As the only person on this board who gave him credit for the goal against the Dutch in the WC, I feel I'm in a position to address him fairly (did he try to score with that back heel flick thing, no, I don't think so, but I absolutely do know it was a deliberate action to basically throw a ball backwards into the mixer and try to create danger in the box after the corner, and it worked far better than he expected), he's never looked the part of a go to starter, and his time with the team I think shows that. I will grant, its an odd time to be arguing that when he's coming off probably his best finishing game ever as a USMNTer, but when I look back at his appearances, it's pretty clear to me: Start against El Salvador: About the only person defending him after that game 3 years ago was me, and I still 1000% feel that he was sabotaged compared to Ferreira by getting his loan start in a monsoon against a team that had totally shut our attack down twice in the previous 9 months, and did again. Not surprising at all that he'd struggle. He started in the group stage of the WC five months later and was totally invisible against England before actually being quite dangerous against the Dutch (yes, he failed to finish his greatest chance, but I give him credit for responding to that debacle by immediately creating danger and scoring via the ensuing corner). He started the NL final in '24 after getting a crucial brace in injury time to knock out Jamaica in a game I still believe we lost, and we're basically gifted ridiculous amounts of injury time to try to equalize. Against El Tri I can't recall a single moment of quality. He went essentially unused in the Copa America window (a sub on 2nd half against Colombia to no effect, and a few paltry minutes in the lost cause horror against Uruguay). In the fall of '24 he got 3 sub on's and a start against 3 of the top 4 in Concacrap and New Zealand, and did nothing in his start, but did get an assist in the sub on vs Panama. And that's basically a wrap, a sub on goal in a defenestration of T&T, and then the previously mentioned excellent performance last month against Australia, which I'll give him credit for, but the reality is, he's got huge swath's of appearances, but 4 of his 7 goals are in 2 of his 19 appearances, and a 5th that nobody even considers a goal (the Dutch one), now consider that I think everyone essentially agrees that we basically should have lost 1-0 to Jamaica, and then that brace vanishes if Injury time isn't gifted to us in a way we would have been absolutely outraged if it was gifted to El Tri (which it often is in a similarly suspicious way), and what you have is an awesome game last month against Australia, a gimme penalty gifted him by his friends in his first cap (the Morocco friendly), a fluke goal against the Dutch, a brace that never should have happened with reasonable injury time against Jamaica in NL, and other than that, all there is that sweet dribbling finish across the box against a butchered T&T to make it 5-0 in the 84th minute. Shouldn't a striker have a pile of no doubt about goals eventually rather than a giant pile of wtf's like Wright has? Last month against Australia were for me, strikers goals, the kind of stuff I want, and if Wright can keep doing that, well, he's already locked up #3, and then he gets more confidence from me, but the other 5 in his career? They are all silly: a gimme penalty he didn't earn against Morocco (penalty takes that 10 out of 10, if it isn't his friend and former youth teammate) in his first cap after 5 years in the wilderness), a crazy fluke against the Dutch, a pair of extra time goals in a game we should have lost 1-0 and almost certainly did lose 1-0 in fair injury time, and then we get the last 3, all of which I think are well executed. With Balo, it's a beautiful finish off a wonderful assist from Reyna in a NL Final, a poachers finish off a rebound against Oman in a friendly, his 3rd, to make it 3-0 against Ghana in a friendly is just a real pretty piece of footwork in the box and smooth finish, his one cold stretch in the shirt took place after that, between November '23, and June '24, he struggled, and couldn't score a goal in 4 starts and 2 sub ons across 3 windows before jumpstarting his form in the group stage of Copa America with a pair of goals against Bolivia (got his feet right on a simple cross across the box, and that beautiful finish against Panama), after a quiet pair of friendlies in the fall of '24, he missed the next year before having an electric performance in the past two windows. For me, there's very little weirdness with him as a striker, he just scores, and in a variety of ways, whatever struggles he's had with Monaco that he didn't really had at Reims, he also doesn't really have with us. He's done it against strong teams and weak and everything in-between, really pretty finishes, and real simple ones. He also perfectly fits our attacking set up when healthy (speed and pace on the flanks, quality playmaking from Tillman in '25, or Reyna in '23 and '24 centrally), using his pace and athleticism to get it done. I just can't see Wright doing this, he's gotten some goals, but other than this last window, they've always been oddly flukey and weird, a gift of injury time, or a fluke against the Dutch or a finish gifted by Pulisic on a penalty etc. I know what I'm getting if Pepi starts, a guy who can score with these guys, and who's lethal in the box, I know what I'm getting with Balo. I have no idea what I am getting if Wright suddenly gets starts on the regular, I don't think he has the ball skills of Balo, or his pace, and he isn't the finisher Pepi is. I see zero reason to move Wright ahead of these guys, or to push aside Balo, who has quite clearly seized the starting job the past pair of windows from an injured Pepi. It's weird to be saying all this because like the prospects guy in the youth boards, I'm probably one of only 2 guys that mostly was a Wright believer the past decade (I finally quit in '19-'20, and then he got me back fall '20 when he found his form in Denmark and never looked back), I really like what he's been able to do to rescue what appeared to be a lost career five years ago. He's scored more than I think 80 or 85 goals in the ensuing 5 seasons, and more than a half dozen in the shirt the past 3 years when I don't think there was more than 1 person that believed he'd ever earn a cap in the shirt circa July 2020. So I'm ecstatic with him, and especially considering the injuries and other issues at striker over the years, Sargent's implosion, etc, to have Wright just legit effective and versatile is super helpful as a depth piece, but for me, I'm just not remotely changing my striker set up because he makes me comfortable as a 2 at the position when he doesn't. He's an emergency striker for me, when our first choice guys are out, but he's absolutely a guy who I would legit NEVER start unless both Balo and Pepi were out, simple as that. Could that change? Yeah, but Wright, for me anyway, is more versatile as a striker than he was back in Denmark and even Turkey, but he's still not the clear and natural attacking weapons that Pepi and Balo are with the former's finishing and size, and the latter's pace and physicality. Wright doesn't play his size, he's just not a physical weapon in the way the other two are, and he lacks the pace of Balo, and the finishing skills of Pepi. It seems simple to me. Wright has turned himself into a capable striker, a guy who can finish in the box, find goals dribbling around the box, and like Pepi, has improved his aerial skills too, but he's not the same level of weapon the other two are in my book, period.
