Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, welcome to another episode of soccer for US.
Speaker 1: I am mart and talking on this episode with me
Speaker 1: is the greatest historian on this here Twitter. First, it
Speaker 1: is Thomas aka US keeper Thomas. We are about we're
Speaker 1: talking players on this episode, but we're about to see
Speaker 1: a bunch of U seventeen players go out there and
Speaker 1: play for the US men's national team. That's kind of exciting.
Speaker 2: It always is, I tell you, the men or woman
Speaker 2: I I really I enjoy watching it because it's again,
Speaker 2: it's the next it's the next group we need to
Speaker 2: you know, he's a fifteen, sixteen year old you know
Speaker 2: kids out here, but you know they the quality of
Speaker 2: this group and you know, even to you twenty ten
Speaker 2: really impressed me. It's fun to watch and to see,
Speaker 2: especially with this group because typically most players get released
Speaker 2: for these qualifiers in the World Cup, so you do
Speaker 2: a lot of times. You have to see the kind
Speaker 2: of the best when in that age group. It's just
Speaker 2: really fun to watch and keep an eye on and
Speaker 2: just more soccer is always good.
Speaker 1: So the US men we like, that's weird to say
Speaker 1: men's use seventeen, but that's what they're as the men's
Speaker 1: U seventeen players. They're down in Costa Rica. There are
Speaker 1: like six venues selected to host and there are a
Speaker 1: bunch of different countries, which is kind of cool. This
Speaker 1: is a different qualifying setup than we've had in recent years.
Speaker 1: There's no actual tournament, which is a little disappointing. That
Speaker 1: reason is because the U seventeen World Cup, in addition
Speaker 1: to going to every year both men's and women's side,
Speaker 1: now the U seventeen and U twenty level are every year.
Speaker 1: In addition to that, they've expanded it to forty eight teams,
Speaker 1: so Conker CAF will get eight teams into this tournament.
Speaker 1: So the setup is you have eight groups, which eight
Speaker 1: groups of four. Well, actually I say that there's let's
Speaker 1: see three groups of five and then five groups of four.
Speaker 1: Whatever point as you have eight groups and you're going
Speaker 1: to I had the winner of each group advance directly
Speaker 1: to the World Cup. There's no knockouts, which is a
Speaker 1: little disappointing. But US is in Group F which involves Cuba,
Speaker 1: Saint Kitts and EVAs and the team they're playing tonight
Speaker 1: that we're recording, the US Virgin Islands. Now, this qualification
Speaker 1: is a little different because, like I said, the tournament's
Speaker 1: different Thomas. They have done away with the traditional format
Speaker 1: and instead of you know, group stage advancing to a
Speaker 1: knockout stage, they have a group stage and a knockout
Speaker 1: stage within the same group. So you have, as they're
Speaker 1: putting it, four twelve team many tournaments. So each many
Speaker 1: tournament is three groups of four teams which would play
Speaker 1: on a single round robin basis. It's a lot complicated.
Speaker 1: We'll talk about it later as we get, like actually
Speaker 1: closer to November when this happens, But the question really
Speaker 1: is how do you feel about this going too a
Speaker 1: kind of a yearly basis as opposed to what it
Speaker 1: used to be a bi annual affair.
Speaker 2: I don't know, I'm a little I mean, it's more
Speaker 2: of it, which I kind of like. But I think,
Speaker 2: you know, the this is the challenge, right we want
Speaker 2: these players playing in these tournaments, and sometimes you just
Speaker 2: missed the window right for as a player to be
Speaker 2: able to do that. So I think this gives players
Speaker 2: more of an opportunity to play in that environment. It's
Speaker 2: it's a lot of teams. I think it's you know,
Speaker 2: waters down the tournament in general, but the world Cups
Speaker 2: doing that as well. I think what we're seeing with
Speaker 2: this kind of this weird knockout stage type stuff is
Speaker 2: they're experimenting, right because I think they they're trying to
Speaker 2: figure out if there's other ways to go about when
Speaker 2: they get to the World Cup right there. I think
Speaker 2: they're just trying to see whether it is. I think
Speaker 2: it's interesting that that they're trying this level. I think
Speaker 2: it's fine that they're trying it this level. I It'll
Speaker 2: be interesting to see how it plays out, but I
Speaker 2: think I think the players will have more of a
Speaker 2: chance to play regularly in these tournaments and hopefully not
Speaker 2: watering down too much.
Speaker 3: I mean, FIFA is pretty good.
Speaker 2: I would say at this level, I'm saying, yeah, this
Speaker 2: isn't really working the way we anticipated it.
Speaker 3: Let's pull back and go back to the other format.
Speaker 2: So we'll see how it runs through this cycle and
Speaker 2: and I'm sure they'll they'll make any adjustments as needed.
Speaker 1: But look, I think you could make the argument for
Speaker 1: a very small Youth World Cup, but you could also
Speaker 1: make that a very strong argument for a larger youth
Speaker 1: World Cup. So you know, forty eight teams is fine.
Speaker 1: It allows CONCA calf eight teams. Again, I don't love
Speaker 1: that we don't get like a true knockout, so you
Speaker 1: get that champion of the of the region type vibe.
Speaker 1: But if you're getting real honest, it should make it
Speaker 1: easier for us to qualify for the tournament. But to
Speaker 1: your point, I love that we're especially at the U
Speaker 1: twenty level. I think especially you know, you might be
Speaker 1: a guy who has a late birthday right within the cycle,
Speaker 1: so you know, for you, if you're this wasn't a
Speaker 1: problem for me, But I know several people who their
Speaker 1: birthdays were somewhere between May and June in our birth
Speaker 1: year type thing that we did, and that's just a
Speaker 1: hard development at eighteen, you know, either fifteen or sixteen
Speaker 1: to play at the U seventeens, or maybe it's an
Speaker 1: eighteen or nineteen to play at the twenties. And so
Speaker 1: to your point, you're not missing out right like you're
Speaker 1: going to be able to fit in a little bit
Speaker 1: better with your age group, you know. I think it
Speaker 1: to your point also gives on the flip side, maybe
Speaker 1: you have a guy like I don't know, Kevin Sullivan
Speaker 1: who's on this you know team right now, who clearly
Speaker 1: has a huge upside from a career path who maybe
Speaker 1: now gets to play multiple these World Cup things, and
Speaker 1: you know, he might not play in out every tournament
Speaker 1: from now until he's twenty, but it gives him a
Speaker 1: couple of options to be able to go. Or maybe
Speaker 1: it's like, well, hey, this year, no my team does it,
Speaker 1: but next year maybe they do. And maybe it's a
Speaker 1: little bit like you're not fighting that battle as much
Speaker 1: with clubs to get guys released.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it creats a little and I think
Speaker 2: you have a little bit more opportunity to create a
Speaker 2: little continuity because there's always there's always gaps, right, and
Speaker 2: so they're like, oh, let's work with this group.
Speaker 3: This guy is still eligible for this.
Speaker 2: You know, we can you know, and they can kind
Speaker 2: of tear it a little bit better and build up
Speaker 2: to a little bit more from seventeens to twenties. Right,
Speaker 2: So that's going to allow maybe a little bit more
Speaker 2: of that connuity between the groups of players instead of saying, well,
Speaker 2: here in the slot, here's your window. You're done, right,
Speaker 2: and so say, well, now next year, maybe we'll bring
Speaker 2: another player up that's into the twenties or the seventeens
Speaker 2: or however it works. I think that's just where they're
Speaker 2: going to have to navigate that and I think that's
Speaker 2: you know, really important for the US Soccer to be
Speaker 2: able to maximize those opportunities.
Speaker 3: And really and figure it out right.
Speaker 2: I mean, that's where you know, Matt Crocker is going
Speaker 2: to have to really make sure he's got the right
Speaker 2: people involved in making sure that that progression is where
Speaker 2: it needs to be for for that growth and just
Speaker 2: you know, make sure you're pulling in the right players.
