MRob, Richards getting healthy. Trusty gatecrashing the championship. Can Sands take the Tim Ream route? What about EPB? Can McKenzie get better? Can Elliot get naturalized? And I think we all learned our lesson not to write off elder statesmen whether it’s Zimmerman, Long, even Tim Parker. Tim Ream illustrated to us all you don’t even write off the 30 year olds. Center beck is just different. Hell, did Tim Ream find the zlatan ibrahimovic juice?
Hopefully we will do better than Spain having a midfielder play central defender. The good news is that the pool is relatively young and has time to improve.
Just looking at the pure club situation for all of them, I think McKenzie, EPB and Trusty all have real good shots. They still need to continue to grow, but all 3 are locked in starters for their teams in very respectable leagues. For McKenzie, Genk specifically is running away with the Belgium league and would be in line for European games next season. Richards obviously has the blue chip label, but he is still a backup and needs to really establish himself. As for everyone else, I'd say the above four names all play in better leagues than MLS so the MLS guys are behind the curve. MRob obviously gets the inside track based on WCQ but 1) he needs to come back from a big injury and 2) needs to continue performing at a high level in MLS or move to bigger league to continue to grow.
Agree it would be big. I know Achilles aren't the career death sentences they used to be but it is still a really long way back, especially for someone like MRob that relies on athleticism, much like Long. Would love to see it but not expecting to.
I think Richards and MRob could be a great pairing IF they’re both healthy and playing at their full potential. I’m not really too confident about the guys after that, but I imagine 1-2 will step their games up in the next few years. I think McKenzie has a ton of potential, but the mental errors are absolute killers for a center back.
Incredible that Ream ended up being our top guy and that I’m worried about replacing him. A healthy Miles and Richards I think would have the pole positions…but they aren’t healthy. Also in 2018 I would’ve bet money that Brooks and Miazga would end up as the starting pair, which ended up completely wrong, so what do I know anyway. It’s definitely the position where I expect to see the most experimentation. Zimmerman, Richards, Long, Miazga, Robinson, CCV, Palmer-Brown, McKenzie, Sands and Brooks are all numerously capped players that if healthy and in form could potentially be factors, though most do not excite me. Among uncapped guys, Trusty is doing well in the championship. Che hasn’t broke through on the Bayern to Hoffenheim loanee path as quickly as Richards did, but he is younger. I am sure there are names who will end up factoring in that I am omitting. Lot of uncertainty.
ages for 2026 WC Miles Robinson 29 Chris Richards 26 Erik Palmer Brown 29 Mark McKenzie 27 Cameron Carter Vickers 28 Auston Trusty 28 James Sands 26 Bryan Okoh (if we get) 24 Kobi Henry 22 Grayson Dettoni 21 Owen Otasowie 25 Just some of the guys I can think of I know there's a dozen more that are young playing in MLS or abroad. Surely, a few of these would be ready or continue to increase their level of play by 2026. Zimmerman will be 33 Brooks will be 33 as well, maybe he'll get his form back and figure out whatever is going on.
I hope Brooks is allowed to compete for this. If Richards can get PT, he is next best in terms of having a decent passer in the CB pairing (Which should be a priority) I assume Robinson has the inside lane on the other CB spot, Zimm #2. Every time I watch trustees playing with my own eyes he underwhelms. But so many people seem enthusiastic about him that I must be seeing an unrepresentative sample.
There's no reason he can't be. He isn't young, but he isn't ancient, and he didn't take the golden parachute to go play in Saudi Arabia (in which case I'd say, "Nah, stick a fork in him, because he isn't coming back now..."). Four years is a long time. Things happen. Player pools evolve. Tactics shift. Form and health goes up and down... He's not the front-runner or even in the top 4 this time, though, like he was at the beginning of this cycle. But neither was Tim Ream. Or, at very least, Ream was at best #4.
Yeah. Five matches and 233 minutes in all competitions according to Transfermarkt. Definitely not "regular" playing time, but it could be much worse.
Mostly in cup matches vs 2nd and 3rd tier. Contract expires in June so needs to get himself visible to potential clubs he can land at.
Jackson Ragan with the Sounders could be a decent shout for a long shot. 24 years old. 6'6". Good distribution from the CB position. Solid in the air. Aggressive, needs to rein that in a little to avoid the occasional bad card. Suspect he is close to a starting spot, he had 14 starts in 2022. Could see him blowing up in the next 2-3 years.
Ragen is already 24, not yet a starter in MLS, could blow up in 2-3 years so at age 26-27... yeah a long shot. Depth in the player pool is always good just in case guys do break out. Who are other long shot CBs from MLS? Maybe Jon Bell (25) who just went from the Revs to St Louis... Atlanta's George Campbell is only 21 Chicago's Mauricio Pineda is 25 Colorado's Aboubacar Keita is 22, is he better now? DC's Donovan Pines is 24, not sure we want to see more of that... Revs' Henry Kessler is 24, and seems like the NT floor for us, which is a decent floor Philly's Nathan Harriel is 21 RSL's Justen Glad is still only 25, seems like another floor guy What do we know about 18 year old Orlando City homegrown Thomas Williams, I see he's 6'3... (too bad Mamadou Fall isn't American)
I don’t apply the same age criteria to CBs as other outfield positions. They can keep improving for longer, I think.
Tim Ream finds your lack of faith disturbing. Tim Ream has 'no intention' of retiring from the USMNT, per @ByDougMcIntyre 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JFYJEfYaz5— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) December 8, 2022
Hell I love that. Make one of the kids take his spot when they’re good enough. If that’s two years from the line so be it. Make them earn it
Tim's comments in Doug's column have a little bit of a different tone than that. He's clearly aware that the end is near. Still he has no intention of officially retiring from the group. Quick follow-up on Tim Ream: I’m told that the 35-year-old has no intention of retiring from the #USMNT https://t.co/83h6Vi8AEf— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) December 8, 2022
There is really no reason for Ream to say “I’m retired” even if he thinks it likely he’s played his last for NT. It isn’t like he would collect a pension or have a parade if he says the words.