Davis and Adams shared defensive duties in NYRB's system. RB Leipzig played 4222 and some 433 when Adams was in the lineup. https://www.football-lineups.com/team/RB_Leipzig/Bundesliga_2018-2019/Campaign/?p=5 There's nothing to suggest he wouldn't excel in front of a 4-man backline for the US.
Has there been new info on Otasowie in terms of confirmation of his commitment to play for the US? Or is this just the latest hype train for a player that no one has seen play yet, who hasn't gotten any experience as a first-team pro yet, and who hasn't played for the USMNT yet?
you mean the player who just debuted for an EPL team and has been in the US youth set up? I believe he’s still a dual national. I understand that we’d prefer players who are first team rather than in the reserves or youth set up of elite teams but do we really think that Dest was that different a player two months before his first start? I think people use it with far too much certainty. none of the MLS/B2/championship guys are going to get meaningful playing time with Wolves and we have a teenager who has broken through. I’m terms of seeing him play, I’ve only seen the all-touches video of his debut
Yes, he is a dual national. But there are at least two of you who, on the back of a single first-team appearance, are trying hard to pencil the guy into our lineup. There is such a long history of this on BS. Someone in another thread mentioned Marc Pelosi, reminding me of one of the MANY hot young players (he played for Liverpool, damnit!!) that didn't ever do shit. Got dropped by San Jose in 2017 and is out of the game at 25. I wish I could recall a more apt anecdote, because I know that in the last 3 years there have been several similar cases. Not saying that Otasowie will have that career arc, just that people here tend to get overly excited about guys they've never even seen play, and try to convince the rest of us that they are definitely the next 100-cap player for the US, so go ahead and write them into the 2022 WC lineup. The guy doesn't even have his own thread on BS. I'd guess that, until 2 weeks ago, there weren't 10 people on BS who even knew his name. So, since there is no Otasowie thread and since he's a dual national, is there any news about whether or not he's got any sort of commitment to the USMNT over England? Aside from the whopping 3 U-18 appearances for us?
He is a fast rising teenage player that now has the all-important experience as a first team pro (that some view as bright line) at a far higher level than Championship/MLS/B2. He looked like he belonged vs bestikas but it’s unclear how good bestikas is. otasowie is also being recruited heavily by Dortmund/other major league teams and has been called the next McKennie. what I think is that he deserves a look as an emerging player with a high ceiling: if he continues to get major league minutes, he instantly catapults into the USMNT roster - we don’t have many major leaguers obviously. Why do you immediately create a straw man about him being a “100-cap player for the US, so go ahead and write them into the 2022 WC lineup”? btw, perhaps your memory is better than mine but did Pelosi actually play for Liverpool in the EPL? Did he make their game day squad? Finally, the otosowie thread is in YA academy and there’s discussion about his ties to the us and US vs England. To summarize, born in NYC with an American parent and moved to the UK at 10. Chances of making UK team appears remote (but maybe that’s wishful thinking).
Thanks, I searched for his last name and nothing came up. I never check YA Academy. I don't know if Pelosi ever made a game day squad, but he was hyped by some on here because LIVERPOOL!!!! Woooo!!!! If Otasowie continues to get first-team minutes then, sure, he would deserve a call-up (which I still have no idea if he'd accept because no one has asked him because no one but a tiny group on his YA Academy thread even knew who he was until 2 weeks ago). The 100-cap thing isn't a straw man, dude. It's an exaggeration. When people have NEVER SEEN A GUY PLAY and then start dreaming of lineups with him in them, well that's worth ridicule. He may be Weston McKennie, he may be Jovan Kirovski, he may be Danny Szetela.
I think you’re confusing levels: Otasowie has been tracked by astute YA youth posters for a couple years but it’s only after returning from injury that he’s made a big leap and now has the bright line first team experience. His emergence is reminiscent of Dest: did dest have a big enough BS following for long enough for your tastes before he broke through? Pelosi (who never played for the senior team) is more akin to Konrad de la Fuentes who plays at the academy level for Barcelona. I don’t see people calling for him to join the senior team despite the club affiliation. if you want a more apt comparison to prove what I think is your point, I’d use Haji Wright who did get major league minute last year when his team’s forwards were decimated by injury. No one is or really was calling for him. however, look at the interest level from major league clubs for Otasowie- it’s far different from Pelosi or Haji. btw, the fact that he is a dual national makes it even more important to look at him early. Also, Kirovski and pre-injury szetzela definitely deserved their USMNT roster spots.
I'm not confusing levels. All you've seen is a 1:41 all-touch video (in which he didn't do anything to stand out) and read the very very recent hype about Arsenal interest and yet you suggest lineups that include him. That's ridiculous. We should revisit this topic (in a more appropriate thread than MLS flavors of the week) when the spring friendlies are approaching. By the way, don't confuse my comments as dissing the kid. I have no idea how good he is or will be. His debut all-touch video didn't show anything special, but that doesn't mean that he won't be special. Come March it may be obvious that the guy should get called, or it might not. Right now it's most certainly not obvious that he should get a call-up.
You think he didn’t look special while I viewed it as he fit right in even at a far higher level than MLS/B2/championship. Perhaps you have a higher expectation but he almost scored on a very nice header in a Europa League match. what is clear from looking at all the footage on him (which is more than his most recent game) is that he has far more ball skills than Long. That’s not even a question in my mind. how much first team time in the majors do we need to warrant discussion? How many games did Dest have?
