Yes, it could, but that's small comfort. Dest is one of the players in our pool who provides a little something extra. Musah can dribble, and Weah's fast, but Dest has a bit of flair with the ball at his feet at pace that isn't replicated in our pool.
Alright, after Dest's injury and with Luna still not having played a minute, I've dropped them both from my expected roster. I'm at 27 now. Zendejas kind of replaces some things that Dest and Luna do. Blackmon in because I'm not bringing another right back in Dest's place. I think Poch and the team have shown that they can capably adjust for personnel changes and still be effective. GK: Freese, Turner, Schulte RB: Freeman CB: Richards, Ream, McKenzie, M Robinson, Banks, Blackmon LB: A Robinson, Arfsten DM: Adams, Johnny, Tessmann CM: McKennie, M Tillman, Aaronson, Berhalter, Roldán Wing: Pulisic, Weah, Zendejas FW: Balogun, Pepi, Agyemang, Wright
If Dest is out, have to call in Scally alongside Freeman. I don't really trust Weah as a defensive right back. We need him higher up the field.
If we're calling in a 6th right back, I'm going with Trusty over Blackmon. I just trust him slightly more. Plus he's in season, whereas Blackmon is in preseason. Downside of being in MLS.
Vancouver has played 6 games this season. And all 3 of Berhalter, Blackmon and Brian White have started the season playing very well.
Yeah obviously Dest being out is a bad thing, just thinking with Moose doing well for his club last month or so it could open a door for him to get onto the squad in March.
The interesting thing about Dest is that he's missed most of Poch's tenure with injury. Its not like Poch hasn't evaluated others. I think Sergino has started three games under Poch. Played in four total. Two of those were more of right wing in a 3-4-3. For his last two starts, he was in the starting XI WITH Freeman or Scally. Not instead of them. So it could be that a player like Weah takes that role. Or Musah. There are other options I don't like as much. You could play McKennie in that role, for instance. As far as CM, who the hell knows? Poch has looked at a bunch of guys in CM, and they're all worthy. Morris and Johnny are both worthy of another look. Musah, who is quite veratile, is worth a look. Berhalter continues to tear it up. He's not done anything to get sidelined. Tim Tillman continues to play well for arguably the best team in MLS. We have our obvious CM callups. But the battle on the fringes with that CM group is fierce. Just like we want it. And it could be that Dest's injury....................actually opens up another CM spot for this camp. Cuz a guy already in the group, like Weah, may take that RWB role.
If Dest misses March camp and that allows Musah to play his way back onto the team, it would be interesting to know if Poch is willing to play him at CM even if he sees him primarily as a winger. If you have Musah and McKennie (and Tillman for that matter) on the team even if primarily to play elsewhere that probably allows you to bring just 4 dedicated CMs, which in turn might mean Morris and Johnny fighting for one spot and Berhalter as an odd man out (with Adams, Tessmann and Roldan as the other 3).
Seems unlikely, no? Even when Poch was calling in Musah, he played him only as a wide player. If he calls him back in as a wide player, it seems likely he'd play as a wide player ... I guess I don't really see where he would jump back centrally in a short camp where he's needed as a wide player. At a wingback position, both Freeman and Weah are easily higher on my depth chart. At winger, both Weah and McKennie. Musah would be good defensive depth, I think. For me, though, because we have 26, it really pits Musah up against guys like Zendejas and Scally. I can't really fathom playing him over McKennie, Weah or Freeman (at their respective wide right roles). I think that's an interesting question but fundamentally a wide question. Who is he beating out centrally? I'm sure he'd be fine; I'm just not sure who he's better than. And at the end of the day, the guy wanted the summer off, and I don't think Poch is going to forget that.
One of the three "extra" to make 26 is more likely to one of the "midfielders" than a center back or primarily wide guys, IMO. That's where the bulk of the quality and versatility is. If Musah takes Dest's position, it could still end up being a guy like Berhalter over a guy like Trusty or Tolkin. Musah might end up taking Scally's spot, though I have a feeling that Scally is more in a battle with Banks at this point to back up the Freeman inside RB/3rd CB in a 3ATB role.
