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US Men's National Team (17 Viewers)

Dinsy Ejotuz said:
CP's first step is so electric when he's fit. Just zips into motion from a dead stop. It's his superpower.
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I don't know how to explain him. There is nothing about him that looks either fast or quick, and yet he effortlessly glides past players. When he is healthy he is regularly, statistically, amongst the fastest in every game he plays.
 
Leeds could really use 3 points today away to bottom of the table Leicester. Adams and Aaronson both starting as usual.

Turner starting vs PSV (Richie on bench for PSV).

Ream and Robinson starting against Aston Villa
 
NewlyRetired said:
Check out Gio's all touch video from his sub appearance yesterday, it may be even better than Pulisic's......we really need these two at the tip top of their game if we want to get out of the group. Some of this stuff is VERY nice

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He's so good. I think his ceiling is almost unlimited. God I wish we'd see him get a good 1-2 year stretch without injuries. Teams are talking $120M+ for Jude Bellingham next summer and I think Gio's the better player when healthy.

Pulisic showed a glimpse of project restart CP. If these two can get some game time to gain confidence and come into the WC healthy..... damn. I'm trying to temper my excitement, but it's hard.
 
Turner with another clean sheet today for Arsenal. Arsenal has advanced to the knock out stages. From the stats it looks like complete domination from Arsenal so I don't think Turner had much to do.
 
DA RAIDERS said:
In for the WC! Choo choo!! All aboard!, 🚉

Is twellman (?) still announcing? Cause he sux0rs
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yes he still announces, yes he still sucks as an announcer (he is an amazing twitter reporter though).

But he works for ESPN. Fox holds the English rights for the WC so you won't see/hear Twellman announcing any games.

Over in the WC thread there is a post that shows all the announcers and studio people for the WC.
 
Poke_4_Life said:
C'mon Leeds... do something positive... :kicksrock:

For better news... Fullham won again, now in the top half of the table. Jedi and Ream both went 90' in a 3-0 win over Villa.
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Fulham having about the best first opening of a season they could've hoped for after promotion. Looks pretty good for our boys Ream and Jedi right now.

I might be physically sick if GGG chooses Long over Ream based on how they're playing going into this tourney.
 
The Z Machine said:
encaitar said:
I might be physically sick if GGG chooses Long over Ream based on how they're playing going into this tourney.
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Ream is likely not going to even make the roster.
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Berhalter called 4 CBs (plus Cannon) to the last camp. Two ended up being replaced due to injuries. So 6 different CBs were called and yet no Ream. And we're probably taking 4 or 5 only to Qatar. Not only that, Berhalter took the opportunity to throw shade at Ream that he isn't capable of playing the electric style we displayed vs Japan and Saudi.

Snark aside, Ream hasn't been called in over a year and we would need to substantially change our style to play Ream/Zimmerman at the back. It would be a bit suicidal to try it for the first time in the World Cup. I don't think there is much likelihood Ream is on the roster at this point. Actually, I'll be surprised to see anyone not in one of the last two camps (excepting injury absences) called.
 
prefontaine said:
The Z Machine said:
encaitar said:
I might be physically sick if GGG chooses Long over Ream based on how they're playing going into this tourney.
Click to expand...
Ream is likely not going to even make the roster.
Click to expand...
Berhalter called 4 CBs (plus Cannon) to the last camp. Two ended up being replaced due to injuries. So 6 different CBs were called and yet no Ream. And we're probably taking 4 or 5 only to Qatar. Not only that, Berhalter took the opportunity to throw shade at Ream that he isn't capable of playing the electric style we displayed vs Japan and Saudi.

