Not sure if many people saw this, but he had a hell of a game this past weekend vs. Hertha Berlin. I tuned in to some of this game and got to watch Adams and RBL destroy Berlin. Video of his filthy assist is beneath the article;
He’s a midfield destroyer with deft touch and a never ending battery. The one flaw with Berhalter so far is trying to play Adams as a RB. I understand why he wants him there, defend the flank/attack the middle as inverted fullback, but I think he’s better suited to read the entire match from the middle which always has him in place when transition occurs. If we’re gonna play a double-pivot, Adams/McKinnie is a lock-down/real estate covering duo.
I'm going to be honest, I haven't fully been following the US too much as of late. I did catch a few minutes of the Chile friendly, but not too much. Why doesn't Berhalter include Adams and Mckinnie with Bradley in a midfield 3? I know we all have strong feelings about Bradley, but it seems he's going to be included for the near future. Bradley's usual gaffes can be easily covered by the two young guns, and make a half decent midfield 3.
He uses two defensive and one attacking in the MF. Those three are all defensive.
Berhalter is creating a special position for Adams that gives him freedom to roam about the pitch. It's a hybrid RB/CDM position. On offense, he goes forward into midfield and we shift into a back 3. On defense, he plays right back. It remains to be seen whether this will be effective in the long run, but I do think early returns are encouraging. Either way, the notion that this leaves him on the back line and out of the flow of play are simply wrong. As the article I linked above notes, he had over 100 touches in the one game he played, and Nick Lima was also huge in the January game where he played that position.
It's our regional version of what UEFA is doing with its league of nations. It's kind of like a Champions League for the countries in our region.
He was essentially the only good thing to come out of that game. Too bad he only had a few minutes to show his skill.
I only watched a bit, so maybe these players played better when I wasn’t watching, but we’re using some questionable guys that I’m just not sure if so many so-so guys should be on the field at the same time:
Pulisic
