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McKennie, Pepi, Musah headline standouts from USMNT’s September window

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The U.S. men’s national team’s September schedule has come and gone leaving head coach Gregg Berhalter and his staff much to ponder following back-to-back victories.

Tuesday’s 4-0 home win over Oman gave Berhalter his second victory since being rehired as USMNT head coach, just three days after his team earned a 3-0 result over Uzbekistan. Despite a lackluster showing against Uzbekistan, the USMNT delivered a much better performance at Allianz Field on Tuesday, ending the September window on a high note.

Several players delivered positive performances over the window including Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, and debutant Kristoffer Lund. Fellow debutants Ben Cremaschi and Kevin Paredes also impressed in limited minutes and could be on the radar later this

Here is a closer look at the USMNT standouts from the September window:


Weston McKennie


Weston McKennie started in both of the USMNT’s matches this month, excelling against both Uzbekistan and Oman.

McKennie logged 171 minutes in Berhalter’s return, registering one assist, creating five offensive chances, and covering ample ground in midfield. The 25-year-old partnered Yunus Musah mainly in the USMNT midfield, receiving the freedom from Berhalter to try and impact things in the final third.

McKennie’s club role remains undetermined, but his USMNT role remains stronger than ever heading into the fall.


Ricardo Pepi


The U.S. men’s national team received three of its seven goals from strikers this window and two of those came from Ricardo Pepi.

Pepi came off the bench in both matches, delivering two goals and earning some needed confidence after a slow start to life with PSV. He scored on two of his five shots in his combined 90 minutes, showing his eye for goals in a pair of different ways.

Although Pepi will want to be a consistent starter, his impact as a substitute could help solidify his long-term role in the squad.


Yunus Musah


Yunus Musah was the only USMNT player to play the full 180 minutes this window, which could be crucial for his return to AC Milan.

Musah started in both victories this past week, winning 14 of 19 duels and covering ample ground in defense. The 20-year-old came into camp with limited minutes in Milan, but now leaves camp with a major confidence boost after two positive performances.

With Tyler Adams’ immediate future in doubt due to his injury recovery, Musah could play an even larger role during the October window.


Kristoffer Lund


Kristoffer Lund made his USMNT debut and first start during the September window, showing positive moments on-and-off the ball.

Lund played nine minutes against Uzbekistan before starting and logging 90 minutes against Oman. The 21-year-old looked confident and composed in possession, linking up with his attacking teammates on several occasions.

Lund won four duels, made 10 recoveries, and created two offensive chances against Oman. With the back-up left back job open, Lund very well could enter his name into the mix for the remainder of the calendar year.


Brenden Aaronson


One player that needed a spark coming into USMNT camp was Brenden Aaronson and the Leeds United loanee certainly left with one.

Aaronson registered one goal and one assist in his two substitute performances, logging 71 minutes over the past week. The 22-year-old assisted on Ricardo Pepi’s goal against Uzbekistan before delivering a free-kick goal against Oman.

He created two offensive chances in Tuesday’s win and was lively in the final third. Aaronson will now head back to Union Berlin with a point to prove after a frustrating start.


Who on this list impressed you the most against Uzbekistan and Oman? Who are you hoping to see on this list following the October window?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. re the recent suggestion we need to “prepare” for the minnow game in group, yes, we will have one, every group does, but is that something we actually need to “prepare” for? it struck me as fake motivational work. let’s give the games some fake meaning other than a friendly. ok, this is simulating a last place group team. so is most of our schedule. meh.
    if one wanted to get more punchy, what happened against, say, wales, wasn’t that we needed to “sim” a 4th place game. we actually played wales and plenty of teams like them over the 4 years and change of prep time. what didn’t happen was tactical chamge. i thought the wales result wasn’t the players weren’t ready, it’s the coach’s tactics malfunctioned and exhausted his players, and so a team that took no other points got their one tie off us.
    so if someone needed a rethink and sim it was the coach and the coach is still pimping the same high press that cost him 3 points from wales. this is not learning the actual “4th place matchup” lesson.

    Reply
    • I think that was all marketing and team management. Trying to make sure the boys weren’t looking past and hoping to sell some tickets to teams fans wouldn’t recognize. Remember they wanted Argentina and Brazil and had to scramble. Gregg can’t come out as his press conference and say “hey this team stinks we should beat them by five goals. It was just trying a lipstick on a pig.

