Kolek planning to go pro
I'll stick with my opinion on Gold. He'll be in foul trouble within the first eight minutes.
So much of the build up has been focused on the off field issues (and deservedly so), so it will be nice to actually see a ball kicked.USMNT roster just dropped.https://twitter.com/USMNT/status/1590469664211374081/photo/1Discussion about Pepi seems obvious but I think it's the right call. CB depth went from a strength to a weakness with Miles Robinson and Chris Richards out.Can't wait to see how we line up match one. Still don't think we get out of the group.
He's been great in the Netherlands and is much more impressive than either Wright or Ferreira.
This - he leaves mls to prove himself. Fails at Augsburg (bad situation for a young 9) and seeks out a move to better his situation at Groningen. Brutal for him after he worked so hard to improve his stock, all while Feriera sits pretty in MLS.
Both Ferreira and Wright have been much more consistent than Pepi. We're what? 6 weeks removed from talking about if Pepi's goal scoring drought would hit a full year. Ended at only 345 days. I have no problem taking either of them over Pepi.
The injury bug hit jozy hard and frankly didn’t make a ton of great club choices on his way up. Hello sunderland. Pepi has scored for the usmnt in real games during qualifiers while ferreira has looked terrible against any semblance of real competition. I have a real problem with Ferreira as he’s proven time and time again w usmnt he’s nowhere near the quality but continues to get the call. Oh well.
Ferreira hasn't scored in months yet he's more consistent than Pepi? Dude couldn't hit water if he fell off a boat.Thinking Wright provides something that can't be found in Pepi (a guy who had a large hand in qualifying the USA) because he's scoring for a mid-table team in an irrelevant league where he's punking the likes of Sivasspor and Gazientap is fantastical.
Pepi literally plays for a club that is 2 points clear of relegation in a league that is no better than the Super Lig. The Eredivisie has 5 clubs in the top 125 in Europe. Super Lig has 6. As I said, PSV and Ajax are very good, the rest of the league is as pedestrian as it gets. Those 2 clubs have won 35 of the last 40 league titles. Feyenoord won the other 5. Pepi scoring against Waaljiwk, Dordtrecht, and Sparta Rotterdam isn't some huge own against Wright's competition.As I said before, there are 2 lame ass MLS strikers that should give way to someone like Pepi before going after a guy like Wright scoring in bunches in a league that features a bunch of players who will play prominent roles on actual World Cup squads.
The Eredivisie is top heavy but it is better than the Turkish Super Lig top to bottom and I would take, PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord over their top teams.
Nobody is questioning the bolded. Those 3 are better than the Galatasaray, Fenerbache, or Besiktas. But after those top 3, there is nothing statistically to separate the rest from the rest of the Super Lig. Golden can mock Sivasspor but they are playing in Europa the last few years and would thump a Groningen club who isn't competing at the top of the Eredivisie. There are plenty of solid clubs who aren't household names and they are attracting talent who just miss out on the top 4 Euro leagues
It wasn't meant to be a dig on Jozy, more a commentary on the dynamics of the Dutch League. Jozy at his peak was a great hold up/target forward, never a super prolific scorer or poacher. I almost brought up Aron Johanssen's prolific time with AZ as well.If we're talking Pepi vs Ferreira, then I don't have any disagreement at all. Pepi all the way. I just really like Haji Wright too and think he gets overlook by many fans.I called out Morris instead of Ferreira cause he's shied away from top competition his entire career and hasn't even been all that special in MLS in awhile. Not to mention he hasn't scored a meaningful USMNT in 5+ years. If the manager wasn't an MLS guy like GREGGGG then neither would have been selected.
Never understood the Morris infatuation dating all the way back to Klinsy. Nowhere near dynamic enough to play at the top level.
Is there pressure to take MLS players, all else being equal?
I understood it a bit circa 2014-15. He was great in college, strong in the U23s, made sense. However, when he turned down Werder Bremen and made it very clear he was happy and content to play at home for Seattle indefinitely, I was over him. He hit his ceiling at 22-23. How he's stayed in favor is baffling to me. I was always hard on Donovan for being an MLS safety player, but at least he went on loan to Europe and the stature of Americans in Europe wasn't what it is now. Morris had no excuse but being soft.Maybe a bit from US Soccer, but I think thats dissipated since this generation is becoming notable and prolific for Champions League clubs. Gregggg is very much a piece of the MLS machine since he went back to the Crew and clearly likes to favor guys from a league he knows well. He's been better at times for the USMNT than I expected, but his MLS bias is one of his worst traits IMO.MLS has grown a ton and they deserve credit for that. But its still very much a developmental league. If you under 25 and good enough to be getting National Team caps, you have zero business playing in MLS, IMO.
What should the expectations be?I think the talent is there for a quarterfinal finish, regardless of opponent.Not getting out of the group is hugely disappointing.