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US Men's National Team (11 Viewers)

El Floppo said:
Would like to hear more about this
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I found the context from this quote:

==============

The storyline regarding Avaya masked some other aspects of Lletget’s return to the USMNT fold. He was a substitute in both victories, a fact due in part perhaps to the demanding learning curve of new coach Gregg Berhalter’s tactical revamp.

“He’ll be the first to say he struggled with the structure a little bit, in the beginning,” Berhalter said. “All the credit goes to Sebastian and how, when he plays within the structure, now his skill set can take over and help him to be very effective.”

Lletget disagreed with the use of “struggle,” but did allow it was a heavy load of granular information for players to absorb.

“Our job is to learn, and he’s teaching a style of play that – it’s not going to come easy to a lot of guys,” Lletget said. “Many of us have never been coached like this, to so much detail. But we appreciate it, especially me. I learned a lot, and that’s one thing I told him after the game, is that I learned so much in this camp, and I’ll continue to learn and study the way he wants to play this game. I’m definitely up for it.”

Lletget may not have gotten a start against either Panama or Costa Rica, but he came off the pitch healthy in both instances and carried the game ball from the latter match against his hip through the mixed zone.

“Gregg gave it to me,” Lletget said. “He knows everything that this moment means to me and the team, and I appreciate the gesture. … I couldn’t have written it any better, but this is only the start for me.”

 
Tyler and Weston both starting today in Cup games.  Haji not in 18.

Weah starts for Celtic today.

 
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Tyler went the full 90 again in the 1-0 win.  RBL remain perfect while Adams plays.   I have not yet seen how he played.

This gives RBL their first quarter final appearance.

 
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Future USMNT‏ @FutureUsmnt

Tyler Adams had his first very average game today, but Leipzig have still won every game with him in the lineup and haven't conceded a goal in the 270 minutes he's played. Also, nice to see John Brooks have another solid game. Probably one of the most in-form Americans right now

 
One of the interesting minor stories to follow in the upcoming March games is who Berhalter targets as the captain.

I would not be against him pulling Brooks aside the minute he gets to camp and telling Brooks his is both the best and most experience defender we have and that he wants him to be the captain.

It has the nice small side benefit of also shutting down any "Berhalter hates dual nats" crap before it starts.

If Brooks is not the leadership type, I guess you pick between Adams and Weston, both of whom have publicly said they want it some day.  Shame we can't have co captains.

 
NewlyRetired said:
One of the interesting minor stories to follow in the upcoming March games is who Berhalter targets as the captain.

I would not be against him pulling Brooks aside the minute he gets to camp and telling Brooks his is both the best and most experience defender we have and that he wants him to be the captain.

It has the nice small side benefit of also shutting down any "Berhalter hates dual nats" crap before it starts.

If Brooks is not the leadership type, I guess you pick between Adams and Weston, both of whom have publicly said they want it some day.  Shame we can't have co captains.
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or CP.

a captainy thing aside- post camp cupcake articles I've read (look at me! I'm reading articles!), have been uniformly talking about Bradley's inclusion, future inclusion, good play and how Trapp isn't at that level yet. 

while I agree with all of that, none of the articles mentions that the Panama game was as perfect a situation as possible for him, with zero pressure on the man or ball, allowing his decreased step to not overtake his still stellar vision, touch and game sense... the way it has at the international level for a couple of years already. He's kind of turned into Beckerman (still better than Beckerman ever was) where you just know he's going to be second best to ever ball, man and space.

 
El Floppo said:
or CP..
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I personally think he is going to be overburdened.  Unless Weah or Sargent develop at a rapid clip internationally, the entire offensive output could be on CP's skinny shoulders.  When you combine that huge responsibility with knowing that every Concacaf team is going to try and kick him into submission with a wide range of butchers, I think he has enough to worry about.

That being said he does appear to have a real passion when playing for the US and could likely lead by example very well.

 
El Floppo said:
 while I agree with all of that, none of the articles mentions that the Panama game was as perfect a situation as possible for him, with zero pressure on the man or ball, allowing his decreased step to not overtake his still stellar vision, touch and game sense... the way it has at the international level for a couple of years already. He's kind of turned into Beckerman (still better than Beckerman ever was) where you just know he's going to be second best to ever ball, man and space.
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I honestly have no idea what Berhalter's plans are for Bradley.   The choice to not make him captain and to not play him in the only game of the two that was a semi real game was interesting.  I am not expecting him to be called in March but if he is that tells us a lot.

 
lol

=========

Arthur Kogan‏ @TheRealArturK 4m4 minutes ago

Yes - that is Weston McKennie now playing CB for Schalke. They started in a 4-2-3-1 but went to a 3 man back line once Rudy came on

Arthur Kogan‏ @TheRealArturK 58s59 seconds ago

Schalke concede and change the shape, McKennie now moves from CB to attacking midfield. I don’t know WTF is going on.

