Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America - Episode 124: A March rosters breakdown

Episode Date: February 26, 2020

Olympic qualifying kicks off March 20 for the U-23s and the senior USMNT goes to Europe during an international window at the same time for friendlies against the Netherlands and Wales. Lots of moving parts. We try to sort out who might be on each roster.0:30 the roster for Olympic qualifying30:20 the roster for the March friendlies vs the Netherlands and Wales Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffedAlso, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.comAnd check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Scuffed podcast. I'm Adam Bells in Minneapolis. With me is Greg Velasquez in Des Moines. We talk about U.S. men's soccer. Thanks for downloading this episode of Scuffed. Today we're going to try to figure out who should and who will be on the senior national team roster for the March friendlies and for the more important Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara. So, Greg, how are you? Bell's on great.

It's all happening. Yeah. I imagine you have you have bulletin boards up in your living room. With lots of yarn. Yeah, this is one where you really do like realize how much is going to be involved for the U.S. soccer staff and why Brian McBride is going to be taking a tour through Europe. Well, no, I don't understand why he needs to take a tour through Europe. Because he's not visiting all the U-23s, right? Right.

He's mostly visiting senior team players who are injured. according to the Brian Strauss article that was posted this morning, I think. Well, yeah, no, it is definitely a complicated situation. So just as a refresh, we play in Olympic qualifying, we play Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico in our group. Costa Rica is first, and that is outside of the international window, right? Right. The Costa Rica game is March 20th, and the FIFA window is March 21st. And we can say all these things with an air of confidence knowing that if we are wrong, it will show up in the fact check.

Yeah, man, Scott Jorick has been doing us a good service there. Not only is he checking our facts, but he's making it fun to check our facts. And then, okay, so that Costa Rica game is pretty important because the top two teams from the group go to the semifinals. So that's four teams overall. and if we win in the semifinals, then we qualify for the Olympics. Right, right. And the other teams in our group are the Dominican Republic and Mexico. We'll be playing Mexico in Mexico.

So that game is going to be pretty tough. If we beat Costa Rica, though, then that puts us almost, almost free and clear into the knockout round. Right. So everything hinges on that margin point of game outside of the window. If we lose that game, it really cuts down our margin for error. just to get out of the group. Yeah. It's still very possible.

We just have to beat Mexico, which has not been that difficult for this age group. Our U-20s had kind of had their way with Mexico in the last cycle, but still, what's crazy about that is, so once we get, if we get out of the group, then it's the all-important semifinal. That's the game where you,

whoever, the two teams that win their semifinal and the final qualify for the Olympics. There is a chance we will play Honduras in the semifinal, whether we win the group or come in second, because we don't know where Honduras is going to finish. But we have been somewhat comfortable against Mexico in the last two U-20 cycles, but we haven't been that great against Honduras in the last two U-20 cycles. I don't know if you remember from the 2017 U-20 championship in Florida, we played Honduras in the last game of the qualification round. It's all convoluted, but we basically were playing them again in Florida and we beat them one zero But they didn't need a win to advance. They just needed a close loss

So we didn't we didn't you know run right over them And they weren't terribly incentivized to to try to push for a draw or or win so So they play us really tight and then if you go back another year in the 2017 concaf championship We played Honduras in the final and that finished zero, zero, and we won't on penalties. So even though people like to talk about how the last U20 cycle, the last two U20 cycles we've done really well, and that's a indication that we'll, you know, be fine in Olympic qualifying, we haven't been like terribly dominant over Honduras in particular.

Right. That was a really frustrating game, the one in 2019 because they weren't even trying to get out of their own half, basically, right? 2017, or are you talking to the, which one? I'm talking about the final. I'm talking about the one in 2019. where they just needed a close loss to advance. Okay.

Okay. Yeah. No, they were set up and played really negative stuff. But, you know, again, that's very likely what we would see in this game as well. So it's going to be about do we have the players to break through that and the strength to prevent any big mistakes on the other side. Right. And so we'll have to talk about some of who those players might be. Yes, we will.

Now, just also to sort of wrap up the next few weeks, our senior team friendlies are against the Netherlands and Wales on March 26th and March 30th, I believe. Obviously, both away games. So, I don't know, that's, that, that roster becomes a little more interesting, especially given the, all the injuries we have, and the importance of qualifying for the Olympics, which will take some players away from that,

who would otherwise be at the, those friendlies would take them away from that and have them in Guadalajara. So let's start with who is certain or likely to be out with injury. It's a long list. It's a long list. Right. Why don't you start here? All right.

So Tim Way, I returned from injury triumphantly for Lille and came on in like the 80th minute of a substitute, promptly injured himself in the 85th minute as a substitute, and will likely be out for the rest of the season. Is that kind of what we're inferring from his, from his Instagram? That's my inference, yes. Terrible news. Paul Ariola did his ACL in a preseason friendly.

