USMNT - 2026 Cycle - "Early Days"

[The Sybian]

Gio really deep. Opposite McKennie but deeper. I don't like it. Pulisic mostly invisible

Yeah, we need Reyna higher in a 10 role.

While I mostly agree, the way they were having the outside backs push really high necessitated a bit more of conservative play from the central guys. That just wasn't happening against JAM which meant Gio and others in the middle had to try and force the issue through that real estate. There was no flanking JAM on TH.

I agree, but have Weston sitting further back so Reyna can play up. Reyna held his own, but he isn't the guy I want to rely on for defensive coverage and we are wasting his ability to unlock a defense.

[Nonlinear FC]

Gio really deep. Opposite McKennie but deeper. I don't like it. Pulisic mostly invisible

Yeah, we need Reyna higher in a 10 role.

While I mostly agree, the way they were having the outside backs push really high necessitated a bit more of conservative play from the central guys. That just wasn't happening against JAM which meant Gio and others in the middle had to try and force the issue through that real estate. There was no flanking JAM on TH.

I agree, but have Weston sitting further back so Reyna can play up. Reyna held his own, but he isn't the guy I want to rely on for defensive coverage and we are wasting his ability to unlock a defense.

And that's the "mostly" part of my statement. Totally agree with you guys about his role last night. Weird tinkering from GGG.

[HaulCitgo]

Agree also. Love the way Dest and Robinson get forward. Both are good on the ball and create chances. So yeah somebody has to cover, but Gio? Good way to get run by/over and scored on. Brought something in possession but mostly out of element to me. I want him on the ball running at people but who do you drop. Not Adams. He's not a box to box ball winner. 10 probably the only spot but I'd sooner put him in the outside and opposite pulisic and put the best 11 out there and figure out something at striker through formations

[govmentchedda]

Gio is by far the best on the ball on this team. While it was nuts seeing him play regista, it worked, and more importantly made a ton of sense with the fullbacks so high.

[HaulCitgo]

Nah. It looked broken first half. He didnt show enough to receive from the backs and they didnt look for him and then he didnt look to connect with attackers. More dynamic on the other side with McKennie and Dest. And McKennie does more tracking back and in tackles. A waste to me. If they were going to do that then he should have been in Adams spot centrally... but then theyd have lost 3-2

[wlu_lax6]

It looked to me like Gio and Pulisic hustled back to stop counter attacks after losing the ball. Pulisic is usually a whiney pain in the butt when he gets fouled (or thinks he should get a call). I did not see that much of that.

Also fascinating post-game commentary about the US players knowing Mexico would be playing direct and they were prepared for that. Equally fascinating the nice words and respect shown by the Mexican coach. He praised the quality of the US players and talent they have. Might have been a bit pointing that the Mexican stars need to get to Europe and not the lucrative Liga MX option (us players get to make more by going to europe, but Liga MX $ make it not as easy to go overseas).

[wlu_lax6]

US U23s v. France U23 highlights. US comeback from 2-0 down to tie 2-2 with goals in the 84 and 86th. Bummed that DC could never get much from Yow.

[Nonlinear FC]

It looked to me like Gio and Pulisic hustled back to stop counter attacks after losing the ball. Pulisic is usually a whiney pain in the butt when he gets fouled (or thinks he should get a call). I did not see that much of that.

Also fascinating post-game commentary about the US players knowing Mexico would be playing direct and they were prepared for that. Equally fascinating the nice words and respect shown by the Mexican coach. He praised the quality of the US players and talent they have. Might have been a bit pointing that the Mexican stars need to get to Europe and not the lucrative Liga MX option (us players get to make more by going to europe, but Liga MX $ make it not as easy to go overseas).

I dunno about Pulisic being whiney. He doesn't do that in Serie A very much. I think it's a function of CONCACAF teams id'd him as the guy to disrupt very early on and they have continued to foul him at a crazy high rate. He's frustrated after 5th or 6th time he's fouled tactically. I find it pretty reasonable.

