For me, I want to keep McKennie in the middle. Actually, for me there's nothing wrong with Weah at RW and Scally at RB. Folks are twisting themselves into knots trying to invent something better. We just controlled, virtually dominated, Mexico at the Nations League. Take that starting XI, replace Dest with Scally.....................and that's likely what Berhalter is going to do. Scally has actually been quite good in the Bundesliga of late. More on the left than the right, but its true nonetheless.
Here's more evidence. There might not be anything "wrong" with Weah at RW, but there is definitely possibility of something better. Aaronson is in better attacking form than Weah. Point blank. The stats prove it. My eye test (subjective) also tells me the same. Same thing happened before the WC. Aaronson was in better form, more fit, playing at a higher level, and coming off a great year, yet was hardly used. Weah was coming off of an injury, not playing as much, playing at a lower level, not putting the same stats as Aaronson, and yet got the start no questions asked. And we wonder why Aaronson's confidence took a hit after the WC...
Yeah, I don't understand why people want to move Mckennie, who I think is our 2nd best player after Christian, out of his natural position and put him somewhere he has never played for us before.
I can’t back this up with evidence, but my impression is that Pepi plays best when he feels he has something to prove to the world. Not only that, but when he’s doing it in the role of underdog. Coming off the bench is where he seems to make his mark on the game… This is based on memory, not evidence of specific games, but that’s the impression I’ve grown to have…
Its a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of business. Ricardo Pepi hasn't scored against a "good" team for the USMNT in nearly a calendar year now. Since the Nations League semifinal against Mexico last June. Do I believe in Pepi's talent? Of course I do. Do I believe that if Ricardo Pepi was in the Championship like Sargent and Wright, he'd score plenty of goals? Yes. I believe that. Pepi's competition for playing time at PSV just had an insane season from start to finish. de Jong scored two more goals yesterday. So he finished the season with 38 goals and 18 assists across all competitions. Ridiculous. It sucks, but we understand why Ricardo didn't play more. De Jong just trashed the Eredivisie. Its thus hard to start Pepi in a "best XI" as we have other forwards in better goal-scoring form.
If I'm moving Weah to right back I'm replacing him with Wright at left winger and moving Pulisic over the the right. There does need to be at least one winger who constantly runs into space. Aaronson is more similar to Pulisic in being more of a central player and not a runner into space.
Seems like the front 6 writes itself (with depth): Pulisic/Wright -- Sargent/Pepi -- Weah/Aaronson Reyna/Tillman -- McKennie/Musah Adams/Johnny The back 5 are what worries me: Jedi/??? -- Richards/Ream? -- Miles/CCV? -- Dest/Scally Turner?/???
some of us remember the offense before arriola was injured and gregg backed into starting weah. yes, guys have emerged. none do what weah does. im a huge supporter of aaronsons, but his production comes in replacing one of puli or weah against tired defenses, frequently on pretty "garbage", broken plays (not a knock). but our problem remains the same. its not about wes or weah or musah or anybody being a better rb than scally, its certainly not about them being better players overall moved to that position- its a question of how many more problems do you want to create to solve one? imo filling wes' spot in the middle is a bigger problem than replacing dest with scally. changing the entire dynamic of our attack (by removing weah) is a bigger problem than replacing dest with scally. so i start scally, and go from there. if he just cant cope with bolivia and/or panama then those other guys are there. but if joe scally is the difference between a successful (however you define that) copa america or not then we arent going to do shit there anyways.
Scally means a change in style. He doesn't get forward the way Dest does. I think the attack against Jamaica lagged a bit b/c Scally didn't step up into the attack as well as the team was used to. So if he is at right back, I think the team would need to shift the way it moves from defense to offense. Weah or McKennie might be better in the kind of role Dest played. Not to say that Scally at RB won't work. It's just not the way that Berhalter has used his outside backs more often than not. So I think he's probably going to use someone else as the starter.
He's able to do both, and I think it has to do more with instruction than ability or even desire. Either way, I don't see Wright as an international level winger. He's more like a Weah that can do it ok, but won't elevate the team. I'd rather have him at Striker all day.