 
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oh dear :(

=======

U.S. Soccer was in talks to hire the Dutchman ahead of Concacaf qualifying in April, but those discussions fell apart

The Concacaf Under-17 championships take place in April, but U.S. Soccer is no closer to hiring a head coach after negotiations with the leading candidate fell apart.

Sources tell Goal that Dave van den Bergh is out of the running to be U.S. under-17 men's national team coach, leaving one of several youth national team head coaching vacancies at U.S. Soccer still open.

A former U.S. under-15 coach, Van den Bergh had recently served as a fill-in coach with the under-17 team during a January training camp in Florida, but negotiations with U.S. Soccer on a permanent appointment ended abruptly.

 
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El Floppo said:
another one where we have to hope he doesn't get too good. IIRC, pretty sure he's said he's all about playing for France.

didn't realize he was so tall- big kid.
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he can get ten times as good as he is now, he is not getting called up by one of the best and deepest talented teams in the world imo  :)

 
El Floppo said:
another one where we have to hope he doesn't get too good. IIRC, pretty sure he's said he's all about playing for France.

didn't realize he was so tall- big kid.

eta: and I'm sure beerholder has a lot of pull in europe, similar to a guy like klinsman.
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Lacazette and Martial didn't make the World Cup team, I don't think we really need to worry about this kid getting senior caps for the most loaded side in the world.  

 
I still am going back and forth on where CP will play in March.

In watching his game yesterday he played 99.5% of the game out wide on the right with  moderate success.  Of course I am sure Berhalter noticed that the other .5% ended producing his goal as he drove right down the center of the pitch.

At this point I think it is easier for us to find a wide player and put CP in the middle, than the reverse.  I am interested to see how Berhalter handles this.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I still am going back and forth on where CP will play in March.

In watching his game yesterday he played 99.5% of the game out wide on the right with  moderate success.  Of course I am sure Berhalter noticed that the other .5% ended producing his goal as he drove right down the center of the pitch.

At this point I think it is easier for us to find a wide player and put CP in the middle, than the reverse.  I am interested to see how Berhalter handles this.
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I still think Saief can fill that #10 slot.

 
Ned said:
I still think Saief can fill that #10 slot.
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I kinda think so too... but really haven't seen enough of him to know for sure. what I've seen- flashes of it are definitely there, along with flashes of mediocre (still decent) play. I'm hoping we can develop a guy in that role to be good or savvy enough to not disappear for long stretches- which I feel like has happened with kenny.

 
NewlyRetired said:
he is either hurt or out of favor because he is not playing at all at club level.
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I did some research.  He is not hurt, but his new coach seems to hate him.  He is mostly playing in the reserves and occasionally makes the bench for the first team.  It was assumed he would be sold but nothing yet.

He seems like he would be a relatively cheap and solid option for many MLS teams.

 
Adams has played 270 minutes in 11 days.  I wonder if he sits on Saturday?

I assume that Sancho will be back for Dortmund so after Pulisic playing 120 minutes this week, he is likely to sit on Saturday.

 
 
NewlyRetired said:
Charlie Steiner said:
No on 1, yes on 2.
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Bradley starting against the first teams of Chile and Ecuador will certainly gives us a quick answer of whether he can help out early in this cycle.
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agree. and we've talked about this before- bradley needs deep lying help... he can't take the pace of covering that man/ball/space alone. and that's an area that routinely gets picked apart by even ok teams- between the CBs and MF- and an area I don't see him handling solo. if players are getting the ball there, it puts the US in immediate danger for the 2nd ball... and that's an area even our better CBs seems to routinely make mistakes on. 

much as I still really like him as a player- and I hope I'm wrong because his pros really benefit the team in both directions- but I think he's become more of a liability than an aid for the US. it's time to see which younger MF pairings work with swag, adams, trapp, park etc.

and while Wood has been serviceable when called upon to play that wing role- I'd rather have Nagbe in there, tbh. heat-map be damned. I still like his ability to possess and get the US out of danger and into something positive. plus it felt like his defensive abilities improved a bit over the last couple years... not great- but neither is Wood's.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Bradley starting against the first teams of Chile and Ecuador will certainly gives us a quick answer of whether he can help out early in this cycle.
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I was more reacting to Wood out there on the wing; it looks like Bradley would have a lot of help around him and maybe his slowing down wouldn't be as much of a liability.

