An Early Call on the Central Defense Pairing in 2014

I was more thinking of trying out the different combinations in a game environment. Communication, spacing, movement within the formation, etc. Who works best with whom, who complements whom, et cetera.

I'm pretty sure we could start Boss and Opara (throwing the two least experienced ones out there) together, right now, against most CONCACAF opposition in a meaningful game and win based on their skill and athleticism. It's more about seeing things you can't gauge in a practice/friendly environment, and making adjustments accordingly. Having more opportunities to do that will help.

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If that were true, you'd expect countries with deeper player pools to have older teams than countries with shallower ones. I don't think that's true.

The six youngest teams at the 2010 World Cup:
Ghana – 24.1
North Korea – 24.8
Germany – 25.0
Cameroon – 25.2
Spain – 25.9
Chile – 25.9

The six oldest teams:
Honduras – 28.1
Paraguay – 28.1
Italy – 28.2
Australia – 28.4
Brazil – 28.6
England – 28.7

Perhaps it's right to say that the younger teams did better than the older teams, but I don't think that countries with deeper pools have older teams. If Germany can take six players who were 20 or 21 to WC 2010, then we can take a few players who are 16 or 17 today to Brazil in 2014.

 

I'm a bit surprised that so many people have penciled in Gooch in 2014. He'll be 32 at the WC (not 31, just as a small correction) and has probably already lost a step (or two) at 28 that he will never recover because of that injury. Three and a half years from now? I certainly wouldn't be betting on him being a starter. And the notion that defenders magically get better with age after 30 that gets bandied about constantly is not supported by evidence. What 30+ defender have we had who has done so? And the average age of WC defenders is right around 28. I would put more stock in that number than the euphemism about defenders adding guile to remain at their best until their mid 30's. Sure there are some guys who are exceptions, but they are an small minority. So, with that being said, I'm going to take Boss and .......... Opara. The tragic 2009 u-20 WC pairing in Egypt (that I attended) will get their revenge. And yes, the pairing WAS tragic in Egypt. Ouch.

 

Hahahaha 0% chance Boss and Opara are starting for us in the WC. And by 0% chance I mean 0% chance.

My best Guess is Onyewu and Goodson.

 

I'm not all that certain that Bocanegra won't still be starting in 2014. Cannavaro and van Bronckhorst were still starting as team captains on defense in 2010, and they were older than Bocanegra will be in 2014. If he is still starting in a major European league in the 2013-14 season then he is probably still starting for the U.S. too.

 

If that's the case (and I suppose it is possible) than it's a fairly damning indictment of our player pool that we have to rely on a guy who should really be the 3rd CB on a good team to be a starter at his age. He wasn't that good this summer. I shudder to think what he'd be like in 3.5 years.

 

Even the major (Top 10) nations talent arrives in waves and, subsequent to that, is also subject to the whims of the team's manager/head coach.

Domenech, Dunga and Capello largely went with the veterans. Aside of Miro Klose, Löw went with the youngsters. Del Bosque and van Marwijk went with the balanced approaches.

There are a lot of variables involved in the selection if the available talent is equal enough. Spain just lucked into having an incredibly strong starting 11 + 2-3 subs. In other years, their talent could have looked like "Top 6 and the next 15".

It's all ebb and flow.

 

And I'll go on record as saying that we are absolutely screwed if that is our CB pairing in 2014. Pope and Agoos were better players than those 2 for our national team in their prime (in my opinion), and each were disasters in the WC at 32 and 33.

And Cannavaro was an absolute disaster in 2010. Even the Italian fans were killing him. As for van Bronckhorst, you can always find an exception, but he certainly isn't the rule.

 

I don't think Gale's chances of starting for the US are any less than some of our other fringe players. I do believe that Zak Whitbread is a on an inside track to be this cycles Jay Demerit. He has all the tools of a good CB. He just hasn't been healthy enough to see his potential through.

