USMNT Roster for March qualifiers released...

[ZooCougar]

Best part is we sit about 20 rows below that camera.

 

[SAMCRO]

Bruce Arena is an idiot.

Ya, I was surprised by the Zusi add over Feilhaber (sp?). Probably a couple other names I would have thought of before GZ.

 

[ZooCougar]

I disagree. And not just because of the ridiculous "not an international player" line. You could use that against most of the team. Pulisic is the best player by miles, out greatest resource. Kljestan worked with him better than any other player. Our best chance is to build the team around Pulisic. We need players to complement him.

Sascha played in Europe for Anderlecht. That's not too shabby.

Benny spent more time in Europe than MLS.

 

[ZooCougar]

Ya, I was surprised by the Zusi add over Feilhaber (sp?). Probably a couple other names I would have thought of before GZ.

That keeper is our third keeper btw. He had two howlers tonight. Arena's selections are really troubling.

Zusi is called in as a wing player to replace Johnson. Zusi is slow and offers little to the attack at that level.

Benny is our best center attacking mid on form. Pulisic is not a central player at the moment.

Roger Espinoza also plays for SKC and he is better than Bradley and overrated Dax currently. Good thing he was called in for Honduras.

 

[SubbaBub]

That keeper is our third keeper btw. He had two howlers tonight. Arena's selections are really troubling.

Zusi is called in as a wing player to replace Johnson. Zusi is slow and offers little to the attack at that level.

Benny is our best center attacking mid on form. Pulisic is not a central player at the moment.

Roger Espinoza also plays for SKC and he is better than Bradley and overrated Dax currently. Good thing he was called in for Honduras.

I agree Benny should be in based on just the other personnel available alone, even if Bruce doesn't like him. We are back to the point where we have too many guys without sufficient ball skills in the midfield. Benny has always been one of the better domestic players on the ball. And Sasha is a viable international player only if you limit the term international to SVG, Barbados, and Antigua. Sorry, I seen everything he has to offer and he isn't at that level.

 

[UCFBfan]

Well this sucks....

 

[ETSA]

Bobby Wood seems to have pulled himself off the US Team because of back problems; they'll examine him further this week. He started for HSV yesterday against Eintracht Frankfurt and was not substituted out until the 90. minute. I watched the last 30 minutes and Wood was nearly invisible, if he didn't commit a foul and get substituted out I don't think I would have heard his name. For Eintracht Timmy Chandler was involved more than the other midfielders, but that's not saying much. It was a horrible game in steady rain. In the entire game only one shot was on goal; both teams barely connected on half their passes (51% and 58%).

 

[SAMCRO]

Well that sucks. If this team didn't have bad luck, it wouldn't have any luck at all.

 

[UConnDan97]

Well this sucks....

Ouch. I really like Wood. I think that's a key loss. It's curious to me that Klesjan has now been added to the roster, since they are not "like for like". It makes me think that the loss of Wood precipitated a formation change for Arena. It will be interesting to see...

 

[ZooCougar]

Is this an early April Fools day joke?

 

[SAMCRO]

So this is now the roster with FJ and BW dropping off, and GZ, Steven Krajewski, and MB being brought in...
G: Howard, Guzan, Rimaldo
D: Brooks, Beasley, Cameron, Gonzalez, Orozco, Ream, Villafaña, Zimmerman, Besler, Zusi
M: Acosta, Bedoya, Bradley, Jones, Lletget, Nagbe, McCarty, Pulisic, Kljestan,
F: Altidore, Dempsey, Morris,

Given the injuries to Wood and Johnson, does this force Arena's hand to play Pulisic in a more central role as he is probably the most flexible player, even at 18 years old? Or, with only 3 attacking options on the roster, do they use him up next to Morris or Altidore.... similar to how Dortmund has occasionally used him along side Aubameyang (and with very positive results)?

The US absolutely has to get a minimum of 3 points from the next 2 matches; they probably need to get 4 points; and getting 6 points is feeling like a nearly impossible ask as Panama is playing well, and will be a difficult road trip.

