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US Men's National Team (14 Viewers)

I agree he seems to lack some quickness.

In terms of his technical skills (trapping, passing, shooting, shielding, etc), they rate out very high for me.

Lets just hope that both he and Weah progress because we are going to need both of them.
I think Sargent is one of the most technically gifted players right now. :shrug:  

 
I think Sargent is one of the most technically gifted players right now. :shrug:  
I think that maybe some of the divergent thoughts on Sargent is due to different people having varying definitions of "skills" when it comes to evaluating players.

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

Lets try and break it down for Sargent focusing on the #9 spot:

1) Touch skills: passing (short and long), trapping, ball control, shielding and shooting.  The Lewondowski Category

Sargent rates out for me the best pure US #9 of all time in these combined categories.  He is better than Jozy, McBride, Wondo, Ching, Casey, EJ and a few others that were full time #9's, IMO even at his young age.

2) Flair skills: dribbling, tricky touches, running at opponents at high speed, basically the "trying ####" category.  The Luis Suarez Category

He does not appear to have many of these types of skills.  His only dribbling move is that spin he does when working as a hold up man (which is very effective).  But in terms of pure one on one skills, they have not emerged yet.   But in acknowledgement of the names I listed earlier, none of them were great one on one either

3) Physical skills: Ability in the air, strength in the box, off the ball movement, general speed and quickness, and hold up play.  The Drogba Category

For hold up play, I think he is likely to end up the best we ever had.  McBride is the only player that comes close.  He is never going to be a quick/fast as EJ, as strong as Jozy, as good in the air as McBride but I think he will be overall fairly strong in many of these categories when compared to his historical peers.

4) Intangible skills: With out going into great detail, lets just call this the "fox in the box".  The Javier Hernández Category

This one is a little to early to grade but he has shown the ability to score at every level he has played so I am hopeful this will continue at the pro and international level.

 
Players can develop profoundly  (or stop developing) at this age. I think Sargent was clearly the better youth team player. He had a developed all around game and string finishing. 

Weah really only stood to me in one way. His off ball movement has always been excellent. But his finishing was erratic and he didn’t then seem to have the 1 v 1 instincts or consistent final ball  to play on the wings. He looks to have improved in both of those areas, and has gotten stronger and more explosive. And he seems better technically as well.  But his sample size this season is small and so is Sargent’s. And stuff happens.  If we had a 20 year old EJ right now, we’d all be orgasming over him. 

 
 If we had a 20 year old EJ right now, we’d all be orgasming over him. 
And I think we would be right to do that.

I would love to have EJ coming up in this development environment we have now and hopefully believe that we can keep him away from the drug scene which was rumored to have a strong negative effect on his development as a late teenager.

EJ was stuck in the dead space of the poor MLS that was the years 2001-2006, and just unfortunately matured too late and by the time "he got it", his time had passed.

 
Players can develop profoundly  (or stop developing) at this age. I think Sargent was clearly the better youth team player. He had a developed all around game and string finishing. 

Weah really only stood to me in one way. His off ball movement has always been excellent. But his finishing was erratic and he didn’t then seem to have the 1 v 1 instincts or consistent final ball  to play on the wings. He looks to have improved in both of those areas, and has gotten stronger and more explosive. And he seems better technically as well.  But his sample size this season is small and so is Sargent’s. And stuff happens.  If we had a 20 year old EJ right now, we’d all be orgasming over him. 
If forced to pick one, who would you bet on having a greater impact in the WC?   Weah or Sargent?

The actual WC, not qualifying.

 
If forced to pick one, who would you bet on having a greater impact in the WC?   Weah or Sargent?

The actual WC, not qualifying.
I don't think I can make that guess yet.  The players are both too young and untested.

As an aside, I just want to get to the WC.  I am far more focused on qualifying after what we went through last cycle.

 
And I think we would be right to do that.

I would love to have EJ coming up in this development environment we have now and hopefully believe that we can keep him away from the drug scene which was rumored to have a strong negative effect on his development as a late teenager.

EJ was stuck in the dead space of the poor MLS that was the years 2001-2006, and just unfortunately matured too late and by the time "he got it", his time had passed.
Of course we would have been right to.  EJ was legitimately a generational talent by US Soccer standards.  But generational talents miss all the time.  For lots of reasons. 

 
I don't think I can make that guess yet.  The players are both too young and untested.

