Shrug. In a friendly like this I give the coach license to play whomever the hell he wants. If he wants to take a look at Llanez, he can take a look at Llanez. After all, Llanez scored the game winning goal in the friendly against Costa Rica after the January camp.
Uly hasn't been terrible or anything. Just needs more seasoning. One theme across the board so far for 1 1/2 games is the inability of just about every USMNT player to serve a great cross on the run. Dest is fantastic but needs to improve on his crosses from both sides of the pitch and Cannon needs work as well. At any rate... aside from the goal against the run of play I would give the squad a solid B+ thru the 1st half. Most of these guys have never played significant minutes together... and they are all so young. Adams, Wes and Musah in the middle = $MONEY$. Can't wait for CP and Morris to be involved up front as well. Lastly... Gio has the potential to be our best player ever. Whatever weaknesses he has can be remedied over time. What a talent.
You seem to be under the impression that I was critical of your comment. I wasn't. Llanez isn't up to the level of the others. I agree. Llanez has made 2 first team appearances in club soccer. Both as a substitute. He's raw compared to the others. But I also give license to Berhalter to play the guys he wants in friendlies. Remember when Klinsmann called up a player from the NCAAs and these boards went ballistic? The kid ended up being Jordan Morris...........................
I remember a lot more outcry when he called in Miguel Ibarra from NASL than Morris, but your point is taken. Random friendlies are the time to bring guys in for looks.
Sometimes I think national team coaches call up players they see big upside in to aid their club career. Maybe GB wants clubs to play Llanez and Konrad more and if they play well for the US and get a bit of swagger going back to their team than can be accelerated. Klinsman did that for a few also as in Bobby Wood and Morris.
Yeah I'm all for that...I give JK huge props for players like Wood and Morris....(GB hasn't quite lived up to that)... .... the margin of error is slim and the risk is not nothing. there isn't an endless supply of these games to try out everyone and in the end what happens is inferior players are chosen to final rosters in tourneys because they are the convenient options...who ar "familiar" with the group. when youth players are duds...it seems worse than when a "deserving" player doesn't perform as well....and there are alternatives. The coach needs to be more sure of these types of players...it brings down the level of the team and effects the performance and assessment of those around them....when a player who isn;t ready is thrown out there and found wanting. If there were simpy no first division players at their positions that would be one thing. but its not.
Second half... not great for quite awhile. Then we started scoring again. My biggest take away from late in the game is GB only gives Soto a token appearance and the kid scores two goals in about 10 minutes. Good goals too. I think GB's talent evaluation needs some work Id like to add also that based on what I've seen, I see no reason to ever call in many of the MLS players GB likes. This includes Bradley and Jozy at the top of my list and others too. These kids have a ton of skill and they have to be used... now
Well... I had to wait for it... but Richie and Cannon w/ picture perfect crosses to close it out. Richie in particular was just throwing darts out there... from the run of play and on both of his corners. Legit. Star of the show in the 2nd half goes to.... Soto. Richie putting two perfect balls into the mixer but the way Soto tracked and attacked the ball was very impressive. Giocchini deserves props as well... but that was one terrible PK... and while his goals were crucial and showed good positioning they were pretty much sitters. Actually did some of his best work in transition so I don't want to take too much away from him. Happy for him.... But I think I might start Soto ahead of him. At any rate... I guess it is normal for a team to shut off now and then but the US took too much time off in the 2nd half.... if they are playing a better team then they may have found this one level at some point.... However, they finished w/ some of the prettiest offensive football I have ever seen from them amidst the right corner... the interplay between Weah, Wes, Richie and Cannon was a thing of beauty late. Other things I noted.... I feel so much better having Johnny as another option at the 6 behind Adams. He isn't at Tyler's level but he seems to position himself pretty well. Hoping Sands can get a look too when the MLSers get a shot. The 6 is such a crucial position and we need quality options there considering Adams' history of picking up knocks. Wes was the MVP of the window IMO. He has always shown hustle on O and D but his skill w/ the ball has grown by leaps and bounds. I hope Pirlo was watching because he certainly belongs at Juve.... and not as just an afterthought sub.
Unless you've got something against Little Elm, TX, I just don't understand what an American soccer fan could possibly have against Weston McKennie.
thanks but no. perhaps it was someone else? definitely wasnt Conrad. the linked report was written evaluation followed by clips demonstrating. Much of the video was of him sending long cross field passes from deep on the left side. If was focusing pirimarily on his ability to hold the ball and passing ability, The one negative that I remember was a mention of how he needs to learn to draw pressure a bit more before passing, followed by him starting deep with no pressure and passing unsuccessfully without drawing pressure. It also followed that analysis with one where he drew pressure before passing successfully. all of the footage that I remember was usynt footage. I don't remember any club footage. As you say, it has been bugging me. I think it was in the youth national team section. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out what I saw and were it was.
While I agree with you about McKennie's play, I thing the biggest plus was the leadership that by all accounts he seems to have shown. We seem to have several players that are excellent leaders. Adams seems to be a different type of leader but also one that the team will be able to rely on going forward. Edit: I think we all have known that he has leadership qualities but he just seems to have taken it to a different level now.
Weston has to be renamed somehow. He plays like Jermaine, looks like Jermaine, even tackles like Jermaine. He has to be Weston Jones, or Jermaine McKennie or something. He is the engine this team needs to be built around. I would say I hope he reigns in his desire to steam down the flanks at times. He should rarely, if ever, leave the middle of the park.
The goals Soto scored are real striker goals. The accuracy to beat the keeper at the near post with a header at full stretch, as well as the placement of the header on the first goal (which would have been even better had the Panama defender not handled the ball on the way by), was great placement as well. Well done by the kid in his limited minutes. I wish I understood the decision to play the first striker (can't spell his name) over Soto from the start. I worry that Soto will take that a little bit badly and reconsider his allegiances over the next few months. They both did well and I think the starting striker was good, but Soto looked really composed and really fits the profile.
I see McKennie and Adams as the only elite DMs we have, and complementary ones at that. I don’t see the flaws others see in either’s game going forward on the pitch. I have read that Adam’s can’t see or make the long through pass, but I see him do it well, consistently. I don’t see lack of tactical awareness. To the contrary. So I don’t understand thinking that doesn’t put elite talent in the positions and situations that maximize its value. Ditto Dest, who should be at RB, Pulisic at LW, and an actual 9 playing the 9. I think it will eventually become obvious that the same is true of Reyna at CAM. (Right now Morris and several others are better RWs than he is.) Never has a USMNT had more of the puzzle pieces in his hands. He shouldn’t be cramming them into spots they “almost” fit. He should be sliding them into the easy fits.
maybe we can just rename Jones? prefer Weston and don't think Weston Jones has the same ring that McKennie has