o.k. - your starting 11 (+ bench) vs. jamaica

[luvdagame]

remember they've got big speedy guys.

here's mine:

--------------------------friedel--------------------------

dolo--------pope---------------------gibbs-----------boca

--------------------------pablo----------------------------

------donovan------------reyna---------------dmb--------

-----------------casey------------mcbride----------------

on the bench:wolff, armas, lewis, mathis, albright, keller

notes:
friedel and keller because this part of the war is different, and they've been thru it.

vanney just had his knee scoped and will prob. not be ready, and i'm assuming and hoping boca keeps playing left back for fulham.

the new guys like mullan, ching, gaven will not be used except in an emergency and prob. at home.

armas is still ahead of zavagnin at dmid, and mathis is ahead of mulrooney and anyone else in playing behind the forwards if reyna has to come out a la columbus last time around.

i prefer to start with two big guys up front and then sub wolff for casey or mcbride at the 60 minute mark or earlier if the forward line lacks punch.

my worry: bruce has said that the euros on our team got winded in the second half when he used them out of season last time around, and i've got possibly 5 of them (obviously leaving out the g.k. and dmb - if he goes) in my starting 11. jamaica tho, may have somewhat of the same prob.

[Stifflizard]

remember they've got big speedy guys.

here's mine:

--------------------------friedel--------------------------

dolo--------pope---------------------gibbs-----------boca

--------------------------pablo----------------------------

------donovan------------reyna---------------dmb--------

-----------------casey------------mcbride----------------

on the bench:wolff, armas, lewis, mathis, albright, keller

notes:
friedel and keller because this part of the war is different, and they've been thru it.

vanney just had his knee scoped and will prob. not be ready, and i'm assuming and hoping boca keeps playing left back for fulham.

the new guys like mullan, ching, gaven will not be used except in an emergency and prob. at home.

armas is still ahead of zavagnin at dmid, and mathis is ahead of mulrooney and anyone else in playing behind the forwards if reyna has to come out a la columbus last time around.

i prefer to start with two big guys up front and then sub wolff for casey or mcbride at the 60 minute mark or earlier if the forward line lacks punch.

my worry: bruce has said that the euros on our team got winded in the second half when he used them out of season last time around, and i've got possibly 5 of them (obviously leaving out the g.k. and dmb - if he goes) in my starting 11. jamaica tho, may have somewhat of the same prob.


Won't JOB be available by then?

[SamsArmySam]

So when I think of playing Jamaica in Jamaica I think of big, physical forwards. Big, physical defenders. Crappy field. Hot, humid summer weather. Sometimes intimidating crowd atmosphere. This is the first real qualifier, too, so experience and composure is going to be important.

My lineup would be

-----------------------------Friedel-----------------------------

-Dolo-------------Pope-------------Bocanegra-----------Vanney-

-----------------Reyna--------------Armas----------------------
-----------Donovan---------------------------Beasley-----------

--------------------Casey-------------McBride------------------

Who knows Friedel vs. Keller? Depends on camp performance.

Dolo for experience (Albright not ready for a real qualifier yet, even though I like his size). Vanney for size. Pope and Boca because they are our two best central defenders. Boca's never looked as good out left for the Nats. Don't switch him there now. Subs: Hejduk (for experience and utility), Gibbs (a third big central defender).

Reyna and Armas as the two holding mids in the box. Why? Because they're Reyna and Armas. If you don't get it by now, this probably isn't the place to bring it up. Only better pairing is Reyna and O'Brien, which is possible we may never see again. Subs: Zavagnin, possibly Mastroeni (utility here and in central D in a pinch).

Donovan and Beasley as the attacking mids in the box. Is there any doubt about that one? Subs: possibly Mullan, possibly Lewis.

Casey and McBride up top, primarily for their size against the J defenders. If Mathis and McBride had ever paired well, then I would love to get Mathis in there for his striking ability from distance, and his accuracy. But they just haven't worked as a combo yet. And who knows how well Mathis would last in the hot/humid conditions? I love Wolff's recent performances, but he's too small for the J defense. Subs: Wolff, Mathis, possibly Kirovski.

[luvdagame]

from stifflizard:
"Won't JOB be available by then?"

"no he won't" has been the usual answer over the years and is still the "healthiest" way to look at it. if he is that's a bonus.

from samsarmysam
"Vanney for size."

i noted that vanney has just had his knee scoped. he probably won't be available for this match.

[Northcal19]

-----------------Any One of the 3-----

Dolo-----------Pope----Boca------Convey

-------------Reyna----------Pablo-------------

-----Donavan----------------------DMB

-------------Mathis----McBride----

Bench: 2nd keeper, Armas, Wolf, Albright, Heyduke, Casey, Gibbs. Is job available?