Speaker 1: I do want to point out that in this konkakaf
Speaker 1: you seventeen qualifiers again not championships qualifiers. Got to get
Speaker 1: that nomenclature correct. They're playing Group A and Bermuda, and
Speaker 1: I just kind of love that because it gives smaller
Speaker 1: nations a chance to host something like this. It's kind
Speaker 1: of fun. But that's neither here nor there. We are
Speaker 1: really here Thomas Tonight to talk about a fifty player roster. Now,
Speaker 1: this was a challenge issued to me by the godfather
Speaker 1: of our Soccer down Here network and the godfather of
Speaker 1: soccer in Atlanta, as we jokingly say, Jason Longshoe, who
Speaker 1: Jason Longshore aka long Shoe who said, hey, why don't
Speaker 1: you just go to a fifty man roster, because as
Speaker 1: you and I know, that's like the provisional roster for
Speaker 1: a tournament, right, you usually get a fifty man provisional
Speaker 1: which is what people, you know, teams will then select
Speaker 1: from to build their twenty three player roster for tournament.
Speaker 1: So that was kind of the challenge, and we wanted
Speaker 1: to again build out what our depth chart might be.
Speaker 1: And I think it's fun to kind of look at
Speaker 1: this and think beyond you're twenty three to twenty six
Speaker 1: player roster that you might have it. Also, I don't
Speaker 1: know about you, but it kind of revealed where we
Speaker 1: truly have some weaknesses on this roster or in our
Speaker 1: player pool.
Speaker 3: Oh for sure. I mean there.
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, once you're start going this is
Speaker 2: anyone listening just this is an interesting exercise to do
Speaker 2: because we all think we know, oh, this is this
Speaker 2: is the I mean, they're definitely core players. But when
Speaker 2: you start getting to that depth piece of it, that's
Speaker 2: where it really becomes a little bit Different's like, wow,
Speaker 2: why do you have this person? Why do you have
Speaker 2: that person? So I think really it's a good exercise
Speaker 2: for any fans do. It's tough because there's a lot
Speaker 2: of depth there in some spots and not others, and then.
Speaker 3: You get pulled, well why do you have this person?
Speaker 3: Is like, well, who is she going to bring in?
Speaker 2: Right?
Speaker 3: And so that's really where sometimes I think.
Speaker 2: Kind of doing it yourself is going to allow you
Speaker 2: to kind of figure things out a little bit, because
Speaker 2: it's it's rich, not easy to really kind of figure
Speaker 2: it out a little bit.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it does push it to kind of really evaluate
Speaker 1: the player pool because I think the other thing, and
Speaker 1: spoiler alert, is some of the players that may have,
Speaker 1: you know, shined bright in January camp aren't really considered
Speaker 1: right now, and maybe some that you maybe might have
Speaker 1: shrugged off. When you look at the depth of the
Speaker 1: position as a whole, you go, well, maybe they need
Speaker 1: to be concluded because you hain got no one else
Speaker 1: above them. And that was kind of my struggle is like, ah, man,
Speaker 1: I really don't feel strongly about this player to put
Speaker 1: them in this type of depth chart exercise, but at
Speaker 1: the same time, like, well, kind of got to include
Speaker 1: someone there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's definitely the challenge when when we
Speaker 2: look at this as a whole, is just really trying
Speaker 2: to figure out what's you know, what the need.
Speaker 3: Is, and we'll probably we'll come up with this.
Speaker 2: But I think the the US does have some unique
Speaker 2: players that with club and country are playing different positions.
Speaker 2: And I think that's really an advantage kind of of
Speaker 2: this pool right now, is that they have that flexibility
Speaker 2: to play multiple positions. So while I can't speak for you,
Speaker 2: while mine has that a little bit, I think, you know,
Speaker 2: you you've got players who can slot into other plays.
Speaker 2: So just because you have someone in you know whatever
Speaker 2: right back, doesn't mean you know, you the next person
Speaker 2: in line would be the next person I would necessarily
Speaker 2: play in that position. It's just the next person of yeah,
Speaker 2: that's you know, because I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure
Speaker 2: you did this. It's only one player per position, right,
Speaker 2: so I'm not I'm not putting like, uh tim weya
Speaker 2: on the wing?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yea, yeah, same, I was. I was thinking what
Speaker 1: is their primary position? But there were a couple that
Speaker 1: I definitely considered as like, well, you know, worst case scenario,
Speaker 1: they can also be called in at this type of position.
Speaker 1: But like I thought of them, like, no, this is
Speaker 1: there here for this position. But to your point like
Speaker 1: Waya McKenny, you know, excuse me, McKenzie, McKenny and Moosa
Speaker 1: could kind of play some you know, you can move
Speaker 1: them around, like McKenny could play right back, mackenzie could
Speaker 1: play right back, Musa could play right back, Adams, you know,
Speaker 1: there are tons of those types of players. But I'm
Speaker 1: with you, like this was a trying to keep it
Speaker 1: per position. So with that said, let's let's score with goalkeepers.
Speaker 1: I think this is the place where we had a
Speaker 1: lot of agreement. So I'm just gonna read off first three.
Speaker 3: Sound good? Yeah, go ahead? Okay? Uh?
Speaker 1: Number one, Matt Turner, number two, Patrick Schulte, number three,
Speaker 1: Ethan Hornbath. Now I found this a little interesting that
Speaker 1: we have Shulty as the number two, both of us.
Speaker 1: I don't think that it matters though, Does that make sense?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: So I have this order here, I think is to me,
Speaker 2: there's a there's an asterisk here because I don't think.
Speaker 3: That well. I guess what I.
Speaker 2: Would prefer to see is your your primary number one,
Speaker 2: which is Matt Turner, and then whoever whoever's in the
Speaker 2: best form for number two, and then your number three.
Speaker 2: And this is where I think is a conversation is
Speaker 2: one of the young keepers, right, yeah, and so, and
Speaker 2: that's up for debate obviously, because you know, everyone was
Speaker 2: loving god Go Slanina, you know, a year ago, two
Speaker 2: years ago, and you know he's kind of fallen by
Speaker 2: the waist for you know, right now with his club.
Speaker 3: So that is a little bit suspect.
Speaker 2: So I don't get too high on goalkeepers at eighteen, nineteen,
Speaker 2: twenty years old, because they have a long way to
Speaker 2: go before they're really going to be, you know, in
Speaker 2: their form to keep playing at high level. So I
Speaker 2: think that's kind of any anyone on my list other
Speaker 2: than the kind of the young guys will kind of
Speaker 2: fall into that, like that battle for the kind of
Speaker 2: the two spot. Honestly, if Matt Turner is healthy and
Speaker 2: he's you know, he had another great performance today for
Speaker 2: a Crystal Palace, right and I think, you know, he
Speaker 2: can do it, right, and so he's just got to
Speaker 2: find that time.
Speaker 1: The next three I'll give mine. I have I had
Speaker 1: six that I named on this roster, Zach Stephan, Matt Frazing,
Speaker 1: and then I have god Goslonina. I included Stefan just
Speaker 1: because this was a little bit of the do I
Speaker 1: rate him as highly Not really, but I can't hide
Speaker 1: away from the fact that he's getting called in by Buchettino,
Speaker 1: the new coach. He obviously has experience playing at the
Speaker 1: national team level, and he is I mean maybe not
Speaker 1: like currently currently, but he is playing week in and
Speaker 1: week out for his club when they do play, so
Speaker 1: that that has an unfortunate reality with our goalkeeper pool
Speaker 1: is sometimes it's just the dude who happens to be
Speaker 1: playing is gonna get called in. I mean, I think
Speaker 1: that was Sean Johnson's like saving grace for much of
Speaker 1: his time during the twenty twenty two cycles, like well, hey,
Speaker 1: I'm I just had training. I can get out here,
Speaker 1: and you know, I played a match last week. I'm good.
Speaker 1: You have a slightly different one. I'll let you run
Speaker 1: through your next couple and then.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I have I have Matt Matt Freeze as well.
Speaker 2: But then I then I have a trio of the
Speaker 2: young group right coaching Salomna and Brady right. So to me,
Speaker 2: I I just think we have again if you again,
Speaker 2: we say before I say it again, you know, if
Speaker 2: the third keepers playing in a World Cup, you're probably
Speaker 2: not in a good position. But that's you know, I
Speaker 2: don't know what Ponchino is gonna do in that manner.
Speaker 2: I don't know if he'll he'll make that that leap
Speaker 2: with that, but I look at that, it's saying, hey,
Speaker 2: to me, Brady is one and coaching right now or
Speaker 2: playing Slownina. He's gonna have to work his way back in.
