I wonder if you will love it when they go down by 3 in the first 35min? I like the squad as well, but I don't think they will play particularly well. This is about finding 3 or 4 young veterans for 2014 and the Hex, so all good.
Price depth, experience and reputation. If he comes back they win, if he doesn't then move on to the next stop gap. His type of injury can can take almost two years of rehab/playing before a player returns to where he was. His lateral movement, which wasn't his strength in the first place, looks much weaker unfortunately....and it's been two years. You hope he recovers enough to contribute, but u can't count on it. If he does then it's hooray for all! Gonzo's lateral foot speed and quickness doesn't look as good as Gooch's did in his prime, but we are gonna find out soon enough it seems. Can't find out until he plays, and I assume we will see come Jan/Feb. Fingers crossed. Eric Lichaj looks and plays like a top tier Cship player right now. I think he is more than good enough to be looked at by JK. If Timmay does actually play for us then no harm. If not... I really think MLS fullbacks may surprise us now. Back in 2006 Bruce had a league in MLS that really didn't give him many options...even as back ups. Jimmy Conrad however showed what we can find there. Heart, desire, determination and more brains then u might think. I think MLS of 2012 clearly has more players who can possibly step up. I hope we get to see more of them. The Mex players and German lower division guys have gotten their shots. I think MLS can hand us some surprises in depth and reliability that we just don't expect this moment. It's not 2006. I like that fight u get from our local guys. Perfect for CCAF, and many now have experience with the local CL. Much better off than we used to be.
...or finding a kid with some balls who just fits in. Never know. Have to have them there to know. We have them there for once
JJ did play Schalke's last match (meaningless) of last season at CB and did very well. His next match, a friendly at Philly where he also played CB, exposed his one area on defense where he is average at best, aerial defending. His last 2 yellow card (for Schalke and the MNT) have come off 50/50 aerial challenges. His last match for Schalke he gave up an aerial challenge in the box which led to their opponent hitting the woodwork. His only directly responsible goal for the MNT (v Brazil 2012, goal #2) came off you guessed it, an aerial mistake on a set piece in the box. In all fairness Gooch shares some blame for that one due to a botched handoff. Not sure why anyone would suggest taking currently the best CM transition attacker/transition high press defender and moving him to a position (CB) where his only weak area (aerial defending) would be constantly exploited.
https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/usa-vs-mexico-8-15-12-united-states-roster.1972621/ we have been through this before people thinking we would be killed. we just have to wait and see.
Let's get to the point here. Not getting involved in the circular argument/cherry picking facts thing with u, just so u know. However these are some decent points. Pair him with a guy with aerial prowess. It's what Bolton did with Ream in the EPL. It covered up a lot of his issues. Cameron and Gonzo both look really good in the air. If the option is Edu I take JJ 99 times out of 100. We actually have some decent depth in the midfield. At CB we have none. He is not the optimal solution, but the best of bad ones, especially if u are going to pull from the midfield. Just my opinion. That is all.
Gooch looked like he was returning to form with Sporting last year, but he tore his MCL. Then it went back to square one. If he can get going, good for him. Problem is he hasn't played and looked poor in his first league start. For those asking about Lichaj, he's just not consistent in his play. Lambert does rate him as he was made the primary backup for LB and RB at the beginning of the year. Problem has been he'll look good one game, and then be the weak link in another game. He also has been getting a lot of yellows. Bennett, Stevens, and Lowton haven't exactly been good in the games they've played (Stevens only played because both Bennett and Lichaj weren't available) but Lowton will get the larger margin for error as Lambert spent a decent amount for him. But I will agree, Lichaj probably needs a change of scenery as at times it seems like he's afraid of making a mistake. As for some of Jurgen's player selection in the past. I've made my opinion clear that I think there are some players he thought were something more than they actually were (Jose Torres), but some of his exclusions have been baffling. Outside of a few very small stretches, Sacha has been a key member of a very good Anderlecht side the last 2 years and it took a lot for Jurgen to even give him a look (of course, I think there are still those that remember the Sacha from Chivas that struggled for the US down the stretch leading to the WC, and don't really know what he's become at Anderlecht) I think there are guys in MLS that deserve a look, and honestly, I think there are guys who haven't been capped yet that will be key guys down the stretch for us. Stu Holden didn't get his shot till the 2009 Gold Cup and he took that and ran with it.
