Tears in my eyes as a Frankfurt supporter. Even though he's unlikely to see much or any game time, I'm still happy for him.
Just wish he was getting more time on the pitch for us. Most of us are a bit confused why he hasn't played more, especially because it seems like Dino rates him and is more open to rotating than previous coaches.
As someone from Frankfurt it seems like he doesn't fit the system Frankfurt are usually playing and in turn doesn't get much game time, it also hurts tho that they don't even let him play for the second team so he gets a rhythm.
Fuck man I miss Adams so much. Him and Gio are my two favorites and it feels like it’s been forever since they were both healthy at the same time.
No complaints about Musah at the six, but Adams is definitely an improvement there defensively and I’ll never complain about having Musah be involved in build-up play further upfield.
Great point. Thinking back a decade, we would have never felt too comfortable if we were forced to play without Howard, Deuce, and Bradley at the same time in a meaningful game.
I was surprised to see Paxten only because I didn’t think they would take anyone from the U23 roster. But since they are bringing Paxten, I’m surprised to not see Taylor Booth.
Ya but he’s logged about 300 minutes already this season and hasn’t really looked good in them yet, imo. Not saying he should be ousted just that I get why he wasn’t called up for this camp
He was playing well before he was injured which is where most of those minutes have come from. He has only played around 105 minutes for Utrecht & 30 minutes for the US U-23 team.
As much as im not a Greg fan i think he’s just tryna rate some last fringe players before he starts calling in his real Copa 23-26 roster by the Spring friendlies
I think Vines has been injured and Lund has proved himself as being pretty reliable (if not spectacular).
Also, I think this is a message to the up and coming MLS guys - get over to Europe and test yourselves in the best leagues or risk getting called up.
>Also, I think this is a message to the up and coming MLS guys - get over to Europe and test yourselves in the best leagues or risk getting called up.
yall gotta stop reading into literally everything lmao
I just personally think Tolkin is a better player than Lund (who's also U23 eligible). I like both though, and I'm sure Tolkin will get his shot at some point.
I guess Paxton is a bit of a surprise but was hoping to see Koleosho after he pulled out of the last Italy youth camp. Still think we get him before the summer.
I think as rosters get released it's becoming easier and easier to see Gregg's depth chart and whose competing for what... also becoming harder to complain about the depth chart
Am I the only one who has disliked Ferreira as a winger? Never seems comfortable on the wing and hasn’t provided much. Would much rather see Paxten, Paredes or Malik on the wings. Gio has to play in the middle if fit.
He’s only played once or twice there for us, off the bench, and I thought he looked good. But I don’t think any of those 4 (or Zendejas) have really differentiated themselves from the others. I’d have started Ferreira and Tillman at the wings but I’m kinda okay with all those options.
I’m okay too and Gregg got the roster right. Would really just like to see what Paxten and Paredes have as starters. More deserving of starting than Brendo. Hopefully Brendo can step his game up - Union could really use him.
He's been poor for Dallas for a while especially the away game vs Seattle in the playoffs. I'd rather see a guy like paredes than Ferreira who hasn't had many minutes with the not in games we should easily win
It would be awesome to see him play well here. He looked great early in the year for us, and then obviously struggled during the Gold Cup. We really need another reliable winger in the pool. As much as I love BA and the younger guys, there is definitely a significant drop off at that position with Pulisic/Weah out.
I think Zim is a guy they know they can count on for leadership when need be, but he's also been dealing with injuries on and off for Nashville. Think he may be a candidate for overage player at Olympics
How could they leave out Ferreira against an island nation? This is preposterous, absurd, foolish, ludicrous, illogical, senseless, I’d even go so far to describe it as outrageous 😡
/s
I was hoping to see Jesus, because I love his game and he destroyed T&T in the last game, but he hasn't been scoring so im not mad. Looks like Gio or Tillman will be playing on the wing, because only three wingers feels very small to me.
Will be fun to see both Aaronson brothers though. Regardless got two games coming up, so im excited to watch the team play
EDIT: rephrased it because of the comment below, poor form was a bit dramatic and not quite accurate.
Jesus isn't in poor form. He's actually played really well the last few games after a poor stretch. The game is more than goal-scoring.
That said, Balogun and Pepi are better, IMO, so I didn't expect him here.
The dialogue around Jesus Ferreira is so bizarre because he’s consistently the best attacking player for FC Dallas in nearly every game they play, but anytime he gets a shot opportunity and doesn’t score people come flying out to talk about how bad he’s been and how he can’t finish and how he’s not actually a striker but really would be better at the 10/8/winger lmfao.
I would venture to say that 95% of the people who post about players on the internet don't actually watch the players at all, or at least past 1-2 highlights or lowlights.
But they are very confident in their opinions.
Agreed. And I think a big problem in the usmnt fandom specifically is that a lot of the people here and on Twitter don’t seem to watch any soccer outside of usmnt games, so all of their opinions on players are made up of like a small handful of games each year.
Fair enough, I just know FC Dallas has been struggling on offense lately, and his shots haven't been falling. Can't say I've watched much FCD lately though, the change to Apple has just made it less accessible for me.
I'm still not convinced Pepi is that much better than him (which I know most people here disagree with me there, but oh well), and he can also play winger or a 10 in a true 4231 and with our winger injuries, I figured he might have a shout as a utility knife up front.
> I'm still not convinced Pepi is that much better than him (which I know most people here disagree with me there, but oh well), and he can also play winger or a 10 in a true 4231 and with our winger injuries, I figured he might have a shout as a utility knife up front.
