In all likelihood, we'll have several players on our qualifying team who don't get regular MLS minutes. Last cycle, Jared Jeffrey was a starter for us.
Maybe GK's and players in European academies, but if we are talking about just MLS players, I don't think so. For example, let me make a quick roster of just MLS and Liga MX based players GK: Jon Kempin, Alex Bono RB: Kellyn Acosta, Marlon Hairston CB: Shane O'Neill, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Miazga, Erik Palmer Brown LB: Eric Miller, Dillon Serna DM/CM: Wil Trapp, Alejandro Guido, Nick Besler, Marco Delgado AM/Wing: Luis Gil, Tommy Thompson, Paul Arriola, Jesus Vazquez CF: Khiry Shelton, Jordan Morris So from that team, the GK's are unlikely to be MLS regulars. Maybe Miazga and EPB. Morris is in college soccer, so he's not a regular professional yet. The rest I expect to be at least semi-regular players meaning they at least make a number of match day rosters and play more than just a handful of minutes during a given season. So counting the GK's, that would be five of the 20 that aren't really regulars. I'm sure some people will disagree with me on the team, but just making a North American based 20 for qualifying, it doesn't seem like many of the players will be Sorto or Dean type players who really weren't in the first team picture last season.
The midfield jam in Colorado just cleared up a bit. Marlon Hairston has been moved to right back. This is a pretty good maneuver. Hairston has the quickness and balance to be exceptional at this position. Enjoy the hyperbole . . .
I liked what I saw out of Mcnamullet last spring before he got dinged up. You'll have to point out the hyperbole, cuz I'm not spotting it?
I'd say our defense is looking to be shaping up for the Olympic qualifying. Guys that have gotten playing time in MLS like AJ Cochran aren't in your group there. Ocegueda is now playing regularly down in Mexico. You might be able to put him there at fullback and move Serna up. And as you say, you're not including some Euros there that will be part of the group. I mean, Yedlin is practically a lock for the Olympics (if not qualifying). Why fret about Sorto? I don't know. Center forward is a big problem. May have to dip into the U20s. So many of the current 20-22 year old contenders in this group like McBean, Salgado, Koroma, Okoli, Mario Rodriguez, etc. just haven't advanced. Alonso Hernandez at least plays once in a while down in Mexico................................... If we get thru qualifying, it sure seems like forward is the spot for an overage player. Agudelo with the group would be perfect. He only misses out on being eligible for the squad by a month. I think sometimes we forget how young Agudelo still is.
Its crazy how we let YNT age deadlines guide our decisions about certain players. For example, Christian Dean gets a call up to a National Team camp(even if its just to get ready for Olympic preparation). He played 123 minutes in MLS last season. Thats hardly worthy of a USMNT call up. Compare that to Nick Hagglund who's about six months older, but the difference is that Hagglund played 2088 minutes in his rookie season. From watching him play, his rookie season was excellent, among the best rookies last year. Maybe even the best. The stats tracking websites also had him as one of the best CB's in all of MLS last season, but six months is the difference between calling up a guy who's almost all potential at this time and calling up a guy who's potential and production. There are other examples. Agudelo as you said. If he's a month and a half younger, he's probably looked at by many in the same way that Yedlin and Brooks are looked at. 5-10 years from now, no one's going to care about the extra few months. Another example is Carter-Vickers. He's one day from being eligible for our U-17's that play in the CONCACAF U-17 Championship today. Could you imagine the hype if he had just been born 24 hours later? We might be hyping him up as our best prospect ever. Imagine what we would be saying if Haji Wright was very close to getting his first team debut at Schalke or Pulisic at Dortmund, Perez at Fiorentina, etc. and now compare that to the reality for Carter-Vickers. These deadlines mean very little to me. I think what matters is how you are progressing relative to around how old you are.
Bradford Jamieson IV, 18, has the inside track on the left midfield spot, vacated by the retirement of Landon Donovan. http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2015/0...ve-emerged-fill-landon-donovans-spot-midfield During his two preseason starts this season, Jamieson has shown flashes of brilliance as he’s displayed a willingness to run at defenders. Despite his success going forward, the 18-year-old is hardly a finished project, particularly defensively. “I need to make sure that I come out in training and give a 110 percent effort to my offensive and defensive play,” Jamieson said. “I have to be a perfectionist this season and I should strive to be the guy that makes the least amount of mistakes. If I think about [defensive responsibilities] regularly then it’ll come naturally.” Even though Jamieson is loaded with youthful optimism, he’ll have to work hard to avoid the growing pains that young players often experience once they make the leap to the first team. “I think I’m pretty prepared,” said Jamieson. “I have a lot of friends who are youth players and doing similar things plus I have guys like Robbie who I’ve reached out to on a daily basis. I expect this season to have great moments and not so great moments and I know that there will be times where I can’t let myself get ahead of myself and times where I can’t beat myself up.” But if Zardes is set to remain up top, is the midfield spot Jamieson’s to lose? Well, yes and no. “It’s a little bit of both. It’s a spot that I think that I fit perfectly into and there’s no doubt that I should be playing there because I know my ability,” Jamieson said. “It’s obviously on me to prove to everyone else, but I think that I should be there without a doubt. “At the same time, there are more experienced guys who think that they should be there and that’s a good thing because you want to have competitive energy throughout the team.