Snark aside, Ream hasn't been called in over a year and we would need to substantially change our style to play Ream/Zimmerman at the back. It would be a bit suicidal to try it for the first time in the World Cup. I don't think there is much likelihood Ream is on the roster at this point. Actually, I'll be surprised to see anyone not in one of the last two camps (excepting injury absences) called.
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Ream has looked really good this season - good enough where I feel confident in saying I’d take my chances with him and Zimm vs. Long/Zimm.
 
prefontaine said:
The Z Machine said:
encaitar said:
I might be physically sick if GGG chooses Long over Ream based on how they're playing going into this tourney.
Click to expand...
Ream is likely not going to even make the roster.
Click to expand...
Berhalter called 4 CBs (plus Cannon) to the last camp. Two ended up being replaced due to injuries. So 6 different CBs were called and yet no Ream. And we're probably taking 4 or 5 only to Qatar. Not only that, Berhalter took the opportunity to throw shade at Ream that he isn't capable of playing the electric style we displayed vs Japan and Saudi.

Snark aside, Ream hasn't been called in over a year and we would need to substantially change our style to play Ream/Zimmerman at the back. It would be a bit suicidal to try it for the first time in the World Cup. I don't think there is much likelihood Ream is on the roster at this point. Actually, I'll be surprised to see anyone not in one of the last two camps (excepting injury absences) called.
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I get it and I still think it's stupid. We have 1 CB playing in the toughest league in the world. Tim Ream. Not only is he more than holding his own against some of the best attacking squads in the world.... He also captains his currently top half team regularly.

I'd be ok with leaving him at home if we had a solid defensive situation going on, but we're nowhere near that. I know GGG won't make this call though. He's always been 3 steps late on the obvious calls during his tenure as coach.
 
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream? I mean, I think he’s better but it’s close for me. And it’s not like Ream was bad in his most recent USMNT appearances.

ETA - to be clear - my issue is with Long, not Zimmerman.
 
AAABatteries said:
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream?
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Apples and Oranges IMO. Zimm is only a RCB. Ream is only a LCB. There is no need for direct comparison, at least in terms of the USMNT.

As for as what little time we have left for this cycle, the only question is who is going to play next to Zimm, who unless he gets hurt or has a dramatically bad game is almost certainly playing 270 minutes in the group stage.

*Miles was the first choice LCB. He is out.
*Richards was arguably the second choice LCB. He is out
*CCV is, IMO, the 3rd choice LCB, but his incredibly bad timing of getting hurt just before the last camp may have ruined his hope to start as GGG tends to stick with what he knows.
*Long will likely be the starter as it is clear GGG likes him and yet he scares almost every one who has watched him play post injury. He would be tied for my 5th choice LCB with McKenzie
*Ream has emerged as a late favorite of the fan base since it is impossible to ignore his accomplishments. We can only hope the coach will go with the hot foot and not the foot he knows in Long.
 
prefontaine said:
Snark aside, Ream hasn't been called in over a year and we would need to substantially change our style to play Ream/Zimmerman at the back.
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can you explain more about why we would need to change our style to include Ream?

We know GGG wants to play out of the back. Ream is easily our best ball playing central defender (and it isn't even close).

Ream might be slow, but Long has clearly lost a couple of steps post injury and CCV is a plodder himself so we are not really giving up any foot speed by playing Ream (this is where we really miss Miles). I am ignoring Richards for now since I have a feeling his going to miss out this window.

People might point to the fact that Ream's minutes with Zimm is near 0 but that is easily countered by Ream having an incredible understanding with Jedi.
 
AAABatteries said:
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream? I mean, I think he’s better but it’s close for me. And it’s not like Ream was bad in his most recent USMNT appearances.

ETA - to be clear - my issue is with Long, not Zimmerman.
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For the most part, our entire central defender pool is average to mediocre and the differences between them is on the margins. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between CCV/Zimmerman pairing and a Ream/EPB pairing. I think you could scream to the high heavens that Brooks/Miazga is our best option and I really wouldn't argue with you. The single most important factor in this is getting a pairing that is comfortable with each other and the guys around them.

