Sands suffered a stress fracture in his foot part way through last season and has been out of the spotlight. He also gets less attention simply because he's an extremely boring but highly effective DM. I think his chances of emerging as Adams' backup for the NT are underrated.“Long-term, playing at a top level in Europe has always been my dream and still is. The Club is in a good position to help me achieve my goals. I’m thankful they understand my ambitions and it’s why I’m so comfortable signing an extension here.”
Say what?!?!Crucially, his parents never relented to pleas from local coaches for the boy to take part in American football trials. They considered the sport unsafe.
The only dissent came on the supporting front: he is a Chelsea fan in a family of Arsenal fans.
Dike, 20, only arrived at Barnsley on the last day of the most recent transfer window - but such has been his impact in the Championship that the BBC understands there has already been an approach from one of the big six Premier League - Orlando City have reportedly turned down a $10 million bid.
It's not a release clause in his MLS contract, it's a purchase clause in his loan deal.The BBC article states Dike has a USD 20 million release clause. That can‘t possible be accurate? It’s extremely rare (maybe impossible) for MLS clubs to have release clauses on its players, let alone for a league record fee one year out of the Superdraft.
So pray tell where I can find 'Max Moore's'?Last striker we had doing this well in England got a pub named after him
It's actually in the Mersey, I believe.So pray tell where I can find 'Max Moore's'?
Ha! No point intended, just a lame quip per usual.It's actually in the Mersey, I believe.
(point taken about a hot start not making a career, but what a hot start it has been!)
Time will tell, but I am voting for "this is the new normal" based on what I've seen and heard about the next cohorts of players. Furthermore, I think it's telling that it's not just that Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, et al are better than the guys before them, but that our 10th, 20th, and 30th best players from the rising generation are a lot better than the 10th, 20th, and 30th best players from previous generations. It makes it feel more systemic and less like a flash in the pan.I was truly 50/50 on whether there was a point there or whether it was fun nonsense, to which I am not opposed!
It's super exciting. 2022 is shaping up to be a fun World Cup and then we get a few years to see what percentage of this was just a great cohort and what percentage is just "well, now a country our size has decent-to-good development and this is a new baseline".
If it's the latter, then having a second generation of young kids this talented combined with those of the current crop who make it through as quality mid-career players will make for a very intriguing 2026.
It's going to be huge simply being able to avoid the recent scenario where you had 3-5 years that were just a total washout with hardly any talent from the 23-27 age range that should generally be comprised of guys at their peak leading the team. A weaker pool for a year or two is no big deal but that longer gap just crushed us.Time will tell, but I am voting for "this is the new normal" based on what I've seen and heard about the next cohorts of players. Furthermore, I think it's telling that it's not just that Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, et al are better than the guys before them, but that our 10th, 20th, and 30th best players from the rising generation are a lot better than the 10th, 20th, and 30th best players from previous generations. It makes it feel more systemic and less like a flash in the pan.
It's already looking increasingly likely that the 00s and 01s will be deeper than the 98s and 99s (Pulisic/McKennie/Adams' cohort). That doesn't mean that the 00s and 01s will automatically generate players who are on that level, but I think it's another sign that systemic improvements are real.
My sense is that the 02s are a bit weak relative to adjacent birth years, but we've still got Reyna and probably a few others. (And Musah, of course, but he doesn't count in the discussion of whether our development is getting better.) The 03s look like they're going to be strong. I've heard some hardcore prospect watchers say that the 05s are especially strong, but who really knows.
We haven't gotten to the point where Berhalter has to make truly difficult cuts, but after the kids have a few more years of development and when everything stops being a split-squad affair, there are going to be some historically good (by USMNT standards) players left out in the cold.
The exciting thing is that the USMNT should consistently improve over the entire 2020s simply because the number of key players in the NT pool who will definitely age out during this time amounts to simply John Brooks. Of our inner circle younger talent, the oldest player is Weston McKennie and he'll be 31 when the 2030 World Cup is played.
Hamstring. He wasn't yanked. He took himself off.Also is yanked at halftime. Beats being Ziyech and getting yanked at 30, game is too weird to think that says too much, although it won’t stop USMNT Twitter doomsayers.
I remember Steven Gerrard having a lot of hamstring issues early in his career, and he overcame it. But it is concerning that Pulisic is into his mid-20s and is still struggling.Is there like an injury nexus he has to get through like pitching prospects or is his entire career going to a fingers crossed soft tissue nightmare?
Looks like I have some twitter searching to do! I love the Dike goals. They make me happy.Dike with another goal, then draws a penalty to complete the hat trick but fails to put it away.