God I love this guy.
https://www.football.london/chelsea...omas-tuchel-leeds-chelsea-marsch-24802212.amp
https://www.football.london/chelsea...omas-tuchel-leeds-chelsea-marsch-24802212.amp
USMNT WCQ Thread
- Thread starter TU_BLA
- Start date
Did no one else watch Chelsea vs Leeds? I know, everyone was at church. Anyway, CP, who starts on Tuchel's bench-as usual-had to be feeling good about a couple of MNT teammates and thinking that we'll be OK in the WC. That's what I'm thinking after Jesse Marsch's Leeds Utd. dismantle Chelsea in a 3-0 shutout win.
I watched mostly Tyler Adams, and he will do just fine in the Premier League, thank you! This guy also never stops, 90% passing accuracy, a knack for winning the ball and important tackles when needed in his defensive midfield role. Then there is Brendan Aaronson. Scores Leeds first & the game winner after his poor pass about 35 yards out is lost & the Chelsea defender clears it back to Mendy. After his pass, Aaronson sprints after Mendy who is slow to clear, tackles the ball away & makes himself a tap in for his 1st Leeds goal.
Finally, the architect of Leeds playing style has them constantly pushing forward, putting pressure on the opponents back line and pressing all over the pitch, with much success. Another reason Huffy loves this guy is that he can coach a little bit. Marsch's players have bought in, the Leeds fans absolutely love it and the style is a blast to watch. Meanwhile, CP comes on in the 63rd & becomes as frustrated as all other Chelsea players with Leeds style.
I watched mostly Tyler Adams, and he will do just fine in the Premier League, thank you! This guy also never stops, 90% passing accuracy, a knack for winning the ball and important tackles when needed in his defensive midfield role. Then there is Brendan Aaronson. Scores Leeds first & the game winner after his poor pass about 35 yards out is lost & the Chelsea defender clears it back to Mendy. After his pass, Aaronson sprints after Mendy who is slow to clear, tackles the ball away & makes himself a tap in for his 1st Leeds goal.
Finally, the architect of Leeds playing style has them constantly pushing forward, putting pressure on the opponents back line and pressing all over the pitch, with much success. Another reason Huffy loves this guy is that he can coach a little bit. Marsch's players have bought in, the Leeds fans absolutely love it and the style is a blast to watch. Meanwhile, CP comes on in the 63rd & becomes as frustrated as all other Chelsea players with Leeds style.
Everyone must respect the gegna.
Leeds plugged their leaks in the back and rolled. That may say something more about Chelsea and combo play than it does Leeds defense. We shall see.
Aaronson may bench Ferreira. Or if Weah doesn’t start to improve his form he could be a super sub or third game starter.
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Stu Holden and Taylor Twellman both said on MLS broadcasts this week they think Aaronson should start on the right over Weah. I have long been of the opinion that Aaronson should come off the bench for the last 30 as teams' back lines fatigue physically and mentally and you've got this flea constantly buzzing around back there.
As for Leeds' style, it's great in the 1st half but there was a noticeable drop in energy and ability to get after Chelsea in the 2nd half. Watching Dan James trying to unhitch the wagon that attached itself to him at halftime was painful. Aaronson was also at a much lessened pace after halftime.
As for Aaronson's goal...my son watched and criticized both the pass back and Mendy's initial touch. He said the pass back needed to be to Mendy's left to take him away from the initial pressure...he then said it looked like Mendy took his eye off the ball on the way back to him to see where he was going to go with it. He sort of whiffed the touch and the top spin turned to side spin and took it away from him. At that point he really just needed to put it over the touchline for a throw as no Chelsea player had worked back to help him.
And PeFok scored again for Union Berlin. And Joe Scally has cemented himself as a starting CB for Mongladbach...who tweeted out lobbying for him to be on the WC roster for the US.
Don't you think that as practice and games go forward, the fitness of Leeds players will improve and the "90 minutes of hell" a la Nolan Richardson, will cause problems the full match? Here's a stat from the Chelsea game: Leeds players ran over 11 kilometers more than Chelsea players (in only the 3rd match of the season). Find something else to criticize since full match fitness will not be a problem much longer. And, Marsch's players have seen results from this flat-out style and will be motivated to keep it up and get better.