Terrible news for Paul Ariola out nine months, I believe, is the early prognosis. So that takes it almost all the way through the hex for 2020. Yep. Duane Holmes did his ankle for Darby County, the same week that Areola did his ACL. I don't know the seriousness of that ankle injury, but it seems like it's going to be enough to put him out for this window at least. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's fair to say. I thought I saw four weeks. So Michael Bradley out long-term surgery on his foot following. I mean, that was a really bizarre situation where he's now, he just recently got the surgery, but the injury was back in the

uh, MLS Cup, right? Yeah. And then Josie Altador called out the Toronto FC physios and, uh, hijinks ensued. I jinks. Hyjinks being a surgery that puts Michael Bradley out for like four months. Yeah. Okay. And then, and then we also have a list of, of players who are,

seem to just be perpetually week to week. Uh, so take us through those, those names. Well, I guess we can hope for the returns of Christian Pulisic and Pax and Pomacol and Tyler Adams, who else? Matt Miaska is kind of week to week. Miaska's, I think Miaska's a long term. I think he's, I think he's not, not around for this window. Anthony Robinson out for, I don't have a timetable on his return either, but he was listed as injured.

Nick Tadigwee injured, only laughing because it's just, it's just become the. Yeah, it seems like it's a perpetual thing. Brandon, Servania, Sivania. Is he close to being back for Dallas? I haven't heard anything about that. Pomacol, like they've said, expected to be back in full training even this week. Jeremy Obosey injured and maybe just returning to, like, individual training with Portland. It's a long list.

Yeah. I mean, and then there's some fringe guys like Eric Lehigh, who is, I think, out for a while. Miles Robinson is dealing with something for Atlanta, which, which lessens the already low chances of him being released for this Olympic qualifying tournament. So there's a lot of people missing. I'm not counting any unhatched chickens with regard to Pulisic and Adams. And so I'm not even putting them in my lineup at the moment. Same here.

For this exercise, if they're not already in full training, so in other words, just Pomacall, as far as I know, then I'm ruling them out of contention for March. I just feel like it's everyone's all teams, clubs are so intentional about load management and like schedules from returning from injury that I just don't see them releasing a player to go play two games for the senior team or like five games for the U23s. It just doesn't doesn't check out. Yeah, zero.

I mean, Pulisic and Adams. there is zero chance they're going to be in Guadalajara. Right. I think there is a very low chance they're going to be playing in these friendlies. If I'm Frank Lampard and I want to make a run at a top four finish, is that even in the cards still for Chelsea? Well, the top five now advance the Champions League because of Man City's naughtiness. Oh, yeah.

So, but yes, they're very much in line for a Champions League spot, despite what feels like a really long run of poor form. Yeah, how dare, how dare these Middle Easterners colonize British British soccer teams? How dare they?

Yeah, so Chelsea is actually number four right now. I don't know. They're going to need everybody on all hands on deck towards the finish line here to make sure they get that Champions League spot. So anyway, pool is sick probably not going to. be playing with the U.S. men's national team in March. That said, I'm choosing to take this

raft of injuries as an opportunity for collective growth and development. How about you, Greg? I'm actually a little bit intrigued about what it will open up. And I'm just as intrigued as I am, I'm equally worried that we'll actually fall back on some very comfortable, familiar faces. Right. It's going to be a both and on that front. Okay, let's start with the Olympic roster. Right. So Burrhalter has made comments that we are sort of interpreting to mean that he will put out the strongest roster that he possibly can for qualifying. In other words, if he wants a player and he thinks he can get them released, he'll put him with the qualifying, with the Olympic qualifying group.

He won't bring him to Europe. Yeah, that seems to be the vibe. particular he made comments about reggie cannon and jackson ewell uh and said that he he wants them leading the group in qualifying yep they're going to be they're going to be the they're going to be the sort of anchor first teamers on this on this roster so that's cannon at right back and ewell at central defensive midfield who's going to be who do you think's going to be backing up ewell at cdm i don't so i have i have my little lineup set up here i don't have a like for like pure Jackson, you will back up on the roster.

It would be Cervanya, if healthy, right? Maybe, but I don't, I mean, like, to be honest, I feel like it would be Chris Durkan if you could get a release. If you're just looking for that player, the open up the field passer, I don't think that's Cervanya. Right. And again, with Durkan, I don't know what the chances are of, you know, a club that's in the top flight in Belgium releasing.

one of their regular starters for outside of the international window seems unlikely, doesn't it? Right. I don't think he gets released, and I also don't particularly think he would help us to qualify. So I don't think he's in our 20-player roster anyway. So I just don't have a Jackson-Ewell backup, and if he somehow goes down or can't play in a key game, we'll have to make do with some other parts. Paxson-Pomacall at the 6. Yeah, I mean, that's kind of what it is.

Okay, so we got Cannon and Yule. Who else do you have at right back? So I've got Julian O'Rahoe backing up Reggie Cannon. Raho is in the January camp. He didn't play in that game against Costa Rica. But I think he's versatile and that he can play right back and centerback. And I think he's actually played a little bit of right wing for Los Angeles Galaxy last season. Not very.

