The long overdue and frank discussion about the US Midfield 2018-2022

Ok, so MB gets credit for leading his Lions to those results, but doesn't get blame for MLS start.

I should've guessed, as this is par for the course over the last 4 years.

 

I doubt many on here would call me a MB fan-boy but I don't think it's reasonable to slag MB for early season club performance: TFC has done well.

If you want credibility with reasonable people, you have to give credit when it's due as well as criticism (i.e., for being the centerpiece and captain of the disastrous 2018 cycle).

 

Yes he will be.

He will be 31 this year and 35? by the time the next World cup comes around, so sure we do need to replace him, but MB will play more games with the NT before the next cycle ends.

Dude could be in the first MLS/Canadian team that ever wins the CCL in a few weeks.

 

NEW PUSSY!

ok, this is BS, he was the leader, perhaps he should not have been, but a captain does motivate the team and helps position players while the match is going.

 

I mean did you see the TFC game vs Colorado this weekend, we should blame MB for that loss*









*please google the TFC line up first.

 

ok, I defended MB too much, people are too negative on him, just like people get too negative on Altidore.


If we have better midfielders than Bradley they sure lets play them, just like when ever we get a better forward than JA.

But I do not see them.



Rolan and McKennie are the 2 that I have seen and that I like, if this is going to be a 443 with CP as one of the wingers and Wood/Altidore/new P$$@ as the striker who is going to be the other winger? what ever happened to green?

If you are going with 3 MF I think we need a destroyer type to cover the other 2, would Rolan do well here?

 

i think that for most people there's no middle ground between he sucks and he's our best.

I think both WM and Williams (barring injury) are better than MB but think MB is in the mix and is better suited to an outside MF role.

 

I think Trapp is better than Bradley right now. In MLS, and with the USMNT. Hopefully, we hire a coach that plays some sort of 3-man midfield. Tired of watching our 2 man midfields get overrun. McKennie, Adams, Trapp would be my choice. Waiting for Trapp's job is Durkin. I don't think Kitchen, Jones, will be better. Behind Durkin is Goslin. Hopefully, by 2022, one of Durkin or Goslin has won the job.

Behind Adams and McKennie is (in no particular order) K. Acosta, Llejet, Parks, Green.

Dortmund subbed 17 yr old English winger Jadon Sancho into the central midfield yesterday instead of moving Pulisic there. Pulisic, is not a central midfielder.

 

In a real soccer country, Bradley would have retired from international soccer in shame about 6 minutes after the final whistle in Trinidad last fall.

His performance and lack of urgency in the final 20 minutes of that game alone should disqualify him from representing his country ever again.

 

But the Gold Cup, and the Mexico game!!!

 

STOP TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL ********ING BRADLEY

 

No

 

ironic coming from someone who trolls like this.

Live by the sword, die/get triggered by the sword.

 

But let's broaden the discussion to MF combinations, and CM combinations in particular. I think a lot of the frustration regarding MB is that he was part of 'every' MF combination.

I'll try to make my point as simply as possible. First, I'll rank my central midfielders as follows:

1) Michael Bradley
2) B
3) C
4) D

Now, when I ask for our best CM combination, many reflexively assume that it must be MB + B, our two best CMs (by definition).

But my experience tells me that isn't necessarily so, that (for many reasons) B + C might be a stronger CM combination than A + B, or A + C.

When you look at a 4-man (or 5-man) midfield, this principle becomes even clearer. You don't just grab the four (or five) 'best' players, you give some thought to how they will combine. Often, you try to educate yourself by mixing and matching combinations, and watching them play together.

Too often in recent years, our MF 'had' to include MB, and whatever your past opinion, it's far from clear that MB remains at the head of that list.

I'm in favor of experimenting liberally with our young CMs. Out with the old and in with the new - this year at least.

 

Here are the guys currently starting for their club teams, in central midfield, and have at least one cap in a USMNT shirt (in no particular order):

Michael Bradley
Weston McKennie
Dax McCarty
Tyler Adams
Julian Green
Marky Delgado
Sebastian Llejet
Will Trapp
Darlington Nagbe
Sasha Klesjtan
Benny Feilhaber
Alejandro Bedoya
Kyle Beckerman
Mix Diskerud
Joe Corona
Alfredo Morales
Jeff Larentowicz
Christian Roldan
Lee Nguyen

Williams, K. Acosta, are hurt. I don't think Nagbe really is playing a central midfield role in the classic sense, but whatever.

 

If we go with a DM/destroyer, I'm putting Williams in there when his fibula heals.

Tata actually has Nagbe playing better. I wouldn't be completely against trying Nagbe with a hustler like Williams. Add McKennie.

-------Nagbe-------McKennie------
--------------Williams----------------

or by the fall friendlies

-------Parks---------McKennie-----
-------------Williams--------------

or we can go 3-4-3/3-4-2-1/3-4-1-2
----------------Pulisic--------------
Saief---------------------------Delgado
--------McKennie----Parks----------

perhaps a Christmas tree
--------------Saief--------Pulisic-----------
---McKennie----Williams----Delgado--

-----------Parks------Pulisic---------
--Saief------Williams-------McKennie--

I could go on. Player pool is in flux. By Sept/Oct could see Parks playing UCL ball for Benfica and Sargent getting Bund mins. Saief and Anderlecht still have a good shot at making UCL too.

An interesting potential dynamic for me is El Sargent, who's shown flashes of having the ability to drop deep and be a fulcrum/linker. That could allow Pulisic to go wide. Or play Pulisic as a floating SS off him. Then there's Johannsson. Taitague could be in Schalke's 1st team come Aug/Sept. Then all the sudden we have a RW/AM in a likely UCL side to add to the pool.

Then there's my boy Durkin who'll have 4+ months more seasoning and may or may not have moved to Europe this coming summer.

Mikey doesn't fit. The always positionless Mikey at that. He's not a high work rate, physical DM. But he's not an 8 either. For too long we've wasted other CM's who need to cover his faults for him. That's why Williams fits for now. He'll clean up for others and let the Saief/McKennie/Parks/Delgado types focus on what they do best. And good lord if the suggestion were to be to play Mikey with a DM. Nagbe/McKennie/Delgado right now are superior there, Parks likely soon, there's an argument for Adams at times and Saief depending on the formation can play as a side 8 and brings actual skill.

 

Basically you are saying Williams instead of Trapp. I agree Bradley should retire. But I think you under-rate Trapp's passing skills. Don't look at the Crew.

And we have to think of two teams anyway: CA and GC. I don't see how we avoid having Trapp in there and I say that as somebody who is skeptical about Trapp because I don't see how you can become a good 6 playing for Berhalter.

 

I've never mentioned Trapp's passing skills.

That's not my concern with him. His lack of physical presence and projecting that to higher levels is my concern with him. I at this point can't picture him anchoring a midfield defensively at this level.

Last sentence I included his name.