Good point. I still think it's a risk over a 38 game EPL season plus any FA or Carabao matches PLUS guys like Aaronson and Adams will have the added international schedule (not sure how many other Leeds players will have that duty as well so that might be a reset point for them and allows it to be more sustainable).
And the difference between EPL and Nolan Richardson is 90 minute games with only 5 substitutes vs 40 minute games with unlimited substitutes. But I do understand your point. It will be interesting to do a study on the mileage per game later in the season vs now. Last week ten Hagen with United said he wanted to have a training session where he just had his players run 13.5 miles which is the amount they were outrun by Brentford in the 4-0 loss. Chelsea was definitely caught off guard by Leeds and mostly by the effectiveness of their press and their commitment to getting back on D quickly. Leeds has played that all out attacking style the last couple years under Bielsa, it worked their first year back in EPL, and last year they couldn't score enough to counter the number of counter attack goals they conceded. Marsch has actually made their press and attack more efficient and they have certainly tightened up their back line. Outside of the initial goal from Sterling (waived off for offside), Chelsea really struggled to find space and good scoring opportunities. And Tuchel's take that Chelsea were the far better team was way off base. He sounded almost like Jose Mourinho when he was at United and they got trounced by Liverpool in a match where Liverpool had 65% of the possession, 80% of the shots and much more in terms of attach, where Mourinho insisted that the better team did not win. If Tuchel had said the more talented team did not win, I could buy that easily. But Leeds were the better team on Sunday and they were certainly more aggressive and committed than Chelsea were.
Great match to watch. I do worry how long a team can keep up that level of intensity on their players, but maybe the lower tiers of the table will allow them to play a more reserved style.
I still like Weah over Aaronson in the WC (As a starter) Aaronson was a pest yesterday along with the rest of his team, but he add a lot of errors in the attacking third that were excused by Chelsea’s inability to defeat the press. Every team we play in the WC won’t have that same problem. I think Weah could tear up some leagues around the world if given the chance.
I still like Weah over Aaronson in the WC (As a starter) Aaronson was a pest yesterday along with the rest of his team, but he add a lot of errors in the attacking third that were excused by Chelsea’s inability to defeat the press. Every team we play in the WC won’t have that same problem. I think Weah could tear up some leagues around the world if given the chance.
Dont forget my English coaching buddy who expressed his belief months ago that the front three will be Aaronson on the left in place of CP, CP at false nine and Weah on the right. I made him pick a starting XI against Wales yesterday he went with that, MMA. and Jedi, Ream, Richards, and Dest in the rear. He talked about how a three man backline would work with Brooks, Richards, and Zimmerman, which could get McKennie forward, but I dont think he fully appreciates how committed we are to the high press. Leeds recent success only underscores that.
I would question Brooks being part of the team right now as last I looked he is still teamless. He's no longer at Wolfsburg who released him. I've only seen rumors to him finding a place but haven't seen any official signing yet. Maybe someone like New England needs to bring him to MLS...NE is hurting for CB/defensive help right now. If Scally continues playing well in the Bundesliga, I see him working his way into the conversation.
I love Tim Weah but his club team, Lille, has played 3 games so far & Weah was suspended the first and had a foot injury that kept him out of the other two. On the other hand, I'm sure Weah wanted nothing to do with yesterday vs PSG where Messi, Mbappe & Neymar feasted in a 7-1 obliteration.
Weah needs to get healthy & start playing club futbol. Otherwise, he may be only a sub for the MNT.
Weah needs to get healthy & start playing club futbol. Otherwise, he may be only a sub for the MNT.
I don't know how many center forwards Beer?halter intends to name, but if Josh Sargent & Jordan Pefok are left off, he confirms my opinion that he is an idiot. Josh Sargent didn't play in Norwich City's 1st game, but in the following 3 starts (Pewkie has been hurt), all Sargent did was score 4 goals as a #9 including 3 game winners & win a PK for his team's 5th. This guy did not play as a #9 with Pukki in the line-up last year, so, out of position. Now, he is having the time of his life, is just as active as an Aaronson or Adams, is big & strong & can obviously score. I have complete faith in Carrot Top that he will be an asset as a starter in November and he wants it, bad.
Pefok has scored 3 times for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga in 3 games. What a bargain this guy has been for Union. Big and strong with a knack for the goal. BTW, I watched an interview with Pefok recently & he spoke entirely in French with English sub-titles. Could this be the reason Beer?halter won't give him the time of day? It sure doesn't seem to matter to his German club or coach, particularly when you are winning games for your new club.
