tbh, shea might be overrated, but i feel like he's a talented kid... he just might not be ready quite yet to become a regular starter on this national team that being said, while i love the idea of gatt's speed, i have never once watched the kid play, so i do worry a bit about him being hyped up like shea, start off well but then struggle for a stretch and then people jump off the bandwagon very quickly
I want to bump this part of the thread because this is mainly what i wanted people to focus on... for the sake of saving a pointless argument, i'll put Beckerman on the 23 and Sacha Kljestan on the newcomer list. Ready Now for 23 Brad Guzan-G Zak Whitbread-CB Tim Ream-CB Eric Lichaj-FB Herculez Gomez-F Sacha Kjlestan-M Challengers: Seb Hines-CB Mikkel Diskerud-M Graham Zusi-AM Joe Corona-AM Freddy Adu-AM/F Josh Gatt-RB/W DaMarcus Beasley-W Chris Wondolowski-F Kenny Cooper-F Terrence Boyd-F CJ Sapong-F These are the list of players, that i expect to become integral parts of the USMNT in 2012/2013.
In June 2011, we played our most important match of this cycle and the last match of the Bob Bradley era. The starting 11 in the Gold Cup final were: Dempsey, Donovan, Adu, Bedoya, Jones, Bradley, Bornstein, Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Goodson, Howard. This was close to our best 11 at that time. Two players who were injured (Altidore) or not a hundred percent (Gooch) would very likely have been in the 11 if fully healthy. So how much has changed since then: Altidore is still first choice as the #9. Agudelo was probably second choice back in June 2011. He is still in the mix (though currently injured), but it is unclear whether he is still ahead of Buddle and Boyd. Donovan and Dempsey were the wide attacking players then. Now Dempsey seems to have been moved to the #10. Donovan has not played much under JK for various reasons, but he is still clearly a starter. Shea has usually been the other wide attacking player. Back in June 2011, Bedoya and Adu were in the ascendency as options as attacking players. Both have dropped back although there is a good chance Adu gets called back next month. Rogers rose briefly then fell back. Williams and Fabian Johnson have both gotten looks but for various reasons probably will not feature much as wide attacking players this summer. Dempsey is now the apparent first choice as the #10. In the Gold Cup, Bradley was trying to find one, trying Wondolowski, Adu and Kljestan, among others. This summer we might see that Gomez is now Dempsey's understudy. Center mids: Jones and Bradley were the incumbents. The situation under JK is unclear. He played Beckerman and Torres a lot there when healthy, though interestingly never together. He praised Bradley and Edu after the Italy game. We'll have to wait until the May and June matches to really know the pecking order here. Left back: Bornstein has been buried. Fabian Johnson is the #1. Chandler and Castillo are probably next. Right back: Still Cherundolo. Chandler is next. The interesting question at fullback is where Lichaj stands under JK. Will he get called up in May? Centerbacks: Boca and Gooch are still first choice, though Gooch has often not been available. Goodson remains the top backup. After that JK has looked at Ream, Parkhurst and Cameron. I assume the Orozco Fiscal experiment is over, but who knows. Goalie: Howard still the first choice. Guzan no longer is the clear #2. Predictions for the next year in terms of who will emerge as either first or second choice at various positions by June 2013: #9: I think Boyd will become the second choice after Altidore #10: Agudelo, Gomez and Adu will battle to be Dempsey's understudy. I predict Agudelo becomes the second choice. Wide attacking players: Donovan mans one side. Shea, Adu and Chandler will battle for the other spot. I predict Adu wins this competition. #6: Bradley with Edu as the main backup. #8: Torres with Jones as the main backup. Left back: Fabian Johnson with Castillo as the main backup. Right back: Chandler displaces Cherundolo who will drop to the backup role. Centerbacks: Ream displaces Boca as a starter (my most controversial prediction I'm sure). Gooch is the other starter with Cameron displacing Goodson his main backup. Boca remains one of the top 4 at centerback. Goalie: Howard with Guzan returning as the clear backup.