Speaker 2: But I think it's kind of they're going to kind
Speaker 2: of battle on their own for any possible spot. Coach
Speaker 2: has been called in, you know, to the national team
Speaker 2: last year, and Slownna. You know, he's had his moments.
Speaker 2: He played in the Olympics, So I think, you know,
Speaker 2: I think, you know, hopefully we'll we'll kind of see
Speaker 2: a little bit of a battle there, you know. On
Speaker 2: the Stephan point, I was on the fence about that
Speaker 2: and still am. Uh so I decided to Philia mop
Speaker 2: But I again, if you kind of see where the
Speaker 2: winds are blown with Ponchatino, he's definitely, you know, in
Speaker 2: the conversation, I just worry about his health. I think
Speaker 2: that's I think for me, that's always been the issues
Speaker 2: with him, and he hasn't consistently been able to do
Speaker 2: that ever since he came back to the MLS. He's
Speaker 2: just he's a little bit slower in general, but you
Speaker 2: know he may fall into that role right, the third
Speaker 2: role with a like Sean Johnson. He's he's got the experience.
Speaker 2: You can rely on him, you know if you need
Speaker 2: to so.
Speaker 1: Well. And that's I think. The other thing is this is,
Speaker 1: you know, as we're recording this February tenth, twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: that could change in the next month, depending on especially
Speaker 1: when we're talking about these lower tiered goalkeeping slots. It's like, well,
Speaker 1: it turns out that Stephan starts to season terribly, then
Speaker 1: I have no problem putting, you know, Chris Brady, if
Speaker 1: he starts well, putting him higher up the depth chart.
Speaker 1: So I'm with you there. I've I think, you know,
Speaker 1: for example, like Cocain and Slownina, it does for Cocain especially,
Speaker 1: it's like, man, let's get you into our youth national
Speaker 1: team pool for this particular you twenty World Cup cycle,
Speaker 1: and hopefully that can also kind of kick start your
Speaker 1: career as a professional. So I like that, let's move
Speaker 1: to center backs, which again a lot of agreement. I
Speaker 1: don't know if our exact placement is the same.
Speaker 3: So I have.
Speaker 1: Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Hameron, Carter Vickers, Miles Robinson, Austin
Speaker 1: Trustee as my kind of five that I would like,
Speaker 1: legit call into a tournament. You kind of have something
Speaker 1: similarly of Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Cameron, Carter Vickers, Austin Trustee,
Speaker 1: and then you have Tim reim higher than I do,
Speaker 1: Miles Robinson. So I'll let you kind of explain your
Speaker 1: reasoning there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's just recent recency bias on that.
Speaker 2: For what we're seeing still with Ponchettino, I think it's early.
Speaker 2: I think it's one of those things where someone's going
Speaker 2: to have to take that spot. In my opinion, maybe
Speaker 2: it's Miles Robinson or someone else, but I think someone's
Speaker 2: going to have to take the spot because he offers,
Speaker 2: I think the leadership that we all know and love
Speaker 2: from Tim Reeen. He offers experience, but he's a liability
Speaker 2: with his age and his you know, playing in the
Speaker 2: MLS it's you know, it's a slower game. Defensively, it's
Speaker 2: a lot different. So I think that's where we'll see
Speaker 2: how he kind of progresses or or declines here in
Speaker 2: the next season and a half because that's what we'll
Speaker 2: probably see him before the World Cup and to see
Speaker 2: if he's is able to hold that fifth spot, because
Speaker 2: I think they'll have a twenty sixth player roster and
Speaker 2: I think he'll he would probably be the fifth, you know,
Speaker 2: you know, center back. I don't think he's going to
Speaker 2: be capable of starting, but maybe he has a role
Speaker 2: coming off the bench.
Speaker 3: So then after that.
Speaker 1: I I have Tim Riam literally directly after it for
Speaker 1: kind of the same reason of like he's on my
Speaker 1: fifter player squad because if there's any sort of injury
Speaker 1: above him, I need him and the like I fully
Speaker 1: trust him to be able to be a competent player.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean he's earned that.
Speaker 2: Everyone's tired of him, and I'm I'm I'm I'm not
Speaker 2: tired of him, but I mean, just we just we
Speaker 2: can just see our eyes.
Speaker 3: Tell us a lot about where he is, and I
Speaker 3: just have to.
Speaker 1: My hope is that he could tendes to be pretty
Speaker 1: darn good for Charlotte to the point where like, like
Speaker 1: you know, I don't think we've seen that from for example,
Speaker 1: Walker Zimmerman, who doesn't appear on either of our depth charts,
Speaker 1: mainly because he hasn't been at that level that he
Speaker 1: was at the twenty twenty two World Cup. So for me,
Speaker 1: I just hope Tim can kind of keep at a
Speaker 1: solid level. I don't know why he you know what,
Speaker 1: in other than age and that way, it's like, well,
Speaker 1: we know he's there if we need.
Speaker 2: Him, right, I mean, and this is a bad example
Speaker 2: because of where he's playing, but you know, you know, Zimmerman,
Speaker 2: you know, could.
Speaker 3: Surprise us. All right.
Speaker 2: Rim was a late entrant, right, and we talk about
Speaker 2: into that pool in that timing, right, it was in
Speaker 2: terms of that earning that starting position, he was kind
Speaker 2: of on the fringes of it. And then it's like,
Speaker 2: how can you not start this player in the World Cup?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 3: Because he was at such a.
Speaker 2: High level and it was really a no brainer at
Speaker 2: the end of the day. And he did that kind
Speaker 2: of late in the cycle. And is there a player
Speaker 2: of that age a Miles Robinson, a Walker's im Moven
Speaker 2: Matt Miasko, which is unlikely, but you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 2: a player that's just older at a center back position
Speaker 2: that could come in and you know, fill and solidify
Speaker 2: that position because we just don't we don't have any
Speaker 2: one right now that's doing that. There's a lot of
Speaker 2: we have the names, but no one really has locked
Speaker 2: that position down. Chris Richards has his moments, Martin McKenzie
Speaker 2: the same thing. We just haven't seen enough of it.
Speaker 2: And I think that's why it's going to be so
Speaker 2: important that this group, whoever it is, does play together
Speaker 2: in the Nation's League and in the in the Gold Cup.
Speaker 1: I mean, moving down your depth chart, who do you
Speaker 1: see as rounding out this fifty player pool.
Speaker 2: So I have kind of a I think this is
Speaker 2: going to be based on how they're playing, but I
Speaker 2: have Miles Robinson next, and then kind of you know,
Speaker 2: one A, one B was it's Eric Palmer Brown. He's
Speaker 2: not a name we've heard a lot, but he's back,
Speaker 2: and when I mean my back. He's playing with his club.
Speaker 2: He's played for the last five matches for his club.
Speaker 2: He've been playing quite well, and he's a player that
Speaker 2: had been, you know, up the depth chart at times,
Speaker 2: and I think he's just a player to watch because
Speaker 2: there's not a lot of other names that you know
Speaker 2: outside of the extreme experience respective that center back is
Speaker 2: a one of our weak areas. And then you start
Speaker 2: looking at the youth options, right, you know, that's where
Speaker 2: you start. You know, is it a nil, is it
Speaker 2: a winder? You know, you know those players there and
Speaker 2: and you know, maybe they fight for it, but young
Speaker 2: center backs are just they're just too green in my
Speaker 2: you know, in my opinion to be able to rely
Speaker 2: on so much. I mean Brooks at the what I
Speaker 2: don't know what was Brooks twenty one years old in
Speaker 2: twenty fourteen when he scroll the goal. Who's pretty green
Speaker 2: even then at that age. So if one of those
Speaker 2: youth players can make their way into.
Speaker 3: It, then.
Speaker 2: You know it's gonna be that probably you know, further
Speaker 2: down the depth chart. But they're worth looking at and
Speaker 2: worth you know, following.
Speaker 1: That's a good point. I My seventh spot is Noaki Banks,
Speaker 1: who is definitely a youth option. But to me, he
Speaker 1: is very clearly ahead of the others, mainly because he's
Speaker 1: you know, playing minutes in the Bundesliga where the other
Speaker 1: guys aren't. And that's that's fine. You know. To me,
Speaker 1: that that's good is that we have a guy like
Speaker 1: that who is clearly if he wants to play for
Speaker 1: the USA, that should be said. But you can put
Speaker 1: him on a promotional roster, I don't cap type and whatever.
