Author: torsten120

MLB Wildcard Round Preview and Predictions

Dodgers vs. Reds: Dodgers in 3

This one is tougher than two-year old off brand jerky. On paper, the Dodgers should take this series and still have enough time to get their nails done before the NLDS. Payroll disparity? Check. Superstar hitters? Check. Rotation depth? Sort of. Bullpen that looks like the result of a chemistry experiment gone wrong in a high school lab? Oh, absolutely.

The Reds come in hot, riding late-season momentum like a hungover guy stumbling into Vegas and hitting blackjack three straight times before breakfast. They’ve got enough young bats and athleticism to make life uncomfortable. Everyone loves Elly De La Cruz flying around the bases like a caffeinated cheetah, but don’t forget their soft spots — streaky hitting and a pitching staff that occasionally mistakes the strike zone for a suggestion.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are limping. Will Smith’s dodgy hand makes it likely Ben Rortvedt and his bat that’s quieter than a vegan at a Texas barbecue gets the nod behind the plate, and Max Muncy’s body is playing a cruel game of “Guess Which Muscle Will Betray Me Next.” And let’s not even mention the bullpen unless you’re into gallows humor — every late lead feels like a trust fall where nobody’s standing behind you.

Still, playoff baseball isn’t about who’s perfect. It’s about who’s less broken. The Dodgers have enough star wattage with Shohei, Betts and Freeman to cover their sins, and if their starters can get them to the seventh inning without an arm falling off or Dave Roberts pulling one of his patented “this looks like a good time to get Joe Kelly some work” disasterclasses, they’ll scrape through. Expect the Reds to steal one, maybe in dramatic fashion, but the Dodgers’ money and muscle win out in three.

Padres vs. Cubs: Cubs in 2

This one’s less of a series preview and more of a scheduled execution. The Padres are a Ferrari with a lawnmower engine. All glittering contracts, no horsepower. Their lineup is overpriced underperformers, a collection of Topps Chrome cards that somehow depreciated before you could even peel off the wrapper. The starting pitching? If you saw it at a garage sale, you’d haggle down from a dollar to fifty cents.

Yes, yes, the bullpen is great — but that’s like bragging about the brakes on a car with no wheels. You can’t close out a game you never lead.

The Cubs, on the other hand, are quietly competent. Not flashy, not overwhelming, but balanced. They’ve got bats that can mash enough to mask their rotation warts. Kyle Tucker appears to have rediscovered how to swing like a human being instead of a drunk lumberjack. The middle infield? Solid. And they’ve got just enough pitching to avoid turning Wrigley into a pinball machine.

This won’t be close. The Cubs’ bats will light up the Padres’ rotation, and by the seventh inning of Game 2, San Diego fans will be distracted Googling “how long until Bogaerts’ contract expires.” Cubs sweep in two.

Tigers vs. Guardians: Tigers in 3

Now this is fun. No big payrolls. No rosters stacked with MVPs. Just two scrappy Midwest squads punching above their weight and refusing to go quietly.

The Tigers looked like division kings a month ago, 15 games clear, before collapsing like a cheap lawn chair. The Guardians, meanwhile, crept back into relevance with the persistence of weeds in a sidewalk crack. They don’t quit, and they don’t scare.

Both lineups are light on thunder. They’ve got one stud each — think José Ramírez for Cleveland, Riley Greene for Detroit — and a supporting cast that would be bench players on any big-market roster. What they lack in star power, they make up for in stubbornness.

The separator here is pitching. Cleveland has arms, but Detroit has the arm: Tarik Skubal. When he’s on, he’s surgical — slicing up lineups, carving ERAs, and making managers second-guess themselves. A bona fide ace wins you a series like this.

Expect this one to go the distance. Expect games where bunts matter, where one bad hop decides everything, where managers get cute with bullpen matchups (an AJ Hinch specialty) and fans gnaw their fingernails to dust. In the end, Detroit rides Skubal’s golden left arm and sneaks out of the chaos alive. Tigers in three.

Red Sox vs. Yankees: Red Sox in 2

Ah yes, the rivalry that has sold a thousand books, documentaries, and curse-breaking merchandise. The bad news? One of these teams has to leave immediately. The good news? It’ll be the Yankees.

New York is Aaron Judge and Max Fried, and then a lot of expensive dead weight. Their offense is a shadow of its myth, a greatest-hits album with no new singles. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are riding momentum, playing like a bar band that suddenly realized they’ve got a record deal on the line.

Boston’s lineup has depth, even if it lacks headline megastars. Their bats can string together rallies, their bullpen is just about good enough not to bridge a game to Aroldis Chapman, who has been the best reliever in baseball this season, and they play with that pesky, hate-to-face-them energy. In October, that matters.

This series won’t feel like Yankees-Red Sox classics of old. No bloody socks, no Bucky Dent moments. Just a Red Sox team that wants it more, sweeping the Yankees out in two. Somewhere, ghosts of Babe Ruth and George Steinbrenner will be slamming whiskey shots in disapproval.

As always, let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments or on Twitter. Thanks for reading.

NFL DFS: 9/28/2025

Swinging for the Fences

If you play Daily Fantasy NFL and consume any of the industrial sludge passed off as “expert analysis,” you’ve probably noticed something: they’ve been abysmal this year. Picking chalk that busts, overhyping overpriced guys, and generally torching your bankroll with the confidence of a toddler playing with matches.

Meanwhile, credit where credit’s due — my Stain co-conspirator Shaun has been handing out sharper calls than most of the blue-check DFS cartel. The receipts are there. Compare his takes to the big names, and you’d swear one group had access to actual game film while the other was drafting based on vibes and horoscopes.

Me? Guilty as charged — I haven’t been giving DFS readers much meat so far. Time to fix that.

How I Roll

My usual DFS weekend looks like this:

One 50/50 for the main slate.
One cash entry for each of the early and late windows.
A Captain Showdown dart throw.
And one absolute “swing for the fences” lineup — the scratcher ticket you buy knowing full well it’s going to flame out, but dreaming it might hit the jackpot.

The swing lineup is what we’re focuing on this week. It isn’t about safety. It’s about finding the high-scoring chaos game, stacking it properly, and praying to the variance gods. Sometimes you belly-flop into a 9-6 defensive slog. Sometimes you swim in gold. And every now and again, the stars align where you’re more likely to be Scrooge McDuck than you are Mortimer and Randolph in Coming to America. There’s one for the kids, right?

The Chaos Game: Bears vs. Raiders

This week, that chaos game is Bears vs. Raiders.

Two atrocious defenses.
Affordable playmakers across the board.
The kind of matchup that could plausibly finish 38-35 with both fanbases still demanding their coaches be fired.

Neither of these teams is sniffing the playoffs, but DFS doesn’t care about banners. It cares about box scores. Somebody has to score those touchdowns.