i placed them in the category that basically is saying, 'they have an extremely slim chance of being called in this year, but they might get a look later in the cycle or sooner depending on if they bloom or not.' the main ones to look at from my list are the "ready now for 23" and "the challengers". What worries me about Klinsmann is i don't see him necessarily being the one to shake the roster up some to test his depth. This worries me because i believe Bradley and Arena both made this mistake in 2006 and 2010. For example, I, for one, do not want to trust the fact that Carlos Bocanegra is a lock to start every single competitive match for us from here till the end of the WC. I see Bocanegra's value, but i would I would like Klinsmann to start revolving that door and looking at new partnerships. Therefore, i hope we see Klinsmann introduce Whitbread and Hines into the team, continue to explore Parkhurst and Cameron as CB options, and reintroduce Ream back into the picture. Also, when Gonzalez and Onyewu heal and if John can regain his form, i hope to see them tested, as well. I'll keep my eye open for any other up-and-comers too because the CB position is far from locked down. In short, i would rather us start exploring now instead of January 2014-June 2014.
Predictions are a subjective business. Boca and Cherundolo may be displaced by Chandler and Ream............but not in 2012/2013. People act like Carlos Bocanegra is 37 years old. He's only 32, and he's the captain of the USMNT.
Bshredder has some news regarding U20 players on your nationality watch. http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=9024 Regarding Danny Potts: "Based on the information we have now, we do not believe he is eligible for citizenship through family relation," US Soccer press officer Michael Kammarman added. Regarding Adam Henley: Ramos doesn't know for certain if Henley will make the switch to play for the United States but he does know that US Soccer has been in contact with the rising star and he is hopeful to see him wear the jersey for the Stars and Stripes. "I can tell you that we've made contact and that we are hopeful," Ramos said of Henley. "I can only say that at this point." Also regarding Hertha centerback John Anthony Brooks: "Brooks is a big part of the picture," Ramos said. "He wants to be part of the picture and I know he is committed. He will come in whenever the club will allow. I think he can be important for us." So that would be bad news, good news (certainly not bad news), and great news.
Nick DeLeon was named to MLS Best XI for this week. He's also #1 in the MLS rookie rankings, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 games for DCU.
yeah i watched him against montreal today, he's pretty impressive. Didn't score or have an assist, but hes very smart with the ball and has good dribbling skills. Honestly could of had a few assists if his team was a bit more aggressive on the attack Also isn't feilhaber like 27 now?? he may be at that point where its a bit late to say promising. I think we know what we have in him right now
promising may have been a poor word choice...it meant promising that they may receive a call in 2012/2013.
Camp Cupcake Watch...note not the actual roster, but players that are making their case for call: let me know if i missed anyone. GOALKEEPERS Contenders: Nick Rimando Ryan Meara Bill Hamid Sean Johnson Joe Willis Outsiders: Tally Hall, Matt Pickens, Zac MacMath, Dan Kennedy, Will Hesmer, David Bingham, Jon Busch, Kevin Hartman, Jon Kempin, Brian Perk RIGHT BACKS Contenders: Sheannon Williams Tony Beltan Jalil Anibaba Chance Myers Outsiders: Kevin Alston, Steve Beitashour, Sean Franklin, AJ De la Garza, Kofi Sarkodie, Michael Farfan, Gabriel Farfan, Zach Scott LEFT BACKS Contenders: Heath Pearce Zach Loyd Justin Morrow Sean Cunningham Outsiders: Corey Ashe, Jorge Villafana, Todd Dunivant, Anthony