Unfortunately, Berhalter has selected Long who imo is a step below all the rest to pair with Zimmerman. And he's ride or die with it because he refused to give anyone else a fair shot since Robinson went down.

To be fair, it's pretty normal that coaches settle on their roster by now and we'll just have to wait for the next cycle (and coach) to see some guys. I think guys like Ream, Miazga, Tolkin, Djordje, Vasquez, Cohen, and Paredes may all be in our best 26 right now but have zero shot at getting called. This group (sans Ream) along with Pomykal, Williamson, Slonina, Zendejas, Ledezma, Sonora, and Koleosho will hopefully get called into the first post-world cup window.
 
prefontaine said:
AAABatteries said:
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream? I mean, I think he’s better but it’s close for me. And it’s not like Ream was bad in his most recent USMNT appearances.

ETA - to be clear - my issue is with Long, not Zimmerman.
Click to expand...
For the most part, our entire central defender pool is average to mediocre and the differences between them is on the margins. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between CCV/Zimmerman pairing and a Ream/EPB pairing. I think you could scream to the high heavens that Brooks/Miazga is our best option and I really wouldn't argue with you. The single most important factor in this is getting a pairing that is comfortable with each other and the guys around them.

Unfortunately, Berhalter has selected Long who imo is a step below all the rest to pair with Zimmerman. And he's ride or die with it because he refused to give anyone else a fair shot since Robinson went down.

To be fair, it's pretty normal that coaches settle on their roster by now and we'll just have to wait for the next cycle (and coach) to see some guys. I think guys like Ream, Miazga, Tolkin, Djordje, Vasquez, Cohen, and Paredes may all be in our best 26 right now but have zero shot at getting called. This group (sans Ream) along with Pomykal, Williamson, Slonina, Zendejas, Ledezma, Sonora, and Koleosho will hopefully get called into the first post-world cup window.
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I bet a good chunk of the guys you mentioned will likely be a part of the Olympic team first before they get their chance at the main team.
 
Acosta involved in the late game winner in a fabulous El Trafico playoff game. Bale did not dress for LAFC due to injury

streamable.com

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.
streamable.com streamable.com

Keep your eyes on Cherundolo...if LAFC wins the whole thing, he is going to likely be on the short list for next USMNT manager
 
NewlyRetired said:
prefontaine said:
AAABatteries said:
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream? I mean, I think he’s better but it’s close for me. And it’s not like Ream was bad in his most recent USMNT appearances.

ETA - to be clear - my issue is with Long, not Zimmerman.
Click to expand...
For the most part, our entire central defender pool is average to mediocre and the differences between them is on the margins. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between CCV/Zimmerman pairing and a Ream/EPB pairing. I think you could scream to the high heavens that Brooks/Miazga is our best option and I really wouldn't argue with you. The single most important factor in this is getting a pairing that is comfortable with each other and the guys around them.

Unfortunately, Berhalter has selected Long who imo is a step below all the rest to pair with Zimmerman. And he's ride or die with it because he refused to give anyone else a fair shot since Robinson went down.

To be fair, it's pretty normal that coaches settle on their roster by now and we'll just have to wait for the next cycle (and coach) to see some guys. I think guys like Ream, Miazga, Tolkin, Djordje, Vasquez, Cohen, and Paredes may all be in our best 26 right now but have zero shot at getting called. This group (sans Ream) along with Pomykal, Williamson, Slonina, Zendejas, Ledezma, Sonora, and Koleosho will hopefully get called into the first post-world cup window.
Click to expand...

I bet a good chunk of the guys you mentioned will likely be a part of the Olympic team first before they get their chance at the main team.
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That group really isn't as young as you think. Only Tolkin (02), Paredes (03), Slonina (04), and Koleosho (04) will be age eligible and all four will almost certainly have senior caps in the next 2 years prior to the Olympics given their current trajectory (Koleosho for Canada if we don't cap him).

