Costa Rica 6/9/21

The letdown everyone was worried about for the USMNT never materialized mainly because Costa Rica's reserves seemed to want to be anywhere but in Utah.  That is probably selling our boys a bit short because they came out and straight took it to Los Ticos from the opening kick.  I take this game as a really good sign because in each 3-game window for World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) there will be a match where it's our reserves versus another CONCACAF side's reserves (obviously not against Mexico).  At this moment I would take our B-Team over anyone else in the Octagon's B-Team, including Mexico.  Not sure what else to say about these past four games, other than we put the rest of CONCACAF on notice that our time is here and we are ready.

Ethan Horvath - Was barely challenged but he certainly put himself in the "shop window" as they say.  It will be very interesting to see what happens if Zack Steffen (knee bone bruise) stays at City and Horvath gets a starting spot somewhere else in Europe and plays well.

Antonee Robinson - He played what I think is his normal game.  I'll give him the hockey assist on the first goal but he also had a few loose touches as usual.  I view Jedi the same way I do Josh Sargent in that they are the best players we currently have at their respective positions.  Until another "natural" left back arises the job is his.

Tim Ream - He showed well enough against a B-Team in CONCACAF, so I suppose that is his value.  One has to think this spot is Chris Richards' going forward.  I still don't understand how Erik Palmer-Brown and Cameron Carter-Vickers can't even get a look over Ream?

Mark McKenzie - Got the assist on the second goal with a beautiful line-breaking pass to Daryl Dike.  Also took a smart yellow just outside the box right before halftime when he was beaten.  Good on Gregg Berhalter (GGG) for running him out there again to show the kid he still has confidence in him.

Reggie Cannon - He pushed forward much more than he normally does and was rewarded with his first USMNT goal.  The goal itself was very nice as he cut back to his left for the finish.  Although I still prefer DeAndre Yedlin, Cannon is obviously still in the mix.  It will be interesting to see which club he lands at this summer.

Sebastian Lletget - He was pretty invisible again for my money.  I think his stock dropped quite a bit during these four games.  At least to me, but I'm sure he's still a GGG favorite.  It will be interesting to see if he's on the Gold Cup (GC) roster or not.

Tyler Adams - I was surprised he started and that he went 60.  He's just so good as our #6 and clearly makes our team that much better.  Arsenal is supposedly after him to play right back and Tyler grew up a big Gunners fan.  I hope he stays at Leipzig for another year and gets lots of Bundesliga reps as a #6, which Jesse Marsch will undoubtedly give him.  Then he can move to the EPL next summer after he rocks the World Cup.

Yunus Musah - So I took GGG's "fitness" comments to mean Musah wasn't 90 minutes fit, not that he was hurt in some way.  I can totally see that since he was barely playing at Valencia for months.  But damn, this kid is a player.  The way he drives the ball forward is special as is the way he switches from offense to pressing in a blink.  I thought he had a few nice passes that displayed vision I didn't know he had as well.  I can't wait to see the MMA midfield destroy CONCACAF in WCQ.

Brenden Aaronson - Man of the Match performance easily.  He had the first goal, several good passes and did this!  The kid just has that thing where he pops up in the right place at the right time.  He's still so skinny too, but his footballing IQ seems to allow him to avoid getting crushed by defenders.  He's definitely moving on from Salzburg soon, but I think he should stay for now and experience UCL Qualifying with them. 

Tim Weah - Hit the post from distance early and was generally a menace in the attacking half.  His last movement in the final third is still erratic, whether a pass or shot, but I have to say he's my favorite player to watch right now.  The crazy thing is that he is currently 4th on our winger depth chart.  Imagine how many previous versions of the USMNT where he would have been a lock starter.  He and Aaronson will see PLENTY of the pitch come WCQ.

Dike - Took his first USMNT goal very well.  Calm and collected waiting for the keeper to show his hand first.  There was also the ball from Aaronson that he let roll by him at around 19:50.  Watching it back again I think he didn't want to hit it with his left foot from there (which he would have had to do).  That's just one example of why Sargent is still ahead of him at this moment. I'm perfectly fine with Dike being second on the striker depth chart right now with a chance to join the starters if he improves other parts of his game.  I doubt he plays for Orlando again and I don't see him at the GC either because the European team that buys him will want him over there for preseason.  He has to choose his next move very wisely since he must play and can't be buried on a bench somewhere.

Walker Zimmerman - I thought he played pretty well for a guy who only got in the night before and didn't train with the team at all.  Let's see what he does in the GC.