Wallace, Zarek Valentin, Rich Balchan, Chris Wingert CENTERBACKS Contenders: Clarence Goodson Michael Parkhurst Omar Gonzalez George John Geoff Cameron Matt Besler Outsiders: AJ Soares, Chad Marshall, Jeff Parke, Marvell Wynne, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Stephen McCarthy, Tommy Meyer, Ethan White, Eric Brunner, Ike Opara, Brad Rusin, Ray Gaddis, Brandon MacDonald, Ugo Ihemelu, Nat Borchers, Raushawn McKenzie, Chris Schuler MIDFIELDERS Contenders: Sam Cronin Kyle Beckerman Ricardo Clark Jeff Larentowicz Kirk Urso Amobi Okugo Perry Kitchen Outsiders: Dax McCarty, Blair Gavin, Collen Warner, Eric Gehrig, Jack Jewsbury, Nathan Sturgis, Michael Stephens ATTACKERS Kelyn Rowe Benny Feilhaber Graham Zusi Luis Gil Mikkel Diskerud Lee Nguyen Luis Silva Tony Cascio Outsiders: Eddie Gaven, Brad Evans, Conor O' Brien, Brad Davis, Nick LaBrocca, Ethan Finlay WINGERS Nick DeLeon Chris Pontius Brek Shea Freddy Adu Josh Gatt Sebastian Velasquez Danny Cruz Bobby Convey Outsiders: Dilly Duka, Sal Zizzo, Eric Alexander, Justin Mapp, Lamar Neagle, Shea Salinas, Ben Zemanski FORWARDS Juan Agudelo CJ Sapong Chris Wondolowski Edson Buddle Kenny Cooper Outsiders: Conor Casey, Teal Bunbury, David Estrada, Davy Arnaud, Justin Braun, Andrew Wenger, Chris Rolfe, Steve Lenhart, Casey Townsend, Will Bruin, Blake Brettschneider, Omar Salgado, Jack McInerney
This would pretty much be the list...unless maybe Cobi Span breaks through at his club. Just a few things though, Gabriel Farfan is more of a LB and M.Farfan is an attacker. I could see them both being there. And Anibaba is more of a centerback.
I would add Billy Schuler of Hammarby as a forward "outsider." Sometimes we like to bring in fringe players from Scandinavia to this camp that the coaching staff doesn't get to see on a weekly basis. [For example, Ryan Miller in 2010.]
I disagree with where you have Conor O'Brien right now. I have him pretty high up.. Not as an outsider
Justin Morrow has been very impressive for the Quakes this year. He's played mostly centerback, but whenever Ramiro Corrales gets subbed out, he slides over to left back. His speed, quickness and ability to read the game has progressed and he would be an interesting choice for the USMNT. Could be perfect to play in a 3 man back line on the left side.....
thanks for the note...i was just rereading my list and saw that i omitted him. my apologies. also, I would rate him as a contender. Also, for the fun of it even though it's impossible to truly predict the roster for right now, here's a stab at who i would look at calling in. no Donovan on my list. GK Rimando, Johnson, Hamid, Meara -Hall RB Myers, Beltran, Loyd -S. Williams CB John, Gonzalez, Parkhurst, Cameron, Goodson, Besler -Marshall LB Sinovic, Morrow, Pearce -Cunningham MF Cronin, Beckerman, Clark, *Kitchen (or Urso/Okugo) -Larentowicz AT Rowe, Zusi, Diskerud, Adu, Gil* (or Cascio/Silva/O' Brien) -Feilhaber WG Shea, Pontius, Gatt, DeLeon* (or Velasquez/Cruz/Duka) -Convey FW Sapong, Wondolowski, Buddle, Cooper, Agudelo* (or Estrada/Townsend/Wenger) -Bunbury line-ups i'd like to see: ------------Sapong--Wondolowski-------------- Shea--------------Adu--------------------Gatt -----------------Beckerman-------------------- Morrow-----------------------------------Loyd -------------Goodson---Cameron-------------- -------------------Rimando------------------- Bench: Johnson, Besler, Pearce, Kitchen, Diskerud, Pontius, Agudelo ------------Wondolowski---Cooper------------- Pontius----------------Zusi----------------DeLeon -----------------------Clark-------------------- Sinovic-------------------------------------Myers --------------Gonzalez----Parkhurst------------ ---------------------Hamid--------------------- Bench: Meara, John, Beltran, Cronin, Rowe, Gil, Buddle
Does Marshall finally get a shot with Klinsmann? They Def could use his head and height on those dead balls!