Anyway, maybe Mathis comes off the bench and Wolf starts. Convey, Pablo, Heyduke give us d/mid flexibilty, and while I don't fancy it, I think BA starts Convey at left back rather than moving Boca out of the middle. Connor Casey can go play Mcbride's spot if need be.

I think any one of our top 6 keepers would be just fine. I saw Kevin Hartman last night against the Rapids and he is good. That call can be Arena's. :p

[galperin]

-------friedel

'dolo--pope--gibbs--boca

-----reyna--armas

------LD---DMB

-----McBride--Mathis

[onefineesq]

I still can't believe there are people who would start Convey at left back, on the road, against jamaica in our first qualifier of the round. oyyyy veyyy! Gibbs and Pope in the middle .... Boca playing out left, where he plays for his club team. that's a no-brainer.

[Ringo]

-------friedel

'dolo--pope--gibbs--boca

-----reyna--armas

------LD---DMB

-----McBride--Mathis

i wouldn't be too upset with this.
though I'm more of a Keller guy, it's not like you lose a darn thing with Friedel in there.

[E Diddy]

----------------Howard----------------------
Dolo---------Gibbs-------Pope----------Boca-
------------Reyna------Mastro---------------
------Donovan-----------------Beasley-------
-----------------Mathis---------------------
-----------------McBride---------------------

Subs:
Friedel
Hejduk
Allbright
Convey
Wolff
Twellman
Zavagnin

[Deuteriumoxide]

----------------Howard----------------------
Dolo---------Gibbs-------Pope----------Boca-
------------Reyna------Mastro---------------
------Donovan-----------------Beasley-------
-----------------Mathis---------------------
-----------------McBride---------------------

Subs:
Friedel
Hejduk
Allbright
Convey
Wolff
Twellman
Zavagnin

Wonderful. I hope we see this.

[Northcal19]

[B]I still can't believe there are people who would start Convey at left back,[B] on the road, against jamaica in our first qualifier of the round. oyyyy veyyy! Gibbs and Pope in the middle .... Boca playing out left, where he plays for his club team. that's a [B]no-brainer.[B]

I think Boca out left is a good idea, and I have said so many times. But with the Poland game behind us and Boca playing centrally when Gibbs was there available, and in that tune up, Boca played centrally and Convey played wide left back as we have seen much of lately. As I said in my post, I dont fancy it, but it sure seems like BA wants to see that defense together in preparation for qualifying. Didn't Bobby play left back against Grenada away? Wasn't that a qualifier.

I am not sure why you need to be such a dick about it. One ofthose people you cant believe appears to be Arena.

[metroflip73]

Starters:
Friedel/Keller
Dolo-Pope-Gibbs-Boca
Mastro-Reyna
LD-DMB
Mathis-McB

Subs:
Friedel/Keller
Convey
Armas
Wolff
Casey

We may win this game, but most likely, I'd be satisfied with a road point. We have yet to win at The Office.

[Casper]

I think Boca out left is a good idea, and I have said so many times. But with the Poland game behind us and Boca playing centrally when Gibbs was there available, and in that tune up, Boca played centrally and Convey played wide left back as we have seen much of lately. As I said in my post, I dont fancy it, but it sure seems like BA wants to see that defense together in preparation for qualifying. Didn't Bobby play left back against Grenada away? Wasn't that a qualifier.


Good points. If Bruce was that fond of Boca at LB, he could easily have used him there in either Grenada matchup. Certainly a better way to get our best XI on the field than either Vanney or Convey. Not that I'm complaining about Vanney's recent Nats performances, but since he's hurt, I'd rather see Boca or an if-healthy O'Brien displaying some versatility and going over there.

Instead of doing that, though, we have this myth that "we have no good left backs" dating back to when Regis was good. No one ever believed Frankie was more than a surprisingly good stopgap measure at the position.

Carlos can do it. We can still take Convey to the game and let him back up multiple positions.

My starters, with explanations, 4-4-2 with a box midfield:

Overarching rationale: I want a team able to disrupt possession, win balls in the air on defense, compete with very athletic Jamiacan forwards, and counter effectively. Should also be able to play decent possession offense.

Howard - Friedel is recovering, and may only have one competitive game under his belt before this match. Howard should be coming off of a much more active summer, and be in form.

RB: Cherundolo. He's earned first-choice status, with Albright and Hejduk battling it out for next in line. A great Honduras match is still a fresh memory, and his last three Nats matches have all been at least solid.