Sidenote: I wonder when the teams in the region are going to realize this is not a winning tactic. We no longer rely on CP as the main engine of our offense.

[tennbengal]

Given the hype around Pulisic back in his Dortmund days, just pausing to note that...he's really panned out. Like, maybe the first true American star of this hype who really lived up to the hype. He's having a really good career in Europe.

[Nonlinear FC]

Yeah, his resurgence in Milan has been really fun to watch. And, yes, he's scoring goals... But he's also just playing with confidence and panache.

Meanwhile Sargent and Wright are having really nice seasons in the Championship. Sargent is a terror up top for Norwich, and Haji is part of a tandem at Coventry that have scored a combined 35 goals (18 to his 17).

Also, while we're flipping around the YA's in the Championship world, I didn't clock that Ethan Horvath just signed a multi-year deal with Cardiff City and is getting regular minutes. That's a really good sign going into this summer. Turner obviously not getting off the bench at NF is problematic, so it's good that there are other options if he's just not up to form in a few months. (My theory with keepers is that game minutes aren't as big a deal... field players need to be in a certain type of rhythm that really requires a different level that can't be replicated in training. Goalies are just wired different.)

[mister d]

What's kinda cool is we've skipped like a whole step where now being good at Norwich still doesn't make you national team level. Used to be the best strikers in MLS were getting run.

[Nonlinear FC]

I take your point, but the reason Haji was in the last camp is because Sargent got nicked and the club didn't want him fucking around at a made up regional exhibition "tournament."

But, man, overall... to your point, the depth of this squad at almost every position is stupid. Our back line, particularly in the middle is where I have concerns.

[mister d]

Right, but even if Sargent were there, I can't imagine he's playing over Balogun.

[HaulCitgo]

We sure Pulisic doesnt look good because the level is lower?

[Nonlinear FC]

I think you could make that argument if it was France (kinda, not really) and definitely the Eredivisie. That's why I'm loving PSV for Tillman, Dest and to some extent Pepi, but it's tough to tell if that will translate this summer (I mean, I'm a Dest fan, who I think just needed to grow up a bit AND it's possible he's just not a starting XI at Barca level player.)

When you look around, Premier League is the clear #1, with La Liga not far behind and then Bundesliga and Serie A not for behind. France is 5th... Eredivisie is somewhere in the 11-15 for perspective/context.

I think the simplest explanation is Chelsea just wasn't a great fit for a bunch of reasons... They overpaid for him, for one (which puts a lot of pressure on the player to produce). Then the manager (team) that brought him left. He did fine under Lampard, but there's a real thing about having "my guys" especially in the pressure cooker that is the PL. And when Lampard and his style was replaced by Tuechel... I mean, a lot of dudes struggled in that offense, not just CP. And you can't discount how many times he got injured.

The PL is a tough place for undersized players. So, in that sense, Serie A is certainly a better overall fit. But to say that the level is THIS degree lower (comparing his stats in both leagues)... Naw, no way is the Italian league that amount different.


(And it's a good question you raise, btw,)

[Shirley]

It was a bit of a roster problem at Chelsea. The team was up and down during his time, with a number of different managers. But the one position they constantly had surplus in was wingers. It was hard for any player to get consistent minutes there.

That said, I think Chelsea should have played him more. He was always one of the few guys willing to be aggressive and take chances on offense.

[wlu_lax6]

Copa warm up game pool

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 13/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 39/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 16/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 56/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 16/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 41/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 9/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 38/2), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 11/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 20/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 51/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 35/0), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 26/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 10/0), Timmy Tillman (LAFC; 1/0)

FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 40/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 10/3), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 23/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 66/28), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 37/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 9/4)

[HaulCitgo]

Dest acl sucks. Him and a Robinson bring a lot of class and stability getting forward. No choice but to play more defensively at least on one side. Might suit them with the better competition. M Robinson back though. Wonder how he looks

[brian]

Only 1 mid or forward from an MLS club. You love to see it.

ETA: Not a knock on MLS mind you but our best players need to be playing in Europe. And actually playing not sitting.

