Top Stories

USMNT Player Ratings: Dest shines, Musah dazzles and McKennie dominates in win vs. Costa Rica

105 Shares

The U.S. men’s national team’s Concacaf World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica on Wednesday might have gotten off to the worst start possible after the Ticos scored in the very first minute, but that stunning beginning didn’t keep the Americans from delivering their most complete performance to date in the Octagonal.

The Americans thoroughly outplayed Costa Rica for the better part of the next 89 minutes, led by a dominant display from their midfield along with the dynamic exploits of Sergiño Dest.

The Ticos had a clear experience edge, but the USMNT still took control of the proceedings at Lower.com Field, showing impressive poise despite being such a young group.

Dest was the start of the showing, scoring a stunning equalizer before helping set up the eventual game-winning goal, but there were several other standout performances. Yunus Musah showed off all the qualities that have him being considered one of the best young prospects in the program, while Weston McKennie enjoyed his best showing since the Concacaf Nations League final.

With all that in mind, here are the player ratings for the USMNT’s 2-1 win vs. Costa Rica:


Zack Steffen (6)


Didn’t look great on the Costa Rica goal, though it appears he may have been shielded from seeing the shot until it was too late to react. Did make one top-level save, and was relatively steady the rest of the night.


Sergino Dest (8)


John Todd/ISI Photos

His wonder goal was the moment of the night, but Dest was active throughout,  and while he did share some blame on the Costa Rica goal, he rebounded well and handled his defensive responsibilities while also being a consistent threat in the atack.


Miles Robinson (7)


Looked more like the dominant Gold Cup version of Miles Robinson on Wednesday, winning seven of nine duels and putting out plenty of threats. He did have one bat turnover that led to a Costa Rica attack, but cleaned up the miss himself on a night when he finished with 11 recoveries, 4 clearances and 4 aerials won.


Chris Richards (6)


Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos

Relatively quiet, but steady performance in his World Cup qualifying debut. He was clean on the ball, completing 90 percent of his passes, and defensively he contributed 6 recoveries. Overall, an encouraging first taste of qualifying for the young centerback.


Antonee Robinson (6.5)


Active and energetic performance, though not overly effective in the attack. Robinson attempted 13 crosses, with only two of them being successful ones. Defensively, he didn’t win a single duel but did finish with seven recoveries.


Tyler Adams (7.5)


Very effective in midfield, with his 102 touches among the team leaders, and his seven duels won and five recoveries showcasing how active he was. Adams completed 80 of 90 passes, with 52 of those 80 completed passes going into the attacking half of the field.


Yunus Musah (7.5)


John Todd/ISI Photos

Enjoyed his best performance to date as a USMNT player, looking smooth on the ball and making things look effortless as he dribbled out of pressure with ease and helped connect things in the middle. Completed 90 percent of his 52 passes, showing off his range by not only connecting on some long passes, but also driving the attack with 41 completed passes in the attacking half.


Weston McKennie (7.5)


A key driving force behind the USMNT’s response to the early Costa Rica goal and its slow start, McKennie was everywhere. He finished the match with a game-high 119 touches and a whopping 16 recoveries, while completing an impressive 11 of 12 long balls to help keep Costa Rica on its heels for much of the match.


Tim Weah (7)


Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos

Was having a quiet night before the sequence that led to the game-winning goal, which came just as Weah was about to be subbed off The Lille winger deserved a goal on the play, showing off his speed and quality, but even if the game-winner was ruled an own goal, it was very much Weah’s goal.


Ricardo Pepi (6.5)


Though he managed just one shot, Pepi was effective with his hold-up play and his pressing, doing a good job of dropping deep to combine and even delivering a pair of key passes.


Brenden Aaronson (6)


A somewhat subdued performance for the Red Bull Salzburg standout, and while he wasn’t as effective as usual in the attack, Aaronson still contributed the defensive workrate to the front three, producing 5 recoveries and 3 duels won.


Matthew Hoppe (6.5)


Played just 17 minutes, but still managed to produce a pair of key passes.


DeAndre Yedlin (6)


Came on to close out the final 17 minutes, contributing a tackle while winning one duel and completing all 11 of his passes.


Gianluca Busio (6.5)


Photo by Greg Bartram/ISI Photos

A sharp 12-minute cameo for the Venezia midfielder, as he contributed 28 touches and completed 90 percent of his 20 passes. Also won a pair of duels as he dominated a tired Costa Rica midfield with ease.


