That's on the coach for being a coward. Iran was running out guys from the Persian Gulf League and AEK Athens and Gregg's afraid to use Roldan or De La Torre for a few minutes. This is like a guy with a fridge full of food talking about he's hungry. What makes you think that he'll start?
Definitely not looking to rehash this argument. But that coach is also now gone. So if the problem is that Berhalter was the one holding Roldan back, that's something that should become apparent under the next coach. I think because it's Mexico we will see less of an experimental lineup and Hudson will go with the more experienced guys. I'm expecting Johnson, Zimmerman, Long, Arriola, Morris, Moore, and Roldan all to start that game. Probably Ferreira too. Unless you think Hudson is going to start Williamson, Pomykal, Tillman, Sonora, or Parks over him.
But Aaronson did start the other game in the window. Maybe I'm wrong, but my sense is that because it's Mexico he'll go with a more experienced lineup if everyone is released as expected.
He wasn't on the staff for the 3-0 loss, but I'd bet he's heard about it. I'd be pretty surprised to see a very experimental lineup.
Yeah...........but Luca de la Torre would have been that guy off the bench at the World Cup. My theory is that if we didn't have two extra roster slots allowed for the WC, Roldan wouldn't have been named. And yes...........Berhalter's conclusion was that the drop off from Adams/McKennie/Musah was extreme. So tired versions of those players was better than a fresh backup. Maybe if Williamson and Pomykal hadn't gotten hurt, they'd have made it. Maybe if Tillman had committed earlier, he'd have made it. Maybe if Mihailovic hadn't been hurt in key moment, he'd have made it. Maybe if Parks didn't have issues, he'd have gotten more of a chance. Maybe if Ledezma hadn't gotten hurt, he'd have had a chance. The list goes on and on. Its not like there were a ton of options. I personally had Tillman on my roster over Roldan (and Arriola on my roster over Morris). But really............Tillman committed late. And there are locker room dynamics at play. We'd heard about Roldan's role from a culture point of view. These aren't all-star teams on paper, but real teams with interpersonal dynamics. That's what I think is missed in all of these roster discussions. I remember the video of Antonee being very emotional after a match. Who is it that came to comfort him? It was Yedlin. It was Zimmerman. It was Acosta. These, I suspect, are the leaders in the locker room. That's not a view we typically get, but is probably a lot more important to a manager that we realize.
Roldan is arguably more valuable on a 23 man roster. There's actually less need for a utility man with 26. Shaq Moore or Jesus or LDLT (depending on health) were probably more likely cuts at 23. I like Malik a lot and wouldn't be shocked to see him starting for us by next year but Tillman's new manager was talking about easing him into playing the 8 in Scotland after the World Cup. He wasn't anywhere ready to do anything besides play in the forward line. If you wanted to give him the minutes at wing, that would have worked.
My strong suspicion is that LDLT just wasn't fit/healthy during the World Cup. Berhalter took a chance on having him on the roster (just like he did with McKennie and Dest who were also both similarly coming off injuries), and this particular one did not pay off. Knowing that LDLT was a question mark, the person in Roldan's position had to be ready to play minutes. Berhalter clearly didn't trust him to do so (and didn't even trust him really to play minutes during qualifying either). By the time we got to the actual time to pick the roster the only real alternative was Malik Tillman. I would have taken Tillman over Roldan, but I don't know if he's anymore trusted either. Williamson was definitely very much hurt by the injury and it basically tanked his chances of making it. The only camp he could have been in was the September one. Parks is another guy who had alot of injuries at unfortunate times. Mihailovic also got injured at a very bad time. Busio also fell off the map a bit after looking like he was going to be a contributor early in qualifying. Booth surged just a bit too late. It was never quite he right time to look at Sonora. Pomykal on the other hand has been mostly healthy for most of the last two seasons. He could have been in a January camp or the June camp last year. He may not have been the answer but you never know unless you look. Maybe you even take a look at someone like Bedoya. I think the thing is Roldan was continuously getting called for rosters during qualifying when Berhalter didn't really trust him to play real minutes. My opinion is in that scenario you call up different guys and give them and a look and if they aren't any better you can always go back to Roldan. It doesn't necessarily have a good answer, but lack of depth a the 8 and at the fullback positions were one of our biggest issues during the World Cup. And I think one the priorities early in this cycle is testing out guys like Pomykal, Williamson, the Tillman brothers, Sonora, Parks, Booth, Mihailovic, etc. Some of those guys (like Booth), may end up being better fits somewhere else on the field, but now is the time to start figuring that out.