The other 5 or 6 center forwards that Beer?halter has been running in & out in the last year haven't done squat...for us or their club teams. It's time to wake up & smell the coffee.
Pefok has scored 3 times for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga in 3 games. What a bargain this guy has been for Union. Big and strong with a knack for the goal. BTW, I watched an interview with Pefok recently & he spoke entirely in French with English sub-titles. Could this be the reason Beer?halter won't give him the time of day? It sure doesn't seem to matter to his German club or coach, particularly when you are winning games for your new club.
The other 5 or 6 center forwards that Beer?halter has been running in & out in the last year haven't done squat...for us or their club teams. It's time to wake up & smell the coffee.
The language thing is definitely a consideration. If you believe Thomas Rongen, there’s around 500 players at any one time that could become USA citizens and are playing professionally at clubs we would entertain as possibly playing for us, based on talent alone. About 100 in the top league of whatever country. Guys without USA passports but with the ability to get one tomorrow. Guys with one American parent, etc.
The problem is only about 10 or 12 of them are ever realistic options. Typically we have to get them while they are young and they all believe they will work their way up to play for a better side they are already eligible for at that age and/or language and/or attitude about Americans is a problem. He said the key is to get America equal to playing for England or Germany in terms of clubs paying a premium for players that rate that high. Then they will come out of the woodwork and ask to play for the USA, like Yunus. And will be wiling to work on their English and attitude not just their game. Otherwise the agents steer them away.
So guys like Pefok spend their youth playing for France and learning their system and using their language. And get told no around 19 or 20. By then it’s too late for us usually. You can’t just plug and play with these folks these days. Teams don’t work like that. Clubs train everyday and can make up for it. You can’t in these short camps. CP and Wright played their first game together at age 14. It doesn’t help that if the rumors are true, he’s a bit mouthy in camp.
And another problem is the teammate issue and agents. Nobody wants someone in the locker room who is a marginal talent who is only there because that’s where they agent said to go.
A good example of this problem is Vasquez, who plays for Cincinnati, was born and grew up here and speaks fluent English, and is on track to lead MLS in scoring. He’s been repeatedly asked if he will be disappointed if he isn’t picked for the World Cup and his response has been that will depend on what his agents tell him. If he is asked by both Mexico and the USA he will go with the country that his agents say increases his value the most in Europe. If the USA asks and Mexico doesn’t but says there is a chance in the future and his advisors say that’s his best path to a long term club deal, then he will stay home and wait for Mexico to call. Nobody wants anybody in a locker room who talks like that unless they have Ronaldo or Zoltan type game changing ability. But so many of these kids, especially the Mexican ones, have that attitude. We just never hear about it because so many just don’t work out.
We are getting closer to none of that mattering. Jesse having success with American players will help that a lot in attracting future players to get that second passport.
The problem is only about 10 or 12 of them are ever realistic options. Typically we have to get them while they are young and they all believe they will work their way up to play for a better side they are already eligible for at that age and/or language and/or attitude about Americans is a problem. He said the key is to get America equal to playing for England or Germany in terms of clubs paying a premium for players that rate that high. Then they will come out of the woodwork and ask to play for the USA, like Yunus. And will be wiling to work on their English and attitude not just their game. Otherwise the agents steer them away.
So guys like Pefok spend their youth playing for France and learning their system and using their language. And get told no around 19 or 20. By then it’s too late for us usually. You can’t just plug and play with these folks these days. Teams don’t work like that. Clubs train everyday and can make up for it. You can’t in these short camps. CP and Wright played their first game together at age 14. It doesn’t help that if the rumors are true, he’s a bit mouthy in camp.
And another problem is the teammate issue and agents. Nobody wants someone in the locker room who is a marginal talent who is only there because that’s where they agent said to go.
A good example of this problem is Vasquez, who plays for Cincinnati, was born and grew up here and speaks fluent English, and is on track to lead MLS in scoring. He’s been repeatedly asked if he will be disappointed if he isn’t picked for the World Cup and his response has been that will depend on what his agents tell him. If he is asked by both Mexico and the USA he will go with the country that his agents say increases his value the most in Europe. If the USA asks and Mexico doesn’t but says there is a chance in the future and his advisors say that’s his best path to a long term club deal, then he will stay home and wait for Mexico to call. Nobody wants anybody in a locker room who talks like that unless they have Ronaldo or Zoltan type game changing ability. But so many of these kids, especially the Mexican ones, have that attitude. We just never hear about it because so many just don’t work out.