Most of that group are guys that have been around for a bit but haven't gotten a chance for one reason or another (injuries, late bloomers, not the Berhalter profile, etc) and it just became too late in this cycle to integrate them.
 
prefontaine said:
NewlyRetired said:
prefontaine said:
AAABatteries said:
Is it blasphemy to say I’m not convinced Zimm is obviously better than Ream? I mean, I think he’s better but it’s close for me. And it’s not like Ream was bad in his most recent USMNT appearances.

ETA - to be clear - my issue is with Long, not Zimmerman.
Click to expand...
For the most part, our entire central defender pool is average to mediocre and the differences between them is on the margins. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between CCV/Zimmerman pairing and a Ream/EPB pairing. I think you could scream to the high heavens that Brooks/Miazga is our best option and I really wouldn't argue with you. The single most important factor in this is getting a pairing that is comfortable with each other and the guys around them.

Unfortunately, Berhalter has selected Long who imo is a step below all the rest to pair with Zimmerman. And he's ride or die with it because he refused to give anyone else a fair shot since Robinson went down.

To be fair, it's pretty normal that coaches settle on their roster by now and we'll just have to wait for the next cycle (and coach) to see some guys. I think guys like Ream, Miazga, Tolkin, Djordje, Vasquez, Cohen, and Paredes may all be in our best 26 right now but have zero shot at getting called. This group (sans Ream) along with Pomykal, Williamson, Slonina, Zendejas, Ledezma, Sonora, and Koleosho will hopefully get called into the first post-world cup window.
Click to expand...

I bet a good chunk of the guys you mentioned will likely be a part of the Olympic team first before they get their chance at the main team.
Click to expand...
That group really isn't as young as you think. Only Tolkin (02), Paredes (03), Slonina (04), and Koleosho (04) will be age eligible and all four will almost certainly have senior caps in the next 2 years prior to the Olympics given their current trajectory (Koleosho for Canada if we don't cap him).

Most of that group are guys that have been around for a bit but haven't gotten a chance for one reason or another (injuries, late bloomers, not the Berhalter profile, etc) and it just became too late in this cycle to integrate them.
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the interesting part for the new coach is the current squad is very young. If the fan base expects plenty of new players to be integrated, some of the young players now are going to bumped out.

Adams, Jedi, Dest, Reyna, Musah , Aaronson, Pulisic, Weah, and Weston will likely remain the core when healthy.

Richards, Scally, Sargent, Pepi, LDLT and Jesus are probably just outside of the core group but should be in the new coaches purview at least early in cycle.

Both CB's spots could be wide open. We need to see how much if any athleticism Miles will lose once he comes back.

I am betting the 9 will remain an issue as well.

GKing could be wide open, or set in stone, depending on how new coach views Turner/Steffen and how WC goes.

I really really hope that US Soccer does not take forever to name a new coach. I want one named early in 2023 to hopefully start in summer of 2023 full bore. This is an extra short cycle where we have no qualification and have to find as many games as possible (Nations League and Gold Cup are not going to cut it).
 
Last edited:
NewlyRetired said:
Both CB's spots could be wide open. We need to see how much if any athleticism Miles will lose once he comes back.
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That reminds me that I forgot Auston Trusty on my list. He didn't impress me in MLS but he appears to have come good at Birm City. He's 24 which is often when CBs make big leaps. I'd probably include him in the list that may well be in our best 26 right now (given the state of our CBs).
 
The Terrence Boyd story is pretty cool.

Boyd was a big strong dual nat striker that had a lot of promise when he was young but some serious injuries almost saw him out of the sport. He struggled in Germany and then decided to try MLS in Toronto where he looked beyond cooked. He only lasted 11 games and was released.

He considered retirement but gave one last chance down in Bundesliga 3 for a team I have never heard of called Hallescher. He stayed with them for three seasons, banging in a decent amount of goals. This caught the eye of one of Germany's legendary clubs who had fallen on hard times in Kaisersalutern also in Bundesliga 3.

