Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

I'm with you to a degree, but that's an awfully young team. None of the players you mentioned but Pulisic are currently better than Altidore, and we can play him out of position, but why when we have a good alternative (in Altidore). Weah and Sargent certainly have the potential to be better than Jozy, but they aren't there yet. Weah was on the U20 team, otherwise I would have argued for his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster.

Sargent got screwed over, but I would have chosen him over Zardes, not Altidore.

Again, Altidore has had a career derailed by injuries, but he's not dead yet. At 32, he can still play a major role in 2022 (McBride was 34 in 2006), and I think he can still be a star in qualifying. How many "future stars" have not panned out for the US? Why give up on a proven winner just because he's imperfect?

He disappears during big games...he is not a proven winner.

Altidore is "MLS good." People assume he's good because he's good against weak opposition. But he isn't good enough in a world-class setting. We need players who are testing themselves day in and day out against real competition, like Pulisic, Sargent and Weah do in Europe.

Exactly we know what he is and he is not a world class striker. If he were he would have played for a top cub in a major league. As a striker he has aged out and is on the down ward side. Most likely will “retire” in a year or two. I never understood the media hype about him.

I agree that Josy is not a world class striker. He had some promise, but gave up fighting for the playing time in Europe and took a big paycheck from MLS. He and Bradley should not have been allowed to put on the national team jersey after their abysmal performance in Trinidad loss, which stopped USMNT from going to the WC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

I'm with you to a degree, but that's an awfully young team. None of the players you mentioned but Pulisic are currently better than Altidore, and we can play him out of position, but why when we have a good alternative (in Altidore). Weah and Sargent certainly have the potential to be better than Jozy, but they aren't there yet. Weah was on the U20 team, otherwise I would have argued for his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster.

Sargent got screwed over, but I would have chosen him over Zardes, not Altidore.

Again, Altidore has had a career derailed by injuries, but he's not dead yet. At 32, he can still play a major role in 2022 (McBride was 34 in 2006), and I think he can still be a star in qualifying. How many "future stars" have not panned out for the US? Why give up on a proven winner just because he's imperfect?

He disappears during big games...he is not a proven winner.

Altidore is "MLS good." People assume he's good because he's good against weak opposition. But he isn't good enough in a world-class setting. We need players who are testing themselves day in and day out against real competition, like Pulisic, Sargent and Weah do in Europe.

Exactly we know what he is and he is not a world class striker. If he were he would have played for a top cub in a major league. As a striker he has aged out and is on the down ward side. Most likely will “retire” in a year or two. I never understood the media hype about him.

Adams has pulled out of the Gold Cup with an injury so it looks like Berhalter's hybrid right back experiment, which made media salivate over Berhalter's tactical acumen, is over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

I'm with you to a degree, but that's an awfully young team. None of the players you mentioned but Pulisic are currently better than Altidore, and we can play him out of position, but why when we have a good alternative (in Altidore). Weah and Sargent certainly have the potential to be better than Jozy, but they aren't there yet. Weah was on the U20 team, otherwise I would have argued for his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster.

Sargent got screwed over, but I would have chosen him over Zardes, not Altidore.

Again, Altidore has had a career derailed by injuries, but he's not dead yet. At 32, he can still play a major role in 2022 (McBride was 34 in 2006), and I think he can still be a star in qualifying. How many "future stars" have not panned out for the US? Why give up on a proven winner just because he's imperfect?

He disappears during big games...he is not a proven winner.

Altidore is "MLS good." People assume he's good because he's good against weak opposition. But he isn't good enough in a world-class setting. We need players who are testing themselves day in and day out against real competition, like Pulisic, Sargent and Weah do in Europe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well the USWNT have been winning for a long time. They have represented the country better than our men’s teams. And look at how we reward them.

Yes, the way the USSF treated our ladies is a travesty. That's why they took the USSF to court and arbitration.

The USWNT approved the CBA that's treating them like a travesty.
Yeah, the USSF should be ashamed, but you can't sign a deal one day and complain about it the next.

Anonymous wrote:Well the USWNT have been winning for a long time. They have represented the country better than our men’s teams. And look at how we reward them.

Yes, the way the USSF treated our ladies is a travesty. That's why they took the USSF to court and arbitration.

Well the USWNT have been winning for a long time. They have represented the country better than our men’s teams. And look at how we reward them.

Anonymous wrote:The US wins at a lot of things

Good to know soccer won't be one more of them anytime soon

USWNT might prove you wrong, despite the abysmal Federation.