Speaker 1: So building out my provisional roster for Nations League going, well,
Speaker 1: maybe I can possibly get this guy in if we
Speaker 1: have to. Not the worst idea. I'm not saying calling
Speaker 1: him up, you know, I'm not calling him up, but
Speaker 1: he's on that list if I need to. But I'm
Speaker 1: with you in the sense that, like, we have some
Speaker 1: young guys who might be good in their future, but
Speaker 1: I love the Eric Palmer brown shout because he's still
Speaker 1: under thirty, right, so he could potentially continue to grow
Speaker 1: and maybe be a guy you're looking at for twenty thirty.
Speaker 1: I mean that's sincerely. I mean he's twenty seven years old,
Speaker 1: so that's not like you know, it's not terrible. And
Speaker 1: if he continues to play for Pontiaco's that is just
Speaker 1: as good of a level, probably a little lower than MLS,
Speaker 1: but like you think of, like, okay, you're playing overall
Speaker 1: in a European league. That's a pretty darn good resume
Speaker 1: to have. I don't hate that inclusion, just because for me,
Speaker 1: he hasn't convinced me fully, mainly because I don't think
Speaker 1: the Greek League is that great. But you know, if
Speaker 1: he continues to play, that's a that's a good it's
Speaker 1: a good guy to have an ear player pool.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's one I've kind of been waiting for him
Speaker 3: to come back. He's been injured for quite a while.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's good to see him back because we
Speaker 2: just can we just deaths not really there. I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, we're we start talking about eighteen nineteen year
Speaker 2: old center backs.
Speaker 3: I mean it's just.
Speaker 2: You know, you have high hopes, but it's the continuity
Speaker 2: between the center backs, you know, what we've seen is
Speaker 2: so important. And yeah, I don't know if an eighteen
Speaker 2: or nineteen year old can find that that that form
Speaker 2: and that composure, you know, come walk up time. But hey,
Speaker 2: stranger things have happened. But I think no, KaiA Banks
Speaker 2: is definitely a you know, one many of us would
Speaker 2: like to see. He's definitely getting his minutes in the
Speaker 2: Bluones League.
Speaker 1: So I'll let you go through your fullbacks, Just go
Speaker 1: through all of them, and we'll chat about why are
Speaker 1: you jos? Those?
Speaker 2: Sure I had and I kind of went left right,
Speaker 2: you know, right left, excuse me, position wise, but with
Speaker 2: a lot of these, some of them can play. So
Speaker 2: I had Junior Desk, Anthony Robinson, Joe Scally, Marlon Fosse,
Speaker 2: John Tolkien, Richie Lidsma, and uh Nathaniel Brown, who is
Speaker 2: a little smoke there. He's a dual national, so it's
Speaker 2: a little smoke there. But I actually had to put
Speaker 2: him on my list before so called smoke, so but
Speaker 2: he is.
Speaker 3: He is another one there that I.
Speaker 1: Need to pause you. We are six minutes into the
Speaker 1: US versus Virtuin Islands game. It's already too nothing, so
Speaker 1: all right, sorry, in one of the shots.
Speaker 2: I didn't have him on my list, but he to me,
Speaker 2: he's definitely one because his versatility and what we've seen
Speaker 2: is Dewan Jones, I think he's he's definitely one to
Speaker 2: consider as well. I think he will probably continue to
Speaker 2: get be watched for sure, but he definitely if he
Speaker 2: can definitely perform, you know with his new club this season.
Speaker 2: Uh and next I think you know he's gonna start
Speaker 2: maybe getting some collins.
Speaker 3: I like that.
Speaker 1: I had nine fullback, so I had basically four for
Speaker 1: each position and a guy who you know, just called
Speaker 1: in if you need to and Minor Dust Robinson, Scaley
Speaker 1: Fosse are my top four. My I included Jones and
Speaker 1: my fifty player, and he's he's on the fifth spot.
Speaker 1: These aren't necessarily now, the rest of them aren't necessarily like, oh,
Speaker 1: I think they're better than them. These are just the
Speaker 1: guys that I was like, well, yeah, I'll list them.
Speaker 1: Christopher Lund, Caleb Wiley, John Tolkien, and Richard Ledesma. Ledesma
Speaker 1: has been playing right back at p S. I don't
Speaker 1: think he's playing you know, I don't know if that's
Speaker 1: his best position. In fact, I don't think it is
Speaker 1: his best best position. But I think he's a very
Speaker 1: good player and the type of player who I would
Speaker 1: want to have in my thought process. Wiley and Tolkien.
Speaker 1: Wiley is now Wolves. He's you know, unfortunately not been
Speaker 1: I don't know why he didn't stay over in France,
Speaker 1: but oh well. And then Tolkien getting a move to
Speaker 1: the Bundesliga. You know, I think Holstein Keel is relegation bound,
Speaker 1: but I think that is a good move. He's starting
Speaker 1: for them, like almost immediately. Lund is still in my radar,
Speaker 1: but I think he's quickly falling off. As as as
Speaker 1: you mentioned, Nathaniel Brown is quickly rising up that radar again.
Speaker 1: Some after Jones. They're all just like, well, if we
Speaker 1: need to call him up, I'll call him up. Like
Speaker 1: that's not like a depth order.
Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, And I group would agree with most
Speaker 2: Lund to my yeah to echo that he he's just
Speaker 2: he To me, he's fallen off. I just he hasn't
Speaker 2: impressed me in the in the opportunities had and he.
Speaker 1: Is with Tolkien and Wiley moving to Europe and playing
Speaker 1: pretty significant minutes, especially Tolkien now like almost starting for Keel.
Speaker 1: I think that is a like we can rely on
Speaker 1: this dude to be a backup left back because for
Speaker 1: the longest time, Christopher Lunn was like, well we got
Speaker 1: to have a backup left back right.
Speaker 3: Well right, and he I think he at the time,
Speaker 3: he was probably the best better option.
Speaker 2: I mean I think, you know, debatably, I think Dewan
Speaker 2: Jones could have filled that position, you know, just as well.
Speaker 2: I don't think Lun did anything that was crazy, and
Speaker 2: I think it was just maybe manager comfortability with the player, right.
Speaker 3: I think that's really what it comes down to.
Speaker 2: But we I just I want to see better quality
Speaker 2: depth right in that position, I think, And that's where
Speaker 2: Nathaniel Brown is.
Speaker 3: Is that I at that level.
Speaker 2: You know, he's low on my list because he's not
Speaker 2: a he's not a you know, he's a dual national.
Speaker 2: He's gotta he's gotta have a one time switch, and yeah,
Speaker 2: until until that happens, I think.
Speaker 1: Noahki Banks could just come play for us if I'm like,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm trying to remember where he falls in those
Speaker 1: rules because he's under the age of eight. He's still eighteen,
Speaker 1: so I don't know what his Yeah, I don't think
Speaker 1: he's played. I think he could just come on over.
Speaker 1: I don't think that's a problem, whereas I'm with Brown
Speaker 1: would require some sort of documentation, which what cause some
Speaker 1: sort of like I don't know, minor issue.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think Banks is technically I think is
Speaker 2: primary residencies, United States and Brown is Germany, So I think, yeah,
Speaker 2: But again I'm not really sure how that works either,
Speaker 2: like in terms of you know, because there's always that
Speaker 2: you know, primary secondary when he talked to the Damasos
Speaker 2: in terms of that switches.
Speaker 1: So I do want to shout out, and I'll get
Speaker 1: to him a little bit later, but I just want
Speaker 1: to shout out that Marlon FOSSi seems to be a
Speaker 1: guy that. And remember in November, you know, Pachaccino or
Speaker 1: not bring any real backup fullbacks. And I think that
Speaker 1: needs to be said about this is that he had Robinson,
Speaker 1: he had Jedi, and he has Joe Scally. We won't
Speaker 1: have dest for Nations League. But he's still the dude, right.
