USMNT: To Rüssia With Love

Titans Bastard

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1. There has historically been such a big gap between Chandler's form for club and country that it's not unfair to discount his club play.

2. I've always suspected that dismissive comments made by Arena and others about the commitment of dual nationals have really just been about Chandler. Just speculation. I don't buy the "don't fly him from Europe for just one game". It's a WCQ. It's important. If Arena wanted Chandler for Panama, Timmy would be there.

3. Zusi started because Yedlin, Lichaj, Cameron, and Orozco were injured. I think it's clear that Arena doesn't want to start Zusi either, but sometimes player availability forces your hand. I'm not thrilled about it either, but I find it difficult to get outraged about Arena's decision to place no trust in Chandler. I wouldn't be shocked to see Chandler get another chance at some point, but one step at a time.

4. I expect the Gold Cup roster will unfold as @67YAZ describes, with roughly the regular first XI but with mostly young-ish players on the bench instead of the Besler/Zusi/Bedoya crowd. Arena said all along that he was going to rely on boring old veterans for the March qualifiers. He didn't have a problem playing young players in 2002 and I don't think he'll have issues this cycle once he gets a little more time. I thought it was interesting that he went with Acosta and Arriola to close out a difficult game on the road; the boring old options would have been McCarty and Wondolowski.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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Matthew Doyle has a good story up about the Jones problem and why it is time for the USMNT to move away from him:

And those two things – his athleticism and his skill – have continually overshadowed the fact that the US tend to play better when Jones, who is now 35, is a spectator. Or, at the very least, is forced into a support/tertiary role.

I spoke about Jones the individualist above because he plays soccer with a Galt-ian sense of self. His bursts of energy against Seattle and Mexico were as unsustainable as they were breathtaking, and once he'd maxed out his reserves, his teammates were forced to compensate for his no-less-unpredictable forays away from positional responsibility and his no less risky attempts at spreading the field with the ball. Instead of focusing on their own shape or gameplan, or adjusting to the attacks of the opposition, the constant calculation of his own teammates has been "How do we adjust to Jermaine?" Instead of working together, they were working for him.

The Jones of earlier days could run himself out of position then usually run himself back into the play, but even so it's been a bad, game-tilting trade for the US for most of this decade. Exchanging tactical framework for hero-ball isn't a good blueprint.

And at Panama on Tuesday, it started to become apparent that Jones isn't about to quit playing hero ball even as his athleticism ticks downward and his skill slowly deserts him.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/03/29/armchair-analyst-its-probably-time-usmnt-move-past-jones
 

Titans Bastard

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If Arena settles on a 4-3-1-2 as Doyle predicts, I think that would be the end of the FJ-to-the-midfield talk. In that formation, there's no midfield role for a player like FJ....but we would need a lot of width to be provided by the fullbacks.

Something like this:

https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/58dc447f8dd5dd25d4d1a398

The risky thing with a 4-3-1-2 built around Pulisic is that if CP is unavailable for whatever reason, who fills the "1" role? Maybe Hyndman? Though we'll see whether he can handle that role at the international level or if he will ultimately slot in a little deeper.
 

InstaFace

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That's basically the same as the 4-4-2 diamond that Arena rolled out vs Honduras, right? Or do the midfield players stay a little tighter?
 

GammonsSpecialPerson

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1. There has historically been such a big gap between Chandler's form for club and country that it's not unfair to discount his club play.
Maybe. However, that track record of international play was compiled under a coach we've been told was a tactical moron, so that has to factor in somewhere. Not that it's a main reason, but one of the many? Is there something specific about Chandler's game that doesn't translate to the international level? Or about his strengths that would play poorly under Arena's tactics?

2. I've always suspected that dismissive comments made by Arena and others about the commitment of dual nationals have really just been about Chandler. Just speculation. I don't buy the "don't fly him from Europe for just one game". It's a WCQ. It's important. If Arena wanted Chandler for Panama, Timmy would be there.
Yup. He wasn't called because they were talking about somebody, and by process of elimination it was either him or Green. Unless Chandler refused a call up. In which case, fuck him in the ear with a rusty screwdriver.

