Albeit a limited sample, but Sargent has a better scoring rate for the US than Jozy or Zardes. Limited samples/question marks come from basically all of our players, because they are all young and haven't played NT minutes. Reyna has more questions than anyone if you want to talk about knowing how he'll perform based on his USNT history. But he's still a starter for me, based on his club level. Same with Sargent. Again - Sargent is scoring goals. A goal/assist every other game in the Bundesliga for a team that hardly scored until the last month. Still, I'm not here to argue with people who have him in their current starting 11, as we both do. I'm arguing with people, like the one on the last page, who said "he has struggled". It's such a common narrative, that people just assume it's true. Turns out the definition of "struggling", apparently, is not being able to "break through that ceiling, yet, into a brand name across Europe as a reliable goal scorer for club and country." So basically, 95% of players are struggling at all times. Bizarre definition. I think the case has been made at this point. Nobody has been able to claim any real struggles from Sargent. The arguments have backtracked into "he didn't have an "incredible season"", and that he hasn't become a brand name in Europe.
It's a critical scheme. When you try to fit our players into that scheme you see their deficiencies quickly. 2022 is probably a teaching process for USSF and we wait for a breakthrough in 2026. -----------------morris ----puli--------sargent----gio ----delgado---yueil-----adams -----wes----------x--------dest I could see pomykal for delgado but is he ever healthy? Is lletget defensive enough? could delgado play left anyway? could Yueil put in a sure tackle? Could one of Sands, Zimmerman, Miazga play better on the back line? otherwise I think the scheme fits the players' intelligence and stamina level. Athleticism and pressing, not so sure.
These are the goal scorers in Altidore's competitive starts. Basic criteria were the Gold Cup, Confederations Cup, Concacaf Cup, World Cup, and the top 4 finisher's for the given cycle's Hex. Notice the lack of Altidore. Altidore's competitive starts(WCQing[Top 4 Hex], Gold Cup, Confederations Cup, Concacaf Cup, World Cup): 2010 Cycle(Top 4 Hex = Mexico, US, Hon, CR) Costa Rica: Donovan Honduras: Donovan, Bocanegra Italy: Donovan Brasil: Egypt: Bradley, Davies, Dempsey Spain: Altidore, Dempsey Costa Rica: Bradley, Bornstein England: Dempsey Slovenia: Donovan, Bradley Algeria: Donovan Ghana: Donovan 2014 Cycle: (Top 4 Hex = Mexico, US, Hon, CR) Honduras: Dempsey Costa Rica: Dempsey Mexico: Honduras: Altidore Ghana: Dempsey, Brooks 2018 Cycle: (Top 4 Hex = Mexico, CR, Hon, Pan) Honduras: Dempsey(2) Mexico: Cameron, Wood Mexico: Wood Costa Rica: Honduras: Dempsey(3), Lletget, Bradley, Pulisic Panama: Dempsey Mexico: Bradley Costa Rica: Altidore Costa Rica: Panama: Altidore(2), Wood, Pulisic 2022 Cycle: Panama: Altidore
I never brought up national team play. My whole statement concerns his club play. I’m also not trying to pick a fight or start an argument; I’m trying to add perspective.
Altidore vs Wood Wood was good for the '18 cycle. He actually scored goals against good teams and in difficult situations. He didn't have as a career as Jozy, but in terms productivity against quality opposition, Wood easily wins out. Altidore vs Dempsey Dempsey played as a center-forward against Portugual and scored a goal in the World Cup. He played forward through the '14 and '18. Duece would've started over Altidore in any scenario. Zardes is overrated under Berhalter. He had the assist against Chile. He scored two against a Canadian team that had blanked the US. How is that overrated? Sargent is more productive than Zardes Sargent has 3 goals against Cuba and another against Bolivia to go his tally against Peru. Com'on.
Did Morales retire? I’m not saying I look forward to him starting in 2022 but are we sure Sands and Cappis are better or even equal? Morales is a much better athlete than those two.
For the USMNT All time leading scorer in WCQ. All time leading Hex scorer and second by 1 for anybody. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_(CONCACAF) For Club Best XI Eredivisie Top scorer in Dutch Cup Scored Game winner in Dutch Cup leading team to first Dutch Cup trophy since 81/82. Top Scorer in 2016 MLS playoffs. Scored Game Winner in MLS Cup 17 Scored in every knockout tie in 2018 CCL including the trying goal in the final that got TFC into overtime.
