I can’t say everything I know, but what I’ll say is I was sent a video of a U-20 eviscerating Walker Zimmerman for a goal.
My latest update. GK: Brady, Slonina, Carrera DF: Cuevas, Che, Neal, Craig, Walls, Gomez, Wiley MF: Karumanchi, Leyva, Alvarado, McGlynn, Sullivan, Aaronson, Gutierrez, Paredes, Clark FW: Pepi, Mitchell Barely Missed: Freeman (RB), O. Wolff (CM), Cremaschi (CM) Dual-nat switch candidate: Okoh (CB) GK's: I think you could make a good argument against taking Slonina because I am definitely not for handing him the starting spot uncontested with how Brady has performed for this team (and at club level). However, it doesn't seem like Slonina's the type who'd complain about his role. Could set up a good 1-2 with the Fire products. As for the third GK, conventional wisdom says unless the gap is extraordinary between 3 and 4 that you take an '05 that can return next cycle. However, I think there's enough of a gap between Carrera and the 05's currently, and I don't think the level between the top 3 '05 GK's is close enough that I wouldn't want to create a situation where one guy has such a leg up on the others heading into next cycle. DF's: I thought about Freeman over Cuevas. I really wanted to make that switch, but my better judgment is still telling me no. I don't trust Che enough to be a consistent starting RB for us, and I think that could be similar for Freeman. We know what we are getting with Cuevas, and he can play LB. Che as the back up makes complete sense to not have to take 4 natural CB's. His ability to cover there makes him the ideal RB2 candidate. I think Neal and Craig have spots. Third spot, I want a left-footer. The candidates I see are Walls, Kinzner, and Williams. I feel Williams is too raw right now. Maybe he has a big leap in development between now and May, but I'm not counting on it. Kinzner isn't far off Walls, but I think Walls edges it right now. Gomez has a spot, and then I think Wiley has edged ahead of Allen for now. MF's: We need a true #6. That player is Karumanchi. Shouldn't be too complicated. Leyva can be the second 6 that is really more of a 6 for a different formation (double 6 as opposed to lone 6). I think Alvarado, McGlynn, and Sullivan all have spots, and let's please stop using Sullivan as a winger. It drives me crazy. I'd say Aaronson, Gutierrez, and Paredes also have spots. Clark might've been in that category 3-4 months ago, but the trend isn't great. I think he's hanging onto a spot, but if the trend keeps going in this direction, someone will overtake him. I think Owen Wolff and Cremaschi as an extra 8 would be the best candidates to overtake Clark, but I'd have a hard time choosing between the two, and I think Clark is barely making that discussion a moot point for now. FW's: Pepi should play for this team. Without a doubt. If he, Berhalter, or Augsburg/Groningen decline, nothing we can do, but we should try to include him. He solves the CF weakness this team has had all cycle. As the second 9, I really like the idea of a slashing forward type. Someone who could bring pure speed from the wings or up front. That player should be Mitchell. You could also consider players such as Fletcher or Sarver, but Mitchell makes the most sense.
Would love for Pepi to be on this team, but I just don’t know if I see it. He’s a full national team player and probably should’ve been on the plane to Qatar. Would he see playing with the 20s as a snub? I’m not sure.
If he thinks he is too good for the U20 squad then it really bothers me. Striker is one of the toughest positions to mature at and putting his skills on display against the best U20 Teams in the world is a good step in that direction. I see Pepi as the corner piece of the U20 2023 WC and U23 2024 Olympic offenses. This squad scored a ton of goals w/o a true 9... with Pepi in there I think they have a real chance at getting to a semi in both competitions. If Pepi does as well as I think he would then he would step right into the USMNT in the next cycle as the front-runner at striker.
Agree with that 100%. Couldn’t have said it better myself. I think he should be the first or second name on the team sheet for our 1st U20 WC match.
He's good enough to start for the USMNT. Sargent & Altidore, didn't play for the U20s, when they were Pepi's age.
I’m not saying you’re wrong about Pepi being our best senior team #9, but why should any of these players think they are too good for this tournament? All these players played at the last U-20 WC: Darwin Nunez Ronald Araujo Erling Haaland Andriy Lunin Sergino Dest Chris Richards Tim Weah Mohamed Camara Boubacar Kamara Moussa Diaby Ilhan Meslier Diogo Costa Diogo Dalot Rafael Leao Julian Alvarez
Because those other countries had better players, starting for their respective national teams. Haaland had 0 caps for Norway's senior team, when he played at the U20 World Cup.
Pepi may want to play for this team, given that it's still a World Cup, albeit a youth one. I think depending on what his club will allow he should be given the choice as whether he wants to play in this event, the Gold Cup, or the Nations League. He may very prefer the U20s, though that's also the only one his club can block.