CB: Pope. To anchor the defense. If I wasn't playing Bocanegra out left, I might put him here, but Eddie is playing very well for the Nats, if not the Metros.

CB: Gibbs. May already have inherited the Llamosa mantle as our best marker. Should do a better job of containing whichever of Jamaica's forwards gets the start than anyone else, which is a top priority.

LB: Bocanegra. Getting repetitive ranting about this, largely because it's clearly not an obvious decision to Arena yet.

DM: Reyna. Can both win possession for us and get up into the attack so it's not undermanned. Has combined well with LD/DMB in this formation, as well as in partnership with Armas.

DM: Armas. Part of me wants to go a different direction here, but this is an "If it ain't broke ..." call. Playing him here will also lend some stability and calm those around him like Gibbs, playing the biggest game of his life.

AM: Beasley. Fresh off a spectacular debut at PSV.

AM: Donovan. This pairing has been too good. If Jamaica presses forward for the win, this is the best counterattack we can have.

F: Wolff. I expect us to be able to attack in transition. Among the forwards in our pool, Josh has done the best job of making good things happen in quick-strike attacks.

F: McBride. Still the guy I have the most belief in to score in a tough away game.

Subs:

Walker - we don't really need to fly over multiple keepers several times this fall.
Mastroeni - versatility to back up both d-mid and both CB spots is very helpful.
Convey - another versatility pick as a sub. If the game plays out very differently than I anticipate, or if we fall behind, he could also be useful.
Albright - backs up Cherundolo. No one else on this roster is a great fit to do that, save maybe Reyna.
Mathis - If we fall behind or decide to go for blood late in a tie game. First offensive sub off of the bench.
Lewis - does well off the bench in these kinds of situations, at least since his red card against Guatemala in '00.
Klein - I know he's off the radar somewhat, but he's outplaying everyone in MLS. Having Klein and Lewis there gives us the option to completely change tactics and play from out wide.

Just off the list:

Twellman - he'll have to sell me that he's 100% back, first.
Gaven - he's most suited to the "go make magic" role I have in mind for Mathis; we don't need two.
Zavagnin - Mastroeni is a more versatile player as a backup.
Casey - not convinced he'll be 100%. Not good enough to bring if he's not.
Vanney - see Casey.

[mikesterw]

Will Casey be ready for this match. How long was he supposed to be out with his injury. Also I think we need to set a tone in this game. I don't believe we have won at the office during a qualifier, but we have won during a friendly. Also with our Euros getting back into their routine overseas, will this stop Il Bruce from using them? It will be interesting to see who gets called into camp. If healthy and that is a big IF, then this is the lineup I would like to see:

Freidel/Keller/Howard (Doesn't matter to me, I have faith in all of 'em)
Dolo-Gibbs-Pope-Boca
Reyna-Armas-JOB-Beas
Donovan
Mcbride

I like this, only because I don't think we should play the long ball with Jamaica b/c of their size. If JOB can't go, then Donovan in the middle and mathis up top. Just my .02

[StillKickin]

We may win this game, but most likely, I'd be satisfied with a road point. We have yet to win at The Office.

Do you mean in a World Cup Qualifier? Because we did win there last year. If I recall correctly, Mathis and Donovan had a great game there.

[galaxyfan03]

My starting XI:

----------------------------------Friedel----------------------------------
Sanneh----------------Pope-----------------Boca--------------------Gibbs
----------------------------------Reyna----------------------------------
--Donovan-------------------------------------------------------Beasley--
----------------------------------Mathis----------------------------------
----------------Wolff------------------------------McBride----------------

Bench: Howard, Cherundolo, Vanney, Mastroeni, Convey, Lewis, Casey.

- Sanneh's size will be more important v Jamaica than Dolo's speed
- Armas is injured & might not be available (don't "hate" him but this does open up different options)
- I'll start Wolff over Casey because of his experience in WCQs. Plus, there's no CERTAINTY that Casey will be ready by then, though I hope he will be.
- I LOVE my midfield & think it's our BEST players (outside of JOB, of course). If our midfield plays to its POTENTIAL, IMHO we could "steal" a win in Kingston.

I'M GETTING PSYCHED FOR AUGUST 18!! GO, USA!!!!!!

[lmorin]

Good points. If Bruce was that fond of Boca at LB, he could easily have used him there in either Grenada matchup. Certainly a better way to get our best XI on the field than either Vanney or Convey. Not that I'm complaining about Vanney's recent Nats performances, but since he's hurt, I'd rather see Boca or an if-healthy O'Brien displaying some versatility and going over there.

