Fair enough. But as you have written, it was a subject of debate. There is simply no debate that KDLF (who I like) was completely ineffective and Durkin stunk in 2019. Hell, I said BEFORE the game that the key to our winning was to NOT play Durkin. Ramos did, and he was a key reason for the loss. It isnt an accident that our best win was with him sitting on the sideline, suspended.
no its not.....he plays cerillo and we might be still playing. How do you not play a dallas mid with his partner in crime ahead of him? Just a dumb decision
You havent been watching youth soccer long enough. Keita was poor, but damn we have had some real howlers out on the field at this level.
ive been watching it for the last 10 years.....ive never seen a CB pass that bad. He was so bad they told him to stop and with a wide open field ahead of him he would just pass it to Richards. It got that bad. I mean for gods sake, you play a sport where passing is literally the MAIN thing you do. He was giving the ball away on 8-10 yard passes, and we arent talking like they made a great interception. Dude was like 5 yards off on a 10 yard pass......screwed up the angle like 45 degrees. Ive never seen it that bad. I can see a longer pass maybe getting picked off, but some of those were to Durkin 6 yards away
I am not debating his passing. It is atrocious. But we have had defenders who couldn't defend a traffic cone, which to me is a much more egregious offense.
his on body defending is good because hes a good athlete, but we are looking for actual guys that can contribute, not athletes with no skill I had a similar problem and ill admit it. I played for the Texans and was an absolute lock down LB, but going forward was a lost cause lol. Not a chance you are going to win a one on one against me, but you can bet your ass im skying that cross lol. I was a great athlete but lacked skill going forward and it ultimately ended my playing days. I still play indoor and its the same, i will for sure pull a few Keitas a game but have fun scoring on me. Im 5-11 205 and can run like the wind. I know his issue, cause its my issue. I recognize it head on
Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards bows out of U-20 World Cup with a strong set of performances for the U.S. - Bavarian Football Works https://t.co/EP5RpN4cnA— KRich (@KenRich32624635) June 10, 2019
There is a decent chance that's the lineup in Qatar...assuming we get there. Also, we are projecting a u20 3 years down the road, which is always tricky. The other thing to add is what if Dest continues to develop...he could be a starter for Ajax in 2 years.
Wasn't Araujo one of the youngest players at the tournament and added to the roster days before the first game? I think including him was a huge statement by the US, and it would be a shame if he were to leave. The thought of he, Kobe, Dest, and Richards along the same back line makes me salivate.... I'm with you on Pomykal. He's a dynamo. Reminds me of Adams, actually, with the effort and leadership that he shows. Special type player who can basically play any position on the field at a very high level. As good as he looks, Richards has a long way to go, in my opinion. It's nothing against his potential, but he still has not faced grown men. His real potential won't be evident until he's faced big time athletes. Mendez and Ledezma are nice, but both have to show a lot more before they can be considered well rounded players. Durkin has shown a slight regression. How he grows physically over the next couple of years will say a lot for where he can play. Currently, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Cerrillo is at least equal to Durkin as a prospect right now. Servania is a solid player, perhaps even the most steady of the three, but he probably has the least upside of the mids. Dest is a dream fit for Berhalter's version of a 2 that everyone is questioning now. That puts Adams back in the midfield where it would be ideal to have him. Gloster is really good, but how will he stack up within the LB corps as it develops? Weah has moments of brilliance. Can he have more of them? He's showing nice growth and continues to be a big one to watch. The bottom line: Add the top performers from this group to Sargent, Pulisic, McKennie, and Adams and there is a very nice core developing for the future. The fact that there are literally dozens of players not even mentioned who seem capable of reaching a high level within the next 2-3 years is ultimately the most encouraging part of this excitement.
Reflecting a bit on how young we were compared to all of the other teams. Of our players, the one that I feel stood out the most in matching the physicality of the opposition was Pomykal. He went into tackles in a way that I didn't see others doing and it makes sense because almost none of the players on the team have had nearly as much experience as he has had playing with adult pros. Gloster, apparently has had a decent number of appearances...don't know about minutes, Durkin got quite a few minutes last year but not anyone else that I am aware of. Pomykal is pretty solid and I wouldn't expect Ledezma to be knocking guys on their asses but playing with adult pros gives you experience dealing with it. For all of his obvious quality, one thing Richards was lacking was that aspect...the good news is that he should find that rlatively easy to adjust to.
Too many hypotheticals here on both sides of the discussion to make this worth debating much further IMO, but I don't dispute that EPB, CCV and Glad generally are/were/whatever better than Richards/McKenzie/Keita.
