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Message: [QUOTE="Forza Azzurri, post: 4149839, member: 1452"] I very much appreciate this response. It is the first time, IMO, that you have given the reasoning behind your thinking in this thread and, whether I agree with it, or not, I respect that. You nail it with your first two sentences. if you read some of my posts below, you will see me providing examples which dovetail with your thinking. I discount the summer. The Gold Cup was played with the B and C teams and the goal should have been to find players to round out the roster (mission accomplished in that regard). No B & C team is going to dominate the competition. I agree with you that Adams is, currently, our most indispensable player. I also agree with you about the Ferreira decision (highlighted in another post). Your statement about Arriola is not accurate. he has only started one qualifier that Weah did not start (the 2-0 win over Jamaica). And Weah has started every game since that game. I think Berhalter, to his credit, has clearly recognized his value to the team, both as one of the best 11 as well as one of the optimal 11. You are correct that Berhalter's system of pressing and playing from the back will not beat better competition but I do agree with the approach. We need to learn how to play on the front foot, especially in Concacaf, something we have almost never done in our history as, until this group of players, we have never had the talent to do so. If we get to Qatar, the approach will have to be modified against teams with more talent that us. A bunker and counter team, IMO, cannot be a top-level team in modern football. You have to be able to take the game to your opponent. We are not there yet but need to keep grinding to get there. I will say as nicely as I can that your lack of in-depth soccer knowledge is highlighted in your sentence about who should play where. To be clear, I am not denigrating you in any fashion. You do not have to be Jonathan Wilson to have a valid opinion and if a lack of in-depth understanding means you miss a nuance, well, that happens to all of us (I completely missed Ferreira playing as a false 9 against El Salvador and I've been watching, playing and coaching this sport for over 40 years.) Adams is the 6. Period. Reyna, in his lone appearance, did play the wing. He is not suited to playing that position. This is something Berhalter will have to figure out when Reyna is healthy again. Reyna is more suited to play centrally but having him do so in a 4-3-3 takes either Mckennie or Musah off the field. That is not a trade I would make. McKennie is the 8. Pulisic is not a 9. Pefok, Pepi and Dike are not 10s. They play the 9. If we were to play with a 10 (we currently do not in our 4-3-3), I could see either Pulisic (probably not ideal) or Reyna (better option) in that role. Given the roles that players have on the field, Pulisic is probably the closest to a number 10 even though he is technically a winger. [/QUOTE]

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