Speaker 1: I would very much look into bringing at least Fosse
Speaker 1: as a backup right back or bringing in a true
Speaker 1: back up left back for Nations League if I had
Speaker 1: to build my twenty three player because I think I
Speaker 1: understand Pochettino's like, I understand what he's saying about. Yes,
Speaker 1: Musa and McKenny and Adams all three and Waya, all
Speaker 1: those guys could potentially play right back if you know,
Speaker 1: Joe Scally gets hurt or whatever. I don't know about you,
Speaker 1: but I really would like to look up on either side.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I if we expect a twenty six
Speaker 2: player roster, you know, I think you can afford to
Speaker 2: to you know, have you know the proper depth at
Speaker 2: that position without having to say, well, McKenny or Musa
Speaker 2: can play the role if we need to. I don't
Speaker 2: think you want to take that chance. In general, I
Speaker 2: suppose to barlhl To who brought four right backs. But
Speaker 2: that's beyond the point there. But but yeah, it's yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: hope hopefully he sees it. It's still too determined in
Speaker 2: terms of what really how Ponchino is seeing this depth
Speaker 2: right now because he still hasn't really seen that much
Speaker 2: of it. Yeah, he's had a couple of chances. So
Speaker 2: the MLS group now he's you know, now he's gonna
Speaker 2: be watching for the uh, you know, for the European
Speaker 2: group for for March, and we'll have to kind of
Speaker 2: see you know who you know, who's available and then
Speaker 2: where that you know, where that kind of is because
Speaker 2: it's I think, I think when we have a few
Speaker 2: more instances of it, will have a better idea of
Speaker 2: where that death falls.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's had I mean, obviously January camp was
Speaker 1: not a fully exhaustive like I don't expect he was
Speaker 1: going full tilt on scouting like the entirety of MLS.
Speaker 1: But he has had now the October camp, November camp
Speaker 1: to identify real needs on the roster. And he's had November, December, January,
Speaker 1: and we'll have a little bit of time in February
Speaker 1: at least a couple of MLS weeks and European weeks
Speaker 1: before Nation's league starts in the end of March, so
Speaker 1: he may have, to your point, a better understanding of
Speaker 1: not just the player pool, but also like how comfortable
Speaker 1: he is with building a roster depth, you know, because
Speaker 1: at a club level, of course you're gonna have backup,
Speaker 1: left backs and right back you can go buy those guys.
Speaker 1: But if he's not seeing it on the national team level,
Speaker 1: that would concern me. But we'll see. Let's move up
Speaker 1: the field to the midfielders. I'll let you go through
Speaker 1: your guys, go through your top four first.
Speaker 2: So I started again. The midfields were top, so like
Speaker 2: ranking them is a little harder.
Speaker 1: I have like fifteen midfielders.
Speaker 2: I'm with you, Yeah, yeah, yeah, It's like, well, there's
Speaker 2: three different positions and he's playing differently. So I had
Speaker 2: I Geo, Western, McKinney, Cower, Adams, and Lake Killman in
Speaker 2: my top four.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that makes the most sense. I had
Speaker 1: Wes go Tyler, Unice Malik. I put Wes over Geo
Speaker 1: just because I can rely on Wes to be healthy.
Speaker 1: That is I think the most comfortable of any of
Speaker 1: the positions. I have, you know what I'm saying, Like
Speaker 1: those five guys, I'm like, yeah, that that's our midfield.
Speaker 1: I would even go as far to say my sixth
Speaker 1: man is Johnny just because I'm just man. At some point,
Speaker 1: the dude's got to be decent enough for us in
Speaker 1: a national team shirt to not go, oh, Johnny's playing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, yeah, he's there. He's in my six
Speaker 3: two is uh you know, well, I think he's yeah.
Speaker 2: It's just one of those things, you know, we've got
Speaker 2: to see that translate club the country, right and but yeah,
Speaker 2: this position is probably our strongest, you know, in terms
Speaker 2: of just the depth we have and the versatility we
Speaker 2: have in the position right there. Yes, players can, players
Speaker 2: can move in there. Politic could play you know, attacking midfielder,
Speaker 2: which he has at times and then been very successful
Speaker 2: you know in recent.
Speaker 3: Matches.
Speaker 2: So it's yeah, it's definitely it's really our I think
Speaker 2: it's our really our strength right now hopefully continues because
Speaker 2: that's really I think where we're going to win a
Speaker 2: lot of games, being able to have that quality holding
Speaker 2: possession midfielders, to be able to control that possession and.
Speaker 3: Build the attack.
Speaker 1: After that. We actually have six, seven, and eight the
Speaker 1: same as well we had. Like we said, Johnny, we
Speaker 1: have Brendo and Tanner, Tessaman rounds out are my ninth
Speaker 1: player is a little different. I do want your take
Speaker 1: as well. I have still Luca Delatory. I actually think
Speaker 1: his moved to MLS will help him get back on that,
Speaker 1: like feel good about his game and be a little
Speaker 1: more confident. You know, He's another guy that I don't
Speaker 1: think you've ever had a game that you can be like,
Speaker 1: oh man, he played really well for the US national team.
Speaker 1: But I think his just overall knowledge and experience at
Speaker 1: the you know, in his professional career to me put
Speaker 1: some above some other guys. But you do not have
Speaker 1: him on your step chart.
Speaker 3: Yeah he's not.
Speaker 2: He fell off, but I think he could easily jump
Speaker 2: back on to your point, I think he just needs
Speaker 2: to play and he hasn't been doing that, and he's
Speaker 2: to me, he's he kind of not so much skill
Speaker 2: realized with the type of player. He just reminds me
Speaker 2: like a Sasha question, right, a player that's like this
Speaker 2: guy's up there. He can ball right, and he can
Speaker 2: really deliver and control the midfield. But he's got but
Speaker 2: he's not there enough, right and so and he but
Speaker 2: he hasn't had a huge amount of opportunities.
Speaker 3: It's that weird. He's in kind of that limbo spot.
Speaker 2: Where where he's on the a team, you know, twenty
Speaker 2: three to twenty six player roster, but he's not playing
Speaker 2: a lot. And then when they do the you know,
Speaker 2: Gold Cups, he's not on those either, right, And so
Speaker 2: that's where I think that's the miss for him. He's
Speaker 2: not benefiting from getting that opportunity where that you know,
Speaker 2: you know, the subs aren't getting opportunity national wise outside
Speaker 2: of that, and he in his limited time with the
Speaker 2: you know, the eighteen twenty three is is limited. So
Speaker 2: that's why he's just not there for me right now.
Speaker 2: Hopefully he can you know, have a good MLS season
Speaker 2: and and just regain his form because he he definitely
Speaker 2: offers a lot, and you know, he's had some nice moments,
Speaker 2: but right now he's just he's just fallen off for me.
Speaker 1: Your tenth and my tenth are kind of the same.
Speaker 1: We have I have Aiden Morris, you have Aiden and
Speaker 1: uh Leonard and Maloney kind of in that nine slot.
Speaker 1: Whoever's playing better. You said, yeah, I'm with you. I
Speaker 1: didn't put Leonard Maloney in mind just because I think
Speaker 1: aiden I prefer him, but I think that's a good shout.
Speaker 1: Is like a guy who can, who is a true
Speaker 1: defensive midfielder.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think they both play a similar type position. Again,
Speaker 2: I think this is where, you know, this is where
Speaker 2: it gets challenging when we're looking at that, like further
Speaker 2: down the depth chart.
Speaker 3: Well, who are you gonna throw in here? Right?
Speaker 2: I mean, Morris is definitely playing better right now. Maloney,
Speaker 2: you know, he's definitely struggled, but I think he still
Speaker 2: is a player that needs to be on the list.
Speaker 2: I think he offers something you know, in general, but
Speaker 2: trust me, he's low. They're further down the list because
Speaker 2: they just aren't just good. And that's where you know
Speaker 2: that that's you know, that's where that it gets a
Speaker 2: little challenging to start shuffling the cards a little bit
Speaker 2: in in terms of who's going to be where.
Speaker 1: Now. I had twelve midfielders, so I'll give you my
Speaker 1: next two, which are John Luca Bucio and Paxton Aaronson.
