Donovan and Omar get call ups for the January camp ... U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – Detailed RosterGOALKEEPERS (4): Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) DEFENDERS (10): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Harrington (Portland Timbers), Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids), Chance Myers (Sporting Kansas City), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Seth Sinovic (Sporting Kansas City), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC) MIDFIELDERS (8): Eric Alexander (New York Red Bulls), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) FORWARDS (4): Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Mike Magee (Chicago Fire), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Glad to see Magee get a look ... I know these guys for the most part are fighting for a roster spot outside of the starting 11 but still glad to see him get a shot. You gotta figure if push comes to shove he can fill in as back up keeper too!
That's what I figure too. And I saw on Twitter, Kyle got married...tonight! Congrats! Very understanding wife - since he has to report for camp on Monday!
This is going to sound snarky, but it is a serious question. Does it make any difference? It seems to me that in the modern game the refs permit non-captains to discuss calls anyway, and to the extent that someone (like Landon) is actually a leader, he will lead whether he has a piece of cloth on his arm or not. Seems to me it is almost purely ceremonial and unless someone sulks because he was passsed over for the captaincy, doesn't impact much of anything.
You're right, and the best teams have several leaders, with only one wearing the armband. LD seems to take a pretty good attitude about it, at least publicly. The only time I remember reading any grumbling was in the Wahl book about the captaincy going to Beckham after his arrival.
I'm going. Seeing Magee (maybe) is icing on the cake. Remember, the fact he was called into camp doesn't assure that he will be in the 18 against Korea. I love me some Magee but I am not at all sure he is Klinsi's kind of player. We'll see.
Really curious how the Gonzo/Besler partnership continues. Hope they start against South Korea and play the full 90.
LA Galaxy reunion - look who's biking together! https://vine.co/v/hYQIY6WZvpl P.S. Gonzo looks GIANT on that bike compared to Landon and Mike. P.P.S. Seriously, does Wondo take a "nice" pill every morning? How on earth is he on the same team as Lenhart?
Notice the speed difference between the 3? LD is spinning, OG is taking it easy not really pushing it and Magee looks like the 70 plus crowd at the gym as they read the paper while riding a stationary bike.
It's hard to know with JK, but Magee should be his type of player if you take his early talk at face value. He's a ball player that can keep possession and has a superb IQ. My only doubt is how he'll adapt physically at the international level, but when it comes to soccer brain and skill on the ball, there are few in our whole pool that are on par with Magee IMHO.
Yes he values brains over brawn, especially the hi soccer IQ's players who are also good with possession - like Jermaine Jones. Or even Altidore for that matter. Sorry that comes off snarky but I'm just saying I wish he valued smarts over brawn in actual games. JJ is the antithesis of that philosophy. He's all athleticism and aggression (good) but with little evidence that he is reading the game or anticipating play (dangerously bad). Just a bull in a china shop too often for my taste.
Because this is a World Cup year, I see JK starting a very piratical lineup. Made up of guys that are on the verge of making the WC roster. --------Donovan---Johnson-------- Davis----------------------------Zusi -------Diskerud--Beckerman------- Klute---Besler--Gonzalez---Evans ---------------Rimando--------------
I'm not sure who the smarter player that's been left off the roster in favor of those two would be. You could make an argument for Johanssen in Jozy's case, I guess, but I don't think it's cut-and-dry.
I didn't see Beckerman at Tuesday Jan. 7th practice when I stopped by the Stub Hub Center to get tickets to the S. Korea game. The team looked sharp and energetic. They did some one-touch drills then moved on to small-sided scrimmages. I was pretty happy with what I saw. I liked that Klinsmann and his coaches kept things moving at a good pace without much lecturing. I think this is a good, deep roster. I just can't see us losing to S. Korea. Donovan was super nice. As was the rest of the team. Thanks, from a grateful fan. GO USA!!!
@LAGalaxyInsider: Caught this great video snippet during #USMNT training. Classy @LandonDonovan goal on #RSL's @NickRimando - http://t.co/LtmVPPQ9UI Could it be...Magee and LD combining for a goal.
Who is the guy playing atrocious defense? Looks a little like AJ but its not. He never played that bad.