Q: Would having George John or Omar Gonzalez in Reams place have won the game? A: ?* *Look FCD stunk up the pitch yesterday giving up 4 goals against lowly KC. They have George John, he played 90, they got their a** kicked... However what Bob (like Hyndman) could bank on with John at the back is * It won’t be John that gets beat 1v1 for a goal. * It won’t be John's mark knocking in an uncontested header. * It won’t be John's ball watching that allows a man a free shot at a rebound goal. Is he gonna win EVERY challenge, EVERY 50/50, complete EVERY pass. HELL NO...BUT hes gonna get around 80-90% of them and he'll hit 99% on the above bullet points. That’s all he's ever done. Matthew Doyle of MLS.COM "...He’s dominant in the air, slick on the ball and he’ll make the right decision 99 percent of the time." http://www.mlssoccer.com/all-star/n...l-star-first-xi-selections?module=from_footer
I think so because Omar nor John would leave Goodson with 3 guys to mark and I doubt either would have fumbled the ball in the box then hacked the player for the pk. Both would have probably just booted the ball away like a defender should in that situation, not go for a flying tackle.
Tim Ream lives on...on the USMNT...for now. I suspect we'll all have more to think about and say after tomorrow night's game.
Stop. You don't understand the offside trap. Talk to literally anyone who does, and they'll explain that the person who left Goodson with 3 people to mark on that play was Goodson. If he had stepped with the rest of the line, the whole play would have been offside. It's ODP-level tactics, especially on the rebound of a set piece.
If Ream had not lost his mind for a split second he would of had a solid game. He was not ready for this right now, but I feel he has a big role to play going forward.
I think Tim Ream is the best passer out of the central defender position the US has seen in a long time. That being said he still needs to get stronger physically to match up with center forwards at the international stage. I just read this recent interview with him, seems very grounded and I still believe the best option moving forward for the US at center-back. http://www.soccerbanter.org/tim-ream.html
I think it could potentially hurt Ream's confidence but right now Bob Bradley is fighting to keep his job, I really don't think he's considering anyone's confidence and is gonna coach to win, that's it.
On the play it looks like he's yelling at Altidore to push up. Altidore promptly pushes up like 10 yards leaving his man COMPPLETELY unmarked as opposed to offside. Why Altidore pushed so far up and left him wide open I don't know. Not sure if that is the reason why Goodson blew the trap, but yes, he did blow it.
Hopefully Ream gets a chance to redeem himself today but if he doesnt put in better than an "aight" performance Ill have to question Bradley if Ream (barring a score injuries to other prospects) is on anything other than the training/practice squad for a year or two.
I'm a big fan of his, but playing him today would be nuts. 4 90-minute outings in 10 days for a guy who's already struggling a bit physically? No way. Go with Gooch and Boca in the middle. It won't be pretty - it never is - but it should work just fine.
Matrim55 has been the man on this thread since the Gold Cup started . . . . grin, now I'm not so sure about this, but certainly we will see . . .
I'm not nearly so high on Ream as others. I think leaving DeMerit off the squad was a big mistake, and I think other MLS CB are better (Marshall, Cameron) or have higher ceilings (Gonzalez, Opara). Still, Ream has merited his look, and should continue to get looks going forward. However, no way I'd start him tonight: Boca + Goodson/Gooch. Let Bornstein play LB. Or Lichaj. Or Spector.
Quote: Originally Posted by Matrim55 Ream drawing interest from Europe. Neither the link, nor the quote to Matrim55 work for me but certainly this would be the best thing to happen to Ream. Certainly, he is capable of greatness should he make it through the tough apprenticeship process to become a European professional.
I'm convinced Ream will leave for Europe at the end of his current contract. Backe has already said he has all the tools of a "European" centerback... whatever that means. With his connections in Europe I'm fairly certain Ream will make the move. As to his ceiling once he gets there...who knows. The Red Bulls have another decent CB in Keel who has been playing in Ream's absence. Additionally they have a guy, Lassiter, whom Backe rates almost as highly as Ream, but they are bringing him along slowly (which is what they WANTED to do with Ream). ADDITIONALLY they have a kid in their academy system who they think is going to be really special: Sacir Hot. I believe he has featured for the youth national team a few times already.
It'll be interesting to see if he takes the low-risk, low-reward route that eventually relegated Mike Parkhurst to the dustbin or if he pulls a Bocanegra and goes for the gold in a top-5 league.
Moving to Europe is the obvious next step for his career. He wont improve too much more playing in the MLS. He would have to put on some weight and get stronger though or else he'll get bullied around over there. I agree with what kokoplus10 about the young guys the NYRB have. Ream's move overseas would open up more playing time for them.
Just want to be clear that I don't want Ream to leave...as a Red Bull fan. And neither does Backe. However, my point was that I think they have a lot of talent in place to try and replace him once he's gone.
MLS has gotten leagues better in recent years, so much better... pre 2008-2009 most of the games were unwatchable to a fan of possession soccer. Ream should stay in the MLS, improve until a decent offer comes along then make the move to a better league. I don't think anyone actually believes Ream hit his ceiling yet. If he could just get stronger, more consistency, and take out those little mistakes, he'll would be one of the best USMNT centerback.
Ream needs to improve his defending before he leaves for Europe. His passing is fine but you need to be able defend with the best of them to become an accomplished defender. I rate George John and Omar Gonzalez higher than Ream but it seems it will be Gonzalez and Ream going abroad sooner than John.