Not sure the league comparisons are appropriate for this thread... Play a 4-2-3-1 I think Wes and Tyler should play as dual 6/8's unless somebody unseats them or they get totally outplayed in camp. I think Pulisic Morris and GIo are enough with even Zardes as a baseline. I think we have the fullbacks nailed down w/ Jedi and Dest. I don't think many concacaf teams could afford to press us high as we have speed for days with that front line. I like that team with at least one fast CB and hopefully both that don't go deer in headlights at the first sign of pressure when the balls is at their feet. Add a decent keeper we could be pretty good.
Oh my bad, I misunderstood. As I've said before, his scoring tally for u21s last year stood behind 4 50 million rated players and hoffenheims Baumgartner. When a critic said he was struggling, and demanded "a goal or assist every 2 matches", another poster pointed out that is what he did last year, for a team that entered its opponents half like once a game it seemed. He is right on track. Sure, he's played like 2k minutes in his career. Any youth player won't have a track record. My simple point is he's not really struggling, and on a pretty decent trajectory.
Adams scoring the goal to beat Athleti in the Quarterfinal of the Champions League, is one of the few high points post-Couva. I'm still flying high! TSS did a good breakdown of how Leipzig defy nomenclature and trying to pin Adams (or Laimer's) job with a name is a Fool's Errand. But, I do think the ideas Nagelsmann is using is something Gregg aspires too. With the USA, Adams would be in the middle. Adams should have started for Klosterman, maybe the thinking was height, but Klosterman was a serious defensive liability because of pace all game. Laimer also looked off from his pre-Covid form. ------------------Sargent ---Pulisc--------Reyna-------Weah ----Antonee----Adams-----Dest ----Brooks-------Miazga----McKennie
It's crazy that we have a guy who's the first man off the bench in a tied CL quarterfinal. He is that good.
The Athletic has a good article: https://theathletic.com/1996195/202...nn-rotations-tactics-leipzig-sabitzer-laimer/ It's pay, but it breaks it down. It's a 4-2-3-1 in defense, and a 3-1-5-1 in attack, at least yesterday, with the left back moving to the left wingback in the 5, the RB swinging to being a RCB, and Tyler Adams, one of the CDM in defense moving all the way to RWB in most possessions. So if you are running it like Leipzig exactly, you're not running out Robinson and Dest at FB/CB. You'd probably start Ream at LB and flip it. Defensively, it'd be like this: --------------Sargent--------- Pulisic-----Reyna--------RW -----Adams----McKennie---- Ream---Brooks---MRob---Dest Offensively, flipped, it would look like this: -------------------Sargent----------------------- Adams---Pulisic----Reyna----RW----Dest -------------------McKennie--------------------- ----------Ream----Brooks------MRob-------- You can see a straight translation doesn't work well. Adams as RB/CM probably ended the day Sergino Dest was cap tied. I'm not sure Adams works in this role on the left, and why would we take Dest out of that spot on the right? The formation you have is fine, if you want a sort of 3-6-1 diamond on offense and something more like a 5-1-3-1 on defense or dropping back into a 5-3-2 defensively with Reyna coming up point. I don't like McKennie at CB and I don't like Pulisic as a midfield defender, but it would be more functional that way. But that really wasn't what Leipzig was doing and I feel like stating the thing as a 3-3-3-1 isn't really indicative of the formation except literally in transition. EDIT: I guess if you really wanted to do yours in attack, you could come back into a 4-2-3-1 defensively IF McKennie moved forward and Dest and Antonee came back. That could work. I'm not sure it fits the team incredibly well. But I could see pluses. I still don't see Adams in the swing role if Dest is playing, though.
What Liepzig does a lot of that the US has traditionally been terrible at is switching playing styles and tactics as the game progresses. We argue endlessly about whether the Berhalter system is right or not. The real answer is no system is always right and Red Bull is a leader in showing just how much teams can vary play throughout a single game nevermind having different tactical setups for different games. The US has always been poor at varying play, game management and anything that basically asks our guys to think a it and do more than carry out one specific and straightforward tactical plan. One of the tings I really like about Adams is that he's a smart player. People talk about Berhalter asking the guys to learn too much too fast and talk about how the guys are struggling since everything is so complicated to pick up. But Adams stepped in and played the most difficult and demanding spot in the system from a tactical perspective (the right back/center mid hybrid) after a couple days of practice and performed flawlessly. He didn't need multiple reps, 5 camps and a year or more to learn this. He's a good soccer player and a smart soccer player. He was told what was expected and went out there and performed with very little prep necessary. This is what good and smart players can do and this is what people are talking a bout when they talk about American player being tactically weak. Adams is a glaring exception. Reyna looks to be good tactically as well.