Boyd moved to Kaiserslautern last winter and help them promote to Bundesliga 2.

Boyd is their starting striker today and still doing well. As of today he is 4th in the league in scoring and Kaiser is in the top half of the table.

Here was a goal he scored today

 
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

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More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
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Big problem here in that our two best set piece takers in Acosta and Reyna are unlikely to start. It will probably fall to either Pulisic or Aaronson, both of whom are very inconsistent on the crossing type set pieces.
 
this is a bummer. It would have been fun to nit pick

=======

[Seth Vertelney] Confirmed from U.S. Soccer that they won't be making the #USMNT provisional World Cup roster public, nor will FIFA. With that roster due today, some federations have been voluntarily releasing their lists in recent days​

 
NewlyRetired said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...

Big problem here in that our two best set piece takers in Acosta and Reyna are unlikely to start. It will probably fall to either Pulisic or Aaronson, both of whom are very inconsistent on the crossing type set pieces.
Click to expand...

Just another reason I would start Reyna.
 
AAABatteries said:
NewlyRetired said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...

Big problem here in that our two best set piece takers in Acosta and Reyna are unlikely to start. It will probably fall to either Pulisic or Aaronson, both of whom are very inconsistent on the crossing type set pieces.
Click to expand...

Just another reason I would start Reyna.
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I'd like to see him go 90 or at least earn a few more starts before i would pencil him in. He did start last match, right?
 
AAABatteries said:
NewlyRetired said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...

Big problem here in that our two best set piece takers in Acosta and Reyna are unlikely to start. It will probably fall to either Pulisic or Aaronson, both of whom are very inconsistent on the crossin
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The Z Machine said:
AAABatteries said:
NewlyRetired said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...

Big problem here in that our two best set piece takers in Acosta and Reyna are unlikely to start. It will probably fall to either Pulisic or Aaronson, both of whom are very inconsistent on the crossing type set pieces.
Click to expand...

Just another reason I would start Reyna.
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I'd like to see him go 90 or at least earn a few more starts before i would pencil him in. He did start last match, right?
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No he did not start. he has not started a match since he got hurt in September during the Japan game. He has not played more than 67 minutes this season. Of his 11 appearances across all competitions, has has played a half or less 8 times.
 
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
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Out of all the skills that USMNT players possess, Swag’s ability to find and head the ball on net is probably the one that is closest to being truly world class. There’s no way he should Have put that on net, much less scored that, yet he does it all the time.
 
Sammy3469 said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...
Out of all the skills that USMNT players possess, Swag’s ability to find and head the ball on net is probably the one that is closest to being truly world class. There’s no way he should Have put that on net, much less scored that, yet he does it all the time.
Click to expand...
I honestly think he's the best midfielder in the world in that skill right now.

Every other big set piece scorer like that is like 6'3" or taller.
 
encaitar said:
Sammy3469 said:
Poke_4_Life said:
NewlyRetired said:
goal for Weston

Click to expand...
More evidence that we need good service set pieces, including corners. Swag has a good knack for getting on set pieces. Who we think will be taking them in Qatar? I thought our set pieces were rather poor in qualifying.
Click to expand...
Out of all the skills that USMNT players possess, Swag’s ability to find and head the ball on net is probably the one that is closest to being truly world class. There’s no way he should Have put that on net, much less scored that, yet he does it all the time.
Click to expand...
I honestly think he's the best midfielder in the world in that skill right now.

Every other big set piece scorer like that is like 6'3" or taller.
Click to expand...
I don't understand why teams continually mark him on corners with a smaller guy. The biggest CB should always be marking him. Hopefully Iran and Wales make the same mistake.
 
oh jesus heart in throat time....Bellingham sent a through ball to Gio who was one step from blowing past the last defender and Gio stepped on the defender's foot, twisted his ankle and went down screaming....

Thankfully it looks like he was just trying to get the call as he is no worse for wear now.
 
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