NFT: Pretty deep guess at USMNT for next qualifiers

and I like his commentary, which I generally find spot on except for Liga and Euro players who are not getting a lot of TV exposure here (at least not that I'm willing to scour). Tnks for posting

Three +:
he clearly likes Yedlin, who by now has had time to learn the art of playing on the outside; let's hope he is earnest about it as well as his ability to penetrate the defensive set-up on his overlaps;
he sits Zusi, who has shown that he is not competitive, and certainly not a winning player, whether at wing or RFB, his supposed abilities at set pieces notwithstanding;
he ousts T(y) Chandler

Three quibbles:

not sure Brooks and Cameron are the answer at CB; they've had multiple appearances, and too often penetration leaves one or both looking around at the
other and saying, wtf?

he seems to favor Feilhaber over Klejstan but puts the latter as projected starter over the former; I'd go the other way, but for once a nice problem to have and neither ever, or barely, saw the field under JK

Bradley, imo (to the great objection of some here), is getting by more on reputation: Bradley in the 2016 season was the least accurate passer among mids/defensive bids in MLS this past season. He may have attempted more than any one else, but I don't think that's enough of a saving grace: too many games the past 18 months are just carelessly delivered to the opponent or way off the mark to his teammate. In his defense, he on occasion does thread the long through ball to the top of the 18.

It may be an illusion, an ephemeral notion of creative and effective MF play in the attacking zone, anyone's attacking zone, please, but Pulisic and Nagbe or Bedoya might be a force where we haven't had one in a long time (post LD).

Wood and Altidore were very effective together last fall. It's amazing how different a player Altidore was with his Toronto mates, he positioned, he got the ball in dangerous areas, he laid off to create, he moved around and was not on an island. Remarkable.

and interesting comments by CHP as well.

Can't wait to see how this plays out.

... hoping, actually, that Bradley's role was reduced in this approach, and maybe more manageable for him. Because he has looked erratic. The entire squad, the versions I've seen, has rarely shown a lot of crisp ball-control passing. Hopefully that improves with whatever new mix(es) they put on the pitch.

Klejstin is younger than Feilhaber, isn't he? (I'll have to look.) I haven't seen that much of Klejstin, but he looked pretty good in one match, or for at least half a match, I saw within the past few months.

Thanks for the comments.

My real disagreement is around two players only. Bradley continues to live on based upon past performances that have not been seen on the pitch in a couple of years. Additionally, the rationale for excluding Timmy Chandler--who is playing well on a quality team in Germany-- is superficial. Talking about the national team's poor record when he plays is making a giant leap to somehow connect all those losses with one player at one position. Why not use a similar superficial analysis to eliminate several other players on the team as results in recent years have been mediocre. Chandler has proven that surrounded by the right players he can be a quality player.

Crazy that our best option at cm is Sasha.

Nice writeup

Guzan needs to ask out of Middlesborough and go back to MLS. Crystallizes the problem with playing for any of the lower teams in English football.

Disagree on Chandler - I don't recall him ever playing well in the national team. He's just never meshed. Leery about Johnson at LB but he and Yedlin have to start.

Be interesting to see the formation - the writer has what I think is reasonable: 4-1-3-2 that actually morphs into 4-3-3 on the attack and keeps the Wood/Jozy tandem in play..

is coming to MLS after the BPL season is over. He's going to play for expansion team Atlanta United.