3. Zusi started because Yedlin, Lichaj, Cameron, and Orozco were injured. I think it's clear that Arena doesn't want to start Zusi either, but sometimes player availability forces your hand. I'm not thrilled about it either, but I find it difficult to get outraged about Arena's decision to place no trust in Chandler. I wouldn't be shocked to see Chandler get another chance at some point, but one step at a time.
I can see why Chandler would be omitted from the original squad. I cannot fathom why Zusi was called up/added to the roster as replacement instead of Chandler, given the injury situation at both RB and CB.

I can understand if Arena's original team selection was "making a point" to Chandler; managers deserve a little leeway in making the team theirs. But given the stakes - and the slim chance that a poor result vs. Honduras would necessitate a "must-win" situation vs. Panama, I am outraged that the best, healthy option wasn't called and that a useless, retread, non-RB was called instead. That's taking the "point" too far, and is worthy of criticism.

Calling Chandler at some time in the future would just highlight how dumb this was. I can't see TC in a USA shirt until after Arena rides off into the sunset.

Arena said all along that he was going to rely on boring old veterans for the March qualifiers.
Graham Zusi, benchwarming winger/midfielder, is a boring old veteran. Graham Zusi, novice starting right back, is old but not boring. It is as dumb as anything Klinsmann barfed onto a lineup sheet in his tenure.
 

Titans Bastard

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That's basically the same as the 4-4-2 diamond that Arena rolled out vs Honduras, right? Or do the midfield players stay a little tighter?
It's close enough. I think the midfielders could stay a little tighter if we had FJ+Yedlin going forward rather than Villafaña+Cameron who aren't as good offensively.
 

Mr Mulliner

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I scanned this thread pretty quickly, but is no one else concerned about the lack of possession the US showed in both these games?

Or, more to the point - the continuous booting the ball out of the back. I saw more hopeful (hopeless?) long balls from the back four than I've seen in years.

It was definitely made much worse without Pulisic in the center against Panama, as Jones simply couldn't get into space and then connect a pass even laterally, but the Honduras game was mostly a boot-it-out and chase it down affair as well.

I've always been one of the few Klinsmann fans, but I was optimistic about Arena and thought the change was for the best. But it seems like any attempts at possession through the midfield and into the final third were abandoned quickly. And I really don't want to see the US go back to 4-5 passes between the back 4 and DM, only to knock it forward and hope someone gets on the end and holds up long enough for someone to help out. With anyone other than Pulisic out there we lose against Panama and maybe get 2 goals against Honduras. Maybe.

JK demanded the US players move and possess the ball. We made progress, I think significant progress on that. I worry that will be undone, and we go back to relying on athleticism and fitness alone.

And hey, if we win a bunch of games 6-0 and qualify for Russia then it's worth it. But we're not moving forward. We seem to finally have a real world class player in our near future, if not already. But, we have only upgraded our best player. Need to do that AND learn how to play with movement and possession to move up a level and start to really consistently compete with the top 10-15 countries in the world.

Maybe that vision takes a back seat to simply qualifying right now, but that game last night bugged me.
 

InstaFace

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I scanned this thread pretty quickly, but is no one else concerned about the lack of possession the US showed in both these games?
...
Maybe that vision takes a back seat to simply qualifying right now, but that game last night bugged me.
Don't read too much into it, Poon (if I may call you that). Rounding a little, we had roughly a million injuries. If Brooks and Cameron and Fabian Johnson are still playing route-one balls up to Wood or Morris against T&T, I'll share your concern.
 

Quintanariffic

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About the only interesting thing the BeIn announcing crew had to say last night was that the missing/injured players constituted nearly a starting XI.

Yedlin
Brooks
Cameron
Orozco

Lleget
FabJo

Wood
Morris

Guzan

Anyone else?
 