      Reply
      • sorry but my select team could motivate its players for something like dallas cup in the pre-internet era by saying, be careful, this is the state champion of florida, or whatever they found in a tournament info sheet, but that was because back then you knew little what was coming up and we had to be ready for “something.” i’d think the professional level version of take this seriously is you run the scouting tape and walk them through what risks the uzbeks pose. i could see “last place game” as almost backfiring and perhaps more useful as mediocre PR for press who want a hook. but for the press what more hook do you need than the Boss Is Back?

  2. musah having a good window is saying rain is wet. he’s firmly entrenched. mckennie’s situation is getting more iffy so him doing ok might help him competitively going forward, though i wasn’t as wowed as many on here. i thought richards, pepi, lund, and aaronson were the genuine beneficiaries of the window. richards stayed healthy and answered the foggy-headed sorts who continue to argue his club status is in any way meaningful or predictive (their favorite, ream, was the one who actually looked vulnerable). pepi and aaronson showed their class to the coach and the doubters, when they have competition. lund made a one-off showing he might be LB help, he’d have to do it some more, but my guess is he gets more looks. i personally thought he looked better than jedi, and remind the pro-jedi folks he has had a bunch of bad games against good teams getting caught too high.

    to me, unless we are playing high quality opponents, or as a team we completely suck, the quality of individual performances matters more than the result. the idea is in fact to select the group that dominates in these games and not just engage in mass stasis — if you want to win/dominate the big ones. you won’t get there making excuses or rewarding anonymous punch in-punch out effort. the US used to get this before the cult of the coach and the system era.

    Reply
  3. You guys have been talking about Lund, it made me think back to qualifying cycle and the expanded rosters..
    And I remember GB calling in the least number of players. Other teams were calling in 30…
    Makes me wonder how many GB will be calling in going forward.
    The urgency of not having to qualify makes me nervous…

    Reply
    • Berhalter used more players than any other manager in Concacaf last cycle. Most of the guys on those 30 man rosters never sniffed a field.

      Reply
      • I’m not talking about the different number of people who appeared, I’m talking about the actual number of players called in.
        I remember it being discussed here.
        Point being there was a few guys, for example Scally who should have been brought in earlier in the cycle to get to know what was expected etc. but GB didn’t do that.
        And with the number of people pushing through to fight for backup spots there’s probably gonna be less opportunities because without a qualifying cycle as our 1’s need as much time together as possible.as
        Considering Zimmerman was a late call up who became a starter, Ream from MIA to WC starter, CCV and Haji who’d hardly sniffed the team but both played in the WC.

      • this is misleading. he would call fewer players per window than the opposition — what the OP is saying. he then played a lot of different faces but because we had so many people getting hurt. to respond to that shaky line of theory, he then struggled to properly assess and stack those different faces when they were all available at once. so no pepi in qatar, for example, who now looks like top 2 striker. how many times does GB sandbag or mis-evaluate guys like CCV, turner, scally, pepi, miles, richards, sargent, etc.?

      • Bac: so your saying the players would have gotten better by not playing and possibly getting benched by their clubs and not playing even more.

      • “Berhalter used more players than any other manager in Concacaf last cycle”

        JR,

        Do you mean “used” or “called up”?

        The actual number of players called up means little.

        Calling in a bunch of guys, giving them 10-20 minutes of garbage time and then never seeing them again, so what? Joe Scally has 6 caps but would you say Gregg has had a chance to see what he can really do?

        Lund, on the other hand, he’s a different kind of call up. Gregg clearly decided before these two games to give him the kind of try out I don’t remember him giving Scally.

        While every player is different, for the most part a national team needs a certain amount of time to properly evaluate any player. And because Gregg’s roster is largely set, and Gregg is bent on his CLUB USMNT approach, he’s not inclined to give significant minutes to newbies, there is not a lot of minutes out there for new guys, even now.

        I think Gregg pretty much already has his Copa America roster set.

      • IV: you were just saying Pepi didn’t deserve to be called up this camp because Ferreira has been better, now your putting him back in Qatar. His scoring in 4 straight games in 2023 wasn’t impressive to you but his 0g in 10 matches showed you he was ready for Qatar.

