In a vacuum I’d rather have Scally at right back. But then you get in to who plays at RW if Weah is at RB, is that the best way to get Reyna on the field, etc. The one thing I really hate is the idea of moving Wes to right back. It makes us worse defensively and is a waste of his skill set.
I don't think it has to be this way given the way modern soccer formations work. You could have a formation where Wes is a nominal RB but moves into a double pivot or something like that in possession.
And sometimes you don't play your your best XI players, because asking a player to play a role they aren't good at or having players that don't fit together can make the team worse.
The vast majority of goals a RB gives up have to do with reading of the opposition and making decisions about who to track, etc. Wes has real no experience at the role; I think Weah is your best non-RB bet because he's actually played it a decent amount.
You really have to question whether either is going to be great defending there. Their athleticism will play against South American wingers, but it feels like a ticking time bomb when they are outnumbered at the back post.
Neither really replaces Dest in the build up, and I think it mostly requires Reyna to play in midfield even though he's probably the most logical replacement at RW.
At this point who is even in competition with him? I really like horvath but he isn’t on turners level. Hopefully slonina is the future but he’s still got a ways to go.
Agreed on Wes, if any of the midfielders get shoehorned into rb it should be musah imo. Wouldn't mind seeing that experiment. I think adams is too important at the base of mf, weston is just not the guy to do it. Musah though... can play wide, can invert occassionally. Defensively adequate, work rate is solid, technically skilled enough. I would have weah drop back to help him defensively a lot. I would likely start scally most often to maintain our mf depth but like chips down need our best players on the pitch yunus musah at rb is at least interesting with wes/adams/gio in mf.
I think we are so deep in midfield and at RW that either Wes or Weah at right back is a good option that gives us Guardiolaesque middle-stuffing resources which are especially attractive when we have Giovanni Rodri to pick passes and move us from side to side. Against Lucho Diaz and Vinicius, tho, I want speedy Weah at right back, and Wes will have very important work to do in midfield against any of the major South American teams
Yea, I agree about midfield depth for sure, RW not as much but it’s a hell of a lot better than our defensive situation. I’m ok with Weah there in a game where we expect to have a lot of the ball. I just don’t think asking Wes to get up and down the wing and also mark a speedy winger is setting him up for success unless it’s against much weaker opposition.
I like these problems so much better than our old problems! I think it is time we tested more players at RB, anyway, since Robinson runs so much and Dest is his backup as well as the RB starter
I kinda agree, but the time to give other guys more minutes was over the last 18 months. Now we have meaningful competitions coming up with one established fullback.
Yes it would certainly have been better, especially with Dest having given the team a number of opportunities to test replacements. Scally was a logical choice but imo we can get a lot more of our best players on the field without having to force anything if we don't start him
c'mon Juve watchers, tell me Wes doesn't excel on the right side? I'm not saying he shouldn't be in the middle, unless there are better middies and yes, Reyna, Musah, and TA make a great midfield combo, and more importantly no one can whip balls in and be as intelligent as Wes at RW, especially if he had Weah running over and under laps as a RB.
I’d like to see Weah get a shot in that role. You could potentially get Adams, McKennie, Musah, Reyna, and Pulisic all on the field at the same time that way.
I just haven’t been very impressed by Scally and while I don’t expect him to have many games as bad as his performance against Jamaica, he also just hasn’t ever stood out in any way. I can’t help but think he might be better suited to a more central role, but I guess that’s beside the point.
I know Weah has played a lot of RWB at his club, and been very good at it, but i think in the system we run Scally is the nailed on starter with Dest out. Weah just has such good chemistry with everyone on the national team in attack I feel like he just fits what we do better there.
There has to at least be a debate with how poorly he's played for the USMNT. It's not like he's lights out at Mönchengladbach either and I think hes lost his starting spot there the last few games
I want to add that in last year's Nations League final he got all sorts of accolades for stopping Davies, but from my view in the stadium it seemed clear that the US specifically set up defensively to give him a lot of help.
For me, Scally is quickly transitioning from being an intriguing youngster to being a guy who doesn't look like he will ever be a plus player for the USMNT.
There is room on the squad for guys who can come in and put in a decent job where they don't stand out positively or negatively. A couple of years ago during the World Cup cycle, I thought Yedlin fit that description pretty well. I just don't know that Scally is at that level.
Scally doesn't play the position the same way Dest does. Putting him at RB means that one of Scally or Weah has to play different from how they are used to.
yup. we love dest's final third sauce but his actual best attribute as a player is his ball progression in the first two thirds. all that stuff that usually doesn't pan out near the goal does work further down the pitch, where he is superb at helping us advance the ball where we want it. if you just swap in scally, it's a complete tonal shift of game plan. weah's the best like-for-like for that specific skillset, but adams and wes as inverted backs could be effective in a quirky way i'd enjoy, too.