OCST

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I scanned this thread pretty quickly, but is no one else concerned about the lack of possession the US showed in both these games?

Or, more to the point - the continuous booting the ball out of the back. I saw more hopeful (hopeless?) long balls from the back four than I've seen in years.

It was definitely made much worse without Pulisic in the center against Panama, as Jones simply couldn't get into space and then connect a pass even laterally, but the Honduras game was mostly a boot-it-out and chase it down affair as well.

I've always been one of the few Klinsmann fans, but I was optimistic about Arena and thought the change was for the best. But it seems like any attempts at possession through the midfield and into the final third were abandoned quickly. And I really don't want to see the US go back to 4-5 passes between the back 4 and DM, only to knock it forward and hope someone gets on the end and holds up long enough for someone to help out. With anyone other than Pulisic out there we lose against Panama and maybe get 2 goals against Honduras. Maybe.

JK demanded the US players move and possess the ball. We made progress, I think significant progress on that. I worry that will be undone, and we go back to relying on athleticism and fitness alone.

And hey, if we win a bunch of games 6-0 and qualify for Russia then it's worth it. But we're not moving forward. We seem to finally have a real world class player in our near future, if not already. But, we have only upgraded our best player. Need to do that AND learn how to play with movement and possession to move up a level and start to really consistently compete with the top 10-15 countries in the world.

Maybe that vision takes a back seat to simply qualifying right now, but that game last night bugged me.
I thought of this during the Panama game.

But I started to think that long balls were the preferable tactic due to:

-the horrendous condition of the pitch
-the fact that Panama were physically abusing the living crap out of us and the ref was letting it all go
-the fact that our midfield sucked

Given these facts, long ball over this mess and hope for something good isn't a bad idea

Obviously your point is that #3 is unacceptable and I agree. Isn't it partly a matter of personnel though? Iniesta and Ozil aren't walking through that door. I'd love to play like you want but with a very thin squad on the road in CONCACAF....
 

Titans Bastard

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Tab Ramos has announced the first post-qualifying U20 camp, which will be held in London and consist of a few scrimmages rather than any somewhat more formal friendlies.

The U20 WC begins on May 20. I would expect there to be a larger pre-WC camp in May, which will be cut down to size for the tournament, but there's nothing from the USSF on the details of their plans yet. This camp is kind of a doozy, filled mostly with fringe players and first-timers. It looks like Ramos is trying to avoid past mistakes, when he opted for familiar players over late-charging candidacies like Jordan Morris, who was cut in favor of a bunch of nobodies.

GOALKEEPERS (4): Jonathan Klinsmann (University of California; Newport Beach, Calif.), JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown University; Alamo, Calif.), Brady Scott (De Anza Force; Petaluma, Calif.), Justin Vom Steeg (Fortuna Dusseldorf; Santa Barbara, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (8): Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy; Norwalk, Calif.), Danny Barbir (West Bromwich Albion F.C.; Allentown, Pa.), Marcello Borges (University of Michigan; Kearny, N.J.), Aaron Herrera (University of New Mexico; Casa Grande, Ariz.), John Nelson (Internationals SC; Medina, OH), Keaton Parks (Plano, Texas; Unattached), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United FC; Arlington, Mass.), Brandon Terwege (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Texas)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Mukwelle Akale (Villarreal CF; Minneapolis, Minn.), Collin Fernandez (Chicago Fire; Bridgeview, IL), Jeremiah Gutjahr (Indiana University; Bloomington, IN), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; Bridgeview, Ill.), James Murphy (Sheffield Wednesday F.C.; Scotch Plains, N.J.), Yosef Samuel (Bethlehem Steel FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Eryk Williamson (University of Maryland; Alexandria, Va.)

FORWARDS (6): Sebastien Des Pres (Blackpool FC; San Diego, Calif.), Felipe Hernandez (Swope Park Rangers; Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Lagos Kunga (Atlanta United FC, Tucker, Ga.), Stephen Payne (Estoril Praia; Birmingham, Ala.), Emmanuel Sabbi (UD Las Palmas; Columbus, OH), Mason Toye (PDA, South Orange, N.J.)