Shrug. The expansion of the Copa roster to 26 allowed Berhalter to take all four of Balogun, Pepi, Wright, and Sargent. I have no clue who of the 4 Berhalter views as his starter in a "Best XI." The last time we saw the USMNT, he started Wright up top.
What does Weah do that another winger/AM can't? Again, this whole "Weah the Irreplacable" thing needs to stop. Our offense does not revolve around Weah. It revolves much more around Pulisic, Reyna, and even guys like Dest who create so much from the back. Our team as a whole revolves more around other guys like Adams who to me is a lock even on crutches. People keep pigeon-holing Aaronson as a third string CAM, but he's been playing at a higher level and/or more consistently than the two guys ahead. And at winger he's been played there plenty and looked good. His usual role is more of a free-form AM, but no lineup is symetrical and there's no reason why Dest/Weah can't make overlapping runs like they do already. Weah doesn't even start at top level as a AM/winger either, he's a wingback. There's a reason for that.
For me, Weah's unique ability when he was surrounded by guys like Pulisic, Dest, or Reyna is his ability to compliment those guys, to find the right space when he doesn't have the ball, to stretch the opposition's back line when need be, and to be where he needs to be when players like Dest or Pulisic are taking a freer attacking approach. It doesn't make him irreplaceable, but I do think he's a better compliment than most of the other players in the pool, and at times the attack has really needed that.
There's nothing unique about Weah, and actually Aaronson is pretty close stylistically, at least relatively speaking. Both defend well. Both tend to make a lot of off ball runs vertically. Both are high work rate guys. Weah's faster and stronger. He's got better immediate on ball skills, and I think he's better with the sort of 1-2s we've played well on the sideline. He's also got a superior shot to Aaronson. He has a lot more confidence than Brenden as well. Brenden's got a great half turn, and probably better passing vision, though it's really erratic. I think Weah's a superior player right now regardless of where he is playing for club, I wouldn't call him irreplaceable. Aaronson keeps many of the spacing dynamics and defensive dynamics intact, but he is not as good a final third player as well, and you've got to accept that if you make the swap. The other thing that might not work spectacular is if you do this with the intent to move Weah to RB. Honestly, if you do that, I'd consider moving Reyna to RW and simply have him play more like Pulisic and have Weah play his usual but wider. Use the extra midfielder to back Weah up and basically try to keep more of our offense intact. I am not entirely sure Weah and Aaronson on the same side makes a ton of sense. Maybe.
Weah's impact at the NT level and his clear strengths that compliment the other starters in the NT have pretty much carried his career at this point. If he hasn't been so effective for the NT, people would start to realize his totally lackluster club career. Not that either of them have had good club form in recent years, but lets compare. Aaronson 23-24: Bundesliga, 1,200 minutes 2G 2A Weah 23-24 Serie A, 1,100 minutes 0G 1A Aaronson 22-23: EPL, 2,300 minutes 1G 3A Weah 22-23: Ligue 1, 1,700 minute 0G 2A Aaronson 21-22: Austria, 1,900 4G 4A (with some solid performances in the CL mixed in) Weah 21-22: Ligue 1, 1,600 minutes 3G 4A And since I'm at it, here is the NT career: Aaronson: 1,500 minutes 7G 4 A Weah: 1,900 Minutes, 5G 3A So yeah, it's pretty interesting. Neither have t hem have had impressive recent club form but Weah seems to have a much much higher view within the fanbase than Aaronson, in so far as people calling Weah "irreplaceable". And for me personally I am not even that impressed with Weah on the NT. I think he has had plenty of games where he provided nothing. But things like his WC goal and his handful of impressive, powerful shots give people a positive lasting memory.
