Lots of puzzle pieces and the best eleven doesn't usually fit perfectly. If Tessmann pans out who's in front of him may change because he can hit those long passes into space that others can't. Who does that favor? certainly wide players with speed but I also saw him make some long passes on the ground up tyhe middle. McKennie, Gio and sometimes Tillman can also make some of those. I doubt there will ever be a time when the team is completely healthy so it's good the depth keeps increasing.
I don't know where this "Tillman is firmly on the B team" stuff comes from. He's literally been called up for every USMNT camp over the last calendar year. The last time he wasn't on an "A" team roster was October of 2023 for the Germany/Ghana series. I think he was injured for that, though. He played in every game of the 2023/24 Nations League, for instance. That was when Reyna was also available. If everyone is healthy, is he an automatic starter? No. Few are. But he started a game in the September window, started a game in the October window, and started a game in the November window. So I don't know what evidence people actually need to realize Tillman is part of the "A" group. He's been selected and started this year by three different USMNT managers.
People on this forum sometimes mean different things when they use the terms A team and B team. By labeling Tillman as part of the B team, the person you're responding to appears to have meant that Tillman is clearly not a starter on our team when everyone is healthy. (Whereas that poster thought that Tessman, while not an automatic starter, may at least be a potential starting option even when everyone is healthy, depending on our gameplan.) Of course sometimes people use the term B team to mean that a player wouldn't make a 23 man roster when everyone is healthy, and that obviously creates some confusion and misunderstanding. But I don't think that's what the person you're responding to meant.
Except that he has been starting. And he has made starts even when Reyna has been on the roster. 2023 Nations League quarterfinal against T&T. He and Reyna both started. Reyna as a #10 and Tillman on the right wing. Started the subsequent Nations League semifinal this year against Jamaica. Central midfield of Tillman, McKennie, and Musah. Reyna and Aaronson came off the bench. He has started a game in the September window, in the October window, and in the November window. He is a starter for the USMNT. How many starts does he need to make before people realize the USMNT staff (three successive staffs) view him as a starting-caliber player?
Good point. I’m guessing that they’re assuming he’ll come good eventually. I bet he shows well in national team practices and he does have a decent club pedigree. Plus, the amount of time it takes for a player to fit in with a national team varies a lot. The unknown is how many chances the staff will give him. Also, there is a chance they’re pleased with him. I guess this is a roundabout way of saying there are a lot of unknowns. For me, the two big questions are 1) is his “big” game passivity mostly mental and 2) what is his ceiling.
He's close enough to the first XI that it often only takes a couple injury or fitness concerns for him to get a shot in the lineup. But in games where any 5 of Adams, Musah, McKennie, Gio, Weah, and Pulisic are available, Tillman is not going to be in the starting lineup. There has been one exception so far, but that comes with a heavy caveat. He's started 5 games in total in his USMNT career. The only game he started where we had at least 5 of the above available was the NL semifinal against Jamaica. However, in that case, Berhalter said before the match that the staff were trying to manage fitness concerns with both Gio and Adams and trying not to overwork them because they hadn't been playing at the club level for a while. So neither one started the semifinal. However, both Gio and Adams were back in the lineup a few days later in the final against Mexico, and Tillman was on the bench. In the other 4 games, Tillman was replacing someone who was entirely unavailable from the roster. In the 2023 NL QF against T&T, he only started because Weah and Pulisic were unavailable. In the away friendly at Mexico, the majority of our starters were missing. In the Canada friendly this September, Weah and McKennie were absent. And in the Oman friendly last year, Gio Reyna was absent. (Adams was unavailable for all of those games as well, if that's not obvious.)
In Pochettino's four games, Malik Tillman has started once, and that's the game where we not only were injured to high heaven, we also sent home several actual starters just to get rest. Overall, Malik Tillman has 17 caps and I believe 5 starts. Someone who gets 5 starts in 17 caps is not a starter when everyone is healthy. They are not a consistent starter even in our injury ravaged timeframe. If Malik Tillman is a starter, Djorde Mihailovic is a starter. Cristian Roldan is a starter. The words have no meaning if you loosely define it that way and literally no one defines starter in the manner you are trying to. I think it is pretty clear that Pochettino does NOT view Malik as a usual starter, as he's played several players ahead of him, and not just Pulisic and McKennie, but also Brenden Aaronson. So you can play stupid semantics or just respond to what the other poster was clearly saying: that Tillman is a backup for us now. Backups do get occasional starts. But we all know what we mean when we say that.
It really is just a matter of time before Tillman has a true breakout game for the USMNT. Hopefully its in March. There seems to be a reluctance or a hesitancy for this board to embrace Malik Tillman. I don't really get it. What makes a player "starting-caliber" for the USMNT? Its starting games for the USMNT. Which Tillman has just done in the September, October, and November windows. He has been called up to EVERY A team camp in 2024. The only USMNT roster he wasn't on in 2024 was the January game against Slovenia. Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman are the same age. Both born in 2002. One seems to be on an upward trajectory. The other one seems to be stalling or even trending downwards. For the moment, the one on the upward trajectory should be getting a lot more love on the boards. That doesn't mean we dump on Reyna. Gio was arguably our best player in calendar year 2023. 2023 is in the past, though. We have a new coach with fresh eyes on the talent in the pool. Hopefully Gio can get back on track. I just feel like we should be showing a heck of a lot more enthusiasm about Tillman than we're showing.