He's not super comfortable there, but yeah. But anyway, I just think O'Raho is, for me, he's the best candidate. Yeah, yeah. I want him there too. I think he also provides, he also provides a little bit of centerback cover in case of emergency. You know, he can play centerback. He did it with the U-20s. He's not super tall, but his timing and his athleticism are good enough.

I'll give the centerbacks We're kind of doing this in a crazy way here But We started with our Our captains, Cannon and Yule Yeah And I think

So at centerback I have Mackenzie Richards and Glad I think you do too, right? Yeah, we have identical centerbacks Do we need to defend these decisions? Well, I'll just sort of give They aren't necessarily my top three

centerbacks, but I don't think Miles Robinson gets released. He's dealing with an injury. Plus, I just feel like Atlanta aren't going to release players. So for me, Miles is going to have to stay with his club. And CCV, Cameron Carter Vickers, probably unlikely to be released as well. Yeah, I don't think any of those guys in mid-season who are regular starters with their European club team are coming. So I don't think Eric Palmer Brown gets a release either.

There was just a piece about Jason Christ was in Austria, scouting him at his game over the weekend. And I think they mentioned it in the context. So, like, Miles Robinson might not be released. So Eric Palmer Brown might play a role for the Olympics. But I don't see how he would get released for qualifying. I could see him getting released for Tokyo because he's on City's books. And I just don't think City would even notice if he disappeared for a month and a half. But I don't think he's going to get, I could be wrong, but it seems unlikely Austria v. N's going to let him go.

Right, right. Okay, so, yeah, funny enough, I was just scouting Eric Palmer Brown's performance against Salzburg at my kitchen table. I do think he should probably be with the senior team, given how thin we are at centerback, and just to get a look at him. But we can talk about that later. Yep, my senior roster is going to include a lot of Olympic players that maybe aren't going to be able to get free to go to Guadalara. Goalkeeper. Goalkeeper, before we get to left back. I have.

We're S-curving it. I have David Ochoa, J.T. Markankowski, and Matt Freeze as my goalkeepers. Again, I don't feel terribly strongly about any of these except Ochoa. As anybody who listens to this podcast knows, I'm very high on him. But that's what I got. Do you think there's any value to Ochoa to not leaving Rail Salt Lake for four weeks? Because, like, remember, it's a short tournament, but I think the U.S. staff is going to try to get the kids in Guadalajara, like early February. I'm sorry, early March, like March 9th.

Yeah, I'm getting a bad feeling about Ochoa at RSL. You know, he didn't play in the last, or he didn't start the last friendly that Rail Salt Lake played, a 3-1 loss to Phoenix Rising of USL. And it just feels like the Freddie Juarez experience is not going to be a play your kids kind of situation. Justin Glad is playing right back for him. Aaron Herrera is playing winger. And Achoa seems to be the second choice goalkeeper. So maybe RSL won't release him for Olympic qualifying,

but I would doubt that. And I think it's a better experience for him than sitting on the bench behind McMath. All right, I'll give you that. Okay. But yeah, I've got the same goalkeepers. There aren't a lot of other choices. I don't think we're leaving a lot of other players on the table, right?

Yeah, there's some interesting U-17, like former U-17 goalkeepers. Damien Lass Chituru O'Donzei, but I don't know. that they're ready for this kind of thing. And Brady Scott is the other sort of, you know, well-known U-20 goalkeeper. There's another guy in Portugal, too. I forget his name. But neither of them, I think Coacha is clearly better

than both of those guys. All right. Now let's go left back. Okay, I've got Sam Vines as my starter and Aaron Herrera as the backup. Okay, so then tell me, because I've got Gloucester starting. Tell me, is Gloucester starting? Tell me, is Gloucester not released, or do you just rate the other two ahead of him at the moment?

I think I rate the other two ahead of him just a little bit, just trust him a little bit more at the moment. All right. All right. So, yeah, I've got Gloucester and Vines, but I'll let you slide on that one. Let me slide, please. All right, so we said Yule as sort of the starting holding mid with, you're saying Servania has this backup. If Servania's hurt, though, are you saying? saying do you think no backup for him and we we go by committee or would like a james sands enter the

picture hasani dotson boy um not dodson probably not sands either i think i think i would if it's not servania um i think we keaton parks probably i know i think you have i mean you have parks in your yeah parks is on my 20 already but but all right i mean so i'd be in the same then he just rotates in for you all right i mean so i'd be in the same then he just rotates in for you all as needed. Yeah. He can handle that. I mean, he's, he's, he does fit the profile of a distributing number six.

Progressive password. Yeah, I, uh, since we're talking about him now, I'll just say I, he feels to me like one of the most underrated prospects we have, uh, even, even in regard to the senior pool, like we're all really excited about Pomacall. It feels like, uh, a lot of people excited about Brendan Aronson. Uh, and Parks is just kind of, you just sort of met with a shrug. Did you watch him in CCL earlier this week? No, I didn't watch New York CCL game.