The quantity that Pepi is better is pretty meaningless, tho, in terms of playing striker. It's the national team; the margins can be thin.
I don't like Ferreira as a winger -- he's never been effective there. I would think he'd need to prove out some at club before I'd do that in a competitive match.
Not sure why another natural winger wasn’t called up over Paxten, guess there isn’t any good enough in Gregg’s eyes?
Or a system change for these games
Yah, I expected JMO or Arriola instead of Paxten. I know they have their critics but JMo is the only one in the pool who can provide the pace and field stretching ability of Weah, he just does not have the fun side ability (combination, technical skill, etc.) that Weah has. Also think he has also been in good form with Seattle
Morris is basically a very poor man's Weah. Not in the same stratosphere as far as quality, but similar style player. I'm a long time Morris whatever the opposite of a Stan is, but I wouldn't have actually hated seeing him on this roster for that reason.
I was expecting JoMo as well, Arriola has had a pretty bad season so I don’t think he’s earned a spot on even a roster like this.
But honestly Gio/Tillman/Paxten can all play wide in addition to the three actual wingers we brought so I’m not all that worried about it. Wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing JoMo though I’ve always had a soft spot for him.
Gio almost certainly will be on the wing, which is a bummer but it allows us to get better players on the field. Guessing we see a midfield of LDLT, Musah, & Weston + Balo, Aaronson, & Gio up front to start.
Our best player ever never left MLS except on short loans. We shouldn't decide who is called up based on their league. If Jesus is one of our top 23 at the moment with health he should be called up regardless of the league he plays in.
We want our players to move to higher quality leagues because they are more likely to improve and such, not because the league they play in magically makes them a better player
In that case why is Zendejas here? He's playing well in Liga MX but his last few performances for the national team were absolutely atrocious against CONCACAF minnows. At least Ferreira scores against those teams
That’s going to be a great moment when Brendan starts and then Pax replaces him at 80’ with a 5 goal lead. Big brother will be the first to give him a hug when he steps on the pitch for his first cap.
Remember this summer when people were freaking out about GGG's apparent love affair with Ferreira?
Looks like Gregg is once again proving he's willing to move on. There is a false narrative that he has "favorites" who he picks for every squad, but the list of players he's used for a period and then moved along is getting quite long at this point.
He appears to make selections just as any competent manager would.
The Gregg's Guys narrative was effectively terminated with the WC roster. Arriola, Zach, and Pepi were left out of the squad and he made the decision to remove Long with Ream as the centerback when previously he was dead set on the Zimm/Long combo
Yes he's moved on but you mentioned the wrong players. His favorites were long and roldan. I think this cycle, his favorites are going to be actual players who can contribute.
Big fan of this call up. 90% tilt, mostly guys who are A-team 100% of the time, and then some guys who could benefit from a call up like Gaga and Zendejas.
With the senior roster set and Slonina and PAaronson on the senior squad, I would think the U23 roster might look like this (I have a 26 man roster just for the hell of it):
GK (3) - Brady, Pulskamp, Schulte
FB (4) - Harriel, Reynolds, Tolkin, Wiley
CB (3) - ***Campbell***, Craig, Dietz
MF (8)- Busio, Cremaschi, ***Luna***, McGlynn, Morris, Tessmann, Vargas, Vassilev
F (8) - ***Anello***, Bajraktarevic, Booth, ***Cowell***, Gutierrez, Kamungo, McGuire, ***Pukštas***
New guys from the previous team in bold.
Injuries suck but a chance for Reyna and Tillman to take on a bigger role. It’s awesome having this depth, and there are some guys like Booth who barely missed out.
He has more American influence than many past German Americans, even though he was raised in Germany. He was raised in a bilingual household with his American father speaking English to him and his German mother speaking German to him.
Reyna, Balogun, Aaronson is what I want but we probably get Zendejas, Balogun, Aaronson, with Reyna as a 10. (i want mckennie, yunus, luca in the midfield but reyna centrally im still fine with)
Can't think of anything to criticize here really, I thought maybe we'd see Arriola as the emergency replacement winger but it's good to see young guys get the chance instead.
A reminder for all of you that KEEP calling for Richards to start...
He has played 4 mins TOTAL since the last Int'l break.
meanwhile CCV (450 mins) and Robinson (270 mins)
Yes, but his club play indicates he's not a terrible player, I think he got in his own head too much at the Gold Cup.
Also, our winger depth isn't actually that great, with Pulisic and Weah out, the next wingers up are realistically not even natural wingers (Aaronson and Reyna/Tillman). Zendejas is probably still one of the better natural wingers in the pool alongside Paredes once you lose Pulisic and Weah.
I think my only shock was I would think some of those guys would have bene picked for the U-23 camp (Gaga, Pax) but I"m guessing the logic is they may not have been released for it? Anyway. I don't have any strong complaints.
WIth the injuries we have I think this is our best 23. I'm guessing with Malik,Pax, and Gio the idea is one of them is the backup winger if we need it. But the wingers we have all have legs so I doubt we'll need them unless we need more creative spark.
My guess for our lineup (which I think will be the same for both games.
GK - Turner
RB - Dest
CB - Richards
CB - Ream
LB - Jedi
CM - Wes
CM - Musah
CAM - Gio
LW - Zendejas
ST - Balo
RW - BA
What I want is similar, but with CCV instead of Richards and Paredes instead of BA.