Ramos' top four goalkeepers are in camp, but other that I'd say only a few players have much of a chance to make the team. Borges and Herrera could be the backup LB and RB respectively. Akale is highly touted in some places, though I'm not sure Ramos rates him that much. Williamson has been a mainstay, but if everyone's available he's not a lock. Sabbi was on the qualifying roster but I don't think he's that good.

The Euro-based players who Ramos might have wanted for qualifying but who weren't released aren't in camp either. Setting those guys aside, the outsider who really needs to be given a shot is Portland's LB Marco Farfan. This team badly needs help at left back and Farfan has done well in a few early season starts in MLS.
 

Titans Bastard

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John Brooks, Jordan Morris, and Bobby Wood started and played the full 90 minutes over the weekend.
 

DJnVa

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Yeah, but Chandler wasn't hurt was he? He was left off for other reasons.
 

InstaFace

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True, but he looked pretty good against Gladbach. Had a world class cross that deserved a better finish, and held his own against Hazard and Dahoud. If he keeps that form up I hope Arena will give him more consideration for June.
 

Investor 11

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Yeah, I was actually at the Eintracht Frankfurt match this week and while taking any soccer advice from me would probably get you fired, Chandler noticeably had a strong match. He did have one defensive lapse in the 1st half where he failed to track his man at the edge of the box, but beyond that he had multiple quality crosses and applied some good pressure with one forced turnover turning in to a scoring chance.
 

InstaFace

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SoSH is worldwide, you cannot hide.

Anyway, Jermaine Jones complains that the haters are always on his case, always trying to get him off the team.

Some snippets:
"The criticism is always on me," Jones said. "Everybody tries it, if we lose the game, they always try to find the next guy who can play for Jermaine. It is never somebody else, it is always me.

"And sometimes, I'll be honest, it pisses me off. I say 'Wait a minute! When we play the big tournament, I am always the best player on the field for this country,' but then, end of the day, they try to kick me out when we lose games? That is not fair, you know? I cannot change it. I know what it is."
...
"That is normal. I respect that it is the kind of sport, you know. You have to get hated. If I look in football, look how many people hate Tom Brady, but he is out there and he balling, he gets the championship year after year.

"End of the day, if somebody hates you, that is what i learned from one coach. If they hate you, end of the day, they hate you because they are scared of you."
...
"If I go to the national team right now, name me a player who has more Champions League games, who played in the highest levels -- name me one," he said. "I am not a legend. My name is always [highlighted] when we lose, but all other guys are legends.

"I respect that and I like it and gives me the point that I still want to go. I want to prove people wrong, but I think if you look [at] the numbers, there is nobody who can say, 'Oh I played over 30 Champions League games in club level' and that is important. And if you look at the numbers, you can not lie.
I'd call it whiny, but he's got a sympathetic audience here when he compares his haters to Tom Brady's.
 

DJnVa

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Sooooo, where's his championships?

We can appreciate what he did but understand that there are limitations to his game now.
 

Infield Infidel

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FWIW, he sent the pass in to Pulisic that CP turned into a goal. He's not completely bad. I love the dude, he was probably our best outfield player in 2014, he led the renaissance of American Germans coming to the USMNT, but his tendency to wander around and not track back has gotten worse as he's gotten older
 

Jed Zeppelin

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While he's pretty much cooked at this level by now, I won't blame him for being mad at taking shit for his play (though I think there's a bit of recency bias) when he's spent so much time playing next to an inferior player with an infinitely longer leash.

But I'm the wrong guy to ask. My Bradley hatred knows no bounds.
 

Titans Bastard

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Exclusive: CONCACAF close to agreeing new 'League of Nations'

Plans for a new league competition for national teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean are set to be agreed on this weekend, the region's football chief has told Reuters.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has been privately sounding out the 41 federations within the region regarding the 'League of Nations' plan, which would effectively eliminate friendlies.
No word on whether the US Senate will ratify this.