The scheme requires a DM who is a ball winner. Not sure that Gio has the work rate to play a 3-3-3-1, Aaronson if he develops is a better fit for the wide attacker. Bielsa's version:
I was just answering the question Excellency had. I don't think 3-3-3-1 is really a good formation for the US at this time. Learned that in 1998 haha! The interesting thing about RBL is how they only provide width on one side of the field; the side with the ball. So, when the ball is on the right, Laimer/Adams are wingers. When it is on the left, they come in and become AMs (where Adams is for the goal). If the fullback is providing width then in transition/defense, they cover the fullback spot on their side. This is different than Gregg's system where it was lopsided all the time. It is cutting edge stuff and Adams is in the rotation. It is actually pretty impressive that he played in the Rangking vertical system his whole life, then got healthy and up to speed in this new system (unlike many others) pretty quickly. Laimer has been good and so have Kampl, but they also have been doing the system for a year; so it isn't surprising that he starts on the bench.
? He was ahead of Laimer most of last season. Laimer had his Cinderella campaign this year and is well on his way to turning back into a pumpkin. But the one thing he has that Adams lacks is ability in the final third. Don’t let yesterday fool you- whether its in the middle or out wide (it’s ghastly out there) Adams lacks ideas, can’t beat a man and doesn’t have final ball quality. Adams is on his way to becoming a world-class 6- both with and without the ball. But he isn’t anything else. He just has the athleticism and engine to moonlight for Leipzig. The Mukiele rumors are baffling honestly. That guy is so sloppy. Same with Upamecano. When it comes down to it Naglesman is a genius.
so nice to imagine. if that team could exist, I'd expect some fun. i fear it will never be allowed to come close to existing.
Which is why I was happy, not sad, at the rumors that McKennie might end up at Hertha Berlin. I don't like what happens to our players in the EPL on a general basis. Far too many either end up on the Loan Merry Go Round, or end up on some ---- show nightmare like Sunderland, killing their confidence and career momentum. If McKennie lands in a nice situation in the EPL, fair enough, but Hertha Berlin wouldn't bother me in the least. I want a great club situation first, not simply a headline grabbing move for lots of $$$ but no PT. On Miazga and the other CB's, I'm a fan as well. Like a few of the arguments here, I'm not a Ream fan either, but at this point, the ability to stay "healthy" while not technically a skill, does seem to be something that is repeatable in the positive and the negative sense, and Ream staying healthy matters. As for Miazga, I just think he's a legit, solid CB, good solid game, and certainly should be in the mix (same for CCV after the year he had, and if nothing else at least EPB has some positive momentum after drifting for several years).
It wouldn't shock me in the least if Robinson's struggled in his tiny window of player were very much connected to the same struggles everyone else had with panic passing around in the box that Berhalter was determined we do no matter what which lead to multiple Steffen induced howlers in like what, a five game stretch, and more "wtf?!?! just clear it!!!!" moments than I've seen in decades combined. If you remember everyone in the back was making a top 5 collection of worst ever moments w/the ball at their feet in a US Nats or Club Jersey w/Berhalter in '19. It happened over and over and over again and I 1000% believe it was due to his inane instructions and desire to turn the USMNT into some sort of top tier La Liga 1 touch elite super club. Instead of keeping it simple and building on the strengths and shielding the weaknesses of the talent available he fixated on jamming his system into the program come hell or high water. Rewatch the games and not only do you see the sheer horror of Trapp/Bradley over and over again, and a totally neutered, toothless attack, w/zero creativity, you also see a shell shocked defense constantly "thinking" instead of playing best exemplified by Steffen whose never looked worse, ever, than under Berhalter, while at the same time looking like a Mount Rushmore caliber shot stopper with Dusseldorf before going down injured. For me this is all about confidence, and to my mind, Robinson, like everyone else on defense, was caught thinking instead of playing. As has been articulated more than once, Berhalter maximized the weaknesses and minimized the strength with a persistence that would be laudable if you had assumed he was secret agent put into the coaching position by a council of saboteurs lead by the Mexican Fed itself. Alas, we did this to ourselves.