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1. mcglynn suffered a foot injury requiring surgery during the dynamo game, is done for the MLS season. was on the october list but dropped, won’t be available november.

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2. With no Dest I really think he should have brought in Scally. It seems li8ke he has been a regular starter so long, I was surprised the last time I read about him that he is still only 22. Sands is l8isted as a MF when I think he has shown really well as a defensive back. We have enough MF’s, give Sands some time in the back on the left or right. Since we haven’t seen Tessman for a while and he has shown well lately, I would like to seem him get substantial minutes in at least one of the games. Same for McKenzie. We need a reliable partner for Richards at CB.

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3. i thought the selection was better than usual but still glitched on about 1-2 players per line. i like the keepers but not brady who is very very average. some of the backs are decent but i don’t know if both RB and RF are sufficiently covered, and i think miles and ream played theirselves off the team long ago (i used to like miles but he hasn’t played like himself since the achilles). i like the mids — particularly giving sands and morris a shot — but roldan is a little silly and i think japan was a goofy game. i like the forwards but feel like we are shy on wing depth and zendejas hasn’t been effective or productive over most of his NT career.

   personally i’d prefer to see sands tried as a CB first, send home some of the crappy vets.

   that being said, i haven’t seen a good adams game recently. i think richards plus one is justified by his play. i don’t know if adams has earned similar “lock” status in about a year or more with the NT. we do need to find another DM or 2, but he needs to earn “starter.”

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4. Pochettino let’s just do a 3-4-3

   ——–PULISIC——–BALOGAN——-WEAH———–
   –
   ROBINSON—MCKENNIE—TILLMAN—-ZENDEJAS
   –
   ——REAM———–RICHARDS———FREEMAN—–
   –
   —————————-M. FREESE—————————–
   –
   and call it a day
   Move players in, out and around as needed like:

   Tim Ream – Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic) or Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse)
   Antonee Robinson (Fulham) – Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
   Weston Mckennie – James Sands (FC St. Pauli) or Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon)
   Malik Tillman – Cristian Roldan (Seattle)
   Weah – Diego Luna (RSL, Pulisic will move to the right)
   Balogun – Haji Wright (Coventry City) or Patrick Agyemang (Derby County)

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   • Switch Zendejas and Weah.

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     • Agreed

5. I fail to see any good reason in excluding Musah and Scally.
   No matter what potential formation is in the works.

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   • Musah has been all over the place. One awesome game and then a crap game. I’m guessing Poch wants to see more consistency. But I agree, I think he needs to be there. As for Scally, he and Reyna had an attitude issue during the last WC. My thoughts are that some of the regular guys might be blackballing Scally. Plus, he isn’t an automatic starter.

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     • (1) i really wish USMNT would revert to “talent” as opposed to this “club form” nonsense. i’d be fine if he didn’t “rate” musah. i am often underwhelmed and like some competition, as we don’t produce enough at AM and DM other than adams is a joke (save perhaps bethalter being used for deadballs). which should have consequences.

       but anyhow, judging musah by is he good enough, fine, by how atalanta is going, nonsense. we keep calling guys like sargent and zendejas on “club form” with little payoff because it ignores are they actually that talented.

       (2) re scally and reyna, can we put aside the high school politics? they are either good enough in games or not. refer back to the above comment on “talent.” are they better than the next guy or not. i am really not interested in more world cup 2026 crap where we sit a good player for political reasons then get drubbed out of the tournament 3-1 to prove some sort of political point to reyna.

       please learn to separate a literal lockerroom cancer, or harkes-wynalda, from you wish someone would train harder or not be the loafer’s best friend.

     • Reyna is hurt.

     • IV,

       “(2) re scally and reyna, can we put aside the high school politics? ”

       We can but you can’t.
       You are the one who is bringing high school politics into this equation, no one else.

       Most every USMNT fan even the ones who think he was a diva shit bag wants him back and in shape But if you even bothered to watch his one game for BMG, you’ll see he’s got a ways to go. And now he’s out with”tightness in his thigh”.

       The talent is still there but he does not look right physically. The way he looks now, he could play most of the opener but then spend the rest of the WC injured

       “they are either good enough in games or not. refer back to the above comment on “talent.” are they better than the next guy or not.”

       You are pushing for a totally unnecessary confrontation. Right now Gio is not good enough for a WC spot in 2026, notwithstanding the “above comment on talent.
       Decisions don’t have to be made until next May and a lot can change between now and then. But if you want to be the big tough guy and insist on a decision TODAY then by all means go ahead and see what you can do to force it.

