USMNT Thread Part VIII

[The Zetterberg Era]

Totally forgot about Brooks. I agree that our midfield is probably fine along with our wings (really liking Boyd so far). We really don’t have any strikers in our system other than Sargent and Altidore that are ready for the highest level. I don’t agree about Bradley though. I think he just isn’t good enough defensively unless we are doing three at the back.

Soto and Weah look very promising and somewhat close in terms of how soon we could count on them in my opinion.

I have always appreciated Bradley. I know that isn't always a popular position and he can be a whipping boy in USMNT fan circles. I just wonder if he could do it is all, he is a good defensive midfielder but I cannot imagine him holding up for a whole cycle at defensive midfield. There has been regression, I guess we will see, I always thought we could have gotten more mileage out of Jones by making that switch to a CB role. Then again in terms of him, his fouling was kind of a liability to have at the back. We will see, I just wish we were a little better is all.

 

[Basement Cat]

Looks like we might've gotten ourselves a real player in Boyd. Excited to see what he can do against T&T and Panama.

I really hope we can roll something like this out when healthy:

-------------Steffen
----Long---Miazga---Brooks
Yedlin-------Adams-------Arriola
------------McKennie
----Boyd----------------Pulisic
-------------Altidore

I still don't know what to do about that LB or Striker spot. Would consider Robinson there if he has a strong start to the Championship season, Garza if he gets healthy, Arriola depending on the opponent, etc.
As for striker, I sincerely hope Sargent gets minutes and takes that spot, but Jozy is our best one right now.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Looks like we might've gotten ourselves a real player in Boyd. Excited to see what he can do against T&T and Panama.

I really hope we can roll something like this out when healthy:

-------------Steffen
----Long---Miazga---Brooks
Yedlin-------Adams-------Arriola
------------McKennie
----Boyd----------------Pulisic
-------------Altidore

I still don't know what to do about that LB or Striker spot. Would consider Robinson there if he has a strong start to the Championship season, Garza if he gets healthy, Arriola depending on the opponent, etc.
As for striker, I sincerely hope Sargent gets minutes and takes that spot, but Jozy is our best one right now.

bobby wood?

 

[Basement Cat]

bobby wood?

Not after the season he had.

 

[Gecklund]

bobby wood?

Awful player.

 

[N o o d l e s]

Looks like we might've gotten ourselves a real player in Boyd. Excited to see what he can do against T&T and Panama.

I really hope we can roll something like this out when healthy:

-------------Steffen
----Long---Miazga---Brooks
Yedlin-------Adams-------Arriola
------------McKennie
----Boyd----------------Pulisic
-------------Altidore

I still don't know what to do about that LB or Striker spot. Would consider Robinson there if he has a strong start to the Championship season, Garza if he gets healthy, Arriola depending on the opponent, etc.
As for striker, I sincerely hope Sargent gets minutes and takes that spot, but Jozy is our best one right now.

It’s Sargent.

Should have some good run in the Bundesliga by the time qualifying and ultimately WC 2022 come

 

[Burner Account]

I’m in Philly not for tomorrow’s match but coincidentally staying in the same hotel as the USMNT.

 

[N o o d l e s]

Everybody from that disaster in Trinidad should have never worn that jersey again except for Pulisic. There was no point watching last night when Bradley and Altidore were named in the lineup.

What are they trying to accomplish? Those guys should be gone. They should have BEEN gone. They’re not playing in the next World Cup - if we even qualify. We have more than enough young players to put a team together and they still would have been in the finals of this tournament. Guyana? Jamaica?

What, we couldn’t get shutout by Mexico’s B team with Boyd and others in the lineup? When Adams is healthy and this federation gets their head out of their asses and gives Sargent a real opportunity, Bradley and Altidore better be forced into retirement or never selected again, not even for a friendly vs Aruba.

 

[kingsboy11]

It sort of made sense to bring them in for this tournament, but now? No reason to bring them anymore especially Bradley. He just can't run anymore, not that he did much running in the first place. Its clear that him and McKennie don't work well together where he has to cover for Bradley. Adams can play that role perfectly. But I swear to God if Berhalter lines up Adams at his stupid hybrid RB/CM I'm going to start throwing stuff.

Jozy is different because we don't have ready made strikers waiting. Sargent should be a consistent call up from here on out though and Weah should also be considered for that role. Now is the time to start integrating these players.

 

[ecemleafs]

Having such a slow cm is a fatal flaw in today's game. Bradley cant close anyone down and loses a ton of 5050s in midfield. U basically concede the midfield with him out there. The fear usmnt fans should have is Bradley's replacement being trapp who is just a worse version of bradley. When Adams and mckennie are fit the cm pair has to be mckennie and Adams.