Quarterbacks

Caleb Williams ($5800 DK): Scattershot accuracy? Sure. But with time to throw against a limp Vegas pass rush, his rushing floor plus upside makes him a strong play.
Geno Smith ($5400 DK): Loves the deep ball, and the Bears’ secondary is basically a MASH unit. He’s a coin flip with Caleb, but I lean Williams for the legs.

Pass Catchers

Jakobi Meyers ($5400 DK): Perpetually underrated. Free square.
Rome Odunze ($6300 DK): Target magnet and worth the spend.
DJ Moore ($5600 DK): Affordable, volatile, and capable of a slate-breaking day.
Brock Bowers ($5800 DK): Great ceiling, but I’m squeamish about the knee.

Flier zone: Cole Kmet or Colston Loveland if you want to galaxy-brain tight end exposure, but it’s dicey.

Running Backs

Ashton Jeanty ($6200 DK): Finally priced like a rookie instead of a clone of peak Bijan. Dynamic pass-catcher, worth the tag.
D’Andre Swift ($5400 DK): Hip issue clouds things, but if active, he’s a viable PPR play.

If you’ve got the extra $800, I’m siding with Jeanty.

The Bonus

Because you’re not hemorrhaging salary here, you can jam a couple premium studs into the same build:

Derrick Henry: Angry bounce-back game incoming after two costly fumbles.
Puka Nacua: WR1 upside every week if his hammies stay intact. Against Indy’s pressure-less defense? Yes, please.

The Asterisk

This could either detonate the slate or turn into Bears 6, Raiders 3, with everyone involved carted off by the third quarter. That’s the deal when you swing big. Know the risk, accept the variance, and lean into the chaos.

Closing Thought

DFS is gambling dressed up in spreadsheets. Stack your Bears and Raiders, sprinkle in a king like Henry, and don’t cry if it flames out. It’s called a swing for the fences, not a bunt down the line. If it connects, we’re all drinking on your dime.

Ten Things We Know After Week One of the NFL

Look, if you can’t draw sweeping, definitive conclusions after exactly 5.8% of the NFL season, then what are you even doing? Watching for nuance? Waiting for “a larger sample size”? Please. This is America. One week is plenty. Here’s what we now absolutely, without question, take-to-the-bank know after Week 1:

1. Josh Allen is the best quarterback in the NFL

Not controversial, but it bears repeating. Watching him Sunday night was like watching a master chef build a soufflé while your microwave mac-and-cheese explodes in the background. He’s in his own class, and he just engineered a comeback that erased all doubt.

2. Russell Wilson is washed

And not “this shirt’s a little faded” washed. We’re talking “left it in the machine for three cycles with bleach and now it’s a dish rag” washed. Against a Commanders defense softer than hotel pillows, Russ was still unwatchable. The Jackson Dart era in New York can’t be far away.

3. Matthew Stafford’s back is fine

Preseason whispers about aggravated discs had everyone playing amateur chiropractors. Then Week 1 came and Stafford carved up Houston like he’d been sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic. Will he still throw two or three stinkers this season? Of course. But the back isn’t the issue.

4. Danny Dimes wasn’t the problem in New York

He may have contributed to the problem, but turns out coaching matters. Drop him in Indy, hand him a playbook that doesn’t look like a middle school science fair project, and suddenly he looks competent. Let’s see him against a real defense before we crown him the Prince of Naptown.

5. Derrick Henry is still the sun, moon, and stars of RBs

Yes, he coughed up an unforgiveable fumble that opened the door for Allen’s heroics. But nobody changes the geometry of a defense like Henry. Bijan and Jahmyr will fill your fantasy box scores. Henry fills your nightmares. He’s aging like a ballerina too.

6. The Packers are going to win 13 games

Maybe more. The rest of the NFC looks like window dressing at this point. Adding Micah Parsons to that roster is like giving an F-150 a jet engine. Everyone drools over Philly and just assumes they’ll be back in the big game, but Green Bay is the real heavyweight.

7. The Browns are better than you think

Playoffs might be too rich, but they’re not pushovers. A decent kicker away from beating Cincy, who are supposedly primed for a bounce back season, they should win a fair amount of games. The defense muzzled Ja’Marr Chase and held the Bengals to 17. That’s not luck; that’s substance.

8. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is criminally underrated

If you watched him last year, you saw it coming. Now with DK and Lockett out of his way, he’s ready to pop. The rest of the Seahawks are mid, so his brilliance might get lost, but check back in Week 17. You’ll see the numbers.

9. NFL “analysts” don’t know squat

There are a few decent ones, but by and large, they’re carnival barkers with click quotas. Don’t confuse bluster with wisdom. Yet even a broken clock nails a hot take occasionally, and they might be right about J.J. McCarthy. His first half was a disaster, his second half was gangster. A lot of younger guys fall apart at the seams after a brutal start to a game. Only real tough guys come out firing and leading comebacks. He looks like a real dude.

10. The Chargers are making the playoffs

Yes, the AFC is a meat grinder. Yes, this is the conference with the Bills and Ravens. This is also the conference with the Chiefs, but L.A. just beat them fair and square, and they’re loaded with talent. Don’t sleep on them unless you enjoy waking up broke after betting against them.

The Close: 5.8% Faith

This is the part where the boring people tell you it’s “too early” to make proclamations. But that’s coward talk. Week 1 is the Rosetta Stone, the burning bush, the etched-in-stone commandments of football truth. If Josh Allen falls off, if Russell Wilson finds the fountain of youth, if the Browns implode—fine. We’ll just pretend we never said any of this and move on to Week 2 like everyone else.

Until then? These are facts. Etched in granite. Book them. Bet them. Tattoo them on your lower back. Because in this league, 5.8% of the season is all you need to know everything.

USMNT vs. South Korea: Rapid Reaction, What We Learned, & Player Ratings

Are we wishing for Gregg Berhalter back yet? Probably not, but let’s be real—it’s hard to imagine the results being much worse under him than they are under Mauricio Pochettino. This wasn’t ever going to be a walk in the hanbok-lined park. South Korea are disciplined, skilled, and led by a world-class star who chews up defenders for breakfast. But what we got was a comprehensive 2-0 defeat that could have been uglier than a post-3 a.m. Jack in the Box run.

What We Learned

The Center Back problem is DEFCON 1
Remember after the 2022 World Cup when optimism was bubbling? When all we needed was to find Tim Ream’s successor before he hit Social Security eligibility and pray Walker Zimmerman could stop looking like an MLS lifer pretending at the varsity dance? Yeah, that problem wasn’t solved. It’s metastasized. It looks like Ream is gonna be one of the guys in ’26, and that’s fine if someone athletic like Chris Richards is his partner, but if either one gets hurt, it’s curtains.