Walker Zimmerman (NR)


Played just four minutes.


Gyasi Zardes (NR)


Played just three minutes, drawing a loud applause from the Columbus crowd.


What did you think of the USMNT individual performances? Who impressed you? Who disappointed you the most?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. who would have rated Aaronson above CP or Gio for this team before opportunities presented themselves to him and he jumped on them? How about Pepi? Many other examples. This team is YOUNG, still developing individually, not as much technically (but that is still happeneing) as much as tactically, physically and emotionally/mentally. GBs pressure 4 3 3 is being applied better now, in a nutshell, and usually drops into something else in our defending half/third. Adams continues to be the most irreplaceable and the 6 a challenge when he’s unavailable, just like this summer when GB had to try all kinds of tactical things to overcome that reality and still win, and Acosta can do nice things in the right role still imo. The GB pressure worked fine even vs. Mexico this summer, and it’s better now than before, but what I think this team has gotten much better at these past few months is defending in transition, not only to delay and contain, but to win it back and go again quickly…much better at that, better team understanding of who is responsible for what, and I credit the front line for quickly pressuring instead of stopping once the ball is lost, and the midfield/backline’s organization to quickly cover and balance in support

    Reply
  2. The midfield played great throughout. The defense and front attack were just decent. There were some dangerous moments that could have changed the result. Was good to see both Musah and Weah play well. Keep playing them. I would start Brooks and M Robinson vs Mexico. Maybe give Richards Jamaica. Dest is awesome. Adams is awesome.

    Reply
  3. Not going to read the comments. We always want better, will always complain, we r always smarter than everyone else, we r always angry, we r always negative (it’s what drives social media and the internet sadly…and that is fact unfortunately)…….but the youth we r putting out here is stunning. Especially in the qualie pressure cooker, in the crap that is CCACRAP. It’s impressive.

    Does anyone else just accept Pulisic isn’t someone the count on? i don’t even think of him moving forward. It will be a luxury to have him, he shouldn’t be featured, he should know his role, and he should be subbed off when the hero ball blinders come on. Using him as a second half sub against a stretched field or tired opponent is optimal. Then again, thats if he plays any time soon.

    Reply
      • Never write anyone off….ever, but they have to earn trust also. Pervert Woody Allen had a great quote that I have found to be very apt over my 35 years of management….”90% of the job is just showing uo”. CP can’t be counted on for that.
        I aslso think he may be his own worst enemy. He loves the game, the shirt and is driven. He desperately wants to succeed. These are the traits of someone u want on your side, but these types of people can also make many poor deisions due to the mental/emotional blinders they have on precisely because they r so driven. CP constantly puts his health in jeopardy w the “hero ball”. He has to be smarter and know when to drive at multiple defenders and when to pass and move. He clearly hasn’t learned for the US…..while TT has definitely beaten it in to him a bit. Will CP listen in a US shirt? Hard to say but it down’t look promising at this point. Does he play to long while injured? Come back to soon? Probably. Who on the US team is gonna tell him to stop being superman? GB?
        I just don’t think he is worthing wasting much time on right now, We need to concentrate on the guys who “show up”, and move forward assuming CP ain’t playing much for us. When he does play he needs to (in the voice of the Rock) know his role. It will be better for him and the team as a whole.

        Can he do that? Can GB explain it to him? Will he respect those thoughts? Open questions….and I am not waiting around. Have to work with and trust the people u have, and set expectations if/when CP returns.

        If I had to choose between Gio and CP I take Gio every time at this point.

    • Yeah, think of CP as 32 not 22. In his 5 year career has he missed half of his club games? It’s got to be close. And at least three different injuries (hip, knee, ankle) which all can recur as he gets older. He’s a 50/50 for both WCs, max.
      I don’t agree that we are always angry and negative though. You see what you want to see. The quality of soccer has been low, and the criticism is justified. I think what we’re seeing is the fans getting smarter about soccer over 20 years and the expectations going up. This is a good thing!! I think people believe that it’s going to get better. Happy Friday GO USA!

      Reply
      • Dave P. If something does not change it is difficult to see Chelsea or any other top league team paying top dollar for someone who is so brittle. Endurance is part of the package of a good soccer player Negativity and trolling comments about the last pass missed are a major part of social media and yes soccer by Ives. We have developed a young pool of talent that is the best IMO opinion that we have ever had. Still for odds to win the Next World Cup we keep creeping up but we are still in mid teens and there is a huge gap between the top tier top 10 or so teams and the next level where the US is. We are very young, relatively inexperienced and so far have not developed a core roster that builds continuity and superior play. I think we will get there and move up but for now still a long way from top tier. Go USA and happy Friday.

