Tyler Adams put up 270 minutes in the September qualifiers. He also did it in November - 180 minutes for the US against Mexico and Jamaica, and then 90 minutes for Leipzig immediately after the Jamaica match. These next 2 months are the one time in a 4-year cycle where club considerations should be disregarded. If Pulisic has to sit out Chelsea's FA Cup match against Plymouth on February 5, then I think that's okay.
He suffered an injury the same month of the September Qualifiers. The others aren't what I'd referred to.
Play all studs first two games. Then see where things stand: results, results of others, performance, fitness. And most importantly, who responds well to playing in the bitter cold.
No matter what Berhalter does, I reserve the right to crucify him for it. THe reality is that all the other teams have the same rotation issues/questions we have. All the other teams have depth concerns due to injury/suspension/fitness that we have. The problem is BIGGER for a team like Honduras than it is for us. What will they have in the tank for the third game? I don't know, but I have faith that we'll have more in the tank. More quality in reserve. So I play an A- team (maybe 1 or 2 outside of the Best XI) against El Salvador with a quick hook for key guys like Adams if we get a comfortable lead. Best available team against Canada on the road. I see no chance that Berhalter chooses to play the backups in what's shaping up to be the toughest game in the ocho. I don't understand those predictions. Is that how coaches and players typically act? Let's plan things so that our weakest lineup is against the best opposition? Never. Then we reassess the situation after those first two games. Look at the table. I mean, if we've won our first two games and Panama has lost their two (which is certainly possible)...............and we've opened up a 7 point gap in the table...............then we can afford a larger rotation in the 3rd game. And by the way, our backups are pretty darn good in most positions. For Pete's sake our "B" team won the Gold Cup. Richards, Busio, Scally, etc. are more than capable. I mean, true or false: Kellyn Acosta went 120 minutes in both finals victories at home against Mexico this summer. True. I'm just not worried about it.
I am sorry, it was 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Anyway, my point is that fresh legs beat tired legs, even when the tired legs belong to superior players.
I don't really disagree with this. I would just add that we have to make sure we get the 3 points against Honduras. A draw against Canada and a draw against Honduras is not as good as a loss against Canada and a win against Honduras.
You are right, it was a qualitative statement about a quantitative problem. It's all about the details. Nevertheless, we've all seen big clubs win a Champions League match mid-week against a quality team and then lose to a mediocre league team on Saturday.
And then won the next game in the window against Costa Rica. .Panama used their A team against us. Rotated in their next game, and got their doors blown off. Every team is going to have to rotate and use reserve players. [Worth noting that neither Mexico or Costa Rica won at Panama either. Just a fact. that they're unbeaten at home.] The name of the game here isn't to play our Best XI three games in a row. We're not going to do that. No chance. I think we all know that.
Panama were the strongest team of the three. The US rotated against them. I addressed the claim that coaches didn't rotate against the stronger teams.
If Gio plays midweeek, it'll be 9 days to the 1st game of camp, which was the same amount from Pulisic's return before last window to his game-winning goal v. Mexico. And Gio came back to training a month and a half ago.
If he doesn’t play we know Dortmund doesn’t want him to fly. What’s in it for them at this point? Seriously. If I am Dortmund management there is little upside for me at this point. One of our young valuable assets has been out since he played for the US. Lets make sure he gets on the field so he can fly over there in 3 freezing matches just for the US! I mean, his value isn’t going up playing there, we are out of the CL, we aren’t catching Bayern, let’s just be good guys. I just don’t see it. I HOPE WE SEE IT, but if I was TD no FN way at this point.
That's why I don't know how we're using their actions as the lone criteria, beyond them not allowing us to start him. But, barring a setback, which our staff would know about in communicating w/ Gio, he'd still be prepared to be a spark off the bench for us like Pulisic was. In a limited sample, he's been better for the nat'l team than Pulisic, and it's crunch time in qualifying now. After this window we could be virtually qualified or underdogs to even nab that final auto spot. That means pulling out all the stops. We'll be asking what if we don't.
Yes. I suspect MNT management is planning for a window without Reyna. Hopefully he's back for the next one.
It is not a stronger/weaker team thing, it is a "maximize your points at home" thing. Especially in windows where games #1 & #3 are home and #2 is a roadie. I expect a similar approach this time unless we drop points in the first game. If we gi gangbusters and have a comfortable (3 goal) lead at half, I could see mass substitutions and a change if plans for Canada. Now, next window, with 2 roadies, it will work different.
I wonder why people spend so much time agonizing over Reyna when we haven't seen him kick a ball in months and we're 2 weeks from the whistle v. ElSalvador. Because we have a pressing team on our front line, I'd start that way and (sub) front line liberally so everybody is fresh vs. Canada, even after pressing in first game v. ES. --------------------weah*(zardes*) -------pepi(morris)--------sarge(pulisic) ---scally--adams(sands)--aaronson(musah)-dest -----------richards--zim--miles ------------------------gk:? * I'm not sure about Zardes' form. Does anybody know the latest on Weah's condition? Dike ought to be able to handle ES, too. We might think about subbing Sands in for a CB so there's two cb's getting 45' and able to play v. Canada. Bottom line: Try to give various players a half in the first game v. ES so they can play another half @ Canada. Does that work or am I all wet? Do I get to sub 5?
We know at least one player who doesn't need to rotate, Weston McKennie. 1/15 90 minutes vs Udinese 1/12 120 minutes at Inter 1/9 90 minutes at Roma 1/6 90 minutes vs Napoli He is an animal. Much respect, and he has changed my mind about what some players can do. Pencil him in for all 3 qualifiers.
There is a vast difference between playing 3 matches in a short window in a domestic league vs CONCACAF qualifying. 1. The amount of travel is night and day different. 2. Leagues don't typically allow the continual hacking that you see in CONCACAF. Now that said your point is sound in that McKennie and Adams have shown they can handle the minutes if need be.
You are preaching to the choir. I said a player can't generally play 3 games in 6 days in WCQ qualifying without some kind of injury (hi Arriola) or drop off in performance unless they have done some kind of special endurance training. I now believe that McKennie can. He is exceptional.