Jackson Yueill - Another bad performance from him against a less than full strength opponent (I still remember Olympic Qualifying).  At this point I've seen enough of him and don't even want him on the GC roster at all.  Let's take a look at some of the other young midfielders like Eryk Williamson, Paxton Pomykal, Gianluca Busio or James Sands.

Gio Reyna - Came on and drew a penalty kick (PK) with his first action.  I was laughing my ass off when he and Jordan Pefok were fighting over the PK.  Reyna was probably like "Hey, if I make this I'll be the youngest PK scorer in USMNT history!"

Kellyn Acosta - He is the leader in the clubhouse for backup #6 behind Adams right now.  Like Lletget I'm not sure if he'll be at the GC or not.

Pefok - Is it wrong that I already feel like I've seen enough of him?  I'm fine with him being third on the striker depth chart right now but I prefer Dike over him mainly because Daryl is WAY more mobile.  I'm hopeful that some #9 emerges from the GC and looks like a viable option over Jordan.

Sergiño Dest - Got a late 12-minute cameo and didn't look like he wanted to be on the field.  Apparently Barcelona is willing to listen to offers for him but he wants to stay at Camp Nou.  Whatever happens to him this summer he needs to 1) get stronger and 2) rediscover his confidence and swag.

I don't expect any of the European guys like Julian Green, Luca de la Torre, Konrad, etc. to be released for the GC.  Besides the aforementioned midfielders there are some other players I'd like to see in the GC; Matt Turner, Sam Vines, Chris Mueller, Jeremy Ebobisse, Miles Robinson, Caden Clark, Leon Flach, Cade Cowell and Julian Araujo. 

Mexico 6/6/21

I needed a recovery day yesterday and I actually rewatched the match too, which is something I rarely do.  This minute-by-minute thread is better than anything I could do so I thought I'd share it.

My take on the game is it was EXACTLY what we wanted to see from this group.  They fell behind by a goal twice, including in the 2nd minute, but rallied back both times.  We all know the talent is there but we questioned their grit, toughness, mentality, whatever.  Well I think the players came through in spades, but I'm still not sure about Gregg Berhalter's (GGG) coaching though.

Lots of El Tri fans are pointing to the Christian Pulisic penalty kick (PK) being soft, and I agree.  The flip side to that is, the Mark McKenzie PK was also soft (where was his hand supposed to be?).  I would like to point out that Héctor Herrera should have seen his 2nd yellow at 95 for a double studs up challenge on Tim Weah.  If Mexico is playing all of extra time a man down the end result would have been the same.

Since Tata Martino saw a red for placing his hands on the referee, an assistant coach had to speak to the media after the match.  He said that El Tri were the better side through 90 and 120 and that the goals just didn't go in.  That is a dubious claim at best, for one simple reason.  Does the better team lose the their marks (McKenzie x1 & Weston McKennie x4) on every set piece for wide open headers?

There is no doubt Mexico carried the play for a good amount of the match, but so did we.  At best it's 60-40 in their favor, but it was much closer to 50-50 in my eyes.  Here's a rundown of the madness from 80 on. 

I thought the ref was pretty much OK by CONCACAF standards until extra time when he completely lost control.  Speaking of losing control, what is up with some El Tri fans?  They just can't quit the homophobic chant and then the sheer amount of stuff they threw on the pitch was an embarrassment.  I don't ever expect CONCACAF to do anything about it, but FIFA has to step up.  If they don't our boys are really going to be in for it come World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) at Azteca.  As I see it, until Mexico is made to forfeit a game that matters (a la WCQ) nothing is going to change.  I think this is also a decent option.

This was just such a great match to watch and I personally feel the love for the team once again.  Ever since Couva I've been down on US Soccer as an organization, and I probably still am.  But these guys, with that resilience that has always defined us.  It's just great to see again.  

Zack Steffen - I can't really blame him for the opener, but I did like how he went over to McKenzie right away to reassure him.  He did make one MASSIVE save on Tecatito Corona at 43 though.  The knee injury is worrisome to me with his history AND since it happened with no contact.

Tim Ream - My gawd, what did GGG expect playing him?  He was the focal point of the Mexican attack until he was subbed off at 82.  Unfortunately by then Diego Lainez had already scored on him.  There is no way he can play during WCQ, much less be on the roster.  Our worst player on the day, which was totally expected by me and many others when the team sheet was revealed.

John Brooks - Another great performance from him, especially when you consider he got a super-soft yellow at 10.  He played approximately 137 minutes on a yellow when you include injury and extra time.  He is absolutely irreplaceable for us and was named to the tournament's Best XI,.  Hopefully he stays healthy next season and can play in 2 of the 3 games in the WCQ windows.

