Brooks and Yedlin left off, because I still fantasize about them somehow being on the Olympic qualifying roster. With no Yedlin, opportunity to bring Lichaj in and start him at RB, getting the nod over Timmy Chandler (we've already seen enough of Evans to know…).
Ream or Shea at LB, but not sure how Shea has been doing lately, so I'll just go with Ream. I like Lichaj on that side too (from his short stint there under Bob Bradley). I personally don't see a whole lot in Garza.
Cameron a lock in the central defense. Gonzalez has always had the tools. Now that he's regaining confidence, he gets the nod over Besler.
Really would like to see Nguyen AAAND Nagbe starting together centrally, but Dempsey's apparent return to form makes that more difficult to justify (really all I saw was his 2 goal performance vs. América, but I'll assume...). My stubbornness to have all those guys in there is what led me to this formation in the first place.
As it is, Nagbe will have to come off the bench for this one. Maybe swap him with Nguyen or Dempsey for the next one.
Fabian a lock. I loved him as a fullback, but there is no longer any reason to keep him there any longer considering the club season he's having.
With Jermaine aging ;(, put Bradley where he belongs in a deeper role and hope he stays disciplined/focused defensively, while also pinging his share of balls upfield.
Bedoya just holding that spot on the wing until Gyau comes back and *hopefully* returns to form and *hopefully* continues his development without a hitch.
Jozy alone up top, hopefully combining well with Dempsey and Nguyen, and with Fabian and Bedoya getting forward in support. Tempted to have Wood in there alongside Jozy, but ya can't have 12. I love Aron, but not sure how he's been since returning and never know where he fits with us. Morris hopefully with the U-23 side, though I still think he has a longer way to got than people realize.
Howard > Guzan. Still. End of story. I don't even see a debate. In a large part due to his presence and leadership, but not solely.
I do think Pulisic should be called up soon, but not with Olympic qualifying conflicting.
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Jeff
almost 10 years
Brooks and Yedlin left off, because I still fantasize about them somehow being on the Olympic qualifying roster. With no Yedlin, opportunity to bring Lichaj in and start him at RB, getting the nod over Timmy Chandler (we've already seen enough of Evans to know…). Ream or Shea at LB, but not sure how Shea has been doing lately, so I'll just go with Ream. I like Lichaj on that side too (from his short stint there under Bob Bradley). I personally don't see a whole lot in Garza. Cameron a lock in the central defense. Gonzalez has always had the tools. Now that he's regaining confidence, he gets the nod over Besler. Really would like to see Nguyen AAAND Nagbe starting together centrally, but Dempsey's apparent return to form makes that more difficult to justify (really all I saw was his 2 goal performance vs. América, but I'll assume...). My stubbornness to have all those guys in there is what led me to this formation in the first place. As it is, Nagbe will have to come off the bench for this one. Maybe swap him with Nguyen or Dempsey for the next one. Fabian a lock. I loved him as a fullback, but there is no longer any reason to keep him there any longer considering the club season he's having. With Jermaine aging ;(, put Bradley where he belongs in a deeper role and hope he stays disciplined/focused defensively, while also pinging his share of balls upfield. Bedoya just holding that spot on the wing until Gyau comes back and *hopefully* returns to form and *hopefully* continues his development without a hitch. Jozy alone up top, hopefully combining well with Dempsey and Nguyen, and with Fabian and Bedoya getting forward in support. Tempted to have Wood in there alongside Jozy, but ya can't have 12. I love Aron, but not sure how he's been since returning and never know where he fits with us. Morris hopefully with the U-23 side, though I still think he has a longer way to got than people realize. Howard > Guzan. Still. End of story. I don't even see a debate. In a large part due to his presence and leadership, but not solely. I do think Pulisic should be called up soon, but not with Olympic qualifying conflicting.