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SBI Question of the Day: What do you think of Gregg Berhalter’s Adams/Yedlin shift?

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U.S. Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter started his March camp off with a major revelation on Monday.

For the games against Ecuador and Chile, Tyler Adams will play right back with DeAndre Yedlin in a winger role.

The move raised plenty of eyebrows because of the perception that two of the USMNT’s better players will now be deployed out of position.

What do you think of Berhalter’s first big tactical move as USMNT manager. Cast your vote in the poll below and let us know your thoughts on the moves in the comments section.

[polldaddy poll=10270000]

Comments

  1. I think it says everything that Bobby Warshaw at MLSSoccer.com puts out a piece explaining why this is the best positional move for both Adams and Yedlin a few days before our first friendly. The timing. Why do MLS writers put these pieces out so often giving us the talking points for first BA and now GB and who is asking them to write it. It seems to me if you know the fan base is going to flip out and you want to bring things back down to earth that communications wise this is what you’d want to do. But that begs the question why are MLS writers being used to explain positional changes for the NT. If anyone still thinks that MLS/SUM and USSF aren’t married at the hip then you haven’t learned how good PR works, they’re clearly coordinating their talking points and communication.

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    • Also, wasn’t moving players out of their natural positions exactly what this same group of media/writers got so negative about with JK. Maybe GB is right about this move. JK was right about FJ being our best LB.

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    • Most fans of MLS are fans of the USMNT, not all obviously some fans of international players also hit up mlssoccer.com to follow their player. So yes MLS writers are going to write about USMNT in the days leading up to the matches. The gigantic difference between Bradley at AM in 2015 and Adams at Hybrid RB in 2019, is that the skill set of Adams matches and the skill set of Bradley did not. It is going to give Adams the freedom to influence the game in more ways. If this was Arena placing Adams at RB to play the same tactics as Zusi it would be an epic waste but that’s not what the design is. The other huge difference is Berhalter continues to say, if it isn’t working we’ll do something else, he isn’t going to continue to try to force a square peg in a round hole.
      —————————————————————-
      For the 800th time, SUM makes more money when the USMNT does well (ad contracts, tv contracts) all increase when the US is winning. MLS does better when the USMNT is winning (even if MLS players are not a part of it) because it strikes more interest in casual fans. Ratings go up, that drives up add buys and attendance. The risk of putting out an inferior product just promote MLS is huge with marginal to no reward. There is just no reason for this conspiracy that you continue to promote.

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  2. This has nothing to do with Adams. This is all about building yet another team around MB. Adams move to RB is all about keeping Bradley in the #6 spot and protecting him as much as possible. We shall see how much hard running they will need from McKennie covering in the back next to Bradley.

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    • There’s always the possibility that Bradley doesn’t have naked pictures of GB, and that he honestly believes Adams might be a revelation in this position (remember how people were going loco about Lima after that first game?) and, therefore, MB is needed to play the 6.

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  3. Chile is going to have more possession and that will keep Adams pinned back more as a RB and not be able to help in the middle. Like I said after Jan friendlies this will get exploited against better teams. So taking Adams who is one of the better CM out of the middle I just don’t see it like it worked in Jan against B and C teams

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    • How did the US do in terms of possession against Italy, England, France, Brazil, Columbia last year? We could keep trying those same tired tactics or we could try something different.

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      • You need to stop making sense on this thread, it’s very unbecoming and something we rarely see. I e been saying the same thing bro, and that’s what did playing Weah, Sargent, Adams and McKennie all in their supposed natural positions get us in all of those high profile games? The answer is nothing because they we’re extremely out possessed, couldn’t find many shot on goal and had a less than steady defense. So why not try something different, instead of the tried and true line “it’s SUM and the USSF plan to rig the rosters and formations to get Bradley and Trapp on the field” lol

      • RonnieT it makes me miss our friend on ASN who said everything was a racist conspiracy. At least then it was multiple conspiracies I was dealing with instead of just the SUM one over and over. Sum makes the most money when the USMNT does well, MLS does it’s best financially when the USMNT does it’s best even if it doesn’t have any MLS stars on it. So trying to force USMNT managers to play MLS players is a risk that isn’t financially worth taking for Sum/MLS.

  4. Hate it, just on the fact that you can keep Yedlin at wing and then put Lima at the inverted RB and then have Adams as the 6. Seems we are making room once again ( like the last decade) for Bradley or Berhalter’s club guy (trapp).