Poch will be at The Atleti/Spurs game on Tuesday as an "official guest" of Atletico Madrid. Scouting Johnny perhaps? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7102486/2026/03/09/pochettino-usmnt-tottenham-atletico-madrid/
i don’t think he is vengeful at all. Poch wants to win as much as possible, and if he thinks Musah will help him win, the. Musah will be there. Musah hasn’t been black balled for not playing that summer. But he did lose the opportunity to do something while with the team to show that he belonged and was needed. Thatks the difference between him and Pulisic. Pulisic is simply more obviously a significant contributor. Musah is potentially a significant contributor in the face of many others potentially significant contributors is similar roles.
You don't need to be vengeful to think that you are going to give the opportunity to someone who has shown they are willing to work for it. Musah has potential, and he's still young, but he and his skillset are wildly overrated by the fanbase.
I've been feeling for months that Tessmann may actually be the odd man out in midfield. He's a good player and is having a good season, but he doesn't quite ring true for what I think Poch wants. Aidan Morris, Roldan, and Berhalter may all have a leg up in the final equation (even though I put Tessmann in my March roster and dropped Morris).
I wanted to rep the post again, but since I'd already repped it it would have instead nullified my rep. So you only get one rep, officially, but unofficially you get two.
I watched Musah closely when he was with Milan and I saw that he did have some good skills with one exception. He could not hit the net from 3 yards out. He is virtually useless in the offense as he chokes on shots or making the killer pass for an assist. I saw no indication that he could be of any value further back in the formation as his main defensive skill is simply getting in the way. I see no reason for him to even be fourth team for the USMNT. He has no value for the USA. But he might be an OK player for the bottom third of MLS.
Meh, the way Poch has set the team up lately I'm not sure that we need to have a true backup RB. There are so many ways to move the pieces around on the field to account for what you lose if you can't "plug and play" another RB. And Scally doesn't move the needle for me, and I don't think he moves the needle for Poch, either. But, hey, I realize that a lot of what I think is based off of me thinking that I KNOW what Poch is thinking.
This feels like a total troll post. Or, at least, a post by someone who wants to take extreme positions in the hope that they're "right" some tiny fraction of the time and that no one will check them on all the times they're so f*cking wrong on everything else.
Personal attacks, even when you disagree, are simply the sign of a childish mind with bully overtones. You have gained one thing, you are now on my ignore list and will probably remain there. You are the one acting as a troll and trying to pick a fight but I will not fight as there can be no gain to winning.
Seems a bit of an overreaction, but you do what you need to do. I won't lament what I might be missing.
Well, this seems way too far for me. Musah has useful and valuable skillsets, for sure, and he certainly could be an effective player in a quite a few places. But his processing and ball movement always seem so slow to me, and it's the reason why he's not effective in creating danger, either in the final third or elsewhere. Defensively, I think he's a far better defender moving than settled; I don't think his reading of the game is special nor would I put him in a CF role, but he absolutely can track back well and apply pressure. Which is a lot of what we ask defensively, but it's also why he's probably a better wing defender. I would have no issues with him on the team as I don't think he's a bad player in any respect; I just don't think that the athleticism and ball control is something we need so badly that it places over guys who very clearly will move the ball quickly and generate offensive opportunities better. The ball security, in particular, doesn't really seem to fit very well to a team that has no interest in the ball standing still in midfield. One guy holding off multiple pressers is not really a success for Poch. Musah's marauding runs would certainly be ... but the question is how many of those will you get a game. I continue to think that Musah is someone who would benefit massively from Poch the club coach but I'm not so sure there's much upside in Poch the national team coach with one window before the World Cup.
That's at least the second time he's traveled to Spain to watch Cardoso play for Atletico. Pochettino spotted taking notes on Johnny Cardoso in his Atlético Madrid debut - AS USA (08/18/2025)