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1. At this point, you have to think that Siebatcheu, Sargent, Dike, and Hoppe should be the first choice strikers in the senior US Men’s team. I know that pundits here in the US will talk about Altidore and Zardes, but between Jozy’s injuries and unremarkable last few years in MLS as well as Zardes’ clear shortcomings, I think any arguments that the players above should be ahead in the depth charts are generally made in bad faith. Siebatcheu has really impressed me.

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   • Siebatcheu has expressed very little interest in playing for the US, one time years ago his agent floated the idea and US Soccer Internet junkies have been worshiping him ever since. When he actually shows up to a camp you can anoint him as a top 4 forward.

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     • Your info is out of date. True at first he didn’t want to talk to us, he communicated through his agent. Late last year he actually took GB call himself and was receptive to the idea of accepting a call. We should see how much of that is true in the next 3 weeks.

     • Dude, if you’re going to come in hot, make sure your information is current and accurate lol

   • Hoppe had 2 great games and nothing since. Dike has played in the Championship a couple of times and scored once. Zardes is better than both of them. He has scored more goals in the MLS than any other American in the last 3 years. As I have pointed out before, fans here like to dis Zardes, but all the coaches he has played for like him and play him, including Arena, Klinsmann, Porter and Berhalter (at Columbus). Berhalter will play him for the national team.

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   • Let’s see him show up for camp before you move him past others. I am glad he’s found success in a league that is rated weaker than Denmark, Scotland, and Cyprus. It was probably a bit of good luck that Leverkusen’s GK got injured and they started a 27 year old who hadn’t played match in over two years when he was forced into service this month whose only year as a regular was 5 years ago in the 3Liga.

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     • I don’t see why you’re throwing shade at him. Additionally, if you want to cite league rankings (which is a relatively arbitrary exercise with different scales and standards applied all over, creating many vastly different ranking lists), it doesn’t really support whatever your argument seems to be (unclear outside of negativity without any real substantive response) as MLS is rated lower than the leagues you just listed in most lists. The kid has intriguing statistics p90min, as well as interesting possession data and is playing in the Europa League last 16 now. If you want to cast aspersions on his potential as a US Soccer player, do so in a way that provides some kind of perspective. One could say that his play has been streaky and inconsistent, and there’s decent data to support that. Others could, as Gary Page offered, give reasons as to why they think the aforementioned MLS players are worthy of continued inclusion like Zardes, who has played well in MLS. You could make a case for veteran presences in camp or experience against CONCACAF opponents in away matches. Of course, what you did instead is parrot a bunch of misinformation (or outdated, if we’re being generous with you) and whine like an internet troll. From the player himself (via StarsandStripesFC.com): “I was proud to be in consideration for the U.S. team and that they wanted me to come,” Siebatcheu told American Soccer Now in January of 2020. “At the time I was a very young professional and I wanted to stay with my club to secure my place in the starting 11. That was my priority at the time… At this moment in time, if the U.S. called me up again, I would be proud and it would likely be different.”” I know it’s your thing to just sort of take up that curmudgeon trope and make it your own out here, Johnnyrazor, but try to contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way, or at least in a way reflective of good faith engagement when the actual subject matter. 😉

   • I’d agree based on his performance last year Jozy doesn’t seem motivated enough to be a difference. I would take Gyasi every-time over the four you named. He nearly always makes the correct run, he sets up defenders better, this leads to goals for himself and for his teammates by drawing out defenders and opening up lanes for his teammates, he is tireless and intelligent in the counter press, he pressures without getting out of position.
     I could critique your list but I wouldn’t want to throw shade. Siebatcheu has always been waiting for France, now that that dream is gone (since he’s been largely ineffective in Ligue 1) he’s showing off his interest. Yet, even now hedges it with “it would likely be different”.

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     • Now that’s more like it. I would push back on some of your characterizations of Zardes, but one item I think that he clearly leads in the US striker pool is G and xG per 90min. That much isn’t up for dispute. I think the argument could be made that the stats would be much different if weighted for opposition if we’re comparing Zardes with Sargent, but that is a bit too abstract I think. However, when comparing the 2020 performances of Dike and Zardes, the stats are much more comparable. Dike actually ranks higher in SCA per 90 (shot-creating actions) than Zardes does by 2.51 to 1.74. Dike also has a much higher tackle %, the number of players tackled, and tackles won (as well as successful % of pressures in the attacking third). So I’d push back against your assertion that Zardes outclasses Dike outright. Dike also outperforms Zardes in pass completion %, whether they be long, short, or medium distance passes. Credit to Zardes, though. He is in the top percentile in non-penalty xG and in G themselves in MLS, which are two of the most important metrics for a striker. He also wins battles in the air at a really excellent rate, gets his body in front of the ball to make blocks, and really does well with clearances too. Here are the two reasons why I’d rate both Dike and Sargent higher (and would recommend bringing Hoppe and Siebatcheu in, although I’ll go ahead and concede that rating them above Zardes outright is unwise): 1. Gyasi has low LOW percentile performance numbers on progressive passing, carries, completed dribbles, shot-creating actions, and shots themselves. This leads me to believe that his excellent scoring numbers are a function of system play and relatively low (with some exceptions) level defensive competition. I also think that, having watched him, that he had a clear ceiling whereas the others I’ve listed have ceilings that are TBD. This leads me to 2. Age. Zardes is 29. That’s not OLD, but it’s old enough. I don’t want to be riding with a striker in his 30s who has never faced world-class competition in a World Cup or major tournament. It gives me shades of Wondolowski, a far more prolific scorer in MLS in his prime than Zardes has been, skying clear chances over the bar and failing to make an impact. Is it objectively fair? No. I simply think that Sargent is a player with higher ability who has somehow managed to play reasonably well on a consistent basis for a middling team in a top league against excellent competition. I think Sargent will need the experience of playing the El Salvadors, the Honduras sides, and the other scrappers in CONCACAF as well as time to gel with the other players in the IX. However, and I’ll end with this: I think it was unfair of me to say Zardes should be sunk at the bottom of the depth chart. That’s not quite true. I still think Sargent should start – but Zardes absolutely belongs in the side. Altidore is a ship that I think has sailed and/or is too injury-prone to be a roster spot spent. But I think you call in Zardes over Hoppe, certainly, and potentially Siebatcheu.

   • The analytic that I found interesting and a little surprising was Team Success xG On-Off Gyasi was +0.16, Dike was -0.32. I do wonder how team style of play effects some of these, Crew being a possession team so Zardes has lest opportunities to tackle. I’m not sure chances created really takes into account Gyasi’s space creating runs, he really opens up space for Zelarayan and Santos. I was surprised Gyasi’s aerial dual numbers were better given Barnsley has pretty exclusively just hit high balls to Dike. FBref didn’t have advanced stats yet for Dike at Barnsley so I wonder if his aerial numbers have changed. I would probably included Weah in this discussion as well. Yes he perhaps has a better chance at wing with Morris out but he does switch back and forth between W and F for Lille. As for Sargent I think US fans put too much blame on his team. Josh is not very good at making the right run, is some of that learned helplessness from never getting the ball maybe. His goal today he seemed quite lucky to have remind on side. I am not sure about your comment about Josh scoring against better competition his US goals 3 are against Cuba, 1 against Bolivia, and 1 against a decent Peru. You could argue Gyasi doesn’t have a lot of big game goals either but he was a big difference between Canada game 1 and game 2.

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