Not that I think he deserves a call but I’m fairly certain Brooks has been hurt and is yet to play for his new club.
Well... mabye at center back. We need help there, and center back is largely an older, more experienced player's position.
I don't think we can expect older CBs to solve the defensive issues (Brooks, Long, Parker, etc. or keeping Ream around at nears 40), far more likely it will be younger CBs (Mark McKenzie who is listed above, and younger guys like Jalen Neal, Anrie Chase, Maximillian Dietz, Josh Wynder, Noahkai Banks, etc.)... I would say even defensive midfielders at CB (Johnny, Maloney, etc.) is more likely to be the solution than the old CBs. I would also generally bet on the young guys just because they will get better as opposed to worse, and new ones can appear at any time.
I was being sarcastic about Brooks. There has been some discussion over the past year on bringing him and I don't think that there is any reason to bring him back due to his injuries and lack of playing in general.
I think Poch will focus on the guys who have a lot of energy, quickness and power with plenty of raw skills but don't always make the right decisions or lack guile. Aaronson, Cowell, and Tessmann to name some guys. Obviously, a lot of the starters are like that.
Johnny's off the ball movement is too good to lose at cb. That's our weakest skill in midfield after passing. Also they are using him near goal at Betis where he has shown a skill to get chances with off the ball movement (stilll working on finishing, lol). I'd be ok with a cb doing that but Johnny will have better chances lining up top of the opponent's box in possession and sneaking in at every good opportunity for a tap in at the far post. He almost had a headed goal yday but got knee'd in the face instead.
A common observation about Maloney is that he is a CB playing DM. I don’t see Johnny dropping into CB, at least a 2 CB setup, at this point. Heck, there are people complaining about him being used as the 6 in a 3 man CM setup. McKenzie is going to be tested this season as he has not shown that he has ironed out his issues. Chase is likely not renouncing his Japanese citizenship and switching to us but would help. Neal lost some key time in the race to be ready for 2026. He also might have to deal with winning a spot at a new club. Dietz, Wynder, and Banks would all need to make major jumps in performance level. Like of the three Dietz has looked the least impressive, Banks the most. There are good reports about Josh, who also lost a lot of time to injury.
Johnny is often the more defensive mid in a double pivot but that system does let him get up and he does get into the box on set pieces. Like yesterday Johnny was the primary pivot in buildout with Roca sliding a little more left of center or operating on the CM line ahead with Lo Celso or dropping in to help.
This has been posted elsewhere, but it should be here. I think it is very telling that when asked about all the goalscoring being done by our players currently at club (and @Seanin you are right about that question! What was the point?), he pivoted quickly to playing defense. "We want to play closer to their goal." "We want to be desperate to get the ball back." Go Poch.
One thing that we have not discussed with Pochettino is the potential this has in our latino/hispanic communities. We finally get a guy who knows the latino player and the latino game as well as the nature of cultural expectations in central and South America. Along with the Argentine migration to Miami, it legitimizes the US and MLS to Spanish speaking communities and puts the narrative about soccer in the US into cultures. It opens eyes and minds, which hopefully opens doors to players who would choose to go to another league for access to the top European leagues. Maybe this can help MLS make a jump to the level of the Eredivisie or the Belgian league. As for with our national team, there will be an understanding between Pochettino and guys like Pepi, Vasquez, Zendejas, etc. that is different from the understanding he will have with guys like Pulisic and McKennie. The latter of which will share top level European experience with Mauricio, while the former will share some soccer culture which should help in helping those guys progress to believing they can play in Europe.
Contrast that with Berhalter who said in 2019 that teams could not press at the international level which is why he wanted to play a mid block defense!
The Town FC come back from 0-2 to win 4-3 and spoil Poch's visit to Austin 1843048687544713479 is not a valid tweet id
OK, I am not picking on you, but I just knew this would come up, and I had to comment. What the heck is "the latino player"? What is "the latino game"? Does that even make sense? Why the heck would Pochettino know about Central America? And South America is very diverse in culture and customs and footballing mentality. I think you have good intentions, but your mind mapping on this is way too simplistic. Pochettino can speak Spanish and has been living and coaching in the UK for the past 11 years. I pray no one in the media will ask him if he knows "the latino player". *cringe*
The entire culture around latino/hispanic soccer in America is filtered through Spanish speaking communities, media, neighborhoods, networks within states, etc. The experience of soccer in America is different for Spanish speakers. The media is different, teams and players are talked about differently, expectations are different, and the broader cultural lens is different. It’s one of the main sources of conflict that latino players have when making decisions about which national team they will represent. It’s also different as a player. The expectations and pressures are different. Basic principles and training are different from a very young age. They are different from country to country and region to region, but you have to remember that people who speak Spanish here end up having a common experience as they view the US soccer experience through a different cultural lens filtered through different media and networks of people than the traditional channels. Andres Cantor, for instance, is a legendary Spanish-speaking media figure who became a legend as an Argentine calling Mexican and US league and national team games. It’s difficult to wrap in a quick response, but you will see those themes talked about by our Hispanic/latino players. I grew up playing with a foot in both worlds and they are different. The players are very aware of it.
1843290248480223360 is not a valid tweet id As expected plus they added a fitness coach to the rest of his staff.
I'm tyring hard to find something I can agree with in all this but I think I'll just give up and save the grief of trying,
For Berhalter that was an easy out since MMA couldn't press (apart from Adams who was the holding mid). Benching your 19 yr old American super star for somebody who could actually press wasn't considered a realistic proposition for Berhalter who was looking to get another contract extension. Saying that all that hard pressing can't work out at international level is just so much easier. Easier for Gregg, easier for BigMac's bulging tummy, easier than explaining the 19 yr old isn't ready when you've said we're gonna win the WC because of dual nats, etc.