      • JR,
        No, and those examples would have been on fifa approved windows… But that’s not the point
        What I’m talking about in our last cycle, GB had the youngest group ever, and with so many who could benefit from time in camp (even knowing they weren’t going to play ) due to the expanded rosters was a missed opportunity.
        Now combine that with his WC selections we have all discussed, I have little confidence GB will change.

        Now, back to my original question which was how he’s going to handle callups. With no qualifying I am concerned about that, the example that made me think about it was you guys talking about Lund..
        I personally think the guy is find a way to eff it up- we’ll be on SBI shaking our heads at his selection process… and I wanted to know what your thoughts were

      • Bac: if you look at Gregg selecting 25 or 26 it’s precisely because his roster was so young. With every extra guy you bring that takes reps from the guys who are going to play.
        ————
        As for the without qualification question. Without pressure of qualifying, there should be more chances to include others. Also you have Olympics to give young players opportunities.

    • V: didn’t Jedi come off after the training staff came onto the field check on him. Maybe I imagined it.
      —————————-
      “Berhalter doesn’t like newbies”
      -Musah, 18, started first four matches including the post Covid debut against Wales when he’d been in camp for two days.
      -Reyna, 17 starts first match and next 6 after that.
      -Dest 19 starts first 10 going 90 in most of them.
      -Pepi 18 starts 3rd match of his first camp and is given the keys to 9 spot for the rest of qualifying
      -Busio 19 plays first 6 matches starting 4 of the 6
      -People like to complain about how many guys Gregg called, but that’s Bull. What they’re complaining about is the marginal player they like didn’t get a chance when another marginal player did.
      -They want to say Gregg doesn’t rotate but they mean is their guy didn’t get rotated in, and with many posters their guy they’ve never seen play a full match. They see a name on a roster sheet for some club and then well he’s obviously better. Then that player does get a shot and they aren’t the next big thing “oh well if Gregg just played him more”. Maybe so but just as likely not. Gregg and staff are watching all these guys every week at their club, they are seeing hours of training in camp when we see 40 secs on Twitter. Their talking with people from their clubs. Do they get everything right? Of course not no one does, but they get more right than they ever get credit for. How many people really should have been on the WC roster that weren’t? Pepi and …. Reggie Cannon? Pefok? Brooks?

      Reply
      • —————————-

        “Berhalter doesn’t like newbies”
        -Musah, 18, started first four matches including the post Covid debut against Wales when he’d been in camp for two days.
        -Reyna, 17 starts first match and next 6 after that.
        -Dest 19 starts first 10 going 90 in most of them.
        -Pepi 18 starts 3rd match of his first camp and is given the keys to 9 spot for the rest of qualifying
        -Busio 19 plays first 6 matches starting 4 of the 6″

        That’s right, Gregg doesn’t like newbies, especially these days.

        Those guys you listed mostly owed their debuts to they fact that they were almost impossible to ignore.

        They weren’t regular newbies, they were trophy newbies, like Flo was. Show off your “dual” victories. We went through all that trouble to recruit them so here are the feathers in our caps. They were big PR victories at the time. Gregg is someone who thinks he handles the media well.

        Of course Reyna wasn’t but when he got his first cap (November of 2020 he was super hot shit at BVB still assisting the likes of Erling. and not getting called a diva shitbag by the likes of SBI fans pissed off at his parents.

        Newbie or not Gregg does not ignore hot shit in Europe like Gio was then.

        Busio was still with SKC but he was a Gold Cup call up and signed with Venezia after the GC ended.

        The other point is those guys were PRE Qatar recruits and came in when Gregg was still building a team core from nothing.

        He’s not building a team core anymore. It’s mostly done.

        Even before Qatar a lot of these 20-10 minute garbage time call ups started turning into one night stands. I think you’re going to see a lot more one night stands. Gregg doesn’t like newbies. They are “unsystematized” and antithetical to his core mission, building a CLUB USMNT. I don’t know if Gregg doesn’t seem to want to systematize Scally
        or if Scally just doesn’t get it. Whatever is going on there Gregg has gotten shit out of Scally. Joe is BFF with Gio so maybe there is an issue there.

        Sure, Gregg’s still going to try to shove a Ferreira down everyone’s throats. Whether Lund is the latest iteration of Jesus, time will tell. There are 278 days left before Copa America and while anything is possible odds are there aren’t going to be a lot of big changes from what is the core today. Adams losing his starter spot would be the most interesting change, If you keep going with Musah, McKennie and Adams you have two guys who currently contribute very little to the offensive side of life. When it comes to offense, things may change but Musah reminds me a lot of Darlington, Overpromise and underdeliver.