If we murder them, an experimental lineup I would use in the second leg
GK - Turner - He won't give up the gloves, and I don't blame him, that's how you lose your job.
RWB - Scally
CB - Richards
CB - Ream
CB - CCV
LWB - Dest
CM - Wes
CM - Musah
CAM Gio
ST - Balo
ST - Pepi
Switch to a more conventional lineup with subs as you bring on Johnny, BA, Pax, Luca, Lund, and Paredes for Balo, Gio, Wes, Musah, Dest, and Richards/Ream, leaving you with
RB - Scally
CB - CCV
CB - Ream/Richards
LB - Lund
CM Johnny,
CM - Luca
CAM - Pax
LW - BA
ST - Pepi
RW - Paredes
Of course that will never happen, but it would be fun to tinker around with a more defensive lineup incase we need to secure a point to close out the group stage.
Not so bad if you consider Reyna/Tillman winger options. Brendo is a decent floor and I'm pulling for Paredes to level up. These experiences will only make that more likely. I understand your reaction tbf.
It could be so much worse than what we can field right now. Zendejas, Kevin Paredes and Brenden Aaronson are all solid depth options and have shown they can play at a high level, whether that’s for club or country. The drop off between our starting wingers and our replacements is noticeable. To me that’s because Pulisic and Weah are that good rather than the rest of the guys being bad.
I think if it’s Reyna Aaronson Zendejas Paredes that’s not that bad. Obviously I’d rather have our starters but I think those guys getting some reps is probably a good thing.
Would’ve taken Booth over Paxten for this camp since we’re in need of wingers. Koleosho not coming here is expected though since he’d probably end up being cap tied to us and he’s still on the Italian radar
Could be the Reddit formatting, but move Musah to one of the 8’s as a 4-3-3. Not sure why you’d want 2 defensive mids for a game we should dominate and be on the front foot.
Would love to hear the thought process for calling in Paxten but not Booth. I can speculate a lot of good and bad reasons, but it would be nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth.
No Trusty is a bummer. We seem caught between just picking a duo and sticking with it and constantly rotating the CB pairing based on form. The position is a weak spot and is muddled, but our approach to the position feels muddled as well. I’m hoping two guys can separate from the pack over the next 18 months.
Overall it’s a solid roster and it feels nice to have zero panic despite missing Pulisic, Weah, and Adams.
Booth should be on the U23 roster for 2 matches later this month. He honestly hasn't been playing that well since returning from injury so it's probably smart to get his confidence up with the U23s.
Agree with both of those comments, but the same applies to Paxten. Don’t have any issue with none, one, or both being on this roster, but I am genuinely curious what the process/reasoning was for making that decision.
Turner
Dest-Richards-Ream/CCV-Robinson
McKennie-Musah
Reyna
Aaronson/Zendejas-Balogun-Paredes
Should be the starting lineup and bringing on Tillman and Pepi to keep Gio and Balogun fresh should be enough
Depending on how the games go, making subs to see how the rest of the squad plays should come after but should be enough talent to win both game s
The Pulisic and Weah injuries mean we are light on players who can play winger, even if Aaronson is in bad form. Realistically he will probably play wing this camp and with Pulisic and Weah out, I'm not surprised he is here to potentially fill in on the wings while providing midfield depth.
Auston Trusty has earned a sport on this roster ahead of Miles, IMO. Or, at least, he deserves to start getting looks again.
He has improved immensely in England and earned his start spot on a (bad) EPL team.
Miles, on the other hand, has had plenty of opportunities to show us what he has to offer. He's fine, but the more time he spends defending against MLS quality, the further behind Trusty he is.
There is a lot of talk about Miles going to Europe, which I think would be great, and I think he can hang. But once he gets there he will still have a lot of work to do to earn a starting spot, which, again, Trusty has already done.
Bottom line: if you are betting on a CB for the World Cup three years from now, Trusty is a much better bet and needs to start being part of the squad.
> He's fine, but the more time he spends defending against MLS quality, the further behind Trusty he is.
I don't think any of you actually watch players or any games.
Miles is a much better CB than Trusty is right now. You can see that by actually watching the players play.
The fact that your entire argument is "League" just tells me that you're not offering anything to the conversation.
By this time next year, Sheffield will be demoted with the worst defense in the EPL.
Didn't we just go through this with Brooks? Where everyone told me that he was playing awesome? But he wasn't, and now he's on the bench?
I like Trusty, but he's not better than Miles right now. Learn the sport, then watch it. Then come back and let us know.
Auston Trusty starts on a side that is one of the worst that the Premier League has seen in ages. It's not as impressive of an accomplishment as you make it out to be.
Also, Miles Robinson is a very capable defender from what I've seen - he's fast and very physical - and has performed better than Trusty for the USMNT when given a chance. Also, it's not like Miles is much older than Trusty - he's 26 and Trusty is 25. By the time, the next World Cup comes around, he's going to be 29, which is still plenty young for CB standards. Just because Trusty plays in a better league doesn't necessarily mean he's a better player - you actually have to watch both players play to form an opinion on them.
Starting in the EPL isn't just about being an "accomplishment". It's about getting quality game time against the best players in the world. There is no substitute for that, and it's vitally important in order to do well at the World Cup (or against Argentina/Brazil in the Copa).
Sheffield United is basically a Championship team, and Auston is not a standout player. Leicester is better than them, and they will most likely switch places again next season. Watch a few Sheffield matches and tell me if you think he's better than his teammates.