I'm not sure what you don't get. Some people don't think he's very good because he's been bad for the US. Some people just think he isn't part of the best XI. I'm not sure what "embrace" means, but plenty of players are not embraced by that definition. By this definition, Uly Llanez is starting caliber for the USMNT. It's a pointless definition that makes the words meaningless. Congrats. Now would you like to join the rest of the discussion? This is factually untrue. He did not start in the November window. He came off the bench as an injury replacement for Johnny, and then in the subsequent game, did not play at all despite all four attackers being replaced at one time or another. He did start in October, against Mexico, once Pulisic had been sent home. Weah was also hurt. And McKennie. And Reyna. And Johnny and Morris at CM, for that matter. In the game where Pulisic was there, he sat behind Christian and Brenden Aaronson. He did start at CM against Canada. For an interim coach. And not in the second game. That's two starts in three windows, once for an interim coach and once with a complete B team. I really don't know what you mean by starting caliber, but I see no indication that Pochettino thinks of him as currently occupying the top of a depth chart spot for any position -- or even likely the second one given his placement behind Brenden Aaronson. Yes, he's a very talented player but being called up to a camp is not starting. That's a fine opinion. You are welcome to have it. But we've seen Gio Reyna come in and play significantly better for the US many times where he's coming off of a long spell of injury -- and sometimes still hurt! -- than Malik Tillman has ever played for the US. In fact, I'd argue Gio's worst game has probably been better than Malik's best. Yes, Reyna's availability is a concern. Yes, one of these days he may not come back from injury. But we've seen Gio Reyna perform very well at a higher level of club play than Malik Tillman, and we've seen him perform much, much better than Tillman for country. So ... is it any wonder that many posters simply disagree with the idea that Tillman is better than Reyna? And since Brenden Aaronson has started over Tillman once, started with him once, and also replace Christian Pulisic in the last match while Tillman stayed on the bench ... that it's not unreasonable to think that Pochettino currently has Brenden Aaronson ahead of him. You are welcome to cheerlead. I like discussing. When Tillman first came up for the US, the predominant opinion was that he was trash. I thought that was wrong and argued against it. Now that he's doing well at club, the opinion for many has shifted. For some, I agree with them. For others, who think he's a part of the Best XI, or should be starting, or is a Top 5 player, or is better than Reyna, I disagree. That's all. Quick Question for you: you mentioned that both Gio and Tillman started in the match against T&T last year. This is true. Tillman was pulled off the field for ineffectiveness early in the second half. Gio scored a goal. Who was better in that match? In the ensuing semifinal, Tillman started at CM, and Reyna came off the bench as he was just recovering from injury. Tillman was pulled early in the second half as we could get nothing going. Reyna came on at halftime and had two assists. Who was better in that match?
I think Poch sees the need for someone with Aaronson's style but Aaronson isn't quite at the level. You want to bring Aaronson on if your team is leading and you need someone to press the opposition's midfield and defenders. You brink Malik on if you're behind and need to create chances.
The press is often the best playmaker. Malik is a good presser too. Brenden has created chances against some of the better teams in the world. I don’t know why he’s not at the level.
BAaronson is an Arriola upgrade. They both hunt and that's good to have when you're up and the other team has to be wary of that hunter.
The difference about A team and B team: 1. When we won a game, then whoever played are B team. Which means we are MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN those damn Concacafers. Who ever missing by injuries are A team. 2. When we lost a game, then whoever played are B team (sometimes even C team). Which means we are losing by underutilized our team. Who ever missing by injuries are A team. Conclusion: Whoever injured would become A team.
It would be interesting to see "chances created" per 90' for Aaronson and Tilman with the USMNT as a way of verifying your claim. For example, Tilman had 69 minutes v. Jamaica coming on for Cardoso early and created -0- chances. Zip. In the return match in Austin, Brenden came on at 69' and had "2 chances created" (Fotmob). by all means, feel free to jump in with criticism of the stats at this point. I get it. So let's move to the game before Jamaica series, the @ Guadalajara, Mexico freindly: Aaronson and Tilman both started and fotmob has them as the 2 CAM's under Sarge. They gave Aaronson 3 chances created and Tilman 0 chances created. Tilman was yanked off at 69'. Aaronson played the whole game. Need more? ok, here we go: In the game previous to the above, Panama, Aaronson played 78' and had 1 chance created. Tilman came on for him at 78' ad created -0- none. Let's go back one more. There must be SOME basis for your claim. Nope. v. NewZealand Aaronson got 1 chance created in 68' and Tilman coming on to finish the game had -0- none. Here's Clint Eastwood's view: I finally found a good game for Tilman, which was Varas' masterpiece in the 2-1 loss at home in the Sep window to Canada for the first time this century. Tilman and Aaronson both started. Tilman had 1 chance created and was yanked at 62' for LDLT who scored our goal in the 1-2 loss. Aaronson had 0 chances created and was pulled at 77'. I think Aaronson was tasked with helping on Fonz/Shaffelburg defensively along with Scally and Musah on the right while Tilman was on the left with Pulisic.(acc to sofa score)
Everything possible is being done. No stone will be left unturned. At the end of the day, it's Poch's fault - It can't be the player, so who else? Mauricio Pochettino’s System Deemed Harmful for Malik Tillman’s International Career by Ex-USMNT Star We can always re-arrange the team to suit Tilman.
That article is beyond trash. For one, you posted (I think it was you?) that CIWYW episode and everyone was pretty reasonable. But it makes it sound like Davies thought there was some kind of disaster looming and that Tillman's lack of quality play is due to position. That's not at all what he said. He was trying to find a spot for him on the field. That's all. But even the first sentence is hilarious: “An unbelievable talent” is how Mauricio Pochettino once described Malik Tillman." Once? That was like a month ago. Why are we acting like he said this three years ago and Tillman just hasn't reached his potential?
You mean you're skeptical that a real human being described Charlie Davies as "the iconic forward"???