McKenzie - Oh boy, was he bad.  He had the giveaway that led to the opener, another terrible giveaway that luckily amounted to nothing, gave up a PK and was generally very loose with his touches and distribution.  This was a trial by fire in the truest sense for him (5th cap).  He did grow into the match a bit and made some decent plays, but in no way did he lock down the spot next to Brooks.

Sergiño Dest - Even though GGG said we were playing a 3-4-3, we really still played a 4-3-3.  This put Dest in a spot I've never seen him play before, left-midfielder, with Ream behind him at left back.  Not surprisingly, Sergiño looked completely lost until he was rightly subbed off at 60.  I'm not sure how much blame I'm giving Dest on this performance (2nd worse on the team to me).  He was clearly not sure what his role was, and I blame this on GGG.  How can our manager not figure out how to put one of our most talented players in a position to be successful?

Kellyn Acosta - Grew into the match and put in a really solid shift at two positions.  He covered tons of ground putting out fires in the middle of the park and then moved to left back after Ream was subbed out.  I've never seen Acosta play fullback before, and while he looked a little shaky there he "did a job" as they say.  He's not a starter for me at all, but at this moment he has definitely worked his way onto the bench as a role player.

McKennie - On any normal day he would have easily been Man of the Match.  He was all over the place for 147 minutes.  Putting out fires, getting on the end of seemingly every set piece and being in the middle of every fracas that broke out.  THIS is the performance I was looking for from him.  His header off the post set up the first goal and he scored the second goal after having 2 other headers saved.  He was maybe a little selfish at 62 when he shot from distance but had both Weah and Josh Sargent breaking into space.  Other than that, he deserved being named the best player in the tournament (Best XI too).

DeAndre Yedlin - For someone that has been "out in the wilderness" as they say, he was really solid both on the pitch and as a leader.  He didn't venture forward much but was always there on D when needed.  He cramped up in the first half of extra time and had to be subbed out at 105+1.  However he put his name squarely back into the mix to be in the fullback rotation.  Nice to see since he is still only 27.

Pulisic - Unfortunately he was kind of invisible in the first half and for a decent chunk of the second as well.  He eventually grew into the match and became the difference maker we needed him to be.  I loved his attitude around taking the game-winning PK.  No one else was even getting close to that ball and then he put it in the "top bins" which is ballsy as hell in that situation.  I was really glad to see him taking set pieces as his delivery was generally very good.  Much like with Dest, GGG needs to figure out how to get the ball to CP more.  The double teams aren't going anywhere as we move into WCQ and GGG doesn't seem to know how to solve that.  Either way, Captain American provided a truly iconic moment with his celebration and was named to the Best XI as well.

Gio Reyna - I have to start with I've never EVER seen Reyna put in that much work defensively.  Normally he tries to make it look like he's defending when he's really just going through the motions.  Not on this night.  He tracked back and got stuck in like I didn't know he was even capable of.  On offense he made no mistake on the first goal that got us to 1-1 by being in the right place at the right time.  He also provided the assist on the corner kick that McKennie put away to make it 2-2.  He went through a few periods where you couldn't tell if he was on the field or not, and he was gassed (from playing so much D I think) by the time he was subbed off at 82.  He made the tournament Best XI as well.  If he is able and willing to defend like this I think GGG should consider using my preferred 4-2-3-1 with Gio in the middle of the 3 as a playmaking #10.

Sargent - He was not near good enough yet again and was rightly subbed out at 68.  He had a glorious break away at 4 but the turf monster got him and he fell just as his plant foot was hitting the ground.  Then he fluffed a rebound at 62 that any in form striker puts away.  I thought for sure Josh would look better and break out playing with more talent around him in these 3 games.  Unfortunately it was more of the same from him.  I will say that his teammates were looking for him far more against Mexico but none of their passes ever found him.  

I'm no longer in the "just wait, it will come" camp with him.  I'm now ready to officially audition others for the job.  That said, I still feel Sargent is our best option at #9 right now.  Further, I don't see any legitimate challengers to him at the moment.  I think the people that are the real competition for him are dual nationals Folarin Balogun (19, England) and Malick Sanogo (16, Germany).  If I was either of those guys I'd be contacting GGG, Brian McBride and Earnie Stewart and filing my one-time switch with FIFA immediately.

Weah - He took Dest's spot at left-mid at 60 and then moved to right wing at 82.  I thought he was dangerous.  Granted the end product wasn't there at all but he flashed what I see from him at Lille.  Which is elite speed in the open field and a willingness to press, chase and generally work hard on D.  He also makes good runs into space and is a willing passer.  I NEED to see him start against Costa Rica.