 

[UConnDan97]

So this is now the roster with FJ and BW dropping off, and GZ, Steven Krajewski, and MB being brought in...
G: Howard, Guzan, Rimaldo
D: Brooks, Beasley, Cameron, Gonzalez, Orozco, Ream, Villafaña, Zimmerman, Besler, Zusi
M: Acosta, Bedoya, Bradley, Jones, Lletget, Nagbe, McCarty, Pulisic, Kljestan,
F: Altidore, Dempsey, Morris,

Given the injuries to Wood and Johnson, does this force Arena's hand to play Pulisic in a more central role as he is probably the most flexible player, even at 18 years old? Or, with only 3 attacking options on the roster, do they use him up next to Morris or Altidore.... similar to how Dortmund has occasionally used him along side Aubameyang (and with very positive results)?

The US absolutely has to get a minimum of 3 points from the next 2 matches; they probably need to get 4 points; and getting 6 points is feeling like a nearly impossible ask as Panama is playing well, and will be a difficult road trip.

It doesn't force his hand any more than it did prior to the change. In fact, if anything, it has made it easier not to put Pulisic there, since that's where Kljestan plays. Dempsey and Altidore up front, with either Kljestan, Jones, or Nagbe behind them (or Bradley I suppose). Of that scenario, I would actually prefer Kljestan with Pulisic out right and Nagbe out left and choose a holding midfielder in front of the back four. But I'm guessing Arena will play it "safe" and have both Bradley and Jones out there at the same time...

 

[SAMCRO]

It doesn't force his hand any more than it did prior to the change. In fact, if anything, it has made it easier not to put Pulisic there, since that's where Kljestan plays. Dempsey and Altidore up front, with either Kljestan, Jones, or Nagbe behind them (or Bradley I suppose). Of that scenario, I would actually prefer Kljestan with Pulisic out right and Nagbe out left and choose a holding midfielder in front of the back four. But I'm guessing Arena will play it "safe" and have both Bradley and Jones out there at the same time...

Jones can't play v Honduras due to yellow card accumulation.

Here is Stuart Holden's prediction for the starting XI

 

[businesslawyer]

So this is now the roster with FJ and BW dropping off, and GZ, Steven Krajewski, and MB being brought in...
G: Howard, Guzan, Rimaldo
D: Brooks, Beasley, Cameron, Gonzalez, Orozco, Ream, Villafaña, Zimmerman, Besler, Zusi
M: Acosta, Bedoya, Bradley, Jones, Lletget, Nagbe, McCarty, Pulisic, Kljestan,
F: Altidore, Dempsey, Morris,

Given the injuries to Wood and Johnson, does this force Arena's hand to play Pulisic in a more central role as he is probably the most flexible player, even at 18 years old? Or, with only 3 attacking options on the roster, do they use him up next to Morris or Altidore.... similar to how Dortmund has occasionally used him along side Aubameyang (and with very positive results)?

The US absolutely has to get a minimum of 3 points from the next 2 matches; they probably need to get 4 points; and getting 6 points is feeling like a nearly impossible ask as Panama is playing well, and will be a difficult road trip.

No Guzan. His wife is having a baby and since he was presumably told he wasn't starting .... Bingham took his spot on the roster.

Far worse, Brooks is flying to the the states but it's not clear that he will be able to go. The lineup is really going to be a hodgepodge.

 

[UConnDan97]

Aaaaaaaand Wondo is back on the roster. Uggh. The guy works hard, but my goodness. He is the answer to a question that no one is asking...

 

[ZooCougar]

Aaaaaaaand Wondo is back on the roster. Uggh. The guy works hard, but my goodness. He is the answer to a question that no one is asking...

I thought all this stuff was going to stop now that Jurgen is gone. Oh wait...

 

[SubbaBub]

I'll be stunned if arena rolls out anything but a 4-4-2.

Howard

Orozco, Cameron, Brooks/Gonzalez, Beasley

Bedoya, Jones, Bradley, Pulisic

Dempsey, Altidore

Party like it's 2013.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'll be stunned if arena rolls out anything but a 4-4-2.

