If GB intends to play his RB in the manner he did in the last two friendlies, then flop Yeddy and his freakish recovery speed to the more conservative defensive cover LB spot and let Lima play RB.
Lima has some friggin wheels, id love to see him and Yedlin in a foot race, both can cover a lot of ground in a very short time span.
Unless they’re both named Dani Alves I would never start two right backs in concert. WTH are we thinking?
because both are perfectly capable of playing right midfield in a pinch, and one is a converted forward, so he knows a thing or two about the offensive side of the ball as well
Every position on the team needs at least to players as potential starters depending on fitness, playing time, health, availability etc. with a 3rd/4th as potential up-and-coming talent to develop. With Lima I feel much better about RB at this time. Lima was the surprise of Jan camp. No one predicted he would be invited to the MNT Jan camp. Same goes for the March invitees. As Lima and Mihailović were surprise starters I also am excited to see who will be the unknown starters for GGG vs Equador and Chile. Personally, I am expecting a potential surprise at DM, STR, LB, and CM
Yedlin probably slightly faster than Lima, but not as well rounded as a player. Lima has international level pace, competes extremely hard and keeps his head in the game. He doesn't have the 1-2 killer tune outs per game that Yedlin seems to have. Lima see's the game better and can combo at tempo up field. I have my doubts Yedlin will fit GB's role for RB.
Yeldin has proven the ability to play sufficiently against Man city and other elite teams for several years. Lima has proven none of that at this point. Comparing games in MLS/B2/championship to EPL is apples to oranges and I’d say that the last two USMNT games were below MLS/b2 levels. Let’s hope Lima has a great season this year and we can give him a chance vs quality opponents. Then he can transfer to a higher level.
Being a below average EPL fullback, laudatory though such may be, probably matters less than the indifferent performances Yedlin has been turning in for quite some time with the NT. As important, Yedlin isn't really a 3G-type fullback. And being a so-so player on the 16th placed EPL team likely won't be enough to make him bulletproof. See, for example, Alfredo Morales. Lima has already had a great and complete MLS season. The next step for him is a March call-up.
When we get to the point we can say "nah, the EPL pedigree doesn't give you a free ticket" is the day we can think seriously of competing for a WC. Before that day......no, not good enough. The guy who gave up the goal to Green in our friendly with France didn't see the pitch again. They went on to win the whole thing. Time to demand performance.
Maybe no one predicted it, but there was someone who wanted Lima to be called up. I don't remember who, though.
Lima may be more well rounded against lesser players but can he do it against top 4 teams or the best international teams when everything is faster? I would like a right back with Yedlin's speed and aggressiveness mixed with much better possession and a killer cross but someone needs to prove it against good teams first.
It wasn't you that I was referring to, I guess, because I don't think I've seen those posts. But, good on you to identify his skill. I have a suspicion the person I'm talking about is a particular overconfident poster who has a (constantly changing) list of 300 players under 23 that he (and very few others) thinks are ballers and reps to death, or (more commonly) until they turn out to actually not be that hot, at which point this happens (skip to 57 seconds):
Trying to figure out if this is me: a particular overconfident poster YEP who has a (constantly changing) list of 300 players under 23 that he (and very few others) thinks are ballers NOPE - DIDN'T KNOW 2/3 OF PLAYERS IN STICKIED DRAFT IN US MENS reps to death, PROBABLY NOT or (more commonly) until they turn out to actually not be that hot, at which point this happens PROBABLY NOT Conclusion: probably not me!
MLS won't sell him to Liga MX. They'll meet whatever salary Liga MX would offer him. But they will sell to Europe.
This is why Lima was on the MLS All-Star team and in the MLSoccer and Opta Best 11 at year end! Oh, he wasn't? How can a RB with such a great game and international pace not be turning the league on its head? He might be on the verge of something and credit to Earnie and Gregg for bringing him in (albeit in a camp where almost every American with a pulse under 25 was brought in) but we haven't seen it yet. It might be tough to see on a horrible SJ team, but they might be better this year. Lima needs to look like he is on another level in MLS to really get into the conversation with Yedlin or even Fabian Johnson. Wasn't that long ago that people were saying Cannon was superior to the hack in the EPL; now Cannon is hot garbage. He might go to the next level, but let's see it. Lots of guys look good in Camp Cupcake and are never heard from again.
Tough for a fullback to dominate when his team is garbage. He did have the 3rd highest WS of all the San Jose players. And until the last quarter of the season, he was typically among the best players on the field.
I remember after the epic failure down in T&T, the conventional wisdom was "toss out everyone except Pulisic, Yedlin, Brooks, maybe Wood. They are your starters you build around. Everything else is up for grabs." Kudos to Lima for taking his shot at January Camp. But I have to think Yedlin is still very much in the core of this squad. Will be interesting to see if 3G is a "select the system to fit the squad" kind of coach... or "select the squad to fit the system."
Not even in the same league. Yedlin has world class speed, his coach at Akron said he clocked him at < 4.3 in the 40. If Lima displayed anything close to that level of speed he would have been signed after his recent training stint at Herta. Yedlin v Hazzard at WC2014. It was performances like this that got him his EPL contract. Great recovery speed and fantastic 1v1 defending.
Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. I knew Yedlin was FAST but when people started comparing LImas speed to Yedlin I thought maybe I had underestimated his (Lima's) speed.
Lima is already 24.5 years old...we may see his ceiling already. Not saying he shouldn't get a shot but he's not going to be a revelation over Yedlin.