        If Gregg wants more offense, one of Musah or Adams will be dropped.

        “People like to complain about how many guys Gregg called, but that’s Bull. ”

        There’s only so many players a USMNT coaching staff can devote their very limited time to. Newbies have to be like Flo, meaning they will require little if any coaching and produce right away.

        ” How many people really should have been on the WC roster that weren’t? Pepi and …. Reggie Cannon? Pefok? Brooks?

        Gregg got nothing out of Gio and Scally at Qatar, And he knew more about their state of mind at that time than any of us did. He would have been better off leaving both of them home and taking Pepi.

      • Vac, Reyna was about 35 minutes fit at WC. You get 5 subs a game. Weah, Musah, Dest, and McKennie were each about 60 minutes fit. Reyna is an attacking player. He used Reyna exactly the same way Dortmund did for several months after the WC which was a sub if the team needed a goal. Reyna didn’t play against Wales because he was being punished. US was doing well against England and a draw was a good result so he he waited to put him in. They were winning against Iran and he made the significantly higher percentage choice to defend the 1-0 lead ( learning from his mistake against Canada in qualifying). He brought him in at halftime against Holland because they were down 2-0. Reyna played good against Holland but wasn’t steller and was noticeably tired by the end of the game. What would you have done differently with him to get more out of him.

      • V: when Gregg capped Dest, Musah, and Reyna were they anymore accomplished than Scally? I guess Gio and Serg had some CL matches in there but Musah had hardly played for Valencia. The other thing is to play Joe you’ve got to drop Serg. Or when Serg is hurt Gregg had the choice of Yedlin the EPL vet vs the rookie in qualifiers. No manager is going run Scally out there to get experience they’re going to play Yedlin whose flaws you know and can plan for.
        —————
        Jedi did not dress today, seems Lund is not necessarily a new favored son but just got minutes because Robinson wasn’t fit.

      • Tele57,

        “He used Reyna exactly the same way Dortmund did for several months after the WC which was a sub if the team needed a goal. “

        What Gio did after Qatar is called closing the barn door after the horses leave.

        The only thing Gio proved at BVB, post Qatar, was that he, maybe, probably, was physically capable of at least doing the super sub routine at Qatar but obviously Gregg and the USMNT couldn’t get it out of him or Gio couldn’t make it happen for whatever reason.

        I don’t know who is more to blame for that , Gio or Gregg, but if I’m Gregg’s boss it doesn’t matter. I hold Gregg 100% responsible. I don’t care about how he gets production out of Gio. I only care about if he does.
        If I’m his boss, at his job review, I’m going to ask Gregg:

        “ WTF happened there? Gio is a punk but you’ve known him and his family all his life. You’re the adult here and you are paid to get something out of him. And you got shit. What’s the lame excuse for not having him ready, physically and mentally? And if he wasn’t, why didn’t you just leave him at home? You could have hid behind, he’s not fit or sharp or some other BS. Instead you got sidetracked by something that was preventable.“

        If Gregg had just left him at home there would still have been a firestorm but I doubt it would have been the same or as bad as what eventually happened.

        And that’s on big mouth Gregg.
        They don’t play the same position but is anyone going say that a chip-on- his-shoulder Pepi would not have been more useful than a conflicted Gio who was playing Hamlet?
        JK caused a firestorm leaving LD out in 2014 and it eventually cost him his job but he went on to have a good WC.

        “Reyna didn’t play against Wales because he was being punished. US was doing well against England and a draw was a good result so he waited to put him in. They were winning against Iran and he made the significantly higher percentage choice to defend the 1-0 lead ( learning from his mistake against Canada in qualifying). He brought him in at halftime against Holland because they were down 2-0. Reyna played good against Holland but wasn’t steller and was noticeably tired by the end of the game. What would you have done differently with him to get more out of him.”

        All true.
        And it means Gregg did not know what he was going to get out of Gio at that point. This was the World Cup, it’s not a good idea to fuck around and that’s what Gregg did with Gio. You’re either going to help or you’re not. And for those of you who talk about Gregg trying to “protect” Gio, Gregg is PAID to protect the team not Gio.