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    • If i believed in conspiracy theories i could get with this line of thinking, but sense i don’t, I can’t. Greg has seen with his own eyes how well Bradley has started off 2019, and considering he is only 30 there is still room for him to help0 the team if he continues playing well. Yedlin has played some wing for Newcastle as of late so that moves is not a crazy one, nor is the fact that Tyler has played RB more than people realize, and when you understand how Greg wants his RB to play it makes sense. At the end of the day if you can get all of your best players on the field together, why not?! Stop looking through the conspiracy lens and let’s see where this movement takes the team going forward!

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      • No, it seems much more likely that three managers, a technical director, two federation presidents all have been swept up in this conspiracy to continually play an inferior player. If he was a flashy entertainment star with tons of national endorsements it might fly but there is no benefit to anyone to play Bradley unless they really do think he helps the team.

  5. My initial thought was that this was just window dressing. The US is in much more trouble on the left side of defense and in having players who score goals. Sure Pulisic can dribble at people and occupy some defenders, but we don’t seem to have the players to take advantage of that. McKinnie has looked his best for Schalke when playing right midfielder so his inclusion only muddies the waters on the right.

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  6. Love the idea of Yedlin playing on the wing with his speed and defensive capabilities. ✔
    Hate the idea of moving Tyler Adams to RB to make room for Bradley and Trapp (who I think should be on the field). ✖

    ?

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    • “Bradley and Trapp (who I think should be on the field).” I KNEW YOU’D COME AROUND!!!!
      HAHAHA I know it is just a typo.

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  7. Based on Berhalter’s tactics from the last friendlies. Love it!
    For those that are negative right now, go and rewatch those games. Watch the fullbacks.

    In this system, it is not a traditional RB spot within those tactics. If you watched the friendlies, the “RB” and “LB” do not tend to overlap the wing. They pinch inside and do get into the attack from the inside right or inside left. Nick Lima was dangerous in the attack back in those games because of that.

    This position really suits Adams well. He has the engine and talent to make a real difference here. And with Yedlin, he is a professional RB at the moment and will be able to cover really well as Adams attacks.

    When defending the formation retracts into the RB and LB pinching towards the middle (almost being CDMs) and the wing covers the full back spots.

    The “fullback” spots, in my opinion, are the most stressed upon on the field and they need an engine.

    When I watched the two winter friendlies I thought to myself, oh wow, Yedlin is not going to be an RB anymore.

    For this, I am surprised for Fabian’s exclusion. I thought he would fit really well into this type of LB. But maybe Berhalter felt that he doesnt have the legs anymore.

    What I love about this system is that it makes us strong centrally. Creating small triangles.
    No more of Bradley collecting the ball from the CB and being 30 yards from the next guy centrally.

    Should be interesting to watch versus better competiion.

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    • This line of thinking all day, so congrats for being detailed about what i have been trying to preach to others. It’s hard to penetrate the line of thinking of those who can’t get beyond last years failure or those who rely on assumptions as a way to diminish all things USMNT. I think it’d be prudent to take a wait and see approach instead of bashing what really amounts to the infancy stages of this new regime!

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  8. Worth trying. Yedlin has never been a good right back but his moves are more applicable to what is expected from a right wing or right med: a good cross. He is speedy still. Adams may not work out but Yedlin just cannot defend well at all.

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  9. My initial reaction is one of annoyance, as I really think that Adams is the present and future playing alongside McKennie in the CM. Adams is, even at his young age, better than Bradley and Trapp in the holding role, and it frustrated me a bit to think we’d be giving up quality at that position to get one of them on the field.

    However, I want to see how it works out. My suspicion is that this may work an absolute treat against CONCACAF teams, which will get fans drunk on the results early. However, I think in order for us to be competitive in tournaments where spaces will be tight, pace will be faster, and opponents will be more organized and skillful than the Panamas and Canadas of the world, our best players need to line up in their best positions in a formation that accommodates our best talent – not the other way around.

    It’s early, and Berhalter is the manager and knows more about the game than any of us do. However, we have seen players in the past put into unnatural roles that look okay for a while against lower competition, but fall apart against better sides.

    I’m open to my mind changing here, but my instinct is to let players like Bradley age out and play against teams where the pace and quality won’t wear out his motor (again, this is Bradley now, not 5 years ago) with Adams as RB, but to then play Adams, Yedlin, etc. at their best places against best competition.

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  10. voted hated. one thing for sure we will see how it goes. Yedlin still isn’t that good going forward as right back, now he is going to play mid ?

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    • That’s where he is playing now in the biggest league in the World so maybe Benitez doesn’t know what he’s doing either.

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  11. Just based on past instances of Yedlin playing more on the wing for the USMNT, I’m not too excited. As I voted, though, we’ll see how it goes.

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