The US wins at a lot of things

Good to know soccer won't be one more of them anytime soon

It should be Weah, Sargent, Pulisic as the trident and Arriola/Yedlin as rightback, essentially a second right winger. Surely Tyler Adams has to be the 6, Trapp is a backup at his best. We need to start seriously considering at bringing Llanez and Mendez into the fold, perhaps consider Nguyen as a 10 for the present or Roldan as a more box to box mid in a balanced mid, and McKennie/Bradley as the supporting mid where they don’t have the responsibility of protecting the centerbacks. Steffen, Hamid, Horvath/Miller should be duking it out for the starting keeper spot while we take a good look at David Ochoa and Klinnsmann for the future.

* Weah's preferred position is the 11.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

So your solution is to play our best player out of position, and assign one of our best up and coming players to a position he has never played.
Wow, with that brilliance, you can be a US coach too!

Different poster, but doesn't Pulisic play the 7 primarily for Dortmund? I believe Weah's preferred position is the 7. So who's playing out of position in a 4-3-3 with your front three being Pulisic - Sargent - Weah?

I think the point several posters have been making is that the US should be playing its young players now against other senior national teams so that the young players can get as much international experience as possible for the USMNT over the next 1-2 years before qualifying. I am sure not all of those young guys will develop in enough time to be contributors to the USMNT by the last round of qualifying and the 2022 WC. In that case, the coaches can bring back known commodities like Altidore, etc. if need be. But there is no reason those known players like Altidore, Bradley, etc. should be taking away experience from the young guys right now. Who cares about the Gold Cup or next 18 months of international-friendly results? USMNT needs to see what they have with the young players so the USMNT is prepared by the final round of WC qualifications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

So your solution is to play our best player out of position, and assign one of our best up and coming players to a position he has never played.
Wow, with that brilliance, you can be a US coach too!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

I'm with you to a degree, but that's an awfully young team. None of the players you mentioned but Pulisic are currently better than Altidore, and we can play him out of position, but why when we have a good alternative (in Altidore). Weah and Sargent certainly have the potential to be better than Jozy, but they aren't there yet. Weah was on the U20 team, otherwise I would have argued for his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster.

Sargent got screwed over, but I would have chosen him over Zardes, not Altidore.

Again, Altidore has had a career derailed by injuries, but he's not dead yet. At 32, he can still play a major role in 2022 (McBride was 34 in 2006), and I think he can still be a star in qualifying. How many "future stars" have not panned out for the US? Why give up on a proven winner just because he's imperfect?

He disappears during big games...he is not a proven winner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, Jozy will be 32, not 36. He still has one more WC in him. Let's concentrate on actually qualifying this time, and for that, we need our best players. He's our best striker, no questions asked.

His play also helps develop the other 10 guys on the field with him... Whoever posted the US was better against Venezuela with him on the field was spot on. It was night and day.

If he’s our best striker, then we aren’t qualifying. Lucky for us, he isn’t.

Who then?

Pulisic is an attacking mid
Johansson? I wish...
Bobby Wood looked like the answer at one point, but has knee problems and isn't playing for his club.
Sargent is promising, but it just getting started...
Zardes?

Well, you’re seeing why we struggle. My opinion is out with the old and in with the new. Start by using the only guy to ever play for PSG and have a great soccer parentage. Weah. He is untapped potential with creativity not seen on the USMNT and will strike fear into the opponent even if he is still a bit raw.

Also, yes Pulisic and Sargent. We have enough midfielders to move Pulisic. Use Weah and Pulisic up front with Sargent in the middle. Let the youth reign for the next several years and develop and grow towards the WC. Yes, play a 4-3-3. McKennie and Adams in mid with tbd (best player to emerge). Defense is a problem, so we need to score, hence the 3 young forwards. Let them gel along with the two promising young mids. On D ... I like Miazga but that is about it. Not sure what to do there other than never let John Brooks see the field again. He’s awful.

I'm with you to a degree, but that's an awfully young team. None of the players you mentioned but Pulisic are currently better than Altidore, and we can play him out of position, but why when we have a good alternative (in Altidore). Weah and Sargent certainly have the potential to be better than Jozy, but they aren't there yet. Weah was on the U20 team, otherwise I would have argued for his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster.

Sargent got screwed over, but I would have chosen him over Zardes, not Altidore.

Again, Altidore has had a career derailed by injuries, but he's not dead yet. At 32, he can still play a major role in 2022 (McBride was 34 in 2006), and I think he can still be a star in qualifying. How many "future stars" have not panned out for the US? Why give up on a proven winner just because he's imperfect?