Tristan Blackmon is not the answer
This isn’t a personal attack. Blackmon’s a nice story, having a nice season for a nice Vancouver side. But nice doesn’t stop Son Heung-min. He was cooked for Korea’s opener (though VAR might’ve bailed him out if it was in use), and charitably kept trying to donate possession back to Seoul. International quality? Not unless we’re playing in the Concacaf Retirement League.

Sergiño Dest is the sun
Without him, the U.S. attack is a solar eclipse: just darkness and disappointment. Every threatening moment came from his marauding runs. Every. Single. One. His final product will always be chaos—he’s that friend who insists on doing tequila shots before a job interview—but his presence changes the entire vibe of this team. Without him, we’re negative goals.

Pochettino might be a fraud
This isn’t overreaction theater—it’s empirical. The team looks worse. Much worse. Yes, McKennie and Antonee Robinson weren’t here, and yes, they’d help. But what’s Poch’s imprint so far? Other than looking like a man wondering when his Tottenham severance checks stop clearing? If we were promised tactical clarity and got tactical indigestion, at what point do we admit the emperor’s designer suit is empty?

Group stage exit incoming
Optimism would be delusion. If the U.S. weren’t hosting in 2026, they’d struggle to even qualify. There—I said it. Call me negative, but it’s the only bright side I see: at least FIFA can’t kick the hosts out.

Player Ratings (out of 10)

GK Matt Freese, 6.5 – One of the few bright spots for the US. Yeah, he allowed goals, but none of them were on him. Smothered Son nicely early on to prevent a certain goal and bailed out his defense when they melted like a dollar-store ice cream cone. He’s not world class, not even close, but if he’s one of the three keepers the US rosters for the World Cup, he won’t look out of place.

RB Sergiño Dest, 7.5 – Had he not been on the field, the US would have scored negative two goals instead of being shut out. That’s how inept their attack is in the final third. His final product—be it pass or shot—is perpetually lacking, and always will be. That’s just who he is. But his willingness to tirelessly drive play forward is unparalleled from right back and absolutely critical to any pipe dreams this team has about success.

CB Tristan Blackmon, 2.5 – Blackmon is a nice story, having a nice season for a nice Vancouver Whitecaps team. Nice. But he was a disaster in this game. Maybe it was debut nerves, but he was undressed by Son for Korea’s opener (though VAR probably would have saved him), caught out of position on Korea’s second, and put Freese under pressure multiple times with ill-advised backpasses. To be fair, he had a couple of nice interceptions and looked composed enough with the ball at his feet—when facing away from his own goal. But this isn’t international quality. Out of his depth.

CB Tim Ream, 6.0 – I’ve argued the team could survive with Ream as one of the center backs at the World Cup, but only if he’s partnered with someone competent. If it’s Chris Richards, fine. If it’s not, red alert. Ream is still smart, still positions himself well, but his distribution was slightly off today, and he wasn’t blameless on Korea’s second. The backline looks like a retirement home with him, but it’s a retirement home with discipline.

LB Max Arfsten, 6.5 – Usually dreadful at this level, Arfsten actually looked solid here. Worked into good positions, wasn’t exposed defensively, and put in a blue-collar shift. Hard to find much to complain about, but also hard to find much to get excited about. He’s no Jedi Robinson, but he wasn’t the problem today.

DCM Tyler Adams, 5.0 – Adams is an enigma. Sometimes he looks like N’Golo Kanté, sometimes like Ali Dia. Should probably have been booked early for a cynical foul, and then faded into anonymity. And that’s the problem—his whole thing is influence, bite, control. Today? Anonymous.

DCM Sebastian Berhalter, 5.0 – Someone once convinced Pochettino that Berhalter is a set-piece weapon. That person should be publicly flogged. To be fair, he wasn’t outright terrible, and he even forced a decent save early on (though most AYSO keepers stop that too). Credit where due: the Abercrombie-model looks took a hit when he picked up a hematoma, so he at least looked the part of a guy in a real match.

RW Christian Pulisic, 5.5 – Still the most skilled American, but he didn’t show it here. The hope was that he’d make a statement return under Poch, but instead he drifted between anonymous and merely fine. Decent moments, sure, but whenever magic was needed, his pass or shot was slow, heavy, or off-target. Takes too damn long on the ball. Nothing memorable.

LW Tim Weah, 5.5 – The idea of Weah will always be better than the reality. He works hard. He looks dangerous in space. He’ll make you lean forward in your chair—and then spray his shot into orbit. Fired multiple efforts a combined 250 feet high and wide. His great goal against Wales in 2022 remains his high-water mark, and probably always will.

CF Josh Sargent, 3.0 – Why even start Sargent against an undersized Korean defense if you’re not going to use him properly? He’s a striker who needs service, and he got none. Positive marks for defending set pieces. But the attack was noticeably more dangerous the second he came off. That says it all.

Subs of Note

Folarin Balogun: Got 30 minutes and immediately showed why he’s the problem opposing defenses don’t want. Denied only by a miracle save late on. When fit, he’s clearly the #1 option.
Alex Freeman: Entered, instantly became the worst player on the field. Should’ve been subbed back off after 10 minutes. One decent late cross narrowly missing the oncoming head of Richards could have redeemed him somewhat, but he’s a liability everywhere.
Alejandro Zendejas: Limited touches but looked willing to make something happen. Didn’t, but you can still see the tools. Intriguing, if wasted here.

Now What?

If Pochettino’s plan is to make us nostalgic for Gregg Berhalter, congratulations—mission accomplished. If step two is to make us pine for Jurgen Klinsmann, I’m renouncing citizenship and pledging allegiance to maple syrup. Canada’s got room for one more, right? Because if this trajectory holds, we’ll be watching our 2026 “golden generation” flame out epically on home soil. Time is now out. Whatever runway there was to build cohesion and implement his high pressing approach has reached its end. The final product is what it will be. The hope is that a healthy Robinson and McKennie make a difference, but we’ll see. In the meantime, pessimism abounds.

Homer Corner: Rams Roster Cuts

Gone are the days when Rams fans could cozy up in the misery pit alongside Jets and Browns loyalists, fighting over the crown of “most faithful acolytes of losing.” Thirty losing seasons out of forty, punctuated by a Super Bowl that felt like a cosmic clerical error, then another after two decades of stumbling. We wore futility like a badge. Then came Sean McVay, the boy-wonder coach who walked into the facility with hair product and play-action, and suddenly hope existed where only Jeff Fisher’s 7–9 ghosts had roamed.

These days, resignation has been traded for expectation. Every game carries at least the illusion of possibility. Even when McVay calls his patented “jet sweep that loses eight yards on 3rd and inches right outside of field goal range,” you grit your teeth because you know that for every nincompoop third-down call, he’ll scheme up three drives of brilliance. The ledger comes out green.