Speaker 1: Bucio is definitely a guy. I think you talked about
Speaker 1: this with Lucado Torri who never had the opportunity to
Speaker 1: play at a Gold Cup, so we never really got
Speaker 1: to see him be the dude in the midfield or
Speaker 1: like really shine for the national team because he's always
Speaker 1: been just a backup option. Bucio has had that, and
Speaker 1: he's been up and he's been down, but we've seen
Speaker 1: him enough to be like for me to say, okay,
Speaker 1: I can kind of rely on him to be if
Speaker 1: I needed to a dude. I mean again, if we're
Speaker 1: not getting Wes go Eunice Malik or even at this
Speaker 1: point Brendo in the midfield, then John Luca Bucio is
Speaker 1: a guy that I feel comfortable calling up. Paxon Aaronson
Speaker 1: is just there because I think he is starting to
Speaker 1: kind of figure out what type of player he is
Speaker 1: a professional level outside of the Union system. I'm really
Speaker 1: high on him as a guy who can be in
Speaker 1: attacking midfield, either in that eight or ten role, just
Speaker 1: someone who can kind of arrive late into the box.
Speaker 1: I think that is a skill set he definitely holds. Now,
Speaker 1: I will say I did not include the next player
Speaker 1: that you included, and I'm sure people will roast me
Speaker 1: online and say, how could you dare not include him?
Speaker 1: So your final midfielder that you're including is Diego Luna. Yeah,
Speaker 1: obviously a great showing in January, but tell me more.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, I just he just definitely offers that
Speaker 2: dynamic attacking midfielder piece of it. That's a little unpredictable, right,
Speaker 2: So you figure a player like this comes into a
Speaker 2: match late to get a tying or winning goal opportunity.
Speaker 2: I could just see him, you know, providing that that
Speaker 2: spark off the bench, and I will say I didn't
Speaker 2: have packs in the midfielders because I had him somewhere else,
Speaker 2: so he will show up on my list later.
Speaker 3: Only a yeah. So so it's again some of this
Speaker 3: is just you.
Speaker 2: Know, where they slot in better here, you know here
Speaker 2: or there, because again, a player like Brendan Aronson in
Speaker 2: Pon system plays you know, more of the essential attack,
Speaker 2: but he can also play the wing right, so that's
Speaker 2: where you know, that's where you have some of those
Speaker 2: flexibilities with these players that can play multiple positions. But
Speaker 2: since we're not duplicating players that so you've got to
Speaker 2: put them kind of where you think they slot in
Speaker 2: best with you know, within Ponchatino's systems. So but I
Speaker 2: think I think Luna is a player that needs to
Speaker 2: be watched and looked at. I think I thought he
Speaker 2: showed well. I think he showed Ponchettino. You know that
Speaker 2: he's tough with obviously that broken nose that that he
Speaker 2: played with. So I think I think he's earned some
Speaker 2: stock there. It's gonna be up to him whether he
Speaker 2: can have a you know, a really standout MLAST season
Speaker 2: and and see what really he can he could do
Speaker 2: and you know, get in there. I just it's to me,
Speaker 2: it's just one of those players that I like, that's
Speaker 2: just a little bit unpredictable and you know, against tired legs,
Speaker 2: you never know.
Speaker 1: No, I I'm not saying I don't believe in Diego Luna.
Speaker 1: I'm saying I need him to show me that this year.
Speaker 1: That's just kind of where I am with him. So
Speaker 1: I agree with your assessment. I want to move to
Speaker 1: the the position now that was the hardest for me
Speaker 1: to build out beyond like three, and that is wingers.
Speaker 1: My wingers are Christian, polistic, tim Waya Haji right, and
Speaker 1: then I go Kevin Peretti is Alex Sandejas, who I
Speaker 1: feel very comfortable about. Preda's obviously playing in Bundesliga, Sundejas
Speaker 1: playing down in Liga, and Mechi's I like those five.
Speaker 1: I feel very like, okay, if that's our five wingerpool fine.
Speaker 1: After that, I was grasping at straws. I want your
Speaker 1: take on the winger side of things.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's rough.
Speaker 2: It's rough because I think we have the top three
Speaker 2: of the same for both of us, and then it
Speaker 2: then it becomes well, what else do you got? And
Speaker 2: so I put Moosa there And the reason I did
Speaker 2: that was because that's kind of where he's slotting in
Speaker 2: right now for and the Ponchettino's absolutely it may not
Speaker 2: be his best role, but I think he's done all
Speaker 2: right there. I think he's been able to get a
Speaker 2: little more creative you know there for him. So I
Speaker 2: had him there then follow by Zendejas, and then I
Speaker 2: had Pax and Aaronson. In general, I mean, there are
Speaker 2: some younger wingers that I think you have on your
Speaker 2: list that I considered for sure. The challenges is that
Speaker 2: they just they're they're inconsistent or just not healthy, and
Speaker 2: I think that's that's where's that's where this is hard.
Speaker 2: It's really hard because we haven't been able to see
Speaker 2: them consistently. But you know, I love for prayers to
Speaker 2: come on and do something, but he just hasn't done it.
Speaker 3: I mean, he's been.
Speaker 2: Fighting injury, he's been fighting form quality and it's it's
Speaker 2: it's he's not a player that I think we can
Speaker 2: rely on at all right now. And he's got a show.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's been. I mean he hasn't played at all
Speaker 1: this season for Wolfsford because he's been out with an injury.
Speaker 1: And so I agree with that. So once he gets
Speaker 1: back for me, he's like, he's a guy I'm calling up,
Speaker 1: but I'm with you. Like, so my next group of wingers,
Speaker 1: I have Taylor Booth, who I feel fairly comfortable in
Speaker 1: being as a winger. He's been you know, playing as
Speaker 1: a professional for a little bit now with twenty day
Speaker 1: and and I think that to me is I feel
Speaker 1: comfortable including him despite not really playing well. But that's
Speaker 1: kind of the point is we don't really have a
Speaker 1: whole lot of guys that are playing super well. You know,
Speaker 1: maybe this MLS season will break open some of the
Speaker 1: guys that maybe help us. Uh Yeah, Taylor Booth, Cole
Speaker 1: Campbell at Dortmund is you know, I know he's not
Speaker 1: really playing for Dortmund, but he's getting put on the
Speaker 1: bench and all that. I think that's impressive. And then
Speaker 1: I'm feel him out there. I don't really like his
Speaker 1: game all that much, but Kate Cabell, I mean, he's
Speaker 1: a guy who's playing professional minutes at the winger position.
Speaker 1: So it's kind of like, well, that's really about good
Speaker 1: enough for me at this point, you know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean he's you know, he kind of he
Speaker 2: has his moments. He's still pretty raw in general.
Speaker 3: Again, I how he's I kind of call him like
Speaker 3: a you.
Speaker 2: Know, like a pall aerolo type player, you know what
Speaker 2: I mean. I think maybe is a little bit of
Speaker 2: a higher ceiling, but just you know, yeah, it's just
Speaker 2: attempt's not there. It's just not like and you know, uh,
Speaker 2: what's the I'm blanking.
Speaker 3: On right hand? The dual national winger there.
Speaker 1: Luca uh oh, look at Colesh.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Luke know, he was someone that many fans, including myself,
Speaker 2: were interested in, you know, trying to sway to come over.
Speaker 3: He hasn't been.
Speaker 2: He's been playing very poorly uh for club for for
Speaker 2: quite a while now, so you know, he's not even
Speaker 2: he was someone I considered, but he just he's fallen
Speaker 2: off and and he's he's a dual national, so like,
Speaker 2: you know, until he commits, which I don't think he's
Speaker 2: going to uh and and that's you know, he's prerogative,
Speaker 2: but I just don't think he's gonna have much of
Speaker 2: an opportunity right now with the national team.
Speaker 1: They'll give you a guy that I had on my
Speaker 1: list and then I actually took him off and put
Speaker 1: k cowl on. There is Griffin now, but I don't
Speaker 1: think that Belgian league is better than Lega and Mechi's
Speaker 1: you know, but he is playing more, he's a little
Speaker 1: bit more productive. He's got three goals to assists this year.
Speaker 1: But it's it's similar to like, I just don't I
Speaker 1: don't know, man, it's hard. This this is a tough position.
Speaker 1: Group two. It's so comfortable about.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's just said earlier. I mean, and Aaronton
Speaker 2: can come in and play the wing if he has
Speaker 2: to write. I mean, that's the benefits to that.
Speaker 3: But but that's still not that deep, right. I Mean,
Speaker 3: he's the.
Speaker 2: Fourth or fifth guy potentially that you know out there.
Speaker 2: And I do want to give a shout out to zindehas.