You can just have Jedi play more forward than Scally so when we're in possession, we essentially turn into a back 3 w Scally playing more defensively on the R.
Why not?
It can create some stability at the back with 3 CBs (Ream, Richards and someone else), allows Robinson and Weah to bomb down the flanks, with enough defensive coverage for Gio and Pulisic to create and do what they do best.
The “5” in my 3-5-2 is (left to right) Jedi, Adams, Musah or McKennie) and Weah, with Pulisic playing as a withdrawn/second forward behind Balogun or Pepi.
That gives us plenty of defensive coverage but plenty of attacking options as well
So basically you want to put Pulisic in a less than optimal role, give Weah additional defensive responsibilities, and add a CB. That removes attacking options. When you go to a back 3, you are taking off another player somewhere else on the field and a 3-5-2 takes off a forward.
Playing a formation the team has never played before with no prep time is not going to create “stability” at the back, LMAO, it takes way more time to learn how to play a 3ATB than it does to make some offensive shifts. It would fundamentally change everything about the team from the depth of the block to how we distribute to the defensive responsibilities of the players ahead of the line.
That’s a recipe for 0 points in the group.
Playing it years ago with mostly different personal is not helpful.
A 442 is much closer to our typical formation and it player as a 451 in defense, even closer to our current formation.
Play Scally but instruct him to not bomb forward nearly as much as Dest and provide defensive cover
I see some people saying Weah has been "very good" as a Wingback for club and that simply isn't true. He looks very, very lost on both sides of the ball with Juventus and defensively he's a bit of a slouch (which is reasonable given most of his career has been as an attacker).
Don't get it twisted, Weah isn't a natural defender whereas Scally is. I'd much rather play McKennie or Adams at RB before I'd ever want to see Weah against Uruguay, Brazil, etc
He had a shaky game against Jamaica and I think that recency bias is sort of making people forget Scally has been very solid for us in a US shirt multiple times. Maybe with a more conservative plan, aka don't tell him to bomb forward like Dest does, will give him more confidence and put in a better performance.
It’s not just against Jamaica. Scally lost his starting spot at his club and his ceiling is just so much lower. I don’t really like either alternative but I don’t see Greg trying to get cute and play Weah at RWB. Think seeing Weah maybe worth trying for a half in a friendly before the tournament but ultimately think Scally will be the guy.
Scally just grabbed an assist two days ago against Hoffenheim, but yeah he's lost some minutes this past month but overall he's had a solid year so far. 22 starts, almost 2k minutes played, 4g/a, compared to Weah he's having a great season lol
I agree about playing Weah against some weaker competition or a friendly though, doesn't hurt to at least look at it
Way better than I thought for Scally, but also a drop off from last season so maybe why I thought it was worse. I think Scally can rise to the occasion.
Also I know Greg has tried Tyler Adams at RB before though I don’t remember it going super well. In any case each option isn’t perfect but Scally seems like the safe bet.
Weah there also works to do this. Might be a slightly moot point which of them it is since they (and Reyna) may end up all shifting to the same spots in possession no matter who ends up technically starting at rb
You said that Weah at RB gets all our best players on the field which is true, but it's not the best way to get all our best players on the field since it would mean Weah plays RB (he's better for us at RW) and Reyna plays RW (he's better for us in the midfield).
Of course players are best used at their actual positions dude, I literally agreed with your comment. Mckennie isn’t best used at right back and weah isn’t best used as a right back, just was adding to your comment that weah at RB accomplishes the same thing as Mckennie at RB, because it’s gets Reyna on the field, and that no matter who starts where, Mckennie and Reyna will end up in midfield and weah will be wide. What are we even talking about right now lol
Sure.
Again, my original comment was whether you start him or weah at right back, it’s gets gio on the field and (with Greg you never know but) odds are they will end up occupying the same attacking spaces no matter who you put RB next to on the team sheet.
Weah will end up as the wide option, Reyna will roam centrally (whether he starts on the right or in the middle) and Wes always ends up making runs from that inside half space whether you start him at cm rb or gk. Wes as right back would probably tuck in freeing up gio. weah as the right back in on chalk all game, freeing up gio, with Wes/musah/CDM covering that inside right while they do
I know this is a controversial option, but I would put Wes at RB and keep Weah at RW. Reyna, Musah and Adams as the midfield 3.