        Since you asked, what I would have done differently is either left him home in the first place and take Pepi or sent him home at the first sign of trouble. Even if you blame Gio 100% for this Gio was/is far from the only diva shitbag in World football and other managers find ways to get something out of them. How Gio was handled was 100% on Gregg.

        If Gio was the player we all know he is, he’s not getting “punished” vs. Wales, he starts vs England and the Netherlands. Gio had a chance to become a big star on the biggest stage and he pissed it all away. And because of that Gio, Gregg and the USMNT were all worse off. A plague on all their houses.

      • Vac, you gotta bring Reyna. The 4 best attacking players on the roster were Pulisic, Weah, McKennie, and Reyna. Both sides agreed the drama was done and solved by the 1st game against Wales. There was no other player he could have put in against Holland that would have done better and it wasn’t like he sucked. Holland has a good team with good players. Down 2-0 the US best chance was to bring in Reyna so not having him on the roster would have hurt the team. Pepi is the only player I think he got wrong on the roster but Reyna’s inclusion didn’t keep Pepi off the team, it was Morris, Ferriera, and Wright. Tactics are a different story but you can’t start an attacking player that can’t go more then 45 minutes; you have to save them for the 2nd half if needed.

      • JR

        “V: when Gregg capped Dest, Musah, and Reyna were they anymore accomplished than Scally?”

        In the eyes of the USMNT coaching staff? I’d say yes.

        But the better question is did Dest, Musah and Gio have a veteran they had to beat out in order to start for the team?

        I say not really.

        Gregg was building the team.

        Dest or Yedlin, Cannon?
        Musah or Bradley, Roldan, Kellyn, Yueill, Lletget?
        Gio or Ariolla, Roldan, Brenden, Tyler Boyd?

        I wouldn’t say those three had a hard time becoming USMNT starters.
        Nowadays, in October 2023 the openings, such as they are, are primarily for backups.

        “I guess Gio and Serg had some CL matches in there but Musah had hardly played for Valencia.”

        Valencia was bringing Yunus along slowly but their faith in him long term was unquestioned. Nico Estevez, Gregg’s assistant who came from Valencia, and deserves a lot of credit that he does not get, learned everything worth knowing about Musah and was instrumental in Yunus’ decision to come here.

        Dest and Musah were well known quantities to the USMNT staff long before their first caps. So was Gio. All Gregg had to do was text Danielle and/or Claudio.

        As with Dest after his first USMNT game no one was questioning that Yunus was a starter or at least was the first sub in.

        “The other thing is to play Joe you’ve got to drop Serg. ”

        No you don’t Dest or Joe both can play left back. Both have also played wingback. The USMNT staff are not in love with Scally. If they were they would have found a way to work him in more than they have.

        “Or when Serg is hurt Gregg had the choice of Yedlin the EPL vet vs the rookie in qualifiers.”

        Actually Shaq Moore, frighteningly, subbed in for Dest vs. England and Iran in Qatar. Shaq Moore, the human giveaway. For me the most terrifying moments of the Qatar WC where when Shaq was on the field threatening to give a goal away. Made me lose confidence in Gregg’s judgement.

        Yedlin subbed for Dest vs Wales.

        ” No manager is going run Scally out there to get experience they’re going to play Yedlin whose flaws you know and can plan for.”

        That’s cuz Gregg was not able to get Joe integrated before Qatar. If Scally was ranked lower than the abysmal Shaq, why did Gregg waste a spot on Scally when Pepi was back home? Different position I know but they could have used him more than they did Scally.

      • Tele57,

        “Vac, you gotta bring Reyna. The 4 best attacking players on the roster were Pulisic, Weah, McKennie, and Reyna.”

        On paper and from where we sit, you are of course correct.

        But from what we now know it seems like there was a lot going on that we didn’t know about.

        Everything I’ve since found out about the Gio and Uncle Gregg dynamic looks weird and squirrelly to me.

        But other than the fact that their relationship looks broken and has not been very productive for Gio, Gregg or the USMNT, the truth is I know nothing at all about what is really going on between those two.

        However, Gregg should know what’s going on between them. And he is responsible for seeing that it a positive for the team. And since it does not look like it was or is a positive, Gregg failed. If early in the process, even before Qatar they were having issues, I question Gregg’s judgement in bringing such a potential time bomb to Qatar in the first place.