Speaker 2: He has definitely been playing at a high level. I
Speaker 2: think you have to give him, you have to give
Speaker 2: him a look. He's just he's just playing. Absolutely, he's
Speaker 2: just playing very well. So and and I you know,
Speaker 2: I don't think he's had a fair shake either. I
Speaker 2: think he's a type of player that again got thrown
Speaker 2: into a situation where he's not surrounded by enough talent
Speaker 2: to maybe allow him to be, you know, to do
Speaker 2: some of the things he'd like to do.
Speaker 3: I think he took a.
Speaker 2: Little too much on his shoulders when he was at
Speaker 2: the Gold Cup. But you know, surrounded by you know,
Speaker 2: the proper you know, b group of players or some
Speaker 2: mixer with a group of players.
Speaker 3: You know, I think he's in a position that he
Speaker 3: can succeed.
Speaker 1: Let's go to the final position group of the forwards,
Speaker 1: the guys leading the line. We have a slightly different order,
Speaker 1: but our top three year Balligan Sergeant Peppy. I have
Speaker 1: Balligan Peppy Sergeant. Obviously, now Peppy is hurt and will
Speaker 1: not be available for the March window, which sucks because
Speaker 1: I think he easily could have been the dude who
Speaker 1: was starting for us. You know, we don't know what
Speaker 1: Baligan's going to be. He's supposed to come back this month.
Speaker 1: We'll see. He hasn't played yet since you know, he
Speaker 1: got hurt in December. It looks like Josh Sargent's going
Speaker 1: to be your starting striker, you know. Now that said,
Speaker 1: we could get into camp and some of the guys
Speaker 1: on this list could get better looks than him. So
Speaker 1: let's talk about the guys behind those three, which we
Speaker 1: both have Brandon Vasquez, I have Jordan pa Fock, We
Speaker 1: both have Patrick Amying and Haasis for as well, and
Speaker 1: then you have Pet kind of it's like the last guy.
Speaker 1: I don't know what you do, to be quite honest,
Speaker 1: because I think Vasquez is more of a reliable like
Speaker 1: if we have sergeant in Vasquez, for example, going into
Speaker 1: Nations League in March, I don't feel super confident, but
Speaker 1: I'm confident enough I I don't have I'm sorry, I
Speaker 1: thought Arguming had a good January camp. I'm not ready
Speaker 1: to like start him in a match yet, but like
Speaker 1: I'm struggling to find forwards. Yeah maybe I don't.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Pea Fock, I mean to me, he's he's last.
Speaker 2: He just has you know, he's last, you know, he's
Speaker 2: gro I think Gron, I mean, I have on the
Speaker 2: he's on the list, but he's grasping at Stroggs a little.
Speaker 2: But he just hasn't you know, he you know, he's
Speaker 2: a striker, he's a score. He just hasn't been doing that.
Speaker 2: And I think the challenges is, you know, the all
Speaker 2: the you know, the top three strikers are kind of
Speaker 2: all different in terms of how they operate, and even
Speaker 2: Vasquez is just they're very different strikers. So it's it's interesting.
Speaker 2: But I mean, you know Tim Ware could play there.
Speaker 2: You know, how do you Wright could play strikers? So
Speaker 2: like we you have other options you know, outside of
Speaker 2: there that could also fill those roles in there. I mean,
Speaker 2: I I want to see one of these strikers just
Speaker 2: get you know, to do it right, because the debite
Speaker 2: they're either not in form or they're not healthy. So
Speaker 2: like we you know, Balgan did great at Copa America,
Speaker 2: but you know, now he's injured and Sergeant has been inconsistent.
Speaker 2: But we know he can do it. So it's just
Speaker 2: about that opportunity. So now it's up to him him
Speaker 2: stay healthy. You have your chance, you know, you know,
Speaker 2: to start for Nation the Nation League's final. Go out
Speaker 2: there and you know, show them what you can do,
Speaker 2: because Peppy, we know what Peppy can do, and he's
Speaker 2: kind of Probably reason he's low on my list is
Speaker 2: just because he got injured and he's gonna be out
Speaker 2: for probably the rest of the year, I'm guessing, so
Speaker 2: we won't see him again till probably next March.
Speaker 3: Honestly, it's on the national.
Speaker 2: Team, right, you know what I mean, You just don't
Speaker 2: know any chance to to do that.
Speaker 3: We really need to.
Speaker 1: It didn't seem like it will be a I didn't
Speaker 1: It didn't say a cl type, did it. I think
Speaker 1: it read more like so I had Minisca's surgery a
Speaker 1: couple of times and it was like, yeah, you're out
Speaker 1: for like three months to get back to really playing,
Speaker 1: And so it felt like more they're like, yeah, he's
Speaker 1: out for the rest of the season. But I couldn't
Speaker 1: tell if that meant like a c L C L
Speaker 1: L S. I couldn't really tell what the nature of
Speaker 1: it was.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it definitely, Uh yeah, I've heard kind of
Speaker 2: seen mixed thoughts on that. Again, I'm not a doctor,
Speaker 2: so I'm thinking six to nine months. So so six
Speaker 2: months is gonna you know, get you to the you know,
Speaker 2: definitely gonna miss probably September, maybe October window, you know,
Speaker 2: maybe gets in there for November. I mean, I think
Speaker 2: the key is is that as we get further into
Speaker 2: this year, uh later into the into the year, we're
Speaker 2: gonna have some you know, some better quality matches as
Speaker 2: qualifying wraps up in some other confederations, so that that's going.
Speaker 3: To be.
Speaker 2: Important to have, you know, your best players available so
Speaker 2: we can kind of start working on, you know, how
Speaker 2: that's gonna work and how it's gonna fall in the place.
Speaker 2: So you know, he's a he's a huge part of
Speaker 2: it for sure.
Speaker 1: H Yeah. I hate this. I really do hate this
Speaker 1: for Peppe because he was really becoming such a I mean,
Speaker 1: he was really becoming a good player and and almost
Speaker 1: reliable player for PSV, And even if that was going
Speaker 1: to be a ceiling, it's a pretty darn good ceiling.
Speaker 1: And that's just man, I hate it for him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, Darrell Dka is another name that he
Speaker 3: came back today and played his I can't Yeah.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying, but when you talk about strikers, he's
Speaker 2: just another name, you know, I to me, he can't
Speaker 2: be relied on. He's the guy's very injury prone. And
Speaker 2: we're not talking minor injuries. We're talking like year long
Speaker 2: recovery injuries before he comes back. So he's not on
Speaker 2: the list. But to me, he's the only other striker
Speaker 2: I can really think of that you know, we could
Speaker 2: even be considered right at this point. I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: we're pretty Hazius Forerer on this list, and you know,
Speaker 2: you don't know, that's a little dangerous to do that, right,
Speaker 2: But again, he offers different things under a different coach,
Speaker 2: and that's gonna have different expectations for what he's going
Speaker 2: to do. You know, maybe maybe there's a spot for
Speaker 2: him if you know, you know, players ahead of them, uh,
Speaker 2: you know, aren't available.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I think the forward be missed is obviously
Speaker 1: we just call up Walker Zimmerman, who is known to
Speaker 1: be a great forward option. The Games put him on
Speaker 1: this on the rosters of forward, ah Man, it's the
Speaker 1: forward position. I think the problem with it is injuries.
Speaker 1: It's not quality.
Speaker 2: Well for sure, and I think we've got good depth
Speaker 2: there and it's just a matter of keeping it, you know, healthy, and.
Speaker 1: But very few national teams have two good strikers, let
Speaker 1: alone three they can rely and I think we had
Speaker 1: three that we can reasonably rely on to get the
Speaker 1: job done. Uh, you know, and everyone else after that
Speaker 1: is just like man, I hope you can be healthy.
Speaker 1: So we'll see hopefully if Valiant comes back and he's
Speaker 1: like super awesome for Rings in France and he's he
Speaker 1: comes into Nations League with a couple of goals, that's
Speaker 1: that's the hope, right healthy by March, Oh for sure.
Speaker 1: Anyone else you want to kind of throw into this
Speaker 1: consideration or do you think you got everyone that you
Speaker 1: really do feel comfortable with?
Speaker 2: I mean for the I mean I've mentioned a few
Speaker 2: other names along the way. I mean that there's definitely,
Speaker 2: you know, some dual nationals you could throw out there,
Speaker 2: but I don't think most of are younger, so I
Speaker 2: and I think I've mentioned the ones that you know,
Speaker 2: possibly you know, could you know do the switch in general?