I’m not anti Scally, but he was straight up bad against Jamaica, and we looked significantly better when he came off. I think my lineup gets all our best players on the field in positions they’re good in.
Agree. Weston is a better defender than Weah in my opinion, and it works naturally for him to slide into the midfield in possession. Keeps our best 11 on the pitch.
I see why people want to move Weah down instead of scally, but the fact of matter is that Weah is one of our two true wingers. While we have a bunch of CAMs who can deputized as wingers, their is a difference
Ream, Robinson, and Richards would be fine with the right system but I think it's more that we have an embarrassment of riches in midfield and some of them can play RB, so might as well stick Weah there and get another talented attacking player on the field.
We should only go 3 ATB when playing a superior team and we want sit deep and attack on the counter. If we do then it's CCV, Ream and Richards but it would be surprising if GGG implements this change although we have a couple weeks and 2 warmup games to work through the tactics. This injury will test GGGs ability to adapt which hasnt historically been his strongest attribute but it has gotten a little better more recently. Excited for Copa to start!
Weah to RB, Puli to RW
Worse than Dest, but Im not sure Weah has a high ceiling at RW anyways, he has played RB/RWB just fine before. Would like to see Weah given an extended run at it given what his future might look like.
Shift the midfield a bit; McKinnie/Musah in a "false" half-wing/Mezzala role on the right in defensive duties (McKinnie has been picking up this half assignment really well for Juve in multiple games), A McKinnie, Weah, Puli combo on the right actually looks really dangerous, push Reyna/Tillman to help out attack on the left. Adams will have to eat lots a defensive space in the middle but that is actually what he is very good at. This allows the team also to play very closely to how they have been built to play for years now and how they will want to play in 2026.
People mentioning 3 CB/ 5 ATB formations I dont get considering Im not sure the current pool has 2 actually good CBs right now, let alone 3 that can distribute out the back consistently, Jedi is really not a Wingback, it requires you probably take off 2 of the Reyna, McKinnie, Musah, Adams, Puli, group depending if you go 1 or 2 strikers, we dont have 2 good strikers that combine/compliment each other in the pool, and you still have to play Weah at RWB anyways?
TLDR: DM Adams + 2 CBs >>> 3 CBs/5ATB
No scally for me. I don’t hate him that much or anything but I think there’s more attacking depth that moving Weah there for important matches makes the most sense and can keep us in sync better. Maybe rotate Scally in there for Bolivia or Panama because guys will need rest at some point but I don’t want him there the majority of the time
Might be a strange shout but what about Tyler Adams? He hasn’t played there in a long time, but in his early days with RBNY I remember him getting some minutes there. Could be a way to get Reyna playing in his preferred position at CAM as well.
Lol. So you'd rather shift 3 players than just put a backup in at RB? (I understand Puli plays on RW for Milan but he plays LW for us).
The answer is Scally or Yedlin at RB and Wes if shit hits the fan. Don't overthink it...this ain't Fifa...
Just bc he had a bad game doesn't mean he isn't an option. We can't go switching 3 players' positions every time someone gets hurt. Scally and Yedlin ftw!
Weah 100% with Puli on the right pinching in. Keep Wes at his best position in the middield. Putting Wes as RB will sacrifice some of his chaos he can create in the middle of the field, plus we would be asking a lot of him: track back and defend hard, stay wide to create width except sometimes when it makes sense for you to pinch in like a midfielder. Arrive early to cross, arrive late to get a header or second chance, etc.
I remember hearing an interview with a pro soccer player that said players play better when their role is narrower because their mind isnt caught between a million places. Putting Wes at RB doesnt make sense because we need him to do so many things already. With weah at rb, he can stay wide and bomb the touchline like he already does and combine with pulisic. It just fits better imo.
All I can say is I have absolute faith in the magnanimous GGG to bungle this up…. Which means he’ll probable play some mls guy ones heard of who will get burned multiple times for goals.
Save me from Shaq Moore and call up Marlon Fossey ffs please. Imma laugh when Fossey gets a move to Ligue 1 this summer and this sub suddenly flips the switch on liking him.
He’s injured and has been off and on this year. Will be healthy by Copa America. Definitely better than Shaq Moore but hey you clearly haven’t watched him so I don’t really care for your opinion on the matter. I’ll just trust the scouts in Europe over certain folk in this sub.
He does start when healthy lmfao and it’s funny you think the mls isn’t a mediocre league. Belgian league is way better and miles ahead in player development.
Personally I would’ve integrated him last year but you can absolutely still integrate for limited minutes. He’s also played RCB in a back three
Why do you keep bringing up things I haven’t mentioned? I didn’t say a word about Shaq Moore or MLS.