Howard

Orozco, Cameron, Brooks/Gonzalez, Beasley

Bedoya, Jones, Bradley, Pulisic

Dempsey, Altidore

Party like it's 2013.

That was my initial thought. No way he plays a 3 man back line. Your lineup looks right, with Jones on top of Bradley.

 

[SAMCRO]

I'll be stunned if arena rolls out anything but a 4-4-2.

Howard

Orozco, Cameron, Brooks/Gonzalez, Beasley

Bedoya, Jones, Bradley, Pulisic

Dempsey, Altidore

Party like it's 2013.

That seems right. Bring Morris off the bench for either CD or JA around the 60 minute mark. The question is who plays the Jones role v. Honduras? Pretty sure he is suspended for that one due to yellow card accumulation. That's where I would not be surprised to see Arena put Pulisic in the middle with Nagbe on the wing. This will be an interesting 2 matches, and the team better be a heckuva lot more sync'd than they were for the 2 friendlies in January (I know it was without European players, but still....).

 

[ZooCougar]

That seems right. Bring Morris off the bench for either CD or JA around the 60 minute mark. The question is who plays the Jones role v. Honduras? Pretty sure he is suspended for that one due to yellow card accumulation. That's where I would not be surprised to see Arena put Pulisic in the middle with Nagbe on the wing. This will be an interesting 2 matches, and the team better be a heckuva lot more sync'd than they were for the 2 friendlies in January (I know it was without European players, but still....).

I heard Morris was hurt now too.

Arena will trot out the three man back line from time to time. He did it against Mexico in the World Cup in 2002. In that game he started Claudio Reyna on the wing. He also did it with LA Galaxy periodically.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I heard Morris was hurt now too.

Arena will trot out the three man back line from time to time. He did it against Mexico in the World Cup in 2002. In that game he started Claudio Reyna on the wing. He also did it with LA Galaxy periodically.

I wasn't thinking that he opposed it as much as the utter catastrophe that occurred the last time we played it with USMNT. Needing a win, can he take that chance? With Beasley, you could start him back and slide him up later if we aren't scoring.

 

[UConnDan97]

I thought all this stuff was going to stop now that Jurgen is gone. Oh wait...

I expected a lot to remain the same, since he is not going to experiment during the hex. However, I expected Wondo to stop. I don't understand how any qualified national team coach could say to themselves, "Yup...we need ourselves some Wondo!"

Unfortunately, we've had 2 coaches in a row who have thought that it actually makes sense...

 

[Waquoit]

Are we sure Nagbe will show up?

 

[businesslawyer]

I expected a lot to remain the same, since he is not going to experiment during the hex. However, I expected Wondo to stop. I don't understand how any qualified national team coach could say to themselves, "Yup...we need ourselves some Wondo!"

Unfortunately, we've had 2 coaches in a row who have thought that it actually makes sense...

Out of curiosity, if you assume that Wood and Morris are out, and he's not sure Dempsey is a 90 minute player, whom did you want called up that is a better choice for this weekend? All I have is guys sitting on benches in Germany that aren't playing. Like Johanson, or Boyd, or Green. Do you have a single forward who was an obviously better choice? Or we should just forfeit because we hate Wondo?

 

[ZooCougar]

Out of curiosity, if you assume that Wood and Morris are out, and he's not sure Dempsey is a 90 minute player, whom did you want called up that is a better choice for this weekend? All I have is guys sitting on benches in Germany that aren't playing. Like Johanson, or Boyd, or Green. Do you have a single forward who was an obviously better choice? Or we should just forfeit because we hate Wondo?

There was a Bundesliga expert on Grumpy Pundits this morning who said that Green was doing fantastic at Stuttgart. He's actually a winger and he would have been a better midfield option than Graham Zusi.

He's scored a goal and had five appearances since the winter break.


https://www.whoscored.com/Players/132316

I probably would called in another attacking midfielder. I don't see why we are anchoring on 4 forwards. We could go with a one striker formation and have some better possession and creativity as opposed to Arena's Gladiator Counterattacking 4-4-2.