I agree, but I also think it's too late to be babying anyone at this point. At bare minimum some of these guys skipping needed to be here for the friendlies. Otoh, with the CWC, this was always gonna be a ---- show joke of a tournament but at present, I count 12 players, and only 10 field players total, I would have on my 23, currently (honestly, I'm not sure its 10, there's at least 2 guys that are maybes) which is flat out ridiculous, considering this includes a valuable friendly window against teams that have made deep runs in Euro Championship competition in '21 or '24 or both. We are wasting the friendlies and the tournaments on (counting) at least 8-10 players who literally should have zero relevance whatsoever to next June '26. That's a disaster, whatever the reasoning. We're now down to pure friendlies in September, October, March and May of the next 13 months. Good luck with that Poch. Only saving grace is that a huge chunk of the core have played together since '19-'21, the negative is, they've all been playing utter horse ---- soccer for 2 years running. "Not Great, Bob".
Definitely shouldn't be a CM, he's a WF with us, gets chewed up centrally and not influential either.
Yeah this one was really surprising to me, I thought he was clearly better than Big Pat in the NL. Weah drifting offside against Panama when he was looking straight down the back line probably cost Sargent a call up. I think he now needs a move to the PL (and producing there) to get back into the picture before the WC.
Ream was my target for that and Steffen. Neither have done anything to justify the attention beyond being vet names that he knows played in England. It's nonsense. One is a dinosaur, the others been appallingly bad other than a small stretch in March of '25 and August of '24 for YEARS. They scream veteran that played in the league I coached in: no scouting, lazy as hell. I will concede, Ream is there either because Poch knows him from the EPL, or his locker room/coach on the field angle, or both, it's not based on performance because Ream has been in ---- form since basically 2023, period.
I think Johnny struggles to be the guy to make the line-breaking pass. He's decently press resistant, and he can make the short, reliable pass, but he's in the 10th percentile for midfielders in progressive passes (per fbref) and 31st for progressive passing distance. He's a very good defender, though he doesn't have Adams' range and I think he does better paired with another 6 and in a more structured defense than you tend to find in international play. But with Adams next to him, neither is going to reliably move the ball up. Luckily, Dest is around, but we've had real issues connecting the defense to the offense except when Reyna was healthy and good, and the only plan B that's really worked in the Poch era was having Pulisic come back and get the ball. He's not here, either. Guys like McKennie, Ream and even Zimmerman can hit a long ball once in a while, but only Ream is here and I think we all hope he's not starting. I don't think Zawadski is the answer, for the record. I don't think he's quite good enough, and like a lot of players, he's very helped by playing with Darlington Nagbe and a slew of really skilled and well drilled players on the Crew. Maybe Johnny can be that Nagbe role a bit but I doubt we're benching Adams. I also don't think Luca is the answer. He doesn't do it as much with SDFC, but he's always been a very fast dribbler -- like, the dude doesn't lose much top speed with the ball -- but to really progress he must move forward and rarely finds the danger creating pass. So yeah, I don't have an answer. It may just be Cardoso and bank the defense while living with the passing issues. It probably is. The guy who looks best is Berhalter -- watch him with Vancouver and you would not believe his steps forward. But Vancouver is a lot like the Crew (or PSV) -- a lot of skilled talent around him relative to the level with a well drilled possession system. A dude like Pedro Vite won't be in MLS too long, I think, and I think he really helps Berhalter. And while we will be able to do that against Grenada or whatever, when the competition moves us, we won't have that skill/talent advantage and we won't have the well drilled aspect for sure. So yeah, the answer is likely defend really well and get it to Balogun.
Why would this mean anything but this Gold Cup? Of course, if someone seizes the job, that's different. But why do people assume a "blacklist"?
Sargent's a better all around player, but if I have to have a dude create a goal without a ton of creation behind him (or even with), I would take Pat. Pat (and I don't think Pat would be on my roster) is definitely the "strikers need to score" pick over Sargent.
The rest of the roster is very new and very young. I always think there's a balance in what you went and this roster has very little experience and age. Steffen played very well in January and while I generally agree with you, I think the fact that he's played well for the US since coming back is another reason for his inclusion even if his original inclusions was suspect. Ream is the veteranosity presence and the CB that can pass presence. I don't think it is a shock we're seeing these guys at weak positions.
What does it mean that Sargent was left off for “football reasons”? Does that basically mean that Poch doesn’t think he’s good enough? For a dude who was on the Championship Best XI that’s tough, even fully aware of Sarge’s weird inability to translate his production to the NT level. Related, Tillman has been a shadow of his club self for us but he’s still on the roster based on club form, so hard to square that with the Sarge decision.
