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