Opportunities for Euro friendlies are very minimal with UEFA's new "Nations League" launching next year.

This is probably useful for most CONCACAF countries, but it might deprive Mexico and the US of opportunities to play against CONMEBOL countries or top Asian or African teams.
 

Titans Bastard

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Summer friendly rumors:


I'll find my way to Rentschler for a Ghana friendly as long as the USSF doesn't charge the extortionate prices that they've favored in recent times.
 

Titans Bastard

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The U17 qualifying roster dropped today:

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/04/17/14/41/20170417-u17mnt-hackworth-names-20-player-roster-for-2017-concacaf-u17-championship

GOALKEEPERS (2): Carlos Joaquim Dos Santos (Benfica; Philadelphia, Pa.), Justin Garces (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (5): Christopher Gloster (New York Red Bulls; Montclair, N.J.), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City; Charlotte, N.C.), James Sands (New York City FC; Rye, N.Y.), Arturo Vasquez (FC Golden State; Mira Loma, Calif.), Akil Watts (IMG Academy; Fort Wayne, Ind.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): George Acosta (Weston FC; Hollywood, Fla.), Taylor Booth (Real Salt Lake AZ; Eden, Utah), Christopher Durkin (D.C. United; Glen Allen, Va.), Blaine Ferri (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Texas), Christopher Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Locust Grove, Ga.), Indiana Vassilev (IMG Academy; Savannah, Ga.), Adrian Villegas (Portland Timbers; Hood River, Ore.)

FORWARDS (6): Ayomide Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton, Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Zyen Jones (Atlanta United FC; Clarkston, Ga.), Bryan Reynolds, Jr. (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri; O’Fallen, Mo.) Timothy Weah (Paris Saint-Germain; Rosedale, N.Y.)


4/23 vs. Jamaica
4/26 vs. Mexico
4/29 vs. El Salvador

Top two in the group advance to the second stage. All games are in Panama City.

Carleton, an attacking midfielder, has gotten the most hype. From highlight vids his technique and skill look amazing. His ceiling will be determined by his athleticism/quickness as an adult.

I'm familiar with most names here from old rosters, etc, but I've hardly seen any of them play. CONCACAF is doing the Facebook Live thing again.
 

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Jurgen Klinsmann hurt MLS's feelings a couple of times, so they stopped listening to him.

He said in 2014 that U.S. players like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley would have to prove their form hadn't dropped after leaving Europe to return to North America. In response, MLS commissioner Don Garber called Klinsmann's comments "detrimental" and "personally infuriating."

Months later, Garber said MLS would continue to pursue top American players "regardless of what our national team coach might want to do," prompting a slight rebuke from U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati. Garber later said it was "unfair and unwarranted" that Klinsmann left so many top MLS players out of the national team in favor of European-based players.

Herzog, Klinsmann's top assistant, told ESPN FC that the bad blood stemmed from MLS leadership being resistant to any suggestions Klinsmann might have had on the league.

"MLS, the American league, is getting better and better, but Jurgen wanted to help them and give them some information, some inputs, where they were making some mistakes," Herzog said.

"Jurgen said, 'Yeah, we need to do this, this and this better,' and this was the reason why he started to have a fall-out with the [commissioner] of the league, Don Garber.

"Jurgen wanted to help the league keep improving but [MLS executives] were not happy and thought he was just criticizing everything. One point Jurgen was not happy with was that they were buying and overpaying over-aged former European superstars like crazy, but they have already found out that it is not a good way.

"And this was a big problem, because there was a big pressure from [Garber]. ... When we lost a game, [Garber] came and said: 'No, he's criticizing our league and he's making some mistakes, too.' So this was a problem -- a bad relationship between the American league and Jurgen.
He goes on to whine about how hard it is in CONCACAF.
 

Titans Bastard

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That piece was remarkably light on any specific suggestions Klinsmann/Herzog actually put forth.

Probably because they were dumb.
 

