Gold Cup: No Pulisic, Weah, Moose, Weston, or Gio: What midfield do you want to see?

we will see what we've always seen. An MLS team B/C. These guys wanna rest up for their clubs next year and have zero interest in competing together in preparation for next year's World Cup.

 

So, the USA is essentially going into the World Cup at home in extremely poor form and they don't want to play together?

What a bizarre team!

 

Apparently they have better things to do. New coach and the only competitive tournament before the World Cup and they're blowing it off. I don't even get mad anymore.

 

I think skipping the GC... the last major tournament before the WC on home soil is pathetic.

Lots of dudes have long European seasons and still show up for their national teams in the summer.

 

Seen Malik been crap enough in a US shirt. He’s hopeless.

 

Right now we have to plan the world Cup without Weston or Pulisic. Maybe Pulisic can go as #26 and play his way into playing time. But you can't count on it or him.

It's not ideal, but it's what we have.

 

Honestly I don’t really care.

Wake me up in 12 months it’s the only thing that matters.

 

In some ways it sucks that all these players will not be there.
But
After the way they looked against Panama and Canada I say blow everything up and try new players, new tactics and new ideas. I will have to think about what I want to see at midfield though but Adams will have to be the cornerstone.

 

Tillman. Big event for Tillman to step into an important role.

4-3-3 with central midfield of Tillman, Tessmann, and Adams.

[As far as we know, by the way, the only reason Pulisic has asked out of the event is to take a break. He's played 4000 minutes this season already between club and country. There is zero evidence whatsoever that he doesn't want to play for this coach of play on this team. Zero.]

If there's one player that I can guarantee will be on the World Cup roster (barring injury; knock on wood) its Pulisic. If there's one player we don't need to see more of its Pulisic. He's the guy.

 

Especially coming off a poor Copa America and an embarrassing Nations League. Bad look.

 

All I have left to say is that the Federation better have Premier friendlies coming up in March and June '26.
Have to be against teams like Spain, Argentina, Germany, Brasil, France, etc. Just to make the players get ready for the tournament and form a bond and chemistry under Poch's new tactics.
I do not care if we lose all those matches 5-0. We need these guys to get a reality check and play together while facing adversity while also getting into a routine of what to do in big moments.

 

If USSF were a competently run federation, it would schedule those teams, but let's be honest, it is not.

 

Those top teams are going to want to play in the USA and try to acclimate to our stadiums and environments though.
Let's see how it goes down.
If it ends up being Sweden, Burkina Faso and Venezuela I am going to roll my eyes and think about your post with a wry smile.

 

MIDFIELDERS (10): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)

Those are the midfielders.

The best two DMs are Adams and Cardoso, but the issue with them is that even against middling competition, neither has shown much of an ability to consistently progress the ball.

They will have Dest to help, thankfully, but in front of Dest won't be as good of an outlet as previously. Also, who's playing RW if we are playing a winger? Maybe we're going two striker because those forward group is not winger friendly.

We also can't play over the top -- we don't have our topline speed up there and we've really got no aerial ball-winning size in the pool.

Which leaves a few options:

1. Tell Johnny Cardoso to pick it up and hope he does.
2. Play a more capable progressor next to Adams instead of Cardoso / play two 8s. The likely options are Luca, Berhalter and McGlynn. Luca's more of a dribbler than a passer, Berhalter's track record is extremely short and very specific to Vancouver so far, and McGlynn has defensive issues. I think Tessman not here loses us a player who has shown something here.
3. Have the 10 / winger come back and collect the ball -- this is what Pochettino did in the first few windows. The likely names here are Tillman, Luna, Brenden and ... no, there's no one in the forward group you'd have come back, collect and turn. The problem is that both Brenden and Tillman completely flopped in this role previously -- the first because he got knocked around and the latter because he just didn't really move.
   
4. Play a different style of play that more or less abandons the idea of progressing the ball through any pressure / set defense -- heavy pressing or bunker and counter. Given the roster, this might be the best idea.
5. Go to a different formation that really overloads the midfield. I think if you went with something where maybe Dest was the LWB and Sullivan was RWB with Adams and Cardoso plus Luna and maybe Tillman (or Berhalter) up top behind a single striker would have enough ball control.

#4 is probably the smartest for winning but may not really be helpful in the middle or longer term.

#5 is intriguing, and I think it may be what Pochettino kind of does but in possession and the lineup sheet will still read 4231. It might be a 352 given the roster is so heavy on strikers with only really Wright a guy who can play wide.

If we don't adjust much, I'd like to see a midfield with Berhalter and Luna. It's not going to be nearly the defensive set up an Adams/Cardoso backline is, so it's probably not optimal, but Berhalter has been the best ball progressor on this roster this year from what I've seen.

I'm also good with going full press. The roster does not scream that -- the majority of the adds play on possession teams -- Luca, Zadwadski, McGlynn, Berhalter plus Tillman -- but with Brenden, Quinn and others you could do it.

 

The health and effectiveness in attack of Dest could help our midfield more than anything.

 

We sure no one is getting a little break here and will be called in for the GC?

Wishful thinking I know.

 

Exactly choose the guys who actually want to be there

 

We'll have to see what the story is on Tessmann.
He JUST had a baby, so maybe he asked out for the summer.
OR, it could have been coach's choice.

The silly part is that on this thread people are talking about how bad the previous events have been with the existing group. Poch made changes and held some players accountable for poor performances. What is the result? The board freaks out.

THIS IS WHAT Y'ALL WANTED.

And yes, when you take that layer of guys out of the squad, this is what you get. What you get is Sean Zawadski (who is having a good season for Columbus).

The American version of Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn't waiting to be called up somewhere.

 

sean zawadski is not what you get when you take out the top 10 players in the pool

theres a load of european options that would be better.....for instance, where is paxten aaronson? busio? etc

 

Sean Zawadski is sort of a James Sands type of player. He's listed as a CM on this roster, but has played a lot of CB this season as well. His last 6 starts for Columbus have been at CB. His previous cap for the USMNT was at CB.

So Sean is providing depth at both CB and CM.

A very different profile than Paxten Aaronson.

With Sands out with a long-term injury, the Euro that may be in competition for this spot would be a Lennard Maloney type. Lennard also plays that same CB/CM type of role in Germany. Unfortunately he barely played the second half of the season.

I would have called up Paxten Aaronson.

The thing I would say about this roster is its not the status quo. Players who haven't been playing well for the national team regardless of where they play.......................were left out. Tessmann, Carter-Vickers, Scally, and Sargent were named as being left off for "footballing reasons." And myabe how players are doing in training with the group is just as important as the matches. So that accountability is good. What the Zawadski called up shows is that the staff is scouting and calling up "outside the box" players. They weren't happy with the last camp, and changes were made. If these guys don't perform, other changes will be made.

Poch said some things to indicate the "country club atmosphere" is over. You're not going to national team camp to hang out with your friends and play some golf. Maybe I'm reading too much between the lines there.