[teejers1]

I'll relay your comments to my colleague for his reaction (I'm sure he'll enjoy the back and forth).  BTW, not sure my friend even considers MLS "real" soccer, which is reserved for the top leagues in Europe.  

That's just silly, because the USMNT couldn't field a starting eleven consisting solely of players who are currently first choice starters in the big five leagues in Europe, no team in CONCACAF could.

Bottom line: your friend was unaware that Morris had started recently for the Sounders. If that doesn't qualify as starting in a "real" game then what's the alternative? fielding a lineup of six players against eleven?

I'll add that I saw an interview with Landon Donovan (between the Canada and Honduras games) in which he said that when he was in a slump and pressing too much that Bob Bradley had benched him and brought him off the bench, and that it was the best thing that could have happened to him. Pulisic is indeed the US's best player as your friend said, but not only did starting on the bench last night work but it had the meta effect of communicating to the entire team (particularly Musuh and Dest) that starting spots are not automatic. Berhalter was vindicated last night, especially since all three goals were initiated by Acosta set pieces.

Well . . . the reply:

PedanticFarmMLSfan13 is right that the lineup was bizarre.  And maybe he’s right that J-Mo started an MLS game “in November” after getting injured in February and missing another season. I didn’t look up whether he made an end-of-season cameo. (Just looked it up: he played in 2 MLS games at the end of the season; Wikipedia didn’t say if he started those games).  My point remains: he should not have started last night and doesn’t belong on the team. Players who are younger, better, and currently playing mid-season in Europe (e.g., Aaronson, Pulisic) are a better choice in a must-win game than an MLS guy who (apparently) played in only two games over the last 11+ months (i won’t say “a year”, even though J-Mo was injured in February 2021, because PedanticFarmMLSfan13 will whine “He was hurt in mid-February so it hasn’t been a year!”), the most recent being about three months ago. J-Mo didn’t do much, was the first guy subbed off, and his replacement, Pulisic, scored three minutes after entering the game. 
 
As for Acosta, i didn’t mean he and Aaronson play the same position.  But PedanticFarmMLSfan13’s football analogy is dumb.  Football players are robots with very defined positions.  (Although, yes, i would  replace a QB with a WR if the choice was between Deebo and 49er third-string QB Nate Sudfield in a playoff game. Deebo behind center instead of a practice squad scrub would give you a better chance to win).  Soccer is more free-flowing like basketball— in hoops, if the center gets injured, you don’t have to replace him with another center.  I believe you find a way to play your best players (like Kerr’s ‘small ball‘ or whatever it’s called, and Magic playing center when Kareem was hurt in the 1980 NBA finals), rather than robotically putting in the backup when the starter gets hurt. Adams plays position 6.  Acosta — who had a really good game last night — does too. But formations and positions can change. You don’t need a true 6, just as a hoop team doesn’t need a true center.  Pulisic can play central midfield with Weston.  Dest probably can too.  Good coaches, which USMNT does not have, find a way to get their best guys on the field, especially in must-win games. 
 
Acosta turned out to be a good choice last night, albeit against a terrible team.  But i hope PedanticFarmMLSfan13 doesn’t think that makes Berhalter a good coach.  US Soccer twitter is pumping up the win, but we beat the last place team, the only one that’s already eliminated from qualifying, a team that subbed out two players at halftime due to freaking hypothermia, and we did so on three set piece goals (two free kicks and a corner) — no goals from open play.  An important win on an embarrassing night for US Soccer, but hardly evidence that we are a well-coached team. 
 
On to the March games.

[teejers1]

I'll relay your comments to my colleague for his reaction (I'm sure he'll enjoy the back and forth).  BTW, not sure my friend even considers MLS "real" soccer, which is reserved for the top leagues in Europe.  

That's just silly, because the USMNT couldn't field a starting eleven consisting solely of players who are currently first choice starters in the big five leagues in Europe, no team in CONCACAF could.

Bottom line: your friend was unaware that Morris had started recently for the Sounders. If that doesn't qualify as starting in a "real" game then what's the alternative? fielding a lineup of six players against eleven?

I'll add that I saw an interview with Landon Donovan (between the Canada and Honduras games) in which he said that when he was in a slump and pressing too much that Bob Bradley had benched him and brought him off the bench, and that it was the best thing that could have happened to him. Pulisic is indeed the US's best player as your friend said, but not only did starting on the bench last night work but it had the meta effect of communicating to the entire team (particularly Musuh and Dest) that starting spots are not automatic. Berhalter was vindicated last night, especially since all three goals were initiated by Acosta set pieces.

Well . . . the reply:

PedanticFarmMLSfan13 is right that the lineup was bizarre.  And maybe he’s right that J-Mo started an MLS game “in November” after getting injured in February and missing another season. I didn’t look up whether he made an end-of-season cameo. (Just looked it up: he played in 2 MLS games at the end of the season; Wikipedia didn’t say if he started those games).  My point remains: he should not have started last night and doesn’t belong on the team. Players who are younger, better, and currently playing mid-season in Europe (e.g., Aaronson, Pulisic) are a better choice in a must-win game than an MLS guy who (apparently) played in only two games over the last 11+ months (i won’t say “a year”, even though J-Mo was injured in February 2021, because PedanticFarmMLSfan13 will whine “He was hurt in mid-February so it hasn’t been a year!”), the most recent being about three months ago. J-Mo didn’t do much, was the first guy subbed off, and his replacement, Pulisic, scored three minutes after entering the game. 
 
As for Acosta, i didn’t mean he and Aaronson play the same position.  But PedanticFarmMLSfan13’s football analogy is dumb.  Football players are robots with very defined positions.  (Although, yes, i would  replace a QB with a WR if the choice was between Deebo and 49er third-string QB Nate Sudfield in a playoff game. Deebo behind center instead of a practice squad scrub would give you a better chance to win).  Soccer is more free-flowing like basketball— in hoops, if the center gets injured, you don’t have to replace him with another center.  I believe you find a way to play your best players (like Kerr’s ‘small ball‘ or whatever it’s called, and Magic playing center when Kareem was hurt in the 1980 NBA finals), rather than robotically putting in the backup when the starter gets hurt. Adams plays position 6.  Acosta — who had a really good game last night — does too. But formations and positions can change. You don’t need a true 6, just as a hoop team doesn’t need a true center.  Pulisic can play central midfield with Weston.  Dest probably can too.  Good coaches, which USMNT does not have, find a way to get their best guys on the field, especially in must-win games. 
 
Acosta turned out to be a good choice last night, albeit against a terrible team.  But i hope PedanticFarmMLSfan13 doesn’t think that makes Berhalter a good coach.  US Soccer twitter is pumping up the win, but we beat the last place team, the only one that’s already eliminated from qualifying, a team that subbed out two players at halftime due to freaking hypothermia, and we did so on three set piece goals (two free kicks and a corner) — no goals from open play.  An important win on an embarrassing night for US Soccer, but hardly evidence that we are a well-coached team. 
 
On to the March games.