"If I could only pick one, it's Tab Ramos... he's the best player that I've played with." 👏 @AlexiLalas names some players he played with that could start today for the USMNT 🇺🇸

Which past USMNT players do you think could start today? 🇺🇸

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— Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast (@SOTUWithAlexi) March 28, 2024

Of course we're talking about them in their prime….

Obviously to me, Dempsey and Howard.

Who else you got?

Dempsey, Donovan, Friedel
McBride if we wanted to slightly change tactics

To be fair, there's only a couple of current players that I would put on the all time usmnt roster.

Tab is the obvious pick if can only pick one, so I'm going more utilitarian and adding Steve cherundolo and Tony Sennah

I don't know much history but surely there are better CBs. (Adding the caveat that I love Tim Ream and he was my favorite WC player, but age has clearly caught him now).

From my limited knowledge, I'd take peak-Wolfsburg-form John Brooks in a heartbeat (but as I've said many times in the past, I don't blame Ggg for excluding him anymore… something's clearly happened with him and he's not been the same player for the past 3 years or so).



These debates are always hard. On one hand, any player in any sport who was an absolute stud more than 2 or 3 decades ago would likely struggle in the modern game - if you transplanted them directly in the form they were in at their peak. On the other hand, if you took them as a kid and let them develop with modern advances in training, I think they'd probably rise to the top again because they've got a winner's mentality and raw physical tools.

My All Time USMNT XI:

GK: Tim Howard
RB: Steve Cherundolo
CB: Eddie Pope
CB: Carlos Bocanegra
LB: DaMarcus Beasley
CM: Tab Ramos
CM: Michael Bradley
CAM: Clint Dempsey
RW: Landon Donovan
ST: Brian McBride
LW: Christian Pulisic

If Antonee Robinson racks up another 60+ caps for the USMNT, I'd include him. The guy is rapidly becoming one of the best fullbacks in the EPL. He's got speed, endurance, awareness, and vision.

YNWA.2013 said:

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My All Time USMNT XI:

GK: Tim Howard
RB: Steve Cherundolo
CB: Eddie Pope
CB: Carlos Bocanegra
LB: DaMarcus Beasley
CM: Tab Ramos
CM: Michael Bradley
CAM: Clint Dempsey
RW: Landon Donovan
ST: Brian McBride
LW: Christian Pulisic

If Antonee Robinson racks up another 60+ caps for the USMNT, I'd include him. The guy is rapidly becoming one of the best fullbacks in the EPL. He's got speed, endurance, awareness, and vision.

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Put Claudio Reyna in for Michael Bradley and you would have mine. Claudio was a special, special player (when he was healthy)

deadbq03 said:

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I don't know much history but surely there are better CBs. (Adding the caveat that I love Tim Ream and he was my favorite WC player, but age has clearly caught him now).

From my limited knowledge, I'd take peak-Wolfsburg-form John Brooks in a heartbeat (but as I've said many times in the past, I don't blame Ggg for excluding him anymore… something's clearly happened with him and he's not been the same player for the past 3 years or so).



These debates are always hard. On one hand, any player in any sport who was an absolute stud more than 2 or 3 decades ago would likely struggle in the modern game - if you transplanted them directly in the form they were in at their peak. On the other hand, if you took them as a kid and let them develop with modern advances in training, I think they'd probably rise to the top again because they've got a winner's mentality and raw physical tools.

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That's exactly my point. There's a difference between all time team and could they come in their prime and start right now.

That was the question. Not all time team.

Eddie Pope would captain this team, not just start.
For all the former USMNT CBs out there, I think Oguchi Onyewu would be a big-time player there right now.

We've obviously got 4-5 former GKs that would start over anyone in the pool right now. Keller, Friedel, Howard, and even Hahnemann and Meola are better than what we have right now.

This team really needs an edge to them though. So we have to start looking for somebody that would knock some heads. Dempsey, Clint Mathis, Tony Sanneh, Pablo Mastroeni..... they'd all get a look if I was the coach.

Rudyjax said:

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deadbq03 said:

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I don't know much history but surely there are better CBs. (Adding the caveat that I love Tim Ream and he was my favorite WC player, but age has clearly caught him now).

From my limited knowledge, I'd take peak-Wolfsburg-form John Brooks in a heartbeat (but as I've said many times in the past, I don't blame Ggg for excluding him anymore… something's clearly happened with him and he's not been the same player for the past 3 years or so).



These debates are always hard. On one hand, any player in any sport who was an absolute stud more than 2 or 3 decades ago would likely struggle in the modern game - if you transplanted them directly in the form they were in at their peak. On the other hand, if you took them as a kid and let them develop with modern advances in training, I think they'd probably rise to the top again because they've got a winner's mentality and raw physical tools.

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That's exactly my point. There's a difference between all time team and could they come in their prime and start right now.

That was the question. Not all time team.

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The questions aren't that dissimilar.

The staring lineup from the Mexico game:

Turner
Dest
Ream
Richards
A Robinson
Adams
Weah
G Reyna
McKinnie
Pulisic
Wright

Who, from the past, wouldn't start right now?

I think you could find a spot on the field for Pulisic, and maybe Tyler Adams has a narrow edge over Jermaine Jones, but that's about it. In a couple of years, Adams cements his status as the best defensive midfielder, and maybe Dest and Robinson supplant Cherundolo and Beasley, but that's all I got.

Beasley wasn't even a LB most of his career right? Didn't he end up playing there out of necessity for the national team? Our LB position was an absolute wreck for years (Bornstein anyone?)

I'm already putting Robinson in at LB.

The fastest player in the 2010 World Cup was Chicharito at 32.15 kph

In the 2022 World Cup, everyone in the Top 10 was above 35 kph (including our Antonee Robinson).

Quite the difference just 12 years of advancement in fitness training makes. Our current team would run older teams into the ground. Anyone from 2 decades ago stands no chance. Anyone from even 12 years ago probably doesn't either.

And that's just one measurable metric… training across the board is just so much better. Dudes training with VR, etc. There's just no comparison. An average top flight player today would wreck shop if he could go back in time.

That said, as I mentioned earlier, you could argue that a stud from the past would still be a stud with modern training today, and there's some merit to that idea, but still speculation. Many would probably rise to the top, but others who perhaps were already maxing out their untapped potential wouldn't.

KPH?

There's no way he's the fastest human in history.

Yeah it was kph. I had it that way originally but went back to change something else and it rewrote as mph.

Pahdz said:

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Beasley wasn't even a LB most of his career right? Didn't he end up playing there out of necessity for the national team? Our LB position was an absolute wreck for years (Bornstein anyone?)

I'm already putting Robinson in at LB.

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Zero depth at defense. I could move Bocanegra to left back, and have Balboa/Pope at CB.

The answer is, was, and always will be Tony Meola.