[mister d]

Related, I think: Why is Miles Robinson still in MLS? Choice? Skillset?

[The Sybian]

Only 1 mid or forward from an MLS club. You love to see it.

ETA: Not a knock on MLS mind you but our best players need to be playing in Europe. And actually playing not sitting.

I assumed Timmy Tillman was Malik’s younger brother because I heard of him after Malik. Malik is 21, Timmy is 25.

[Nonlinear FC]

Dest acl sucks. Him and a Robinson bring a lot of class and stability getting forward. No choice but to play more defensively at least on one side. Might suit them with the better competition. M Robinson back though. Wonder how he looks

Nah. You can put Weah over there.. He has played that position for Juve and elsewhere. You could also put McKennie or Musah back there if you want more pop out of that position.

There are other guys to put there if you think the matchup works to be defensive, but you don't have to completely shut it down.

(That said, huge dagger not having Dest. He's a game changer against higher level competition.)

[The Sybian]

Dest acl sucks. Him and a Robinson bring a lot of class and stability getting forward. No choice but to play more defensively at least on one side. Might suit them with the better competition. M Robinson back though. Wonder how he looks

Nah. You can put Weah over there.. He has played that position for Juve and elsewhere. You could also put McKennie or Musah back there if you want more pop out of that position.

There are other guys to put there if you think the matchup works to be defensive, but you don't have to completely shut it down.

(That said, huge dagger not having Dest. He's a game changer against higher level competition.)

OTOH, Dest can be a defensive liability at times. I keep hearing Scally has potential, but he hasn't shown in in US games.

[Nonlinear FC]

Related, I think: Why is Miles Robinson still in MLS? Choice? Skillset?

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/socce ... ver-europe

Bottom line is that he isn't rated all that high, for whatever reason. Earnie Stewart had done a nice job of creating an American pipeline, but otherwise teams weren't exactly knocking down the door for him.

[Nonlinear FC]

Dest acl sucks. Him and a Robinson bring a lot of class and stability getting forward. No choice but to play more defensively at least on one side. Might suit them with the better competition. M Robinson back though. Wonder how he looks

Nah. You can put Weah over there.. He has played that position for Juve and elsewhere. You could also put McKennie or Musah back there if you want more pop out of that position.

There are other guys to put there if you think the matchup works to be defensive, but you don't have to completely shut it down.

(That said, huge dagger not having Dest. He's a game changer against higher level competition.)

OTOH, Dest can be a defensive liability at times. I keep hearing Scally has potential, but he hasn't shown in in US games.

Well, kinda... He's asked to go forward, which means the CBs need to cover for him... Which is why it's problematic to put Ream out there, for example. When he's matched up 1v1 he's a very good defender. I think early in his career his forward runs weren't checked down with his teammates and his side of the field got ripped apart on counters... Things have gotten a lot better lately as everyone figures out who's who and what's what.

[HaulCitgo]

I do like the idea of Weah back there if he can do it but I also like him always part of the attack and not just bombing forward from time to time. Musah maybe too. And either clears some logjam. I do not like McKennie. Just seems like a waste of a box to box type.

[Nonlinear FC]

Agree on Weston... Didn't like it when Juve did it, would prefer GGG not do it. Just saying it's an option in a pinch.

I'm really curious to see a lineup with Pulisic and Wright bombing the flanks with Gio playing a 10 role. Let Balogun or Sargent post up in the middle. That's a nice little attacking unit.

(Those not paying close attention might think Haji is a 9... And he can be... But his best in career season at Coventry has seen him playing out wide and linking up with their other goal scorer in the middle.)

[Nonlinear FC]

I was thinking a little more about the roster and, man, the guy that must really be kicking himself is Zendejas. Flips over to a very crowded midfield pool and despite having a very good FML season... no dice.

I don't claim to know the MEX player pool all that well, but I'm pretty sure he'd be in their side at this point.

[mister d]

Would be nice if they allowed an additional switch for guys under a certain number of caps after a certain age or something? Not sure who wouldn't benefit from that.