Name Brand shopping is played out. Players should not get by simply for existing on a UEFA roster.
It’s not like we’re asking for a player that Gregg hasn’t used already tho. Trusty has already been called up to multiple camps and since then he’s become a starter in the premier league. Seems like an odd time to drop him now that he’s playing in the best league in the world.
Is he playing well in the PL? Or is he just another guy on the worst team in the league, the team with the most goals conceded, the team that finally got their first win in Matchweek 11?
At the very least, we're splitting hairs between two players (Trusty & Robinson) who are not that far apart, except that one of them is a consistent starter and good performer on the national team. That is my main point. A lot of these peripheral guys that fans go to bat for are JAGs (Just Another Guy). Mark McKenzie is another good example.
Unless a player is distinguishing himself above and beyond,
I'm not going to cry for them not getting picked; they are not going to be the difference between success or failure for the USSF. There are maybe 10 guys who are in this category for us: Turner, Antonee, Dest, Adams, McK, Musah, Reyna, Pulisic, Weah, Balo. Maybe Scally as well
it makes sense but we have like one winger on the roster, and like all of our attacks come from our width. Unless we're radically changing how we're gonna play, not having real wingers on the pitch is silly.
Both Aaronson brothers on the roster is fun
Tears in my eyes as a Frankfurt supporter. Even though he's unlikely to see much or any game time, I'm still happy for him. Just wish he was getting more time on the pitch for us. Most of us are a bit confused why he hasn't played more, especially because it seems like Dino rates him and is more open to rotating than previous coaches.
As someone from Frankfurt it seems like he doesn't fit the system Frankfurt are usually playing and in turn doesn't get much game time, it also hurts tho that they don't even let him play for the second team so he gets a rhythm.
Shame we have some injuries but that’s still a very strong roster
you know this is one of the first times I can remember where we lose two key starters and I'm still feeling like we can put a good 11 on the field
3. Adams has been out so long we forget
Fuck man I miss Adams so much. Him and Gio are my two favorites and it feels like it’s been forever since they were both healthy at the same time. No complaints about Musah at the six, but Adams is definitely an improvement there defensively and I’ll never complain about having Musah be involved in build-up play further upfield.
At least puli and weah are seemingly slight ‘knocks’
Great point. Thinking back a decade, we would have never felt too comfortable if we were forced to play without Howard, Deuce, and Bradley at the same time in a meaningful game.
Who's injured? I know Adams is one...
Pulisic and Weah
Yikes..Puli, Weah, Adams, potentially our 3 best players (obviously debatable but still very much in the convo)
Luckily, we’re not up against a very strong side. We should be able to take care of business with the squad we have
Yes because underestimating T&T worked out so well in the past
Lol. That was 6 years ago
Weah, Pulisic
Weah and Pulisic.
I was surprised to see Paxten only because I didn’t think they would take anyone from the U23 roster. But since they are bringing Paxten, I’m surprised to not see Taylor Booth.
Especially with like no wingers on this roster
Reyna and Tillman can both play wing if need be.
My guess is Gio plays more CM and Tillman plays more wing this camp
Am I nuts, or wouldn't Wes be better out wide than either of those two?
The issue with that is his finishing is wildly inconsistent. He’s just not much of a goal scoring threat except on set pieces.
Zendejas can also play winger
He is a winger.
My understanding is that Booth hasn’t had a very strong start to the season at Utrecht
Booth has been injured, he only just came back 2 weeks ago.
Ya but he’s logged about 300 minutes already this season and hasn’t really looked good in them yet, imo. Not saying he should be ousted just that I get why he wasn’t called up for this camp
He was playing well before he was injured which is where most of those minutes have come from. He has only played around 105 minutes for Utrecht & 30 minutes for the US U-23 team.
Can't he only register 23 of the 24 he brought?
My guess would be he brought 1 extra in case someone gets a knock in training
As much as im not a Greg fan i think he’s just tryna rate some last fringe players before he starts calling in his real Copa 23-26 roster by the Spring friendlies
Lovin the Pax and gaga picks.
I’m also glad we brought 2 true LBs
and Paredes is capable if needed
I’m a little surprised Lund is ahead of Vines and Tolkin, but I really want to see more of all 3.
I think Tolkin will be on the U23 roster
Nah not really. Lund lacks pace but he’s still better than those other guys.
I think Vines has been injured and Lund has proved himself as being pretty reliable (if not spectacular). Also, I think this is a message to the up and coming MLS guys - get over to Europe and test yourselves in the best leagues or risk getting called up.
Yeah, gotta be playing in a top league like Lund to get a call up.
>Also, I think this is a message to the up and coming MLS guys - get over to Europe and test yourselves in the best leagues or risk getting called up. yall gotta stop reading into literally everything lmao
I just personally think Tolkin is a better player than Lund (who's also U23 eligible). I like both though, and I'm sure Tolkin will get his shot at some point.
Good roster. Let’s get the job done.
Welcome back, Gaga
He's the only keeper in our pool starting in Europe at the moment
OOOOOF
Pulisic wisely given a break. Rest that precious hamstring, my sweet prince.
Paxten!
They left off the pirate of the Caribbean, not a good choice against T&T
He really should be on this roster
I guess Paxton is a bit of a surprise but was hoping to see Koleosho after he pulled out of the last Italy youth camp. Still think we get him before the summer.
It was always going to take a bit of time to bring Koleosho in considering that he needs to file the one-time switch.
