Benny Feilhaber now sits behind a 17 year old at NE?

Discussion in 'USA Men' started by supercooper, Sep 15, 2012.

  1. supercooper

    supercooper Red Card

    Jun 23, 2008
    I have to pin this on Benny.

    His inability to grow as a player is-in my view- due to his lack of commitment and lack of training and/or listening to coach.
    There is no way that a player with his skills- that has seen what he has seen, and knows what he know should be in this position.

    He is just getting outworked and beaten to the starting lineup by players that have a stronger desire to play. That is overriding (what should be) his superior mind and ability to play at a higher level.

    Benny never shored up his weaknesses and has let his strengths get worse and worse.
    You get better (like shooting) by spending time on the practice pitch. There is no way that a 17 year old in beating him to start unless Benny has been phoning it in for a while (maybe years).
    You don't lose your 'talent' that quickly- unless Fagundez is Rahim Sterling or Wayne Rooney.
     
  2. Aduesque

    Aduesque Member

    Atlanta United
    May 11, 2010
    Georgia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You can say Benny needs to work harder or whatever but Benny needs to be in the right league for his skill-set and then we can talk about what he needs. I can't believe someone wanted Juan Carlos Riqueme in the MLS. Do people realize how badly he would struggle due to the MLS strengths and weaknesses.
     
  3. supercooper

    supercooper Red Card

    Jun 23, 2008
    my God, quit blaming MLS. Landon Donovan never seemed to have a problem.
    Dempsey didn't have a problem doing well in this league. Altidore didn't have a problem.
    I could list hundreds of examples.

    Benny and Freddy need to man up, and get on with it.
     
  4. Cleats Up

    Cleats Up Member

    Jun 25, 2010
    Saint Louis
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Its a decent point, but all of those guys you named are completely different types of players than Benny and Freddy. You must see this?
     
  5. Jamooky

    Jamooky Member+

    Mar 24, 2006
    Cleveland, OH USA
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Let the record show that I blamed the EPL. :p
     
  6. j0osh

    j0osh Member

    Dec 8, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Jurgen said as much when discussing his roster selections at the beginning. Its the same reason Freddy Adu and Kljestan aren;t being featured either. One great performance for every 5 mediocre ones.

    Also I think alot of people who think Benny still has it, still thinks its 2007, 2008 or 2009. He's not the same player. He served us well, but his time as a mainstay in the lineup is long past. He didn't even get 180 minutes during Camp Cupcake last year.
     
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  7. Fanatical Monk

    Fanatical Monk Member+

    Jun 14, 2011
    Fantasyland
    A small pitch is exactly when you need someone like Benny, who can be good in tight spaces with a cutting pass, to open up the defense.

    I could swear I've seen some Portland fan on the BS MLS boards saying that JW is as big as it can get, for width anyway.
     
  8. j0osh

    j0osh Member

    Dec 8, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think Paulson has come out and said they are expanding it next season.
     
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  9. supercooper

    supercooper Red Card

    Jun 23, 2008
    what, better (players)?
     
  10. Cleats Up

    Cleats Up Member

    Jun 25, 2010
    Saint Louis
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, they are "better" players, but that wasnt the question.

    They play a completely different style. This is what I was pointing out.
     
  11. soccaisthecoolest

    Jul 22, 2008

    Wasn't he the guy that looked most ready to step into Klinsmann's lineup, after Cameron and Parkhurst?
     
  12. soccaisthecoolest

    Jul 22, 2008

    What position/role do you see Rowe playing?
     
  13. supercooper

    supercooper Red Card

    Jun 23, 2008
    if you are a good player, you make sure every knows it- at every level you play.

    I find this (one big copout) the 'Freddy and Benny are different type of players'.

    I think it was Sepp Herberger said, 'there are 2 types of players. Good players and Bad players'
     
  14. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You know who is NOT different?

    One Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
     
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  15. OWN(yewu)ED

    OWN(yewu)ED Member+

    Club: Venezia F.C.
    May 26, 2006
    chico, CA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think he could either hold down the Zusi 10 or right midfield if we were gonna give him a run out. He can play left mid in a pinch too, but ideally the 10 in my opinion.

    Same could be said of Rowe, DeLeon, and now even Silva (who has been wonderful for TFC but will never get noticed for how lousy his team is) could be legit 10 prospects, and have the versatility to play right and left as well.
     
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  16. bmo180

    bmo180 Member+

    Jan 25, 2012
    He shouldve, he was one of our best players in the 1st game and did exactly what people want him on the team for, create dangerous chances, i remember everyone being confused when he didnt play the next game
     
  17. Sam Hamwich

    Sam Hamwich Member+

    Jul 11, 2006
    I haven't watch Benny play more than 15min for NE. Let's face it, when US internationals come back to MLS, you know their careers are over.