We are getting closer to none of that mattering. Jesse having success with American players will help that a lot in attracting future players to get that second passport.
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I'd say Ferreira with FC Dallas is playing pretty well. In contention for MLS' Golden Boot with 15 goals this year and he's always making the proactive run into the right space. But I think we can all agree that Gyasi Zardes should not be involved at all unless like 8 guys get hurt in front of him.
Agree on Zardes. Ferreira has gotten good position when I’ve seen him play on the national team but his finishing has been very iffy. One thing I don’t like about Berhalter is the way he constantly fiddles with the roster and lineups from call up to call up and from game to game. We have an abundance of good players available right now but if they don’t get to play together and form a team before the World Cup games start then we’re starting at a deficit. A collection of great talent will usually lose to a good team with lesser talent and we’ll be facing good teams with great talent.
Can we score with his 1 Forward philosophy? That’s the question. We haven’t been able to break down the low block with our mids and we will see at least one, maybe two parked bus games in the group stage.
Beer?halter will likely start Ferreira vs Wales & NevNat has it right. If he fails to score, it will be a typical result caused by Beer?halter's love affairs with marginal (MNT) players. Zardes & Acosta being others. This coming call up will reveal how serious Beer?halter is about results in the WC.
As noted in above thread, I want Sargent as a #9 vs Wales. Along with Musah, McKinnie, Aaronson & Pulisic, we should be able to score enough, on anybody. If not with these five, we were merely dreaming of success.
Patrick Viera's Crystal Palace just made a last minute $30 million+ bid for Chelsea's new fair haired boy, Conor Gallagher. Who cares, you say? USMNT fans might, because this is the guy that Tyler Adams rendered useless in Leeds 3-0 win over Chelsea last week. Adams had this guy so frustrated, he was yanked in the 65th minute to probably avoid a 2nd yellow.
I imagine our back line will be comforted by his presense patrolling the middle in front of them.
I imagine our back line will be comforted by his presense patrolling the middle in front of them.
Some recent xfer info: Sergino Dest to AC Milan (on loan w/ $20 mill option to buy), the defending champs in Serie A. His PT should increase exponentially. John Brooks finds a home with Benfica, a top club in Portugal. They have center backs hurt & need him. Even Ricardo Pepi, who hasn't scored for club or country for well over a year has joined Groningen in the Dutch league.
Great news for all of the above.
Great news for all of the above.
If Brooks is actually going to get playing time at Benfica that is great news as they are a UCL team just about every year. Last year they made it to the quarterfinals before bowing out to Liverpool. Benfica is probably the most popular team in all of Portugal as well, both in Portugal and for Portuguese migrants in the States. I grew up in a city in MA that has a high population of Portuguese, about 35% (I myself come from Portuguese heritage) and the most popular team was Benfica. The home country feelings run so deep I am pretty sure most of the Portuguese families also root for Portugal when it comes to WC time over the US (similar to how the Hispanic American population largely supports Mexico over the US). I've mentioned it on these threads before that the New England Revolution should break the bank to bring Ronaldo there. There are about 320k Portuguese living in SE Massachusetts alone and almost 600,000 in MA, RI, and CT. New England avg. about 20k fans per game. I'm pretty sure you could boost that number to 35-40k without breaking a sweat by bringing Ronaldo in to finish out his career (similar to how LA Galaxy brought Beckham in).
Tracker of the kits that will be worn during the World Cup
https://www.foxsports.com/stories/s...uniform-tracker-photos-of-every-kit-weve-seen
https://www.foxsports.com/stories/s...uniform-tracker-photos-of-every-kit-weve-seen
That’s MLS 2.0 thinking. MLS 3.0 is put Ronaldo in Miami because that’s a name that will sell shirts in Europe and is sexy enough to make the news over there. The Portuguese, both in Boston and Lisbon, will travel to him.