Aston Villa supports on BIg soccer disagree that Lambert rates Lichaj....not true according to the villa faithful.
I think there are a lot of younger fans who don't realize how great the pre-injury Beasley was. He started for a PSV team that made the semifinal of the Champions League. In that semifinal against AC Milan, they lost on the away goals rule. An extremely strong PSV team. Which player scored the most goals for PSV in that Champions League campaign? That would be DeMarcus Beasley with 4. Then he got injured and lost his "high end" speed, and he wasn't the elite player that he was early in his career. [He was never a great finisher or crosser of course. If you have that then you're world class. Arjen Robben or somebody like that] For a geezer like me to compare a player to a young DeMarcus Beasley is a huge compliment, actually. We've needed a winger like Beasley for while. It's not Brek Shea, who's kind of a mutant. While Shea has good speed, it's not the high-end speed that will cause elite defenses problems on a routine basis. I think Gatt and Gyau might both possess that. So Klinsmann is checking them both out to see if they can help us this cycle. I don't know if either of them are ready yet, but we'll see. Both may be Gold Cup candidates for this summer.
JK wanted to be his own coach. Fine. Bring in others. Fine. It was the sticking with things that clearly weren't working over and over which was the problem. His recognition/stubbornness/talent evaluation was for s**t. It's like he wanted to prove that he knew better no matter what. Think that's in the past now with recent events. Yup, MLS guys. Give'em more of a chance JK. They can surprise.
DMB was decisive and scared defenses. He was able to challenge any D in the world and cause grief in his prime. He was a difference maker for us. Gatt reminds me of DMB. Technically he may not be the greatest, but that kid will keep people honest with his speed and aggressiveness. Not everyone has to be a 5 tool, jogo bonito, Latin flair darling to be effective at very high levels. I cried, well I did deep down inside, after the CD9 incident. Speed and determination with a lil skill can go a long way. We need it. Speed can cover a lot of weak spots, and take a lot of pressure off of the D. Speed and aggression...DMB had it. LOL...missed the Brek mutant comment. Can we now forget about him until he actually gets healthy and plays well?
That's what I thought after the first half in Columbus, but then I looked up in the second half, and.... My thinking goes something like this. Williams, Jones, and Bradley are likely to see the pitch at the same time. If we try to play some sort of 4-4-2 (Jozy and Gomez together) at some time, then one of our midfield trio must play RM. I'd prefer it was Bradley if we must (and he did look good there the one time it was tried), but JK has done it so often with Williams...
Just want to say that I like this roster quite a bit. He understandably has left a few guys off to focus on their clubs with big games on the horizon and MLS guys still in playoffs. But, an experienced defense with mostly the first team and with the guys getting a rest, he's got room to call in several younger players. And yes, I could quibble. My issues would be the Edu and Agudelo call-ups, probably Edu most of all. But, just because I or any others have a quibble about a player or two, this does not mean Klinsmann is a horrific incompetent coach that will surely lead us to doom. It means we disagree with him on a couple players out of 23. Relax. Also, I think at least one of the younger guys will likely start and at least a couple will get significant minutes. One of the bigger differences I've seen with Klinsmann in charge is he does a lot less of bringing in a guy, keeping him for practice fodder, then a sub, then a start after he's been around a while. He's shown several times if he calls a guy in and thinks he will help, he has no issue with throwing him onto the field right away. I can't say I can predict his lineup at this point, but I think assuming none of the young guys will play just because they are new isn't a solid assumption when you look at how Klinsmann has operated over the last year. I'm also glad to see Chandler in there. He's a good player we could use and he provides depth at either outside back spot or on the right wing. In Russia, with Dolo and Donovan out, he could possibly start in either of those spots. He's an excellent utility man and spot starter who may develop into more. I trust that this time he really is committed. If he refuses a call-up after pledging his commitment publicly this time and we head into the Hex and he wanders off, I'd like to see us walk away. But, for now I'll just keep faith that what is being said is the truth as I've pretty much always believed the Hex was the real deadline for him to make a decision.