But the fly in McVay’s martini glass? His final roster cuts. For a coach who can turn backup tight ends into Super Bowl heroes, his decision-making at roster spots 47–53 consistently looks like a drunk man at a roulette wheel.

The Disclaimer (That I Will Immediately Ignore)

Let’s be clear: no fan knows what coaches know. They see the practices, the medical reports, the film cut-ups. They live it. They also have biases — “their guys” who they’ll keep no matter what. And “their guys,” historically, often suck.

Most journalists aren’t much better. Sure, some watch camp and scribble observations into their notebooks, but strip it down and they’re fans with a press pass.

I’m no better — just a blogger with opinions. But I’ll grant myself this: I actually try to evaluate what happens on the field. And when you look at the field, the Rams’ back-end roster decisions look like nonsense. People scoff at the importance of players 47 through 53, but those are your special teamers. And Rams kick coverage? It’s been somewhere between pathetic and diabolical since the Bush administration.

So yeah, those cuts matter.

Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr., ILB

Drafted in the fifth round, hailed as a steal. Missed early camp with injuries, but when he finally hit the field in preseason, he flashed. Not just “oh, nice hustle” — impact plays.

Yet he’s gone. Why? Because the Rams kept Troy Reeder. Nice guy, veteran presence, defensive play-caller, respected in the locker room. But he’s also been a human sieve at linebacker for years. Replacement-level? No, below replacement. He’s the guy you point to when explaining why DVOA exists.

And here’s the kicker: Reeder’s on a veteran deal. Paul’s on a rookie contract. Four years of cheap labor versus a proven liability. McVay looked at that math and shrugged. Good. Freaking. God.

Wyatt Bowles & Willie Lampkin, IOL

The Rams’ O-line, for once, is actually a strength. Which means good players were bound to get squeezed. But Bowles and Lampkin both looked like NFL linemen.

Lampkin pancaked half the league before injuring himself in the final preseason game. Timing unlucky, but performance undeniable.
Bowles, a UDFA from Nowhere University, looked like he belonged as a starter in every snap he played.

Who made the team instead? Justin Dedich. He’s fine. He’s functional. He’s, in a word, inoffensive — the anthropomorphosis of Bud Light. Meanwhile, Bowles and Lampkin offered actual upside on rookie deals. Here’s hoping waivers are kind, because if they’re gone, it’s another example of the Rams clinging to the bland over the bold.

Ronnie Rivers, Cody Schrader, Jordan Waters, RB

Now we arrive at McVay’s true blind spot: running backs. For all his brilliance, McVay evaluates RBs like a guy shopping for wine based on how funny the label is.

Yes, Kyren Williams is the lead dog — but he only got that role because Cam Akers flamed out like a wet firework. Last year, they drafted Blake Corum to spell him, then buried him on the bench because… well, because he’s not good enough. This year, they spent a third-rounder on Jarquez Hunter, a “home run threat” who couldn’t read blocks with a roadmap. There are differences between the running back position in college and the pros.

Meanwhile, Rivers, Schrader, and Waters all looked like actual NFL backs. Not All-Pros. Not Derrick Henry’s long lost twin, but functional, productive, backs who would prove reliable if called upon. Better than Corum, better than Hunter. But cutting rookies picked in the third round makes a front office look bad, so here we are.

If Kyren stays healthy, fine — he’s getting 350 totes. If he doesn’t, buckle up for Matthew Stafford throwing 50 times a game. And please, Sean, for the love of God: stop drafting running backs. Just stop.

Brennan Presley, WR

This one’s less infuriating, because where would you put him? The Rams’ receiver depth is real. But Presley had a camp worthy of a roster spot. He could walk onto half the teams in the league and slot in as WR3/4.

Instead, he’s cut, while seventh-rounder Konata Mumpfield sticks. Nothing against Mumpfield — he deserves a paycheck — but Presley flashed more upside. Rams fans can only hope he clears waivers and hits the practice squad.

And no, I won’t make premature Puka comparisons. Not yet. Not… quite yet.

The Big Picture

McVay is a brilliant head coach. Full stop. But year after year, his final cuts read like a man who’s mastered chess and then loses to himself in checkers.

Special teams remain a joke. Promising rookies get discarded in favor of known mediocrity. And while these aren’t “headline” decisions, they add up. Football is violent, rosters churn, and players 47–53 become players 27–33 by Week 9. Depth matters.

So, no, I don’t know more than McVay. None of us do. But when Chris “Pooh” Paul is starting for another team in December while Troy Reeder is missing tackles in Week 10, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For more of why this amateur with a keyboard and a bar tab knows more about roster construction than one of the NFL’s best coaches, tune in here. This has been Homer Corner, proudly smeared across the walls of The Stain.

Your Fantasy Football League Winners

Every year, some rando comes out of nowhere and delivers fantasy glory to the one guy in your league who either (a) spotted value where no one else dared look, or (b) had the waiver priority that week. Don’t pretend it’s always brilliance. Sometimes it’s dumb luck wrapped in a Bud Light can.

And it’s never the usual suspects. Ja’Marr Chase, Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley — great players mean premium draft picks. If one of those studs was the only high performer on your team last season and the rest of your roster was flaming garbage, you weren’t sniffing the money. Every team has stars. Stars alone don’t win you fantasy leagues. Depth goblins and breakout weirdos do.

Last year, one of those guys was Chuba Hubbard — a running back so anonymous you’d confuse him for the third member of LMFAO, who only got his shot because the shiny free agent and the high draft pick ahead of him both broke. The year before? Puka Nakua — a fifth-round pick out of BYU, not even guaranteed a roster spot, who casually rewrote rookie record books like he was bored.

So who’s this year’s Chuba, this year’s Puka? Here’s a few shots worth ordering late in drafts. Some of them will hit like 18-year-old Scotch, some will taste like gas station tequila. But when you’re only spending a double-digit pick, who cares if you wake up with a headache?

Quarterbacks

My QB philosophy is well-known to the two loyal readers of this column: wait, and then wait some more. Depth is ridiculous, so let’s talk about two who could sneak their way into your championship lineup.

Trevor Lawrence — Stakes are higher than my cholesterol for the former #1 pick. O-line is still a question mark, sure, but the Jags’ defense is trash, which means shootouts, which means Trevor chucking it 40+ times a week. Surrounded by talent now, he’s a dark horse for a massive fantasy season.
Sam Darnold — Yeah, I know, insert ghost joke here. But bleach the playoff disaster from your brain and look at the setup: improved Seattle O-line, Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who is going to eat), and a pass-oriented gameplan. Darnold is virtually a lock for 30 TDs, is more mobile than he gets credit for, and is going undrafted in a lot of mocks. Free real estate. Just don’t make him your first qb choice in case I’m wrong.

Running Backs

RBs age like milk left in the sun, which is why I usually fade the position outside the elites. But you still need warm bodies in the stable. Here’s two who can be had late and still win you weeks.