Still in a funk from football, but futbol was good this week-end. Except for Jedi out with a muscle thing and Pefok out with an ankle injury. Don't know the extent of either. C. Pulisic gets a rare start for Herr Tuchel and looked very active. Had a couple chances but didn't pull the trigger quick enough. CP needs more PT and maybe a shrink to help straighten out his head. Tim Weah still resides on the bench for Lille, six weeks in.
Some very good news: Wes McKinnie goes 90+ for Juventus. Gio Reyna is now coming off the bench for Dortmund. Hopefully he will soon get some starts. Eric Palmer-Brown starts regularly for Troyes. Can't we use a versatile defender as a back-up, for say, A. Robinson at left back? Who else is there? Maybe Malik Tillman?
Jesse Marsch's Leeds Utd. is heading south in the standings. They need a whole new back line and a striker but didn't spend a dime in the recent xfer window. Still, Adams & Aaronson continue to impress.
Finally, there is Carrott Top. Dude remains "en fuego" after his 5th goal & 2nd assist in the English Championship yesterday taking the Canaries to top of the table. Does Beer?halter dare to keep him out of this month's call up and Quatar?
Some very good news: Wes McKinnie goes 90+ for Juventus. Gio Reyna is now coming off the bench for Dortmund. Hopefully he will soon get some starts. Eric Palmer-Brown starts regularly for Troyes. Can't we use a versatile defender as a back-up, for say, A. Robinson at left back? Who else is there? Maybe Malik Tillman?
Jesse Marsch's Leeds Utd. is heading south in the standings. They need a whole new back line and a striker but didn't spend a dime in the recent xfer window. Still, Adams & Aaronson continue to impress.
Finally, there is Carrott Top. Dude remains "en fuego" after his 5th goal & 2nd assist in the English Championship yesterday taking the Canaries to top of the table. Does Beer?halter dare to keep him out of this month's call up and Quatar?
We don’t have anyone available at left back that can do what Berhalter wants to do. Jedi struggles to do it at times. Ream can play on the left and so can Dest, but there are complicated trade offs there.
No one wants to see Ream out there. I'd be OK with Ream as a back up CB as he seems to be doing quite well in that role for Fulham. I don't think he should start but if Zimmerman or another go down, then maybe. Can Scally play the left? He's been playing pretty well for Mongladbach in the Bundesliga but he's been playing right back where we seem to be loaded.
Musah had 2 assists in Valencia's 5-2 win over Getafe yesterday. By all accounts he is playing extremely well.
Don’t disagree and Fulham have brought in Ream’s replacement and Dest was signed to a reserve role. We should be very worried about our back line. It’s insane we are 90 days out and the boys don’t know who is going to play. I actually don’t mind Ream that much but I’m ok with him out there if the third match is a rest match and Iran is out there in a low block, eliminated and playing a jack and hack game for political purposes.
McKennie had a sweet goal for Juventus in their match vs PSG. It was a header where he just wanted it more. He is a superior player in the air and the US really needs to take advantage of that
More big doin's in the 1st leg of the Ch Lg yesterday: 1st of all, CP comes off the bench, as usual, vs Dinamo Zagreb. Doesn't do much but neither does Chelsea as they lose 1-0. I was about to write that if Herr Tuchel & Chelsea get bounced from the Ch Lg this early, it may spell doom for Tuchel. Well, this morning it is reported that Chelsea sacked Tuchel! What this means for CP & playing time under a new manager is unknown until a new manager is hired. Still, it won't get any worse for CP.
Bla reports above on Wes McKinnie's scoring Juve's only goal off the bench in the 2nd half. Wes' separated shoulder has obviously healed & he is rocking it with Juve. Also, Gio Reyna comes off the bench in the 22nd min. to replace an injured teammate. All he does is assist on two of Dortmund's 3 goals & finishes out the match.
Speaking of assists, Yunus Musah gets 2 of them also in Valencia's rout of Getafe in La Liga(reported earlier by Bla). Whew! It's now up to Beer?halter to name the "right" people to start in friendlies & Qatar.
BTW, It is reported today that Tyler Adams of Jesse Marsch's Leeds Utd is 2nd in the Premier League in combined tackles & interceptions. The rest of the Prem will soon learn of the abilities of this guy.
Bla reports above on Wes McKinnie's scoring Juve's only goal off the bench in the 2nd half. Wes' separated shoulder has obviously healed & he is rocking it with Juve. Also, Gio Reyna comes off the bench in the 22nd min. to replace an injured teammate. All he does is assist on two of Dortmund's 3 goals & finishes out the match.
