Pre-match: US v South Korea, Sept 6 2025

Now what might be fun is to use one and tell it all knowledge comes strictly from BigSoccer.

 

All the what??

 

All the BS comes from BS.

 

Per usual not calling in the “correct” backup RB shows everything some need to know about the coach /s

 

People like that should give it up (fandom not life of course). Stop making your life so dreadful. It can’t be fun or life giving.

 

Use AI like others have done but restrict AI to only using BigSoccer for any research.

 

Lol ya i was joking about bigsoccer containing knowledge

 

That was kind of the joke. What's worse is it still is probably more than the most other places. We may not be bright but at least we care and watch!

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/65...nt-norwich-transfer-deadline-wolfsburg-usmnt/

Josh definitely has his head on straight and I think his approach with the staff is basically perfect in terms of what they want to hear.

 

Hope he does well. Would only be better for the national team. Does confirm that family was his reason for staying put in the UK.

 

While Sports Illustrated Stadium (FKA RBA) historically has one of the best surfaces around, they just recently relaid new turf that probably won’t root much by Saturday. Expect another shoddy pitch for the USMNT.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rbny/comments/1n4g93f/new_pitch_is_struggling/

 

Calling up Zawadski and Banks in the same camp, along with saying this is the last camp players have to prove themselves, makes me think Poch realizes that our biggest weakness is the CB spot next to Richards and is looking for solutions. I wonder if Zawadski starts one game and Banks the other

 

Anytime a players is brought in and the position listed isn't what you think they actually play it's a guessing game. Forward /mid, CB / mid etc. If they don't play the puzzle isn't solved. Perhaps the coach wants to see which they are better at or even if they can play a hybrid where they play d mid but drop deep between the center backs when the outside backs attack. So ... wouldn't surprise me if neither of those newbies play.

 

Its unclear. He has Ream, Blackmon, and Zawadksi on top of Banks.
My guess is we're going too see two different partners for Richards. The two that impress the staff the most in training. Banks could just be there for a "getting to know you" camp. He's barely played in Germany for quite some time.

I think you're definitely right though. Pochettino was an international-caliber CB.
He knows the position.

..........................and he's still searching for what he wants.

CBs he's called up since taking over:

Noahkai Banks
Tristan Blackmon
George Campbell
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Mark McKenzie
Tim Ream
Chris Richards
Miles Robinson
Auston Trusty
Walker Zimmerman
Sean Zawadski

Ream is fading fast. His metrics show a guy that can pass the ball, and that's about it. He's somehow 3rd percentile in tackles per 90 amongst CBs in the next 14 leagues. We're not talking about comparing him to players in Ligue 1 and Mark McKenzie here. Not 93rd percentile. 3rd percentile. 3 out of 100. He's 43rd percentile in interceptions per 90. 47th percentile in Aerials won per 90.

Tim Ream, at this point, must just be the glue holding the locker room together. His behavioral characteristics must be so great in the locker room that they overcome some of the challenges he's having. And that' might be true. Cuz its clear that his leadership has been important. He's Poch's captain. But will he actually be the one playing at WC26?

FBref does this thing where it provides you with players of similar metrics to your selected player. TIm Ream's comps are disturbing at this point. Its like guys who play in Peru.

............................when we look at profiles of passing CBs in MLS, we see Sean Zawadksi and Triston Blackmon.

You look at Sean Zawadski's comps and it AUTOMATICALLY goes to Triston Blackmon and Miles Robinson. Youri Baas of Ajax. That kind of thing. [Miles Robinson has good passing metrics this year. I don't necessarily think of him that way, but he does.]

Pochettino wants to play it out of the back. We know that's his thing. These are the guys who do it?

I'm happy to be looking at Zawadksi, Blackmon, and Banks. New options. I understand its late in the cycle. With Robinson of questionable fitness as well (he's missed Cincinnati's last two games) these are options.

I think we haven't seen the end of Cameron Carter-Vickers. Ya know, his passing metrics are also quite good. We used to talk about playing CCV in defensive midfield back in the day. I don't have eyeballs on the SPL enough to know if those metrics mean anything in these games that Celtic completely dominates.

