We may have our first Poch blacklist player: Sargent. How do we feel about it? Is it justified?

Discommendation

 

Ok this is pretty good.

 

One of the best things that has happened is Poch taking over. It has seriously slowed all of the inanity of MLS quota talk and the foolishness of how it was all the various MLS-adjacent coaches' fault for poor team performance. We can finally get back to talking about the players winning and losing games, regardless of where they play. Hopefully, we can get some eye-opening performances from guys like Downs and Freeman. We need a positive.

 

There’s a couple of so guys I would have liked to see (Tolkin, Gutierrez, and Paxton Aaronson in particular) but there are some interesting names who are going between Freeman, Berhalter, Downs, Freese, and Sullivan. I do think we are a bit unbalanced also in terms of lots of 9s and not much in the way in wingers.

 

I get a strange enjoyment from seeing people like Tac and 11 Yanks basically celebrate how "mediocre MLS players" will no longer be called up under Poch to it seemingly becoming that Poch rates what players are doing in MLS over other places.

Like I fully believe Paxten Aaronson should be in camp, but I'm starting to wonder if Poch really doesn't rate the Eredivisie... and I've thought this even based on comments he's made about Tillman in the past

 

If Sargent "gets sold to a top 5 club and performs very well," I'll dance through the streets of Minneapolis naked when he kicks off the World Cup for us in 2026.

Took me a minute, but I'm pretty sure you meant "sold to a club in a top 5 league." With that, I would agree. But there will be no dancing.

 

I don't think Sargent is being blackballed.

I do think selecting Brian White over him on footballing grounds is an egregious mistake in player evaluation. Almost as bad as Brad Davis or Julian Green over Landon Donovan.

 

Regarding Paxten, @TrueCrew triggered a thought in my head on him in another thread. I wonder if there's some skepticism on him given that he's playing further back in the Eredivsie, a league not known for it's physicality.

He was an attacker for the youth teams, now he's doing well playing an 8 ... but in a league where you can be a bit skeptical that he will physically translate if he moves up. Especially at 20 -- Brenden is older and he gets bounced around in international play.

There was a lot of scoffing when one of Berhalter's reasons for keeping Pepi home at the World Cup was size and strength, but international play tends to be more physical and guys get manhandled.

Someone like Berhalter is 24; someone like Luna is a freaking tank. That might have played a role. So might have the disconnect between his club success and his skillset / how he's played for the US.

 

The phrase "almost as bad" is doing some real heavy lifting here....

 

Of course the new talking point is moving to Europe causes you to get less consideration.

Arfsten over Ledezma, Jones over Tolkin, White over Sargent. If Berhalter had made these choices, the DOJ would have opened an investigation

— scuffed (@scuffedpod) May 23, 2025

I wouldn’t have taken Ledezma but agree with you on Sargent.

Stopped being considered as soon as he left MLS https://t.co/mUJsmJiTH8

— Edgar (@ConcacafEdgar) May 23, 2025

 

Talking points are like a**holes.

 

Ledezma???

 

Impressive work by Garber to get both Crocker and Pochettino in his pocket so quickly

Congratulations to Seb Berhalter, definitely a deserved & Earned call up

But enjoy because once you move to Europe like you said you plan on doing, Don Garber will tell the idiots at USSF to call up another guy from MLS ahead of you. https://t.co/tWyViTyxEP

— Edgar (@ConcacafEdgar) May 23, 2025

 

Some of those 9s may end up being the wingers.

 

Umm..... The Gold Cup is in July.... these June Friendlies don't mean a whole helluva lot....... Poch is giving some players a much needed rest, and a much needed look at others.

 

Poch said something different:

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss went on to add, “I think it's going to be a high percentage of the players that are going to be involved in the first two friendly games that [will] be involved in the Gold Cup.”

 

Does anyone object to debating the meaning of high percentage for the next couple of pages?

 

Depends on what your definition of to is.

 

There is nothing in common between Brenden and Paxten except for the last name. Paxten is much stronger and wins most of the tackles. He is much more Benny Feilhaber than Brenden Aaronson.

 

He will be at WC camp and competing for a spot.