I have a feeling this was probably Tab's last ride as a U20 coach, and to be honest despite the head scratching decisions I'll be sorry to see him go. Whoever takes over the U20 team has some big shoes to fill and essentially needs to go to the QFs or better in 2021. Tab's worst decisions: - Bringing Cerrillo and Araujo if he wasn't going to play them. 21 is already a short bench, why make it shorter? - Bringing 1 competent healthy centerback - Relying on a 17 year old to be your go-to RW - Bringing Ledezma and Llanez if you couldn't trust them for more than 30 minutes. Maybe bring one but not both. - Starting Durkin after he showed he wasn't up to the level against Ukraine and Qatar. - Starting two DMs against Ukraine I've always preferred American college sports to their pro counterparts and I think that's a big part of why I like USYNT games over pretty much anything else. Potential is fun and exciting, even if most of them won't pan out. Here's my assessment of these guys and where I think they'll end up in 8 years: Champions League: - Richards: Still has a long way to go but he showed a high level of ability with a lot of responsibility. Bayern got a gem on a bargain. There's a wide open spot on the USMNT next to Brooks and he could get there soon. - Dest: Just being at Ajax means increased opportunity. Proved to be key to the USA's buildup and defended scrappily when called upon. Could be the USA's best RB already. - Ledezma: I'm going way out on a limb here but from what I saw he was one of our best players despite lacking fitness. If he makes the most of his time at PSV he will reach this level. His ability to manage against a press will make him a hot commodity. Big 5 Mid Table/Europa League/MLS All Star: - Pomykal: He had a great tournament, and I would call him the MVP for the USA. I think he has clear limitations but his heart and tenacity could make him a USMNT fixture. He needs to be very careful about if/when/where he moves. - Weah: The closest to this level already, Weah doesn't do all the little things well but has a knack for the spectacular that is hard to deny. He reminds me of Dempsey and could have a similar career if he works on his finishing. (EDIT: I purposefully did not read this thread for a few days and see that others have made the Dempsey comparison. I'm glad I'm not alone.) - Llanez: Playing up a cycle, not fully fit, and still a difference maker whenever he saw the field. Should be seeing minutes at Wolfsburg by next U20WC - Konrad: He's not at this spot because of his performance, but he has another cycle to prove himself. If he can lock down his end product he will be very good. Inter Miami should try to sign him. Big 5 Relegation or 2nd Division/MLS Starter/Smaller European League : - Soto: It's tough to make it as a striker in Europe. Soto does a lot of things well but nothing outstanding and lacks elite 1v1 skills. - Mendez: He has elite skills in some areas but his concentration and ability to assert himself on the game is lacking. I'm still very much on the fence with him - Durkin: Feels optimistic. He's got all the physical tools (aside from foot speed but that can be accomodated). His decision making and technique are just not good enough right now. - Gloster: I might be affected by how bad he was against Ecuador. I think he'll be a reliable but not amazing player, which is good enough to be a starting LB for the USMNT MLS Rotation/USL/Out of the sport: Rennicks Servania Keita Real
Repped you @Thundering165 even though I disagree about Gloster. When it comes to repping, perfect is the enemy of good.
Yeah, I was going to say something in defense of Ramos a bit as well. He obviously makes some strange personnel/lineup decisions, but 3 QFs in a row is nothing to sneeze at. Also, if you consider MLS jobs too, the u-20 coaching job must be about the 20th or so most desirable coaching job in the US soccer ecosystem (that's assuming it's a better gig than some of the really crappy MLS franchises--Colorado, NE, etc.). In other words, we're not going to get some high-profile coach for the u-20s when Ramos goes. It's likely to be a relatively inexperienced unknown quantity (e.g., Wicky), or someone who's been bounced out of MLS and is looking for a rebound (e.g., Kreis). In either case, it's unlikely to be someone obviously better than Ramos.
Which part do you disagree with? I tried hard to limit irrational exuberance in terms of predictions but I still feel like I'm being overconfident with these career projections. I've picked more than half the team to have Danny Williams/Bobby Wood-esque careers at the minimum.
