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USMNT 2020


Napoleon

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On 10/1/2020 at 1:27 PM, Napoleon said:

 

I have browsed through Tinder in Barcelona in the last 16/17 months (early June 2019) and perhaps he chose Barcelona for a different reason. 

I wanted him to go to Bayern, but Barcelona will always be a fun place to live. 

Dutch kids playing for Ajax want to jump to Barca as their next move, the Cruyff legacy is still very strong. Bayern was a better move, Barca was the dream move. Though he will get more minutes at Barca this season than he would have at Bayern I think. 

Edited by shnsajax
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1 hour ago, shnsajax said:

Shaping up to be a nice little Saturday.

I'm sure that Gio whipped by Home Depot after the match.

Perhaps Bed, Bath, & Beyond... I don't know, I don't know if he had enough time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

FULL NOVEMBER CALL UP LIST:

US squad:

Goalkeepers

Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL)
Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG)
Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG)

Defenders

John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER)
Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR)
Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP)
Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL)
Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG)
Chris Richards (Bayern Munich/GER)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG)

Midfielders

Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER)
Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA)
Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED)
Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA)
Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP)
Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton/ENG)

Forwards

Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona/ESP)
Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA)
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG)
Uly Llanez (Heerenveen/NED)
Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER)
Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER)
Sebastian Soto (Telstar/NED)
Tim Weah (Lille/FRA)

https://sports.yahoo.com/reyna-musah-us-squad-november-164934427.html
 

LAMPARD PROVIDES INJURY UPDATE ON PULISIC

0ec6511861874a19a1f58cee8dc01ad6

Frank Lampard has revealed that Christian Pulisic will not spent that much time out injured.

 

Christian Pulisic is set for another brief spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during warmups ahead of Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday.

But it will only be brief.

Speaking to reporters via a video press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Rennes on Wednesday, Lampard confirmed that Pulisic will be missing for the clash at Stamford Bridge but could be fit this weekend against Sheffield United.

“Christian had a scan yesterday which showed a very minor injury to his hamstring. Very minor. He’s already back outside [on the training pitch]. He’s not fit for tomorrow, but we will see after that,” Lampard said. “It is obviously a relief for the injury to be on the small side. He made the right decision on not attempting to play the game. That would have made it worse. It is clearly a relief that he will be back very soon because he’s an important play for us.

“With the actual muscle injury, that’s a hard one to call. It’s forever going to be a challenge. Some players that do play on the edge and have such speed in their game and acceleration, maybe that could be more susceptible. I don’t think that’s a one-size-fits-all answer, because it is different for everybody. From last season we were looking at ways of managing Christian and being proactive and hopefully not getting too many injuries. It is something he’d previously experienced with his career at Dortmund as well. We are all working on the same direction on that one to try and get him as fit as regularly as possible because we know the talent [he has].”

Will Pulisic be fit for the USMNT v Wales?

Pulisic’s availability for the USMNT’s game against Wales in Swansea on Nov. 12 will be intriguing, as the winger will be hoping to play for the USA for the first time in 2020.

Gregg Berhalter is expected to name Pulisic in his squad and it will be very helpful to have his star winger with his team.

Let’s wait and see...

https://sports.yahoo.com/lampard-provides-positive-pulisic-134833430.html

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1 minute ago, Napoleon said:

FULL NOVEMBER CALL UP LIST:

US squad:

Goalkeepers

Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL)
Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG)
Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG)

Defenders

John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER)
Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR)
Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP)
Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL)
Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG)
Chris Richards (Bayern Munich/GER)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG)

Midfielders

Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER)
Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA)
Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED)
Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA)
Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP)
Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton/ENG)

Forwards

Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona/ESP)
Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA)
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG)
Uly Llanez (Heerenveen/NED)
Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER)
Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER)
Sebastian Soto (Telstar/NED)
Tim Weah (Lille/FRA)

https://sports.yahoo.com/reyna-musah-us-squad-november-164934427.html
 

LAMPARD PROVIDES INJURY UPDATE ON PULISIC

0ec6511861874a19a1f58cee8dc01ad6

Frank Lampard has revealed that Christian Pulisic will not spent that much time out injured.

 

Christian Pulisic is set for another brief spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during warmups ahead of Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday.

But it will only be brief.

Speaking to reporters via a video press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Rennes on Wednesday, Lampard confirmed that Pulisic will be missing for the clash at Stamford Bridge but could be fit this weekend against Sheffield United.

“Christian had a scan yesterday which showed a very minor injury to his hamstring. Very minor. He’s already back outside [on the training pitch]. He’s not fit for tomorrow, but we will see after that,” Lampard said. “It is obviously a relief for the injury to be on the small side. He made the right decision on not attempting to play the game. That would have made it worse. It is clearly a relief that he will be back very soon because he’s an important play for us.