Austin Ekeler — He’s not the sexiest name anymore, but don’t let the ageism fool you. With Brian Robinson all but traded, Ekeler has a clear role in the offense, and could fall into workhorse status if injuries strike. He’s one Chris Rodriguez twisted ankle away from being your weekly RB2.
Isaiah Pacheco — People forgot him after an injury-plagued 2024. Don’t. He’s back, healthy, and built like an NFL-created rage emoji. This is the lead back on a Super Bowl contender who racks up red zone touches. Why he’s falling in drafts is beyond me. You won’t find cheaper touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

This is the group I love. I’ll go WR-WR-WR at the top of a draft, light a cigar, and laugh while the rest of you panic over running backs. But even late, there are gems.

Keenan Allen — Remember him? Target hog, then poof, vanished to Chicago, where he still put up respectable numbers with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze crowding him. Now? He’s back in LA catching piss missiles from Justin Herbert. With only rookie Ladd McConkey above him, Allen’s a lock for 1,000 yards.
Ricky Pearsall — A month ago, he was lasting into the teens of mocks. Now? Round 7 or 8. Still a bargain. Brock Purdy is better than his critics want to admit, and Pearsall is a safe bet for 120 targets. He’s not flashy, but 1,000 yards and 8 TDs will do just fine.

Tight Ends (Groan…)

Fine, let’s get this over with. Tight ends are either buried pirate treasure or something your cat buried in the litter box. That said, you’re kind of required to field one every week. So…

Brenton Strange — Zero competition in Jacksonville. He showed signs late last year, and if you’re punting the position, you could do worse. Pencil him in for 9 PPG from the bargain bin.
Evan Engram — Talk about a plum setup: talented young QB, coach who knows how to use him, and a wide-open target share. Don’t be surprised if he finishes TE3 behind Bowers and McBride. That’s insane value for someone drafted outside the top 7 at the position.

The Disclaimer

If you roll into the season with only these guys, congratulations, you’ve built a flaming paper airplane. These are compliments, not entrees. Keep perspective. Draft them at value. Don’t reach.

Hit on one or two of them, though? That’s how you win leagues. And when you do, just remember who told you. I take cash, Venmo, or a cut of your winnings paid in bourbon.

The Real Winning Formula: No RB, and How to Break Your League’s Brain

Now that you’ve seen Shaun’s “load up on running backs” strategy, let’s talk about the actual path to fantasy enlightenment. And to be fair to Shaun, his way works sometimes. He’s had seasons where he’s cashed out, celebrated at Buffalo Wild Wings, and looked smug holding his jalapeño poppers.

But me? Ever since I pivoted to a No RB (punting the position until the late rounds) or Hero RB (one stud muffin like Jahmyr Gibbs and then 47 receivers) approach, my “in the money” finishes have hit nearly 90%. That’s not a fluke — that’s math in a tuxedo drinking an Old Fashioned.

Let me illustrate with a mock draft I ran in real time. I picked 11th in a 12-team PPR league and planned to go WR-heavy in the first four rounds. I wanted the wheel slot, but was a second too late — like walking into a happy hour just as the bartender flips the sign to “Private Event.”

Rounds 1–2: The Foundation

Picks: Brian Thomas, Nico Collins.
Value so good it should’ve come gift-wrapped.
Had I gone RB here, Devon Achane or Derrick Henry were on the board. Defensible picks? Sure. But the point here isn’t “safe.” The point is overwhelm them in one position before they realize what’s happening.

Rounds 3–4: The WR Avalanche

Picks: Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr.
Oh. My. God. This WR room is a penthouse suite.
If I’d gone RB, I’d have been looking at Alvin Kamara, Chuba Hubbard, or Kenneth Walker. Fine players. Also fine players to let someone else overpay for.

Way too early for QB, but some folks will panic and take Jayden Daniels here. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were already gone. Good. Let them chase names.

Rounds 5–6: The Luxury Pick and the Workhorse

Pick 5: Jaylen Waddle — a luxury, yes, but at this price? Absolute steal.
Pick 6: David Montgomery — as good a bet for double-digit touchdowns as exists in the league. Isaiah Pacheco and Tyrone Tracy were here too, as was Aaron Jones Sr, who will apparently be splitting touches with Jordan Mason in some cruel Shanahan fever dream.

Rounds 7–8: Jackpot Falls to Me

Pick 7: Tyrone Tracy somehow comes back to me. Don’t ask questions, just take the gift.
Pick 8: Kaleb Johnson — figures to get the early-down and goal-line work in Pittsburgh. Would I have loved David Njoku here? Sure. But he got pipped right before my turn. That’s fine. Tight end can wait.

Rounds 9–10: Depth and Disrespect

Pick 9: Keenan Allen — I’ll take a shot on the return to form.
Pick 10: Austin Ekeler — the fantasy equivalent of finding a $50 bill in an old pair of jeans. Is he ancient? Yes. Can he still win me weeks? Also yes.

At this point, my RB room is solid, but my WR corps is filthy.

Rounds 11–12: Gambling on Tight End

Picks: Hunter Henry and Kyle Pitts.
Henry was Drake Maye’s favorite red-zone target, and if a QB change doesn’t finally unlock Pitts’ talent, then he might as well retire and sell Herbalife. But here? This late? You’re buying lottery tickets at half price.

Rounds 13–14: The QB Punt Pays Off

Picks: Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young.
Yes, Bryce Young. Don’t laugh — he was one of the highest PPG QBs down the stretch last year, largely on the strength of his sneaky rushing ability.

And that’s the point. While my leaguemates were taking QBs in Rounds 4–7, I was stockpiling WRs who will outscore their RB2s and their WR2s all year long.

The Lesson

No, I didn’t draft exactly how I would in a real league — I took liberties to make the point. But the core truth stands:

Rounds 2–5: WRs here will vastly outperform the RBs you can get in the same range.
Rounds 6–10: That’s where RB value lives.
Quarterbacks: Wait. Wait longer. Wait until they start sending you “you still need a QB” notifications.

Because in a game where the only objective is to score more points than the other guy? You don’t win by following the crowd. You win by making them look up from their draft board, stare at your roster, and mutter, “Oh… crap.”

Andrew Friedman and The Trail of Injuries

Los Angeles Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman is one of the more respected executives in the game of baseball. Forging his reputation as a genius during his time with Tampa Bay, consistently turning a team with a shoestring budget into a postseason mainstay, there was a mystique that followed him around. When he joined the Dodgers in 2015, big things were expected. After all, how could they not be, considering he was moving from a franchise that pulled change out of the couch cushions to one that essentially prints money?