      • The angry negative comments are just factual statements about social media/the net in general. If u had France’s fan run up to the WC win it was no different. Stats show that the overwhelming majority of people on the net post due to emotional/mental imbalance that stems from negativity, anger, a need to be “smart”, insecurity, etc.

        That isn’t what I see, it’s what exhaustive study of the last decade proves. I have access to all of it. Algorithims r written to reard anger, negativity and even violence. Emotionally unbalamced posters r protected on sites? Why, they tend to post the most and relentlessly. That’s how money is made. It is sad and scary.

    • “Does anyone else just accept Pulisic isn’t someone the count on? i don’t even think of him moving forward.”

      People were saying the same thing about Dest just a few games ago.

      You’re not the manager. You don’t have to think about him. If this manager doesn’t, he’s even more arrogant than he’s shown.

      He’s trying to qualify for the WC in Qatar. And while it looks doable even probable, qualification is far from assured and you will all feel very different than you do today if Mexico comes to Cincy and kicks our ass. They are capable of that.

      The USMNT can beat Mexico ( and they better beat them at home) but if you think that his team has proven that they are better off without Pulisic, I’d say you’re a little premature.

      In theory they have enough talent to qualify w/o Pulisic but, back in the real world in real live performance, they haven’t shown that they are organized enough to get to where they want to go without him.

      Pulisic just turned 23, has had 3 USMNT managers and 6 club managers so far. That’s a lot in 5-6 years. And so far, to the best of my knowledge, all of them, except for this USMNT manager, have loved having him and have found ways to get the best out of him. This manager doesn’t seem to have a good handle on how to get the most out of him. He keeps supporting him with guys like Lletget. Lletget or Jorginho? Who would you rather have supporting you from midfield?

      If the USMNT gets past Mexico and Canada, no sure thing, and qualifies, the manager will have to think about trying to beat teams at least one level superior to what they had to go through. This team still has a very long way to go before they are ready to take on serious World Cup teams.

      So far the “signature wins” of this team are an AARP group of senior citizen retirees from Costa Rica. And beating a disorganized, depleted group of Reggae Boyz from Jamaica. Two teams in a bad way when we played them. Them and a win vs. Honduras. A game that was so pathetically weird and embarrassing that it doesn’t feel like a win.

      Important wins but there is a real long way to go yet for this “team”.
      This manager is just arrogant enough to think that his tactics and his managerial wizardy are so awesome that he can fit anyone into his formations and they will work.

      That’s why he usually doesn’t call the full 30.

      He thinks he’s got it all covered with what they have. And that’s why he thinks that he can slide an Acosta or a Yueill into the #6 and they can replace Adams. That Weah and Ariolla are somehow interchangeable. That Lletget is a suitable attacking midfielder. Or that he can swap out 7 players from a good performing side and expect it to go off without a hitch. It’s all about him, not the players.

      Of course, this manager has yet to beat a decent team in circumstances where blood and money were on the line.

      The summer cups were just that, summer vacation wins. Anyone who thinks that the level of intensity in those competitions was anything like what we’re seeing from all concerned now isn’t paying attention.

      Put this another way.

      Do you accept that Tyler Adams isn’t someone you can count on?

      His first cap was 11/14/2017 vs. Portugal. He went on to play 7 games then missed 2, played 2, missed 2 , played Ecuador 3/22/19 and then missed 16 games. All through injury.

      16 missed games.

      He finally came back against Wales 11/12/20.

      Tyler was injury prone and still is.

      His injury was to his adductor muscles. I’m no doctor but my understanding is they are tricky and can take a while to heal and can come back at any time. We need to be fearful of a recurrence because if it does come back, he’s probably going to be out for a long time.

      Pulisic has yet to have such a sustained period of injury related absence for the USMNT though he has had one for Chelsea.

      The reality is, this is something that USMNT fans are going to need to get to used to with our top players in Europe.

      Guys like Tyler, Weston, CP, Reyna, Gio, etc, play a lot of intense, tough games in a row. A lot of our guys are important players at their clubs.
      The pressure on them is very intense and is wearing. I’m sure one reason Daryl Dike wore down and got injured is he suddenly became an important piece in a high intensity promotion battle for which he might not have been ready. It certainly had to be unlike anything he had faced before.

