People didn't love Brooks when we saw a lot of him. People didn't even like Ream when we saw a lot of him. Zimmerman and Miles might have been the most drama free CB pairing I can remember in a long time but they're not shiny enough for some people.
Well....................Ream just came out of nowhere. People were demanding that he be replaced with younger talent on the USMNT. He sort of had just a magical year. Maybe now he's reverting back to the form that made people think he wasn't Premier League quality a few years ago. As far as Brooks goes, we've seen it. We've seen it. Is he good enough to get callups and caps for the USMNT. Of course. [We were starting Jalen Neal at the Gold Cup.] But I also don't think his exclusion is some sort of outrage of epic proportions. I do expect Brooks to be at this camp. If he's not, then we know there's something bigger behind the scenes at play.
Both are good to have in an aerial battle, and both are athletes. I hope Miles gets all the way back to his former self. I don't think either are better than Richards in any way other than just having more muscle mass, which can help at CB. But Richards is at least as savvy and a much better passer. Richards is my #1. The old Miles is my #2 if we can get old Miles back. I still like both Ream and Brooks, for different reasons, even though both seem to have their share of lapses. Brooks it very good at distribution (the best we have), but also the slowest afoot of any CB we have. Ream is having a tough stretch, but I still trust him for the most part. Speaking of slow, I also like CCV. He uses what he has very intelligently to good effect, and makes fewer errors than lots of other CBs.
Btw PSV seems to retain interest in Miles. Winter move there appears likely. He would be an upgrade over their current crop of CBs.
When we talk about guys from MLS that need to take that next step up, Miles is the top of the list. If he hadn't gotten hurt, he'd probably be over there already. There are about 10 CB options that I "like." We have a lot of depth. I just don't love any of them right now. Richards is in a weird spot. The Palace CBs are playing really well. That's an "if its not broke, don't fix it" situation. There have been rumors that "bigger clubs" have an interest in both Guehi and Anderson. So maybe that's Richards' ticket into the XI. If he was match-fit and healthy, I do think Richards would solidify himself at the top of our depth chart.
Wouldn't surprise me since all the reliable reporting this summer had a free transfer to PSV in the winter as a strong option. But, just curious, is there new reporting on this? Edit: oh okay, I see the reporter who originally broke the story reiterated this a week ago: A contract extension for Ramalho? That is a lot less obvious given the current conditions, although the Brazilian is appreciated and plays in most matches. It is not without reason that PSV is interested in taking over the American Miles Robinson on a free transfer this winter.
Just some Dutch posters on twitter. Hard to assess their credibility but I don't think they are randos.
Part of why this keep being an issue where people are less than thrilled is the weakness we have at the center back spot. Brooks is the only guy not nearing 40 that plays regularly in a top league, but he's a bit up and down and likely some issues exist between him and the coach. Richards has a job in the Premier League but plays very little. Zimmerman seems one of the safer choices and he still had a pretty big screw up in Qatar and has seen his form go up and down and he has never gotten to show what he can do regularly at a higher level. Miles is mostly solid but also rarely plays against top competition and we've seen mistakes out of him in MLs as well. McKenzie has come in and looked up and down and mistake prone; he plays ina mediocre league. EPB has dropped off the map. Neal looks like he's got a lot of potential but he's very young and still growing, has proven very little at this point. I think even berhalter has likely given up on Long by now. We just don't have 2 or really even 1 guy who has just grabbed this position and shown himself to be head and shoulders above some fairly mundane competition for both club and country. Across the other positions, we have guys standing out or at least getting regular playing time at all levels, even in goal now with Turner so far holding his position. Center back, not so much so it remains a problem spot where no one is really satisfied. Until we get a couple guys who really step up and show themselves to be at the level we see across the rest of the field, guys who get regular playing time at high levels, this will continue to be a place where no one is happy. Unfortunately, I'm not sure anyone outside Richards looks like much of a possibility to do so before 2026. I was kind of hoping Maloney would make the switch and then between him and Richards we could potentially have a solid pair of guys who are top flight regulars, but he seems to have switched permanently to midfield and we'd still be left with two guys who prefer the right side. Not sure who else is really on the radar to get into a top league and play for a while before 2026 or who can even reach the top MLS guy level outside of who we've already seen.
I think some of the guys currently playing as 6s for their clubs will be given looks as CBs for the nats. Maloney. Sands. Maybe Tessmann. I'd be surprised if one of them beat out Richards and Robinson and became a starter. But they could provide an upgrade in depth. Barring injuries I think Richards and Robinson will start in Copa. As might have been the case in Qatar if not for injury. Btw Maloney was listed as a mid in the last match, but spent most of it marking the other team's center forward.
Our issue isn't depth, though. McKenzie, CCV, and others will return. We have plenty of options. At the CONCACAF level, I go literally 15 deep of guys I trust. Ya know? Jalen Neal did just fine at the Gold Cup. Trusty would be great. We have plenty of natural CBs. We just need a couple to really assert themselves and push themselves to the top of the depth chart. Guys we trust not just against CONCACAF, but at the Copa America level.