More than one game is needed before we start penciling him into a lineup. I don't know how many games Dest had, but current Ajax is far more impressive than Wolverhampton. Further, Dest had 15 games for US youth teams, including two World Cups, before getting the call.
In case it wasn’t clear, I don’t think that Otasowie deserves a starting spot. I do think that he deserves a look though. He is the high upside candidate that we should be looking at sooner rather than later.
Our young centerbacks are having a lot harder time breaking into to top teams than our mids, wingers, forwards and outside backs. EPB isn't any further along than Miazga or CCV but he is a head of Richards and Otasowie. Also the fair to Pelosi he had a really bad injury. A broken leg I believe. Lots of players are never the same after those. A lot of our best prospects had major injuries and never recovered to where they were.
same question: how many Wolves games does Otasowie need to jump ahead of those on your list? I really didn’t notice much on him defensively other than he’s really good in the air. Offensively, he’s not silly but has good skill and is able to turn and shield the ball quite well. @thedukeofsoccer, how would you compare him at first glance to Palmer-brown, another CB/DM?
I guess what I'm saying is it's kind of a free-for-all. No one has the inside lane and if any of them start getting regular minutes at a first division club in a top 4 league they vault to the front. I'm just throwing out that all of those players have impressed while young but it just seems to take longer to get minutes at CB and keeper than other spots. If Otasowie becomes a regular player then absolutely call him in. That goes for any of those guys. Only Miazga has had semi-regular callups and he was snubbed at the last games.
Pelosi suffered a compound fracture on a red-carded tackle. It would be disingenuous highlight his career as an example of hype failing to materialize. Konrad de la Fuenta never played for Barcelona senior team in a competitive match or made the bench. Any player making the bench for an EPL side should get a callup. The level of the pool is not good enough to do otherwise.
I think it’s a very good guideline but as I mentioned, I wouldn’t have called up Haji last year (although that’s not EPL). Exceptions prove the rule though
How about a few appearances actually playing? I understand it is a big accomplishment but should Haji Wright have been called up since he played several times for Schalke last year when they were decimated with injuries? He's since moved on VVV Venlo where he's yet to accomplish much. I want him to make it he hasn't done enough yet. Situations matter and if a guy is an emergency injury replacement who disappears once everyone is healthy it's very different than a player who gets time without extreme situations.
Should Wright have been called in? Who has gotten minutes at striker? Zardes. Sargent. Altidore. Ramirez. Yes. The exception that would have made sense was Kyrie Shelton during his time with Paderborn.
He was born and raised in the US until moving to England at 10 years old. He played for a school in London (Challenge Academy, something like that) before being scouted by Wolves, signed to their U18's, and eventually moved through their academy to the U23's. So, aside from the 3 U-18 appearances (which is a decent indicator of where he feels comfortable), he probably sounds American still.
I do think it's a good general rule of thumb that if a guy breaks into the first team in a top 4 league (or a comparable team, like Dest at Ajax), it's good to bring him into camp to at least take a look, especially if he's a dual-national. If Otasowie starts making the bench and getting some sub minutes in games that actually matter (it doesn't say too much to get young guys some garbage time minutes in a meaningless EL game), then I'd say he's broken into the first team and warrants a call-up. Of course, there will be exceptions. I thought Wright looked totally inept last year in his handful of Schalke appearances and was probably just given those minutes since they had so many injuries and needed a warm body.
How much did Donovan have in Germany before joining the US team? It is simply bizarre how some are so scared of integrating unproven youth. How many of our current players could get time for a Premier League club? Maybe 10? Wikipedia says Marc Pelosi never played for Liverpool first team, and got released from their U21 team. Great comparison. This kid, by most accounts, has had a quick rise. I hadn't heard of him before the last few weeks, but not sure why that matters. The requirement to join the pathetic US national team now is a certain % of BS posters knowing about a player? Once again - I'll defer to the knowledge of a PL team's coaches and scouts, rather than BS Yanks Abroad posters. This kid might fade out and amount to nothing. Then he can be dropped from the US team, far before he reaches 100 caps. But any player that is on the periphery of a decent PL team needs to be in the US squad. I don't even understand how this is an argument, when we're trotting out Bradley and Trapp in his position (from the video I saw, he looked to be playing as a 6, even though he's a defender?) I can only think the arguments against are simply trolling.
Not necessarily. Depends on what the system is designed to do and ask of that role. Think Inter under Mou. They played a 4-3-1-2 with Wesley Sneijder in the CAM role. That system didn’t ask him to defend at all.
You can't compare the situation of US players 20 years ago to today. Yes, Pelosi never played for Liverpool's first team--yet there were people on here who thought he deserved a call-up, which continues to happen to this day with any kid who pops up on the radar. There is no requirement that a certain number of posters know a player for them to get a call-up, but when people start saying they need to get called because they've seen the all-touch video from one EL sub appearance for Wolverhampton then it gets ridiculous. And, I agree, Bradley and Trapp aren't good enough, and no one else who has gotten a chance has looked great either (though Yuiell has looked better than those two). I disagree that "any player on the periphery of a decent PL team needs to be in the US squad." If Fulham make it back to the Prem, should we call Luca de la Torre? Otasowie might become a really good player, but one game can't possible show us that.