Interesting from MLSssoccer http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/11/power-5-mls-players-who-should-be-klinsmanns-radar their top five #5 Pontius, #4 Myers, #3 Beitashour, #2 Cooper, #1 Kennedy. While i have always wanted a Kennedy on the USMNT, i would not rate Dan Kennedy as the #1 person Klinsy should look at nor would i rank him in the top 5. The rest i could agree with, but not the order...anyways, my top 10 for Klinsy (wanted to discuss two more players). #10 Ryan Meara-Goalkeeper -I wouldn't let him get away. He has a lot of potential, and this season i would rate him higher than the other young keepers: Hamid, Johnson, Willis, Bendik, Perk, Bingham, Kempin, and MacMath in MLS. He may sneak on as a #3 because that spot is always a wild card, but i believe his chance will come January if he accepts. #9 Tony Cascio-Winger -A very solid rookie that i believe despite being overshadowed by Nick DeLeon, has the tools to take it to the next level. I believe he will get his chance in January, at the earliest. #8 Nick DeLeon-Winger -I would say if he continues this form, he is a lock for rookie of the year. Moreover, I would say that he would be the most highly regarded rookie of the year since Maurice Edu in 2007 or maybe even Clint Dempsey. My eggs are definitely in the DeLeon basket; however, January will be the earliest we see the youngster. #7 Seth Sinovic-Left Back -Again, you cannot overlook any Left Backs and Sinovic is a solid left back. May/June is too soon, but if he performs well, i believe he will deserve a call in January. #6 George John-Center Back -John has been poor form lately, but you cannot forget his potential. John is every bit as good as Ream, and i do believe that his lack of play at West Ham had nothing to do with his actual ability. I expect him to enter back into the fold come January. #5 Chance Myers-Right Back -I'm glad to see Myers finally coming into his own after a few poor seasons initially. He has the tremendous physical ability to play fullback on the international level, but he will have to prove it. May/June may be too soon, but he would be one of the first names i call in January. #4 Justin Morrow-Left Back (maybe Center Back) -Kid has wheels. And let's be honest...we are not going to ignore any promising left back. Although, i see no chance for Morrow in the middle. Like stated with Myers and Beitashour, we need to add depth at our fullback positions. Regardless, he is still behind Spector, Castillo, Lichaj, Johnson, and Chandler in the current pecking order of capable left backs, but i think he'll get his shot either later in the year or in January to prove his worth. #3 Steve Beitashour-Right Back -They're spot on about Beita. He reminds me of a young Dolo and i believe his service could be paramount for the USMNT. I would like to see what he could do come Camp Cupcake, but i believe he will have to wait until then or later in the year unless an emergency situation arises. Considering we need to see who can perform at Fullback so we can see which of our options we can push forward, he will be a welcome addition to the pool if he can step his game up to the international level. #2 Kenny Cooper -Kenny is high on my list for the sole reason that this team can always use a forward who is delivering right now whereas it is more of a risk to take a chance on a fullback. And right now, Cooper is still the hot forward. Therefore, he may be able to sneak on the 23 man roster this May/June and not have to wait. We shall see. Either way, I still believe he needs to improve his game inside of the box and quit thinking he is Cristiano Ronaldo. #1 Chris