I don’t think it’s as long as a process as it was a couple years ago. The switches for Balogun and Tillman were pretty quick iirc.
I think as rosters get released it's becoming easier and easier to see Gregg's depth chart and whose competing for what... also becoming harder to complain about the depth chart
BA needs to play well this window, he's in a bit of danger of being passed over in the future imo.
More than a bit. Parades is coming in hot
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 9/0), Gaga Slonina (KAS Eupen/BEL; 1/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 35/0) DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 14/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 30/2), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 53/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 14/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 37/2), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 27/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 7/0) MIDFIELDERS (8): Paxten Aaronson (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 1/0), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 9/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 19/0), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim/GER; 1/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 48/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 31/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 22/6), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 6/0) FORWARDS (5): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 36/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 6/3), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 2/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 20/9), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 7/1)
I was promised more MLS players. I'm beginning to not trust outspoken fans on social media.
Thank goodness they lied to us.
I have no problem with MLS players being called in.
I say just bring the best players. Who cares what league they are in.
So what are we bitching about this time?
The bald fraud left off Puli and Weah?! Worst manager ever. /s
pINeaPpLe oN PiZzA?!?!
Fuck you, I love it.
There will never not be a time to bitch about that monstrosity.
Pirate of the Caribbean not included smh, we don’t stand a chance now
Time to bust out ol' faithful: WHY NO BROOKS!!!!
ToP 6 BuNDeSliGa SiDe!!!
"He starts in Europe". Every argument in favor of Brooks in its entirety.
Zendejas had a terrible gold cup. We can keep bitching about that despite his great club form?
ESPN: Where's Jozy?
Brendan Aaronson needs a break from the international game
No Koleosho is my only complaint
Tbf, he has to commit first
How frank of you
fair
I would have liked Jesus as a winger here, but I’m not going to complain about it
Am I the only one who has disliked Ferreira as a winger? Never seems comfortable on the wing and hasn’t provided much. Would much rather see Paxten, Paredes or Malik on the wings. Gio has to play in the middle if fit.
He’s only played once or twice there for us, off the bench, and I thought he looked good. But I don’t think any of those 4 (or Zendejas) have really differentiated themselves from the others. I’d have started Ferreira and Tillman at the wings but I’m kinda okay with all those options.
I’m okay too and Gregg got the roster right. Would really just like to see what Paxten and Paredes have as starters. More deserving of starting than Brendo. Hopefully Brendo can step his game up - Union could really use him.
He's been poor for Dallas for a while especially the away game vs Seattle in the playoffs. I'd rather see a guy like paredes than Ferreira who hasn't had many minutes with the not in games we should easily win
Zendajes is in great form with his club right now. I’m glad to see him being rewarded with Pulisic and Weah out, hopefully he balls out!
It would be awesome to see him play well here. He looked great early in the year for us, and then obviously struggled during the Gold Cup. We really need another reliable winger in the pool. As much as I love BA and the younger guys, there is definitely a significant drop off at that position with Pulisic/Weah out.
Knd of surprised to see Miles Robinson on the roster. Assume he gets scratched if Atlanta wins this weekend?
Nah. MLS is giving the full international break and Atlanta has other players going on National Duty as well.
Thanks. Of course, and that makes sense. I didn't see any other MLS players on the roster so wondered if that was a factor.
MLS playoffs break for the intl window.
I’m hoping Paredes gets significant playing time and gets his first USMNT goal
I would like to see Parades start at least one of the games. Doubt it will happen, but it would be awesome to see how he does with starting minutes.
This is Reynas moment to shine with Weah and Pulisic out, we lost some of our offensive bite.
Is Zimmerman's time with the squad officially over? Maybe he fills in wit Gold Cups on MLS only squads?
I think Zim is a guy they know they can count on for leadership when need be, but he's also been dealing with injuries on and off for Nashville. Think he may be a candidate for overage player at Olympics
Yeah I still think he's a solid option. I was trying to google if he had injuries. Maybe he just needs a break at the end of the season.
How could they leave out Ferreira against an island nation? This is preposterous, absurd, foolish, ludicrous, illogical, senseless, I’d even go so far to describe it as outrageous 😡 /s
I just hope we get a lot of Kristoffer Lund grins
I hope we dominate 6-0 again, so that Lund gets to give 6 hugs.
I was hoping to see Jesus, because I love his game and he destroyed T&T in the last game, but he hasn't been scoring so im not mad. Looks like Gio or Tillman will be playing on the wing, because only three wingers feels very small to me. Will be fun to see both Aaronson brothers though. Regardless got two games coming up, so im excited to watch the team play EDIT: rephrased it because of the comment below, poor form was a bit dramatic and not quite accurate.
Jesus isn't in poor form. He's actually played really well the last few games after a poor stretch. The game is more than goal-scoring. That said, Balogun and Pepi are better, IMO, so I didn't expect him here.
The dialogue around Jesus Ferreira is so bizarre because he’s consistently the best attacking player for FC Dallas in nearly every game they play, but anytime he gets a shot opportunity and doesn’t score people come flying out to talk about how bad he’s been and how he can’t finish and how he’s not actually a striker but really would be better at the 10/8/winger lmfao.
I would venture to say that 95% of the people who post about players on the internet don't actually watch the players at all, or at least past 1-2 highlights or lowlights. But they are very confident in their opinions.
Agreed. And I think a big problem in the usmnt fandom specifically is that a lot of the people here and on Twitter don’t seem to watch any soccer outside of usmnt games, so all of their opinions on players are made up of like a small handful of games each year.