    There are very few coaches who can play creative midfielders properly in MLS.

    It is really too bad. I always thought he was good in traffic. He had turned a corner by the Ghana match in the WC, where his defense and defensive tracking were much better. He is an intelligent player, probably the least appreciated and most important quality in any player.
     
  18. j0osh

    j0osh Member

    Dec 8, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    At a certain point it can just come down to coaches perference. Maybe he had an attitude problem. JK said from day one that no roster spot is guaranteed...maybe thats what Benny thought. I'm not sure, I just know that AT BEST he is fringe selection. He is not showing anything at his club, so what are the scouts supposed to think? That he's secretly great, but his teammates just suck? At a certain point it shouldn;t matter what team you are on. He should be in the XI no questions asked, and creating chances. Dude has one goal and two assist...so he's had a direct hand in less than 10% of NE's goals all season.

    After Zusi and Rimando as well
     
  19. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're making excuses for Feilhaber. Riquelme would have come here and passed defenses into submission. There simply is no way you can compare Benny and Juan Roman in an effort to make your point.
     
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  20. FlipsLikeAPancake

    Jul 6, 2010
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A great point. People that rag on MLS for not knowing what to do with creative players ignore the numerous players that have had success, including Schelotto, Ferreira and Rosales.

    Meanwhile, players like Benny and Adu have struggled. That's their own doing, not because of some conspiracy against creative players or the league holding them back. Would they do better if they weren't on bad teams? Probably, but who wouldn't? Let's not forget they both toiled in European 2nd divisions before coming to MLS. They had chances to impress in Europe and didn't. And now that they are here, they haven't had the hoped for impact.

    I'm not saying that they become impact players in MLS. Eddie Johnson shows that players left for dead can have career turnarounds. But I sure wish people would stop clamoring for them to be on the national team when their club form doesn't warrant it.
     
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  21. BimmerBenz95

    BimmerBenz95 Member+

    Feb 24, 2012
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree you can't compare Benny and Riquelme because Juan Roman Riquelme was a BEAST, he was a world class player in his prime.
     
  22. BimmerBenz95

    BimmerBenz95 Member+

    Feb 24, 2012
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have heard around here that Feihaber got into a fight with Freddy Adu a few years ago does anybody know more about this and if it's true?
     
  23. Sam Hamwich

    Sam Hamwich Member+

    Jul 11, 2006
    Yes, they broke each others hearts. it was a nasty piece of showboatsmanship.
     
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  24. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think the allocation system MLS has can be worse for returning USNT players than the league. I don't think either Freddy or Benny are in good situations, and I actually don't think their coaches know how to use them correctly, although I also place some blame on both players as they've both been subpar.

    At the same time, if they had been free to negotiate with an MLS team with better coaches and a playing style which fits them better, I think they'd both be performing at a higher level right now. EJ lucked out and ended up at one of the best teams in MLS for his qualities. Put him on many other MLS teams where he's starved of service and doesn't have a threat like Montero next to him and his form is most likely not what it is right now. I hate the allocation for our internationals. Any other international is free to negotiate with whomever they like except our own.

    I kind of go back and forth on the Freddy and Benny situations though. Their failures in Europe left them with few options. MLS could have been good for both, yet they both ended up in shitty situations for their qualities. I don't think MLS is the best league for them or smaller yet creative players. Yes there's exceptions,as there are just about anywhere, but looking at the entire landscape of the league and it's overall style, i really don't think it's the best league for those types of players, especially if you end up in NE or Philly. I still wouldn't use it as an excuse though as they've both underperformed and should be producing more, despite their situations. I just wish they would have been free to negotiate with any team upon coming back to MLS. This allocation is one of the worst rules imo. You screw guys who've served out NT with little choice on where they end up, yet allow Becks/Keane/Henry/Cahill/Frings etc to negotiate with whomever they like. It's not about parity in MLS when foreign DP's can go wherever they want,so that reason doesn't hold weight.
     
  25. Lascho

    Lascho Member+

    Sep 1, 2008
    Hannover, Germany
    Club:
    Borussia Mönchengladbach
    That's not the true story.
    Nobody at Hamburg rated Feilhaber highly. He didn't keep anybody on the bench, he was just a mediocre fill-in in times of massive injury trouble. Hamburg had a terrible season, and almost got relegated. They had to play Feilhaber for some games because they didn't have any other midfielders left. Hamburg got 7 points from his 9 games, and they were in last place when other midfielders came back from injury, and Feilhaber didn't get any more minutes (after gameday 19). They were happy to sell him for 1.5 millions.
    Other players with similar minutes were Alexander Laas (RB Leipzig II, 6th tier Landesliga today), Mario Fillinger (RW Erfurt, BL3) and Markus Karl (Union Berlin, BL2).
    His average Kicker rating was 4.31; one of the worst players in the league.
     
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