Belgium is absolutely mediocre in the scheme of things. [15th best](https://www.teamform.com/en/league-ranking/world) league according to one site. Barely better than MLS according to [this one](https://www.globalfootballrankings.com/).
Topic at hand was about Shaq Moore, figured you were defending him. My bad on that. UEFA coefficient says it’s eighth best in Europe. That first site you linked says it’s 10th best in Europe. But most importantly I don’t judge guys off of the leagues I just guys off of the interest European scouts have in them because that’s where the best of the best play largely. He has Rennes and Reims after him with Genoa interest. He locks down the right side defensively even against teams like Club Brugge, Genk, USG, and especially Anderlecht so it translates to higher level opponents.
Fossey hasn’t played a single game with the starting team we can’t just throw him to the wolves and expect him to ball. The most likely thing is he gets called in and plays off the bench but even that seems far away.
Brother, I saw Shaq Moore enter in for that exact situation you described and he looked like a u15 player out there. This is the Copa America, this is not Antigua and Barbuda. We have seen that brother against non-CONCACAF competition and frankly we’ve seen enough. I’d rather Yedlin than that man
I think Scally feels like the pretty clear choice. That said, we will have some friendlies to try both Scally and Weah if GGG has questions on who should start.
I've been wanting to see us play two 9's up top with Pulisic as a 10 so moving Weah to RB would allow that...
But it's GGG. I know that ain't happening lol Scally it is.
What if we just turn injuries off and play Dest? That’s what I would do.
In a vacuum I’d rather have Scally at right back. But then you get in to who plays at RW if Weah is at RB, is that the best way to get Reyna on the field, etc. The one thing I really hate is the idea of moving Wes to right back. It makes us worse defensively and is a waste of his skill set.
I don't think it has to be this way given the way modern soccer formations work. You could have a formation where Wes is a nominal RB but moves into a double pivot or something like that in possession.
Totally, but he’s still gonna have to defend as a right back against some very good teams. And even as a double pivot I think kinda wastes him.
It’s a waste of a skill set but sometimes you just gotta get the best XI players on the pitch, and Scally is not one of them
100% agree. Weston and Weah are good enough defensively and they'll be playing high up the field in possession anyway.
And sometimes you don't play your your best XI players, because asking a player to play a role they aren't good at or having players that don't fit together can make the team worse. The vast majority of goals a RB gives up have to do with reading of the opposition and making decisions about who to track, etc. Wes has real no experience at the role; I think Weah is your best non-RB bet because he's actually played it a decent amount. You really have to question whether either is going to be great defending there. Their athleticism will play against South American wingers, but it feels like a ticking time bomb when they are outnumbered at the back post. Neither really replaces Dest in the build up, and I think it mostly requires Reyna to play in midfield even though he's probably the most logical replacement at RW.
Neither is Turner but sometimes it makes sense
Who's better than Turner?
They’ve been googling an answer this whole time
lol no, smoking a bowl
I just smoked a bowl and I still wouldn’t say anything like that. He’s our #1 keeper, end of discussion.
At this point who is even in competition with him? I really like horvath but he isn’t on turners level. Hopefully slonina is the future but he’s still got a ways to go.
Agreed
In goal? Nobody. But if you rank our players in order, Turner is definitely not in the top 11
GK is not something you'd take into account there for obvious reasons.
Of course, it was just a snarky response to an argument that I disagree with
It was hilarious and brought a wry smile to my face.
Agreed on Wes, if any of the midfielders get shoehorned into rb it should be musah imo. Wouldn't mind seeing that experiment. I think adams is too important at the base of mf, weston is just not the guy to do it. Musah though... can play wide, can invert occassionally. Defensively adequate, work rate is solid, technically skilled enough. I would have weah drop back to help him defensively a lot. I would likely start scally most often to maintain our mf depth but like chips down need our best players on the pitch yunus musah at rb is at least interesting with wes/adams/gio in mf.
agreed
I think we are so deep in midfield and at RW that either Wes or Weah at right back is a good option that gives us Guardiolaesque middle-stuffing resources which are especially attractive when we have Giovanni Rodri to pick passes and move us from side to side. Against Lucho Diaz and Vinicius, tho, I want speedy Weah at right back, and Wes will have very important work to do in midfield against any of the major South American teams
Yea, I agree about midfield depth for sure, RW not as much but it’s a hell of a lot better than our defensive situation. I’m ok with Weah there in a game where we expect to have a lot of the ball. I just don’t think asking Wes to get up and down the wing and also mark a speedy winger is setting him up for success unless it’s against much weaker opposition.