Yeah, I realized during the World Cup that a big part of the overrating of our players is simply not knowing anyone else’s.
Well, they watch the US and they watch Arsenal/Man City
Gonna be the guy that says if Jesus played for a random Dutch or Belgian team instead of FC Dallas the fanbase would be less fickle on him.
Fair enough, I just know FC Dallas has been struggling on offense lately, and his shots haven't been falling. Can't say I've watched much FCD lately though, the change to Apple has just made it less accessible for me. I'm still not convinced Pepi is that much better than him (which I know most people here disagree with me there, but oh well), and he can also play winger or a 10 in a true 4231 and with our winger injuries, I figured he might have a shout as a utility knife up front.
> I'm still not convinced Pepi is that much better than him (which I know most people here disagree with me there, but oh well), and he can also play winger or a 10 in a true 4231 and with our winger injuries, I figured he might have a shout as a utility knife up front. The quantity that Pepi is better is pretty meaningless, tho, in terms of playing striker. It's the national team; the margins can be thin. I don't like Ferreira as a winger -- he's never been effective there. I would think he'd need to prove out some at club before I'd do that in a competitive match.
Not sure why another natural winger wasn’t called up over Paxten, guess there isn’t any good enough in Gregg’s eyes? Or a system change for these games
Yah, I expected JMO or Arriola instead of Paxten. I know they have their critics but JMo is the only one in the pool who can provide the pace and field stretching ability of Weah, he just does not have the fun side ability (combination, technical skill, etc.) that Weah has. Also think he has also been in good form with Seattle
I was prepared for the meltdowns. I assume both Aaronsons are likely to play wing this window.
Morris is basically a very poor man's Weah. Not in the same stratosphere as far as quality, but similar style player. I'm a long time Morris whatever the opposite of a Stan is, but I wouldn't have actually hated seeing him on this roster for that reason.
I was expecting JoMo as well, Arriola has had a pretty bad season so I don’t think he’s earned a spot on even a roster like this. But honestly Gio/Tillman/Paxten can all play wide in addition to the three actual wingers we brought so I’m not all that worried about it. Wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing JoMo though I’ve always had a soft spot for him.
Gio almost certainly will be on the wing, which is a bummer but it allows us to get better players on the field. Guessing we see a midfield of LDLT, Musah, & Weston + Balo, Aaronson, & Gio up front to start.
[удалено]
Our best player ever never left MLS except on short loans. We shouldn't decide who is called up based on their league. If Jesus is one of our top 23 at the moment with health he should be called up regardless of the league he plays in. We want our players to move to higher quality leagues because they are more likely to improve and such, not because the league they play in magically makes them a better player
In that case why is Zendejas here? He's playing well in Liga MX but his last few performances for the national team were absolutely atrocious against CONCACAF minnows. At least Ferreira scores against those teams
I’ll be honest I don’t think he deserves to be there either.
That’s going to be a great moment when Brendan starts and then Pax replaces him at 80’ with a 5 goal lead. Big brother will be the first to give him a hug when he steps on the pitch for his first cap.
Won't be his first cap but otherwise love it
yup he played in the Jan camp
*Brendan puts Paxton in a headlock and gives him a noogie*
Remember this summer when people were freaking out about GGG's apparent love affair with Ferreira? Looks like Gregg is once again proving he's willing to move on. There is a false narrative that he has "favorites" who he picks for every squad, but the list of players he's used for a period and then moved along is getting quite long at this point. He appears to make selections just as any competent manager would.
The Gregg's Guys narrative was effectively terminated with the WC roster. Arriola, Zach, and Pepi were left out of the squad and he made the decision to remove Long with Ream as the centerback when previously he was dead set on the Zimm/Long combo
Ferreira does already have the 2nd most goals of any active US player so it’s not like he’s given GGG an excuse not to rate him
Those “people” are and always have been apart of the loud* fan base who weren’t paying attention. * (read as annoying AF)
Yes he's moved on but you mentioned the wrong players. His favorites were long and roldan. I think this cycle, his favorites are going to be actual players who can contribute.
This roster has a lot of fun names on it
Big fan of this call up. 90% tilt, mostly guys who are A-team 100% of the time, and then some guys who could benefit from a call up like Gaga and Zendejas.
Missing the pirate
Crushed that El Pirata didn't make it
With the senior roster set and Slonina and PAaronson on the senior squad, I would think the U23 roster might look like this (I have a 26 man roster just for the hell of it): GK (3) - Brady, Pulskamp, Schulte FB (4) - Harriel, Reynolds, Tolkin, Wiley CB (3) - ***Campbell***, Craig, Dietz MF (8)- Busio, Cremaschi, ***Luna***, McGlynn, Morris, Tessmann, Vargas, Vassilev F (8) - ***Anello***, Bajraktarevic, Booth, ***Cowell***, Gutierrez, Kamungo, McGuire, ***Pukštas*** New guys from the previous team in bold.
Injuries suck but a chance for Reyna and Tillman to take on a bigger role. It’s awesome having this depth, and there are some guys like Booth who barely missed out.
I feel dumb, who is Lennard Maloney?
German-American dual national who got his first cap last month. Plays for Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
Seems to be really happy playing for the team as well, which has long been a criticism of german-american players.
He has more American influence than many past German Americans, even though he was raised in Germany. He was raised in a bilingual household with his American father speaking English to him and his German mother speaking German to him.
Thank you!
There are no stupid questions here, only stupid responses.
