhalter headaches because leaving two of a healthy and match fit Pulisic, Aaronson, Reyna, Weah on the bench seems borderline coaching malpractice, especially considering who you'd start with them at Forward. I am increasingly convinced that this is going to get weirder and weirder as Pefok, and Vasquez continue to play so well with their clubs (Pefok had a nice likely goal bound header headed wide by a defender in the box this weekend) and Pepi gets no playing time. If Reyna is healthy and matchfit and productive, what do you do? Big question.
Weah's strong, physical running at the back line on the right wing is exactly what we need vs Wales. We saw Reyna v. Wales on the right wing already and he didn't get anywhere.
He has been situated a lot wider and further from goal than Aaronson over the last year. So wide and far, in fact, that you could say he has been defending the trainer's table quite magnificently.
Obviously, this is totally off-topic, but I'll chime in too. I have NEVER had even the slightest hint of a problem with Rossi but for a single incident -- that incident being the Confederations Cup game against Italy in which he celebrated against us like he had just won them the World Cup, after he scored. However, that was a temporary emotional issue, for him and for me. But this is a guy who was incredibly up-front about what he was doing and why he was doing it. He never led a soul on about his intention. I can respect his commitment and honesty, even if I wished he had made a different choice. Subotic, on the other hand, was the ops. It was quite clear to me AT THE TIME that he was using the US program to get eyeballs, and then bolted as soon as those eyeballs appeared. It was plain as day to anyone who didn't have a hatred of Rongen, rational or irrational. The dude was literally trying to play for a team which he wasn't even eligible for, over the US. That people blamed Rongen for years was one of the silliest (B)ig(S)occer storylines ever.
What is your preferred Reyna position? Right wing? It seems like people put him there when they want freedom and protection from heavy defensive duties. The MMA with Reyna on the right and pulisc on the left?. Weah has been doing so well at right wing.
This is not directed at you specifically. On this date it seems like any discussion about Reyna figuring in to any lineup is so far removed from current, actual time and circumstance that it's not worth considering the opinions of those who would advocate for Reyna in a Best 11 Right Now thread.
I don’t really buy that Weah being good against CONCACAF means he’s in the XI. Aaronson is just so much more complete and is playing at a higher level. And hopefully Reyna. To be clear, if it was me, I put CP at false 9 to allow for 2 of Aaronson, Reyna, and Weah.
Very practical. I refuse to even contemplate a World Cup without Gio Reyna...knowing that his absence is very possible. Denial is very handy device.
I think the problem with all the best xi's people come up with is that they try to get by with MMA + 3 attackers. That is not going to produce sufficient attack. The best attack has been Pulisic/Brenden/Ferreira/Weah. Which one would you drop to get McKennie on the pitch? That's the basic problem. We can't drop Adams or Musah because McKennie can't (won't) play the 6 and McKennie can't dribble thru midfield like Musah. McKennie can't make it to the end line and cross like Weah and doesn't have Weah's shot on goal from yard. Putting McKennie at the 9 just has not worked whenever it was tried at club. He doesn't replace Pulisic, for sure. He can't press very well while Aaronson is a pressing demon. Indeed, Ferreira, Weah and Aaronson all press better than McKennie. Latest on Aaronson (credit @xbar who linked it in another thread) PFF FC on Twitter: "Brenden Aaronson received 13 line-breaking passes yesterday, the most in the Premier League #LUFC https://t.co/aOsoMwzyRg" / Twitter The sad think is that I haven't even brought up Reyna yet.
He’s so much better than Aaronson. I think you know that but you’re more than accommodating to the current hype. With Reyna, Musah, Adams (not a better player IMO but hard to replace in the set up) in the fold there is an argument to be made about sitting McKennie. But not because of Aaronson. Not in a million years
As far as anyone can tell Gio is healthy now and BVB are just being extremely risk averse with his re-introduction. It's entirely possible that Gio has more set backs, or gets another injury, but barring that unfortunate outcome, he will be getting minutes for club by November, and when healthy, he is a starter on that team. Maybe he is not fit in Nov, I would not count on it though, or even say that is likely. If I'm Gregg I'm not sure I'm assuming Gio is going to be hurt at this point, but rather, trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to integrate him into the lineup.
It's a weird sorta bending over backwards to get McKennie, who is one of our most important and most consistent performer, off the field for some reason. He's not competing with Pulisic; Aaronson and Reyna are. And in a given match, they can (and have) been better than him in his position.
Pulisic is a goal scorer. In addition he draws traffic and gets fouled setting up free kicks. Aaronson and Reyna have other strengths which we also need on the pitch but essentially it has to do with being "on the ball' and "creating service". Musah has taken over McK's 8 role with Berhalter having moved Musah back to partner with Adams in more of a 4231 arrangement and Aaronson surpasses McK by a mile in CAM. I'm not bending over backwards; I'm pointing out how things have changed. We should be rejoicing at the changes. Reyna considered one of the best in the game at his age. Aaronson putting in record performances in the Prem and UCL. Pulisic at one of the best clubs in the world and in great form. Yet, people are bending over backwards trying to keep them off the pitch. Why? I don't get it.