Pontius -I like Pontius. I always have. He reminds me of a young Dempsey, but unfortunately, he has been hurt a lot of his career. If he can stay healthy, i believe he will fill finally get his chance to play in Europe, and i think of all the other MLSers, he could do the best... if he's hungry enough. As far as right now, I see a spot opening up given Shea's poor form and foot problems. Of all the other options, i think he has the greatest chance to sneak on the 23 for the May/June games. Honorable Mention: Matt Pickens-GK, Dan Kennedy-GK, Tally Hall-GK, Danny Cruz-MF, Perry Kitchen-CDM, Dax McCarty-CM, Matt Besler-CB, Chad Marshall-CB, AJ Soares-CB, Tony Beltran-RB, Sam Cronin-CDM, Drew Moor-CB, Eric Brunner-CB, Eddie Gaven-CAM, Austin Berry-CB, Jalil Anibaba-CB/RB, Connor Lade-LB
Considering that we probably won't see most of the "new faces" until January, and also considering that this Camp Cupcake is the make or break camp for most of these young players. Here is my updated version 5/18/2012 (4) GOALKEEPERS Nick Rimando, Ryan Meara*, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson -*Dan Kennedy, Tally Hall Honorable Mention: Matt Pickens, Zac MacMath, Brian Perk, Joe Willis, Chris Seitz, Jon Busch, Steve Clark, (3) RIGHT BACKS Steve Beitashour, Chance Myers, Zach Loyd -Tony Beltran Honorable Mention: Sean Franklin, Sheannon Williams, Ray Gaddis, Michael Farfan, Jalil Anibaba (5) CENTER BACKS Clarence Goodson, Omar Gonzalez, George John, Michael Parkhurst, Geoff Cameron -Matt Besler Honorable Mention: Chad Marshall, Brad Rusin, AJ Soares, Drew Moor, Eric Brunner, Marvell Wynne, Jeff Parke, Austin Berry, Stephen McCarthy, Andrew Jean-Baptiste (3) LEFT BACKS Heath Pearce, Justin Morrow, Seth Sinovic -Connor Lade Honorable Mention: AJ De la Garza, Corey Ashe, Sean Cunningham (5) MIDFIELDERS Kyle Beckerman, Sam Cronin, Dax McCarty, Ricardo Clark, Jeff Larentowicz -Perry Kitchen Honorable Mention: Amobi Okugo, Michael Stephens, Kirk Urso (5) WINGERS Brek Shea, Josh Gatt, Chris Pontius, Nick DeLeon, Tony Cascio -Lee Nguyen Honorable Mention: Dilly Duka, Sebastian Velasquez, Bobby Convey, Ethan Finlay, Zach Pfeffer (4) ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS Freddy Adu, Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber, Mikkel Diskerud -Luis Gil Honorable Mention: Brad Evans, Eddie Gaven, Kelyn Rowe, Conor O’ Brien, Diego Fagundez (4) FORWARD Juan Agudelo, Kenny Cooper, CJ Sapong, Chris Wondolowski -Teal Bunbury Honorable Mention: Edson Buddle, Omar Salgado, Will Bruin, Steve Lenhart, Blake Brettschneider, David Estrada, Eddie Johnson possible starting XI: -------------Agudelo--Wondolowski----- Pontius-------------Adu----------------Gatt -------------------Beckerman-------------- Morrow-------------------------------Beitashour ------------Goodson-----Cameron-------- --------------------Rimando--------------- Bench: Meara, Parkhurst, Loyd, Diskerud, Shea, Zusi, Cooper the rest of the 23: Johnson/Hamid, John/Gonzalez, Pearce, Clark, Sapong
Shrug. Our collective Big Soccer "rating" of goalkeepers ebbs and flows. Hamid, Johnson, MacMath, etc. have been around long enough that we've seen them make mistakes, etc. When Meara makes the inevitable howler, all of a sudden he'll be back with the pack. That doesn't mean I have a problem with him being called into camp cupcake.............just that I'm not sure he's that far in front of other MLS options. You know who's looked really good in the opportunities given to him recently? Chris Seitz............... It wouldn't shock me if another club with an injury crisis grabs Seitz from FCD. He's been looking like a starting MLS keeper.