Everything out of Norway right now is extremely positive for Gale. The manager talks about his ability to step in with a great presence. Despite the fact that it was a B Team, there is a reason why Bob would cap him as a completely unattached player.

So as it looks its right now its Goodson and Onyewu. But I'd say the other candidates arent too far behind. While it is a wide open race, it certainly isn't closed.

 

If Onyewu is playing in a top quality league then we will know if he is over the hill in 2014. This was a problem with both Pope and Agoos since they stayed in MLS.

 

31 is very often still a good age for a centerback, at the older end of their typical "prime" period. It's at age 32 or 33 where they most often begin to lose it.

Of course every player is different, and we won't know for sure how Gooch holds up with his knee and all...

EDIT: Crap, I just remembered that Gooch will be 32 in 2014, which theoretically puts him right on the edge.

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whim
Definition of WHIM

1: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : fancy <quit his job on a whim>

Basically a good post with one turd floating down the river. . . .

Putting a national team together (or any team where there are choices/decisions involved) is not a whim.

Just saying . . .

 

if gooch is healthy and playing for a high quality team or in a big league there shouldn't be any problems. eddie pope's skills had pretty obviously eroded by '05 and he wasplaying in mls.

 

So, you'll choose one defender who is going to be 3 years below average age in 2014 (Opara) and another who is going to be 6 years below average age ('Boss) instead of a defender who will be 4 years older than average (Onyewu).

Even if that older defender is a starter in a good Dutch League and the younger guys are MLS level or Swedish League level??

Hey, I've argued for years on past threads that the US should be carefull to not have too many older players, and that prime age is between age 25-30 for a pro soccer player. But having 2 or 3 older players is not a problem as long as the rest of the team is prime age and there are quality reserve players to give the older guys a break.

Besides, the last two World Cup champs started 3 of 4 CB's who were age 32: Puyols, Cannavaro, and Materazzi.

The 32 year old issue something to keep an eye one, but it isn't a guarantee of anything.

 

Yes, I know what "whim" is.

 

Hey, if we are throwing MLS players names in there, Im going to say George John. Frankly more impressive to me then either Ream or Gonzalez based on MLS play.

Opara has absurd amounts of upside, but needs more seasoning before hes a favorite for anything.

 

Balboa and Lalas.........that's my call

 

I second the above motion.

Opara is off to a great start though this preseason!
The kid is a goal scoring fool but I haven’t seen enough of him to tell if his defense/organization/distribution are anywhere as good as his set piece prowess but I have high hopes and will be watching this year.

Speaking of watching, gatch some youtube of George John if you dont know who he is.
He'd have a 1/2 dozen goals a year (like Opara is likely to tally) if FC Dallas could figure out how to kick the ball into the box on corners.

My young gun CB pairing for 2014

John / Opara*

*Im taking a flier on Opara based on his potential glimpsed from his limited action & pick John because he has been doing the damn thing.


Athletic, tall, physically dominating on land/in air, calm, AND skillful.
That be them and those are the traits I want from players anchoring our backline.

True, they ARE MLS players but they appear to be men amongst boys at this level. Both players rookie contracts will be up in the next 2-3 years and I’m hopeful both will get a little experience in a higher league prior to WC. John is especially likely to head to Europe as he has an EU passport and his contract with MLS ends sooner.

 

I am calling Gonzalez-Boss with Ream-Opara as our back ups.

 

The thing about playing in MLS as a defender is if you're not the Golden Boy, opportunities will be highly limited. Clarence Goodson was nowhere to be seen on Soccer America's list of top MLS defenders. He goes to Europe and then he's in the Mundial.

 

Bobaloo went with a busted up Gooch, a 2nd div of England player, a ligue 1 fullback, and a 1st div of Norway defender as his centerbacks in the Mundial.

It's going to be an uphill slog for the MLS guys.

That's why someone like Boss has an edge imo. He does well in Sweden, he moves up in 1 or 2 years and then he's in.