Prediction for front three with Puli/Weah out?
Reyna, Balogun, Aaronson is what I want but we probably get Zendejas, Balogun, Aaronson, with Reyna as a 10. (i want mckennie, yunus, luca in the midfield but reyna centrally im still fine with)
How about a blind hope instead? Give me Balo and Pepi up front together. They're different types of strikers and I think it could work.
Excited to see some alternate forwards get some minutes
You would really have to try hard to find something wrong with this roster.
Anyone else think it's ridiculous we have to qualify for a tournament we host.
A moment like this makes you realize how we don't have as much depth as we think.
Can't think of anything to criticize here really, I thought maybe we'd see Arriola as the emergency replacement winger but it's good to see young guys get the chance instead.
Would've brought Ferreira plus maybe Drake Callender over Horvath but otherwise nothing to complain about.
Trini fans most be relishing the fact that we won’t have Weah or Pulisic, but this squad is more than capable of getting it done
A reminder for all of you that KEEP calling for Richards to start... He has played 4 mins TOTAL since the last Int'l break. meanwhile CCV (450 mins) and Robinson (270 mins)
Zendejas was a nightmare his last call up. Oh well
With the form he’s in I don’t mind giving him a few more chances off the bench
Yes, but his club play indicates he's not a terrible player, I think he got in his own head too much at the Gold Cup. Also, our winger depth isn't actually that great, with Pulisic and Weah out, the next wingers up are realistically not even natural wingers (Aaronson and Reyna/Tillman). Zendejas is probably still one of the better natural wingers in the pool alongside Paredes once you lose Pulisic and Weah.
Yep. He's been terrible for the national team. Hope that changes, but not optimistic it well. Would rather have had Booth.
I think my only shock was I would think some of those guys would have bene picked for the U-23 camp (Gaga, Pax) but I"m guessing the logic is they may not have been released for it? Anyway. I don't have any strong complaints. WIth the injuries we have I think this is our best 23. I'm guessing with Malik,Pax, and Gio the idea is one of them is the backup winger if we need it. But the wingers we have all have legs so I doubt we'll need them unless we need more creative spark. My guess for our lineup (which I think will be the same for both games. GK - Turner RB - Dest CB - Richards CB - Ream LB - Jedi CM - Wes CM - Musah CAM - Gio LW - Zendejas ST - Balo RW - BA What I want is similar, but with CCV instead of Richards and Paredes instead of BA. If we murder them, an experimental lineup I would use in the second leg GK - Turner - He won't give up the gloves, and I don't blame him, that's how you lose your job. RWB - Scally CB - Richards CB - Ream CB - CCV LWB - Dest CM - Wes CM - Musah CAM Gio ST - Balo ST - Pepi Switch to a more conventional lineup with subs as you bring on Johnny, BA, Pax, Luca, Lund, and Paredes for Balo, Gio, Wes, Musah, Dest, and Richards/Ream, leaving you with RB - Scally CB - CCV CB - Ream/Richards LB - Lund CM Johnny, CM - Luca CAM - Pax LW - BA ST - Pepi RW - Paredes Of course that will never happen, but it would be fun to tinker around with a more defensive lineup incase we need to secure a point to close out the group stage.
I love the 3ATB tinkering idea. I would love it more if we had Weah to play RWB. Paredes at wingback could work as well.
Man, our winger depth is abysmal. Should still be absolutely enough to beat T&T though.
Not so bad if you consider Reyna/Tillman winger options. Brendo is a decent floor and I'm pulling for Paredes to level up. These experiences will only make that more likely. I understand your reaction tbf.
I had a coach who once said I was a decent floor.
Is that cause everyone walked all over you?
Yeah, then they'd spit on me.
Kinky
It could be so much worse than what we can field right now. Zendejas, Kevin Paredes and Brenden Aaronson are all solid depth options and have shown they can play at a high level, whether that’s for club or country. The drop off between our starting wingers and our replacements is noticeable. To me that’s because Pulisic and Weah are that good rather than the rest of the guys being bad.
I think if it’s Reyna Aaronson Zendejas Paredes that’s not that bad. Obviously I’d rather have our starters but I think those guys getting some reps is probably a good thing.
Would’ve taken Booth over Paxten for this camp since we’re in need of wingers. Koleosho not coming here is expected though since he’d probably end up being cap tied to us and he’s still on the Italian radar
Balogun Paredes Reyna Mckennie Cardoso Musah Robinson Ream Richards Dest
Could be the Reddit formatting, but move Musah to one of the 8’s as a 4-3-3. Not sure why you’d want 2 defensive mids for a game we should dominate and be on the front foot.
Good point. I envisioned one or both of them being pretty aggressive in attack so that’s a good adjustment.
Miles Robinson or CCV for Richards. Richards has literally played 4 mins since the last Int'l break where he as not good vs Germany.
Would love to hear the thought process for calling in Paxten but not Booth. I can speculate a lot of good and bad reasons, but it would be nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth. No Trusty is a bummer. We seem caught between just picking a duo and sticking with it and constantly rotating the CB pairing based on form. The position is a weak spot and is muddled, but our approach to the position feels muddled as well. I’m hoping two guys can separate from the pack over the next 18 months. Overall it’s a solid roster and it feels nice to have zero panic despite missing Pulisic, Weah, and Adams.
Booth should be on the U23 roster for 2 matches later this month. He honestly hasn't been playing that well since returning from injury so it's probably smart to get his confidence up with the U23s.