I'm not saying this isn't a worthy topic for discussion but we don't even know who'll be coaching the MNT in 2023, and clearly even the guy we have there now could be hard to predict. This all seems super speculative! Anyhow my guess, worth the paper it's printed on, is that Pepi's YNT career is over.
I forgot that their clubs can block them from playing in the U20 WC. Why do they do that? Why not have the best U20 talent on display? And based on how well the futures look for a lot of our guys on the U20 WCQ Team I could see this team be way watered down... which is a shame. It is a like a tourney final made up of every country's players that are viewed as unnecessary by their team. Do clubs have to release players for the Olympics? At this point I am more excited about our U20/U23 squads than our senior team seeing as how that sh@t the bed against Wales.
Well clubs make these decisions for a variety of reasons, but because of the extended season caused by a mid season World Cup this year, the end of the European season overlaps with the start of the U20 World Cup.
I don't think we will see that many players refused to be released by European clubs. There are a bunch of players whose clubs WANT them to play in it for 3 reasons - for games, to increase their value, and to keep the players happy. Slonina: he's 100% not going to be playing at Chelsea come May. The biggest challenge Chelsea has right now is to find games for Slonina. The U-20 WC is perfect. Cuevas: Ditto. He's not going to be a Brugge regular anytime soon. The U-20 WC is great for him. The only hang-up could be a loan in January. Gomez: If he stays with Sociedad in the 2nd half of the season, I'd bet they'd be fine with him going to the U-20 WC. He's not going to make himself that important to them inside of the next 5 months. Pukstas: I don't have him as a U-20 lock, but while he is playing more at Split he's still not a regular player and Split is a selling club. It could be tricky as he'd have to miss the final 3 games for Split to go to the U-20 WC but absent him becoming a crucial player for them in the next 4 months, I'd bet he goes. Che: He's not a starter for the U-20s and might not even make the team. It's impossible to talk about a release with him since we don't know where he will be in January and I doubt it's Hoffenheim. If it is Hoffenheim, they'd be thrilled to let him go. He could probably even leave for the U-20 WC without Hoffenheim noticing he's gone. Alvarado: He's such a minor player at Vizela and Vizela would love to boost his value a bit. He'd have to miss the final 2 games of the Portuguese season but I really think Vizela would be happy to let him go. Neri: would absolutely be released by Atletico if he is invited. Clark: We don't know where he will be, but I'd guess yes. Paredes: This is the biggest concern I have over a player getting released. He's growing into a bigger role at Wolfsburg. Playing at the U-20 World Cup would require him to miss the last 2 games of the Bundesliga season. Maybe he could be a late arrival? Wolfsburg held him out of the CONCACAF qualifiers because of preseason, so they want him. This one is going to be tricky. Aaronson: It's not quite as easy to say yet because we don't yet know what Eintracht's plans are for him the second half of this season. Typically buying a very young foreign player in January is about getting the player adjusted to Germany the rest of the season and giving him minutes here and there. We saw that with Paredes last year, etc. We will see, but I think he'll end up going. Pepi: I don't think he will be part of the U.S. U-20 team and I am not sure he wants it. I think the U-23 team is more realistic. If he did want the U-20 team, I think it would also be very hard. While Groningen only holds his rights via a loan, they can block a release until the end of the season. Pepi meets all the reasons why they'd deny a release. He's 1) important to the team and 2) the club is likely in a relegation battle and 3) he'd have to miss the final 2 games of the season to play in a U-20 WC. Those games are likely going to be important to Groningen, so I can't see a release. A "late arrival" also makes no sense given the U-20 WC starts on May 20 and Pepi will play for Groningen on May 28. He'd then have to get to somewhere in Indonesia for the second stage of the tournament. Not going to happen.
Crazy Fact. Not one of the players on the England 2017 U-20 World Cup winning team made Southgate's 2022 World Cup roster. Crazy...
This is the main reason why it is so silly to complain about random USYNT roster camp callups let alone YWC rosters. Development for the full national teams happen mainly at their professional clubs and not at some week long U16 tournament in Slovakia.
I'm definitely Paulie Jr. in this scenario, not Senior! You forgot to throw in constantly yelling about early birthdates and ignoring non-MLS teams.....
And -- admittedly, I didn't go back and check the England U17 roster before exhorting kids to not give up. Gallagher was also on that roster. But I still think you shouldn't give up!
That England U-20 team that won the World Cup might not have anyone on the current full World Cup team, but it also wasn't full of a bunch of busts either. A LOT of the players are in the Premier League now. A few are in other Big Five leagues.