Koroma! Everyone who signs with Austrian 3rd division team should be a starter on our teams. No matter of abilities and age.
Not sure if I'll be able to display this image, but it's remarkable how bad the defensive shape was for DC (in white) in the build-up to LDA's goal #2. Both CB's stepped into the hole to mark and neither outside back stepped, leaving an attacker camping in behind before eventually receiving a ball over the top and scoring. Birnbaum is the one who stepped forward away from the scorer to mark someone in a less dangerous position ... very basic error.
Watching Toronto v CR u-23 The difference between Morrow and Giovinco reminds me of how far the distance was between US and a team like Italy, in days gone by. Increasingly I feel like we should go to 3 cb's and look for flankers in these freindlies but it will be hard with all the pressure to play 6 different rb's just for starters with 3 of them being on Klinsi's preferred list because of BL ties. I say this because we really need to improve our wide play. Toronto is playing Altidore wide left. Relying on the old 4 back line with a Johnson and Chandler providing width at rb/lb will mean a snail's pace of progress in the USMNT program, in my view.
Altidore at LW? Lol what are they smoking in Toronto.. if they played him there during the season he'd be very unproductive
Actually Giovinco made some sweet moves in the box you'd never see from Altidore, turned and crossed the ball to Altidore coming in from his left position who volleyed the pass home for a goal.
Some of these MLS preseason lineups are really disappointing. The trend of what MLS teams are doing to young players this preseason is really not good. I hope its just a preseason thing and doesn't carry over to the regular season.
Jeff Lemieux@jeff_lemieux Impressed with how sharp Agudelo has been this preseason. Apparently, like he said, he wasn't sitting in his couch the past nine months.
New England, even without Jones, is looking sharp in general. Serious Supporter's Shield contender........................ I have a sneaking suspicion that at this time next year we're going to be talking a lot about Kelyn Rowe.
Rowe needs to be playing centrally, ----------------Agudelo--- ------------Rowe----Nguyen -------Jones--------------Bunbury ----------------Dorman
I know its beyond early days as far as this season is concerned, but just throwing out a question as far as some fringe guys who havent got looks the could/should have Kelyn Rowe: yes/no Andrew Wenger: yes/no Nick DeLeon: yes/no Luis Silva: yes/no Amobi Okugo: yes/no Jack Mac: yes/no Will Bruin: yes/no with each one, give a sentence or two on why or why not keep in mind position scarcity and how well some of these guys might play in a 4/3/3. I want to see DeLeon get a look regardless of how much he likes donuts, I love the flair and swagger he plays with, reminds me of old dempsey. And if Wenger can produce again for Philadelphia, he has to look like a solid shout for that spot Ibarra is currently taking up. Bigger, stronger, more skill, goalscorer, he just looks the superior option in every way.
One of the more excellent posts in the new post WC Klinsmann coaching thread was regarding the number of minutes specific players have received in matches following the World Cup. Basically, the point was "Why are more 'newer' options not being explored?" A great example of that would be "Why was the 3rd string goalkeeper in Brazil being given the minutes when perhaps a newcomer should be offered the experience?" Certainly, it important to win to continue an appropriate mentality. So, @OWN(yewu)ED, my favorite two to have been called in would have been the attacking options Wenger and Rowe, followed by the athletically gifted Okugo as a potential replacement for Beckerman. And this particular discussion perhaps deserves it's own thread.
was thinking it but i figured it would have been a thornbush for klinsy backers saying they havent separated themselves from the pack.....or something. (because you know.....bobby wood, ibarra, and mexican league 2nd division players are superior to MLS players, and it takes a very keen eye to identify that talent)
I'll take a shot at this, though I'll preface it with my usual caveat about my opinions on MLS players. I don't have a favorite team in MLS, so I'll just catch the couple nationally televised games each week and watch whichever teams are on. I get little snapshots of all of the teams, but don't have as informed an opinion as someone who follows a team/player week-in, week-out or someone who watches absolutely every game each weekend. With that out of the way... Rowe: No. Every time I watched the Revs down the stretch last year, he'd pop up for a handful of great plays per game, but it seemed clear that Nguyen and Jones ran that midfield. Rowe didn't influence the game consistently enough to get a call-up for me. Wenger: Yes. Given the apparent desire for new options out wide, he's worth a look. The couple times I saw Philly down the stretch, he was a real danger throughout the game. DeLeon: No. This is a tough one for me. Some games, he's seemed like the best player on the field. Other games I've seen, he's been completely anonymous. Silva: No opinion. I don't think he played in any of the DC games I saw last season. Okugo: No. I think I've mostly seen him at CB, and he's looked good there, but not good enough to push past the other options at that spot. Now, if he's playing as a defensive CM consistently and doing it well, I'd be interested, as I think there is a need to find a Beckerman replacement. Jack Mac: No. To me, he's the poor man's Wondo. He can get on terrific poaching streaks (or at least one terrific poaching streak), but he's not as consistent in this regard as Wondo. Like Wondo, I don't think he contributes much to the build-up play. Bruin: No. To me, he's the poor man's Ching or Casey. He has good skill and finishing ability for a big guy, but the finishing doesn't seem to translate to higher levels, and he doesn't contribute to the build-up like Ching or Casey could to make up for that. So, yeah, I guess I'm pretty pessimistic about this group, though I didn't intend to be starting out.