I think the thing with someone like Taylor Booth, is he started kind of slow to start the season and by the time he picked things up it was too late for him to get any consideration. Ledezma has also not really played a ton this season and got hurt right when he started to get going. He very much needs a loan and a situation where he can get some more regular playing time. The guys I wish Berhalter had taken more of a look at are mostly MLS based to be honest (Tolkin, Vazquez, Pomykal, Williamson, Parks, etc). I don’t know if their game would have translated or not. It may very well have not. But the European players left of the roster who all played in qualifying (except Tillman) were Steffen, Bello, Brooks, McKenzie, EPB, Cannon, Tillman, Pepi, Busio, Sands, Hoppe, KDLF, and Pefok. I might have taken McKenzie or EPB instead of Long, Cannon instead of Moore, and Tillman instead of Roldan, but I don’t think any of those 3 choices makes a difference. I would have taken Pepi instead of Wright, but I also don’t think that makes a huge difference. The biggest weaknesses on this team were lack of depth at the midfield and outside back and we don’t have great options on that front.
He very clearly did not. MLS players were a small part of the squad, and none of them started every game. The core of the team -- the players he actually staked things on -- were all Euro-based. And that's as it should be, since they're our best players. I like these players and want to see them over the next year, but there's little reason to think they were ready. The list of Euro players who should have been called in is actually pretty short: Pepi (definitely), Tillman (maybe), EPB (maybe), Pefok (maybe). Potentially useful players, but not great replacements for an exhausted Wes or Musah or Adams.
Come now. He has two goals against Guyana and an assist against Cuba. People had a shitfit when he was benched for Morris in the Gold Cup, but it was exactly the right call. The guy is relatively fast and can beat really low level teams on the dribble, but I doubt many people could tell you the difference between him and say, Chris Mueller. I think Mueller probably has a broader skillset.
Yes, he does, which means he got a really good shot at showing his worth (and building depth in the team). His 2 goals were against Guyana, and the assist against Cuba. And no one has advocated for further call ups despite his goals/assists record. He's currently 27, so should be in his prime. Where is he now? Without a club. The point I was making is that there's always a really long list of "European" players that are better than whoever Berhalter picks and "should have been called up", but seldom (see: never) are mentioned ever again if they are called and then drop off big time from the hype. And, all the while, it's the coach who remains an idiot who's "throwing shit at a wall, hoping something will stick".
Why come,on? Those stats are are facts. Not sure who was upset when he was replaced by Morris. Mueller has 2 Caps, 2Gs, 1A. Mihailovic has 6C, 1G. Jesus has 16 Caps, 7Gs, 4As. 6Gs came against T&T(2) and Grenada (4).
Why is it always about Europe with you? Cannon (MLS) was a better USMNT RB prospect than Lima (MLS). Acosta (MLS) was a better USMNT CM/DM prospect than Trapp (MLS) and Yueill (MLS) Adams (MLS) was a better USMNT CM/DM prospect than Trapp (MLS) and Yueill (MLS) Williamson (MLS) was a better USMNT CM/DM prospect than Trapp (MLS) and Yueill (MLS) Busio (MLS) was a better USMNT CM/DM prospect than Trapp (MLS) and Yueill (MLS) Dotson (MLS) was a better USMNT CM/DM prospect than Trapp (MLS) and Yueill (MLS) Robinson (ECL) was a better USMNT LB prospect than Lovitz (MLS) Musah (La Liga) was a better USMNT LB prospect than Lletget (MLS) Would you like to post In bold large font some of the nonsense you have posted in the past about other prior managers.
Wait why is Tyler Boyd of all people being discussed in a thread about the US vs Netherlands game at the 2022 World Cup?
Because anyone who isn't on the roster is, ipso facto, better than anyone who is. It's an obvious conclusion if you start with the premise that Berhalter is always wrong.