Speaking of assists, Yunus Musah gets 2 of them also in Valencia's rout of Getafe in La Liga(reported earlier by Bla). Whew! It's now up to Beer?halter to name the "right" people to start in friendlies & Qatar.
BTW, It is reported today that Tyler Adams of Jesse Marsch's Leeds Utd is 2nd in the Premier League in combined tackles & interceptions. The rest of the Prem will soon learn of the abilities of this guy.
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Matt Turner with the start for Arsenal in today's Europa League match. He's already made one huge gaffe and was bailed out...but to be fair he's playing with a bunch of 2nd teamers. Only regulars I see in the lineup are Nketiah, Tierney, and Xhaka.
The error was a ball played back to him, already under pressure and in tight space and his pass out was not accurate and intercepted. Low angle shot was pushed out by a defender at the post with Turner out of position. It looked like Turner mouthed "I didn't call for it" afterwards. Being the dad of a goalkeeper, GKs HATE it when the ball gets played back and they're not wanting it for a variety of reasons (usually because they can see the pressure and potential problems that the field player cannot). GKs also hate it when a field player yells "keeper" indicating the keeper wants or should come out and get the ball. My son has snapped at teammates for doing that.
The error was a ball played back to him, already under pressure and in tight space and his pass out was not accurate and intercepted. Low angle shot was pushed out by a defender at the post with Turner out of position. It looked like Turner mouthed "I didn't call for it" afterwards. Being the dad of a goalkeeper, GKs HATE it when the ball gets played back and they're not wanting it for a variety of reasons (usually because they can see the pressure and potential problems that the field player cannot). GKs also hate it when a field player yells "keeper" indicating the keeper wants or should come out and get the ball. My son has snapped at teammates for doing that.
Arsenal win 2-1 vs Zurich. Only goal Arsenal (and Turner) concede is off a PK for a handball in the box.
Beer?halter released his roster for friendlies today. No real surprises. Includes Aaronson, Ferreira, Pulisic, Reyna, Sargent. Also Pepi & J. Morris. Horvath, Turner & S. Johnson. Adams, McKennie, Musah, Malik Tillman and of course, K. Acosta. Cannon, Carter-Vickers, Dest, Long, Scally, Zimmerman, S. Vines, de la Torre and Chris Richards.
Missing is Jordan Pefok, Haji Wright, (Pepi & Jordan Morris for these two??)Tim Weah and John Brooks. I'm pretty sure there will be some additions & deletions for November, including Pefok & Wright if they continue to win games for their club teams. Also, Tim Weah avoids further injury & he's a lock.
I'm thrilled for Josh Sargent & wouldn't be surprised if he forces Beer?halter to start him vs Japan (& Wales for that matter). I'm worried about our goalie. Turner, then Horvath, then Johnson in that order, IMO.
Missing is Jordan Pefok, Haji Wright, (Pepi & Jordan Morris for these two??)Tim Weah and John Brooks. I'm pretty sure there will be some additions & deletions for November, including Pefok & Wright if they continue to win games for their club teams. Also, Tim Weah avoids further injury & he's a lock.
I'm thrilled for Josh Sargent & wouldn't be surprised if he forces Beer?halter to start him vs Japan (& Wales for that matter). I'm worried about our goalie. Turner, then Horvath, then Johnson in that order, IMO.
All but 4 spots even before this months camp? I'll be anxious to find out the 4 positions and people he's talking about.
Weah has been knicked and I would assume one of the 4 spots Berhalter is talking about is his if he's healthy. I would assume the other 3 are GK (final spot and depends on Steffen's health), 1 CB spot as I think Carter-Vickers needs to prove himself for his spot. Last one is the 9. I think you could see another player come in for any of the 9's (Ferreira, Pepi, Morris, and Sargent). Personally I think Ferreira and Sargent should be included and the spot comes down to Morris, Pepi, and Pefok and what Berhalter wants. I think Morris gives Berhalter some flexibility although I question both his durability and ability at this level.
Brooks hasn't played much anywhere. He is at least being included in the roster for UCL games for Benfica. I don't think Brooks has been playing well enough to be included...just my opinion. Remember he played awful in his last appearance for the USMNT, the game in Honduras where he was subbed off at half which led to the US' 4 goal 2nd half outburst.
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