USMNT: Hold My Beer

Kliq

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Cool to see Miles Robinson getting called in, he's from Arlington, MA. I played against him as a kid at a soccer camp once. Big year for professional athletes from Arlington.
 

Titans Bastard

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Okay, things are getting complicated.

1. USSF has already named a 40-man provisional roster for the Gold Cup
2. Today, they released a joint senior/U23 camp roster for May 26-June 2. There are a few guys from the GC roster (some overage for the U23s) and other non-Gold Cup U23s are there as well.
3. In the first week of June, the complete USMNT camp roster will be announced (some provisional roster guys will never be physically called in).
4. Final 23 man squad is due on June 5.
5. A separate U23 camp will be held from June 10-16.

The joint senior/U23 squad:

*on the GC provisional roster
Bold: U23 eligible

GK
J.T. Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Andrew Thomas (Stanford)
Justin Vom Steeg (LA Galaxy)


DF
Kyle Duncan (NYRB)
*Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham)
*Marlon Fossey (Fulham)

*Omar Gonzalez (Atlas)
*Andrew Gutman (Charlotte Independence)
*Matt Miazga (Chelsea)
*Tim Ream (Fulham)
*Antonee Robinson (Everton)

MF
*Duane Holmes (Derby County)
Emerson Hyndman (Bournemouth)
Keaton Parks (NYCFC)
Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers)


FW
*Jonathan Amon (Nordsjælland)
Luca de la Torre (Fulham)

*Joe Gyau (Duisburg)
Josh Perez (LAFC)
*Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen)
Haji Wright (Schalke)


I've never heard of Andrew Thomas before, but apparently he's a Russia/UK/US triple national who played for Watford's youth teams and has previously played for England's U17 cricket team.
 

Titans Bastard

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It shouldn't go unmentioned here that DaMarcus Beasley announced he'll retire at the end of the season.

https://www.apnews.com/c0c518de533a4316838174b31c79e8e1

Beasley is a US legend who began his career at age 17, in 1999. He was a part of the vaunted 1999 US U17 team that also included Donovan, Onyewu, Beckerman, and Convey. By 2004, he was sold from the Chicago Fire to PSV Eindhoven for $2.5m as a replacement for Arjen Robben.

In the 2004/05 Champions League, he became the first (and only, IIRC) American to play in a Champions League semifinal as a PSV team led by Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu fell on away goals to an all-time Milan team featuring Shevchenko, Crespo, Kaká, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Maldini, and Cafú.

Always a slight player, injuries slowed him down and he had some lean years in the mid/late-00s at Rangers and Hannover. Beasley began to revive his career at Puebla before returning to MLS after a ten year absence in 2014. In his later years, obviously, he reinvented himself as a left back. A bench player at the 2010 World Cup, he later started all four US games in 2014 at age 32.

His assist against Ghana in 2006 was one of the few nice moments of that campaign for the US.


The failure to qualify in 2018 prevented DMB from joining Matthäus, Márquez, Buffon, and Antonio Carbajal as the only players to play in five World Cups.
 

Titans Bastard

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Okay, things are getting complicated.

1. USSF has already named a 40-man provisional roster for the Gold Cup
2. Today, they released a joint senior/U23 camp roster for May 26-June 2. There are a few guys from the GC roster (some overage for the U23s) and other non-Gold Cup U23s are there as well.
3. In the first week of June, the complete USMNT camp roster will be announced (some provisional roster guys will never be physically called in).
4. Final 23 man squad is due on June 5.
5. A separate U23 camp will be held from June 10-16.

The joint senior/U23 squad:

*on the GC provisional roster
Bold: U23 eligible

GK
J.T. Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Andrew Thomas (Stanford)
Justin Vom Steeg (LA Galaxy)


DF
Kyle Duncan (NYRB)
*Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham)
*Marlon Fossey (Fulham)

*Omar Gonzalez (Atlas)
*Andrew Gutman (Charlotte Independence)
*Matt Miazga (Chelsea)
*Tim Ream (Fulham)
*Antonee Robinson (Everton)

MF
*Duane Holmes (Derby County)
Emerson Hyndman (Bournemouth)
Keaton Parks (NYCFC)
Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers)


FW
*Jonathan Amon (Nordsjælland)
Luca de la Torre (Fulham)

*Joe Gyau (Duisburg)
Josh Perez (LAFC)
*Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen)
Haji Wright (Schalke)


I've never heard of Andrew Thomas before, but apparently he's a Russia/UK/US triple national who played for Watford's youth teams and has previously played for England's U17 cricket team.