He pretty clearly was hurt. He came in with a knock, and he didn't play at all. And despite the weird narratives, Berhalter clearly liked de la Torre. He called him in pretty early on (second European window after the COVID break) and while he was eased in, de la Torre also stayed home from the Gold Cup to focus on club, etc. If healthy, he would have played. The problem here is that we didn't have any backup 8s, really. Malik Tillman, Djordje Mihailovic, Lletget, these dudes are not 8s. We'll see if Timothy Tillman, who is an 8, might've been a miss. Williamson is very fun offensively, but he's not a strong positional defender and I wouldn't have brought him, either. Roldan has struggled at the 8 for us; back to goal has never been a really strong point. Pomykal was always hurt in the lead up and may just be getting back to speed. Acosta is not an international 8. It's definitely a longer term question on whether there was an error in evaluation well before the World Cup in who was brought in and integrated, but at that moment, it was a lot of mediocre to poor choices. Now, anyone would have been better than de la Torre, of course, but how close was he? From a roster standpoint, we looked healthy. But in players who could play in central midfield, we had Reyna (came in injury, refused a fitness test), de la Torre (came in hurt and stayed that well), McKennie (came in injury, was only 60 minutes fit), Musah (came in injured, played full minutes and was just okay). Adams, Acosta and Roldan were healthy. Which is great, and a hurt Adams would have been worse. But... I might've gambled on de la Torre as well.
All I know is that every time somebody goes on a rant about playing time given to fringe player X, the easy response is to ask them who they'd have used instead. That shuts 'em right up most of the time. So you wanted somebody other than Acosta in the summer of 2021? Who? 18 year old Musah hadn't officially committed. De la Torre refused a callup to the summer tournaments. The list goes on with other guys. Who the eff did you want? Really. People just like to bitch about something. True or false............the USMNT won the Gold Cup and Nations League with Acosta playing in every game. True. That seems to be lost in the complaining.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mls-not-argentina-mexico-challenging-020356144.html Some interesting stats here. The Argentinian League really does seem to be slipping a bit in recent years. Since 2021, MLS is the league that has spent the most on transfer fees in the Americas, according to analysis by AFP on transfer reports provided by world football's governing body FIFA. In 2021, MLS spent $159.9 million on transfers: three times more than Brazil, five times more than Mexico and 11 times more than Argentina. The new strategy is bearing fruit for the MLS, whose 29 teams' squads worth a combined $1.25 billion, second only in the region to the 20 Brazilian teams' squads, worth $1.45 billion, according to the specialized website Transfermarkt. In 2022, the Brazilian league sold 998 players for $267.2 million, almost as much as Argentina ($146.6 million) and MLS (135.2 million) combined, according to FIFA. The problem for Argentine clubs is the same one affecting the whole country: scarcity of dollars, which are used in international transfers, the devaluation of the peso and high inflation. Argentine teams spent 20 percent less on transfers in 2022 compared to 2018, bringing in 26 percent less in sales. The young hopefuls they used to sign from other South American countries are now heading to Brazil and the MLS. The Argentine league is ageing: an average of 26.7 years in 2022, compared to 24 in 2018.
Argentina seems to be in an endless financial crisis. Its now estimated that 40% of Argentines live below the poverty line. There are cynics who say that they just actively pursued the U20WC as a distraction.