Jordan Pefok - First off, he changed his Twitter handle to "Call me PEFOK."  Will do my man!  Seems odd to say, but he actually got the same amount of minutes in this match as Sargent.  Problem is, he did even less with them than Josh did.  He barely got on the ball once again and didn't ever really look dangerous in any way.  The best way I can describe him is "plodding."  I know he put the bacon-saving winner away versus Honduras, but against Switzerland and Mexico he has the Invisible Man.  I still think there might be a place for him in a late-game role, but as of right now I'm ready for Daryl Dike to go 70-90 versus Los Ticos.  I just don't think Jordan is going to be the guy to unseat Josh as of now.

Ethan Horvath - Man of the Match performance and it's not really close.  To do what he did in a match of this magnitude as a substitute keeper is absolutely astounding.  Beyond the PK save, he also made several other big stops and there was nothing he could do on the goal he let him (thanks to Ream & McKenzie there!).  Given that he also looked good against the Swiss I think it's fair to open the starting keeper job up for competition.  Steffen might be looking at a surgery (hopefully not) and makes some shaky decisions at times.  If Horvath finds a new home on a free transfer this summer and plays well the job could be his going forward.

Sebastian Lletget - I was stunned when he got the call over Yunus Musah on a few levels.  The first being now we can't cap-tie Musah until September (assuming he doesn't play in the Gold Cup).  Second, Lletget wasn't good against Honduras.  And if I'm being honest he wasn't that good against Switzerland outside of the goal which fell into his lap.  I started to think of all this "production" everyone points to with him.  Then I looked at the competition he's done it against and it's not that impressive.  I know he's a GGG favorite and probably still has a spot on the bench for now at least.  I think we will see Luca de la Torre take his spot by the end of 2021.

Tyler Adams - Damn, was it ever good to see him back roving in that #6 role!  Make no mistake about it, his mere presence on the pitch makes us better.  For starters there's his skill level, quality, smarts, etc.  Then his energy seemed to be infectious and raised the level of his teammates when they really needed it from 82 on.  Either he or Brooks is the most irreplaceable player in the USMNT pool right now.

Reggie Cannon - It was very nice to have him for the second half of injury time after Yedlin cramped up.  We actually needed him out there and he showed well getting involved to help preserve the win.  Right back is super-crowded right now and Reggie hasn't really done anything wrong.  I think I just trust Yedlin more in a big game, but Cannon is for sure still in the mix.

I think it's going to be really hard for the boys to get up for Costa Rica tomorrow (4:00 Pacific on ESPN2).  But GGG wanted to get the "cadence" of WCQ down (Europe > 3 CONCACAF) so here we are.

The starting XI pretty much writes itself...

Brenden Aaronson Dike Weah

Lletget Jackson Yueill Musah

Antonee Robinson Ream Walker Zimmerman Cannon

Horvath

SUBS: Adams, Dest, Pefok, Josh, Gio, David Ochoa

Honduras 6/3/21

This was the second youngest starting XI the USMNT has fielded in a competitive match EVER.  With that as the backdrop I'm not all that upset about how things played out.  Beyond John Brooks and Christian Pulisic none of the starters had faced a real live CONCACAF match.  Well Honduras took care of that for everyone.  They were diving like crazy early and then completely clowning with injuries late.  They had FIVE freaking stretcher breaks and wasted an EXTREME amount of time. You factor that nonsense in with the heat, altitude, poor refereeing (I'd have lost my mind had it still been 0-0 with only 5 minutes of injury time added) and lack of experience and this is what you get. I know people are annoyed and upset with how we played, but I don't get why most aren't seeing the bright side?  We actually fought and grinded out a win!  Like hello? This is EXACTLY what World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) in CONCACAF will be like for them. To me getting a result in this one is a huge step in the right direction for this young group.

Given all the above BS the first half was generally good for us.  We created enough chances, put out the fires we created and didn't lose our heads when the shenanigans started up.  In the second half we got bogged down a bit, and I think the heat and altitude probably played a role in that.  In the moment part of me was mad at Gregg Berhalter (GGG) for not making subs sooner, but I convinced myself that letting the first choice group grind it out might be worth it.  I know GGG said he expected Honduras to play the way they did (actually trying to attack us rather than just sitting back and looking to counter) but it sure as shit didn't look like it to me.  That said, I saw a few scripted moves during open play and some good set piece ideas, so kudos to GGG for that.