Speaker 2: So I think for me that covers, you know, most
Speaker 2: of the available options for gave fifty to a lot
Speaker 2: of players. I mean, that's that's that's a lot of
Speaker 2: players too, you know, to provide and that if you've
Speaker 2: got to do more than that, you're just you're just
Speaker 2: starting to throw pretty much everyone into the into the mix.
Speaker 2: Because one of these provisional rosters was sixty I think
Speaker 2: that we had for I think it was a Conker
Speaker 2: cap one and it was I mean sixty players. It's
Speaker 2: pretty everyone, like I forget, Yeah, yeah it was. I
Speaker 2: think it was either for the Gold Cup or Nations.
Speaker 2: But that's that's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1: It's it's crazy. I want to throw out a couple
Speaker 1: names that they get on a bro mention right because
Speaker 1: I think that they and I think they could easily
Speaker 1: work themselves in the first one is James Sands, who
Speaker 1: got his move to Saint Poli and is playing and
Speaker 1: Saint poly seems to be not super like surefire relegation bound.
Speaker 1: They are currently seven points clear of the relegation zone,
Speaker 1: eight points clear of the automatic relegation zone. So like,
Speaker 1: if he can stay with Saint POLYI and they continue
Speaker 1: to play in budnes Leagua next year, that's a dude
Speaker 1: at a at a backup defensive mid position right that
Speaker 1: we haven't felt super comfortable with. That could be Guy
Speaker 1: Mook works his way up. I mentioned Griffin Yaw. I
Speaker 1: do want to give Diego Luna a shout. I think
Speaker 1: Diego Luna could very easily work his way into this group,
Speaker 1: either as a winger or a midfielder if he has
Speaker 1: just a slightly better season than what he had this
Speaker 1: year at MLS. So last year was eight goals, eight assists.
Speaker 1: If he can push one of those into double digits,
Speaker 1: then he absolutely belongs to this national team. And then
Speaker 1: I do want to shout out Brian Reynolds as a
Speaker 1: guy who I think the problem for him is right
Speaker 1: back is Sergenia Desk, Joe Scally, and then for me
Speaker 1: it really is Marlon Fosse. I don't really see Reynolds
Speaker 1: moving into that, but shout out yao Reynolds and Fosse,
Speaker 1: who played in a Belgian league match against each other
Speaker 1: last week, and that's kind of cool. It just comes
Speaker 1: into my new details at this point. And I think
Speaker 1: that's to your point. What a fifty player roster gets
Speaker 1: to is you have, especially on the U side of things,
Speaker 1: you don't have a lot of guys past the first
Speaker 1: three or four in a position that you go, yeah,
Speaker 1: that guy needs to be here, and anyone who has
Speaker 1: like strong feelings about that, I need to question your sanity.
Speaker 3: Oh for sure.
Speaker 2: I actually I do have a I do have a
Speaker 2: shout out for one player, Chase Adams.
Speaker 3: Chase Adams.
Speaker 2: He's got seven goals I think so far in the
Speaker 2: first half of the seventeens.
Speaker 3: So it is good.
Speaker 1: Lord, we are winning eleven to nothing. It's not even
Speaker 1: over the first half. Yikes, yikes, boy.
Speaker 3: But he does have seven goals.
Speaker 2: I mean, so I know, but that that's yeah.
Speaker 1: Look, I do. I think that's a great way to
Speaker 1: end it though, because I do think. I was listening
Speaker 1: to the Scuffs podcast. They brought on some of the
Speaker 1: youth national team experts, Matt Hartman and Marcus Schiraz, and
Speaker 1: they they feel way better about the fifteen to seventeen
Speaker 1: year old age group, and they have some of the
Speaker 1: other ages slightly above them obviously by birth year. This
Speaker 1: is the group that has Cavin Sullivan too. You know,
Speaker 1: like that's we are going to start getting a lot
Speaker 1: of these pretty darn good players. We just have to
Speaker 1: hope some of them turn into as they call them,
Speaker 1: blue chip prospects. But we just kind of have to
Speaker 1: hope some of them turn into more of the A
Speaker 1: tier type of players for the national team as they
Speaker 1: progress in their professional careers. Because right now, look, I
Speaker 1: think if you had told me to make a fifty
Speaker 1: player pool ten years ago, Thomas, I would have a
Speaker 1: struggled like to find fifty players for the national team
Speaker 1: who I think deserve any sort of shot at international play,
Speaker 1: and be I would have felt very sad about anything
Speaker 1: beyond thirty players. And I do feel like we now
Speaker 1: have just to I will say deeper. I know, talent
Speaker 1: maybe isn't there at every position, but we just have
Speaker 1: a deeper pool of players. And I think that in
Speaker 1: itself is the positive I took from this, this exercise
Speaker 1: we did.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would agree, I mean, I would agree. We
Speaker 3: definitely have more quality.
Speaker 2: I mean, and I think you know, the and this
Speaker 2: is where in the past it's like, oh.
Speaker 3: We still have positions like this. For sure, we're like
Speaker 3: we can't.
Speaker 2: We need these players at these positions because if we don't,
Speaker 2: then you know, we're going to have to, you know,
Speaker 2: figure out how to put something together to kind of
Speaker 2: hold hold the you know, hold the team together.
Speaker 3: But yeah, we definitely have more of that depth.
Speaker 2: You know, you don't have it just your twelve players
Speaker 2: or you know, eleven twelve players or whatever it is
Speaker 2: right and say this is kind of where we're riding
Speaker 2: and dieing with right now. Now you have other players
Speaker 2: that can slot in, perform, provide the results along the way.
Speaker 2: And I think as time goes on, we're going to
Speaker 2: see more and more or that that depth fell out
Speaker 2: and hopefully we can get some of that depth filled
Speaker 2: out with the doing nationals. I don't you know, I
Speaker 2: know Pino wasn't high in his list, but I think.
Speaker 3: You still have to kind of.
Speaker 2: Entertain that we can't miss out on things and he
Speaker 2: doesn't have to be the one that does it.
Speaker 3: It just has to be.
Speaker 2: He does, but he has to have us, you know,
Speaker 2: conversations where when they're needed. So but Matt Crocker do
Speaker 2: the work and then let Pino kind of put the
Speaker 2: Jerry on top.
Speaker 1: I think that's a great way to close it is.
Speaker 1: We have I think better structures now than we had previously.
Speaker 1: We still need to work on them, but hey, I
Speaker 1: think we've seen that these guys in charge can hopefully
Speaker 1: do that. Thomas, any last words about the US men's
Speaker 1: national team right now? Obviously we have the US women's
Speaker 1: national team. We'll have a roster drop after this, well,
Speaker 1: the roster will drop after this recording. At some point
Speaker 1: we'll talk about that closer to that. She believes matches.
Speaker 1: But anything about the matt the men's national team, you
Speaker 1: want to get off your chest before we get out
Speaker 1: of here.
Speaker 2: No, I'm just excited for the you know, for the
Speaker 2: next window to kind of to see the group come together.
Speaker 2: It's uh, it's a long time between November and March too,
Speaker 2: you know, for that for that gap in time. So
Speaker 2: sorry January Camp. Didn't you know, you didn't really scratch
Speaker 2: the itch I need for for the for the high
Speaker 2: quality and meaningful matches.
Speaker 1: So I will echo that it was. It was fun,
Speaker 1: but it was like, okay, well that was I had
Speaker 1: to do something with my Saturday afternoon. Yeah. Look, I
Speaker 1: just I would like to encourage people. You know, the
Speaker 1: first half is getting out of hand. But if you
Speaker 1: if you can watch these U seventeens just because it's
Speaker 1: fun to watch and supporting soccer on television is a
Speaker 1: good idea, even if it is on Fox Sports. But uh, yeah,
Speaker 1: I hope we'll talk to y'all and a couple uh
Speaker 1: probably next week as we preview what's gonna happen in
Speaker 1: the She Believes Cup. So for Thomas, you can follow
Speaker 1: him on Twitter at us Keeper. I'm Bart. You can
Speaker 1: follow me on Twitter at soccer for US Pod, and
Speaker 1: I'm blue.
Speaker 3: Sky at soccer for US Pod.
Speaker 1: Thanks everyone for listening. I'm Bart now