Yeah, he looked okay. I didn't watch the whole thing, but he looked okay. It wasn't, I mean, he's so elegant. He's an elegant player, but is he so, is he so elegant that he doesn't need to play defense, I guess is kind of. I think he does. I think he has decent defensive stats. Not exceptional. I don't think, but we aren't playing.

a true, like, exceptional defensive midfielder anyway. It's not like Jackson Ewell's defensive stats are incredible. That's true. Well, I'm not going to stand in Keaton Parks' or your way. But if Servania could go, would you say Keaton Parks is not in your 20 then? I think I'm convinced that Parks should be there instead of Servania. All right. I had Sarvanya, but I'll concede.

I'll concede on this. All right. That's good. That's good. I'm glad scuffed at least has Keaton Parks. Remember, we were really high on him two years ago now. Yeah, I just remember one of his preseason games for Benfica, where he looked like he just looked really, really easy to dribble past.

And it made an impression on me. But I know he had a good season for NYCFC. He played well, and I think they have high expectations for him. He started to get in their CCL game, which they won at Motagua. No. Scott, please don't fact-check me here. I don't even, I don't pretend to remember. San Carlos, that's it.

The other, so I got four other midfielders here. I got Paxam Palmecoll, Alex Mendez, Richie Ledesma, and Brendan Aronson. I have the exact same four. But go on, you finish where you were going. Well, so I only have two wing. I think what we're going to get into here is I only have two wingers, Ullianas and Sebastian Salcedo and I'm not at all sure Salceda's going to be released. But that's okay.

Only having two winger's is okay because I think Ledesma and Erranton and Pomacall and Mendez can all play on the wing. Exactly. And I don't think our other options at wing, they don't move the, they don't much move the needle for me. Like Jonathan Lewis, I'm not, I would rather have those four guys than Jonathan Lewis. Who else? Brooks Lennon.

No thanks. No, I have the same. I'm the same as you. I would take Lennon, actually, but I don't think he's going to get released. And I have Lewis on here instead of, instead of Bofo, because I don't think Bofo gets released either. I can see Lewis coming on as a sub, but I really just don't like the idea of starting Jonathan Lewis in these games. I don't know why.

I think it's his defense. Yeah, his defense, his first touch. I know he could, I know he does get. goals and assists like he gets he does produce top line stats but um yeah so okay without salsato then we're talking um how how do you have it set up here where where do we so i've got the only difference is you have lewis so you basically drop sasado and and uh and bring on lewis right so if sasado so if sasado doesn't get released for you bells are you just bringing yon s as your only winger and then making do with your other your other midfielders i guess i would have

to um probably bring lewis yeah it's it's amazing how things get circumscribed when you really talk it out it's like basically he's the only he's the only option right and i i would have sobby ahead of lewis as well i think i mean i that that's sort of just going on my gut because i don't know if sobby's an excellent defender so if that's uh that's the rationale for not going up louis but i don't think sobby gets released i don't think Christian Capus gets released. Yeah, they're about to go into a relegation battle, I think. Right.

So. Their annual, the perennial relegation battle at Hobro, IK. I mean, not that Sabi really cares because he's moving. He's jumping ship in the summer. But, but yeah, so anyway, that's what I have. And I feel like in my current qualifying lineup, I'm just throwing Mendez as a starter out on the wing right away. Get him on the field. It's a lot of talent to have out there.

Yeah, Mendez plays wing for young Iyaks more often plays in the middle of the park. And he's clearly not 100% comfortable out there, but he can do kind of a Hakeem Zayek light job out there, you know, whipping the ball in with his left foot. So, yeah, I think that's that's what we got up until the strikers. So who do you have at Stryker? I'm going with Ferreira and Toy. I'm really excited about Ferreira. I'm ruling Abbe Se out. I don't think Sebastian Soto will get a call based on the fact that he doesn't play soccer anymore.

Yeah. He did play a couple weeks ago, but it was a fleeting moment of activity. So Ababa Sei is back, though, right? Isn't he back in the back in the field? He hasn't played for them yet. So he's training individually, which feels like that means he's a week away from training with the team, a week away from like being able to play in a game and and maybe Portland are really generous

and he they as soon as he gets that clearance to go full speed they're willing to let him go play five games in 10 days but that seems really reckless and I don't see how it would be a recipe for uh fitness you know even if we bring him like you overplay him and then he's hurt and then you're left short-handed right right it's a brutal it's a brutal like week and a half of soccer Yeah. Yeah, Ferreira Toy makes a lot of sense.

I'll throw a long shot in here. Nicholas Joe Aquini is not almost certainly not going to be released. But if you do the math, there's a little bit of a chance that he'd be released. S.M. Sure. Go ahead. Go ahead. Now, so another reminder, because he's well under most people's radar, currently a regular starter in the French second league.