It's been a while since I took notes during a game so I'll try and sprinkle them in (anything with a minute) as I break down the players. 

Zack Steffen - Came off his line and ended up in no-mans land at 26:23.  Other than that he made two great saves at 50:15 and 90.  Gaffe aside, I liked how confident he was in the box and leading his teammates as their captain.

Sergiño Dest - I thought he defended much better than he did against the Swiss.  That said, he wasn't in line with the rest of the back 4 and kept Antony Lozano onside which forced Zack's save at 50:15.  Sergiño looked more comfortable on the right to me but I think we just have to live with (and survive) at least one defensive breakdown from him per match.  Can really say the same thing for Steffen too actually as he is good for 1 blunder a game as well.  Dest was noticeably quiet going forward on the night too

Mark McKenzie - He wasn't as solid as he was against the Swiss, but overall I'd say he did well.  Especially when you consider this was only his 4th cap, 2nd start and first match that meant anything.

Brooks - Had an INSANE cross-field ball at 5:52 as well as some other good distribution.  He was Man of the Match for me.  He set the tone early by being physical and letting Los Catrachos know he wasn't about to be CONCACAF'd by anyone.

Antonee Robinson - He's still fast as hell and allows Dest to play on the right, but Jedi's touch is just...bad.  He had one great cross to Josh Sargent at 29:11 but other than that he was pretty invisible in a good way.  We need his speed to help cover for Brooks' slow-footedness.

Sebastian Lletget - I have him down for three crappy set piece deliveries at 40, 49 and 57:25.  Our midfield was our weakest group in this match by far, and he was definitely part of that.  Any blame placed on the front line needs to be shifted to the midfield IMO.  I know he's a GGG favorite but I wouldn't start him versus Mexico.

Jackson Yueill - Second game in a row where he wasn't good on offense or defense.  I get the pickings are slim behind Tyler Adams but Yueill is approaching Wil Trapp territory for me.  He's not quite there yet, but I'm definitely starting to wonder if he's actually cut out for international level football.  Olympic Qualifying and these last two matches have me leaning towards him being a Gold Cup/B-Teamer going forward.

Weston McKennie - Had a WIDE OPEN header off a set piece at 12:45 that he missed badly.  He missed another one at 70:30 that was exactly like Sargent's miss.  Wes was also open at the back post at 37:40 and no one got him the ball.  But back to his two misses.  If that's Josh he's getting crucified (like he already is), yet somehow McKennie is getting a pass?  I don't get it?  Wes was mostly invisible on the night and once again I was left wanting more from him.  He did provide the assist on the game winner though so I can't be too harsh.

Gio Reyna - Played a great match overall and was our second best player to my eyes.  He seemed to have no problem taking people on and finding spaces to operate.  He was also our most fouled player with 4.  But for all the good he did he missed Sargent for a tap-in at 9:30.  Everyone is goo-goo-ga-ga over how he dribbled through the defense and just missed the shot.  Welp, his good buddy was standing there for an early goal tap-in and he flat missed him.  He also didn't even acknowledge Josh in the game or post-match in his interview.  I know he's only 18, but if Gio wants to reach his Kevin De Bruyne ceiling he's got to get rid of his selfishness.  You think KDB passes that ball to an open Romelu Lukaku?  Of course he does!  Sargent taps that one in and the game is COMPLETELY different.

Pulisic - Overall he did not get on the ball near enough, but in the second half especially.  He missed a wide open Sargent at 29:29 (would have been another tap-in) and Wes at 90+2.  I wasn't really watching him off the ball like I would during a Chelsea match, but apparently Honduras had two men near him at all times.  That is to be expected at this point and one or both of these things has to change going forward.  CP has to DEMAND the ball more and/or GGG has to figure out ways to exploit the attention he gets.  It's not like he won't see constant double teams and fouls once WCQ starts. So figure that shit out now!

Sargent - Here are the aforementioned tap-ins in one 14 second video (scroll down a bit).  At 26:23 he saved the entire team's bacon, most notably Steffen's, with an insane header off the line.  I'm well aware that the fan base is more or less done with Josh already at 21, but if you think Daryl Dike, Jordan Siebatcheu (Pefok), Matthew Hoppe, Gyasi Zardes, Jozy Altidore, etc. are making that play I have news for you.  They are not.  Then the miss at 29:11 off the cross from Jedi.  Should he have done better?  Probably, but his momentum was taking him away from goal (just like Wes's miss at 70:30) and he still got it on target with decent power.  He could have directed it better, and maybe he does if Gio passes him the ball at 9:30. Then right after that miss CP had him on the doorstep at 29:29 and couldn't get it to him (Pulisic might have been shooting too, not sure).  At 58 McKennie played him a nice ball in the box and he got a good scissor kick on it but the ref called him for a foul somehow (he missed anyway).  He did his normal pressing work (great example at 30:55) and his hold-up play was improved from the Switzerland match.