Titans Bastard

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The US U18s are playing at a friendly tournament called the Slovakia Cup next week.

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/04/18/22/18/20170418-news-u18mnt-namazi-names-23-player-roster-for-2017-slovakia-cup

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brandon Austin (Tottenham Spurs; U.S. Virgins Islands) Trey Muse (Seattle Sounders; Tukwila, Wash.), Brady Scott (DeAnza Force; Petaluma, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (8): Jonathan Esparza (Club Tijuana: Chula Vista, Calif.), Kyle Gruno (Leicester City; Wyckoff, N.J.), Daniel Jones (New England Revolution Academy; West Hartford, Conn.), Jack Maher (Scott Gallagher; Caseyville, Ill.), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; Bear, Del.), Aedan Stanley (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Columbia, Ill.), Angel Uribe (Club Tijuana; San Diego, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Paolo Belloni (Genoa FC; Delray Beach, Fla.), Koby Carr (Texas Rush; San Antonio, Texas), Jose Carranza (North Carolina FC; Manassas, Va.), Brian Perez (Club Tijuana; San Diego, Calif.), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; Highland Village, Texas), Brandon Servania (FC Dallas; Birmingham, Ala.)

FORWARDS (7): Shaft Brewer (FC Dallas; Sacramento, Calif.), Lucas del Rosario (CASL; Durham, N.C.), Griffin Dorsey (Colorado Rush; Evergreen, Colo.), Jonathan Gonzalez (FC Monterrey; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Will Inalien (Portland Timbers; Tamarac, Fla.), Emanuel Perez (CASL; Garner, N.C.), Justin Rennicks (New England Revolution Academy; Hamilton, Mass.)

"Tottenham Spurs"? Faux pas, USSF.

The U18s don't play in any official competitions. This cycle, they are players born in 1999, one year too old for the U17s but mostly too young for the U20s, as they would be competing with 1997s and 1998s. However, a few U18s often "play up"; Jonathan Gonzalez and the (not present at this camp) Tyler Adams did so in qualifiers.

Two Revs! Although one of them, Rennicks, has basically been kicked out of the academy.
 

Titans Bastard

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Do you happen to know anything about the other one? I didn't realize that they had a West Hartford kid in the academy.
I've never seen a Revs academy game in my life, so all I can do is look at context clues and read between the lines.

Jones is a left back. He has been called into US camps with some consistency over the past few years for the U16s and now the U18s. I don't think he's anything like the crown jewel of the age group for the US, so we'll see how far he goes. The U18 NT has traditionally been the end of the line for Revs academy prospects; it's not uncommon to see a player or two get called into a camp over the course of a cycle, but they've historically all fallen out of contention by the time U18s become U20s.

According to TDS (and corroborated on his DA profile page) he graduates HS this year but he wasn't on the list of college commitments that the Revs published in February.
 

Titans Bastard

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The U17s opened WC qualifiers with a 5-0 win over Jamaica, with all goals coming in the second half. Forward/winger Ayo Akinola was named MOTM with two goals and an assist. Next up is Mexico. I can't remember the last time the US played Mexico in the group stage of CONCACAF youth qualifiers. The top two advance; Mexico beat El Salvador 6-0 in their opener.
 

Titans Bastard

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via Deadspin:


Deft AF.
Andrew Carleton is the most hyped player in the current U17 class, but there's a contingent that considers Sargent the best prospect in the group. To be clear, I'm just passing along what I read as I don't watch this age group much.

The U17s beat Mexico 4-3, the first time they've ever beaten El Tri in a competitive match (one draw, four losses in previous CONCACAF tournaments). Nice way to follow up on the U20s' first win over Mexico in a competitive game since 1986 earlier this year.
 

Titans Bastard

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Some CB injuries that may affect upcoming games.

USMNT: John Brooks is out with a "tear in the fiber of his hip muscles" and there's not at all a clear timeline for his return. This possibly could be a problem for the June WCQ if it lingers.