It’s a strange thing, fealty. For the perfect example, you can look no further than former President Donald Trump. No matter how vile the rhetoric he spews, his followers will adhere to it as gospel. No matter how many affairs or credible rape allegations he’s hit with, the Christian right will anoint him the second coming of Jesus. No matter how catastrophically he botches the domestic response to a global pandemic, it’s his word that’s taken as scientific truth over the consensus of the virtual unanimity of the world’s credible scientific and medical communities. It defies logic. It defies reason. It defies observable reality. Surely, people cannot be so easily brainwashed.

This is the comparison that suddenly struck me when it came to Friedman. Not to the extent of politics, but sports too, especially in the social media era, is hotly debated. And in far more cases than not, the debate gets personal, and saturated with direct pejoratives. There is no better way to show this than ambling into the lawless shitshow that is the Dodgers Twitter (I refuse to call it X) community and suggest that Friedman isn’t great at his job. I recommend wearing a kevlar vest before doing so.

But let’s start objectively. Is Friedman actually good at his job? Well, the Dodgers, despite being a perennial contender and having not had a high draft pick since… God only knows when, consistently have one of the top rated farm systems in all of baseball. This is due to astute drafting, terrific scouting, and of course significant investment in the international market. All of these things are rightly considered feathers in Friedman’s cap. There are more people who deserve credit than just him, but if you’re the man in charge and it goes right, you get to take that credit.

The star-studded roster is also dotted with guys acquired from other franchises. Mookie Betts via trade. Freddie Freeman via free agency. There was also the Trevor Bauer signing, but without getting into the accusations against him and subsequent fallout, he was the best available free agent pitcher that season and Friedman went out and got him. This is what you want from your front office, right? To go after the biggest fish? There’s a curious asterisk here though, as well. The Dodgers were never seriously engaged on retaining star shortstop Corey Seager, he of the very recent World Series MVP award. Nor were they ever seriously in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes. Neither should really be considered too dark of a blotch on the record for Friedman. Seager was always going to go to the highest bidder. The Dodgers could have offered a billion dollars and if another franchise offered a penny more, that’s where he was going. And there is no alternate universe where Friedman offered a comparable deal for Harper to the 13-year pact he got from the Phillies.

And how about those results!? Playoffs every season. Three World Series appearances… but only one title – the Covid shortened season of 2020. This is where you really start to see the increasingly strange behavior. A title is the pinnacle of achievements for sports franchises and their fans. But mention that Friedman has only one title in his tenure despite the resources at his disposal and you’ll get a smile, a shrug, and some variation of “what can ya do? The playoffs are a crapshoot!”

I’m sorry, what? Sure, a 162 game season is a much larger sample size that gives you a more accurate picture of how good teams are when compared to one another. And yes, weird things can happen in a short series. Mistakes are amplified. Iconic performances are amplified. The best team does not always win. But to reduce it to a coin flip is a jaw-dropping outlook. I always wondered why there were warning labels on paste. Don’t eat this! Well, now I know why, I guess.

If your argument is that the playoffs are a crapshoot, doesn’t your probability of winning that crapshoot get better when you don’t have to run out guys like Billy McKinney, the corpse of Albert Pujols, a seriously injured David Peralta (in the literary world we call this foreshadowing), and more?

Apparently not, because his online legion of sycophants have bestowed nicknames on him like Fleeceman and FriedGOD. Seriously. FriedGOD. Some people were really high on Sheldon Neuse, I guess.

But ok, we’ve established that people at large at prone to cult-like behavior and false idol worship. I guess that baseball fans shouldn’t be expected to be any different.

But there’s something that can’t be explained away. Well, let me hedge that. The delusionals who think it’s Friedman that rises on Easter can probably find a way, but this is a question for the powers that be in baseball. Why are the Dodgers permitted to continually run out clearly injured players in the postseason?

In 2022, the Dodgers elected to keep a clearly injured Blake Treinen on the postseason roster over a clearly healthy Craig Kimbrel. Yes, Treinen is one of the most dominant relievers in baseball when healthy, and Kimbrel is a bit of a roller coaster. But for all his struggles as closer in 2022, Kimbrel pitched fairly well down the stretch in a non closing role. And for all his dominance, what with his 100 mph fastball with video game movement, Treinen had pitched all of six innings in 2022 due to a serious shoulder injury. That didn’t matter to Friedman and company though. They would take him on the roster over Kimbrel – itself a tacit acknowledgement that his acquisition was a failure. It turned out to be a disaster. Treinen was sitting at about 91, threw one horrid inning, and the Dodgers were expelled from the playoffs in humiliating fashion by the Padres.

That was last year. In 2023, Clayton Kershaw pitched the worst postseason start in recorded history. The greatest pitcher of this generation managed to get all of one out, and gave up six earned runs. A month or so later, Kershaw announced that he underwent major shoulder surgery, and had some hope of pitching again in 2024. That he was struggling with shoulder soreness down the stretch was not a secret. But it turned out to be a serious injury. Which they absolutely had to have known about, and threw him out there anyway. Meanwhile, deadline acquisition Ryan Yarbrough who pitched mostly well after joining up from Kansas City was left off the roster.

It was also announced that veteran Dodgers outfielder David Peralta had ligament repair surgery on his left arm after the season. Peralta had played well most of the season and been a positive clubhouse presence with his veteran leadership and amiable personality. But he struggled badly down the stretch and did nothing in the playoffs. Now we know why. Meanwhile, capable young hitters like Jonny DeLuca and Mike Busch were nowhere to be seen.

Two guys with serious injuries, trotted out in the season’s biggest games. The front office absolutely knew the extent of those injuries and did it anyway, same as they did with Treinen in 2022. How this isn’t a bigger scandal is beyond me. It’s borderline criminal. And nobody is even asking the question. I get it. They’re probably afraid of offending the slack-jawed legions of hangerson and having to deal with a bunch of “how dare you”s on Twitter.

I get that too. On the off chance they see this, I might have to move and change my name.

But seriously, isn’t this fireable? Can you imagine a football team in 2023 running out a middle linebacker with a known and diagnosed concussion? Why is it ok for a baseball team to run out a pitcher whose shoulder is known to be confetti? There should be an investigation, and subsequently a reckoning. But there won’t be, because it’s apparently not only the unwashed of Twitter who feel like he can do no wrong.

USMNT vs. Uzbekistan Friendly: Player Ratings

Welp, Berhalter ball is back, y’all. After some promising performances under interim coach Anthony Hudson, and some downright exciting ones under BJ Callahan, who probably should have been offered the full-time gig, the team was back under the stewardship of World Cup coach, Gregg Berhalter. The results were about what one who pays attention would expect. The 3-0 scoreline in favor of the US, the least they should probably have expected, flattered the hosts. An early goal by Tim Weah started the US off hot, but instead of putting their stamp on the game, the scrappy Uzbeks had several opportunities to level the score before a couple of late tallies secured the win for the home side. Let’s see how our individual performers did. As always, we’ll use a 1-10 rating system with half points when I can’t make up my damn mind.