      And Pulisic has lived with that level of intensity for years now.

      The kids are great. But in the euphoria many people are forgetting that the sample size of the data on them is miniscule

      Guys like Scally, Busio, Pepi and Hoppe are so new they haven’t had to chance to have a slump yet.
      Timo Weah was incredibly exciting when he first came up but then he went through a few years of injury and disappointment. Now he’s back. But it was a hard slog.

      Could Pepi and Hoppe do the same? You tell me. I can see Pepi getting sold before the Octagon. What’s it going to be like when he suddenly will have all that pressure, all those expectations on him? That’s of my main concerns for this young wave of new talent.

      The USMNT is not a well organized, well managed team with a solid identity. They are trying to build that now but they aren’t at the point where they can afford to discard one of their few proven authentic top level performers. You could if you thought that this manager was good enough to mold the other players into a cohesive machine that does not need the player who remains their best, most proven player and one who they cannot replace. He has a Champions League winners medal for a reason. He’s not Jovan Kirovski, with all due respect to Jovan.

      They have a lot of hot prospects who COULD maybe approach Pulisic but they haven’t equaled him yet and may never.

      They don’t have any one player like him. They don’t have a better goal scorer, they don’t have a better winger.

      Aaronson has replaced Pulisic with the USMNT and has done well.
      But he plays at Salzburg in a league where the competitive pressure is arguably at the level of MLS. He doesn’t bang with the big boys on a regular basis like Pulisic does and has.

      At some point he’s going to go to a bigger club where he will have to step up and play much better teams than Jamaica and Costa Rica. Let’s see how well his body holds up once he gets to Pulisic’s level. No slight on Brenden but his main advantage on Pulisic is that he is healthier.

      And how long do you think that will last?

      The Octagon pressure is only going to get worse from here on out. Everyone they play going forward can take points off of them.
      And if they get to the World Cup it’s only going to get worse.

      This team is a long way from being close to halfway decent. Already people are dazzled by the wins over Jamaica and Costa Rica. That’s a big mistake.

      Reply
    • Hey TK. LoL. OK. Thank goodness we’re not going to get any negativity from you to add to this cesspool of bile and bitterness. Well…. I mean…. not unless it is a negative diatribe about negativity. And fragile unreliable hero play Christian Pulisic. But other than that, not one bit. Besides- your negativity is different because it’s purely factual and not at all motivated by the need to be right. OK… maybe a little bit- but I suppose you get a pass because at least your needs are backed by studies and algorithms not like the drivel coming from ignorant masses. I’m still trying to figure out how the guy that opened with a proclamation he was not read comments is responding to them. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Perhaps the exception is if you feel the need to finally fix the internet.

      Reply
    • TK – There are positives and negatives to be found in almost any game/team that you watch. Across the past 6 games we’ve been forced to field line-ups without some of our most talented/influential players…McKennie (suspended), Musah (?Coach Decision), Weah (Injury/?Coach Decision), Pulisic (Injury), Reyna (Injury), Brooks (Injury), etc…
      The good news is that after 6 games played we’re sitting in 2nd position and we’ve yet to have all our best players available.
      The bad news is that Gregg has continued to struggle to get his tactics right and maximize the talent at his disposal.
      Raw talent wise our current player pool is better than any previous generation of players. They are going to struggle at times due to their age and inexperience, but they should become more consistent the more they play together.
      My biggest concern this cycle is not related to the talent or ability of our players, but the Jekyll & Hyde approach of the coach and his insane player evaluations. We need to rotate our players….but intended to start Arriola 3 games in a row. Zimmerman wasn’t in the original camp listing, but starts 2 games and appears in the 3rd. Richards, LDT & Hoppe have promising/impactful minutes in their last camps, but barely see the field….while Roldan, Lletget, & Zardes had poor performances in recent appearances and are granted starts/extensive minutes in this camp. A Bundesliga starter (Scally) is overlooked for a 2nd division Spanish league bench player. These types of decisions have prevented us from developing any kind of momentum, chemistry, or phycological advantage. And that is 100% on Gregg & Ernie.
      At this point if we qualify for the WC it will be because of the raw talent of our players and the lack of depth for most of the other CONCACAF nations and despite our coach and his crap tactics.

      Reply
      • A Spanish 2nd division player had the same amount of goals and assists in the GC as a Bundesliga forward. How are you so sure Scally would’ve stunk it vs Panama? Speaking of bias.