 
I have read multiple people saying the same thing. George Bello physically went from boy to man over the winter.  Some one introduced him to weight lifting.  He looks so much bigger and older (he was a bit of a baby face so this can happen at his age).

 
Charlie Steiner said:
NewlyRetired said:
Bradley starting against the first teams of Chile and Ecuador will certainly gives us a quick answer of whether he can help out early in this cycle.
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I was more reacting to Wood out there on the wing; it looks like Bradley would have a lot of help around him and maybe his slowing down wouldn't be as much of a liability.
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I would bet that that 1-2 in MF would play like more of a 2-1, with Swag pushed higher and adams dropping to help cover bradley. I'm not against that- if we can figure out a way to maximize bradleys utility and minimize his liabilities, let's do it. 

or let the yutes take over and get another guy further up the field. adams can certainly cover the ground to play that deep lying CM by himself. then it's just a question of spacing/shape countering what the other team is doing.

 
Pardon the rough translation here, but this talks about why Sargent did not dress for the last game

===============

Above all, Josh Sargent showed on Tuesday evening in Dortmund not even a sign of those feelings that had expected Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt with him. Disappointment, frustration or annoyance. Sargent would have had reason to develop these negative emotions, because before the 7: 5 success after penalty shootout at Borussia Dortmund , the 18-year-old at Werder Bremen had been something of the fifth wheel on the car. 

Good to have him, but he was not needed. Sargent had indeed gone to Dortmund, but he was not in the squad. "That's not so easy for an 18-year-old," Kohfeldt said, but he had decided that before. Why? An explanation.

Actually, as the coach explained, Sargent should not go to Dortmund. Since his Bundesliga debut in early December, the striker had been nominated for each game, came in six of the seven games even used. But now Kohfeldt saw the time for a breather - and not just for physical reasons. 

"It's not just the game time. It is also this mental stress from week to week. Josh does not know that yet, "the coach explained. Also: "He had a bit of a hip problem and I really want to keep him fresh and not, in a nutshell, burn him up." That's why Sargent did not get a ticket to the trophy. Only because Milot Rashica was slightly injured, the American drove then to Dortmund. Ultimately, without a chance of a mission. Instead of him the competitors Rashica, Claudio Pizarro and Martin Harnik wrote with their gates the story of the game.

 
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NewlyRetired said:
here is Ives's taking a crack at two possible lineups that seem related to the Pulisic question

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/74/20/gfx-usmnt-projected-xi-march-friendlies-b_1azi9jah2qxcx1gg38srn9k708.png?t=-1096459024

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/f6/63/gfx-usmnt-projected-xi-march-friendlies_19nnuuvb5s8ae1lewrml7t9d8o.png?t=-1094018640
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the lineup guessing game is a personal favorite and crowd pleaser.

I'm not sure why, but I'm not completely sold on Sargent...wouldn't be surprised if he ends up a non factor...realize I'm in the minority on this.

Also, getting Weah in the lineup should be a priority...he can be a difference maker IMHO.

 
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TripItUp said:
the lineup guessing game is a personal favorite and crowd pleaser.

I'm not sure why, but I'm not completely sold on Sargent...wouldn't be surprised if he ends up a non factor...realize I'm in the minority on this.

Also, getting Weah in the lineup should be a priority...he can be a difference maker IMHO.
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Funny, I think Sargent may end up being the best player on the team.

 
TripItUp said:
the lineup guessing game is a personal favorite and crowd pleaser.

I'm not sure why, but I'm not completely sold on Sargent...wouldn't be surprised if he ends up a non factor...realize I'm in the minority on this.

Also, getting Weah in the lineup should be a priority...he can be a difference maker IMHO.
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I get tempering your expectations... but everything I've seen from him sells me more and more each time I see him play. combo of skills and soccer smarts at insanely high levels, for US or any country. not terrible physically. and he's only like 12 years old.

 
One thing is for certain, whether it be Weah, or Sargent, or Mendez, there are going to be plenty of failures along the way.

Last night some one posted an article from SBNation from 2014 predicting who would become the best players for the US.