U20: Cameron Carter-Vickers has a knee injury and Spurs aren't sure he'll be available until sometime after the season. The U20 WC starts in May. Likewise, Justen Glad is on the mend but may not be healthy in time. An EPB-Redding pairing would still be strong, but it's a blow to the US depth and it means that EPB probably won't be an option at DM.
 

Titans Bastard

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The U17s ended up finishing the first stage with three wins after a 1-0 victory over El Salvador with mostly backups, as first place was already assured based on tiebreakers.

Next up in the second stage group with Honduras and Cuba. The top two advance to the U17 WC, so finishing ahead of Cuba should be simple enough. The US will have to win the group to advance to the CONCACAF final, however. Honduras beat Cuba 7-1 yesterday, so a draw against the Catrachos tomorrow won't be enough unless the US totally destroys Cuba in the final game.
 

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Some CB injuries that may affect upcoming games.

USMNT: John Brooks is out with a "tear in the fiber of his hip muscles" and there's not at all a clear timeline for his return. This possibly could be a problem for the June WCQ if it lingers.

U20: Cameron Carter-Vickers has a knee injury and Spurs aren't sure he'll be available until sometime after the season. The U20 WC starts in May. Likewise, Justen Glad is on the mend but may not be healthy in time. An EPB-Redding pairing would still be strong, but it's a blow to the US depth and it means that EPB probably won't be an option at DM.
I know that guy!

upload_2017-5-2_9-57-50.jpeg
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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Another win for the U17s today, 3-0 over Honduras. Josh Sargent (x2) and Ayo Akinola scored. Sargent's second featured a nice chip from George Acosta and a composed finish:


Next up is Cuba and considering Honduras beat them 7-1, there is little doubt that the US will qualify for the WC, win the group, and advance to the final.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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Tickets for USA vs. Ghana at Rentschler go on general sale tomorrow. Prices are reasonable - $24 for endline, $31 for corner, $43 for upper level midfield.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
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Pittsburgh, PA
wow, I may head out to the Costa Rica one, it's like right there on the PATH train. That alone may decide our fate more than any other match remaining.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
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Dec 15, 2002
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US U17s lose to Mexico in the CONCACAF final on PKs, 5-4. A disappointing result, particularly because the US conceded the equalizer in stoppage time, but they finished the tournament with five wins and a draw, including an earlier win over Mexico.

On to the World Cup in India, which will be held in October. There are rumors that the top U17 forward Josh Sargent will be bumped up to the U20s, which would rule him out of the U17 WC per FIFA regulations.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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Orlando gets the USA-Panama qualifier on October 6.

Updated schedule:

6/3 - FR - USA vs. Venezuela at Sandy, UT
6/8 - WCQ - USA vs. T&T at Commerce City, CO
6/11 - WCQ - Mexico vs. USA at Mexico City
7/1 - FR - USA vs. Ghana at East Hartford, CT
7/8 - GC - USA vs. Panama at Nashville, TN
7/12 - GC - USA vs. Martinique at Tampa, FL
7/15 - GC - USA vs. Nicaragua at Cleveland, OH
7/19 - GC - quarterfinal, likely Philadelphia, PA
7/22 - GC - semifinal, if necessary, likely Arlington TX
7/26 - GC - final, if necessary, Santa Clara, CA
9/1 - WCQ - USA vs. Costa Rica at ???
9/5 - WCQ - Honduras vs. USA at San Pedro Sula
10/6 - WCQ - USA vs. Panama at Orlando, FL
10/10 - WCQ - T&T vs. USA at Port of Spain


----

U20 World Cup roster should drop soon. If the rumors flying around are true, it will be a mess.
 

Titans Bastard

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Dec 15, 2002
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The U20 World Cup roster is out.

tl:dr one of our best CMs wasn't released, Tab made bizarre decisions with the attacking end of the roster, and left our best LB at home.

