Boca injury link: http://www.7msport.com/news/newsdata/20121117/80822.shtml Hamstrings are often tricky, and older players sometimes take longer to fully recover. Hopefully Boca will be fine by February. He's a classy US Captain and battle-tested leader. But this is cutting things close. Potential fitness again in January. Will he regain match fitness for the February Hex start? I really don't care to see Goodson next to Cameron when the games get serious. ________________________________________ EDIT: Wikipedia as my medical specialist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulled_hamstring#Grade_2
My hope for 2014: LCB #1 Cameron RCB #1 Gonzalez LCB #2 Brooks or Besler RCB #2 Hedges, John or Okugo If none of the MLS guys make a strong enough case give JJ or Edu and extended run of games with Cameron and see how that works. 2014 may be too soon for Brooks but if Hertha get promoted back to the Bundelsiga next year and he is still starting and playing well for them I don't see why not. In fact he might have a legitimate argument to partner Cameron by then since he is a natural LCB unlike the rest of our options minus Besler.
This is where not calling Omar, John or even Besler comes back to hurt us. I'm not comfortable with any of them having their first cap in an away Hex opener in Honduras. JK wasted time on this. And I don't like Edu as an option either. Yes he has potential as a CB for us, but I do not like the idea of our CB tandem not playing CB for their clubs. Cameron not playing CB for Stoke is bad enough, but I can deal with one CB not playing their for his club and then playing CB for us. Potentially having both our CB's not play CB for their club is a piss poor strategy.
Gonzo and Cam at the back would counter balance each other very well. Gonzo the more physical of the two and Cam the quicker better passer. I'd be very excited to see them together. Cam has done really well considering he never plays CB anymore. Hopefully he starts playing there soon.
I'm excited about an Omar/Cameron pairing. However, that doesn't mean I'd run them out for the first time together in Honduras.
How would feel about Orozco next to Cameron for the match at Honduras specifically? If I have time this weekend I'll come back and explain my reasoning, but - assuming Orozco is fit and playing full matches, etc. when match day arrives. - he seems a reasonable choice for that game.
Honestly, he'd be in the mix. I believe he has the 5th most minutes at CB during Klinsi's reign, after Boca, Goodson, Onyewu, and Cameron. If Boca is out, Onyewu isn't match fit, and Edu is rotting on the bench at Stoke City, it may come down to Goodson vs Orozco vs untested Gonzo. Has he been playing for his club recently? Orozco has some quickness and agility, which may help against Honduras. I don't really rate Orozco in general as a starter for the US, but under the circumstances...
With no previous experience with each other, I doubt it. I would say Cameron and Boca/Goodson is pretty much a lock for game one. Although someone could see time late in game depending on Score.
Great question - don't know the answer. I believe he's gone 90 minutes in some games this fall and 0 minutes in others, but I don't know the specifics. He would have to be playing regularly to be considered, imo, but if he is, I think he would be a reasonable choice, for the Honduras game and perhaps throughout the Hex (at least as a back-up). Gonzalez may make more sense long-term (e.g., in Brasil), and he (or another CB we haven't seen yet) has to be introduced at some point. Orozco has his limitations, but his strengths might match up well against certain opponents --- Honduras (away) might be one of them.
Orozco was in and out of the starting XI for San Luis in the Apertura. He started 10 of 17 games, but didn't start the final 4 games of the season.
Geoff Cameron has been on every national team roster this year, many prior to his transfer from MLS to Stoke City. Also, JK said he would have called up Gonzalez to the Russia squad had the Galaxy not advanced in the playoffs. So the answer to your either/or is "neither."
Huh, interesting. Someone should mention that principle that to Per Mertesacker and Naldo (both 6'6"), seen here jumping over a free kick in a 2006 UEFA CL game.
You do not recall correctly. He started both games at Camp Cupcake against Venezuela and Panama, started a friendly against Scotland, and played the second half of the Guatemala road qualifier. All those games were prior to the Azteca match - and prior to his transfer to Stoke. Should JK have given Gonzo a look by now? Yeah. But let's not forget, he was called up to Camp Cupcake, but left to go on loan to Nurnberg where he immediately got hurt. That set him back. By the Mexico match sure some were calling for him to be called up, but there also were those who thought he needed more time back from injury. Klinsmann hasn't not called him up due to him being an MLS player.
Silliness about jumping in the wall aside, I'm still kind of baffled by resistance to the idea of Gonzalez as a possible key option. Have people forgotten the LA Galaxy of the early MLS season - the team that was conceding bad goals and bad losses left and right, with a defense that panicked on crosses and free kicks into the box? Just as a refresher, here's the starting lineup of the LA squad that got knocked out of the CCL by Toronto, at home, back in March: Saunders, Franklin , DeLaGarza, Meyer, Dunivant, Juninho, Magee , Beckham, Keane, Buddle, Donovan And here's the lineup that just knocked San Jose out of the MLS playoffs, in San Jose: Saunders, Franklin, Gonzalez, Meyer, Dunivant, Juninho, Magee, Beckham, Keane, Buddle, Donovan
So much hope here! I see Gonzalez as a huge liability in the open field. But most here are putting him into our starting XI for the Hex with zero success so far at the international level and some even have him in Brazil! Borders on pure fantasy. My bet the CB's are Cameron and a seasoned vet who may or may not have played CB before the Hex.
Gonzalez was lucky that he is a Gal. His season would have ended had he played for anyone else for the deliberate elbow he landed on Lenhart around minute 10. Add lack of maturity to his list of skills..
Again, you are not correct, he didn't sign with Stoke until after the June qualifiers. And as mentioned, he did play in the Guatemala qualifier. As an MLS centerback.
He has experience playing CCL in Central American countries, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Gonzalez and Cameron are the starting CB's against Honduras in February.
False. He hasn't called him up because he's been getting back to form after a serious injury. Shoot, Klinsmann has called in Besler and he's an MLS player. Gonzalez was even on the prelim roster for last month's qualifiers, but didn't make final cut.