Yeah, at the age of 19. And he plays basically hold-up striker, and he can play on the wing. That's where he played over the weekend. Sanjeev has a USMNT videos has an all-touches video from that game if you want to check it out on Twitter. But he, Khan is out of the relegation zone pretty much. They're pretty much safe at this point. They're almost a mid-table team. They were in the relegation zone when Joe Keeney first started playing for them.

so he's, you know, he's sort of, he's been a part of that little renaissance there. And so, you know, if they want to sell him and, you know, the word is he's being looked at around Europe by other clubs, if Khan want to sell him, maybe, you know, maybe they don't mind letting him go off to Guadalajara for a couple of weeks. I don't, I don't hate that at all. I feel like Christ would be reluctant to do it just because he's had toy and he's had a boba, say, in camps with the whole team. It might be a tough ask to bring, how do you say his last name, Bells? I've never, I've never had the right pronunciation.

Gio Aquini. Gioa Keeney. It might be a tough ask to put him and throw him right in in do or die qualifying, especially with game one being very close to do or die. Yeah. You trust Mason Toy in a do or die game. I mean, I don't know.

I don't know what his floor is from the camps he's been. But he's been in quite a few, quite a few U-23 camps. Yeah. Multiple, multiple U-23 camps. He knows the system, American soccer style. So that's kind of where I'm at. But I'll touch back on Joe Keeney when we talk about the senior team. Okay.

Not ready for the U-23s. Let's get him in with the senior team. Yeah, I think, I think that settles it. So we're talking Ferreira and Toy up top, Yanez and Mende. on the wings, Ledesma Aronson, Palmacall, and Parks in the midfield, but Ledesma Eransson, Pomacol, ready to step out onto the wings. You will at Central Defensive Midfield, we're in disagreement on left back. You're saying Gloucester and Vines. I'm saying Vines and Herrera. And then we have the same centerbacks, right backs, and goalkeepers. And that's

Richards-McKalad, Kenan Araujo, and then Ochoa, Mark and and freeze at goalkeeper. Yeah, and you still have, you still have like your fingers crossed that Beaufort gets released, and I'm saying it'll be Jonathan Lewis. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I do want to make a point.

I think the Pomacall is, Pomacall's health is really, really important year because as you mentioned, Ewell is not, Ewell is not like a defensive giant. Stallwart. Yeah. And, but Palmicle is.

And if we have him at the eight, I think that solidifies things, freeze up Ledesma or Aronson or Mendez, whoever ends up playing as the 10 to have a little more freedom, freeze them up to freedom. And so fingers crossed at Pomacall is genuinely healthy and released by FC Dallas. Yeah, I'm going to post quite a few of these American soccer analysis bar graphs for our U23 center mids because I think they'll kind of be eye-opening about what, what our center mid sort of specialize in or what their strengths are. Pomacall's bars for defensive actions are just like off the charts. Yeah, it's pretty insane. Yeah.

Okay. Anything else we got to say about this roster? It's good enough to qualify us for the Olympics. And it's missing our entire essentially first 11 due to them being too good to be released. Yeah. Uncharted territory, America. buckle up. Not to say that we can't bottle it, but

it's a very good lineup. It's a very good lineup that's missing a starter at every position. Yeah. Okay, let's take a little break, come back and do the senior team. And we're back. So now we've got to sort out who should be called up for the March friendlies against the Netherlands and Wales.

I think this is a good chance, as I said earlier, given all the injuries and Olympic qualifying to be experimental and, you know, big tent. Let me interject here and just say that I still hold that even our comfortable Greg Burrhalter call-ups are in a, in fact, experimental because I just don't believe for a second that you can call Christian Roldon a nailed-on U.S. men's national team player. I mean, is he experimental, though, or is he just, we know what we get with Roldon?

Well, at this point, yeah, we might be past the experiment, and we should be willing to put the experiment to bed. You're going to be really surprised that I actually have Roldon in my front. And that's, I don't even mean to just be overly harsh on Roll Don. I think there are quite a few players that we should say that experiment has been run and we should move on to new experiments. Yeah, I think, well, yeah, I think we should probably drop Boyd at this point. I think we should drop Boyd at this point. Who else?

I think a trap should be gone and I assume he will be. I think the Daniel Lovitz experiment should be, we should be willing to call time on. Yeah. I'd even be willing to say it's okay to leave Walker Zimmerman at home at this point. But again, let's talk about who's out. Holmes is out. Pulisic and Adams are doubtful at best, and I'm not putting them on my roster. Are Anthony Robinson, so is Anthony Robinson coming back?

Do we know? No, he's hurt. He's hurt that he couldn't join AC Milan. He's hurt in that he's actually physically injured. Like forever? No. I don't, nothing I'd know of. I haven't heard anything that bleak.

Just, uh, there, his man, the manager actually made some comments. Like a couple weeks ago, they, they, they slid way under the radar. Uh, but yeah, he's, he's out for a few weeks and I don't expect that he'll be released for friendlies. Okay. All right. Well, that changes, same for me out. That changes my lineup a little bit.