  4. I think these ratings are pretty fair. My only complaint is that maybe McKennie’s rating is a tad bit high. He is a great player who made a number of great plays, but I felt like he had a lot of unforced errors, one of which led to Richards’ tackle in the box that arguably could have resulted in a penalty.

    Reply
  5. Hmm, i like Miles. But feel the rating given is very generous. He made a bunch of errors. Including a needless foul at the end which provided one last free kick. His shaky moments this window scares me. Starting CBs vs Mex will be interesting. Are we going 3 back again? Assume Brooks back in the fold?
    Happy its the opening game of only a 2 game set next window.

    Reply
  6. Who are the game changers??

    Still looking for a back up to Adams. Are there any guys we could call in to look at? Sands, Polster, Knouse? Or should it be Busio?

    Midfield goal scorer. Is there really any goal scorer in the midfield. McKennie could be, mUSAh and Adams really aren’t. DLT Lleget, Roldan are any of them goal scorers? Would we have to go with Reyna or Weah in midfield and put on another winger forward if we were losing? Could Green (who has a long range shot) help?

    The main lineup is set.

    Reply
    • Someone recently posted that some posters are just posting to see there posts. I think I might be one them, but here goes. I see the US really now playing a 4-1-2-3 where Adams is the 1 as a 6 and the 2 are two number 8s. To put a 10 in, you would have to switch to a 4-2-3-1 with two 6s or some other formation. This is probably a much more realistic formation for world cup but right now the US doesn’t have two number 6s that are in their top teir of players so going to that formation now doesn’t get your best players on the field. Right now, like it or not, Acosta is the next up at a 6 and Sands is probably 3rd. Maybe Musah can play that role next to Adams but a formation change is needed to play any of Reyna, Aaronson, Green, or LDT at a 10 and none of them seems very well suiyed to play an 8. In the current formations being used you would be taking Adams off or playing him at fullback to get a 10 on the field and I don’t think any posters on this site really want that. Some of the players that people want to see don’t necessarily fit well right now, not because of their limitations, but other limitations that may or may not be outside the coaches control. A good coach finds a way to get their best players on the field but forcing 10s into the lineup when the coach doesn’t think he has adequate defensive cover to play like that is forcing a system; exactly what people are accusing GGG of doing.

      Reply
      • At Columbus Gregg usually used a 4-2-3-1. Trapp and Artur deep, Higuain as the 10, Finley and Meram wide with Kai,Ola, or Gyasi as CF. Trapp was the deep player, Artur shuttled forward and Higuain created. If the defense condensed to block the
        Middle he played wide and the CFs scored tons of goals off crosses. Adams as Trapp role, Wes as Artur, and Gio as the 10, BA and CP as wingers, with Dest who really is a rich man’s Harrison Afful on the overlaps. As someone who watched most of Gregg’s matches with The Crew I’m not sure why he doesn’t see it. Musah subs for either Wes or Gio, Weah, Hoppe, Nico on the wings. Perhaps by ext Summer Ledezma is fit enough to be back up 10. For some reason he’s become fascinated with high pressing and needing an extra high MF.

      • JonnyR: thanks for reading and replying. I have to reply to myself because no option to reply to you. I understand your response, but I guess I just don’t personally see Wes in that role; I think he would press to high but of course just opinions. I would love for them to find a way to play like that. I guess I thought Musah was a better candidate.

      • I think we are overstating the lack of depth at the DMF spot. From what I have seen the past 2 Qualifying cycles and this summer, Busio and McKinnie can play that spot (and better than Acosta). Also, given the talent at our disposal, I’m not mussed by whatever formation we put out there. At a certain point (not the Panama game point… but after you have sufficient talent) it is about desire and soccer sense. So the guys should be able to play multiple formations in multiple games, depending on who is available and who we are playing. What I don’t like is that GGG thinks he can just dictate his formation to the other team. We aren’t Italy. We can’t try to press Spain like they did and have a go at it. Hell, we probably can’t press Mexico, it would be a wide open, exciting game like that nations league one… but I suspect there would be lots of goals. When the stakes are high he needs some additinoal tactics for when the gameplan doesn’t work.

      • Johnnyrazor: I agree 100% with your take on the 4-2-3-1 and how it fits the players we have… putting Reyna at the 10 where his vision/creativity will be maximized and open up the wing for the may wide options we have and players that will act to stretch the defense.
        Ledezma- saw an interview last week with Richie- with direct questioning- he was pretty hyper-political complimenting US and Mex programs- said he he is open- not yet committed to a national team.

