Stock Up, Stock Down for Musah, Reyna, Sullivan & more after fall window | USMNT Weekly
The hosts of Total Soccer Show's USMNT Weekly conduct a stock up/stock down analysis of players and position groups following a successful four-game international window. Key takeaways include excitement about young player development (Kevin Sullivan, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis), cautious optimism about the goalkeeper position with multiple viable candidates, and concerns about central midfield depth and the center back position.
Summary
In this USMNT Weekly episode, hosts Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Joe Lowry, and Graham Rutherford analyze the winners and losers from the recent international break featuring four USMNT matches. They conduct a comprehensive stock trading analysis covering players, position groups, tactical approaches, and team vibes.
Key stocks up include: the expanded international window format (allowing for better player evaluation), Kevin Sullivan's breakout performance as a young right winger, the overall vibes and team cohesion under Pochettino's management, Gio Reyna's health and leadership emergence after eight consecutive starts, and the goalkeeper position despite lacking a clear starter. The hosts note that having multiple capable goalkeepers (Schwake, Koken) provides flexibility and that Pochettino strategically started Freese in the first match to manage expectations before trying other options.
Stocks down include: the center back position following Tim Ream's retirement, with Austin Trusty becoming the likely starter despite questions about his long-term viability. The central midfield position group also stocks down significantly due to concerns about depth and the inability to establish reliable backups to Tyler Adams. Joe Lowry specifically criticizes Sergiño Dest in the double pivot as unreliable under pressure, notes that Gio Reyna didn't get enough minutes despite his talent, and expresses disappointment that Yunus Musah wasn't utilized in central midfield roles despite his quality for AC Milan.
The hosts praise Pochettino's management throughout the window, highlighting his ability to give opportunities to young players while maintaining team discipline. They discuss how MLS academies have successfully produced young talent (Sullivan, Hall, Ellis, Mimeti) and note improved pipeline development from the league to the national team. Alex Freedman stocks up as an increasingly indispensable, versatile defender who can play multiple positions and is gaining club minutes at Villarreal.
The group also celebrates the attack as a stock up, with the USMNT scoring 12 goals across four matches, demonstrating surprising potency despite initial concerns about the lack of experienced strikers in the squad. Finally, they note that Copa America 2025 will be hosted in the United States, creating scheduling and fan engagement opportunities.
About this episode
<p>The whole gang is here to look back at the fall window that was for the USMNT! Who raised their stock? And who lowered it? We break down the players, trends, and more that caught our collective eye over the last four games.</p><br /><p><strong>JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/totalsoccershow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out our Patreon</a>, which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, videos, The TSS Scouting Network, and much more.</p><br /><p><strong>WATCH TSS EPISODES ON YOUTUBE!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Total-Soccer-Show" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We're posting all our episodes here</a>! Smash like and subscribe etc.!</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Key Insights
- The four-game expanded international window provided better sample sizes for evaluating players compared to typical two-game windows, allowing Pochettino to see player progression across multiple matches and opposition types.
- Kevin Sullivan, at just 18 years old, demonstrated he belongs at the senior level immediately, performing at a level equivalent to or better than other options in his position and suggesting a long-term solution for USMNT at right wing.
- Pochettino strategically started Matt Freese in the first game to manage expectations and pressure before trying other goalkeepers, demonstrating intentional roster management rather than searching aimlessly for solutions.
- The central midfield position lacks depth and clear alternatives to Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman, with Yunus Musah not being trusted in that role despite his quality at club level and Sergiño Dest unable to win the ball consistently under pressure.
- Austin Trusty became the center back starter by default rather than merit, with the position group weakened by Tim Ream's retirement and no clear long-term solution identified despite his improved play relative to other options.
- MLS academies have successfully developed young talent for the national team including Sullivan, Hall, Ellis, and Mimeti, contradicting previous arguments that MLS couldn't produce quality national team players.
- Pochettino maintains strong cachet and command respect with players that allows him to manage confrontations and discipline in ways that other managers might struggle with, evident in his handling of scrums and tactical disagreements.
- Alex Freedman has evolved from an exciting prospect to an indispensable player for Pochettino due to his versatility across multiple defensive and attacking positions and his ability to perform different tactical responsibilities within the same match.
Topics
Transcript
Hi, this is Emily Peck from Slate Money. Everything you're great at has a start date, and yours might be the day you stopped doing your own laundry. Because think about what actually gets on your calendar. The work, the people, the things you care enough to put your name on. Laundry, it doesn't get a meeting. It's not even a meeting that could have been an email. It has no business on the calendar of a person with things to do. So take it off. Rinse picks up your laundry, cleans it to your preferences, and brings it back ready to wear. Wash and fold, dry cleaning, handled. And then you might have a second meeting with the person…
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