CB was a strength of the team in WCQ'ing, '21 GC, '22 WC, and '23 UNL. The only time when it was a clear negative was UNL before last when Brooks & McKenzie started. That's in spite of some paper concerns. The only player who'll clearly age out is Ream. Other than that, guys should close to maintain their levels. And we have some prospects on the horizon, like Neal, or you could still consider McKenzie & Trusty to be. Then there's the older guys performing domestically who could be the next Beslers, Zimmermans, or pre-injury Longs. I'm thinking of 25 yr old Jackson Ragen for example. There's some people who fetishize everybody being teens to early 20's when they breakout. But that's not particularly necessary at the positions where defense and/or size are of primary importance, which develop & get identified later. Many of these guys still also go to 4 yrs of college, like it or not.
Yeah, it's one of those things where on paper it certainly seems like a weak spot, especially since it's arguably the only position where we don't have any prime age players who have started decent minutes at a relatively high level over the past year or so (moreso if you assume Brooks is completely out of the picture). But the Zimmerman - Richards - Robinson CB rotation performed relatively well during qualifying and in the current year's international matches, CCV filled in ably at the WC when we were hit by injuries, and McKenzie's and Trusty's resumes suggest they could at least be at the level of those other 4 by 2026.
I take CB development worries with a grain of salt because historically we have always been able to find great CBs repurposed from midfield or identified in college and in some cases both. Second, we have a historically great generation of CBs only just approaching their prime in the late 90's group. As we've seen before, CBs have a lot of leeway in development and often continue progressing in their mid 20s.
That's not entirely weird. Ream had that reputation before he went on his great run of form. If he was going to have it, leading up and through the WC was the right time.
What Matarazzo sees than some don't when they are "pricing" Brooks. 📊 ❌John Brooks leads the Bundesliga in Clearances per 90 and is miles ahead in total clearances Aerial presence 💪 #USMNT pic.twitter.com/7zRNwTEYOe— USMNT burner (@burnerusmnt) October 3, 2023
I think the focus on a top league CB is not as necessary as you've made it out. For one, because CBs often develop later, there can be American MLS centerbacks who can perform at a high level who have basically missed their window. Europe wants younger guys, who are cheaper and with potential. CBs and GKs can miss their window in a lot of ways if they develop past the age of upside. Even Turner took a lot longer to get over than say, Paxten Aaronson. For two, the gap often is in some offensive elements, which frankly, I depriotize a bit. Yeah, I'd like some passing. But I don't need plus passing in both CBs, and I can get along without it if needed. I'm just not worried about our build up with Miles and Zimmerman back there. But those are the question marks for European clubs oftentimes. I have no issues with Richards, Miles and Zimmerman right now. That's not enough depth, for sure, given injuries, etc., but I've seen enough of all three that I don't need Richards playing at club and I don't need either Miles or Zimmerman to leave MLS to be okay with them playing for me. And while I think CCV has some key weaknesses, I also think they can be worked around, although I wouldn't want a CCV/Zimmerman backline. Toss in some McKenzie, Trusty and Neal upside, and it's not my #1 place of concern. It ain't perfect, of course. All these guys require some level of compensating behavior except perhaps Richards and an in form Miles. But I honestly don't see what people expect to see out of Brooks. He's not getting called in, but if he was and had a seamless window ... so what? He had a great Nations League then crapped the bed in WCQ. I understand people want to take that risk but I have no idea what he's going to prove in camp to change anyone's view of him. Call him in or not. He's not in my top 4, but I won't scream if the US wants to give him another shot. But if it were me, I'd need a Ream-like run at club before I'd begin to consider the errors might not be there. And that's before we get into any issues on effort or complaints.
This is a big step up in quality of competition for Tillman. I expect him to struggle a bit. But from struggle comes growth. Either Confucius or Yoda said that. Maybe both. Or maybe JFK. PSV are going with a more defensive midfield today with Schouten and Veerman being the other two mids. Veerman is more two-way and Schouten more defensive.
Both of our guys holding their own. A few nice plays. Tillman had a really nice trackback to stop a break from the 10 position.
Tillman is a little frustrated because he's drifting into some dangerous spots but his teammates are not picking him out. His off-the-ball movement is quite clever.
PSV are way too focused on de Jong. And the Sevilla defense knows it. They are leaving Tillman pretty open because PSV is just focused on feeding their 9. That said, he should probably stop whining about it and keep running. I do notice that his stamina is not super top notch. He definitely has trouble with back to back sprints at times.
Tillman drew the original game-tying penalty. Dest a little late on the then go ahead cross for Sevilla. Pepi was on for the final game tying goal but all I saw (half looking) was him drawing a foul. PSV had about 20 shots but this game probably should have been 4-4 or something. The announcer annoyed me as he proclaimed it over just when Sevilla scored their second ... a minute after PSV scored. As if PSV could not score in the next 2+ extra time, then? Which, of course they did.