Chiming in from vacation - so I’m not making calls hunting stories through middle of next week But I do know FCD has options on Pax for 2 more seasons
I will say that “stock watch” pieces are fun but rarely right. Some players have great U-20 tournaments & plateau - even if they’re in a great club situation - like Rubio Rubin (who didn’t plateau but rather sunk) or Chris Seitz. Some have crap U-20 tournament’s but just develop, fix their mistakes, and take off. It’s so tough to tell. What I like is that this group seems to have the best prospects who were cut. It’s better than the 2015 team where Roldan, Gooch, & Gall were cut. I don’t think Tab will be back - and I hope I’m wrong. There are legit reasons to complain about his tactics but Tab has THE best quality you could ever ask for in a youth national team coach - he builds enthusiasm among young American players to play for the US national team. His players love playing for him and they all get more excited about their international future after playing on his teams. They end up playing extremely hard under Tab and it’s admirable. In the end, that’s far more important that lineup quibbles or whether his system matches whatever the USMNT is doing
I'm watching SoKorea v. Ecuador with S.Korea up 1-0 at HT. It's pretty clear the SoKorean manager has taken pains to take away the distance shot from Ecuador with double bank of players guarding the 18yd line. SoKorea scored on a free kick pass to the left back sneaking into the box and shooting first touch curve to the far post. I'd hire this SoKorean manager if Tab leaves. Don't know how the game came out in the end but Korea are playing Ecuador just right so far.
Your own opinion can't be wrong to you. Adams was misplayed by Tab. Tab had the starting DM for Monterrey and the starting DM for RB Leipzig in his player pool. He played JoGon on the wing and dropped him for Kunga. He played Adams as a 10. Adams was fine. Better than Williamson, Jones, Herrera, De La Torre, and just about everyone. He is not a 10 that creates goals much, we know that. He did have a great assist for Sargent in one game. Tab has a problem identifying talent sometimes. He definitely seems to struggle with CMs and how to arrange them into their best spots. I don't know why Pomykal was ahead of Mendez. One is good at defense and ball winning but not great at shooting or passing. The other is the opposite. But yet, the defensive player was playing 10 and the 10 was playing 8. Mendez and Durkin as 8 and 6 was as soft as a senior team midfield. Must be all the rage. A soft midfield and one CB that just gives the ball away until you stop passing him the ball is a bad set up. Tab does good things. Having Keita start five games is a huge error in roster management. I think Gregg wanted Durkin in their as much as possible at the 6 as he might be #3 on the USMNT depth chart.
If you look at the pass map, the team stopped passing the ball to Keita entirely after his repeated giveaways. He just couldn't do it. You cannot be, "not that bad" when you are forcing your team to play with 10 men. Your coach cannot be let off the hook for not using or having another option. Keita could turn out to be a good player or not. But in this tournament he was a huge liability. He was actually pretty lucky not to directly give up goals. But all that defensive scrambling on his mistakes takes a toll on the other players and saps confidence in the system. Araujo, Edwards, Maloney, Sands, even Durkin could have probably played that position much better and given us a much better chance at the Semi's.
I know I've faulted Tab in this thread for Keita. He should have had better options or just used the ones he didn't want to use. But I agree that on everything else in the cycle, but the tournament, he is excellent. He is very good up until he fills out the final roster in some respects, and good or average after that.
One other thing with our coaching staff that annoyed me. We did nothing with the rule change to allow goal kicks to players inside the penalty box. Our CBs would split wide and wait for the ball out of the box like the old way. It annoys me because other teams have changed and it makes the possession game we were going for easier. The US Women do it, and their coach is not the most flexible and tactically astute... It was almost like Tab said, we have always done it this way let's not change until next cycle. Just like not bringing in Sands because he hasn't been there. Or leaving off Amon. Or everything where Tab is frozen at the end of a cycle and just goes with what he trusts. I didn't see every minute. But I don't remember them once using that rule to their advantage.
There’s still room for growth, they are in between kids/ and being adult prospects, but Durkin isn’t an underage guy like KDLF, Llanez, or Mendez and his issues seem more about athleticism, & being a tweeter than about refining a skill set or effort a la Mendez on the defensive end. In retrospect I think I was a victim of vividness bias and was so won over by his challenge/win/settle/pass for a score against Paraguay in the U17 R16 round back in 2017. I just don’t think he has it. For me the prospects I’m willing to wait on who didn’t impress or were iffy have issues that could be improved w/further development or are underage. Some issues are fundamental & cant be fixed w/training & development, others can. What excited me most was how few in number were the ‘no chance’ guys you see every cycle. Most cycles those guys # 10-15 or more of the class or worse like 2013. This time I counted only the keepers, Keita, Real, Servania/Cerrillo, and Rennicks in that grouping and I may be too harsh on the latter 3 and Ochoa who didn’t hurt their cause (Cerrillo nit playing at all). There’s just way more “looks the part,” and “May figure it out,” guys than I can ever recall seeing in an u20 World Cup roster.