Haaland's runs are great. And, he's finishing those off with his left, largely. Gio's not getting those assists with the USMNT. If that's what we're counting on GR to do, then I think JoMo would be the best bet at center forward. No, he doesn't have Haaland's left foot, but he's the closest we have to someone who'll make those runs. (and he's not that close)
gio going from (setting up) haaland to zardes makes me feel a little sad at first, but then i think about that gold cup where donovan was purely dominant, and wondo got like half his career nt goals. at least 4 of 5 were from donovan, including a couple of times just using wondo as a human backboard. not saying gio is peak donovan yet, but zardes HAS shown to be pretty much world class at silly deflections that end up in the back of the net.
Well, it's a good thing that Zardes is known for making smart runs. He's no Erling Haaland (best finisher I've ever seen) but he's a good finisher. Just don't make him touch the ball more than zero times before shooting.
His first touch, control and passing have all improved significantly since he joined the Crew. Example:
Yeah, I mean, as a NT fan I’m certainly okay with one of the notable American strikers from the past few years getting a chance to combine with playmakers like CP and Reyna. Not sure I understand that “woe is Reyna” angle. None of Zardes’s competition for NT minutes is Haaland level, so if that’s a problem for Reyna he shouldn’t show up for NT duty.
That's funny. I'm taking heat here for bagging on Gyasi and I'm taking heat in the Best XI thread for having him in the starting lineup. Can't win.
Reyna’s meteoric rise exceeds that of Pulisic or any American prior. Hopefully Claudio can help him stay grounded and focused
Gio really on Real Madrid's radar? https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/u...id-gio-reyna-borussia-dortmund-erling-haaland
Maybe not right now, but if Gio keeps progressing like he has there won’t be a team in the world that’s out of the question. It wouldn’t shock me to see Man City interested, particularly given the Reyna family history with City. I also agree that it would be a good idea to keep Reyna and Haaland together. They are a dynamite duo.
Sky's the limit for Reyna. With Pulisic I said that we shouldn't expect the world's best player but just a step below. For Reyna, throw everything out the window. I'm thinking top 3 or 5 player in the world is possible.
If Pulisic could stay healthy he might make it to top 5 but every time he gets on a roll he gets an injury. So far never major but enough where he has to sort of start over again.
I guess it depends on how you define radar. If you mean "imminent bid," then probably not. But if you mean "keeping an eye on," then a big, Real-type club would be incompetent not to be tracking Reyna.
i dont have any clue who might/will come in for reyna (much less where he will land...as a seasoned 19/20 yo vet), but its going to be a huge club. i mean, hes not going from dortmund to herta or lyon. the next step up from dortmund is superclub. its funny that pulisics move to chelsea seems almost pedestrian at this point. clearly the rising bar is outpacing the actual product- the guys still have to perform and produce- but yeah, reyna at dortmund is historically amazing for us soccer, and a ho-hum move to a chelsea is (barring some crazy, unforeseen circumstance) roughly his floor. its a crazy time to be an american soccer fan.
I think I would start a clearly-not-as-good player ahead of Gio for a while and force him to win the spot. He seems to either not push himself when he feels comfortable or once there he just looks to blend in. His vice seems to be getting too comfortable too quickly. Strong talent, but sometimes it seems like he needs a push from outside.