don't get me wrong, I agree. I have been critical of his constant use of JFT in the starting lineup. My suspicions based on how JFT was used and quotes from Jurgen (and even some of the hype he got here) that Jurgen and his staff felt that with JFT they were getting a poor man's Xavi who could be creative and start attacks and that hasn't been the case. I agree Jurgen early on acted like he knew more. The stubborness to not call in Sacha was baffling to me, especially because he was IMO one of our better players during the 2011 Gold Cup. His reasoning was that Sacha was playing in a weak league. While Belgium isn't a top league, it's been producing good talent in recent years and Belgium is seen as a sleeper team for the 2014 WC. Hell Geoff Cameron only started becoming a regular starter for us because Gooch and Goodson were so bad in their recent games, and with what Zusi's game is and what we struggled with early on I think Jurgan waited a little too long to start giving him minutes.
Who cares? I've watched almost every Spurs match this year. Demps did not kick the backpass that would get most defenders and keepers run out of town. He is not blowing it in the goal box like some Spurs defenders. Fans who can't see the important problems will have no affect on anything. It is easy for AVB to take Demps out and you could give Man U back the points. He is not missing sitters, taking too many stupid shots or going 1 v 1. Untill levy and avb lose faith articles and fans boards are background noise.
AVB has a forced hand. he wanted joao moutinho. not clint. clint was a panic buy because we didnt have anyone. we have no other choices. and yes it is not just fans. its observors of the games. he plays in most games but you barely notice. manu was almost two months ago....I love clint as an American. but he isnt good enough for us. I love dembele because he is good enough for us.
You know what they say, it's not how u start, it's how u finish. I always said we would be much better off at the end of the Hex as some of our younger speed guys, skilled guys, forwards started to develop. I'm really hoping that this is the start of that. From watching all of the MLS guys from other countries in friendlies, qualies and the Olympics it is becoming apparent that the league is closing some gaps technically, mentally and tactically. The old argument of MLS being clearly so naive/unskilled, in so many ways, doesn't hold nearly as much water anymore. Yes, it is still MLS with all of it's developmental issues and such, it's just not as bad as it used to be. The gaps are there, but not as wide as they once were. Couldn't say that even 6 years ago IMO. As for JK. Just show u are learning. That's all. It looks like he is. That's the key. We shall see, but the bodazapha he is not.
One important thing I take from the roster (who knows yet what will be the XI) is that it reflects probably about the best balance in the midfield between stoutness and industriousness, creativity, and width in terms of the numbers and types of players he's chosen. Now would the "ideal balance" for a road game in Russia if this were a competitive match be a little different? Yeah, probably. We'd probably want to line up something a little closer to what he's done in the past (albeit with a speedy attacker at right winger instead of Danny Williams). But I'm hoping that in very broad, general strokes, this is what we'll be seeing more of in the future. The one thing I don't like about the roster, however, is the lack of anything new at CB. Gonzo is unavailable, but he could've brought in Besler.
I agree. For the non-american MLS players you have Dane Richards heading to Burnley, and it looks like Roger Espinoza will be heading to Wigan. And I do think Jurgen is learning. I just hope he doesn't remain so slow on some of the call-ups as he does have a tendency to call guys who aren't in good form while ignoring guys who are tearing it up
Well, in the last year and a half they've bought Matthew Lowton, Enda Stevens and Joe Bennett. It couldn't be any clearer that Villa thought fullback was an area of weakness for them last year & this off-season. Now it's still possible that Lichaj will win the competition with those other players. We'll see. I don't have a problem with Lichaj, I just don't understand how people can be so adamant that he should be in USMNT squads. With Chandler back in the fold, it's going to be difficult for him. Cherundolo is still playing at a high level, so there's no need to bury him yet. We'll see..................
With Chandler waffling it was more worrisome...with him playing it's not. I can understand folks getting riled because he hasn't even been called once. Personally, I wanted to see Guzan get this game.