On that list was Gideon Zelalem, Julian Green, Joe Gyau, Eric Palmer Brown, Ben Lederman and quite a few other names that never made it big.

You know who was not in the list?  Adams, Pulisic and Weston.

This is an inexact science to say the least.

 
I for one have no desire to see Bradley in March or in the Gold Cup. I didn't see him the other day but in the last meaningful USMNT games he looked old and slow. I'd rather see the youngsters and start seeing what we have as a replacement.

 
SwampDawg said:
I for one have no desire to see Bradley in March or in the Gold Cup. I didn't see him the other day but in the last meaningful USMNT games he looked old and slow. I'd rather see the youngsters and start seeing what we have as a replacement.
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he was the best player on the field vs panama- by a lot.

but I agree- unless there's a viable way for his loss of step to not negatively impact the team- allowing them to maximize his many other strengths- it's time to move on.

 
sancho inspired by pulisic:

Jadon Sancho has told ESPN FC that he was inspired to leave Manchester City and join Borussia Dortmund following Christian Pulisic's success at the club.

Sancho, 18, has scored six goals and set up another nine for Dortmund this season, who lead the Bundesliga by seven points and are well placed to end Bayern Munich's six-year stranglehold on the title.

"The club had shown with a player like Christian Pulisic that they were going in the right way, playing youngsters and giving them a chance," Sancho said. "He came from the same situation as me, leaving his family behind.

"He was so young, and he was brave enough. America is a lot further away than England and he's taken a bigger step than I have done. How he's handled that, what he does on the pitch, his mentality [towards] football, it's just crazy. The passion he has. I admire him."

Pennsylvania-born Pulisic, who recently secured a £57 million move to Chelsea for next season, was 16-years-old when he joined up with BVB in 2016.

Sancho made the switch to the Bundesliga aged 17 and has become an England international and one of Europe's hottest properties on the back of eye-catching performances for the Bundesliga leaders.

But he continues to regard Pulisic as a role model, having followed a similar career path like the United States international.

"He's an outstanding player, I really do look up to him," Sancho said. "Him going away from home shows that you have to do things to get out of your comfort zone, sometimes.

I feel it's worked for him and it's working for me now, because we're both staying focused and keep training hard."
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Sammy3469 said:
This is what I was worried about with Lewis...NYCFC is going after Carlos Lopez for a TAM contract (Legia forward whose nickname is Carlitos).  That would push Mitrita out wide and push Lewis down the pecking order.  
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from an article in ESPN about NYC and replacing Villa...

It is testament to NYCFC's attacking options that winger Jonathan Lewis, who has impressed with the U.S. national team recently, is almost an afterthought. His ability to beat players one-on-one is special, but his impact in 2019 will be more to do with his head.

"I think Lewis has gone from someone who perhaps didn't take responsibility in terms of why he didn't play to holding himself accountable now and demanding more from himself, not only in games but in training day in and day out," Reyna said. "It's part of being a young player and growing up, and you could see that growth. I'm excited. I think he's come in after the Costa Rica game and the January camp looking really sharp."
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This is no good :(    It sounds like he arrived late to pre season but no reason was given as to why.  If this was a normal issue, I don't see any reason why the club would not speak about it.

====================

FULLERTON, CALIF. — 

There may be an issue developing between Atlanta United and midfielder Darlington Nagbe.

Not only has the player not logged any minutes with the first team in its first two scrimmages in California against Seattle and Tijuana, he has twice declined to speak to the media. Additionally, the club was asked to speak about Nagbe. Through a spokesman, the club declined.

 
NewlyRetired said:
This is no good :(    It sounds like he arrived late to pre season but no reason was given as to why.  If this was a normal issue, I don't see any reason why the club would not speak about it.

====================

FULLERTON, CALIF. — 

There may be an issue developing between Atlanta United and midfielder Darlington Nagbe.

Not only has the player not logged any minutes with the first team in its first two scrimmages in California against Seattle and Tijuana, he has twice declined to speak to the media. Additionally, the club was asked to speak about Nagbe. Through a spokesman, the club declined.
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Rob Usry‏ @RobUsry

Multiple sources have confirmed that Darlington Nagbe wants to reunite with Caleb Porter in Columbus

 
El Floppo said:
lol... 

leaving US fans without any real answer.
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Scientists will discover cold fusion before they discover an element to Yedlin's game beyond pace and the #### haircut.  Honestly think he's the worst US player to ever get 50 caps.  Marvelle Wynne was faster in his prime and no more #### at actually playing soccer.

 
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