Look, I understand that me being a Josh "stan" (as the kids say) has to be getting super-annoying by now.  In the U17 and U20 WC's he used to make such good runs and find spaces.  I don't know what happened to that, but he lost it at Werder Bremen somehow.  At this point I almost want GGG to start someone else up top so we can all get a taste of what that looks like and then maybe, just maybe, people will appreciate all the little things that Sargent does so well.  Yes, his main job is to score, but doesn't saving a sure goal count for something?  Bueller?

Brenden Aaronson - He worked hard in his 15 minutes but didn't really get on the ball much.

Reggie Cannon - Didn't do much other than commit a dumb foul late in the match in our own half.  Makes me wonder if Robinson is fit to go 90 or play on short rest.

Pefok - He played his role as a late game sub looking to get his head on something in the box perfectly.  By doing his job he saved us from probably losing on PKs.  Now he's the greatest thing since sliced bread and should start against Mexico in the Final?  Um, ok everyone.  Just be careful what you wish for, giving a guy his 5th cap and first start in the biggest match we have played in years.  As much as I want to see the true A-Team against El Tri I'm fine with giving the people what they want just to shut everyone up.  Either way, I'll be happy.  People will either realize Josh's qualities or someone else will step up and score goals.

Kellyn Acosta - He looked better than Yueill in his 10 minutes.  If Adams can't go in the Final then Acosta has to be that guy.

Matt Miazga - Didn't do much in his 2 minutes.

Adams - Didn't play, but still got a yellow card from the bench.  Bravo!

I didn't watch Mexico-Costa Rica but it ended 0-0 with El Tri winning on PKs 5-4.  I assume the Mexican fan base is not happy with that at all.  So if they needed any extra motivation against their biggest rival with silverware on the line, they have it now.  One good thing about playing Mexico is they are the only CONCACAF side that does not try to muck it up against us.  They will actually play real live free-flowing tactical football.  This means our boys will have a legitimate opportunity to showcase their skills on a big stage.  Looking forward to it! 

Here is my XI for Sunday (6:30 Pacific on CBSSN)...

CP Josh Gio

Wes Tyler Yunus Musah

Dest Brooks McKenzie DeAndre Yedlin

Steffen

SUBS: Acosta, Aaronson, Pefok, Lletget, Tim Weah

Lakers Flame Out

Any post season Lakers rant has to begin with we aren't winning squat without a healthy Anthony Davis no matter what (LeBron James too for that matter).  That said, a healthy AD is a one-man menace on D.  However, on O he's basically just a mid-range jump shooter.  I mean his go to move is a contested fade away jumper.  He really has no low post game.  Just a roundabout way of saying he gets paid a max salary but can't carry a team night in and night out on the offensive end.  Oh yeah, and he’s injury prone too. So, we have that going for us, which is nice.

Now to the good stuff. 

What the hell were you thinking Rob Pelinka?  I said it at the time, but not including Talen Horton-Tucker for Kyle Lowry was a major mistake.  Let's start with THT. 

Yes, he's only 20 and flashes lots of potential, but what's his ceiling?  Does he max out as a 20-point a game scorer?  Or is he a starting caliber PG?  Or is he just a streaky scorer that can shoot the 3, play a little D and create for others?  I tend to lean toward option 3, but 1 and 2 are still in play.  The thing is, options 1 and 2 are 5 years away at least and that timeline doesn’t match the Lakers current trajectory.

Bottom line, he could turn into something that makes me sad we gave him up, but I think the chances of that are really slim.  I think he maxes out as maybe a do-it-all type of role player and possible 3^rd option on a title team.  Again, that is years away though.

As for Dennis Schröder, he turned out to be a fraud when it mattered most just as I expected he would all season.  He’s not a good teammate, has a low BBIQ, is contact averse when he drives and is way too streaky a shooter to deserve a big pay day.  Not to mention his defensive ability being completely overblown.  He turned down 2-years $34 mil and 4-years $84 mil and just put up a 9.56 PER over six games.  Give me a fucking break with him.

Motrezl Harrell is the king of empty stats and was basically benched for the second playoffs in a row (on two different teams mind you) for being a liability on D.  I don’t know what else to say about him that isn’t already evident?  He’d be perfectly happy putting up big numbers on a terrible team and yelling “AND ONE!” 10 times a game.