 

[John Price]

 

[N o o d l e s]

Recent Sargent interview:

“I’m happy with how things have been going and with my goal [against Koln]. We’ve been working hard on things in training, and I’m possibly in the form of my life.”

But cant get added to the Gold Cup roster

 

[kingsboy11]

I've heard some good things about Sargent this pre season. He absolutely should've been on the Gold Cup roster. Even if he didn't play he should've been there.

 

[bluesfan94]

Maybe Sargent/Bremen wanted him to stay in Germany for training purposes?

 

[ecemleafs]

Dest starts at LB in the Dutch supercup today for Ajax against PSV!

 

[N o o d l e s]

Maybe Sargent/Bremen wanted him to stay in Germany for training purposes?

I hope

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Not real happy about this piece of news.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...urce-chile-approach-us-youth-soto-over-switch

Soto contemplating a Chile offer apparently.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I've heard some good things about Sargent this pre season. He absolutely should've been on the Gold Cup roster. Even if he didn't play he should've been there.

Or the U20 roster, that was a complete debacle.

 

[kingsboy11]

Or the U20 roster, that was a complete debacle.

Well for the u20s I didn't mind that as much because if he was there then he would've taken minutes away from Soto who had a really good tournament. But if he was there and Soto had hardly played, then Chile most likely wouldn't be contacting him right now which is now making me extremely nervous.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Well for the u20s I didn't mind that as much because if he was there then he would've taken minutes away from Soto who had a really good tournament. But if he was there and Soto had hardly played, then Chile most likely wouldn't be contacting him right now which is now making me extremely nervous.

He had to be on one of the two rosters. If he wasn't a Gold Cup shoe-in then he should have been with the U-20s.

Berhalter's injury excuse and maximizing players only works if you win the tournament. It was a waste and honestly a really rocky start to his first "real games" in his tenure for me. It made me think, great another flunky coach is in charge of this team. While it is harsh, having a plan for one of your best young players is a part of that job for me and we failed miserably with what we did with Sargent. I only hope he used the downtime to improve which early reports are encouraging in terms of that, but ultimately I am not giving anybody at US Soccer credit for that right now. Still pretty disappointed with a lot of this summer in terms of how they played in several games.

 

[kingsboy11]

He had to be on one of the two rosters. If he wasn't a Gold Cup shoe-in then he should have been with the U-20s.

Berhalter's injury excuse and maximizing players only works if you win the tournament. It was a waste and honestly a really rocky start to his first "real games" in his tenure for me. It made me think, great another flunky coach is in charge of this team. While it is harsh, having a plan for one of your best young players is a part of that job for me and we failed miserably with what we did with Sargent. I only hope he used the downtime to improve which early reports are encouraging in terms of that, but ultimately I am not giving anybody at US Soccer credit for that right now. Still pretty disappointed with a lot of this summer in terms of how they played in several games.

What I'm saying is he should've been on one roster and it should've been the Gold Cup full stop. You have an injury ridden Jozy, Morris coming off an ACL injury and Zardes. Its impossible for him to tell us there was no room for him. Weah at least made sense for him to be there given the wingers on the team. That's where the failure is. I also don't think Sargent had much to prove at that level anymore.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Soto contemplating a Chile offer apparently.

Where did you see this?

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Where did you see this?

On the link I provided on this page.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

On the link I provided on this page.

It doesn't say that in the link.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

It doesn't say that in the link.

So Chile has approached his representatives and Soto says he hasn't had to decide yet, which is basically a next International break or November decision. We are not in total danger until he plays in a comp that ties him, but I don't think it is great news. It appears he is going to have multiple sides to choose from soon. You want to semantically break that down different fine.

U.S. youth international and Hannover 96 forward Sebastian Soto has been contacted by Chile manager Reinaldo Rueda, with an eye towards the striker playing for La Roja, according to a source with knowledge of the approach.

If Soto were to play for a country other than the U.S. at international level, he would have to file a one-time switch. The source added that Soto hasn't yet been approached by Mexico.
Prior to the U20 World Cup, Soto said that he was leaving his options open in terms of what country he will ultimately represent.
"I haven't been put in a position yet to where I have to make a decision with the senior national team," Soto told ESPN FC in May. "That's kind of where we're at, that I haven't had to make a decision yet."

So not a never will, just they haven't approached me and now they have.

Read it as good news if you want, but that isn't great in my opinion. Happier than filing the one time switch to Mexico, but I still think him, Sargent and Weah are important up front pieces especially when non-International caliber players like Zardes are playing for us.