        Our area of greatest need right now is the 6. Huge vulnerability there as we are a completely different team when Adams is out and Adams is not the most durable player around. This is something we definitely need to address.

      • TELE57 – Gregg seems to favor the 4-3-3 with a lone 6 and two 8’s because he doesn’t appear to have faith in any of our creative 10s to play central. Reyna plays as a creative CM for BvB…Aaronson is a sometime creative CM for RB. Neither have been tried there by Gregg for the National Team.
        IMHO our strongest formation (able to get our best players on the field) would be a 4-2-3-1. A. Robinson @ LB, Dest @ RB, Adams & McKennie as the deep CMs (6 & 8), Pulisic, Reyna, Weah as the 3 attacking mids, Pepi as the striker.
        That gives gives us quality depth (Musah, Aaronson, Sargent, Hoppe, Scally) as possible impact subs off the bench and/or alternating starters for games. Konrad, Luca, Acosta, Pefolk/Dike, and others as possibilities for cameo minutes.
        CB’s are the most unsettled positions for the starting XI. What the best pairing is, is to be determined. Brooks, M. Robinson, Richards, Miazga, Zimmerman, McKenzie, & possibly EPB/CCV/Sands are all in contention. If Brooks starts than he needs to be paired with an athletic partner (Robinson or Richards). If he’s not starting than its more of a free-for-all.
        Outside back depth and CDM depth are a concern due to the drop off between our starters and their current backups (although I think Scally is quickly closing the gap for one of the outside back rolls).

    • I wonder if Reyna rotates with Mckennie and mUSAh during a 3 game WC group stage? Adams is locked in at the 6. Matt Doyle mentioned Matt Polster as MLS best 11 at DMid. I have not watched enough Revs games. Is he or Flach better than Acosta?

      Reply
    • Tele57: I think Musah will eventually end up as a 10 and could be the back up to Reyna. I think he’d fit in either as that 6/8 hybrid or the 10. I’m might sure he’s a good enough passer right now but imagine he gets the ball played to his feet as an AM and turns on the MF and now is running free at the CBs. Sign me up for some of that chaos creation. I think Wes would be fine as the box to box guy he’d have a better defined role that might help him. Busio could be good in that spot DLT as well. Williamson would be good if he can return from his knee injury.

      Reply
      • Lost: Thanks for the response! I am not so sure GGG doesn’t have the confidence in the 10s so much as what happens defensively if he goes to the 4-2-3-1, but to your point, I don’t think he has ever tried it. JohnnyR says he used to play that formation at Columbus so maybe we will see it sometime soon. I think the 4-3-3 he plays now will only work against good teams if Adams is on the field (too dependent on one specific player). Assuming we make the World Cup, I really don’t think the current version of the 4-3-3 is a much of an option other than for short spells to mix things up, but they got to get there first. I probably rate Musah and Aaronson higher than you as I think they are in that top teir with Pulisic, Reyna, Adams, and McKennie. 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, one of the players I think is top tier isn’t going to start. In response to your comments on fullbacks, my likely very unpopular opinion is that Brooks at his best is better than Zimmerman at his best, Brooks at his worst is worse than Zimmerman at his worst, and on avaerage Zimmerman is better than Brooks. To me, this means I would play Zimmerman ahead of Brooks.

    • Rico: I think Richie still ends up with us but he might have to be patient. As with the other guys the pool with El Tri may be shallower at his position. I really just hope he is able to return to his level because he was a joy to watch. I’m not sure who we really have that can emulate with Ty does. Pipeline pretty empty too. Aiden Morris, but I don’t think he was as athletic pre-knee and who knows what it will be like post. Johnny (no relation) had a terrible Olympic Q but has found playing time again in Brazil. He might have the physical tools but does he have the instinct and fight. Maybe when Tyler is out you go with Scally or Vines at LB and they stay deeper and let just the RB really push high.

      Reply
      • Yeah- as of now- we really don’t have a like for like player to plug in- provide what Adams does- so we really really need to adjust our tactics- go double pivot when he’s out. I definitely haven’t given up on Johnny C, although I think he’s much more likely to be a next cycle guy. Frankly- I suspect part of his struggles in Olympic qualifying relates to how he was used as well as similar issues to Musah v Panama. The 6 is a very demanding position- particularly difficult for a young player to jump into- especially at a higher level.

        Ledesma definitely brings something we don’t have in abundance

Leave a Comment