So that poo-poo platter was not worth Kyle Lowry?  I get that he’s 35 and certainly on the downswing of his career.  But he’s a better defender, scorer, shooter, leader and play-maker for others than Schröder or THT are now or are going to be. Sure, you’d have to overpay him to keep him this summer. But would you rather overpay Dennis or Kyle?  Especially when Lowry would be happy with a 2-year contract.

Now Pelinka is left with 1) overpaying Schröder or having him leave for nothing (singing-and-trading him is a long shot IMO).  2) Hoping Harrell finds a team to pay him more than the mid-level so he opts out of the last year off his deal (if Trez opts in his $9.7 mil salary has to be put into play on the trade market immediately). 3) Overpaying THT or losing him for nothing when another team makes an offer they can’t match (which has a decent chance of happening with him and Alex Caruso both).

Again, even if they do trade for Lowry, AD’s injury would have ended them anyway, but they’d be set up much better to return to contention next year.  Which right now is going to take some MAJOR gymnastics by Pelinka to pull off with only 5 guys (6 if Harrel opts in) under contract and them already up against the salary cap.

I’m not done with Pelinka yet either. Everyone was handing him Executive of the Year before the season but all he really did was ruin team chemistry.  Marc Gasol/Harrell/Andre Drummond was not as productive as JaVale McGee/Dwight Howard for what the Lakers needed.  Which should have been clear to Pelinka since he dumped two defensive minded guys who were happy in their roles and team leaders for guys who all complained about their roles during the season (well, maybe not Drummond, but he wasn’t around long enough to do so).

Then there is the backcourt.  Schröder/Wes Matthews was nowhere near as good defensively or leadership wise as Rajon Rondo/Danny Green.  Plus, the aforementioned chemistry issues with Schröder. 

I’m not saying the Lakers should have run it back with the same exact crew, but one of Dwight or JaVale had to be kept (Harrell never made sense as one of their replacements).  They couldn’t pay Rondo, which I get, but there were cheaper options at backup PG for them to find.  The Green trade caught me by surprise, even though he played poorly in the bubble.  I think part of that deal was him wanting out of LA after he and family got death threats.  Which ok, if has to be traded then fine, but for Schröder?  I mean really Rob, did you ever like watch him play at all?

In addition to LeBron and AD the other returning Lakers are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Gasol and maybe (hopefully not) Harrell.  KCP just put up a 5.04 PER and shot 37.9% from the field and 21.1% from three over 5 games.  Kuz played 6 games and managed an almost unbelievable 2.92 PER on 29.2%/17.4% shooting.  Key-ripes...those two were bad in the playoffs.  Gasol is still a semi-useful player as a nominal starter or a 15-20 minute spot bench player, but his days as a big-time player are over.

Long story short, I think Laker and LeBron haters can rejoice. I don’t really see a way back to contention for them unless a boatload of legit rotation-level players come to them on minimum deals.  They can blame injuries all they want, but running it back with a crew that just lost in the first round is sheer folly.

Switzerland 5/30/21

The USMNT looked good for about a half in Switzerland, then the wheels fell off.  The Swiss switched formations at halftime as well as bringing on three of their better players.  From there forward we were second best and lucky to escape with a 1-2 loss.  Our transition defense was particularly poor specifically. 

After the match Gregg Berhalter (GGG) said he noticed the tactical switch by the Swiss and that his team "didn't adjust well to it."  Ummmm...you are the freaking coach!  How about, you know, making some adjustments of your own to match their adjustments so we don't get run off the pitch?  Nope, we kept doing the same things and probably deserved to give up 4 or 5 goals total.  In-game adjustments are not GGG's strong suit to say the least.  Which isn't good since we are finally about to play competitive matches that mean something. 

Ethan Horvath - Played well in his first cap since 3/26/19.  Neither of the goals were on him and he made some nice saves along the way.  He guessed right on the PK as well even though the guy missed the target.  Good to see he will be ready if called upon. 

John Brooks - He played well in his 60 minutes.  Had to do some emergency defending after being hung out to dry by Sergiño Dest several times.  Not at fault on either goal. 

Mark McKenzie - Very impressed with his first start, especially when you consider the level of the competition.  Didn't put a foot wrong and threw his name firmly into the mix for the spot next to Brooks.

Reggie Cannon - Wasn't good overall and was at fault for the first goal. He wasn't able to close the man down and then the ball deflected off him. (Looked like Horvath had it covered if not for the deflection.) Got forward pretty well but his crossing wasn't up to snuff. With options coming up behind him I'm not sure he did enough to keep his spot as a starter. Good depth piece though.