I'm not sure what you mean by "it's always about Europe with (me)", and I'm much less sure what you are trying to say with that list. I get the sense that you've completely misunderstood my post. Generally, our best players play for European clubs. We also have LOTS of players at European clubs who are NOT our best players (at this time). We also have lots of players in MLS who have varying degrees of ability. We have a much smaller pool of players in other places around the world. All of these players, of course, vary in age and stage of development no matter where they are. Being in "Europe" doesn't mean that you're necessarily better than someone playing in MLS. Clearly (I shouldn't have to say it, but I will) playing in MLS doesn't mean that you're better than someone playing in Europe--but that's never been anyone's opinion anyway. Regarding your last sentence, there's only one prior manager you could be referring to. But I have no idea why he's relevant at all.
I think the mod should close the thread and these non match related posts can find their way to the proper threads.
I'm a huge Ledezma fan. He has the technical ability and soccer IQ that is unusual to see in an American player. It's always been the athletic ability in him that I wonder about though, he's not a particularly big guy and his speed and explosiveness are maybe average at the highest levels. That injury derailed him for sure but at some point soon he is going to have to force himself into the starting lineup at PSV. I'd speculate that even without the injury it may have been tough for him to have broken into Gregg's roster this cycle. He does not fit the mold of a GGG midfielder, he's not a ball winner or athletic marvel. If you watch him with PSV he gets by defensively largely with his awareness and positioning. Gregg was incredibly reluctant to bring on LDLT and it would have been no different with Richie, maybe worse. He played wing in his one short cameo with the Nats and he likely would have had to break in at the position, and that was not going go happen. Maybe eventually he might have been given a shot in Luca's role, Richie is the better player of the two IMO. In any event, my view is that a hypothetically healthy Ledezma would have been an asset in qualifying, particularly against a bunkering side. Those two precision assists that he had to Soto in that Panama friendly were exactly what we were lacking all cycle. Hopefully he factors in the next cycle but it's going to be an uphill climb for him, competition is only going to get tougher. I'm rooting for the kid though as I really enjoy watching him play.
To be fair, it's possible to imagine these guys getting looks with the team (and even doing well) in the near future. From there, it's at least in the realm of possibility to suggest that they could have been brought in 6 months earlier and been available in Qatar. (I don't think they were ready, but it's not complete fantasy to suggest otherwise.) But Boyd or Holmes or whomever? The great bulk of our European players are justly not going to be part of the team. The idea that there are obviously superior options to our small contingent of domestic players is bunk, in most cases.
No actually those would not be the same thing at all... Tyler Boyd is more like Kenny Saief or Jonathan Lewis than Taylor Booth or Richie Ledezma, in that we have already seen plenty of him with the national team, decided no thanks, and don't need to see more...
Re: the reluctance to play LDLT, a minor injury may have had something to do with it. LDLT was listed as "out until 11/23" in the pre-game injury report for the Wales game. He was not listed on subsequent injury reports, but it may be fair to assume that he wasn't 100%.
You are underrating Ledezma's speed. That's what makes him a very good option going forward. The combination of technical ability, IQ, passing AND speed.
a third isnt really small, and the start of games wasnt our problem. the complete inability to see them out was- due to a poor and/or mismanaged bench. so- you wanna talk more about where those mls players were? and who came on? cause it wasnt prem or bund cms in the cm. it wasnt bund fbs.
There’s a lot in this post where we have different views, but to not get into the weeds, I think the first bolded part is a great place to start. Let’s start with Ledezma. The kid can’t even get off the bench in the Dutch league. I’ve stopped checking in on PSV games because I’m sick off watching him watch games from the bench. Do you think for a 2nd the Dutch would pick a kid like that for their side? Obviously you’ll agree with me that he wouldn’t come within a country mile of their side (how many full roster of 26 players could they pick before he would even be a consideration?). Why? Because he can’t compete with the quality of players the Dutch have. Booth? He’s starting to compete and it would be nice to see some consistency in his play. Remember Busio put in some nice shifts before he fell off too. In the end I just don’t see either of these players nor other Euro players or MLS players able to play against the Dutch straight up. We needed a plan B and we never got one. I’m on record as saying we needed to develop a crew of players that could scrap (MLS or second rate Euro guys) that could could have been tested during qualifying on the road... ala Panama away, to hold defensively and try to nick a goal on the counter. If we could have developed that, that crew would have been handy to finish off the Wales and Iran games. None of this should be important next cycle as I see our depth actually being where it will need to be to be able to bring on subs and play like you think a Ledezma or Booth would have this WC.