“With the actual muscle injury, that’s a hard one to call. It’s forever going to be a challenge. Some players that do play on the edge and have such speed in their game and acceleration, maybe that could be more susceptible. I don’t think that’s a one-size-fits-all answer, because it is different for everybody. From last season we were looking at ways of managing Christian and being proactive and hopefully not getting too many injuries. It is something he’d previously experienced with his career at Dortmund as well. We are all working on the same direction on that one to try and get him as fit as regularly as possible because we know the talent [he has].”

Will Pulisic be fit for the USMNT v Wales?

Pulisic’s availability for the USMNT’s game against Wales in Swansea on Nov. 12 will be intriguing, as the winger will be hoping to play for the USA for the first time in 2020.

Gregg Berhalter is expected to name Pulisic in his squad and it will be very helpful to have his star winger with his team.

Let’s wait and see...

https://sports.yahoo.com/lampard-provides-positive-pulisic-134833430.html

Take my hamstring.

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2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Take my hamstring.


If you're posting on this board, I'm thinking that your hamstring isn't up to EPL/International friendly level.

No offense, but... Those who can, do. Those who can't (whether "anymore" or "ever")...
 

...POST on message boards. 🤓

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9 minutes ago, Napoleon said:


If you're posting on this board, I'm thinking that your hamstring isn't up to EPL/International friendly level.

No offense, but... Those who can, do. Those who can't (whether "anymore" or "ever")...
 

...POST on message boards. 🤓

Well, it's too long, for starters. But assuming they could cut it down to size, I'm young, pretty athletic, and have much less miles on me than Pulisic. 

So idk - is anyone here premed?

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Projected starting XI for Wales match by The Athletic

Spoilered because The Athletic doesn't know what "concise" means

Spoiler

Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to reflect Christian Pulisic’s exit from national team camp due to injury

 

After so many months apart due to the global pandemic, the U.S. men’s national team had to wait an additional two and a half days after staff first arrived in Wales to hold a welcome meeting with their full group. This is life in the era of COVID, with quarantine and isolation protocol keeping all players and staff from being able to immediately gather due to staggered arrivals into camp. 

 

Eventually, though, the team so many American fans have been eager to see will come together, and the young core of U.S. rising stars will finally take the field on Nov. 12th.

 

On Monday, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter outlined some ideas for how the U.S. might play against Wales. He acknowledged again that the U.S. will defend out of a 4-3-3 — not the 4-4-2 mid-block they used early in his tenure. He also broached the idea of using Gio Reyna as a false 9. He discussed the versatility of Tyler Adams, not just as a No. 6, but as a player who can push higher up the field or play on the outside when needed.

 

More importantly, however, the group is finally together and getting an opportunity to work on some of the ideas they first started to put into place back in 2019, when the majority of these players last played for the U.S. 

 

It will be a process. Adams pointed out that many players are in camp for the first time, and others have had limited time together with the senior team. This camp is complicated even more by the limited training time because of staggered travel and COVID restrictions. Adams said it’s important to set “realistic expectations.”

 

“We’re going to have to really take as much information in as possible,” he said. “And Gregg and the coaching staff have already done a good enough job with giving us iPads, breaking down video with us, having individual meetings to go over what he’s looking to accomplish from us throughout this camp. And there are realistic expectations. If we can develop the right way in this first game and then move on to the Panama game, and continue to take another step forward, that’s all you can really ask for. With how the schedule looks moving forward, and what competitive games we have, we know that we have to progress rather quickly because a lot of the guys in this group that are here can play such a key factor moving forward.”

 

With Pulisic leaving camp and Josh Sargent not available because of Werder Bremen withholding players from international call-ups due to quarantine restrictions, Berhalter will have some interesting choices on his attacking line.

 

He said both Sebastian Soto and Niko Gioacchini can play the No. 9 spot — Gioacchini scored there for Caen last the weekend — as can Timothy Weah. 

 

Berhalter was also asked about using Reyna (and the now-absent Pulisic) as a false 9.

 

“I think that’s certainly an option, especially the way we use our strikers,” he said. “For me it’s going to be about putting them both in position to really help the team.”

 

Here is my updated projection of Berhalter’s starting XI for the U.S. against Wales.

 

 

 

Goalkeeper: Zack Steffen

The Manchester City backup is the clear No. 1 for the U.S. under Berhalter and will get some important minutes here against Wales. Steffen has not played since Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Burnley on Sept. 30th in the League Cup. He has been on the bench for six Premier League games so far this season. 