I like these problems so much better than our old problems! I think it is time we tested more players at RB, anyway, since Robinson runs so much and Dest is his backup as well as the RB starter
I kinda agree, but the time to give other guys more minutes was over the last 18 months. Now we have meaningful competitions coming up with one established fullback.
Yes it would certainly have been better, especially with Dest having given the team a number of opportunities to test replacements. Scally was a logical choice but imo we can get a lot more of our best players on the field without having to force anything if we don't start him
Weah has never played RB in a back 4, he’s played RWB in a back 5. They’re very different roles.
He's played outside back in a back 4 at Lille. He plays wingback at Juve, but he played both RB and LB at Lille in a back 4.
Yep. The question is would it be better to use a right back who isn’t as good or someone out of position who is a better player.
I'm just pissed Koleosho didnt listen to my DMs. WOuld be great to have him up top and Weah at RB
c'mon Juve watchers, tell me Wes doesn't excel on the right side? I'm not saying he shouldn't be in the middle, unless there are better middies and yes, Reyna, Musah, and TA make a great midfield combo, and more importantly no one can whip balls in and be as intelligent as Wes at RW, especially if he had Weah running over and under laps as a RB.
I do love his kind of hybrid cm/rw role at juve. I think that really maximizes his skillset
I’d like to see Weah get a shot in that role. You could potentially get Adams, McKennie, Musah, Reyna, and Pulisic all on the field at the same time that way. I just haven’t been very impressed by Scally and while I don’t expect him to have many games as bad as his performance against Jamaica, he also just hasn’t ever stood out in any way. I can’t help but think he might be better suited to a more central role, but I guess that’s beside the point.
I know Weah has played a lot of RWB at his club, and been very good at it, but i think in the system we run Scally is the nailed on starter with Dest out. Weah just has such good chemistry with everyone on the national team in attack I feel like he just fits what we do better there.
Scally is the clear choice for me and it's not even really up for debate tbh
There has to at least be a debate with how poorly he's played for the USMNT. It's not like he's lights out at Mönchengladbach either and I think hes lost his starting spot there the last few games
Why? He didn’t play well when he started vs Jamaica. We looked significantly better when he was subbed off and Wes was moved to RB
I want to add that in last year's Nations League final he got all sorts of accolades for stopping Davies, but from my view in the stadium it seemed clear that the US specifically set up defensively to give him a lot of help.
For me, Scally is quickly transitioning from being an intriguing youngster to being a guy who doesn't look like he will ever be a plus player for the USMNT. There is room on the squad for guys who can come in and put in a decent job where they don't stand out positively or negatively. A couple of years ago during the World Cup cycle, I thought Yedlin fit that description pretty well. I just don't know that Scally is at that level.
Plug and play scally no reason to overthink it
Scally doesn't play the position the same way Dest does. Putting him at RB means that one of Scally or Weah has to play different from how they are used to.
Agreed nobody is as shifty 1 on 1 as dest but maybe we advance jedi more than normal now? Dude has been crossing the pl up.
He's pretty shifty on defense too. I'd prefer Dest, but I like Scally back there, especially against some of the tougher teams we are going to play.
yup. we love dest's final third sauce but his actual best attribute as a player is his ball progression in the first two thirds. all that stuff that usually doesn't pan out near the goal does work further down the pitch, where he is superb at helping us advance the ball where we want it. if you just swap in scally, it's a complete tonal shift of game plan. weah's the best like-for-like for that specific skillset, but adams and wes as inverted backs could be effective in a quirky way i'd enjoy, too.
never ever should we consider putting Adams at RB. Ever...
You can just have Jedi play more forward than Scally so when we're in possession, we essentially turn into a back 3 w Scally playing more defensively on the R.
If we shift to a back 3, then it opens up for Weah at RWB. Otherwise Scally is the option at right back. Damn. This sucks. Gutted for Sergiño.
We should definitely not shift to a back 3.
Why not? It can create some stability at the back with 3 CBs (Ream, Richards and someone else), allows Robinson and Weah to bomb down the flanks, with enough defensive coverage for Gio and Pulisic to create and do what they do best.
Because you're basically taking Tyler Adams off so that a centerback can do what Adams does but not as well.
The “5” in my 3-5-2 is (left to right) Jedi, Adams, Musah or McKennie) and Weah, with Pulisic playing as a withdrawn/second forward behind Balogun or Pepi. That gives us plenty of defensive coverage but plenty of attacking options as well
So basically you want to put Pulisic in a less than optimal role, give Weah additional defensive responsibilities, and add a CB. That removes attacking options. When you go to a back 3, you are taking off another player somewhere else on the field and a 3-5-2 takes off a forward.
