Chris Wondolowski just finished the MLS regular season with 27 goals, a feat that hadn't been accomplished since Roy Lassiter pulled it off 17 years ago in a league that was much different (i.e., lower quality) than it is now. In fact, his goal-scoring rate over the past three seasons has been nothing short of phenomenal. With the national team Wondo has 8 caps so far but has yet to find the net. Despite his form in MLS, Klinsmann ignored him in the recent qualifiers, and the last time he saw the field for the USA was a 10-minute substitute appearance in the Canada friendly last June. So if he can't get called up while showing this kind of form is it ever going to happen for the guy? Is there any reason to believe that he'll have a part to play in our Hexagonal campaign (especially with the resurgence of Eddie Johnson)? Also of note is the fact that he'll be 30 years old in a few months, so the clock is ticking for him. Thoughts?
I think 8 caps and no goals hurts his case more than his age. We are weak enough up front that he will likely get another chance or more before all is said and done, but it is up to him to contribute on the scoreline when he does or eventually the chances will stop. Pretty simple really.
He will get a few more chances I am sure, but when he gets those chances he needs to capitalize on them. So far he has been wholly unimpressive to my eyes.
Can we get a nerdy stats guy in here to tell us how many of Wondo's goals came from PK's vs. some of the other guys high up on the goals scored list? I'm not trying to be a d!ck, I honestly don't know.
I got this from a nerdy stats guy and he wondered who the d*ck was that wanted the information and what he was going to do with it. Wondo 5 PK goals in 7 attempts http://www.mlssoccer.com/stats/season EDIT: if you look at the all-time stats, the leader in goals scored in MLS is Jeff Cunningham who has all of 9 caps for the US. BB gave him a try a few times but his game just didn't mesh with the USMNT. Taylor Twellman is another guy close to the top of all time goal scorers in MLS and also scored at a rate similar to Wondo. He had 30 caps for the USMNT but was mostly Gold Cup type matches, friendlies and some qualifiers. Was an alternate selection for WC 2006. Ante Razov, Jason Kreis, etc. There are a number of guys who scored a bunch of goals in MLS but their impact on the USMNT was limited.
Thanks. I thought his PK total would be a lot higher, but he's pretty much on par with other top goal scorers.
He was on standby for the last round of games so he is clearly rather high on the depth chart. If Klinsmann sticks with his B team concept for '13 then Wondolowski should get a number of opportunities. I've seen him play in MLS and for the National Team. Imo he lacks the combination of technique, passing or shooting, physique, and pace to make it imo. Players like Gordon, Cooper, and Lenhart are better suited to the international game. Heck, Cooper and Gordon have already produced for the team. Still Wondo deserves additional opportunities. Can't hurt.
I agree. I am a huge proponent of calling in on form players. Here is the "but". Will these players get another chance? As long as younger guys are getting playing time and playing atleast decent, I wouldnt be surprised if Jurgen goes with quite younger players in terms of a "B" team from now on. The only one there that I am really sure will get another shot is Gordon & thats because he was just recently brought in and impressed almost immediately. The MLS striker's that you mentioned have a decreasing chance for the USNT if you ask me. I dont have a problem with them though.
I don't think he lacks any of those traits. His problem is that he doesn't fit neatly into Klinsmann's preferred formation. He's not the target forward in Klinsmann's scheme, so he'd play on the wing like Johson did in the last game. Actually, I think Wondo (and guys like Pontius) would be better suited to that role than Johnson against some opponents. It's like people knocking Chris Carter of the Vikings because "all he did was score touchdowns." Hello? That's the name of the game. All Wondo does is score goals. And as long as he keeps doing that, he's going to continue to be in the USMNT mix.
He's doesn't have the combination of ball skills and pace to play any of the '3' positions in 4231 for the US. He's not a-mid like Graham Zusi. He doesn't have the pace, dribble, or ability to dominate midfielders in the air like Eddie Johnson. His problem isn't that he only scores or create goals it's that he probably lacks the ability to do so at at a decent rate at international level. I agree he's in the mix.