I appreciate the response, at least you've provided an actual comparison. I agree Weah is faster and stronger, but I would argue Aaronson is quicker, especially in tight spaces. I don't believe he has better on ball skills. Many times I see Weah do little moves on the ball that don't actually accomplish anything. Whenever I see Aaronson try something cute it's for a purpose. I agree about the better shot and i'd say they both do very well with the 1-2's. I always thought Weah would have been a good striker. I agree that Aaronson has better vision and that's what separates players. That's what you want on the field, your best players, the one's who can figure it out and mold to the team/game. Last year, Weah was superior, before WC and at the moment I don't think so. The stats don't support your claim that Weah is a better final third player. For club or country.
I agree that he has that ability and that he's done well with it despite what I think of him as a player on the whole. That's why I he's my first winger off the bench and I would have started him over Aaronson last year. Now I believe things have changed. I'm not sure that another player, Aaronson in this case, can't provide that same ability.
Aaronson can't create off the dribble at this level. He's not a strong enough dribbler or quick enough, and he gets knocked off the ball easily. Weah isn't great at it, but he is much better at creating enough separation to get to the endline and do the Man City cutback. Weah's also better in small combination play -- Aaronson doesn't really have the short, soft pass down. He's more of a transition passer. So yeah, I think Weah is generally better on the ball. As a finisher or crosser, Weah is more of a just sort of gun it guy. He goes for power and knocks it in. That's not great, and he's not special, but Aaronson just really struggles with finishing. He's tentative, he's inaccurate and while he has some goals for the US, he's left a ton on the table. I think people here give him more of a raw deal than he deserves, but until he fixes the finishing, it's really tough to put him over Weah. And that's even with Weah not being anything special there. As for club play, Weah's is largely irrelevant at this point. A huge percentage of his minutes are in defensive positions and roles, and he's proven he can be an offensive asset at winger for us while performing as he does at club. If Aaronson was tearing it up, that'd be different, but really where he's gone recently is back to the good version of Aaronson. I'm very much a class over form person, and frankly, all the evidence in international play points that to be true. Weah not playing much at Juventus or playing RB hasn't previously made him poor at winger and I don't see why that would change. If his final ball has consistently and materially improved (and not just a short, decent run at club) then I think we have a different conversation. Weah still maintains edges in certain areas, but we need final third precision so much that improvement there needs to be a priority.
Ummm, no, across the board. Weah was the most goal dangerous attacker we had in WCQ, creating more chances than anyone other than Jedi, and this despite missing four games (I think it was Paul Carr who broke down these #'s in a tweet two years ago). At the WC he scored against Wales, was an inch away (or a touch earlier delivery) away from adding a 2nd to finish off Iran and then had one of our best chances against the Netherlands moments before they scored a 2nd. I don't think he's really been bad at the shirt at all until recently when he's basically been meh in 1 or 2 windows. Am I concerned the club issues are messing w/the international form? Yes. enough to start Aaronson over him? Hell to the no. Not even close. I'm fine with moving Weah to RB, but it wouldn't be to put Aaronson at RWF it would be to put Haji or Puli or Sargent there. Aaronson is a bench guy for me, even w/the solid finish to the season. We are playing two top 5-10 sides in the World if we make it out of the group and Brazil/Colombia and Uruguay. I don't want Aaronson as a starting option against that caliber of opponent, period.
Hmmm, I said that back in '21, '22 and '23. I'm a bit less certain now because his form with Juve and Lille has hinted at filtering into the national team for the first time after an exceptionally strong 2021 and 2022. I'm not sure what I said was a complete match for that, but I definitely have felt Weah was an autostarter at RWF in 2021 and 2022 and 2023 through summer because he generated more goal scoring opportunities when on the field then anyone else other than Jedi (Reyna was injured back then), but his play has slipped a bit since, and so I'm open to switching things up, moving him to RWB if needed, but it sure as hell isn't for Aaronson who has been far worse than even middling Weah for YEARS.
