Well, they have to see that international travel restrictions are lifted. You can't even begin to schedule an international event in this hemisphere until that happens. Or you think you have a general idea of when that'll happen. I don't think they're anywhere close to being able to set a date for this tournament. We should be watching the incredible difficulty MLS is having with their "MLS is back tournament." It costs a fortune to run those tests constantly, and the results are only semi-reliable. Despite all of their efforts to keep the players in a bubble, we're still having positive tests announced. That's a professional league with their own employees. Does ANYBODY out there trust CONCACAF when it comes to setting up this tournament during a pandemic? I don't know who possibly could. If I was emperor of FIFA, I'd have cancelled the 2021 U17 and U20 World Cups already. Think of all the logistics of the 2021 U20 World Cup. Only one team is qualified for the event. That's Indonesia, the host. WHo the hell is thinking of scheduling anything in Indonesia right now? You'd need to figure out qualifying tournaments all around the world. They need to get scheduled RIGHT NOW, but you can't schedule them any time soon. It's nearly an impossibility to figure out.
If Sebastian Berhalter is playing even semi-regularly, does anyone think he wouldn't be guaranteed a starting spot? I think it's too bad because I currently don't view him as a player that should be factoring into this team. If he improves, I'm all for him playing a part, but he shouldn't be taking the spot of a better player because his dad coaches the senior NT. I'd like to be wrong about how the process will go, but I remember back to the 2017 cycle with Klinsmann. Klinsmann Jr. was given a free starting spot the 2017 cycle because his father was the senior NT coach. There were many better options than him, yet he was the uncontested starter.
He played a good game but Gregg has already name checked Johnny Cardoso in numerous videos as one of his USMNT talents to watch so Johnny is a lock and Taylor Booth is another player who I also think is a lock for this team at the 6. The Sebastian Berhalter makes the u20 team scenario for me is Taylor Booth being rostered as an 8 and Bassett getting dropped so Berhalter can be the backup 6
No, I don't think Sebastian Berhalter is guaranteed anywhere near a starting spot on the USMNT. I was told that Wil Trapp would be a permanent fixture with the national team, but he hasn't played in ages.
2013-2014 Wil Trapp would be a starter but that Wil is long gone. Sebastian looked good last night but his very far down the depth chart for his own profile 6 that he won’t get a look.
this is such BS. People were saying that trapp had no business being the central hub for the USMNT and now you’ve characterized it as “if he loses the spot that he didn’t ever deserve”, that means that the decision was ever tenable. SMH on these new posters who come out just to support the MLS biased status quo that has led us to missing a World Cup and the biggest drop in the world rankings in decades.
This thread is veering into Sir This Is A Wendy's territory so I'll just pop in to announce that based on Philly's Harriel announcement, he's now a pro with Union 2 and will join the first team next year, which means I get to tick a box on a spreadsheet, which I'm sure is the real reason we're all here. https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/p...gn-defender-nathan-harriel-homegrown-contract I now count at least 29 of 37 players in the "official" (meaning called in at least once) U20 pool on pro contracts so far. Of course this "cycle" is a mess, in a general sense. But still noteworthy to see more guys get signed. Here are the ones who haven't yet that I know of: Benalcazar Nico Boateng Kwabena Harper Cameron Hoffmann Ian Pierre Kurowskybob "Bobby" Ritchie Stuart Schulte Patrick Stojanovic Stefan
I think there’s a very real possibility that Berhalter and Bassett are the starting CM’s. Berhalter son of the USMNT head coach and Bassett a player the U-20 coach integrated into first team football. Meanwhile, Booth, Tessman, Cardoso are bench players or not on the team. I hope not, but it has to be a worry for fans.
I’m absolutely sure you understand the difference. The Trapp example is more comparable to Bassett (coach very familiar and big fan of player from club career) with Hudson. You’d hope Bassett isn’t guaranteed a spot either. Berhalter is comparable to Klinsmann Jr in 2017, as I already mentioned.
Not only will Bassett not be dropped from the 20's roster but he will be named the captain of that squad as long as Hudson is coaching. The only way to leave him out of the roster is injury.
I, personally, worry that all the tournaments for the next two years, both international and local, will be crappy MIB variety.
I'm chiming in to say that Sebastian Berhalter appears to have been called up for one U16 camp back in late 2016 and that's the entire extent of his YNT career. Just something to keep in mind.
Thats what I'm expecting. I think some underestimate the influence of a coach having only coached one of the players before and having given that player their introduction to pro soccer. At the same time, I think there's a little wiggle room there. If Tessman is playing every game in MLS, Bassett isn't, and Booth is continuing to play well at Bayern, I think there will be some pressure for Hudson to not start Bassett. With Berhalter, I think there will either be an order from above (which would be really corrupt) or Hudson will think its not worth risking his job to not start Berhalter.
Possibly. The chances of Tessman playing every MLS game **with healthy, crowded midfield and itching to play** are slim to none. He could see action with North Texas which is better than nothing. Orders from above...that's how soccer works to a degree here and the rest of the world. Welcome to FIFA-land.
