Paredes didn't. Senior Serie A strugglers are nothing to write home about. That's below what Scally has in the few last years.
Well drop them to me means off the roster. Players can tested and still have to compete with them in camps
Will you play 30 years old Pulisic ahead of 21 yo Gozo if Pulisic is still slightly better? Would you drop 19 yo Mathis of the roster if he is slightly behind? Assuming that Gozo, CP, and Mathis competing for the same position?
The breakdown of those guys seems simple enough for the most part to me..... Busio: Dude probably would have been a regular in the USMNT during the bulk of the '97-'17 era. It's his national team misfortune to be born in an era where his liabilities are strong enough that hs'e been largely unplayable for us. Reasonably skilled with set pieces/free kick delivery, decent attacking and possession weapon, subpar defensively and not really athletic enough to man any of the core CM positions at the highest levels. When we struggled to fill out an XI, and lacked depth, we would have used him anyway because he'd be "good enough," just like he is at that "Serie B/Serie A Relegation Fodder," level. Kind of amazing that in two seasons, in '23-'24, and in '25-'26, he produced exactly the same amount of goal contributions (11) in 2950 and 3250 minutes or so respectively. The reality for a guy like him is that I'd roll him out in a B side Gold Cup team no problem, but I don't think there's any world where he's ever going to be anything more than 4th or 5th on the depth chart at CM even at his best. Simple enough. Cremaschi: I don't know, Sense I got from his watchers is just similar to Busio, they aren't the same player obviously, but both of them basically lack basic stuff that make them playable, with Cremaschi it seems like the core athleticism and pace and + assets. But he is exceptionally young, just 21, so maybe I'm wrong, especially with Parma deciding to buy him which suggests that maybe there is something there. At 21 he's a part of the depth in the pool for now anyway, and has more room to maybe play himself in, unlike Busio, who I just don't think has it, beyond the sort of run that Jesus Ferreira got back in '23. Paredes is much more complicated than either of them. Pre injury he absolutely had the physical and athletic tools to make it as an edge piece on the roster as a WF/WB, maybe even FB in a pinch. I think the general consensus is that his offensive game doesn't really play much, kind of like Weah, the #'s just have never been there, even pre-injury. He peaked at 6 goal contributions in 1550 minutes five years ago back in '21. Since then it's been injuries, injuries, injuries. Of the three, I think Paredes is the one with the best chance of having an international career because he probably can play some LB, certainly LWB, and a little LWF. I don't think the #'s are there to suggest he's any bit goal dangerous, but I'm not positive about that because the reality is, since he earned that transfer to the Bundelisga five years ago, he's played just about 2250 minutes and only about 300 since he had a nice little run in the Olympics exactly two years ago, so does he have value? No idea, but if he can ever get healthy again that turns into a maybe, whereas I view Cremaschi as a long shot, and Busio as a no shot (at least with the A team anyway).
I was one of Busio's bigger supporters back in the prospect and MLS days, at least relative to a lot of people really down on him. Reality is that he's always lacked the athleticism and size to be a particularly good defender, and he never really developed the consistent offense to be an attacking mid. Some of the skills are there, and there are always flashes, but there's simply not enough actions of the course of the game to play him there. He's not good on defense to be a 6, so he becomes an 8 that is fine and clearly is a difference maker in Serie B, but somewhat becomes a tweener as he moves up. I do wonder if he's one of the guys that wouldn't have been better served staying in MLS for longer. There were times he looked really good for SKC, especially showing hints of maybe becoming a difference making DLP type. But once he went to Italy, there was a ton of focus on defense and grinding and I just wonder if he had a couple more years of being the "man" if developed a stronger distribution skill set. Or whether it was never going to happen. Cremaschi is a high effort 8. I'm actually kind of surprised with his transfer and sale -- I don't know how much is Becks and Messi maybe pulling some strings. Not that he's bad at all -- but he's also a tweener. He played as an attacking mid but more as a pressing 10. He did all the running Messi wouldn't but his offense was largely as a product of others. Seems like a pure 8 on most teams and I don't really think he's going to end up much different than Tim Tillman. But kudos on the transfer and hope I'm wrong. I hope Paredes found a club that plays wingbacks. You're right -- his offense is not good enough to play winger. He's like a poor man's Weah. But he hasn't played fullback enough that people are likely to trust him there. He's very athletic and a hard worker so I hope he finds a place at wingback or fullback because I think he could carve out a Scally-esque career in the the right place.
I think in that scenario Pulisic becomes much less untouchable in his place which works out better for the team overall.