Scally(RWB in 343) and Gladbach get the 4-0 win over Sands(CM in 3412) and St. Pauli. Scally 20/21 passing 1 hit woodwork 6 clearances 4/5 ground duels 0/3 fouls/fouled FM 7.7(6th) Sands 1 key pass 31/38 passing 5 recoveries 3/4 dues 0/1 fouls/fouled FM 6.8(1st)
BMG got a win they desperately needed in today's yank off vs St Pauli. Won 4-0. Gio came on 72nd, Scally went 78 before subbed off. BMG actually escaped auto relegation zone as a result.
Lennard Maloney started for Mainz today in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen, his first Bundesliga start for the club since moving there in January. It looks like he played as a CB. Unfortunately, Mainz currently sit in the auto-relegation zone.
He came in at 78' with BMG leading 0-3. Game was open as St Pauli was desperate to score. Gio immediately made a pass up the wing that released a player and eventually leading to a goal and 0-4. He then did the usual Gio things in midfield with keeping the ball and possession passes. He did have an "oops" moment at edge of own final third when his pass was picked off leading to some danger but was snuffed out. He lifted his hand with the universal "my bad!" gesture.
The relegation battle is shaping up to be a yank off in the Bundesliga. Augsburg, Gladbach, Mainz, and St. Pauli are all down there. I wouldn't say Wolfsburg (and Paredes when and if he's ever healthy) is out of the question either. Its a tight table.
Tyler adams goal against man city! 1-1 edit: 2-1 and inexplicably not 3-1, miss of the year candidate for City
With Jedi still out injured, it should be noted that Kristoffer Lund just started his 7th game of the season for Koln in a 4-1 win over Hamburg today that has them sitting upper-midtable at the moment.
Adams hurt according to Fotmob and now Tessmann came out in the 15th minute which has to be an injury?
Just finished watching the replay of Green, Dietz, and Castaneda with the starts in a 2BL Yank on Yank battle. Green (CM) and Dietz (RCB) were good. Castaneda was very good! 20yo Castaneda reminds me of a young Edson Alverez as far as playing style. Tall, lanky, and very smooth as a true #6. Are the rumors that he has chosen Colombia true?
Not surprising, Tessmann is just not a good defender which is what you need when you are down a man. In their previous match they went down a man while up 3-0. The opponent scored to make it 3-1. Tessmann was brought on at 67 and provided zero defensive actions. Pars FC scored twice to finish tied 3-3.
20 years ago, I was thrilled if one USMNT could score a goal, any goal, in CL. Now we have our two top strikers scoring in CL the same day. Pretty cool.
In the category of "things I didn't see coming".....................Norwich in the relegation zone after 13 games is high on the list. If they lose to calamitous Sheffield Wednesday today, heads may roll. Big game for Josh and the club today. Gotta win. Norwich City: Liam Manning feels 'the same hurt' after fan protests - BBC Sport Josh supposedly turned down a move to the Bundesliga in the summer, and is now living in a mess.
Pepi has always been a clutch player. I really hope he gets fit and in form in time to play for us in the 2026 World Cup, because that’s the kind of tournament that he will do well in.
That may be one of the worst transfer decisions we've seen this decade (along with Reyna's Nottingham disaster, Mihailovic's transfer to nowhere etc). Such a terrible decision. Maybe it was just a lifestyle one, at least I can half understand that, it certainly didn't make sense as a soccer decision.
Ricardo Pepi's goals per cap rate is 0.39 That's over 33 caps. its not like its 10 caps. That rate is higher than McBride, Altidore, and Wynalda. He's yet to do it at the highest levels. His goals have come against CONCACF, Oman, and Uzbekistan. Its time for him to score against somebody good outside of CONCACAF. Perfect opportunity for him to do it in this window!!!!! Paraguay and Uruguay are World Cup teams!! [I realize Uzbekistan is too. Still. Uzbekistan ain't Uruguay.]