WCQ: Third Round - Window 1 (September 2-8, 2021)

[Shway]

53 minutes ago, Sal333 said:

If it was a one off I don't think anyone would argue with your starting XI. The problem is that first game is on the 2nd and the next game is on the 5th. Who you decide to play on the 5th will affect your roster on the 2nd. Something tells me Herdman is gonna mix and match his roster with all three games in mind.

I respectfully disagree. As @mrstepp817 said before I think the approach should be to take one game at a time. We can't look to the second game without playing the first. I also think the coaching staff will have definitely already mapped out how many points we need to qualify, and what games will require the points to attain that. I look at these 3 games, and say Honduras and El Salvador are must win/6 point games. Whereas the game against the USA, getting a point would be success.  

Knowing that, I put my best lineup out against Honduras. Get the result needed. Rotate for the USA where needed, and play whats fresh/ready for El Salvador. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Shway

[PiedPilko]

1 hour ago, Shway said:

My 26 man squad prediction:

Milan Borjan
Maxine Crepeau 
James Pantemis

———

Richie Laryea
Allistair Johnston
Sam Adekugbe 
Scott Kennedy
Kamal Miller
Steven Vitoria
Doneil Henry
Cristian Gutierrez 
Zachary Brault- Guillard

———

Atiba Hutchinson
Stephen Eustaqiuo 
Jonathan Osorio
Samuel Piette
Mark-Anthony Kaye
Scott Arfield
David Wotherspoon 

——

Alphonso Davies
Jonathan David
Cyle Larin
Tajon Buchanan 
Junior Hoilett
Theo Corbeanu 
Liam Millar

My hot take is gonna be Corbeanu... I don't think he should be there.

 

Disregarding the playing time he hasn't had, he doesn't fit well into this formation. He's not a wing back, and his hold up play / finishing made him unconvincing as a striker at the youth level. He's a pretty pure winger whose upside could potentially combine his size with his technical abilities. I think his role in League One has come as a bit of a shock to some, but really, no one in England rates him as this wonderkid who should be tearing up the Championship. He's not there yet.

If we really bring a 26 man squad like this one, he's probably there. But with only 23-24, Pasher is a more versatile option who can play wb and score, and ZBG is an actual wingback.

[Obinna]

2 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

My hot take is gonna be Corbeanu... I don't think he should be there.

 

Disregarding the playing time he hasn't had, he doesn't fit well into this formation. He's not a wing back, and his hold up play / finishing made him unconvincing as a striker at the youth level. He's a pretty pure winger whose upside could potentially combine his size with his technical abilities. I think his role in League One has come as a bit of a shock to some, but really, no one in England rates him as this wonderkid who should be tearing up the Championship. He's not there yet.

If we really bring a 26 man squad like this one, he's probably there. But with only 23-24, Pasher is a more versatile option who can play wb and score, and ZBG is an actual wingback.

Kind of agree with your Corbeanu hot take, but for slightly different reasons.

Yes he is young talented and played well against Mexico of all teams. Yes he's scored 2 goals in his 6 caps, despite not being an obvious fit with our formations.

However, for me the knocks against him may be 1) lack of playing time and 2) his case of the Big C (was this ever confirmed?).

The former may work itself out in the coming days, but my concern with the latter would be bringing a potentially infectious player into our camp. The last thing we need is an "outbreak" that rules out our important players.

The same concern would apply to Wotherspoon too, as he's been out for the same reason (if I am not mistaken).

Even if both of these guys are declared recovered, it may be wise to just not take the chance.

Furthermore, you have to wonder what their game-condition would be after contracting a virus that is serious enough to close down the country of New Zealand with a single case. 

Anyways, I'm not saying this ought to be the end-all, be-all for player selection, but if certain bubble guys are in that situation, these may be reasons to keep them out of the picture, for the time being.

 

[dyslexic nam]

53 minutes ago, Shway said:

I respectfully disagree. As @mrstepp817 said before I think the approach should be to take one game at a time. We can't look to the second game without playing the first. I also think the coaching staff will have definitely already mapped out how many points we need to qualify, and what games will require the points to attain that. I look at these 3 games, and say Honduras and El Salvador are must win/6 point games. Whereas the game against the USA, getting a point would be success.  

Knowing that, I put my best lineup out against Honduras. Get the result needed. Rotate for the USA where needed, and play whats fresh/ready for El Salvador. 

That is my thinking as well.  Put simply, Honduras is one of those teams we will need to battle for the 1.5 spots we are realistically competing for.   There is no way we don’t field our strongest lineup in that game.   It is against a direct rival, is the opener that will set the tone of the WCQ campaign, and is a chance to exorcise a few lingering demons.  I anticipate rotation for the US game, but for Honduras we will be looking to make a statement.  

[CanadaFan123]

28 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

My hot take is gonna be Corbeanu... I don't think he should be there.

 

Disregarding the playing time he hasn't had, he doesn't fit well into this formation. He's not a wing back, and his hold up play / finishing made him unconvincing as a striker at the youth level. He's a pretty pure winger whose upside could potentially combine his size with his technical abilities. I think his role in League One has come as a bit of a shock to some, but really, no one in England rates him as this wonderkid who should be tearing up the Championship. He's not there yet.