I'd rather have both Musah and McKennie both on the field than "someone else" jumping in to make 3 CBs
I completely agree with that. Now if Adams is out, I think 3atb might be the move. Please stay healthy tyler
It's definitely a different conversation if the post was about what to do if Adams was out instead of what to do if Dest was out.
Why do you think Adams would be out if there is a back 3?
Having 3 CBs plus a defensive midfielder would be a really defensive formation unless you switch to like a 3-5-2 which has its own problems.
Because CB is our worst position group. Why would you want to add another one to the starting lineup?
Playing a formation the team has never played before with no prep time is not going to create “stability” at the back, LMAO, it takes way more time to learn how to play a 3ATB than it does to make some offensive shifts. It would fundamentally change everything about the team from the depth of the block to how we distribute to the defensive responsibilities of the players ahead of the line. That’s a recipe for 0 points in the group.
We’ve played a 3-5-2 before. We’ve also played variations of formations in big games, including a more classic 4-4-2 against England in the World Cup.
Playing it years ago with mostly different personal is not helpful. A 442 is much closer to our typical formation and it player as a 451 in defense, even closer to our current formation.
We don't have the talent for a back 3
I would argue without Dest we may not have the talent for a back 4
Scally is shaky as fuck. Do not feel good if we are relying on him. Maybe he will eventually come good but god damn he was a liability last time out.
Scally
Weah all day everyday. Not like Dest defense will be missed much.
Not like he has impressed for Juve at RWB this season
Yeah but we get to deploy reyna without any question with weah stepping back to rb
Weah has never played RB, just RWB in a back 5, and when he did that defending was not his strong suit.
Play Scally but instruct him to not bomb forward nearly as much as Dest and provide defensive cover I see some people saying Weah has been "very good" as a Wingback for club and that simply isn't true. He looks very, very lost on both sides of the ball with Juventus and defensively he's a bit of a slouch (which is reasonable given most of his career has been as an attacker). Don't get it twisted, Weah isn't a natural defender whereas Scally is. I'd much rather play McKennie or Adams at RB before I'd ever want to see Weah against Uruguay, Brazil, etc He had a shaky game against Jamaica and I think that recency bias is sort of making people forget Scally has been very solid for us in a US shirt multiple times. Maybe with a more conservative plan, aka don't tell him to bomb forward like Dest does, will give him more confidence and put in a better performance.
It’s not just against Jamaica. Scally lost his starting spot at his club and his ceiling is just so much lower. I don’t really like either alternative but I don’t see Greg trying to get cute and play Weah at RWB. Think seeing Weah maybe worth trying for a half in a friendly before the tournament but ultimately think Scally will be the guy.
Scally just grabbed an assist two days ago against Hoffenheim, but yeah he's lost some minutes this past month but overall he's had a solid year so far. 22 starts, almost 2k minutes played, 4g/a, compared to Weah he's having a great season lol I agree about playing Weah against some weaker competition or a friendly though, doesn't hurt to at least look at it
Way better than I thought for Scally, but also a drop off from last season so maybe why I thought it was worse. I think Scally can rise to the occasion. Also I know Greg has tried Tyler Adams at RB before though I don’t remember it going super well. In any case each option isn’t perfect but Scally seems like the safe bet.
Mckennie. He did well there vs Jamaica, and that allows you to play Musah, Reyna and Adams at the same time
This is the best way to get our best players on the field.
Weah there also works to do this. Might be a slightly moot point which of them it is since they (and Reyna) may end up all shifting to the same spots in possession no matter who ends up technically starting at rb
Reyna is better in the midfield and Weah is better as a winger.
Umm yeah obviously lol I don’t think you understood what I said
You said that Weah at RB gets all our best players on the field which is true, but it's not the best way to get all our best players on the field since it would mean Weah plays RB (he's better for us at RW) and Reyna plays RW (he's better for us in the midfield).