[QUOTE="Excellency, post: 40706966, member: 196842"Yet, people are bending over backwards trying to keep them off the pitch. Why? I don't get it.[/QUOTE] Because we don't have some unreasonable secret hate of McKennie. He so terrible that a long time Italian manager rushed him into the starting lineup at Juventus despite not being anywhere near in game shape. He's played consistent minutes there since arriving for several different managers and that after a similar run at Schalke. So you can keep talking lineups, tactics and other players all you want being better but the rest of us aren't blind and know how good he is and what you are doing. You're close to single minded in your posts about how to remove him or talk about how poor he is. This is after a similar run after Acosta. I don't get it and don't need to as we all have opinions. I just wish you'd not do it so often.
the poster in question isn't Berhalter so it's moot. He has a bone for Wes. And honestly I think it's more for the attention he keeps getting.
Not to beat a dead horse but more in the vein of an "apology": Half the time I'm responding to people who go bananas because I put a lineup out without McKennie in it. At that point I'm obliged to explain myself with some analysis. This then becomes more fodder for the "see, you hate him" crowd. Anyway, I've made my case and people don't want to respond to it with analysis of why McK is better than the other people I have on the team so we will leave it at that. When you say: So you can keep talking lineups, tactics and other players all you want being better but the rest of us aren't blind and know how good he is and what you are doing. I'm left scratching my head because you seem to say that talking lineups, tactics and comparing players is nonsense and just a ruse. Why even have a thread called Best XI in that case? Enough said. We move on.
Taking Pulisic's club form and form throughout qualifying into consideration, I think people are just questioning whether Pulisic is a nailed-on starter, which is totally fair IMO. I think his name is still top of the list at LW and I think it's premature to anoint Aaronson, who disappeared at times in qualifying, but Pulisic didn't prove himself to be indispensable over the course of that tournament whereas I think the combination of MMA has become so in many minds, in large part due to the convincing performance against Mexico. What has happened since WCQ to change people's perceptions of that midfield trio or McKennie specifically?
I guess I'd question your premise. The USSF page has lineups 2022 USMNT Lineups | U.S. Soccer Official Website (ussoccer.com) It shows that at Mexico in the 0-0 draw, the midfield was Adams, Musah and Acosta. MMA played home to ES and won 1-0 on a Robinson goal. Big whoop. 3 days later MMA went to Hamilton and lost to Canada 0-2 In the summer USA played Morocco and won 3-0 with Aaronson starting then they played Uruguay's B team with MMA starting and drew 0-0 . The page doesn't show the NL game @ ES but I recall Adams, McK and Musah in that one which we were losing 0-1 going into the dying minutes when Morris scored the tying goal off a LDLT pass. I'm pretty sure none of this matters to the hysterical groupies but I keep trying.
I for one wish more people saw that an MMA midfield will be our downfall if Berhalter were to use it in the WC. It basically comes down to do you want Musah or McKennie with Adams. Not both. But the team as a whole is gonna suffer massively, incredibly, insurmountably, if sacrificing a 4th attacker to player MMA, as MMA cannot advance the ball. At the same time, positions too often are miscast, where in reality on the pitch they represent interchangeable and fluid zones. Puli-------Reyna-------Weah ----------Aaronson------------ -----Adams-----Musah-------- If everyone's fit and playing club ball, that's probably my opening WC match front 6. Is Reyna a back to goal CF? No. But don't dismiss him in this zone as he's proven to display shades of Berbatov many times. He is one of our top 3 players at holding, receiving and turning his mark. He's also one of our top 3 passers. He might be #1 across the pool in vision. And he's a great combiner. He'll score goals too so you want him heavily involved in the attack and making runs. This lineup is also our best bet and actually seeing the ball progress quickly to our attackers. I probably would start Musah in games 1 and 3. McKennie vs England as they're that much better than us.
What? I understand putting another offensively minded player out there for the attack, but putting Aronson in the midfield there doesn't help us progress the ball to the attack. Aaronson plays super high -- he was higher than Weah in the last game they played together. He's not a high touch guy; he's doesn't come back for the ball. We've seen him play in the midfield three times, and he's not an active shuttler. So now we've got a deep lying Musah and Adams as our ball progressors? How are we getting it forward consistently? It's really Musah versus three man and potentially box midfields. Unless we think the CBs are going to be breaking deep lines constantly or any of our smallish, young guys are suddenly going to become hold up guys? Like I said, I can see putting Aaronson out there -- and I think it will happen -- but it's not going to help the connection between defense and offense. It's going to help the final third. We'll have to compensate for Aaronson's general placement. I still think if we're trying this it is Reyna at CM. I think he has a chance to play it more well rounded.
? Aaronson has done very well advancing the ball centrally between zones in club play, over a significantly larger body of work. Whether Berhalter puts him in a position to do that with the NT is another question.
He's never been a ball progressor in club play. He's always played forward. He's a great final third play, a good transition player, he's great at positioning himself and making forward runs. But he's a low touch midfielder who plays forward and doesn't come back much to help for the ball. With strong passing in the back line, he's a great outlet, but he's not a ball progressor at all. Not at Philly, not at Salzburg, not so far at Leeds. In Philly, the huge knock was that he didn't get on the ball enough. In Salzburg, it was just endless transition, and at Leeds ... he's playing winger. Like I said, I think there's definite situations where you'd play him in the midfield. But if we're struggling to progress the ball, Aaronson's asset is as a vertical outlet, not as a progressor. The right passers, I could see it helping ... but we're right great passing in the back and midfield. Teams win the midfield by having numbers there, and while it is possible he could hang back ... I think that nullifies a lot of what he does. You can skip the midfield -- this week's Chelsea / Tottenham game was a good example of Chelsea dominating by bringing four guys against two in a Tottenham midfield that was lessened because they brought a midfielder high. But it doesn't make progression easier.