Outstanding OP and I'll leave the this-player-vs-that-player discussion to those who watch the developing talent more closely than I do. One thing I will add... The Road to 2030 is going to depend meaningfully on the manager. The role of the manager is to make the right callups, foster a team-first but also competitive mindset among the squad, evaluate individual performances, pick the right starting XI, put them in the tactical setup for them to be most successful in games that matter, and make adjustments in real time as those games unfold. Taking the whole of that role into consideration, Poch just proved himself more capable than any US manager since we began qualifying again in 1990. There are likely other managers who in theory could do as good a job, but Poch is a known quantity and entirely capable of taking us to the next level with our developing talent. He needs to be re-signed as our priority #1.
Do we agree manager is a critical, perhaps the *most* critical factor, in our road to 2030? I believe we overrate "new pussy" (believe OG credit here goes to poster @nobody) in terms of both young player pool talent and managers. What path do you propose we take with respect to the manager?
In looking at the last cycle and the Pochettino era in specific, there are a couple of things that I think we need to examine in terms of fixing. The two main issues from this last cycle for me: Team mentality. We are not consistent in bringing effort, focus or confidence to games. The collapse against Belgium might have been different than the failure at Copa or Nations League, but I don't know that they are unrelated. Even in other games like South Korea it was just apparent that the ruthless constant compliance to the plan is incredibly hard for this team. Our inability to defend effectively in any kind of passive set. I would not abandon pressing or counterpressing but we have to do better when sitting back. In particular, the Man City cut seemed to baffle us and the Belgium game was not the only game we all waited for someone else to clear a ball. We worried a lot about counterattacks, but this was far more problematic. Obviously, you try to improve the pool, period. But that's limited. So how do you improve these elements? For me, there's few a things I can think of right now: Take every competition ultra seriously. Mental toughness needs to be built; let's go on the road as much as we can; let's stop doing everything to make our players comfortable. Friendlies are good but we need to commit to every competition. Find a way to play in difficult places. Hell, screw up the plane ride on purpose. Ask for Ivan Barton. Drug everyone the night before. Insult the opposing country right before the game. No excuses. Have consequences for those who do not bring it. Try to have as much time together as possible and spend more time coaching the defense. Defense is about cohesion and coordination -- people need to make the longer camps a priority and defense needs to be worked in those camps. If Pochettino can't teach guys a passive defense, we will need a new coach -- because we're not always going to dictate terms. Make it clear that things like the Olympics are a pathway to the senior team and reward that. That's competition; it's pressure packed; it's a tournament. Take it seriously and if guys perform, reward them. It's a great way to open up the pool without giving other guys time off.
He was offered a spot in camp and spoke highly of the US program last I saw in March. I’m not sure a World Cup roaster spot was in the cards. He certainly hasn’t opted for Germany. Of course, Klopp may have a say here
I think Poch did fine. We could certainly do worse, and we have. But we could also do better (and we have). I'm in particular skeptical of multi cycle national team coaches.
To be honest, even at half the production, 11 goals in 35 starts for a midfielder in the Bundesliga is very very solid
I think manager is the most overrated factor. Don’t get me wrong let’s hire the best manager we can, but the limiting factor will always be the player pool.
I would be curious to see the data, but I have a sense that with modern advances in sports medicine and methods, the longevity of players is extending such that 31 really isn’t old and as old as it used to be Argentina just started the oldest lineup since the 1960s and they’re doing ok. Maybe it’s always been this way but it feels like there are more older players maintaining high performance now.
let’s not quibble. Getting offered a spot in the March camp - last camp before roster picked - was a very good sign. I don’t know if he was “officially” offered a spot in April or May, but it’s clear he would have been if he had accepted March call-up. Therefore I just don’t see how he selects us in the future and opts to slog through Concacaf qualifying rather than luxurious uefa matches in his backyard or less than two hours away.
Given the way, Adam’s plays, I will count us lucky if he is healthy enough in 2030 to perform as he has.
Yes, which should mean a deeper and thus more competitive pool of players. Injuries are still injuries though. No idea if Pulisic, Adams, Reyna, etc will be healthy in 2030.
He did, actually. The players' performances are what's relevant to this forum. We'll see how they perform next season. They'll all likely be in a Top-5 league then
Just read this article. Interesting reading. Curious to hear what you folks think: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_...world-cup-roster-30-players-rep-us-four-years
I think it’s fairly uninteresting and unimaginative. I don’t think Carlisle knows the player pool or youth coming through as well as some folks here.