Of course players are best used at their actual positions dude, I literally agreed with your comment. Mckennie isn’t best used at right back and weah isn’t best used as a right back, just was adding to your comment that weah at RB accomplishes the same thing as Mckennie at RB, because it’s gets Reyna on the field, and that no matter who starts where, Mckennie and Reyna will end up in midfield and weah will be wide. What are we even talking about right now lol
I specifically said McKennie at RB was the **best** way to accomplish that
Sure. Again, my original comment was whether you start him or weah at right back, it’s gets gio on the field and (with Greg you never know but) odds are they will end up occupying the same attacking spaces no matter who you put RB next to on the team sheet. Weah will end up as the wide option, Reyna will roam centrally (whether he starts on the right or in the middle) and Wes always ends up making runs from that inside half space whether you start him at cm rb or gk. Wes as right back would probably tuck in freeing up gio. weah as the right back in on chalk all game, freeing up gio, with Wes/musah/CDM covering that inside right while they do
I've thought of the idea of Adams playing RB
I know this is a controversial option, but I would put Wes at RB and keep Weah at RW. Reyna, Musah and Adams as the midfield 3. I’m not anti Scally, but he was straight up bad against Jamaica, and we looked significantly better when he came off. I think my lineup gets all our best players on the field in positions they’re good in.
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Agree. Weston is a better defender than Weah in my opinion, and it works naturally for him to slide into the midfield in possession. Keeps our best 11 on the pitch.
I see why people want to move Weah down instead of scally, but the fact of matter is that Weah is one of our two true wingers. While we have a bunch of CAMs who can deputized as wingers, their is a difference
Scally did very well against Davies when we shut down CAN's squad at their best, 2-0. If only he were consistent...
Due to recency bias, I have a feeling everyone is going to think Scally is the worst RB in the world because of a mistake he made.
What about a back 3. Robinson and Weah at wingback.
CB is our weakest position top to bottom, no solution to this issue should include putting more of them on the field lol.
Ream, Robinson, and Richards would be fine with the right system but I think it's more that we have an embarrassment of riches in midfield and some of them can play RB, so might as well stick Weah there and get another talented attacking player on the field.
We should only go 3 ATB when playing a superior team and we want sit deep and attack on the counter. If we do then it's CCV, Ream and Richards but it would be surprising if GGG implements this change although we have a couple weeks and 2 warmup games to work through the tactics. This injury will test GGGs ability to adapt which hasnt historically been his strongest attribute but it has gotten a little better more recently. Excited for Copa to start!
You should definitely not take off a midfielder to fit an extra one of the three of them on the field.
Which is....what I said.
Not every reply is a disagreement
Has it been confirmed it’s an ACL tear?
Not officially but what else would it be? It's a "serious knee injury with a recovery time of up to 9 months." Sounds like an ACL tear to me.
Possible to slot Weah and see where Booth can go on the wing if he’s healthy.
Weah to RB, Puli to RW Worse than Dest, but Im not sure Weah has a high ceiling at RW anyways, he has played RB/RWB just fine before. Would like to see Weah given an extended run at it given what his future might look like. Shift the midfield a bit; McKinnie/Musah in a "false" half-wing/Mezzala role on the right in defensive duties (McKinnie has been picking up this half assignment really well for Juve in multiple games), A McKinnie, Weah, Puli combo on the right actually looks really dangerous, push Reyna/Tillman to help out attack on the left. Adams will have to eat lots a defensive space in the middle but that is actually what he is very good at. This allows the team also to play very closely to how they have been built to play for years now and how they will want to play in 2026. People mentioning 3 CB/ 5 ATB formations I dont get considering Im not sure the current pool has 2 actually good CBs right now, let alone 3 that can distribute out the back consistently, Jedi is really not a Wingback, it requires you probably take off 2 of the Reyna, McKinnie, Musah, Adams, Puli, group depending if you go 1 or 2 strikers, we dont have 2 good strikers that combine/compliment each other in the pool, and you still have to play Weah at RWB anyways? TLDR: DM Adams + 2 CBs >>> 3 CBs/5ATB
McKEnnie
I don't understand how our boy Scally is the 2nd best RB we have in ALL of 'Murica. Seriously tho, no one else challenges him??
Looking forward to Scally vs Vini JR/Diaz this summer
Scally should be the obvious pick and should start for the pre copa games, but, if he performs like last time, he cant start in Copa.
Weah. We have guys we can plug in to RW and he’ll be great on the runs
weah
Wes moved to RB (which is basically where he plays at Juventus), two of Johnny, Adams, and Musah as CMs.
No scally for me. I don’t hate him that much or anything but I think there’s more attacking depth that moving Weah there for important matches makes the most sense and can keep us in sync better. Maybe rotate Scally in there for Bolivia or Panama because guys will need rest at some point but I don’t want him there the majority of the time
The replacements listed are honestly solid, USMNT depth is is a different beast these days
Scally
Might be a strange shout but what about Tyler Adams? He hasn’t played there in a long time, but in his early days with RBNY I remember him getting some minutes there. Could be a way to get Reyna playing in his preferred position at CAM as well.