       In that scenario Gio doesn’t make the WC team. Gio’s skill is still there but he’s clearly rusty and will need a run of solid games to get his body in shape.

       Joe is in better shape but the love affair with a back 3 brings in a lot of wingback competition he wasn’t facing before. A lot of people are not going to notice if Scally isn’t on the World Cup squad.

       ” i am really not interested in more world cup 2026 crap where we sit a good player for political reasons then get drubbed out of the tournament 3-1 to prove some sort of political point to reyna.”

       If you bothered to watch his one game for BMG, Gio looked good but he also looked very RUSTY, as one might expect given his long absence. Now he’s experiencing some tightness in his thigh, hardly a shcokso he issed the next game and may miss a few more.

   • Both may not make the 2026 team.

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     • If Musah doesn’t make the roster that would be a huge mistake.
       Even if he’s not a starter, a huge mistake.
       If Scally doesn’t make it I guess I wouldn’t be surprised, but only bringing Freeman now and not even taking a look at a full time Bundesliga starter is a mistake

6. nathaniel brown, dual-german, defender, regular on my suggestions, called up by germany. “Nagelsmann called him ‘a big talent in defense.'” where is the balogun aggression?

   we’re kind of a weird team that doesn’t win a lot, is sufficiently uncomfortable with the roster it’s bringing roldan and zendejas back, but doesn’t seem to think it needs duals or age group stars. and the odd part is often enough it’s the same people generally pessimistic on the regulars saying don’t try the age groupers instead. which starts to feel like nihilistic paralysis — nothing matters or can change anything — instead of analysis.

   i always thought part of the 2006 failure was he didn’t repeat “donovan and beasley” risk taking, he cut mike bradley, every chance he had he erred towards reyna and lewis type older players, and got burned for it. ream is 37, roldan is 30. and compared to reyna it’s not exactly some dominant fixture for 15 years.

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   • Nathaniel Brown has stated time and again that he wants to play for Germany. Contact with him was made multiple times. Move on.

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   • The Balogun aggression occurred because Folarin felt snubbed by England because they sent him to the U21s when he was lighting it up for Reims. Balo said oh my hamstrings and bailed on the U21s and flew to Orlando which just happened to be where Team USA was. Nene’s first choice called him, no ability at this point to win him over since his first love asked him to homecoming so to speak.

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7. this is a bit shy on RB, just freeman, particularly if he tries the 3 back thing and you’re supposed to run endline to endline. and before you say richards can play wide, you move him out there and there goes your one reliable CB.

   there’s no musah, whose wing and DM past might make a serviceable wingback, about the only swiss army option i came up whpo might be listed as something else was mckennie.

   we should actually have some decent options — forgotten man fossey, moore, cannon, scally.

   odd.

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   • Weah and McKennie played RWB all last season for Juve, so if we play a back 3 we’re covered. Both AM and CM have multiple other options if Wes or Tim play WB.

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     • not really. if we play 343 or 433 then you still have 2 wide players per side, and you can’t “double account” them. if weah is right back in 433, or wing in a 343, he can’t also play up top. you’re then starting, what, zendejas? with no backup?

       we had this discussion years ago on left wing. “oh, aaronson can play there.” and then you send pulisic home or he gets hurt. and you then can’t double count aaronson as left wide and AM. and one spot has no depth.

       speaking of which, there is no second LF. and you can tell yourself that’s covered by aaronson, but look above, and then there’s a point at which you’re borrowing from peter to give to paul all over the place and you come up short someplace.

       and then we have 4 keepers to play 1, 5 CB to play 2-3, and 3 strikers to play 1.

     • IV,

       “speaking of which, there is no second LF. and you can tell yourself that’s covered by aaronson, but look above, and then there’s a point at which you’re borrowing from peter to give to paul all over the place and you come up short someplace.”

       This is not a World Cup game. If they wind up having to borrow from Peter to pay Paul then we will earn a lot about the players involved.

       In 2002 they beat Mexico with a 3-5-2 , a formation forced on them by injury. Your boy Gregg B, who was there, says they had never played it before.

       Having it happen in PRACTICE is a good thing.

