Fossey was the unquestioned winner of that series and even though it was further down the depth chart he showed he should have been getting Shaq Moores calls for at Ieast a couple years now
Actually, I thought Morris showed most improvement over the two games. He had been barely average playing for the USMNT, but he showed a lot of improvement in both his play and attitude. He wanted the ball and was comfortable controlling the pace of the game. Stuff I would like to see from Musah.
I finally watched the second half last night. Better second half, more pressing, and better opportunities. Still, they were weak in defense and were lucky not to give up more than one goal. Aaronson was better and Foley is worth watching, but not sure either one is going to contribute greatly over the next two years. Well, hopefully, we can put these two games behind us and in another year or so just look at them as a transition period.
I totally agree. He took a big step up IMO and I think he is exactly the kind of double-pivot Poch would want. I have lost a lot of faith in Musah's ability to play that position. He is super dynamic on the ball at times but his speed of thought is too slow IMO... which leads to bad/tentative decisions in dangerous places on the pitch.
As a fan of Moore during his Spain days, and then a very cynical critic since around '21, I do need to note that Fossey (I think his dad may have posted here in the run up to the U20 WC he was supposed to play in back in '17? Someone correct me, but I'm pretty sure his dad posted a little back in the day) had a lot of injury problems between i think '17-'20 which really derailed his career a ton back then. He didn't really play a complete season from his U20 year until I believe '21-'22 when he was 23. The sad reality with him, is that we probably couldn't have justified calling him in until '21 or '22 based upon health reasons. I'm not sure how he was playing with his club by that point because I pretty much gave up on the guy staying healthy and climbing back into relevant with the national team probably a good four or five years ago. He's a reminder, like with Haji Wright, that guys shouldn't ever be entirely written off. He made plenty of mistakes this weekend, but also did a nice job of showing he belonged in the window (like Aidan Morris) and yep, was one of the few highlights. But to be fair to the guy, and the fed, and even, gag, Berhalter, I don't think he was ever in a position to be called up at all, justifiably, until probably the past two years, and that's w/o me having paid any attention to the relative quality of his play with Bolton, Fulham and Standard Liege. Maybe somebody who was paying attention closely can tell us how awesome he looked in '21-'22, or '22-'23 if he did, but it's really just the past 3 club seasons that his senior club career even began.
Good points. Careers are mostly cyclical (good years, a few down years, etc.). Very few players are consistently good throughout their careers. Speaking of Wright, I wasn't impressed with him during these two games. I think the main problem was the position that he was playing. I only see him up top and really contributing in the final third. Not a starter in my book, but someone who could off the bench.
The problem with Fossey in his club is a lack of consistency. He had a run of good games early (Sept/Oct 23) last season that put him on my radar, but he ended the season plagued by injuries and playing poorly when healthy.
We have been playing below are talent level significantly since the last world cup. Poch probably think he can get to a QF with these ingredients and reasonable luck.