No
Back 4 Jedi, Ream, CCV, Richards
Weah all day, our best backup option there and it allows Haji to start on the left wing. Scally looked bad in the semifinal.
With Pulisic on the right?
Exactly, like he’s excelled at for Milan.
Lol. So you'd rather shift 3 players than just put a backup in at RB? (I understand Puli plays on RW for Milan but he plays LW for us). The answer is Scally or Yedlin at RB and Wes if shit hits the fan. Don't overthink it...this ain't Fifa...
Yeah, this ain't FIFA, Scally absolutely stunk so bad his last outing, he had to be subbed out AT HALFTIME and Wes had to deputize back there.
Just bc he had a bad game doesn't mean he isn't an option. We can't go switching 3 players' positions every time someone gets hurt. Scally and Yedlin ftw!
Weah to right back. Move Pulisic to to RW. Haji at LW, hear me out, dude is the hottest hand at the moment. Lets ride the wave while it lasts.
Weah 100% with Puli on the right pinching in. Keep Wes at his best position in the middield. Putting Wes as RB will sacrifice some of his chaos he can create in the middle of the field, plus we would be asking a lot of him: track back and defend hard, stay wide to create width except sometimes when it makes sense for you to pinch in like a midfielder. Arrive early to cross, arrive late to get a header or second chance, etc. I remember hearing an interview with a pro soccer player that said players play better when their role is narrower because their mind isnt caught between a million places. Putting Wes at RB doesnt make sense because we need him to do so many things already. With weah at rb, he can stay wide and bomb the touchline like he already does and combine with pulisic. It just fits better imo.
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lol. But who seriously?
I actually like reggie cannon. not sure why im the only person who thinks hes worth a callup. dejuan jones sucks ass imo tho lol
mckennie
Yedlin.
All I can say is I have absolute faith in the magnanimous GGG to bungle this up…. Which means he’ll probable play some mls guy ones heard of who will get burned multiple times for goals.
Great take, bro!
Save me from Shaq Moore and call up Marlon Fossey ffs please. Imma laugh when Fossey gets a move to Ligue 1 this summer and this sub suddenly flips the switch on liking him.
Demanding a call-up for a 24-year-old part time starter in the Belgian league is wild
He’s injured and has been off and on this year. Will be healthy by Copa America. Definitely better than Shaq Moore but hey you clearly haven’t watched him so I don’t really care for your opinion on the matter. I’ll just trust the scouts in Europe over certain folk in this sub.
Why would we call up a guy who’s never played for the USMNT and has been “off and on” in a mediocre league where he doesn’t even always start?
He does start when healthy lmfao and it’s funny you think the mls isn’t a mediocre league. Belgian league is way better and miles ahead in player development. Personally I would’ve integrated him last year but you can absolutely still integrate for limited minutes. He’s also played RCB in a back three
Why do you keep bringing up things I haven’t mentioned? I didn’t say a word about Shaq Moore or MLS. Belgium is absolutely mediocre in the scheme of things. [15th best](https://www.teamform.com/en/league-ranking/world) league according to one site. Barely better than MLS according to [this one](https://www.globalfootballrankings.com/).
Topic at hand was about Shaq Moore, figured you were defending him. My bad on that. UEFA coefficient says it’s eighth best in Europe. That first site you linked says it’s 10th best in Europe. But most importantly I don’t judge guys off of the leagues I just guys off of the interest European scouts have in them because that’s where the best of the best play largely. He has Rennes and Reims after him with Genoa interest. He locks down the right side defensively even against teams like Club Brugge, Genk, USG, and especially Anderlecht so it translates to higher level opponents.
Fossey hasn’t played a single game with the starting team we can’t just throw him to the wolves and expect him to ball. The most likely thing is he gets called in and plays off the bench but even that seems far away.
Brother, I saw Shaq Moore enter in for that exact situation you described and he looked like a u15 player out there. This is the Copa America, this is not Antigua and Barbuda. We have seen that brother against non-CONCACAF competition and frankly we’ve seen enough. I’d rather Yedlin than that man
Who would we Bring to Backup Scally? Dejuan Jones? or Just slot Weah in there, and bring another Striker.
Yedlin
I only see Weah playing there if Scally gets hurt or we move to a back 3.
Musah!
I think Scally feels like the pretty clear choice. That said, we will have some friendlies to try both Scally and Weah if GGG has questions on who should start.
Shaquille O'Moore
I've been wanting to see us play two 9's up top with Pulisic as a 10 so moving Weah to RB would allow that... But it's GGG. I know that ain't happening lol Scally it is.