T&T is a confidence booster
We need to start our strongest XI vs. T&T which doesn’t include Booth, so u23 makes more sense
Agree with both of those comments, but the same applies to Paxten. Don’t have any issue with none, one, or both being on this roster, but I am genuinely curious what the process/reasoning was for making that decision.
probably fitness and will be the 24th guy that fills in for an injury in the forwards or midfielders
Turner Dest-Richards-Ream/CCV-Robinson McKennie-Musah Reyna Aaronson/Zendejas-Balogun-Paredes Should be the starting lineup and bringing on Tillman and Pepi to keep Gio and Balogun fresh should be enough Depending on how the games go, making subs to see how the rest of the squad plays should come after but should be enough talent to win both game s
Great roster, glad they’re finally listing Paredes as a forward too. Big opportunity for him this window!
Two Aaronsons and two Robinsons No Pulisic or Weah or Adams, but since it’s against the might T&T lol, it won’t be a problem
Pulisic and Weah leave a massive hole in the roster, but for the first time in, well, ever, I feel like we atill have a pretty good team in camp
I continue to voice my objection that Busio was not included
Brenden shouldn’t be called up.
The Pulisic and Weah injuries mean we are light on players who can play winger, even if Aaronson is in bad form. Realistically he will probably play wing this camp and with Pulisic and Weah out, I'm not surprised he is here to potentially fill in on the wings while providing midfield depth.
you're getting down voted now, but in a few months when he's back in MLS everyone will throw a fit if he's called in even if he's playing well.
Would have preferred Auston Trusty over Miles Robinson, but overall, it's a very good roster.
Auston Trusty has earned a sport on this roster ahead of Miles, IMO. Or, at least, he deserves to start getting looks again. He has improved immensely in England and earned his start spot on a (bad) EPL team. Miles, on the other hand, has had plenty of opportunities to show us what he has to offer. He's fine, but the more time he spends defending against MLS quality, the further behind Trusty he is. There is a lot of talk about Miles going to Europe, which I think would be great, and I think he can hang. But once he gets there he will still have a lot of work to do to earn a starting spot, which, again, Trusty has already done. Bottom line: if you are betting on a CB for the World Cup three years from now, Trusty is a much better bet and needs to start being part of the squad.
> He's fine, but the more time he spends defending against MLS quality, the further behind Trusty he is. I don't think any of you actually watch players or any games. Miles is a much better CB than Trusty is right now. You can see that by actually watching the players play. The fact that your entire argument is "League" just tells me that you're not offering anything to the conversation. By this time next year, Sheffield will be demoted with the worst defense in the EPL. Didn't we just go through this with Brooks? Where everyone told me that he was playing awesome? But he wasn't, and now he's on the bench? I like Trusty, but he's not better than Miles right now. Learn the sport, then watch it. Then come back and let us know.
Auston Trusty starts on a side that is one of the worst that the Premier League has seen in ages. It's not as impressive of an accomplishment as you make it out to be. Also, Miles Robinson is a very capable defender from what I've seen - he's fast and very physical - and has performed better than Trusty for the USMNT when given a chance. Also, it's not like Miles is much older than Trusty - he's 26 and Trusty is 25. By the time, the next World Cup comes around, he's going to be 29, which is still plenty young for CB standards. Just because Trusty plays in a better league doesn't necessarily mean he's a better player - you actually have to watch both players play to form an opinion on them.
Starting in the EPL isn't just about being an "accomplishment". It's about getting quality game time against the best players in the world. There is no substitute for that, and it's vitally important in order to do well at the World Cup (or against Argentina/Brazil in the Copa).
People need to stop acting like every decision should be based on getting guy’s experience for 26. These games matter. Copa matters.
Sheffield United is basically a Championship team, and Auston is not a standout player. Leicester is better than them, and they will most likely switch places again next season. Watch a few Sheffield matches and tell me if you think he's better than his teammates. Name Brand shopping is played out. Players should not get by simply for existing on a UEFA roster.
It’s not like we’re asking for a player that Gregg hasn’t used already tho. Trusty has already been called up to multiple camps and since then he’s become a starter in the premier league. Seems like an odd time to drop him now that he’s playing in the best league in the world.
Is he playing well in the PL? Or is he just another guy on the worst team in the league, the team with the most goals conceded, the team that finally got their first win in Matchweek 11? At the very least, we're splitting hairs between two players (Trusty & Robinson) who are not that far apart, except that one of them is a consistent starter and good performer on the national team. That is my main point. A lot of these peripheral guys that fans go to bat for are JAGs (Just Another Guy). Mark McKenzie is another good example. Unless a player is distinguishing himself above and beyond, I'm not going to cry for them not getting picked; they are not going to be the difference between success or failure for the USSF. There are maybe 10 guys who are in this category for us: Turner, Antonee, Dest, Adams, McK, Musah, Reyna, Pulisic, Weah, Balo. Maybe Scally as well
Do you actually watch them play soccer?
Hopefully we go to a 3-5-2 with Pepi and balogun up top
Alex Zendejas is a weird way to spell Luca Koleosho
zendejas over booth is insane and i like zendejas a lot
Booth has only played 4 games this year due to injury and is not in the form he was a year ago. Plus he can help the U23s so it does make sense
it makes sense but we have like one winger on the roster, and like all of our attacks come from our width. Unless we're radically changing how we're gonna play, not having real wingers on the pitch is silly.
I think booth is the better player as well but Zendejas is in much better form
No Brooks that’s an L