Out now! My exclusive interview with #F95 managing director of sport @1_LPfannenstiel. Pfannestiel spoke about Fortuna Düsseldorf's difficult season and the development of #USMNT keeper SteffenRead it on @Transfermarkt now! https://t.co/7lEd1ViZhD— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) January 28, 2020
This continues be troublesome................particularly as we approach games with the USMNT that actually matter. "Zack Steffen is undergoing medical examinations by his parent club [Man City] over the next few days due to his persistent knee problem" #USMNT https://t.co/X3TRR6onAr— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 11, 2020
Steffen has a knee issue and Brugge seem to have permanently welded Horvath to the bench. I hope everyone has made peace with the fact that Sean Johnson will be #1 until the situation gets better for these two.
Ive said it before in here. Time to test some of the kids. We know what Johnson offers. We know what Hamid offers (which is why I don't need to ever see him on the roster again). It sucks for Horvath to be stuck in Brugge. It sucks for Steffen to have ongoing injury issues. But all those factors mean throw some youngsters out there and get them tested before the matches really mean something. By this fall we need to find some more depth that have a future moving forward. Hamid isn't it and Johnson probably isn't either.
Look to me this is a no brainer. We have some matches coming up that will offer some stiff competition but are not critical to WC2020. Use them smartly to get some young keepers involved to see what they have. You always have Hamid, Johnson, shoot even Guzan in your back pocket if Steffen (and Horvath) are hurt and the youngsters don't cut it. And really this applies to the field players as well.
I've discussed both Hamid and Johnson in depth, and neither are any better than at that time. They should not be on the US radar. Right now, if Steffen is out for a long time, you do need to bring in the younger guys. This is a nice read up about the GK position: https://www.prosoccerusa.com/in-dep...reveal-gap-compared-to-europes-top-5-leagues/ Just means that guys in MLS are all about the same when you look at saves a game, and that average is below other league averages. With that knowledge the difference between say Hamid and Turner would be minimal in that aspect. Of course you need to take in passing, positioning, communication and other things as well, especially for Berhalter's pass it out the back all the time approach. Another interesting analytic is Saves Above Replacement,https://www.everybodysoccer.com/eve...oalkeepers-goals-saved-above-replacement-gsar Pretty interesting to look at the table there. For those reasons, bring along Guzan for the Rimando role if you must, but play with guys like Jesse Gonzales(who if motivated and in form may be the most complete keeper we have for Berhalter's system), Matt Turner, David Ochoa, Horvath, David Bingham, heck Id rather Steve Clark be out there than Hamid and Johnson at this point in a meaningless friendly. In game Id rather see Gonzales or Horvath.
I thought it was interesting that Gonzalez was forced to improve his passing by Luchi and did but never got called by GB. Now I know he has other things he's not good at but so do all the others and they struggle more than he does at passing out of the back. Gonzalez always improves enough for me to think "this is the year" he will become great but so far he never has.
Jesse Gonzalez? He’s in possible real trouble with assault allegations. We’ll see how that works out but if true he likely wrecked his career.
Wrecked his career? For a domestic assault allegation? I realize we're living in very sensitive times (not minimizing domestic violence), but if he has enough talent, this won't do anything to his career. Vick wasn't very good, went to prison for 2 years, and is beloved now. Peterson beat his kid with a switch. Countless other examples. 2nd chances are easy to get. If the talent is there, so are 3rd/4th/5th/18th.
Yeah, he is done if the police report supports the complaints as they seem to do. Once he gets out of league mandated counseling which they have to provide before making a decision, they will have no choice. If Galaxy let Katai go for bad social media posts by his wife, the Jesse issue is a no brainer.
That will be an interesting one to see where he lands. But it does get interesting back home. We got Steffen and Horvath overseas, but back home its as wide open as its ever been, and not in a good way. I was a Gonzalez fan but without beating a dead horse, it doesn't look great for him. Marcinkowski needs to uproot Vega to get in the conversation. That should be an entirely realistic expectation. Of the current crop...…..Id take Frei over Hamid, Sean Johnson, Bono, Bingham, Guzan at this point. Tarbell has been given a new lease on life moving to Columbus, but I don't expect much to happen there either.
Guzan is done. Hamid and Johnson are decent no.3 along the way to Qatar though we need some young options real quick
We don’t. Plus young GK tend not to be ready. What we need is to see where Steffen lands and hope he continues to improve. He’s good enough. Horvath needs a new team. If he lands somewhere solid he could be the GK we need.
Eh, I still trust Guzan over Hamid and Johnson. He’s got the experience, he’s more vocal, and he’s more consistent. He might not have the raw talent, but in goal, I’ll take those first three over highlight reel saves.
absolutely this. Guzan is absolutely a better option than Hamid or Johnson. Neither of those guys are going to get better with experience, they are who they are. And an elder Guzan is more useful than either of those two, and always will be.
always is the past. You want a 36 year old Guzan? fine but recall Howard was 37 on a fatal night in T&T because his experience was trusted instead of a younger and capable keeper. surely, Hamid and Johnson have us covered for a few friendlies or so while Steffen and Horvath find better situations.
Guzan still looks solid in the MLS tho. Howard was starting to show he was past it. If we’re talking friendlies and Horvath and Steffen are out... I still want no part Hamid and Johnson. We know they aren’t good enough. I’d rather give a chance to a young up and comer and give them a taste to motivate them. Have em go 45/45
Yeah, if we had a WCQer tomorrow I'd consider Guzan. Often we've taken a #3 that's basically an assistant coach in the locker room. Nick Rimando is an example. The chances of the #1 and #2 both getting hurt in a camp are pretty minimal (althouth I remember that happening to a South American team at the World Cup.). You want somebody who you can bring on in an important match that won't pee the bed, though. If its a friendly, I don't really care who it is. We have to give a USMNT coach the right to look at whoever he wants in a friendly. Hamid? Johnson? Yeah fine. Whatever. Brad Guzan is only 35. That's not ancient for a goalkeeper.
I do. That’s how we wound up with Lovitz and a bunch of other players that don’t belong at that level consistently getting called up. Once maybe twice ok. Every time no.