     • CM: Roldan, Tessmann, Morris, Sands
       AM: Pulisic, Luna, Tillman, Zendajas, Aaronson
       ST: Wright, Balo, Agyemang
       WB: Jedi, Freeman, Arfsten
       Wildcards: Weah (7 or 2, Weston 8 or 2). You have 4 CMs without Weston and 5 AM/W without Tim. Weston could also be added to those wide spots in the attacking 3.
       -“ not really. if we play 343 or 433 then you still have 2 wide players per side,” have you watched a soccer game since 2000?
       In possession
       ——————-CF——————
       LWB—LAM-RAM-RWB
       ————CM——CM———-
       —-LCB—-CB——RCB——
       Counter Press
       —————-CF————-
       —LAM———-RAM—
       LWB—CM-CM-RWB
       —-CB——-CB—-CB——
       In defense
       ——-LAM——-CF———
       CM-CM-RAM-RWB
       LWB—CB—CB—CB
       I know your great club coach taught you how to play like fusbol and you never left your lines like you had a big stick up each of your butts but no decent team plays that way anymore.

     • JR: select (and even some in college) i played wing in a 352. do you think i literally stayed home all day? no. ditto wingback or DM in a 442. i played forward once upon a time and had goals and assists in college. i am not opposed to offense.

       i just think someone called in to play defense should be capable of marking someone. because they may have to mark messi or neymar or whoever or we lose the game.

       they have to be able to team defense and island mark before i worry about can they pass a soccer ball. otherwise you ship goals every night like we do.

       and the passing from the back crap only makes it worse.

       i am not saying defenders can’t attack. i am saying find ones like boca or pope or dolo who can in fact defend their position, as well as do something the other way.

       last — make up their feeble mind if we’re selling out one way or the other. it makes no sense to have forwards to press and a tough DM then pattycake backs. conversely if we’re going all offense then fine, play arfsten, but don’t even bother with can the forwards press. pick a strategy and commit. we’re stuck halfway between.

     • IV, this is modern football, everyone plays that way. Pulisic isn’t a wide player your WB in the 3-4-3 is. Everyone in modern football has to do more than one thing even the GK. The whole idea is creating numerical advantages, if your defenders can get into the offensive end you gain an advantage or at least break even. When you play out of the back your GK gives you a numerical advantage. If you kick it long you are always at the disadvantage because your CBs have to stay somewhat back so the opposition always has two more players to win the second ball. I understand you wouldn’t set up your team that way but Poch isn’t going to play your way either. So he isn’t going to choose his roster to play your way either. And once again who are these stay at home Fans that mark any better than Dest, Jedi, Freeman, or Max? It’s certainly not Tolkin, Wiley, Bello, Hansen, or Cannon. Scally might be the best case but he’s prone to back post ball watching.

     • Agree. They’ve both played LWB too, although with Jedi and Arfsten they probably won’t this time around.

     • again, repeating myself from this article and others
       (a) you are double counting guys listed at other positions that would have their own depth or sub issues if you move someone, eg, yes, weah can play back, but then that leaves you with a single specialist RF (zendejas) who is marginal that he can even do the job
       (b) what’s the plan, then, ship wright wide where he’s done nothing for us? kind of like we can leave out a pulisic backup but is aaronson really up to that job? it gets a little over-clever and unsound on quality or depth at a point. why can’t we just call a nice balanced roster that covers all bases and doesn’t bring in, say, way too many keepers including ones who flat suck. (i mean, if you just need a camp body to scrimmage 11 v 11 with 2 keepers per side, ask for a 3rd string local keeper or MLS nextpro prospect, that makes more sense than actually calling a crap keeper who will never see the field, at expense of coverage for field spots)
       (c) you can call weah as a back, list him as such, and then properly cover the positions with appropriate bodies. shock, that. we always like this assymetric crap which is cute til someone intergral gets hurt. then your double accounting gets exposed.
       (d) you can keep spinning about well rounded players, but you are missing my basic point that a back needs to be able to defend (ream) or a forward score (sargent). if you can’t do that, i don’t care how you moonlight at something else. ever played back and known you will do your job but you don’t trust your pair to do his job, or help you on any mistakes?
       (e) most teams that aren’t “great” but are “good” come up with some schtick to overcome it. ajax and barca sell out on offense. atleti sells out on defense. bradley once upon a time had this competitive counter-attacking superior personnel teams.

       you can make your ill informed, lame “it’s all hybrid” now arguments, but THERE IS A REASON WE CAN’T BEAT ANYONE WITH BETTER TALENT THAN US. the system is crap, and we aren’t erring in any particular direction.

       repeating myself, the 21 NL team won on offense. the 21 GC team won on defense. the 22 WC team was a mess that couldn’t shut down wales or holland but then was only good for 3 goals all tournament. is that your silly idea of effective hybrid ball? maybe a goal a game, but not a defense that can pitch a shutout? that’s why teams in our situation usually pick one and favor it. we’re gonna score 3 a night and not bother with defense (ajax, barca). or we’re gonna allow 0 (atleti, old USA when they were good).