        Yes, Gio and the team allegedly got the whole thing settled fairly early but wouldn’t it have been better if the whole thing had not happened in the first place? Ounce of prevention and all that? Can anyone guarantee that the entire episode did not have a negative effect on Gio and /or the team? I don’t think anyone can.

        We praise Gregg to high heaven for the good vibes between these kids. How come he’s not equally responsible for the shitty vibes, the bad behavior?

        What I know is Gregg had three years to work Gio, who all of us expected to be a major asset, into the team and failed to get anything out of him in the World Cup.

        “There was no other player he could have put in against Holland that would have done better and it wasn’t like he sucked. ”

        Whose fault was that? Gio came in at half time. You should expect more from a guy with Gio’s talent than, “it wasn’t like he sucked”. The non-sucking you can get from a Lletget or an Acosta. What if Pepi had come in?

        “Down 2-0 the US best chance was to bring in Reyna so not having him on the roster would have hurt the team. ”

        Having him on the roster did not exactly help either.

        “Pepi is the only player I think he got wrong on the roster but Reyna’s inclusion didn’t keep Pepi off the team, it was Morris, Ferriera, and Wright.”

        And who was responsible for those three? I never said Gio kept Pepi off the roster.

        I am saying:

        1. If there were any signs that Gio were going to be pulling the diva shitbag stuff then Gregg had the option of leaving Gio home. Instead he tells him that his “role will be limited”.??? WTF was that about?
        2. He already had Long, Morris and Roldan on board as lifetime achievement honorees, Scally did not get one minute, Shaq was a near disaster. Including Gio, that’s 6 questionable inclusions any of whom Pepi might have been much more useful than. I know we’re talking about subs but 6 impotent players of questionable virtue is a lot even on a 26 man roster.

        Gregg is responsible for the composition of that roster. If he had no instant offense to come in and spark us vs. Netherlands, that ‘s Gregg’s responsibility.

        Uncle Gregg and Gio should both be ashamed. Do you think these two geniuses can make it work for the USMNT? I have serious doubts.

  4. Lund was a find. Genuine LB’s are unicorns and finding another good one fills one of the most obvious gaping holes in our best 23.

    I thought Malik Tillman made a good case for future inclusion as well. He wasn’t perfect and he’s got some developing to do but he’s still progressed significantly this past year and the upside is definitely there; he was flashing it all over the place. The 10 spot is an even more glaring need than the LB spot with the USMNT and he looked very much like a guy who could be an answer. I still opine he’s one of the five most-talented guys on even our current roster.

    Cremaschi was another big winner. For an 18-year-old on his first cap, that was an A+ performance. After playing the last couple months in an incredibly crowded schedule with Messi, Busquets, and Alba, I wondered if Cremaschi wouldn’t have stars in his eyes like so many debutants do…and he really didn’t. He was visibly nervous, sure – how could he not be? – but he didn’t have that deer-in-the-headlights look so many guys have on their first cap. Cremaschi will be in Europe as soon as January – though I’d probably wish for him to stay with that group until next summer – and he looked like he may have the tools to fight his way into even our midfield, IMHO.

    Pepi’s improvement has been remarkable the last year too. That could create some interesting discussions down the road…and maybe not even that far down the road.

    Reply
    • I’m not sure we learned much about Lund. Oman who was very little threat most of the night and some minutes against Uzbekistan when we we’re mostly up a man. I think Jones or Vines could have done that. I’m not saying he’s not good just don’t think we have much info.

      Reply
      • JR, you can only play against the opponent you line up against. In my world, a good performance warrants another callup as long as club form is good. In that world, the player then has to compete to win playing time in games by virtue of training sessions until they can establish themselves as a consistent top performer for the national team where their club form is no longer required for callups. My world and Gregg’s are pretty different but I don’t think they are too different on roster selection. There will be plenty of people that agree with the principle I listed but would say Gregg doesn’t do that but what they more likely don’t agree with is Gregg’s assessment of performance. For instance, Roldan’s role in qualifying was to kill off games and he did it well and in Gregg’s opinion and mine better than the other players that were given opportunities. Scally was significantly better than Cannon in the last set of freindlies so he made the WC roster. Consistent poor national team performances by McKenzieand EPB made Gregg select Ream based solely on club performance because he didn’t have many other options. Neither Roldan or Scally played in the WC. Gregg obviously thought Moore was a better defender than Scally from training and put him in against Iran instead. People may disagree but their opinion is based on no information because they didn’t see any training. The idea that he intentionally tries to sabotage his own success is absurd; the idea that he isn’t a great judge of talent is certainly debatable.