 

I would guess Ream and Richards start both games and the others get sub opportunities.

 

Who the hell knows? But I don't know the point of calling up "new faces" to evaluate and then start Ream/Richards in both games. If you really want to test Zawadski and Blackmon, then test them. IF they fail, and we lose, then you learn something. That's what friendlies are for............................

 

I think the test is the trainings. I think you could get promoted to a game day test, but if you fail in training, you fail in training. As literally everyone with sense is saying, if Morris was ahead of Berhalter and Zawawhatever in MLS, and is now killing it in the championship, calling in those guys makes less than zero sense. How much depth at the 6 do you need to check, really? You really think Zawawhatever can start or be an immediate sub at L or R CB in a WC? If so, then we are already getting grouped before stepping on the field. It's absolute idiocy, just like the roster in general. It just is, and is obviously so, some of the decisions make tiny bits of sense at the edges (Celentano), many others make zero (Zawa, Klinsmann for instance).

 

I've been busy, and haven't returned to this thread.

You are confusing me with someone who gives a ******** about clubs during an international window.

One of the few things FIFA does right, is mandatory international attendance, and national team managers that don't take advantage are derelict in their duty.

I know this is a minority opinion, but when exactly have we benefited from playing nice with the clubs?

Did we get any releases of top age group players for the Olympics?

Did we get anyone released from the Club World Cup despite their lack of playing time there?

I don't think so…

 

The post I responded to was this:

It's very apparent that McKennie in particular is not in camp no because Poch thinks he's a worse soccer player than those guys but for other reasons.

Why do we have to go through literal days of people pretending this was a scouting decision? Just to get mad? Just because you think no one will notice? Do you really think that Poch thinks all those players are better than McKennie?

As for the "leave at club" component -- if he indeed was left behind for this reason (and not something disciplinary) this isn't about being nice to Juventus. It's about helping McKennie secure playing time because if he goes a whole year riding the pine, that's doesn't help us.

 

Maloney has barely played since moving to Mainz.
That appears to be a move that was good for his accountant, but maybe not his playing career.
And when I say barely played, its like a total of 60 minutes spread over 8 games. He's gotten just garbage time minutes here and there.

Tessmann isn't a CB. According to transfermarkt he's played zero professional first team games at CB. [I remember him playing there a little bit in the FCD academy.]

Sands? He could make a roster as a CB/DM in the manner of Zawadski.
Although of late Zawadski is more CB and Sands is more DM.

I will not be surprised if Sands gets a look prior to the World Cup.

I was sort of surprised to see him start the season in the form he has after his bad injury. Maybe Pochettino has been too........................

There's nothing wrong with Pochettino wanting to take a look at Blackmon and Zawadski. We can argue that we shouldn't be looking at new faces at this point in the cycle. But if we are, there's nothing wrong with these two choices.

 

Berhalter is arguable over Morris, who's had more struggles w/ the USMNT than Seb. He was better at GC than Aidan's ever been. Last we saw Morris, he was chasing shadows & turning it over @ Mex.

Now it may be Berhalter enjoyed more favorable conditions with all home games. And he did have a tough debut v. Switzerland. But Morris has scuffled vs. the likes of Jamaica.

That one isn't an unreasonable call-up choice. I lean toward both being standout 2nd tier leaguers who can't translate against better comp, due to not being fleet enough afoot or quick w/ the ball.

But Berhalter is the new trial, who hasn't failed yet. Then it'll be onto the next, or just circling back to the obvious names in the end.

 

This appears to be a big attitude change between Pochettino, a guy who has coached at these kinds of clubs.........................and previous USMNT managers.

Its started right from the first camp when he sent a guy like Pulisic home prior to the Mexico game. Why? Just to not overuse him.

I do think that kowtowing to these Euro clubs has gone too far. This has to be the last camp we do that for. In October, it must be "all hands on deck" no matter what.

 

Roldan added.