Post-match: USA vs Panama friendly 10/12 (R)

this is more a late clarification on my part that the current height angle, but when i said neither brenden nor malik are able to play centrally at this level due to lack of physical "presence"- you dont have to big (height or weight/muscle) if you can play around bodies, but if you cant you have to be able to hold them off, ride tackles, etc.

speed of thought, agility and balance (which lack of height benefits)- along with world class skill- trumps bodies being thrown at you. its easier to find space with 7 or 8 guys occupying the same 20 yard radius the smaller, and simply better, you are.

aaronson and tillman are good-very good players, but they cant hold off, ride, or avoid anything. the burden of "quality" is on them, which is why 5 rando haitian defs/mids completely neutralize them.

in fairness, our complete inability to stretch the field certainly doesnt help.

depending on system/play brendan is a really useful guy to bring off the bench, either on the "wing" or centrally as another presser, runner, "rando" number for us. tillman doesnt have that. maybe as a second striker, but not as a playmaker- and not on the wing.

poch better have a really sharp learning curve, cause we cant even start to talk about who can help us when theyre not in a position/role they very literally cant. brendan cant, cant, cant play as a 10 at a real level (i dont care how much he runs and "competes"); i seriously doubt malik can either but of the two hes not the one you push out wide.

 

Sometimes you want 4th gear, sometimes 1st.