I generally agree with all of this. The team plays for BA in a way it didn't for JK. Doesn't need to be any more complicated than that for a team that was in last place and will likely go into the last qualifier without a guarantee to advance to Russia.
Jozy is Jozy. He is limited, provides little more than a large body. If you need a space eater, he is your guy. If you need someone who can dribble, stretch defenders, make runs, press, outrun anyone, or win balls in the air then you better look elsewhere. If you are looking for a guy with a track record on staying fit you also better look elsewhere. He was billed as being a better version of Brian McBride when we had zero true strikers, he ain't. We also aren't stuck using midfielders (Donovan, Dempsey the younger version) or guys show score by picking up the garbage (Wynalda, Stewart).
Wood, Dwyer, Agudelo, and Dempsey the elder all offer more than Jozy. Throw in Morris and you have 5 more reliable and viable options to pair with Pulisic and whoever plays the outside regardless of formation. Dempsey and Dwyer hold up as well or better than Jozy, Wood and Morris are faster and Agudelo is better with the ball. What does Jozy bring that offsets, his low goals per game rating, his lack of back tracking and his general lack of movement? Two or three outlets and two or three fouls drawn aren't enough. I think he was brought in solely to avoid the story if he wasn't brought in. The forward spots behind a healthy and in form Dempsey will go to final roster announcement for Russia. Don't think we need to do that but Bruce is keeping all options open, so I can't fault him for that until he actually puts Jozy ahead of someone more deserving. Remember, Bruce is about managing the locker room as much as the team on the field.
The roster pool for this tournament is what it is. There is no reason to question the lineups that closely. Arena is clearly rotating players. No one in the back has distinguished themselves against weak competition.