GK Matt Turner – 7.5

The US and Nottingham Forest number 1 didn’t have a ton to do, but was sharp when called into action, stopping two breakaways as well as a clever effort at the near post that certainly would have gone in if not for his intervention. Importantly as well, Turner was solid with the ball at his feet. He’ll never look comfortable in that role, but his control was good and his passes were accurate. Was cleanly beaten by one clean strike that rattled the crossbar, but not sure any keeper in the world was getting anything on that.

LB Jedi Robinson – 6.0

Typical workmanlike performance from the first choice left back. Plenty of marauding runs up the left flank that ultimately were let down by his poor final ball. On a night where most of the US defenders didn’t close down on attackers well, Robinson was pretty responsible on that front and kept his side clean. One of these days the hope is he’ll really put it together and be a threat. Tonight wasn’t that night, but he was certainly solid enough.

LCB Tim Ream – 4.0

Woof. The usually dependable captain had a nightmare of a first half. Got caught in possession that led to a breakaway which was ultimately thwarted by Turner. Made several poor passes to the wrong point in the Berhalter triangle which led to turnovers. Didn’t close on the shooter on the aforementioned shot off the woodwork. He improved to his usual standard in the second half with timely interceptions, aerial dominance in defense, and better passing, but by then he’d dug himself such a hole that short of scoring a goal, this was the best rating he would get.

RCB Chris Richards – 6.0

The criminally underappreciated – both by USMNT fans and at Crystal Palace – Richards cuts a hulking figure in defense but plays with a comfortable grace that belies his physical presence. Where Ream was calamitous early, Richards was calm and collected throughout. Could probably have been rated higher but was a complete non-factor on set pieces at the other end. Some of that is poor delivery, but it’s an area where he should be involved.

RB Sergino Dest – 5.5

Another one of the defensive crew who didn’t close down well enough early on. Also committed a poor foul in a dangerous area that a good right back wouldn’t commit. As always, he was active on the wing and willingly incisive in the attack. The final product, much like his left sided counterpart, just too often lets him down. One spectacular run near the end could and should have ended in a goal if not for a shanked finish. Certainly not awful from Dest today, but not particularly great either.

DCM Luca De La Torre – N/A

Went off injured early with what appears to have been a broken nose. Tough luck for the dude because this was the ideal opportunity for him to showcase his ability in the Tyler Adams role, but it wasn’t to be.

LM Yunus Musah – 6.5

I think we’re just beginning to see the blossoming of this young fella into the player he can become. Committed on defense, increasingly aggressive on offense, it seems to be coming together. Stop me if I sound like a broken record, but plenty of good moments with serious potential ended with a pass that narrowly missed connecting, or an errant shot attempt, but overall, he’s done well here and shown the world he’s ready to make his mark. AC Milan will be delighted they have him.

RM Weston McKennie – 6.5

Delightful bit of individual skill to set up Weah’s opener. Good in possession and reliable in tracking back on offense. On an afternoon where the US attack sputtered more than hummed, most promising US endeavors in the Uzbekistan end involved him. We’ll see if he truly gets a second run in the Juventus side this season, but he seems to be in solid form. One knock on him, and we saw it today, if some of the play around him isn’t good, he’s not really the type to create much individually. Oh well, not everyone is Messi.

LAM Christian Pulisic – 5.5

Well, he bagged a goal on a penalty kick late on. That’s about it. He wasn’t necessarily poor today, but Berhalter ball just doesn’t suit him. Uzbekistan, while far from a powerhouse, isn’t a lousy side by any stretch, but you would have expected Pulisic to make his mark on the game. And he just didn’t. Had one decent opportunity in the second half but his tame header from six yards was easily saved. The penalty was well-taken, so there’s that at least.

RAM Tim Weah – 6.0

His goal in the fourth minute was a thing of beauty. Set up by McKennie, he lashed a beautiful bullet into the far post side netting to start the US off on a good note. Then it was like someone replaced his Energizer batteries with some shitty knock off brand. It’s not that he quit trying. He’s always enterprising, but today his first touch was atrocious, and he never took it upon himself to run at anyone in the 18-yard box. I guess it’s a testament to his quality that he can have a mostly anonymous match and still muster a moment of brilliance, but when you start off like that, it leaves fans hoping for more.

ST Folarin Balogun – 6.0

The US has never had a striker like Balogun. Today wasn’t his best day, but on multiple occasions he showcased how he can be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Was a little unlucky to head off the post from six yards with the goal gaping in front of him and didn’t hit his shot particularly well after some nifty footwork allowed him to create space amongst multiple defenders, but he sure is exciting to watch. Subbed off at the break for Pepi.

The Subs

Tanner Tessman – 3.0

Came on for De La Torre midway through the first half. Best that can be said about him today is that he didn’t get sent off. An awful back pass led to a breakaway that was kept out by Turner. Multiple errant passes that should have been easy completions led to Uzbeki counterattacks. Frustratingly to me, Tessman is huge yet absent in set pieces both on offense and defense. You’d think he could use that size to become a problem. He did showcase some talent today, with a couple of pinpoint 50-yard floating passes, and that’s great. But when you’re playing in a CDM role, you can’t be turning the ball over like he did. Poor, but maybe there’s some potential?

Ricardo Pepi – 5.5

Scored a nice goal with a powerful shot from the top of the box with the goalie partially screened. Other than that, he was entirely anonymous. I’ve said this before, but you don’t need your center forward to be sublimely skillful. You just need him to smash goals in when the opportunity presents itself. I guess he did that once today but for a guy who played 45 minutes, the hope is his name is mentioned by the announcers more than three times. On the plus side, he’s a willing helper when defending from the front.

Brenden Aaronson – 6.0

Set up Pepi’s goal with a nicely weighted pass in traffic. Hustled relentlessly to help on defense. And honestly, I’m never happy when his name is announced but he played fairly well the final 25 minutes or so today. He’s just… not very good. He can’t get a cross past the first defender. Despite his work rate and plus speed, he’s just not willing to run at defenders in the box, and I don’t freaking get it. More on why that’s important later, but in fairness to BA there was more good than bad today.

Mark McKenzie – 6.0

Another guy I’m not personally high on, but he was solid in relief of Richards today. One notable contribution was bailing out Tessman after a brutal back pass with some alert reactions. Responsible in distribution. A non-factor on offense but that’s fine when you’re solid on D.

Kristoffer Lund – N/A

First cap for the recently committed dual national. He didn’t trip over the furniture in his brief time on the pitch and didn’t look out of place, but there’s not enough of a sample size from today’s ten minutes or so to drop an accurate rating.