Okay, so most of these guys are heading home today. All of the U23s are gone except for CCV, Robinson, Amon, and Sargent. All of the overagers are staying except Gutman and Hyndman.

There's a new 28 man roster for the Jamaica friendly announced today, close to the full first team:

GK
Sean Johnson (NYCFC)
Tyler Miller (LAFC)
Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew)

DF
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham)
Omar Gonzalez (Atlas)
Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes)
Aaron Long (NYRB)
Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact)
Matt Miazga (Chelsea)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Antonee Robinson (Everton)
Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)

MF
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Duane Holmes (Derby County)
Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy)
Weston McKennie (Schalke)
Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire)
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew)
Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

FW
Jonathan Amon (Nordsjælland)
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Paul Arriola (D.C. United)
Tyler Boyd (Vitoria Guimarães)
Joe Gyau (Duisburg)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen)
Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)


Some notes:
  • Adams and Pulisic are being rested for this friendly but will be part of the Gold Cup squad.
  • At least seven players will be cut for the Gold Cup (28 --> 21+Adams+Pulisic). There's nothing stopping Berhalter from cutting more players and adding other guys from the provisional roster to the squad.
  • Reminder: Yedlin and Brooks are injured. Horvath is out with a finger injury, too
  • Jackson Yueill is here for the friendly only because he's not on the provisional Gold Cup squad. He's amid a breakout season in MLS and would be a candidate for one of the advanced CM positions.

Provisional roster players who DIDN'T make this team (not including Adams and Pulisic):

GK
Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge)
Brad Guzan (Atlanta United)

DF
Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas)
Marlon Fossey (Fulham)
Greg Garza (FC Cincinnati)
Andrew Gutman (Charlotte Independence)
Miles Robinson (Atlanta United)

MF
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)

FW
Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake)
Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids)
Christian Ramirez (LAFC)


EDIT: It seems Lewis was belatedly added to the squad.
 

Titans Bastard

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I really can't figure this one out. I see three natural CBs, a LB, four CMs of various types, an outside mid, and a forward.

Maybe Robinson and Arriola are wingbacks in some sort of 5-4-1?
 

InstaFace

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what an eclectic lineup. Old guard who aren't a part of the future (Ream, Omar), some I didn't think were part of the main plan today (Arriola, Miazga), and some real first-team prospects (Sargent, Robinson, Steffen). What exactly is Berhalter trying to learn with this lineup?
 

Titans Bastard

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US seems a bit rusty.
They looked sharp on the ball (without creating anything) in the first 10 minutes and it's been pretty bad since.

Too many CMs, too few real attackers. I don't like Roldan as an advanced midfielder and Mihailovic & Sargent are still learning how to consistently influence games at the international level. That's our front three, while Arriola is hard-working but running into the athletically superior Kemar Lawrence, while Robinson on the left is a guy who I think is just kind of mediocre.

There simply isn't much firepower in this experimental squad. Altidore, Zardes, Lewis, Boyd, Lletget, and Morris aren't in the 18, either. The attackers on the bench: Gyau, Amon, Holmes.
 

DJnVa

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And JAM scores.

Perhaps this is just a "get through the game" type of thing? No idea.

It was a nice goal though.
 

Titans Bastard

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Hopefully someone has a smart take about some important experiment that Berhalter wanted to see and prioritized over a decent lineup, but I don't really get it.

Trapp is a real liability even when he's passing fairly well (which he's not currently doing). He's defensively soft and Adams would never have allowed Jamaica to get that goal-scoring shot off.

Defensively weak DMs have a negative ripple effect throughout the entire team. The exact same goes for Bradley. Please just put Adams in that slot and move on.
 

DJnVa

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They were talking on the broadcast that apparently Berhalter said that this would be an experimental game. That could be just announcers talking, but it certainly seems off, so maybe there's something to it.
 

DJnVa

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Better from US there, but weak shot.

That Holmes kid looks decent.

EDIT: And now Sargent comes close.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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I don’t think the intended experiment was “everyone pass like shit and see what happens”, which is what’s been going down.

Holmes looks spry.
 

InstaFace

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I have fucking had it with Arriola's turnovers in transition. And that absolute waste of two opportunities right there.

That said, whoever called Robinson "mediocre" I think underrates him. Dude was a starter in the Championship and Everton people are excited about him. Not just @OilCanShotTupac , either. He's had a few nice recoveries in or near the box.

edit: and now CCV on. For headers on late-stage set pieces, I guess. Why the hell spend a sub on a defender when you need goals and nothing in front has been working?
 

