Long was made the 1st starting CB in January of 2019. The only games he didn't play were ones he was injured, the euro camp in 2020, the Cuba NL blowout and the third group game of the GC after we had already advanced. I dont think he has been good at all and played like the inexperienced player he is. You must have missed the Venezuela, Mexico friendly, Uruguay and Canada games. Right. The GC did wonders for Hoppe. There was no good decision for thise guys.
I mean in the one tournament we played in 2019 he was not only one of our best players, he was on of the best players in the tournament. He was so good that an EPL team was trying to buy him. We're also discussing a period when Robinson, Richards, and McKenzie hadn't really broken through and our center backs were Brooks, Miazga, Long, and Zimmerman. And Brooks was injured and missed a number of games, including the entire Gold Cup. We weren't exactly overflowing with center back depth. I mean the Gold Cup did do wonders for Hoppe. It put him on the radar and led to him getting called up during the second window. During the first window he was trying to finalize a move, and during the third window he was hurt and not playing. The one window he was available he was called up.
You pay attention tournament best XIs? I didn't think he played well, but just happened to be the runners up CB who played the most and only gave up one goal. I thought Miazga was better than him once Zimmerman got benched. EPL teams were allegedly willing to spend chump change on him. Not all the videos are still available, but he made tons of basic mistakes in 2019/20. These were basic and not just mental lapses. If Brooks made any of those, people on here would be going crazy. https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/aaron-long-thread.2111262/#post-38909044 How much did Hoppe play? Wasn't that the window where Arriola would have started all three games if he wasnt a late scratch. Hoppe's performance in the GC suggested he should be in the 23 and fighting for minutes, but apparently he is just a pool player.
I mean if you read any account of any of the Gold Cup game in 2019, he was one of our highest rated players during that tournament. And all tournament teams aren’t perfect but they definitely don’t put players on it who play poorly. And EPL teams don’t try to sign players who are poor. I don’t even know who else you think we should have been starting back in 2019. Our choices were Long, Zimmerman, Brooks, and Miazga. All of whom got ample playing time when available. Hoppe got to be with the team for that window which is a starting point. I don’t believe he’s as good as either Aaronson or Weah though. And the one game Arriola did start against Jamaica, he was quite good. And if everyone is healthy, I don’t believe that Hoppe deserves to be a part of the 23. He looked good in the Gold Cup and it helped him get his foot in the door. He’s got alot more to prove though if he wants to be part of the first choice team.
Long was ok in the 2019 GC. Well the most logical thing would have been for Brooks and Miazga to be the starters since they were the top CBs in 2018. That was completely ignored and Long was made a starter from Berhalter's first camp. It isnt clear because of his injury, but a good chance Brooks would have been the other based on the March camp. Zimmerman was considered the starter at the beginning of the GC, but didn't play well. Ample playing time? Miazga never got the run of games Long did. Zimmerman failed and then got another shot a year two later. Brooks was excluded due to form? If that were a thing for everybody, Long would have been out in 2019. If Long were treated the way Brooks is by some fans whenever he makes a mistake, this board would hate him.
Brooks was injured in 2019 and that’s why he missed the Gold Cup. He had a number of minor injuries that year and missed games, but he basically started every game he was healthy for. Zimmerman played a ton of games in 2019 and went 90 in 3 of the 6 Gold Cup games and Miazga went 90 in the over 3. He played fairly significantly in 3 of the 4 games he was available for leading up to the Gold Cup that year. And then he missed the two games following the Gold Cup with a hamstring injury. He definitely got ample playing time in 2019. All of them had games they were unavailable because of injury but the minute breakdown for the 4 of them in 2019 was Long-1280 Miazga-612 Zimmerman-553 Brooks-180 Other players who saw playing time at center back that year were Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson, CCV. Long definitely played the most but Miazga and Zimmerman were both near the top in terms of minutes played. You can’t really complain about Miazga’s playing time. But also you can’t really play Brooks and Miazga together as neither are very mobile. They need to be next to an Aaron Long or Miles Robinson type player.