Um, and I, and I think there are a couple who flip to this team if they're not released for the 23s, uh, Ledezma and Yanez in particular. if they, you know, if for some reason young PSV and Wolfsburg say, no, no, no, you can't go to Guadalajara, bring them into this camp. But I'm assuming they'll be in Guadalajara. Why don't we do this in a slightly more organized fashion? Let's start up top with strikers. Who do you have for striker? Okay.

So I think I'd said to leave him home the last time we recorded, but I, after rethinking it a little bit, I want Josie Altadour in this camp. Josie Altador has played fewer than three total games for Greg Burhalter and qualifying is in September. So I feel like the windows are scarce and we really need to get Altador just straight reps for the national team. Okay. Altador, I guess I sort of just assumed he was hurt, which is kind of a Freudian thing. What about his backup? up. So I have put sergeant in this camp. I'd be fine if Zardez is called in. I have a lot of names. I feel like we could call in a slightly bigger camp because this is where Joe Aquini wouldn't be a terrible call-up. Not necessarily in any way, shape, or form. Is he ready for the senior team? But you could use this camp. I can think of some shapes and forms in which he is ready for his team. Yeah, I mean, he could be. But I'm certainly not making that, drawing that conclusion right now based on what we've seen.

But we could essentially use this camp because of all the other injuries. We could use this camp, though, similar to how we use January, with a blend of players who aren't really competing for senior team spots. They're mainly competing for Tokyo spots. Yeah. Yeah, I like that. So Joe Aquini, get a look at him, see how he does. If he's just not there, fair enough, there's no stakes.

So it's not like you send him to Guadalajara and he can't integrate well. And suddenly we are, you know, holding a bag and left. out of the Olympics. So it just, it's a stress-free, pressure-free chance to evaluate. Yeah, Joe Kinney should absolutely be in this camp. I have him in, I have him as a winger behind Gio-Rena. But I guess my strikers were Sergeant Zardis. And I just threw Bobby Wood in there for old days' sake, you know.

Okay. So even though I used to be the big Bobby Wood apologist, I'd say drop wood at Seba-chu. See-Ebichu? Okay. Yeah. I mean, I've just never, my heart's never been able to get behind the whole Sibbutu thing.

Well, I think his heart is realizing that he's, that France is never going to get behind the Sibichu thing. He's not going to beat out Mbapé. So if, if, uh, if he's willing to take the call, I'd say, I'd say, test him out. Yeah, I suppose. I guess I, I don't have anything. I'm not like, against it. So left wing, I have Rana and Joaquini.

Right wing, I have Morris and Chan. Jordan Morris and Timothy Chandler. Okay. So my wingers I've got, so this is where I start going really heavy on U23s, who won't get released. So Raynon Morris, I agree, is the starting wingers. I've got Saucedo and Emmanuel Sabi. Hmm. And again, I don't think either of them are particularly ready to be senior team players or are in the discussion for the senior team top five wingers.

but it's a chance to get them in camp, give them another evaluation, figure out if maybe they're worthwhile for Tokyo. Okay, interesting. Timothy Chandler, Bells? Yeah. Do you not want me to have him on my roster? I'm just surprised that you have him at right wing,

given that, again, I think you've been putting in the time on Chandler too, and we continue to see. Not as much as you have, no. We continue to see, like, zero evidence that he's going to be a good possession interchanging right winger. Yeah, but we're going to be hitting the Netherlands on the counter. We're going to see a tactical evolution from Greg Bralter. Sit back, defend, tough as nails.

Yeah. All right. No, I have Chandler on my roster, just not a winger. Okay. Yeah, I don't particularly care where he is. Just bring him in. See if he wants to come in. All right.

What do you have for your midfield? It gets real dicey. doesn't it? Dude, it gets so thin with everybody hurt. And at the Olympics. I'd take quite a few of the Olympic guys over the guys I have in this on my list. Well, so I have Legette as my 10, Sebastian Leggett. Now, Raina could easily slide into that spot and then you, especially if you have a Saucato on the wing, then yeah, rain at the 10 does make sense to me. But the way I have it now is Legit at the 10, McKinney and Roll Don as my eights.

I have rolled on there as sort of like this, I think I've used this analogy before, so forgive me. But at the bullfights in Spain and the old days, they would bring in a steer. And that steer would kind of calm down the bulls and help the bulls learn the right places to run. So it's rolled on as a steer for me. Okay. All right. I have McKinney and Capus. Okay.

Yeah, Capis. I guess. And same thing. Just another U-23 audition. But I don't have, did you say Legit and Mendez? Or you didn't say your backup to legit yet. Yeah, I don't have a, I had Mendez on my little, on my little graphic here. But I have Mendez with the U-23s, so you can't be in both places.