 

Backup: Ethan Horvath

 

Left back: Antonee Robinson

Robinson has been starting consistently for Fulham “and he’s done a great job,” since joining from Wigan, Berhalter said. He will be given every chance to win this starting job.  

 

Backup: Tim Ream

 

Center backs: John Brooks and Matt Miazga

Brooks and Miazga are starting consistently at Wolfsburg and Anderlecht, respectively. Tim Ream is a solid left-footed option who can provide depth for Brooks and Robinson. Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards is highly regarded by the U.S. staff, but expect Berhalter to bring Richards along a bit slower in his first senior camp. The 20-year-old’s last appearance for Bayern Munich came on Oct. 4th, though he went the full 90 for Bayern Munich II in the last three games. Richards very well could win a starting job eventually.

 

Backups: Tim Ream and Chris Richards

 

Right back: Sergiño Dest

The starter for Barcelona is a shoe-in for this spot. Berhalter praised Reggie Cannon’s quick adaptation so far at Boavista, where he has started and gone the full 90 minutes in each of his first seven games in Portugal. Dest, though, has played 216 minutes for Barcelona since his transfer from Ajax, including a start and 90 minutes in El Clasico against Real Madrid, and he’ll be cemented in this spot unless Robinson struggles at left back.

 

Backup: Reggie Cannon

 

Defensive midfielder: Tyler Adams

Adams will start as the No. 6 for Berhalter and begin forming his partnership with good friend Weston McKennie. Adams went 90 minutes in each of his first three games for RB Leipzig this season, but was out with a knee injury until making his return with 14 minutes against PSG in the Champions League and eight minutes against Freiburg in Bundesliga play. 

 

Backups: Johnny Cardoso, Owen Otasowie

 

Center midfielder: Weston McKennie

Berhalter loves McKennie’s range and his ability to make late runs into the box to be a threat on the attacking end of the field. McKennie missed time this season with Juventus due to testing positive for COVID-19, but made appearances in Juve’s last three games. 

 

Backup: Sebastian Lletget

 

Attacking midfielder: Yunus Musah

The last to arrive at U.S. camp, Valencia’s Musah is projected in central midfield and it’s likely Berhalter will try to see as much of him as possible in this camp. Especially considering his eligibility for England, where he played at the youth level, and other countries. Musah continues to feature for Valencia in La Liga, drawing a penalty kick against Real Madrid before joining U.S. camp.

 

Backup: Richie Ledezma

 

Left wing: Konrad de la Fuente

Pulisic’s absence certainly could cause Berhalter to do more shuffling with his lineup, but the easiest solution is to make a like-for-like substitution on the wing. De la Fuente is a left winger who played for Barcelona’s first team in the preseason and has made the bench several times so far this season in La Liga, and this is a good chance to see whether he is capable of contributing regular minutes for the senior team at a position that also includes Jordan Morris on the depth chart. Berhalter earlier this week praised De la Fuente’s game evolving to include more runs in behind the back line and his verticality, qualities that help to open up more space to operate between the lines. Berhalter said it was a maturation from De la Fuente’s time with the U.S. under-20s, when he more often looked for the ball to his feet. Pulisic’s absence may give us a chance to see that from the Barcelona product this week against Wales.

 

Backup: Uly Llanez

 

Striker: Niko Gioacchini

He may not be well known in U.S. soccer circles yet, but Gioacchini has the chance to break into the team and provide legitimate competition in this forward position. The quarantine for Sargent may have opened the door for Gioacchini to make that claim in this camp. Gioacchini scored for Caen on the weekend, his third goal in eight games so far in Ligue 2 this season. 

 

Backup: Sebastian Soto

 

Right wing: Gio Reyna

The Dortmund starter will be given the freedom to come inside and find the game in Berhalter’s system. Reyna started and went 69 minutes in Der Klassiker last weekend, becoming the third American to play in the Dortmund-Bayern rivalry game. Reyna has one goal and four assists in all competitions for Dortmund so far this season.

 

Backups: Tim Weah, Uly Llanez

 

(Top photo: Angelo Blankespoor/Soccrates/Getty Images)

 

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                barca-b 19     galaxy 28     sunderland 17

                        VALENCIA 17   JUVENTUS 22

                                        LEIPZIG 21

FULHAM 23                                                              BARCA 20

                     WOLFSBURG 27    ANDERLECHT 25

                                        mancity 25

 

that's 7 outfield players playing legit minutes with the first team on sides in the top league in that country.

5 or 6 of those players have collectively tallied 500 minutes in the UCL this season.

all of this WITHOUT pulisic.

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