That's all fine. I'm not diagnosing what went wrong. My point is simply that the claim (Berhalter staked the tournament on MLS players) is obvious bunk. The players that Berhalter actually found indispensable and which were actually at the heart of his plans were all Euro-based. They did well, on the whole.
Right and then the players on the bench listed as midfielders were Aaronson, LDT, Acosta, and Roldan. So if we can remove the idiotic league tags, and just look at each player and the breakdown. (Serious tangent, I think the discord would be much better if players were judged as individuals and than some representative of the league they play in AND then posters wouldn’t be inclined to defend positions they have about leagues through players). So for me, the player to let the USMNT down the most by a country mile was GIO. Because he used the WC as a platform to act like a 2 yr old, Morris (who was an emergency “try shit” roster pick) ended up playing minutes. I don’t agree with the assessment he was some disaster, but he was no Gio and we all knew that going in. Could Booth or Ledezma played there instead? Sure. Would they have been playing out of position on the wing (and you know damn well IF Ledezma or Booth played poorly there, posters would be outrage posting that the coach misused the players as wingers). More cascading effects were that Aaronson ended up being used as a winger in some of his minutes instead of a CAM/#8. Here Ledezma or Booth make more sense as they are better fit for that role. They seem like an upgrade to and Acosta #8 or a Roldan. The real question I’d have is could they compete with a midfield like the Dutch’s? My intuition is no. We would have had to switch up formations and styles of play to navigate the Holland game once our starters faded. I’m not going to defend a Roldan pick nor will I claim Ledezma or Booth change our teams fate. Bottom line for me is I give Adams credit for not beating the shit outta Gio in the locker room after the Dutch game for ruining their WC run. Gio should have been the story; a young kid coming off the bench to win games for us when opponents pushed at the end of games AND Aaronson would have come in @ midfield to give us that counterattacking presence in midfield. Ledezma or Booth? Let’s judge them by how significant of a roll they can play in Gold cup or Copa America in two years.
xavi simons is a bench player on the same club as ledezma who made the dutch roster and got minutes in Qatar.... because of greggs overinfatutation with all things MLS we never got to vett the euro pool so its all conjecture..... advocating that we shouldve gone with the unproven untested euro guys over the PROVEN not good enough MLSers seems more than obvious to me. i never said i know for sure that players like booth and ledezma are good enough right now to be good enough to do anything in qatar.... but for me i take them over known quantities that are lacking. greggg passed out roster spots based on something other than winning. which was total BS.
Comparing Ledezma to Xavi Simons is quite ridiculous: Xavi Simons isn't a bench player. He's started every league game for PSV this season, and has 8 goals and 4 assists there. He's got an additional 60 minutes in Champions League play, and 360 in Europa League (and another goal there). He's got over 1500 minutes this season, including only those 3 competitions. He's 19 years old and, while transfermarkt isn't some be-all end-all for quality, they value him at $18M, which is more than all but the top 5 valuations on the USMNT, and 21 times Ledezma's valuation (which, at $850k is below everyone on our WC roster, including Shaq Moore). Ledezma--who may become a very good player in time--has 410 minutes in the same competitions for his career. He's 22 years old. Richie Ledezma didn't belong on the WC roster in any universe.
Again. Are you attempting an honest argument? Do we need to compare stats or are you willing to acknowledge how different those two players are?