I will be rooting for a group stage elimination. I really mean this. I cannot support this crap.
The worst problems in sports (and business) is the mediocre performer blocking the way of someone with more potential and "the great minor league player" who lacks the skill to perform against better competition. I suspect we can qualify for 2022 following our current approach, but FIFA has practically guaranteed that with the number of spots available in a weak region.
Pick you team on potential for 2022 and let them play together. I'd rather fail than be satisfies with continued mediocrity or worse. (Admittedly that game with our young players was dreadful, but so was 2018.)
Looking at 2026 with the North American World Cup. 4 years is just not enough time to cycle and get players acclimated to the talent they’ll face at the senior level particularly given the dearth of talent in the mid-20s in the US ranks. Those guys would normally be the heart of you team in 2022. But, as we have seen, the talents just not there, which is why the Altidore and Bradley’s are still heavily involved on the USMNT. There is no one on their 20s really pushing them.
The US shouldn’t even care about qualifying for 2022. Use the fact the WC is in November and December when most of the US sporting world is focused on college football and he NFL, and the rest of the US community is dealing with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, holiday parties and the like and would only marginally paying attention. Yes, the US soccer community and its fanatical supporters will be focused on the WC but lots of casual fans that would normally pay attention if the WC was in the summer are preoccupied with the above. If they make it playing young guys like Sargent...great. If not they’ll be ready for 2026.it will stink to burn the Pulisic era and not have him break US scoring records but he is likely not going to do it anyway with the USMNT missing the 2018 WC.
Use that to your advantage and build a team geared to be really successful In 2026 and use 2022 qualifying to prepare the majority of the guys that will be on cycle for 2026. If Russians can make the qfs in 2018, a realistic goal would be qfs and if the tournament breaks the right way the semis.
I doubt they will do that because of how much the USMNT kowtows to the MLS. Garber’s use of the national program as his personal fiefdom to enrich himself and the MLS owners is criminal.
Not sure I understand that.
Feel bad for Sargent - I know there wasn't a lot of room for him after Lletget's injury, but why not just send him to the u-20s in the first place?
Based on the OP, I assume he's going to play right back.
Which is part of his system and something that does fit Adams.
I’m not a fan of it myself, but it’s what Adams can do.
Just noting what I think the OP meant.
attacking wing-back role. Adams probably can play that role. The rest of the USMNT is not good enough to play in a system like that. Gregg continues to insist that they try. He complains about depth at midfield, especially at CDM, and then picks Trap (who was his captain when Gregg ran the Columbus Crew) despite Trap not being an international caliber player (if Sargent isn't, Trap certainly is not).