Titans Bastard

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Robinson is a starter for a decent Championship team, which is equally as impressive as all the guys who starters for decent MLS teams. Doesn't mean he's necessarily USMNT caliber. I just haven't really seen it on either side of the ball. He's quick going forward, but isn't great at combining and sometimes makes poor decisions. Defensively, he's shaky.

It's hard to see him sticking with Everton. Yedlin is a better fullback and he's only doing okay for a so-so EPL club.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Djordje has had a miserable game. Bad passes, poor decisions, 2nd to challenges.

Really an all-around stinker.
 

Titans Bastard

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Djordje has had a miserable game. Bad passes, poor decisions, 2nd to challenges.

Really an all-around stinker.
He's hit the deck looking for a soft foul when he should have kept fighting through on several occasions, as well.
 

Titans Bastard

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That was very bad.

Much of the personnel shouldn't see much of the field in the Gold Cup, or even be on the squad, but the tactics were pretty nonsensical there.
 

67YAZ

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It’s going to be a tough, tough qualification battle. That’s clear already. Our best players aren’t old enough to drink. We no longer have the goalkeeping that can bail us out of a bad situation. There isn’t much depth - we’re only a few untimely injuries away from seeing many of tonight’s characters. And the manager has not yet lived up to his billing as a tactician.

I hope I’m wrong, but I rink qualification is going to come right down the wire again.
 

OCST

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My excitement meter on Robinson is at about a 6. In other words the jury is still out. Decision making is not great
 

ninjacornelius

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My excitement meter on Robinson is at about a 6. In other words the jury is still out. Decision making is not great
Agreed. He's still young, but he hasn't made the strides that I'd hoped he would when Everton named him young player of the year 3(?) years ago. I thought that he was pretty dreadful on the ball today.

But really, I don't know how much blame to put on anyone given tonight's wacky lineup. 3-4-2-1, with no real playmakers on the pitch? I don't know what purpose this friendly served. If you want to evaluate fringe players, then play them in a familiar formation and make your evaluations. If you want to try an experimental formation, then play your first team and see what sticks. But you can't fairly judge new players in an unfamiliar system and you can't tell if this new formation would work if you don't play your best XI. It's this uncertainty that led to the worst possible result (worse than a loss IMHO), which is... a giant shrug emoji. I'm not giving up on Berhalter yet, but he needs to figure this shit out in the next three weeks or my leash will be short. Venezuela on Sunday will be very telling.
 
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InstaFace

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I think Steffen's there.
Yeah, Steffen isn't Peak Tim Howard but he's got the ability to make some eye-popping plays sometimes. Every time I've seen him called into action he seems to have the right footwork and snap decision-making, and I can only recall one soft goal. As long as he's emotionally up for the commitment to the team - which is fair to question after his years-long transfer saga and general propensity to homesickness - then I'm totally down for him being our #1.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Roster's out: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/06/berhalter-names-2019-gold-cup-roster?fbclid=IwAR2__tZB7njIdHexVckZSOC2HKhLWbPdXM8HH6P06QAZOYGJmpQSqiiu5YU

U.S. MNT GOLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS):

GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 7/0), 22-Tyler Miller (LAFC; 0/0), 1-Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 9/0)

DEFENDERS (8): 14-Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 10/1), 3-Omar Gonzalez (Toronto FC/CAN; 50/3), 2-Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0), 23-Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 5/0), 16-Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 4/0), 19-Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG; 13/1),
13-Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 29/1), 5-Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 6/2)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 4-Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 145/17), 20-Duane Holmes (Derby County/ENG; 1/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 8/1), 10-Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 25/10), 15-Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 10/0), 6-Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 16/0)

FORWARDS (6): 17-Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 110/41), 7-Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 22/3), 21-Tyler Boyd (Vitória Guimãres/POR; 0/0), 18-Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; 4/0), 11-Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 27/5), 9-Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 44/7)
It's a headscratcher to leave Sargent off the u20 World Cup roster and then not include him on the Gold Cup roster, particularly when strikers in ahead of him include Zardes & Morris.

The rationale from Gregg of Many Gs appears to be because Lletget's injury means they needed more midfield options so I guess Holmes might've snuck in ahead of him? If you squint, you could argue that Morris & Zardes can provide more cover elsewhere on the field while Sargent is a straight-up number 9, but the counter-argument that they are both bad and Sargent is not is also compelling.