I guess I don't have a backup for legit. Let's make it, let's make it Capus. Fine. All right. I was struggling too, so I was like rolled on, Roman Gaul. Do we bring in Roman Gaul? I don't think we bring in Roman Gaul. I don't think.

He's not Olympic Elfell. eligible. He doesn't, it'd be, it seems like it'd be a, uh, I think, I think in this case, I'd be, I'd just bring in Roldon and be sort of done with it. Yeah, Roldon at least can, can help other people learn the system. He's a team player. He's a steer. Uh, Alfredo Morales and Chris Durkin would be my sixes. That's, I have the same thing. I struggle to do it only because it's hard. I mean, I, I'd be totally fine running that. I don't envision that Burrhalter is going to run Morales in that position. I don't either.

I just don't see that there are any good options, really. Bradley's hurt. Yule is going to be in Guadalajara. Hopefully Mendez is in Guadalajara. Hopefully, Ladez is in Guadalajara. Do you think we could see like a roll done shifting back a level into the Yule role? I feel like that's more similar to what he does for Seattle anyway. Not necessarily like spread the field with your passing, but just sit back, shift the ball to somebody else who's a little.

better have Morales have Morales back up McKinney it's no less believable than Morales at the six yeah and and Durkin Durkin's just there to check him out you know big tent so so I left back without Robinson there hold on hold on just because I like thinking about this it's does will trap just come in and like at least solve the Burrhalter riddle of who's who's the will trap type player that is going to play in that position since will trap is technically healthy and available i say technically because he just shift he just moved team so he's going to be just getting started with inter miami inter miami so i don't know again it's one of those things where do you give the player his make the club his priority so he can settle in or would

burhler just be like nope we need will trap i think it's going to be will trap yeah okay i don't i don't even hate it i mean if i had to say it's going to be dirken or will trap All right, fine, it's Will Trap. Yeah. People are going to whine about it on Twitter, but I think there's really no, there's nothing wrong with that. There's so many people are hurt. Trapping, trap and rolled on, know the system. They've been, they've gotten a thousand minutes each or something like that under Burrhalter.

It's, it's okay. It's okay. Let's talk about the defense. We have a lot of our defenders available. other than Miazga. Yeah. Miazga and Anthony Robinson are the only ones not available. And neither of them has particularly been in favor under Burrhalter.

Yeah, it feels like this would have been. Oh, did we talk about Holmes? Holmes? Yeah, you mentioned Holmes. Yeah. Yeah, what sucks is this could have been the Anthony Robinson, Dwayne Holmes, Giorana, Tim Wea camp, where all those got, and Tyler Adams back, which would have just been massive waves of excitement.

Yeah. And instead it's just going to sort of be Giorina is there. I think there's, you know, that's, I'm excited about that. I'm very excited about that. Just not quite as excited about a full lineup of new faces that there's some real ground swell behind. Yeah. So who do you have it left back then? So this is where I put Fabian Johnson and Timothy Chandler, obviously.

Uh-huh. I was joking about it with you. but if Fabian Johnson is going to get a call up, this will be the call up, right? I mean, we're in Europe where we've got a rash of injuries slash Olympic commitments. Lovitz wasn't in the January camp. Lovitz is settling into his new MLS squad.

If we're ever going to call up Fabian Johnson, it is in March of 2020. Yeah, I think you're right. And the more I think about it, the more I like that. The more I like your roster better than mine, so at the end of this, you're just going to have to read yours. Because I have Anthony Robinson and Chris Gloucester as my left backs.

Yeah, and Robinson's hurt and Gloucester might, might be in Guadalajara. Yeah. If Gloucester is not, if Gloucester doesn't get the release or isn't, again, it's silly to say, but if he's not rated for the U-23s, then we should bring him to the senior team. Yeah, bring him in, let him get a taste of it. and let us get a taste of him. That sounds kind of weird, but...

But yeah, then I list the Chandler because I feel like that could be the place he slots in for us and makes the biggest impact, if he's capable of making an impact for us. Okay. Centerback, I have John Brooks and Aaron Long as my starters, and then Tim Ream and Eric Palmer Brown behind them. I like it.

I would not mind if long is left home just to give another Olympic guy a look and throw Eric Palmer Brown. Oh, you have a palm around throw. Yeah, who would that be? Who would the other one? Cammer Carter Vickers. Ah, okay. And potentially, potentially, if Atlanta play hardball with Miles Robinson for Olympics, be like, all right, fine, but we're flying him over to Wales. Yeah, I mean, surely, Shirley Berhalter wouldn't do that, would he?

Well, I don't mean it's not just a spike call-up. Like if the national team needs a look at Miles Robinson ahead of World Cup qualifiers, Olympics, and Nations League in the summer. Yeah, good point. You got to get the looks where you can. There aren't too many chances left, and you never know if the guy's going to be healthy for the next window. Yeah. That's what I think of with Dwayne Holmes.