I think that if it was a normal year, Tessman would have gotten plenty of playing time. Extended U23 absences of Pomykal and Servania (for CONCACAF Championships plus hopefully Olympics) plus Honduras callups for Acosta.....................would have opened up routine playing time. Of course then both Tessman and Roberts could have been gone to U20 camps. Now none of them are playing at all anyway, much less MLS games.
Agree. Lineup predictions for the first North Texas game coming up? I hope Luchi allows the academy players to debut, but also understand there is an abundance of first team players needing some minutes.
I think the young first team players should get minutes. The challenge for FCD is that once the MLS is Back Tournament finishes, the rest of the league will be "match fit." FCD is basically in preseason mode. Their only hope of meaningful games is these NTSC games on the calendar. Do you know if they're actually back to training? I imagine that once the team returned from Florida, they were put in quarantine for another 2 weeks. I really want to see Dante Sealy take a step forward with that team in 2020. Take his game to the next level to show he's ready for first team minutes. If he does that, then I think US U20 inclusion is likely.
Dante was the player I am also hoping to see. If Dante comes back in the same form he had at the end of 2019 then he should be getting FCD looks and potentially u20 looks as well (he’d be the top 03 winger). The big worry is that Dante is just inconsistent. He’ll ball out one game and then be invisible the next. That happens with young players (Chris Garcia who many rate is like this) but hopefully Dante outgrows it
I believe there was an interview for NTSC’s coach last year that stated FCD 1st teamers that need game time will always take priority over players at NTSC. Pomykal, Tessman, Servania, Cerillo, Ferreira should all hopefully see PT with them. My big issue with the MLS is back tourney is there will be large swaths of teams just sitting around for a month as the elimination rounds progress.
Yes today but only did "activation". They have a couple of weeks to be match fit? I'd expect some midfielders to make the NTSC bench this weekend, or possibly for the second game. It's been said before here, Dante was probably one of the players most impacted by the lack of activity in 2020. He may be one of the ones making the roster for NTSC early in their season.
Curious if anyone else happened to catch 2003 Cade Cowell playing a few minutes for the San Jose Earthquakes during the MLS is Back Tournament? Holy Cow is he jacked! I was told by a reliable source that he put on 25lbs of muscle during the lockdown. Kid is built like a Greek God now. I was also told that Wondo has taken him under his wing and is teaching him finishing and mental game preparation. I know he’s on the younger side for the U-20s, but don’t be surprised if he makes the roster as a super sub that comes off the bench to burn tired defenders.
Still is buried under Gio Reyna, Uly Llanez, Konrad De La Fuente, Cam Harper, and Matko Milijevic. Cade may struggle to actually make the team for his own age group who has Dante Sealy, Kevin Paredes, Chris Garcia, and Fabrizio Bernal. The 2023 team will also have numerous 04’s and 05’s who he has to beat out like Fede Oliva, Leo Torres, Quinn Sullivan, Gage Akalu, Chris Thaggard, and a whole lot more
That’s a pretty unfair assessment considering Gregg has no history of doing that with his son. When he was the coach/gm he could have offered Seb a homegrown contract but didn’t do that. Seb will earn his time like everyone else. You must not know Gregg well if you think he is going to force others to give his kid a role he hasn’t not earned.
To answer your question, I don't know Gregg, at all. Never met him. Has Columbus ever offered a homegrown contract to a player straight from the academy? As best as I can tell, they haven't because they don't have a reserve team to play them in, so I wouldn't use the lack of a homegrown contract offer right out of the academy reasoning as evidence that there won't be favoritism towards Sebastian. It might've been that they wanted to, but there was no viable pathway for him there. Or maybe they didn't, but the lack of a pathway is enough to push-back against the lack of a homegrown contract offer right out of the academy being evidence that Sebastian would never receive preferential treatment due to the status of his father. I'm not even suggesting an order of favoritism will come from Gregg. It tends to happen that when you work so closely with a colleague or you work under them (there might be aspects of the job where Hudson reports directly to Berhalter as opposed to McBride or Stewart) that you don't see the need to anger them or cause any controversy over what might amount to small decisions. If its close, do you really think that Sebastian's going to be the last man left off the team? We can all suggest that nepotism or favoritism should never occur, but of course it does. There are so many examples in the history of sports where the coach of the team or an important figure's son/daughter gets elevated to positions they wouldn't have without a famous parent. Sometimes its not even parents. It can be relatives, which shows how strong this type of tide can be. We also have a recent example of USMNT head coach with a son eligible for the U-20 NT that didn't deserve a spot on the team but had the uncontested starter spot the whole cycle to the detriment of the team. I'm not blaming Jurgen for Jonathan's position either. Maybe he influenced things and maybe he didn't. I have no idea, but it doesn't really matter. There's evidence that he was elevated beyond what he deserved. Clearly that was because of who his father was. I also find it highly peculiar that Sebastian is all of a sudden playing games in MLS and is viewed as a high-level prospect. It's possible that it's crazy luck that Gregg's son from the academy is the one that improved so much to earn MLS playing time so early, but Sebastian was not regarded as that high level of a prospect. It's peculiar that he all of a sudden has become one as Gregg's status has risen.