As an aside, I just want to get to the WC.  I am far more focused on qualifying after what we went through last cycle.
Yeah, I think it's impossible to tell.   I mean, either of them could end up behind a guy younger or the same age as him.   Soto or Ferraira or even Rennicks might be better in 2022 than Sargent.  Llanez or Pomykal or Taitague or someone might be ahead of Weah.  Gio Reyna might end up making a leap and demand a place in the team (even if I have no idea what his best position will be yet).  

Pomykal and Dest are great examples.  Both of them improved by leaps and bounds over one year.  

 
"He's got a good profile, when I think of his towering frame and how he passes the ball. We'll be coming over to watch him again because we think he has huge potential... he's one of those players I'm trying to reach out to and to get to know." - Gregg Berhalter on John Brooks

 
"I've played with him at 1860 Munich. He has a wide range of abilities, which gives a coach a variety of options, and sometimes players prefer to play in one position, but when you're as flexible as Fabian, you give your coach tactical options in the game." - Berhalter on Fabian

 
Brian Sciaretta‏ @BrianSciaretta

with Tyler Adams on the field:

6 appearances (5 Bundesliga, 1 Cup), 449 minutes, 12 goals scored, 1 goal conceded (a very fluky penalty called on a teammate).

The team is just better with him on the field.

 
Taylor Twellman‏Verified account @TaylorTwellman

It was quite the week for Josh Sargent, on Wednesday was his 19th birthday, and on Friday he had his first Bundesliga start. In the next 24 hours, @werderbremen_en will announce an extension with the @USMNT player

 
I wonder what effect this will have on Weah...

==========

CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers has left the club to succeed Claude Puel at Leicester City.

It is understood that Kolo Toure and assistant Chris Davies will join Rodgers at the Premier League club.

Neil Lennon is expected to take over at Celtic until the end of the season. 

 
Taylor Twellman‏Verified account @TaylorTwellman

It was quite the week for Josh Sargent, on Wednesday was his 19th birthday, and on Friday he had his first Bundesliga start. In the next 24 hours, @werderbremen_en will announce an extension with the @USMNT player
And here it is.

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

“We’re very pleased with Josh’s development. His future belongs at Werder, so we’re glad that we’ll accompany him on his journey in the coming years,” said Frank Baumann, managing director. The new contract will apply retrospectively from the start of this year.

Head coach Florian Kohfeldt was also pleased to be able to carry on working with Josh: “If you see Josh in the dressing room, in training or on a matchday, you see someone who wants to watch and learn, not just a very talented young footballer. I’m sure that Josh will become a very important part of the squad.”

“I’m feeling very honoured. The contract extension also shows the club’s trust in me. I’ve felt at home from day one at Werder and in Bremen and I’m looking forward to the coming years,” said Sargent.

 
Agreed.  Was just reading a bit about him - his natural position is RM.  
I have seen that too but in these all touch videos he seems to drift centrally and even deeper at times like a 6.

I hope Berhalter takes a trip to England like he has to Germany to get a close look at Yedlin, CCV, Holmes and Miazga.

 
Holmes, McKennie, and Adams sounds like a hell of a midfield to me.  
Holmes getting called and the health of Weston and Pulisic are the two items I am focused on in the run up to the March friendlies.

Speaking of that, did anyone see any results from the MRI Weston had?

 
oh #### yes!!

gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!!!!

:)

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

U.S. Soccer has invited South America’s 10 soccer federations to bring their national teams to the United States in 2020 for a new intercontinental championship that would run concurrently with that summer’s European Championship.

The offer, a package that includes almost $200 million in guarantees to the invited teams and their governing bodies, was made Tuesday in a letter from U.S. Soccer’s president, Carlos Cordeiro, to his counterparts at the 10 South American federations. For the past year, soccer officials across the Americas have held discussions about creating a quadrennial tournament involving national teams from both hemispheres, but with no agreement in sight, U.S. Soccer, eager to fill a gap in the global soccer calendar and bearing an enticing nine-figure offer, is now proposing to establish its own.

In the letter, Cordeiro said U.S. Soccer was offering to underwrite the new event and guarantee each nation — and both confederations — millions of dollars in appearance fees, subsidized travel and bonuses for each point earned. The champions could take home a prize of more than $11 million. Cordeiro has invited the South Americans to a meeting to discuss the proposal next week in Miami.