As already pointed out he’s a MF on paper, but there are no wingers in the entire 27, so I’ll freely admit I can’t read shit into this, can you? As for Brendo in general I’ve got a problem with better players like his brother and Sarge, I think clearly better players, being left off while he’s included. Otoh, I’ve got zero issue with him being included along with Del La torre Zyceweski, etc, So whatever. Looks like a narrow 4-2-3-1 to me and Aaronson will compete with 7-8 other dudes for one of those outside spots in the band of 3.
I am worried that this is going to look too much like Tessman next to Adams in the Panama game against teams that might play a low block. I agree having Dest over Scally and not relying on McKennie as the 8/10 helps. This is why I'm pretty disappointed to not see Busio or P. Aaronson who might be able to play a role in the midfield that could give us a little more balance. Looking forward to seeing McGlynn again and Berhalter.
I think it's more: we've got Balo availability for the first time, and I like these other guys more than Sargent. So yeah, Sargent has to kill it in '25-'26 to make the roster, I think, that or we get smashed by injuries.
I'm ok with babying Pulisic and Jedi. They're plug and play starters, and I'd bet that Poch already knows what he wants to do with them next summer.
Patrick didn't finish, but Patrick found himself in positions to take legit chances at goals repeatedly in his minutes, Sargent was largely anonymous again, beyond 1 miss (that was unlucky) and 1 goal (that was offsides). So I could see why he wants to see Agyemang more, the first job of a striker is to generate shots on goal and be available for said opportunities, and while Sargent has done a great job of that with Norwich in the Championship, and with our U20's and U17's, he's just been a target man/lay off/pressing grinder for the senior team, rarely getting chances (somewhat by design, as under Berhalter, none of the strikers ever produced goals on the regular against anyone of even a minor degree of quality) or even taking SOG's. Indeed Sargent's most famous moment near goal as a striker the past five years was heading a ball off the goal line against El Tri in the NL Finals back in '21. I should add, I don't think this means Sargent is screwed, honestly I just think he views Pepi as in that 23, Balo as probably in, and everything else wide open, Sargent will probably get more chances in the fall or spring if his summer move (if he takes it) isn't a total disaster.
I definitely go back and forth on this. Part of the reason I'm inclined to not worry about it is: #1 sounds like the CWC guaranteed a pile of players wouldn't be released, so this was never going to be close to an A side anyway, providing utility for the idea of experimenting more with players performing in the present that he hasn't seen. #2 Some of these guys legit need time off, like Jedi, maybe Pulisic, etc, and normally I'd expect them to play the friendlies and leave, but with CWC wiping out a pile of guys, it made it easier to just rest all the guys who are exhausted or injured. The schedule has never been so impacted (Summer break often is simply: a touch of May, and a touch of July) which when you consider the only other shut down is December, renders this an insanely over impacted schedule. Otoh: We have been a terrible soccer team for the bulk of Fall '23 through Spring '25 and counting and need every rep we can get, especially with edge players like Luna and Tillman who need more minutes around the First XI and most of the core 23. We aren't getting it, which leaves us 3 total windows until the WC camp next May of '26. That is horrifying.
Given the difference between Agyemang and Sargent in production, why on earth would Pochettino prefer Sargent? Sargent is basically a formless mass out there. Agyemang is making things happen.
This is the only competitive round of games that we have before the World Cup. It should have been clear to clubs and players that they needed to be ready to work extremely hard during this window or likely miss the World Cup. This habit of ignoring USMNT commitments or half-assing it when they actually do show up to play is completely out of control. The thing has obviously fallen off a cliff since Earnie Stewart left and it looks like we have a bunch of people who think the US National team really isn’t all that important. Before a home World Cup. Before the 1994 World Cup, US Soccer became a club team and began training together full time. The players were all committed. What we are doing now is pathetic. This is proving to be the worst era of American soccer right before a home World Cup.
I don't get all the Sargent angst out there. Balogun is clearly better and is newly healthy. Wright has very similar club numbers, has scored for the US, and hasn't played for Poch yet, IIRC. Brian White has great numbers, played well in January camp, and we keep saying we need to try new guys. Yeah, I think Sargent is better than Big Pat. But okay? I would play the other three above him for the GC. We either want to try new options or we don't. What we're doing is not working.
Sargent's a much better player, certainly a much more well rounded player, Agyemang, in a tiny sample size primarily against total --- sides, was much better at finding openings, otoh, it's often much easier finding openings after that 65 minuteish sub window when teams are tiring and games are getting stretched.
I am relatively happy w/ the roster.... I always have at least one complaint and this roster is no different: Complaints: 1) Ream certainly doesn't deserve to be on it based on his play and should only be there as a vet locker-room guy... IMO, it would have been better to bring up a younger CB w/ upside. If healthy, Zimmerman would have been a better vet CB call up as well. Ream sure looks like toast in the MLS now. 2) Why did Guti not make the cut? Zawadaski is an OK player but seems redundant based on the rest of the MF options. Kudos: 1) Call ups for Freese, Downs, Sullivan and Freeman 2) Not calling up Sargent and Scally