Dest - Oh man, did he have a shocker as they say. The second goal was completely on him. No idea what he was trying to do with that "clearance." Just a joke. Also left Brooks alone to cover for him far too many times. He also gave up an unlucky PK (ball don't lie!).

That said, he did have one decent pass and a good shot on goal that was saved. If he can't defend I'm not sure he should start on the left again. Also not sure we need to adjust our entire formation (back 4 to back 3 with wingbacks) to cover for his defensive lapses. I know he has to play somewhere for us, he's too talented not to, but the issue with him is simple, GET THE FUCK BACK ON DEFENSE!!!

Jackson Yueill - The drop off from Tyler Adams to him is STEEP. Yueill wasn't terrible, but in no way was he good. Looked a little out of his depth against this level of competition. He's still probably the backup #6 just by default, but he certainly didn't win the job outright with this performance. 

Weston McKennie - Was all over the place, playing much like he did at Juventus. He put out some fires but didn't seem to be as effective tracking back without Adams and Musah flanking him. He didn't get any service when moved up to play in the box either. Average good performance from Wes overall, and honestly I expected a bit more out of him. He was our captain and looked really intense during the anthem.

Sebastian Lletget - Scored our goal just by being aware.  Also had another glorious chance that he put into the side netting (assist from Josh Sargent).  I was a little surprised that he got the call to start over Yunus Musah here, but his performance definitely proved he deserved it.  When he plays for the USMNT he produces, so can't really ask more than that.  Playing him means so MMA midfield though, but I can live with that if he keeps scoring.

Gio Reyna - Played really well and hit the post at 52 (assist from Sargent). Kind of like Wes. I wanted more from Gio even though he played well. Our "big" players have to come up bigger than they did Sunday when the competition steps up a level. 

Brenden Aaronson - He also played really well in probably his biggest USMNT match to date. He wasn't overwhelmed by the moment at all, which is really nice to see. He obviously needs to get physically stronger, but he thinks the game so well he doesn't get bossed off the ball very often regardless. He already seems to be ahead of Tim Weah in the pecking order and I wonder if he can pass Gio at some point for second winger behind Christian Pulisic? Great depth piece any way you slice it. 

Sargent - His touch on hold-up play and linking with teammates was strangely off.  I watch Josh play a ton and I've never seen so many bad touches from him in one match.  He's never 100% accurate, but in the high-90s to low 80s I'd say normally.  He had two headers that missed, and neither was a very good shot.  He did very well pressing on D and creating for others in the box, but he didn't really have a clear chance on goal himself.  I've got him pegged for a breakout here in the next 3 games, but if it doesn't come his time as the first choice #9 might be ending before it begins. 

Kellyn Acosta - Didn't do much better than Yueill in his 30 minutes and looked slightly out of his league.  The spot behind Tyler Adams at #6 is WIDE open at the moment.  Seems like no one wants it.  

Musah - I was surprised that he didn't start until I saw him play. He did well driving the ball forward but immediately lost it every time he got into the attacking third. And it wasn't like he was trying to pull crazy moves or anything, he just lost the ball, and easily. I have to say his 30 minutes looked a lot like he does at Valencia, which is inexperienced. His defensive pressure can be huge for us when paired with Tyler and Wes, but the rest of his game? Yikes. I might give him a try at #6 if Adams can't go. 

Tim Ream - It only took him 30 minutes to prove once again why he doesn't belong anywhere near this team anymore.  If he plays in the Nations League we aren't going to win. 

Jordan Siebatcheu - Was given 20 minutes to prove why he should play over Sargent, and I'm not even sure he touched the ball.  Josh isn't a speed demon or anything, but Siebatcheu was noticeably slower than him in my eyes.  Like painfully obvious.  Jordan just doesn't offer as much as Sargent does and he's already 25 years old.  Seems like a late game sub when we need him on set pieces and not much more. 

Weah - I wanted to see him play for more than 20 minutes, but he didn't look like he deserved it.  He almost made a few dangerous things happen but lost the ball trying every time.  He's clearly 4th on the winger depth chart right now and needs to do something in the Nations League to keep that spot before someone else passes him by. 

DeAndre Yedlin - He only got 10 minutes but after how Cannon and Dest performed DeAndre has to be back in the mix to start.  It would not surprise me at all to see both Yedlin and Antonee Robinson (if healthy) playing as our starting fullbacks against Honduras.  I mean Dest has to pay some type of price for the stinker he laid.  Rather it be against Los Catrachos than El Tri.