The proposed 16-team tournament would resemble, in structure though most likely not in name, the 2016 Copa América Centenario. That tournament, a relocated version of the South American championship — expanded to celebrate the event’s 100th anniversary — brought the 10 members of the South American confederation, Conmebol, to the United States for a month to face off not only against one another, but also a half-dozen opponents from Concacaf, the regional confederation made up of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

That tournament was considered a sporting and — perhaps more important — a financial success, and was won by Chile, which beat Argentina in a penalty-kick shootout in the final in East Rutherford, N.J. The new event would take place in June and July next year.

The proposed 2020 tournament would again include all 10 South American teams, plus six from Concacaf, and most likely feature a group stage and then a knockout round to determine a champion.

In his letter, a draft of which was seen by The New York Times, Cordeiro took pains to emphasize that the new event would be a singular tournament, and not meant to replace existing events like the Copa América or the Gold Cup, which would continue separately. Conmebol, which will contest this year’s Copa in June and July in Brazil, said last year that it was planning to shift the Copa América to a quadrennial schedule starting in 2020, to coincide with UEFA’s European Championship. Concacaf holds its own regional championship, the Gold Cup, in odd-numbered years; this year’s Gold Cup matches will be played in the United States, Costa Rica and at least one Caribbean nation.

For next summer, though, Cordeiro is proposing a larger, intercontinental event in the United States. The event could fill a gap in the global soccer calendar — at the moment, the Euros are the only major championship scheduled for that summer — but despite the millions being offered, it is unclear how South American and Conmebol officials will react to a tournament that would conflict with their Copa América plans.

The Copa América has included guest teams for years; Mexico and the United States have participated in it several times, and this year it will include Japan and Qatar.

For the United States, though, the event could have several positives. FIFA is expected to choose the dozen or so host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the next two years, so the tournament could be a chance for the 17 finalists to make their case for inclusion. It also would offer meaningful competition for the United States men’s national team as it heads into qualifying for the 2022 World Cup; that process began later than hoped because the search for the team’s head coach, Gregg Berhalter, was delayed, first by the World Cup bid and then by the search for a general manager to run the national team program. Hired in December, Berhalter has coached only two friendlies to date as he prepares for this summer’s Gold Cup.

If the proposed tournament with Conmebol does not come to fruition, U.S. Soccer could still press ahead with a new event, possibly a scaled-down tournament involving teams from other continents.

 
The search function seems broken else I would bring up the old post but here is a youth player we have talked about before.  Good to see him continuing to advance.  And that this is from the Dallas system gives extra incentive to watch him develop.

========

Future USMNT‏ @FutureUsmnt 15m15 minutes ago

United States U17 forward Dante Sealy (15) has signed a homegrown contract with FC Dallas. Sealy becomes the 2nd youngest player in FC Dallas history (behind only Bryan Reynolds), and will be loaned to USL affiliate North Texas SC. He has scored 51 times in 55 DA matches

 
German interview (translated) BILD and Berhalter

=======

BILD: Mr. Berhalter, currently 12 Americans are active in the Bundesliga - a large number. Why is that?

Berhalter: "The typical US player suits the Bundesliga. He is physically strong, has good technique and a good mentality. In addition, the Bundesliga has become a league in which clubs have the courage to bet on young players. "

BILD: How do you rate the level of the Bundesliga compared to other top leagues?

Berhalter: "For me, the Bundesliga is one of the top 3. Very balanced, and above all very entertaining - especially because of the intense fan culture."

BILD: What is missing from the German clubs to finally win international titles again?

Berhalter: "Let's take Dortmund. It is a very young team. This makes it hard to survive in a long-lasting competition. Teams like Real Madrid have a lot more experience. And of course the money also plays a big role. "

BILD: Is there something from the Bundesliga that you bring into your game?

Berhalter: "I am very impressed by the changeover game. The counter-attacks are played more precisely here than in the other leagues. "

BILD: In Germany, Jürgen Klinsmann was the face of the summer fairy tale in 2006. Later, he was a long US national coach. What traces has he left?

Berhalter: "His calling has brought a lot of attention. Much more than ever. Meanwhile, we have a situation where many of our players play in top leagues. We failed in the World Cup qualifier. But now the starting point is to get up. And we have the quality. "

BILD: Do you talk to Klinsmann?

Berhalter: "I am in contact with all predecessors, including Jürgen. He is very open, just like the other colleagues. We all pull together and want US football to come forward. We have disappointed many fans, we want to win them back. And by showing our players that they are proud to run aground and play attractive. "

BILD: Christian Pulisic joins the Chelsea team from summer. Will he prevail?