Instead of doing that, though, we have this myth that "we have no good left backs" dating back to when Regis was good. No one ever believed Frankie was more than a surprisingly good stopgap measure at the position.

Carlos can do it. We can still take Convey to the game and let him back up multiple positions.

My starters, with explanations, 4-4-2 with a box midfield:

Overarching rationale: I want a team able to disrupt possession, win balls in the air on defense, compete with very athletic Jamiacan forwards, and counter effectively. Should also be able to play decent possession offense.

Howard - Friedel is recovering, and may only have one competitive game under his belt before this match. Howard should be coming off of a much more active summer, and be in form.

RB: Cherundolo. He's earned first-choice status, with Albright and Hejduk battling it out for next in line. A great Honduras match is still a fresh memory, and his last three Nats matches have all been at least solid.

CB: Pope. To anchor the defense. If I wasn't playing Bocanegra out left, I might put him here, but Eddie is playing very well for the Nats, if not the Metros.

CB: Gibbs. May already have inherited the Llamosa mantle as our best marker. Should do a better job of containing whichever of Jamaica's forwards gets the start than anyone else, which is a top priority.

LB: Bocanegra. Getting repetitive ranting about this, largely because it's clearly not an obvious decision to Arena yet.

DM: Reyna. Can both win possession for us and get up into the attack so it's not undermanned. Has combined well with LD/DMB in this formation, as well as in partnership with Armas.

DM: Armas. Part of me wants to go a different direction here, but this is an "If it ain't broke ..." call. Playing him here will also lend some stability and calm those around him like Gibbs, playing the biggest game of his life.

AM: Beasley. Fresh off a spectacular debut at PSV.

AM: Donovan. This pairing has been too good. If Jamaica presses forward for the win, this is the best counterattack we can have.

F: Wolff. I expect us to be able to attack in transition. Among the forwards in our pool, Josh has done the best job of making good things happen in quick-strike attacks.

F: McBride. Still the guy I have the most belief in to score in a tough away game.

Subs:

Walker - we don't really need to fly over multiple keepers several times this fall.
Mastroeni - versatility to back up both d-mid and both CB spots is very helpful.
Convey - another versatility pick as a sub. If the game plays out very differently than I anticipate, or if we fall behind, he could also be useful.
Albright - backs up Cherundolo. No one else on this roster is a great fit to do that, save maybe Reyna.
Mathis - If we fall behind or decide to go for blood late in a tie game. First offensive sub off of the bench.
Lewis - does well off the bench in these kinds of situations, at least since his red card against Guatemala in '00.
Klein - I know he's off the radar somewhat, but he's outplaying everyone in MLS. Having Klein and Lewis there gives us the option to completely change tactics and play from out wide.

Just off the list:

Twellman - he'll have to sell me that he's 100% back, first.
Gaven - he's most suited to the "go make magic" role I have in mind for Mathis; we don't need two.
Zavagnin - Mastroeni is a more versatile player as a backup.
Casey - not convinced he'll be 100%. Not good enough to bring if he's not.
Vanney - see Casey.

Your starting group is mine, too. I'd flip out Klein and put in Gaven. He's more versatile and can play central or either wing midfield as well as up front.

Question: Are 3 keepers taken to the qualifying games (like the WC) or just 2? I can't remember.

[zcgf02]

My starters, with explanations, 4-4-2 with a box midfield:

Overarching rationale: I want a team able to disrupt possession, win balls in the air on defense, compete with very athletic Jamiacan forwards, and counter effectively. Should also be able to play decent possession offense.

GK: Howard.

RB: Cherundolo.
CB: Pope.
CB: Gibbs.
LB: Bocanegra.

DM: Reyna.
DM: Armas.
AM: Beasley.
AM: Donovan.

F: Wolff.
F: McBride.


My only question regards Howard. I think that's probably the last call Bruce will make as well. But the field players are spot on.

[bennyf118]

I would go with this:

------------Friedel------------
--Dolo--Pope--Gibbs--Boca--
------Reyna-------JOB--------
-----Donovan----Beasley-----
-----McBride-----Wolff-------

Subs:
Mathis
Convey
Walker
Armas
Mastroeni
Albright
Kirovski

This is assuming that JOB remains fit, but Vanney and Casey aren't back to form yet. Our depth at forward is almost nonexistant :(

[striker]

-----------------Any One of the 3-----

Dolo-----------Pope----Boca------Convey

-------------Reyna----------Pablo-------------

-----Donavan----------------------DMB

-------------Mathis----McBride----



With this line-up, I just hope that we don't give up too many set pieces.