Ream/Lovitz as the LB tandem is grim, but what else is new there? Trapp & Roldan both making it is rough given how severely they just got pantsed by Jamaica, but neither should be starting so ehn I guess.
 

DJnVa

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Just last night during the broadcast they said that Sargent could step up and become a leader during the Gold Cup. His not being included is...odd.

Regarding last night:

Still, as Berhalter said following the game, it was a new formation designed to add a bit of versatility and not something on which the USA will be relying.
SI's take on Sargent:

Sargent’s absence is the most surprising one of the lot, as the 19-year-old was held out of the ongoing U-20 World Cup in order to play with the senior team. Berhalter had kind words for Sargent after the Jamaica game, during which he got almost no service but still managed to take the USA’s only shot on goal. In the end, however, Altidore, Morris and Zardes (the latter two can also play wide) were preferred.
https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/06/06/usa-gold-cup-squad-roster-pulisic-adams-mckennie-berhalter?utm_source=twitter.com&xid=socialflow_twitter_si&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=si-soccer
 

InstaFace

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I can think of at least 5 players on that roster I would have cut to keep Sargent on there. Starting with a third goalkeeper. I realize you can no longer make roster changes mid-tournament but I mean, c'mon. Zardes has had a decade to show anything at the international level and at this point, has had some back-sliding in even his one plus skill (speed). He's part of the 2022 future? Along with 30yo Omar and 31yo Tim Ream and 80yo Michael Bradley? Why not throw Geoff Cameron in there, too? Shit, at least Ream just had 25 games in the EPL this year.

(speaking of those rule changes - they're gonna have all the latest-and-greatest international rules, but not implement VAR? I have my critiques of its exact usage nuances, but to not have it at all these days is almost NFL-esque in its obstinacy)
 

Titans Bastard

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I mostly agree with Sam Stejskal's take here, which is simply that the pool is not that good.


There are some eye-rolling choices on this Gold Cup team, but nobody that great was left off. I think there should be room for Sargent, but it's not the crime of the century that he's been omitted.

I think we have some exciting prospects coming through. Because of that, there's a general feeling that the USMNT should be better than it is. It will take time. Many of the U23s should be involved in Olympic preparations with a view towards 2020. After 2020, hopefully it will be full steam ahead with the USMNT.


In the here-and-now, the best thing Berhalter can do is play Adams and Pulisic in their natural positions instead of creating all these crazy contortions to get one of Trapp or Bradley on the field.
 

InstaFace

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If you're going to lose with substandard players, at least make them young, improving substandard players who, with the benefit of feeling that experience and seeing the opportunity in front of them, stand a chance of getting motivated enough to hack it at that level.

Picking your best win-now 11 doesn't do a damn thing other than spare Berhalter a little marginal embarrassment. The players over 30 are not a core part of this team's future.
 

wonderland

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What if Sargent wasn’t training hard? He’s a good prospect but it’s not the end of the world he’s not playing.

The notion that you should just play the young players is equally absurd. There are plenty of younger guys on the team but you have to mix in veteran players. Especially one the coach is familiar with.
 

Titans Bastard

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Lineup vs.Venezuela:



I think that's:

Boyd — Zardes — Arriola
McKennie — Roldan
Trapp (c)
Ream — Long — Miazga — Lima
Steffen
And the bench:
GK Johnson
GK Miller
DF Gonzalez
DF Zimmerman
DF Lovitz
MF Holmes
FW Altidore
FW Morris

Berhalter had already said that Pulisic, Adams, and Bradley wouldn't play in this one, and that Altidore would get limited minutes. I guess Lewis is still being eased back from his knock as well.

Well, it's good that at least one of our young guns (McKennie) will be playing and I'm interested in what's for me a first viewing of Tyler Boyd.

I suspect Long-Miazga is our best possible CB partnership among this roster, so it's good that they are getting reps. I'd like to see Zimmerman get a run out too.

In terms of attack, I expect us to be somewhat insipid. Not a lot of creativity in the MF, and no world-beaters up top by any stretch.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Those are things I'd be upset if my daughter's U17 team did. It's lazy.

EDIT: McKennie's rip there was nice--there's talent, but there's not enough of that if they make lazy decisions.
 

Cellar-Door

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Good news, this is not the A-team.

Bad news, this team is both bad and wildly unprepared. Berhalter-era is off to a horrendous start. But hey, his english is great and he has that wildly valuable MLS experience
 

DJnVa

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If they're going to play like this just play all the kids.