He has been playing poorly for about half a year, and has never been able to snap out of this funk. Could this be the new Dempsey? Judging off of the past six months, he does not deserve to make the World Cup team. He will get the benefit of the doubt to some point because of his reputation, but to what point will Klinsmann give him the benefit of the doubt? If he doesn't start playing better between now and May, could Dempsey be left off of the World Cup team?
My first reaction is that we could say the same about Jozy and there is a thread for him as well, after which we have to ask ourselves, perforce, who replaces him and his goals? People will rush into this space to scream Aron!!!!! yet we saw Aron could not deal with the physicality of Austria in the middle of the pitch. Aron will thrive out wide where he gets space. I am thinking Mix or Bedoya or Zusi. But are they really adequate? Tough question. Dempsey, say what you want, is always looking to put a goal in and he has a lot of experience doing it at a high level. My feeling is that we put in our core at the back against Ukraine and try out 4 forwards sans Donovan, Dempsey and Altidore and see who grabs the game by the coconuts. How about a unit of Aron, Mixx, Shea, Agudelo against Ukraine to start?
We are getting off topic - but that's because there was 0 width...Twellman even noted that Austria just clogged the middle with Brek putting up one of his first halves ever and Bedoya cutting in centrally where he is more comfortable. Put LD and Fabian in and that creates a ton more space centrally for Jozy and AJ. You could have Thomas Muller in there at CAM and he would have had the same experience.
I think Altidore brings a lot more to the table than Dempsey does during a time when both players aren't scoring goals. Altidore holds the ball up well, draws fouls, links up well with teammates and just does a good job of being big and causing problems for the defense because of his size and athleticism. Dempsey is a poacher who isn't poaching goals. He isn't a creative player and he plays no defense. I don't think he could play on the wing anymore, and I don't know if I would want a player playing behind the CF who isn't playing well. I think the AM/SS position is the most important attacking position on the field. At the very least, Donovan deserves to play in that position and Dempsey should be relegated to the bench since he can't play on the wing. At some point, you can't rely on previous production. I'd love to see Dempsey make the team, but I don't want to see a player on the field who is just going to be a waste of space for 90 minutes.
Donovan in Clint's spot does not make much sense because Dono is a 10, a glue guy who goes where glue is called for whereas Clint prowls very familiar channels in front of goal from which he can score as proven in the prem. Here is my point: we know Dono-Demps-Jozy are the trio who people expect to line up in the fnals. Some of us also know that a) we lack a 10 other than Dono, b) Dempsey is not scoring c) Jozy is not scoring, therefore, it might behoove us to audition the alternatives in Ukraine since May camp will be upon us NEXT and Dono, Demps and Jozy will expect to be playing, if you see what I mean.
You already were n Austria. And you were disappointed in Scotland with Aron and Jozy up top n the 442. I told you in advance you would be and that Aron should play wing.
I never said I was disappointed at all. I was not disappointed with Aron against Austria. AJ did well vs. Scotland in my opinion he almost won the match on multiple opportunities. In the 4-4-2 with Jozy, I explained to you multiple times why it did not work during that particular instance (LD injured, Jones injured, Bedoya having to sluff in to aid Evans, etc.) thus Aron had no outlet while he was trying to hold up the ball. This was during the Jamaica match, his first start ever for us too. This doesn't mean that it won't work well heading into the future especially under better conditions to the supporting cast. Again, JK doesn't view AJ as a winger even if you do - he has never played there for us and hasn't played there for his club in 2+ years. He will not play wing in order for Dempsey to get on the field, AJ is in direct competition with Dempsey and Altidore.
so you don't think dempsey is going to make it, but you think agudelo will? i believe that is called being bass ackwards.
The player under the striker does not have to be a secondary striker. A lot of teams use their #10 in that position. I think Donovan would work well in that position.
yeah. i read you say agudelo deserves a WC spot more than wondo based on some goals in friendlies scored 2 plus years ago. i also read you say dempsey doesn't deserve to make the WC because of the past 6 months. how have agudelo's last 6 months been? do you see just a little bit of a double standard there?
Saying that Dempsey doesn't deserve to make the WC team is too strong of language. But it is an interesting thought that he could be left off the squad. Health permitting, I don't see that happening though.
Agudelo's performances have been very good considering how often he was injured and the amount of goals he put up...plus he just had a good game vs Ajax.
afonso alves also put in quite a few good games vs. ajax, we all saw how well that worked out for him IMO, one assist in a league world-renowned for its porous defenses shouldn't be enough to take a striker from being essentially off the international radar to being in WC discussion.
I don't think one assist vs. Ajax (a Champions League team with that said) should put him on the final 23, I do however feel that a solid loan certainly puts him in the discussion and he could very well be on that 23 man roster because of it. He's playing in a top 10 Euro league which gives him potential leverage over other options like Wondo and EJ. Luis Suarez also put in a couple good games against Ajax too along with Arjen Robben.
When Clint was at top form before the Tottenham transfer, he was a lot more to the US than a poacher. He was both the best and most valuable player. He was dropping very deep in midfield to keep possession and play defense. He simply does t have the vision and passing ability to set up goals like Donovan, but the best run of the Klinsman era thus far has been defined by Dempsey's ability to receive, relieve and play the ball in tight spaces. Maybe, for whatever reason, he'll never be that guy again. But there is no one else in the pool- Donovan included - who can do that as well as Dempsey (still not calling Dempsey class in this area). If we fail in achieving our largely toothless but safe and consistent possession, we will be lit up like a tinder box because of our pedestrian CBs and lack of a pure destroyer. Many of you think it's a bigger risk to keep Dempsey out there. I think it's a far bigger risk to change tactics. Perhaps if Donovan proves he's capable of playing the Dempsey role in the Jurgen 4-2-3-1, he'll start and Clint will be on the bench. But he will be on the bench at the very least.
Clint has been very poor as of late and I've been openly critical of him for it. Having said that there's not a chance in hell I'd leave him home for the World Cup. I said this about Jozy, in his similar thread, with his poor form and I'll say it for Clint as well. No matter their form I'm taking them to the World Cup. However, at least in my eyes, they are not and should not be considered the lock starters that they have been in the past.
Yes, I believe cd9 will be left off the WC roster. I also believe Matt Pickens will start in goal for the US, that Freddy Adu will make the roster, that Mike Bradley will leave MLS to return to Villa, and that Costa Rica will win the World Cup.
You need to take him because if he recovers any sort of form he will be much better than any possible replacement. However if he continues to be as ineffective as he has for Fulham it would be churlish to make plans that revolve too much around Dempsey. I think Klinsmann will also need s to be thinking about what options he has that might be more effective than a lacklustre-Dempsey.