Malik Tillman – 7.0

Only on for the last ten minutes, and maybe it’s a coincidence but the US looked like a completely different team after he came on. Maybe it was a formation change as well, but Tillman looks capable of being a menace. His most telling play was winning the penalty in stoppage time with a darting run into the box, right at a tired defender, drawing a clear foul on a clever hip and head fake that sent the defender in the wrong direction. This was exactly the blueprint of what Aaronson needs to do when coming on late. Tillman deserves a longer look next game to see if what we saw these ten minutes translates over a longer period. Nicely done, sir.

Let us know on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) @thestainsports if you think we got it wrong here. As always, thanks for reading.

USMNT Notes: Takeaways From the Gold Cup QF Against Canada

The Gold Cup is always an interesting one for the USMNT as they can’t very well field a full strength roster, but against fairly winnowy competition it does usually offer a good look at some talent that’s trying to crack the first team. Here are some things we noticed from Sunday’s game.

Strategy: After outclassing lesser opponents St. Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago, the USMNT was largely held in check by a tougher, yet still inferior-to-them Canada side. Disappointingly, the team departed from its free-flowing creative style earlier in the tournament, back to Berhalter ball – a bummer of a development in what figures to be one of BJ Callahan’s last matches in charge. No real overlapping movements up front. Dozens of unnecessary back passes to Matt Turner. An overreliance on crossing the ball to Jesus Ferreira who is shit in the air. The USMNT still figures to beat Panama in the semis, but nothing is ever guaranteed.

This was also the first time that Callahan seemed out of touch with his substitutions. Yes, bringing on Brandon “El Guapo” Vazquez for Gressell late on worked out well, but the Cincinnatti striker was always going to come on. It wasn’t some kind of strategical masterpiece. Then there was replacing the center back pairing of Miles Robinson and Jalen Neal with Aaron Long and Matt Miazga. Not that Neal and Robinson reminded anyone of Franz Beckenbauer but they were generally in the right places, and apart from Robinson being unable to maintain responsibility for his hands (a skill he’ll hopefully develop), Canada had no real chances from open play while they were both still on. Meanwhile, a clearly exhausted Bryan Reynolds was left out there to die in extra time despite a fit DeAndre Yedlin being available – something that certainly contributed to Canada’s short-lived go-ahead goal. It just wasn’t a good showing from BJ, tactically or managerially.

Notable Names:

Jesus Ferreira. We weren’t expecting another hat trick, but this was a downer for him. He offers nothing in hold up play. He’s feckless in the air. And he needs service against decent defenses. That’s not to say he played awful. He didn’t. He’s a willing defender from the front. He worked his way into a couple of decent spots only to have shots either blocked or scuffed. But we’re starting to see why he’s at best a third or fourth option for the US up front right now.

DeJuan Jones. If you didn’t know, now you do. The New England Revolution defender was a revelation at left back, defending well, marauding up the field at every opportunity, and feathering an inch-perfect 40 yard cross onto the dome of Vazquez for the opener. Beyond just that, he played all 120 minutes and didn’t seem at all worse for wear. One game is one game, but he’s one to watch for the future. After decades of paucity at the position, the US is strong at left back for the forseeable future.

Brendan Aaronson. What!? He didn’t even play, moron! Yes, I know this. But I’ve been screaming that in addition to terrorizing defenders in possession with his relentless pursuit, he needs to run at people. Especially late. See Jacob Shaffelburg, the speedy Canadian winger who scored the go-ahead goal in added time. With fresh legs, and Bryan Reynolds far in the dust, he only had to beat Ferreira to a loose ball and then Miazga one on one. He sprinted right at the lumbersome Miazga, forcing Miazga to either maintain space or risk a possible red card foul, and ripped a fine shot that Matt Turner could only dream of saving. THIS is how Aaronson needs to play and use his speed, not running into blind alleys over and over again. Take notes, kid.

Miazga. I know I’m hard on the guy, and I probably shouldn’t be. He’s a fine MLS center back and fairly good in the air. He nearly scored off a corner kick, only for the finger tips of the excellent Dayne St. Clair to deny him in goal. He’s just… slow. And doesn’t position well enough to make up for his lack of speed. Tim Ream? Also slower than molasses in January. But he is always, and I mean ALWAYS, in the right spot, so he can get away with it. This is the difference between an international quality center back and a guy who plays fairly well in MLS. The US is pretty deep at center back, even if Ream eventually retires, with the excellent Chris Richards, Scottish Premiership best defender Cam Carter-Vickers, Berhalter cast-off John Brooks, MLS defender of the year Walker Zimmerman, and the aforementioned Neal. But in games like today when all of a sudden you have Miazga paired with the awful Aaron Long, the boat starts taking water rapidly. And it did.

Vazquez. He’s not nearly as skillful as Ferreira, and doesn’t cross well – something Ferreira can and will do if asked to. In fact, he does little well outside of finishing in front of goal, and hold-up play. And that’s enough. You don’t need your center forward to have skills like Messi. You just need a guy who can smash the ball in the goal. He scored one, could have had a second, and forces defenses to collapse on him in the middle. Yes, he blasted his shootout penalty a good 10 feet over the bar, but that was probably more of him being too amped up in front of his hometown crowd. Folarin Balogun should be the first choice at center forward whenever he’s healthy and not club-tied, but Vazquez really needs to be the number 2, especially with the team all but certain to revert back to dour Berhalter ball.

Matt Turner. It’s time to start mentioning his name alongside the best goalies in the world. I read a stat on Twitter (too lazy to fact check) that said he has now saved 14 of 29 penalties taken against him. If accurate, that’s an absurd rate on a play in which the striker should be nearly certain to score. Beyond that, his play with the ball at his feet – which was once an adventure – is now a strength. His passing is firm and accurate, and it was his perfectly placed long ball into the Canadian box that caused the chaos leading to the US’ own-goal equalizer.

Cade Cowell. Probably should have started ahead of Alex Zendejas, who is better suited as a fleet-footed late sub. Cowell tries to get too cute on his final product nearly every time he has the ball in an attacking position, be it a pass or shot. But he’s relentless, and another one to watch for the future. He’s unlikely to Wally Pipp Christian Pulisic on the left attacking flank but if he tightens up his final pass, he is capable of stepping in with no drop off in quality of play from that position.

Djordje Mihailovic & James Sands. That should put it to bed, right? These guys are pretty good MLS players, or in Djordje’s case, Eriedivisie. And I don’t care what anyone says, while Ajax and Alkmaar are good teams, virtually all others in that league get boatraced by 2/3 of MLS clubs. These guys are just not good enough to warrant regular national team consideration. And that’s ok. Not everyone can be.

Reynolds. Add right back to the list of positions the US is deep at. Watching his play these last couple of weeks just reignites the fury I have for Berhalter using Shaq Moore in the World Cup. Sergino Dest and Joe Scally should be the unquestioned top choices at right back, but Reynolds at this juncture is the unquestioned number three with remaining upside.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours? Let us know on Twitter @TheStainSports. Thanks for reading.