GK
Jonathan Klinsmann (California)
J.T. Marcinkowski (Georgetown)
Brady Scott (De Anza Force)

DF
Marlon Fossey (Fulham)
Aaron Herrera (New Mexico)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur)
Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City)
Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City)
Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake)

MF
Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls)
Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union)
Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal)
Eryk Williamson (Maryland)
Luca de la Torre (Fulham)

FW
Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers)
Lagos Kunga (Atlanta United)
Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake)
Emmanuel Sabbi (unattached)
Josh Sargent (Scott Gallagher Missouri)
Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake)


Unavailabilities and strange cuts have made this roster to be a disappointment.

GKs
Except for a few early camps, Ramos has stuck with these three + Fortuna Düsseldorf's Justin Vom Steeg the whole cycle. I think last cycle's GKs (Steffen and Horvath) are better prospects. However, it's not obvious that we have anyone better this time around that Ramos is missing. Klinsmann will start. Brady Scott is probably the #3, but he's a 1999 playing up a cycle who will enter the next U20 team with a good shot at starting. He is rumored to be heading overseas this summer.

DFs
CCV, EPB, Glad, and Redding are our best four CBs. Glad hasn't played since getting injured in qualifiers, but he is supposedly close to a full return to health. CCV was thought to be likely to miss the WC with injury. I still would not be surprised if he withdraws if he doesn't improve fast enough.

Fossey would be the starting RB but he is in the same boat as CCV with regard to injury. Herrera is the backup RB and he's nothing special, but Ramos likes him over some other professional options for whatever reason. Danny Acosta at LB is another longtime mainstay for the team; Portland's Marco Farfan would have been a better choice. Acosta was not very impressive in qualifiers, while Farfan has done well in MLS opportunities this year. Dumping longtime U20 players for guys who surpass them late in the cycle has always been a blind spot for Ramos.

CMs
Tyler Adams is another guy playing up a cycle, but despite his youth he's already been starting for NYRB. He generally plays as a DM, but also played as a box-to-box in qualifying with EPB at DM. He will probably start this cycle and be a central piece next cycle. Derrick Jones is a late addition to the pool; he gained US citizenship a while ago but needed FIFA to process his paperwork and approve an eligibility waiver. Jones is a huge physical presence who has decent feet for a big man, but may be a bit raw.

Zelalem and Williamson are candidates to play a box-to-box role if it is not occupied by Adams. The best player for this spot is Schalke's Weston McKennie, but reportedly they would not release him, which is a shame. It's also possible that Tab could use Zelalem as a #10...for better or for worse.

Luca de la Torre is more of an attack-minded midfielder who can be used centrally or out wide. I see him as a well-rounded player who will be a solid pro, but I'm still not sure if he has any one attribute that will make him a game-changer.

FWs / wingers
This is where it gets weird. Ebobisse and Sabbi didn't have a great qualifying tournament, so they are joined by Josh Sargent, a rare instance of a U17 player moving up to the U20s. On the wings, Lennon is a solid player, Saucedo I think may turn out to be decent but was absolutely awful in qualifiers. Kunga is an out-of-the-blue pick. He was called up to his first camp last month and it's a huge surprise he made the team.

Ramos cut:
- FW Haji Wright, who has 11g and 11a in 24 games for Schalke U19
- FW Kai Koreniuk, who has 10g and 2a in 19 games for Vitesse's reserves in the Dutch third division
- winger Josh Perez, who has 10g and 7a in 25 games for Fiorentina Primavera
- winger Mukwelle Akale, who has done well in Villarreal's system
- winger McKinze Gaines, who has 7g and 9a in 22 games for Wolfsburg U19

Simply existing in a Euro academy doesn't mean you are actually good, but these guys have all shown some real promise. I'm not sure why mediocrities like Sabbi were included over Wright or why a guy playing U18 DA games in Georgia was included over Perez or Akale. Ramos never even bothered to call up Wright, Koreniuk, or Gaines the entire cycle.

Schalke's attacking midfielder Nick Taitague is another player who supposedly was not released. Like Adams and Scott, he is a 1999 who will likely feature prominently next time around.

NB: Christian Pulisic is eligible for this team, too.