If we really bring a 26 man squad like this one, he's probably there. But with only 23-24, Pasher is a more versatile option who can play wb and score, and ZBG is an actual wingback.

His role of being sick and missing games? 

[PiedPilko]

8 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

His role of being sick and missing games? 

He was on the bench the first game. I don't think he'll be a lock to start when he's back.

[Corazon]

Not sure if it will happen but given that the home base for this camp will be Toronto, it's possible that some Toronto FC players may be included in the Taxi squad if they plan on bringing 26 to 30 players.  Realistically, only about 20 players may play in the 3 games and that might be too high as well.  Herdman and his staff have been known to throw in a player of two to train with the team even if they are far down the depth chart. 

Players such as Verhoeven, Metcalfe, Sterling, ZBG, Okello, Nelson are all players that have all been called into camps in the past couple of years basically as add-ons to the team.  If you're bringing in 26 to 30 players, I could see some local players such as Priso and Shaffelburg included in the squad.  Neither of which are likely to feature anytime soon.  However, if your looking at the 27th player on a roster, its easy to include a Priso who is based in Toronto.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Corazon

[mrstepp817]

The Scuffed Podcast which is a USMNT centric podcast did a nice episode that just posted today with Jon Arnold who does a CONCACAF newsletter...he previewed the 3 USMNT games (including the Canada game) but I enjoyed his insight into Honduras and El Salvador....

 

https://twitter.com/scuffedpod/status/1427710841483366402?s=20

[Shway]

It's my understanding that Wotherspoon wasn't diagnosed with C19 but had close connection with someone who did. 
Plus they will probably be cleared even if they had test positive weeks before @Obinna. So I understand your logic, but I think its a stretch specifically for Wotherspoon.

[Shway]

1 hour ago, PiedPilko said:

My hot take is gonna be Corbeanu... I don't think he should be there.

 

Disregarding the playing time he hasn't had, he doesn't fit well into this formation. He's not a wing back, and his hold up play / finishing made him unconvincing as a striker at the youth level. He's a pretty pure winger whose upside could potentially combine his size with his technical abilities. I think his role in League One has come as a bit of a shock to some, but really, no one in England rates him as this wonderkid who should be tearing up the Championship. He's not there yet.

If we really bring a 26 man squad like this one, he's probably there. But with only 23-24, Pasher is a more versatile option who can play wb and score, and ZBG is an actual wingback.

Instead of leaving it at "I don't think he should be there", who do you think would replace him?

For me if it's between Millar and Corbeanu, im picking the latter just based on recent performances. There isn't a large enough sample size to say "who's been playing vs who hasn't".

Edited August 18, 2021 by Shway

[Obinna]

6 minutes ago, Shway said:

It's my understanding that Wotherspoon wasn't diagnosed with C19 but had close connection with someone who did. 
Plus they will probably be cleared even if they had test positive weeks before @Obinna. So I understand your logic, but I think its a stretch specifically for Wotherspoon.

Thanks, I recall that was the case now and that he wasn't a positive himself.

The logic would still apply to Corbeanu by the sounds of it, and to the point Corazon is making about the taxi squad, maybe it's better to call a similar Toronto-based player like Schaffleburg instead?

Why fly Corbeanu across the Atlantic when he's been out due to illness and hasn't been playing, when he's unlikely to play many minutes anyways?

Edit: just going back to Wotherspoon for a second. Yes he wasn't a positive case himself, but what if there is a lag and he comes into camp positive?

Perhaps we can't be that overly cautious if this were Davies or David, but Wotherspoon is replaceable, with all due respect to him.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Obinna

[Shway]

Just now, Obinna said:

Thanks, I recall that was the case now and that he wasn't a positive himself. The logic would apply to Corbeanu by the sounds of it, and to the point Corazon is making about the taxi squad, maybe it's better to call Toronto-based player like Schaffleburg instead.

Why fly Corbeanu across the Atlantic when he's been out due to illness and hasn't been playing, when chances are he's poised to play very few minutes anyways?

Agreed. Especially when the attack has gained 2.5 guys back (David, Davies, Larin)...and we all rather play Hoilett off the bench than insert name here.

[PiedPilko]

6 minutes ago, Shway said:

Instead of leaving it at "I don't think he should be there", who do you think would replace him?

For me if it's between Millar and Corbeanu, im picking the latter just based on recent performances. There isn't a large enough sample size to say "who's been playing who hasn't".

Two of Millar, Zbg or Pasher

[CanadaFan123]

2 minutes ago, Shway said:

Agreed. Especially when the attack has gained 2.5 guys back (David, Davies, Larin)...and we all rather play Hoilett off the bench than insert name here.

Still three matches to play and Hoilett is without a club. We need depth.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Still three matches to play and Hoilett is without a club. We need depth.

Maybe Schaffleburg is our depth if we are not going with Corbeanu? Minimal effort is required to bring him in. 