The problem is the number of forwards we have that possess those qualities is very small. We know Wondo was on "standy" for the last two games. So while people are saying he's not "international quality", he's in Klinsmann's "top 5" USMNT forwards.
This is probably the answer to the question. Expect a January camp call-up, and Wondo determines his own fate from there. To my eye very analogous to the Herc situation a couple seasons ago. Intelligent player, strong work rate, top goal scorer in his domestic league. Not sure how he fits into the national team system, but that's why you give him a few opportunities and see what happens.
I like him, think he could be very useful. Leading MLS in goals for 3 straight season is a big accomplishment. I would give him some real time with the first team.
If JK thought Wondo could do the job at the international level, Wondo would have been in every game. Simple as that. Nevertheless, it is rather interesting that the biggest names in MLS goal-scoring have been lesser lights on the USMNT. RankPlayerGoals 1 Jeff Cunningham 1342 Jaime Moreno 1333 Landon Donovan 1244 Ante Razov 1145 Jason Kreis 1086 Taylor Twellman 1017 Dwayne DeRosario 1008 Edson Buddle 929 Carlos Ruiz 8810 Roy Lassiter 88
if Klinnsmann calls him up for camp cupcake and he doesn't produce he'll never play for national team again
and not every player, no matter how good, will score in limited chances with the Nats. Landon, Wynalda, all have gone through dry spells. Which is why one can't rush to judgement.
He will get a few caps. He will need to capitalize on them to get more. Even if Wondo does it, he still a short term answer.
If Clint fell into the mystery hole from the Simpsons that Ozzie Smith fell into, Wondo would be a guy who could compete to fill that poachers role. His movement in the box is pretty good, but he isn't fast nor really strong nor quick. Its hard to see where he'd fit in as a starter, though, if everyone is relatively healthy. As a bench option for a tournament with a 23 man roster? I'd like to have a guy who has that nose for goal to throw in if we're chasing the game. Wondo would have been a better guy, for example, to put in the Gold Cup final than Agudelo when we were chasing the game.
I have not watched all of San José's matches but to my eyes the issue is not necessarily his quality but his role in his club formation relative to USMNT tactics. He needs to be part of a strike partnership, and it seems JK is hell-bent on keeping us from going 4-4-2. He has a great knack for seeing the seams and meeting the ball there, but without a partner to pressure the back line enough to create those seams, I question if he has the physicality (speed, size, and/or muscle) to find openings in international-level defenses. That said, I'm all for having him force the issue a bit with his league performance, because I think JK's tactics and formations have on the whole been very ill-suited to the occasions and I'm glad there's at least the appearance of pressure to consider other approaches based on top-performing players in the pool. I have a question for that nerdy stats guy, too: has Wondo played under JK with Bradley in midfield? Perhaps with a more incisive passer behind him his vision and runs could be more valuable than if he was getting service from Shea, Torres (who I like), Beckerman, etc.
Wondo is one of those guys that has to force his way into the party (USMNT). Wondo is from the west coast, went to college most folks east of the rockies have never heard of, drafted in the 4th round a round that has been discontinued by the MLS, went to Houston when the AEG moved the Quakes there (after giving LA Landy) and wasted 4 years with Kinnear because I am sure he just didn't impress the new coach. Wondo's break came when he went back to san jose. When he got his chance, Wondo started slowly ( few matches) but the guys ahead of him (R Johnson, Sealy) could not find water at the end of the pier so he got more time. Only after the SJ's coaches job began to look tentative did Yallop put Wondo into the starting line ups regulary. Once firmly in the rotation in 2010, the Quakes took off coming nowhere to the 'eastern' finals in 2010 MLS Cup with Wondo winning the first of his two golden boots. Now pushing 30, no one sees Wondo as the long term striker for the USMNT. But is the WC really a tourney built around long term "greatness"? I think of John O'Brien's moment in 02 as a recent example of guy who pushed his way past the coaches favorites into the starting XI and made the US run in '02 successful and memorable. I also think of our strikers in '10 and now and know we can do better. IMO Wondo has more than earned the right to expect to play at the top of our team during the Hex; not just in the friendlies. All he does is score!
Our team is a mess right now. Our attacking players have no defined roles. Who knows what will happen?