      • Tele: I didn’t say don’t call him up again. I just think it’s a little early to call him “good” or a “unicorn”. I think had you thrown any MLS LB out there in those situations it wouldn’t have been much different. For example we saw Vines and Bello but in performances on par with that in 2021 GC against similar level opponents.

    • I have to side w/ razor on Lund. He was OK, but the opponents weren’t much of a threat to adequately evaluate and project his worth. He did well enough to get additional call-ups, but I don’t know if he’s a better option than Wiley or Gomez.
      While I think Tillman deserves some recognition and additional call-ups…he’s not ready for regular 1st team minutes for the USMNT yet. I do think he made a reasonable case to be Gio’s back-up…..IF/When Gregg realizes that this team needs a 10 on the field.
      I like what we’re seeing out of Pepi. I think he and Balogun make a great 1-2 punch. It’s yet to be determined who’ll be our primary starter, but both have definitely raised the bar and are performing well for the US.
      Musah, McKennie, Aaronson and the rest did well, but didn’t really distinguish themselves.
      Tessmann & Ream disappointed this window but not so much that they should be banished just yet. They have some work to do to repair their standing(s), but they didn’t lose a ton of ground either.

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    • cremaschi to me looked like a semi-productive nervous wreck who needs some U20/U23 time to fully cook. he would do something nice. he would give the ball away. needs to compose a bit. people can dismiss that but he’s gonna be competing against similar halfway-there chaos-merchants like cowell for eyes, and there are some guys who come in this age like pulisic, landon, or some of this generation, who “get it” immediately. not many, but then that’s my point. i saw him as “interesting” but someone likely ticketed to YNT ball whose form in 1-2 years will be more telling of his 2026 role.

      re lund, “not sure what we learned?” we learned he looks like a solid wingback at that level. that is a foot in the door. before we pretend that is nada, some folks get this look and pull a neal or robles or sweat — play poorly or commit a gaffe and are never to be heard from again. he passed an entry level test. there will be more. he will have to level up.

      for comparison, i thought lund looked more consistently reliable and professional than some of the darlings like cremaschi, who had more uneven evenings that could be exposed by a more serious opponent. to me the ones who implode next game out after gaining buzz are usually the ones who we finessed some existing questions. zendejas being an example. he played the first night this year how he played most of GC. he threw one good game in there. people got confused which one is really him.

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  5. With the Arena mess and the NT camp going on, another under the radar story Bob Bradley heading back Stabaek. Just 2 pts from last 11 league matches and in the relagation zone.

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    • good for him. i still think he had 1 of the 2 best NT cycles we ever had, and he’s proved himself in several other places. i don’t know if the TFC GM got BB old bad apples or the league evolved away and he lost touch, but MLS is an increasingly high payroll league and norway might be a more tight-budget league where he can control-freak success out of a team again.

      i am not kidding about control-freak. listening to him calling out orders on the sideline of a HOU-TFC preseason game a few years back was mindblowing. this was when he had just taken over and the team was a shell. it was a little-attended preseason game being streamed by the club so you could hear the coaches. our coach is sitting on his hands occasionally getting up to say something specific or criticize a specific play. bradley is almost literally calling out every pass or move. TFC was then a mess and probably needed some polishing but i am not sure how that plays out anymore in a league with serious payroll and players. but maybe it works with scandi players on a norway budget. and he will have at least some backing from stabek’s ownership and brass.

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      • Sounds like it’s just their last 7 or 8 games to keep them from relegation is all the contract is for. I suppose if he keeps them up they’ll renegotiate but my impression was he was trying to do his old club a solid and help them stay up.

    • celebrations have become odd and somewhat political i have noticed. you watch some NCAA and it’s like a full team celebration down by the flag, including the bench and the ballboys almost. this is not how we did it. so if there is now a politics to celebration maybe he is currying favor by making prominent “display” of how big a team guy he wants to be seen as. if i’m going to be running half the field to get in on the pile it’s for my good buddies or i delivered the assist. something told me these weren’t his new best friends yet. i agree, a little goofy, but in this era where i almost think the players are instructed in preseason to go join the pile, “we celebrate as a team,” maybe it’s showing he does what he’s told to. who knows.

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