[Shway]

1 minute ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Still three matches to play and Hoilett is without a club. We need depth.

Hoilett played solid literally weeks ago, and didn't play for months before that. 
Yes his club situation needs to change for the next window...but for this one, it's not that detrimental. 

Leagues have barely started. Games have barely been played. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

Slightly off topic since they don't play us until October but West Ham media have picked up the fact that Michail Antonio will in theory be playing 3 Jamaican international games next month, taking the total for that month to 8 games possible for him.  They and the forums are freaking a bit. 

This window, he will play Costa Rica at 2:00am UK time on Sept 9  and then West Ham play Sept 11 at 3:00pm.  Welcome to CONCACAF Micky.

[theaub]

2 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

Slightly off topic since they don't play us until October but West Ham media have picked up the fact that Michail Antonio will in theory be playing 3 Jamaican international games next month, taking the total for that month to 8 games possible for him.  They and the forums are freaking a bit. 

This window, he will play Costa Rica at 2:00am UK time on Sept 9  and then West Ham play Sept 11 at 3:00pm.  Welcome to CONCACAF Micky.

Won't he have to miss GW 4/5 anyways since he's flying in from a red list country in Costa Rica?

e: West Ham is spared a bit because of Europa, but guys like Jimenez are going to miss 50% of their club games from September-November from these quarantine rules.  

Edited August 18, 2021 by theaub

[red card]

Already at higher levels than Nashville SC attendance. Expecting 40k.

US has cracked 30k mark only 3x previously for WCQ.

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by red card

[Cblake]

25 minutes ago, red card said:

Already at higher levels than Nashville SC attendance. Expecting 40k.

US has cracked 30k mark only 3x previously for WCQ.

 

I thought this game would settle in somewhere between 40-50K. That would be a great number in my eyes. 

[SpursFlu]

1 hour ago, red card said:

Already at higher levels than Nashville SC attendance. Expecting 40k.

US has cracked 30k mark only 3x previously for WCQ.

 

Simple explanation... they can't wait to see Alphonso Davies

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

2 hours ago, theaub said:

Won't he have to miss GW 4/5 anyways since he's flying in from a red list country in Costa Rica?

e: West Ham is spared a bit because of Europa, but guys like Jimenez are going to miss 50% of their club games from September-November from these quarantine rules.  

I didn't know that Mexico was on the red list.  For him maybe just the home game but as you say for others, I can't see their clubs wanting them to go to red list countries.  

"must: quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England counts as day 0)"

Jamaica is amber, along with the States and Canada.  Prove of vaccination, tests before and after flight. 

[Obinna]

6 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I didn't know that Mexico was on the red list.  For him maybe just the home game but as you say for others, I can't see their clubs wanting them to go to red list countries.  

"must: quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England counts as day 0)"

Jamaica is amber, along with the States and Canada.  Prove of vaccination, tests before and after flight. 

Maybe he has a decision to make regarding his commitment to Mexico. Same for Antonio, who may have to re-think how badly he wants to join up with Jamaica.

As far as you're concerned it's good for club and country if he decides all that quarantine is not worth it

Long term this kind of thing could be detrimental to the growth of our region. I don't think such measures are going away anytime soon. I can see governments keeping those measures in place so long as variants keep emerging (from the evolutionary pressures put on the virus by mass vaccination).

In the short term I will not complain if players like Antonio, Bailey and Jimenez are held back. 

[theaub]

1 hour ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I didn't know that Mexico was on the red list.  For him maybe just the home game but as you say for others, I can't see their clubs wanting them to go to red list countries.  

"must: quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England counts as day 0)"

Jamaica is amber, along with the States and Canada.  Prove of vaccination, tests before and after flight. 

Yeah its going to be interesting, especially with Mexico being on the red list.  Costa Rica and Panama are the others on the list.

The first match window is a disaster.  Mexico has one home match + two matches at the other red list countries.  Jamaica plays at both Mexico and Costa Rica.  

Then the second window Mexico has two straight home matches to start and the US travels to Panama (so its bad for Pulisic).  

November window is clean - Mexico travels to US/Canada, and both Jamaica/US don't travel to any red list countries.

But I am very intrigued with what happens with Antonio for the first window, and Jimenez for the first two.

 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

5 minutes ago, theaub said:

Yeah its going to be interesting, especially with Mexico being on the red list.  Costa Rica and Panama are the others on the list.

The first match window is a disaster.  Mexico has one home match + two matches at the other red list countries.  Jamaica plays at both Mexico and Costa Rica.  

Then the second window Mexico has two straight home matches to start and the US travels to Panama (so its bad for Pulisic).  

November window is clean - Mexico travels to US/Canada, and both Jamaica/US don't travel to any red list countries.

But I am very intrigued with what happens with Antonio for the first window, and Jimenez for the first two.

 

It not just Antonio for Jamaica. Pinnock who they capped in March (Brentford), Bailly (Villa), Andre Grey (Watford) and maybe 10 Championship or lower league guys if I recall.  Some are not vital and some are new but those are people they have given caps to with the last year or so.  Interesting situation.