Brooks was diagnosed with a twisted knee on April 23rd, 2019 and missed Wolfsburg's last 4 matches, including their last game, played 2 days before Berhalter announced his 40 man roster. Long was MLS defender of the year in 2018.
Very impressive, considering the other 5 are local. As things are going, in a few years we're going to have more guys starting Champions League games than Brazil or Argentina.
Chelsea vs West Ham. On the bench, in attack, Chelsea have Lukaku, Pulisic, Werner. The genius at that club isn't Tuchel: it's Abramovich for making all that damn money.
Yes, I am well aware that Brooks was injured. Before his injury, Berhalter paired Brooks with Long in a March friendly. That is what MLS fans said last cycle about Gonzalez.
All minutes arent the same. Even so, why would Zimmerman have a similar amount of minutes as Miazga and Long have twice as much? You mention that both WZ and MM played 3 games in the GC, but that doesn't tell the real story. Zimmerman played three of the first four games. He was paired with Long for all those games and the third game was clear rotation. Miazga clearly outplayed him and got the two games that mattered the most. Miazga didn't get rewarded for winning the spot at the GC and just went back into the pool of back up CBs. When have Brooks and Miazga not played well together or is that just some theory people came up with and just keep saying it over and over like it is a fact? Long was just one of the first of undeserving players that Berhalter made starters. There was Trapp and then Yeuil. The two of them clearly failed and Adams made it clear it was his spot so the profile changed and then it was Acosta to back him up. Of course there was Lletget and Arriola.
He left off that Long had one of the worst 45 minutes a usmnt CB has ever had in the friendly against Venezuela right before the GC. Much worse than anybody played in the previous game against Jamaica that is put out as the reason why players got cut.
Not a discussion I am interested in. I will leave at they both occurred in the last cycle and you are the one bringing up WCQ.
I mean it’s true not all minutes are the same. Indeed both Zimmerman and Long have more of them because there were a few games where only MLS players were available for, and that inflated their minutes. And that’s not what happened with Miazga post-Gold Cup. He missed the next three friendlies because he had a hamstring injury. And then Ream was the starter in his place, until Brooks was back and healthy. I mean I don’t anyone thinks Miazga and Brooks are a good combo together. Feel free to disagree, but the general consensus is that Brooks needs to be with someone more mobile. At the time Long was the best option, but we now have both Robinson and Richards available to us who are better and can play the same role. And Adams was injured for basically the entirety of 2019. So it wouldn’t have mattered where Berhalter saw him, he wouldn’t have seen any time anyways.
For what it's worth, Dest is starting again for Barca. First time for Xavi I think. I haven't tuned in yet, though
He is a very good example that having MLS defender of the year doesn't necessarily mean the player is going to be good internationally. I have no clue what any of your points have been.
Ramirez continues to beat up Scotland. 🏴 Premiership🧐🇺🇸 Christian Ramirez brace!!⚽️⚽️ https://t.co/FiBMIuzzCO— 🇺🇸 ⚽ east (@eastdeflection) December 4, 2021
Matt Olosunde finally is back from his injury problems and starts in the CHampionship. 🏴 Championship🧐🇺🇸 Matt Olosunde starting!! https://t.co/sMBzUWlKbc— 🇺🇸 ⚽ east (@eastdeflection) December 4, 2021
🇮🇹 u19 Primavera🧐hat trick for 🇺🇸 Jack Devries with Venezia's u19s today!!!⚽️⚽️⚽️also: 🇺🇸 Patrick Leal was on Venezia u19s' benchhttps://t.co/XV8GVY5ngL pic.twitter.com/ngIBRf906P— 🇺🇸 ⚽ east (@eastdeflection) December 4, 2021 De Vries with a hat trick, he has been scoring a bit for the U19s. Wonder if there is any chance at all he gets a shot with the first team.