Like, all right, well, we'll get him in the next week. We didn't call him in in October, November last year. All right, well, we'll bring him in in March or the summer. and then he's not fit for the March camp. Suddenly, the question's going to be, okay, well, do you just bring him in, bring him back in the hex? Or now are you stuck saying it's too late, we can't introduce new guys in the hex? Yeah, I know. It's tough.

It's too bad he went on this hot streak in the last month. It's on fire. I do want to say something about Palmer Brown. I did watch that Salzburg performance. and he seems a lot like a Aaron Long type centerback good physical I don't know if you've checked out of any of his footage have you no he I've got I've got centerback week coming up where I look at all of our centerbacks centerback week pish posh um yeah so he's so he's got a good physical presence he gets he gets up in the air he wins the he wins a lot of stuff in the air and uh it kind of mops mops things up you know he does a good physical presence he gets he gets up in the air he gets a good thing. job of mopping things up but he's not elegant in possession or under under pressure and he's not going to break lines with any sort of regularity I don't think so I okay I like him I want to keep

monitoring him but I'm not saying like hey Palmer Brown is on the you know on the fast track to a starting job with the men's national team it's not there it's not that right but again it just it's something where it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between any centerback not name John Brooks. Yeah, I guess the, so the comparison with Long is a, is a decent one for Palmer Brown, but, but that extra five years that Long has over Palmer Brown is, is, uh, is noticeable, you know, it's like Long's a little more decisive, also like a more of a physical presence than Palmer Brown. So I still, I'm still going Brooks and Long as my starting centerbacks. All right. Who's a, who are our goalkeepers?

No, wait, we got to do right back. I almost skipped right back. Oh, yeah. So it would be exciting again to see Sergenio Dest in a U.S. men's and national team uniform. I wonder if that will ever get old. It won't. It won't. He's going to be at Bayern Munich and he's just going to spend his weekends in Nashville and Atlanta and Houston.

Yeah. So, yeah, he's my starter at right back and then D'Andre Edlin bring him in. He's not hurt right now, is he? No. he was well he was on the bench he was available for newcastle uh i never saw anything word about him being hurt but he did he was left off of a roster two weeks ago and then just last week he was in the 18 but did not play which is which is consistent with like coming back from minor injury but also could be consistent with just being dropped from the squad yeah you have any different any

differences with me at right back no dust and yedland and then depending on whether they run desk there left back uh chanler could be in contention for like a right back spot if he's in camp and looks looks apart i so i hear you on chanler and and johnson and i'm not but i'm kind of agnostic about it and i wouldn't mind seeing uh shack more get another look or matt ola sunday i know he's playing in like the fourth division in england but he third he's in the third division and he's exaggerated they're in an odd i think they're top of the table so he's in an automatic promotion spot. Okay, cool.

It's tight, but it's tight. They're not running away with anything, so it's going to be tight the whole year. He had a goal saving tackle over the weekend. I don't know if you saw the footage of that. Kind of cool. And then goalkeeper. I'm just saying Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath, and is Zach Stephan going to be back in time for this? No, no.

No, I mean, I don't have official word on that, but again, there's just, it's a lingering injury that where apparently like rest is the only thing they can do. do for it. No way he's playing, right? Yeah. So Atlanta, I don't expect Atlanta to release Brad Guzan and then we'll have, so I'm just saying Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath, and whoever Greg Berhalter runs into at the mall. Bell's Atlanta have no choice in the matter.

If we want Guzan, we can happen. Yeah, yeah, that's true. Okay, make it Guzan. All right. I'm totally agnostic on the third keeper. make it, Matt Turner, whoever, but give me Sean Johnson, give Horvath a little love. The kid deserves some love, man. He's had a rough, rough run at Bruges.

Champions League hero Ethan Horvath hasn't been able to play all season. I think we haven't heard the end of him, though. Right. He's got more games in him for somebody. So Major League Soccer starts this weekend. Do you got anything else on this roster? No, it's got the potential. be very fascinating, interesting, plus Georena for the really exciting part.

Yeah. And, you know, we could always see Josh Sargent get out there and play like we think he maybe could play. I always hold out hope for that. So MLS starts this weekend. Anything you're excited about? I'm excited. I mean, I'm excited about the national team interests.

So a lot of a lot of sort of national team incumbents moving teams and then plenty of the kids looking to build on promising seasons from last year or emerge as talents this year. Holding out hope that Ricardo Pepe is this year's version of Baxter Pomacall. Yeah, that would be awesome. Dallas versus Philadelphia is, I believe, 5 p.m. central time on Saturday. So tune in for that. All right. Anything else we should talk about? I think that's a solid one for March.

Yeah. I'll leave it to you and Joey to go over the U20 camp whenever that's announced if it hasn't been yet. Yeah, we got to get that on the schedule. Trying to get Sanjiv, trying to get Sanjiv scheduled to do a U-20, you know, roster episode with me and Matt Hartman. And goodness, I got to get with Sanjeev's publicist. It's hard to get on the kid's calendar. All right. Thanks everybody for listening.

We'll see you.