I disagree that Aaronson can't create off the dribble, he's done it at Leeds and now at Union. I've seen every game he's played at Union and it reminds me of how he played for Leeds. He was all those things, it's unfortunate that his teamates couldn't score to save their lives, or their EPL season. He's not an endline guy, but doesn't need to be, it's not like we have a lot of options at the end of crosses. Did you not watch the WC? He is good at making passes from the wide positions and finding teamates, combining in that area, etc. Have you watched him at Union? All of the things you've mentioned are what has annoyed me about the Aaronson narrative since the WC. None of these things are a constant truth even if they happened a few times. The main criticism on BA, and I agree, was him getting knocked off the ball easily and not having the best shot. He has since improved these areas and is basically the only reason Union didn't get relegated. And club play is not irrelevant. If you were comparing Pulisic to Arriola, then yes I wouldn't care if Arriola played every possible minute in MLS and Pulisic made a couple super subs at Milan, I would start Pulisic every time. In this case, the gap in quality is not much and could be easily argued in favor of Aaronson. You've explained to me why you value Weah, and I agree on a lot of it. I just don't see the argument for Weah over Aaronson as AM/winger.
We're going to have to disagree. When I say "create off the dribble" I don't mean he can't possibly do anything while dribbling, I mean he's not reliable to beat his man one on one off the dribble. I've seen Brenden a lot. That's not his game. His game is largely in transition and in scrappy play. I never said club play is irrelevant; I said Weah's club play is. Because much like Reyna, he's shown he can perform better for the USMNT while not playing for club. Aaronson's club play is relevant -- it's great that he's had a good run of form. I'd question whether that's definitive improvement or a good run of form. Fans here tend to get very excited over small spurts of productivity. If he has substantially improved at finishing, great. But scoring is high variance and a couple of goals and assists don't tell us that. I just don't see anything that tells me he's over Weah. And certainly not to the extent that I can't see an argument for Weah over him. He'll get his chance in camp and likely at Copa. There's only three true wingers on the roster.
Weah lead the attackers in xG/xGA in WCQ. That's how he won the job. Arriola got dinged after Berhalter ran him into the ground with 3 straight window 2 starts (was injured while warming up for matchday 6), and Weah proceeded to produce more goal dangerous chances then anyone in the pool in qualifying, again, despite rarely starting in the first 6 games (I think 2 starts) and missing the 2nd Canada match due to covid protocol restrictions. Despite producing some nice numbers in window 1 and the opener of window 2, Weah was just the better option, period. It's also important to note that Aaronson matched more of what they wanted with Pulisic injured on the left, he's not the same, but he does play similarly, he's not a vertical option like Pulisic can be, but he is a connector, and dribbler (if not terribly effective) like Pulisic, and that wasn't what Berhalter wanted with his RWF's, he clearly preferred speed and verticality playing Morris, Arriola and Weah there almost exclusively during that first cycle. As long as Weah continued to perform what he wanted in the shirt, and he absolutely did, then he was gonna start him there after Arriola went down. He didn't produce goal counting stats, thats true, but the underlying stats, xG/xGA were very good, and the best available with Pulisic and Reyna out (Pulisic came back for window 3, Reyna missed everything after El Salvador). There's a clear explanation for why Weah earned those minutes and Aaronson did not, its pretty plain as day. It's in the set up, and it's why Aaronson's minutes fell off-once Pulisic was healthy, he wasn't gonna get the same LWF minutes, and there was less opportunity in CMF as Berhalter settled on a McKennie-Musah-Adams set up.
What "no's" are you talking about? Lol, this is the kind of nonsense I've been talking about. Weah had dangerous moments, he scored at the WC. It doesn't mean someone else couldn't have done it in his place. Aaronson was the more in form player at the time, he just never got the chance. I never said Weah's been bad, my whole point is that certain people are dismissing Aaronson as if he was an MLS lifer. He's not Arriola. Aaronson's form pre-WC, and current form are at a higher level than Weah. And the xG/A show this as well. You can make an argument about fit with the rest of the team, different styles, etc. But you can't dismiss him as a 2nd rate player for two half season's of mediocrity. If that was the case our whole team would consist of MLS lifers who've been consistently doing great...in the MLS. You wouldn't start a guy who's looked good in the EPL, Bundesliga, and Champions League over a guy who just now started doing well in the Championship. Wow. The best of BS.