Thompsons or m1919s are better than bars, in pretty much any situation. With pathfinders you might as well throw a bar on there so they can get sniping more and function more than just as a support squad.
I did some testing and didn't find a significant difference with the bars on pathfinders though, I'm not sure it's even worth it over barring the riflemen instead.
I had some more time to think about it, and while the idea of a modern warfare CoH game could be fun, it really doesn't fit into the series. There has always been a strong focus on historical context and pseudo "authenticity" in the series. It's undeniable that this is a draw to a significant portion of the fanbase. If they wanted to do something modern it should be done as a spin-off, not for CoH3. I think the series requires some form of grounding in a real conflict in the past to give the gameplay real context. I wouldn't go any further into the future than Vietnam, and I'd still prefer if they didn't go any further than 1950.
I just want to point out that Microsoft is making a big push towards supporting keyboard + mouse on console, and trying to cover more of the hardcore/pc gamer audience. CoH3 is going to be coming out in a few years along with the XboX 3, I don't think it's far fetched to assume they have some deal worked out with microsoft to try and have CoH3 be some sort of XboX console exclusive (with PC of course) to push adoption of the XboX 3 as a more general computer gaming replacement. We already know they are working with microsoft on AoE 4. I'm not gonna shit on them for pushing it on console until I see how that affects the game.
I'd rather they'd stick to world war 2, there is so much more there that hasn't been fully captured. Modern Warfare is not a deal-breaker for me though.
You thought skill planes were bad before? Welcome to Modern Warfare, where 80% of your military strength relies on your air force.