Berhalter: "It was always his dream to play in the Premier League. Not many players get this chance. It's hard to say no then. I am convinced that he will prevail. "

BILD: How much could Bastian Schweinsteiger contribute to raising the level of the MLS?

Berhalter: "It is impressive to see him playing with us. I am absolutely impressed by his attitude and his positive attitude. The players can learn from him. "

BILD: You have played for three years at LA Galaxy with world star David Beckham. Which memories got stuck?

Berhalter: "David was not only a great player, he is also a great person. In all that time, I have never even experienced that he did not give an autograph. "

 
Ives Galarcep‏Verified account @SoccerByIves

I’m told #USMNT midfielder Kenny Saief is lining up a move to #MLS . He’s currently at Anderlecht and is NOT on the MLS Allocation list. The 25-year-old left winger/playmaker would be a big pickup for a team needing attacking punch in midfield.

 
Ives Galarcep‏Verified account @SoccerByIves

I’m told #USMNT midfielder Kenny Saief is lining up a move to #MLS . He’s currently at Anderlecht and is NOT on the MLS Allocation list. The 25-year-old left winger/playmaker would be a big pickup for a team needing attacking punch in midfield.
Would love to see him at Union.

 
Is this real?

@USMNTvideos

Does this have legs? Schalke may have to sell McKennie for around €15m because of the club's debt. It says that Liverpool has been interested for a while now. Obviously, I'm skeptical plus I would think he would command closer to a €20-25m fee.

 
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Is this real?
This is the first I have heard of any debt issues.   The Liverpool rumors has been around since late last year.   

I just googled and saw this from a year ago, but it was all positive talk.  Maybe something went wrong in the past 12 months, which is strange since I don't think they even considered the Champions League money they will bring in this year as an added bonus.

https://www.90min.com/posts/5965597-schalke-announce-129m-debt-as-club-prepare-financial-plan-to-become-top-15-club-in-the-world

 
This was the youngest player on the U20 qualifying team

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

J.R. Eskilson‏Verified account @JREskilson

Hearing that U.S. U20 MNT defender Julian Araujo has signed with LAGalaxy. Deal should be officially announced later this week.

 
Jozy has re-signed with Toronto

I did not realize that Jozy had a son until I saw a tweet from Jozy's girlfriend (Sloane Stephens) with his kid.  I don't think Sloane is the mom but I am unsure.

 
Here are some random impressions of yanks in CCL play this week

* Parker and Long handled things very cleanly.  Opponent was weak so we will get a much better read in the quarter finals against Santos.

* Bradley and Marky Mark were on the ball a lot but both lacked any sort of creativity to break the bunker (the horrendous field conditions did not help)

* Not much to say for KC since Besler and Zusi are solid but too old now.  Props to the Univision announcers still using the San Zusi nickname

* Nagbe was on the ball an absolute ton last night.  Outside of two unforced errors, he had his normal clean, technical game.   Miles Robinson in defense for Atlanta opened a ton of eyes on twitter.  I was very impressed.   This is the type of game that can lead to a ton more minutes for him.   Brek Shea looked really solid playing left wing back last night.  Was competent defensively and got forward into dangerous spots all night and created two goals.   We even got to hear the rarest of announcer calls with a "great first touch by Shea".  I think the announcer almost giggled after he said it :)

 
*Adams continues his lucky charm streak.  RBL remain perfect when he starts (he went the full 90 today).  RBL has moved into 3rd place.

*Pulisic still hurt and not in 18

*Weah listed as sub again.  He has not been getting the minutes I hoped he would on the loan

*CCV and Miazga both with another start.  Both are getting a ton of minutes the last two months.

 
* Bradley with 0 goals in 43 games last year opens this season with a brace.

* Good to see both Lewis and James Sands (18) starting for NYCFC today

 
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Reactions: Ned
NewlyRetired said:
* Bradley with 0 goals in 43 games last year opens this season with a brace.

* Good to see both Lewis and James Sands (18) starting for NYCFC today
Sands looked good. Parks came in for him when he got hurt on a vital tackle on Nani.

Lewis had a couple moments but looked lost, tbh.

Parker and Long look ok. Zardoz zardozing 

 
Btw, local product and RB academy/Wake Forest product Omir Fernandez has looked decent today in place of BWP. Not a game changer in his first appearance, but is holding his own.

 

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