     • and repeating myself also, while pope or boca could play both ways, what you miss is we made sure they could do their position’s primary function first. when a player like spector, who could attack some from back, got torched for 2 brazil goals in the final, he disappeared.

       that is the difference between now and bradley’s team that could beat

       you kind of pretend you want “hybrid” but actually want guys who reminded me of how some d1s seem to convert mids to backs, who fold in big games. eg ream. can pass. can play positional defense hidden in a scheme and hope you play errant balls his way. cannot actually mark a running player.

       is that well rounded? actually, no. actually it’s casting against their slot. like deliberately a forward to chase who can’t score. like on purpose a back to pass and not mark.

       as i have said a jillion times “and then wondo missed the sitter.” that’s what happens when you roster a guy who can’t actually play his position. it’s the opposite of hybrid. i’m at least saying call a defender who can defend. which is less likely to backfire. i then am not opposed to them also being able to help the other end. i am just shockingly saying first make sure they can do their job competently. we have decided to be cute about that since 2018. boy, the results sure back that up, don’t they?

       c’mon man.

     • i. mean, you could argue eddie lewis was “hybrid” as he could use his MF skills to attack from his converted back spot. in reality he got torched at WC 2006. that’s not hybrid, that’s trying to play offense on defense. that’s the opposite. and that can be exploited.

       you can try to spin it all you want but i am basically asking for “dolo” instead. can defend his position. and then is probably better than eddie lewis attacking from the backline. you’re just arguing nonsense.

       and my other point is if you’re getting “cute” you might as well go overboard the whole team that way. if sargent is the striker you might as well have a whole team that can defend otherwise his press is a waste. if ream is the back you might as well err in the direction of offense all over the field — and not sargent.

     • IV

       The players you are longing for mostly don’t exist.

       That’s why USMNT managers don’t pick them.. If I’m wrong then name me they players who can do as you ask and are not being picked.

       Even if they did exist it wouldn’t help the USMNT a whole lot. For much of its existence the USMNT has defended like their lives depended on it and scored mostly on the break or on set pieces.

       But as good as they have been, when they would meet big boys, more often than not the bad guys would eventually find a way through our defense and they found a way to shut Landon and/ or Clint down.

       Whoever made the decision for the USMNT to shift towards playing out of the back they must have seen the same USMNT games that I saw where as soon as the ball got launched out of our final third, it would come right back down our throats. Eventually that pressure would tear the defense open

       The way you won soccer games back then and still do today is with balance. No team is equally as good defensively as it is offensively so if you want to win you have to be able to defend well enough to make what you score stand up.

   • Yet you never name this good defending fullback. Who, who is this guy that can defend at RB or LB. Give us a name! One name! We’ve been waiting for about six years.
     ———————
     And again
     Starting AM or W whichever you want to call them.
     Pulisic-Tillman (backups Luna-Zendajas-Wright)
     Starting CMs
     Roldan-Tessmann (backups Sands, Aaronson, Morris)
     Notice I haven’t named Weston or Weah so NO! I AM NOT DOUBLE COUNTING ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     -Both CM and W/AM have 3 backups for 2 spots without Weston or Tim.

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     • As for the too many keepers statement. Freese came off injured last weekend. It isn’t thought to be big but bringing a 4th keeper provides cover both in training and if he ends not being fit throughout.

   • We have enough cover on the wings with Aaronson, who actually plays wing for Leeds, as well as Haji Wright and Diego Luna if need be. This is the best roster Poch has called since the NL camp, and we know how that went. I think the 3 back suits our pool, even if it takes one more capable player from midfield off the field.

     I don’t think Poch rates Scally, and if we’re honest, what are we missing if Scally is not called in the WC? He’s only a decent defender with limited technical ability, no pace, not terribly athletic and an average passer. I however like Joe, and he’s still young, but when you have Weah Dest and Freemen, you don’t need Scally and Dest will get most of the WC minutes anyway

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8. Tessmann and Sands have the two biggest opportunities, IMHO. Sands is a guy I’ve been high on for awhile as a World Cup roster guy because he can play as both a deep-lying defensive 6, or as a CB in a three-man backline (or even a 4-man line in a pinch.) Other than Adams we’re short on destroyers. Aidan Morris probably gets a look there as well, but Sands, to me, is who I’d personally want as Adams’ backup…he seems tailor-made for the style Poch plays.