I knew Argentina was slipping when I started seeing MLS teams loaning castoffs to Argentina for playing time. At this point I think the Americas league rank is Brasil...MLS/Liga Mx...Argentina.
We also have to think of the financial power of MLS this way. There are now 29 1st division MLS clubs (presumably 30 soon). The 29th team in MLS spends a helluva lot more than the 29th team in Mexico or Argentina. Or consider the 29th team in Portugal or Croatia or frankly anywhere other than England and Germany.
There was a stat in the article about combined team worth and Brazil's teams were worth more than MLS but not by a lot and a Brazilian was quoted as saying MLS would surpass Brazil soon because Americans know how to do things on a big scale (or something like that). And that is the big point - MLS just keeps slowly churning and grinding it's way bigger while other leagues and countries suffer from economies, covid and team bankruptcies.
There's a bit more in the article about the Brazilian league selling less players than they used to and it says the main culprit is disorganization. Brazil is the best league in the Americas without question, but they are definitely not maximizing their league the way they could. There's definitely an awareness of it and an understanding of the need to change, but I think they are also still figuring out what that is. There was a good article about it last year in the Athletic https://theathletic.com/3316311/202...-in-chains-is-this-its-premier-league-moment/
it is just weird that after arguing with anyone who suggested looking at alternatives to Lletget who got 28 caps under Berhalter, 16 caps in 2021 and who primarily played as a #8 in the midfield, that you are now saying that Lletget is not a 8. Wow! Of course Tillman was a miss. Tim Tillman was a lock starter for Furth in the BuLi in '21 playing as a #8. He was one of their top 3 players, replacing Green as a lock starter and was seen as a BuLi level player. I and a couple of others argued for Tillman to just get a look. A lock BuLi starter yet never ever got even a look under Berhalter.
Brazil is making a lot of changes. Their league actually has a lot of issues -- tons of teams with empty stadiums, actually an unattractive style of play. But producing talent isn't one of them, for sure. MLS has the money to be the best league in the Americas. USMNT fans should probably just be thankful there is a salary cap, because half the teams would have simply just bought out an Argentinian or Brazilian team wholesale years ago if there wasn't. We're not likely to develop at a Brazilian level anytime soon, but if we can raise the level of Americans in the league significantly, the whole league will rise. And more Americans will either come or stay home at that time, because the pay is likely to be better by then.
I still don't think he's made the FIFA switch. If Tim had switched he would have made sense to roster as an 8.
Much like his younger brother Malik, Tim is provisionally cap tied to the German association because he played in a competitive youth match. You know that fact. Why would Tim file a one-time switch if Berhalter had not contacted him that they are interested in him playing for the US even when he was a lock starter in the BuLi?
The thing is Tim Tillman was playing for one of the worst teams in recent memory in the Bundesliga. It’s hard to draw a lot of conclusions about a player if the team is so bad. But on top of that, it’s not as if any Bundesliga teams tried to sign him after his team got relegated. It’s been a smart pickup by LAFC, but it’s hard to say Berhalter missed a guy that no one in the Bundesliga was trying to sign after his team was relegated. If he was seen as a Bundesliga player, someone would have tried to sign him.
That was an interesting omission from Gregg, given Tilman had performed well in a role similar to one the US had also used. Credit to LAFC for doing their homework on the player. It makes sense that if the player is putting up solid B1 numbers in a role, then he should be even better in MLS when playing a similar role.
So who at LAFC made the decision to sign him? If it was Cherundolo then his chances should be re-assessed. Could have been their GM Thorrington. A package deal? Thorrington for GM and Cherundolo for coach?
Well I don’t think Thorrington would take the sporting director role. I think it’s unclear as to who is responsible for the Tillman signing but both Thorrington and Cherundolo spent time in Germany as players (and Cherundolo for much longer). I will also say I very much like what we’ve seen for Tillman so far, but it’s also only been 4 games.