The Kid's alright - Getting the last L'OL: Tanner Tessmann at Olympic Lyonnaise

I don’t know if those are true. But he’s miles ahead of Berhalter and LDLT, and he would’ve been useful this summer.

 

yes yes, but not useful for MLS.

 

I don't get it.

 

Me neither, though if I were to hazard a guess it'd be that he's suggesting the MNT's summer selections were designed around getting MLS in the spotlight rather than effectiveness

 

yes you do.

 

BINGO.

 

Hey, sorry I couldn't read between THOSE lines.

 

So if I understand your theory correctly…

Pochetinno…who was a generational wealth millionaire long before he entered into discussions with US soccer about the role…and likely could have made what he’s making to coach US soccer at scores of clubs throughout the world…decided to take on a “project” that the included MLS and US soccer dictating to him whom he calls in to the squad.

Do I have that right? Did I miss anything?

If I have the right..:and I didn’t miss anything…I invite you to consider re-reading that and evaluate how stupid that sounds.

Now..:had you said something like “Poch is a mediocre evaluator of talent…is also kinda lazy and is looking at this as a part time paycheck and he knows his next job is gonna pay him millions too…therefore makes roster questionable roster decisions out of pure ignorance and laziness…I would be down for the conversation.

 

1) Calm down bro, I can hear the condescension from a mile away.

2) You are putting things into my mouth I have never said. I never said Poch took this project agreeing to be dictated to by US Soccer and MLS from day one. Or that the money is somehow influencing him. I'm fairly certain he took the job believing and/or wanting to be his own man.

3) What I am saying is, however it happened, US Soccer and MLS at this point absolutely are dictating certain things to Poch. Whether that is because he wants to simply make his employer happy (go along get along), whether out of pure ignorance and/or laziness about the nature of our player pool, or maybe he just simply doesn't give a shit and looking to collect a part time paycheck, as you say; i don't know maybe all of it.

4) I do know however, two things. One, MLS and US Soccer are essentially one in the same today. MLS and its collection of Billionaire owners tell US Soccer to jump, and they ask "how high Sir?" And the longest serving member of the board of US Soccer is none other than Don Garber, and has been in US Soccer leadership for over 25 years.

Second, Pochetino may be alot of things, but he is certainly not a bad judge of talent and definitely understands the global game very well. You do not rise in the game from Argentina, spend more than a 2 decades playing and coaching at the very top levels in Spain England and France without understanding talent.

Yet given all that top tier footballing knowledge, somehow, very mediocre MLS talent or washed MLS lifer's keep getting pushed into the spotlight for the National team, just like they did under Berhalter, and probably just like they will after Poch.

Agyemang can't even trap a football, but gets called in everytime by Poch plays the entire Gold Cup, and then how about that gets a 10 million dollar transfer for MLS to England. A transfer that literally the entire world laughed at btw.

Reports coming out now that Poch not happy about the USMNT CB options, but spent the entire summer ignoring Mark McKenzie who is now captaining a good Ligue Un side. But don't worry, looks like he will call in Vancouver's CB Blackmon, a 29 y/o whose spent his entire career bouncing around between USL and MLS clubs.

So I ask you, what's more likely... a world class coach who has played and coached at the top levels of this sport. Is on a very short list for some of the most prestigious positions in the world, has completely forgotten how to judge talent in less than a year? OR maybe just maybe his employer US Soccer/MLS is having an oversized influence on some of his personel and roster selections? I know what I believe.

 

1959684248010666313 is not a valid tweet id

 

I wondered if the GC was not a chance for Poch to familiarize hmiself with some MLS players. As others note, he's got a pretty decent awareness of european footie and we don't have a competitive qualifying round to see players in "real" games... Obviously, we'll get an answer to this question soon enough, but I wondered if the GC selection was not result in some ways of "euro snobbism" - like "I know how good a guy starting in Ligue 1 or Serie A is, it's the MLS competition I don't trust...

We will see - I mentioned last game I was not yet convinced on TT's progressive passing, but that little highlight reel shows that he continues to work on sliding balls down the seam, and I always like a guy who switch fields accurately - hope he keeps pushing his attacking chops at Lyon.

 

Not called to USMNT September camp.

 

Just focus on starting for Lyon and he'll def be in the roster next time around.

 

Not called up. TBH, with Wes not called up either I would have expected Tanner to be next in line. Interesting.

 

There are a lot of others. A lot.

So many, in fact, and so different individually and collectively that the only common thread I can discern is that they were in the Nations League squad, which generally left Poch profoundky unimpressed with their levels of grit and tenacity.

Poch is trying to light a fire under people. Whether it'll work is another thing

 

TT went the full 90 in a 1-0 victory over Weah and Marseille. Marseille went down a man in the first half but couldn’t hold on as Lyon got the winner at the end.

TT played very well, aside from a missed volley attempt at the far post. It was not a sitter, but it was a very good chance that he wasted with bad contact. Otherwise, lots of good probing passes and solid D, as he was very much under control and in command. He will rue the miss, but not as much as he would if they wouldn’t have gotten the 3 points. He did play a big part in the winning goal with a header flick to an open teammate for a shot that went off the crossbar, and the ball was eventually pushed over the line in the scramble (own goal).

 

Big Tess. He's earned it.

 

Fantastic to see him gaining a foothold.

 

Tanner Tessmann vs Olympique de Marseille.

[🎥: @LeFootMeTue]
https://t.co/oV2Z38601z

— USMNT Otaku 🇺🇸 (@USMNTOtaku) September 5, 2025

 

I watched this one and was pretty impressed. Nice to see it wrapped up in 2+ minutes. Thanks for that. He really is talented. If he can play like this consistently he might be just the kind of deep lying play-maker the US has been missing. Keep it up Tanner.

 

Lots of nice clean play. The extra real estate helped, of course, but still, he settling in nicely.

 

The biggest voting bloc at US Soccer is actually the players. By law they are required to have the largest voting share.

And MLS and USSF are actually very much not attached at the hip and had a much closer relationship previously. There’s also a bunch of regional associations who don’t have the majority but have all sorts of idiosyncratic demands and tried to oust Cone during the last election. Garber is a single board member on a board of 22 people. The head of USL and NWSL also have board seats. Also on the board currently is none other than Matt Freese (which means he was elected for the role by the players).

 

So underrated. Much better than adams vision. Usmnt never had a mf like TT

 

Uh, Michael Bradley? Jermaine Jones?

 

He's really surging in his career. At Venezia, he was overshadowed by Busio but turned things around. Really pulling for him to perform this season and get on the roster.