   A whole lot of guys have tried – and failed – to secure the co-6 spot alongside Adams. That’s the shuttler, whose job it is to advance the ball and break lines…but that guy also has to be rock-solid defensively and sync very well with the destroyer. Roldan (of all people!) showed his Seattle form was no mirage and was shockingly solid there in that role. Tessmann’s very good advancing the ball, he’s brutally physical, and he’s got an absolute cannon from distance, but the knock on him in the past was he wasn’t disciplined defensively. I haven’t seen him with Lyon lately but if he’s won a starting gig there my suspicion is he may have tightened up in that department quite a bit; you don’t start with a top squad like Lyon if you’re sloppy. So there’s definitely still a HELP WANTED sign at the shuttler spot too.

   McKennie is especially undisciplined as a co-6…and if you look, there’s no second right back on the roster beyond Alex Freeman…which makes me wonder if either McKennie or Weah are going to get a run-out there, especially since Scally wasn’t called…again. Poch really does seem to prefer wingbacks who can get up the field, and both guys could fill that role.

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   • hey q, it’s happening, either Weah or Wes or both, looks like Poch wants to see who can do it in his 3 back outside, and play both ways. haven’t found the ones behind Dest and Jedi yet, that’s what I see from these callus, and makes sense to me.

     on the 6s, with Adams in there already, Wes is less of a liability re. his lack of discipline at times because Adams will not vacate ever, and Wes is still one of our best scoring options in the air sliding around if left to roam, but he won’t get that freedom in the role you’re describing, so it’s somebody else’s imho. However, in a World Cup, in a tournament, Wes’ ability to score in the air is very useful, hope Poch figures out how to get him on the field myself. hi slack of discipline at times also shows up at WB

     nice post as usual, cheers

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9. All Poch things considered and considering the injuries…nothing for me to fume about this time.

   Would have liked to see Scally

   I want a back three again. If so I think POCH goes:

   ————Freeze————
   ——-CR– McKz—Ream–
   AFree–Tess—-Rold——-Jedi
   ———-Tillman–CP——— (I would swap Tillman for Weston. Zendejas poss start)
   —————Balo————–

   Back 4

   Drop Mckz, Move CP to the Right and Weah starts on Left (eye thing). Or Zendejas starts on right and CP on left.

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10. I wonder if Adams has a niggling injury. Or if Poch wants to see who of Sands or Morris can be a valuable backup to Adams.

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    • He requested to be home waiting for birth of child

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11. Glad to see Tessmann back! He’s in top form for Lyon right now.

    Just hope this team can sort out the Ream situation as he is getting slower and slower and afraid come World Cup, it’ll be more of a hindrance. Richards is the undisputed main centerback.

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    • ac,

      What Ream situation?
      The sky may not fall.
      He’s always been slower.
      Have you seen any sign that Pochettino won’t pull you if you suck?
      I haven’t. Pochettino is pretty ruthless.
      Which means Ream playing as much as he has is a good sign for Timmy….for now.

      It also means that if anyone is going to have a shot at replacing Timmy they are going to have to step up and TAKE it from him. They need to show their stuff, either in training with the USMNT, in previous games with the USMNT or at their clubs.
      My assumption is that so far, no one has.
      For the record, I am pretty sure that there is no one anywhere who does not want a Ream replacement or at least a viable Ream backup but that person has not stepped up.
      Am I worried? Not really. At this date, his replacement or backup will only emerge if something happens to Timmy, either a drastic loss of form ( which is not inevitable) or injury.
      As he said he would Pochettino is trying to find the 23-26 best guys who fit his idea of a WC roster. And that means that if Timmy dies of old age after the first WC game, the USMNT will adapt. In 2002 the USMNT beat Mexico in their knockout game in great part by using a 3-5-2 formation. According to Gregg B, who was there, they had never played it before. It was forced on them by injuries.
      That is the sort of thing that happens in World Cups, you rise to the occasion.
      This team has enough problems to solve without having to worry about a player who is not yet a problem.

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12. Pretty good roster. All of those players are in really good form.

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    • Aye, aye captain!

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