All Europe or All MLS vs Jamaica

[roarksown1]

OK, here are the two scenarios; for the upcoming qualifier vs Jamaica, you only have the choice of an either all MLS side, or an all European. What are your starting XI for the first WCQ on the road? (Assume that DMB and Convey are in Europe)

MLS

------------------- Walker -------------------
-- Albright -- Pope -- Gibbs -- Dunivant -----
---------------- Mastroeni ------------------
---- Stewart ---- Donovan ----- Kirovski ----
---------- Ching -------- Wolff --------------

Europe

-------------- Friedel ------------------
-- Dolo -- Berhalter -- Boca -- Vanney --
--------------- Reyna -----------------
---- Mathis ---- O'Brien ---- DMB -----
-------- McBride ----- Casey ----------

[Bruce S]

Why would Arena use one or the other-your MLS isde has someone who has never played for the USA before-and you start him in a road WCQ game? Meanwhile Berhalter and JOB are hurt and have not played soccer in many months.Casey is hurt too.It will be amalgamation of those 2 groups.

[afgrijselijkheid]

i believe he's just trying to have a message board discussion

my 2 cents? there is no question which of these two is preferable, even if on experience alone

[russ]

A hypothetical like this would be more fun if it weren't so freaking obvious assuming good health...

[Casper]

For the MLS team, I night suggest resuming the Hejduk to left back experiment, or Bobby Convey, over the uncapped Dunivant.

Also, I'd like to introduce you to a guy name Chris Armas. Arena seems to like playing him. He might make the team.

Plus Gaven and Klein for Kirovski and Stewart and it gets a little closer still.

What's interesting to me is that despite protests here to the contrary, I'm not sure it's that far apart, and Beasley changing teams has a significant effect on the strength of the sides.

Also Eddie Lewis is saying, "I don't even make this team anymore?" What the hell happened?

Both teams would beat the "neither Euro or MLS squad," currently starting Sanneh, Thornton, Hernandez, and a bunch of Mexican-American teenagers at various MFL team youth sides. Plus that guy in Nepal.

[russ]

For the MLS team, I night suggest resuming the Hejduk to left back experiment, or Bobby Convey, over the uncapped Dunivant.

Also Eddie Lewis is saying, "I don't even make this team anymore?" What the hell happened?
He got booted off the Euro bench by Convey when BC switched to Reading.


Both teams would beat the "neither Euro or MLS squad," currently starting Sanneh, Thornton, Hernandez, and a bunch of Mexican-American teenagers at various MFL team youth sides. Plus that guy in Nepal.
JCE and Jordan Older should be allocated to this team.

[roarksown1]

Why would Arena use one or the other-your MLS isde has someone who has never played for the USA before-and you start him in a road WCQ game? Meanwhile Berhalter and JOB are hurt and have not played soccer in many months.Casey is hurt too.It will be amalgamation of those 2 groups.

Listen up, sport...it's called late night boredom and if you haven't noticed a million hypothetical scenarios all over Bigsoccer.com, then you really haven't been around too long. It's simply a guessing game for fun...

As far as Gaven or Klein for Stewart and Kirovski, Gaven's too young and would make a better substitute. Klein I can definitely understand. He's got good form right now. What about the left wing? With DMB now gone, I really couldn't think of anyone in the MNT fold that could jump in from MLS, which is why I went with a rather versatile and experienced Kirovski.

Armas before Mastroeni? I think not, but definitely on the bench.

[freisland]

Let's see. A "game healthy" Euro team would look like -
Howard(Brad)
Dolo(Russell)-Gooch(Spector)-Boca-Vanney(Barrett)
Convey(thorrington)-Reyna-Mathis-DMB(Lewis)
West-McHead(Cooper)

Subs in (). (Is Thorrington with a club yet? If not, slide some German D3er in there.)

Obvious weak spots - Reyna as pure CDM, Convey as RM (could use Russell, move Mathis to West's spot and play a bit more "unbalanced" but the Mathis/McHead partnership has never really jelled.)

You could also try Convey/Reyna as holding mids, with DMB and West/Thorrington as outside mids, but again you get Mathis - McHead.

Gooch/Boca is unproven as well (as a partnership - obviously Boca is relatively proven. Gooch is a relative mystery.)

Or go with a 4-5-1
Dolo-Gooch-Boca-Vanney
West-Reyna-Enochs-Convey-DMB
McBride

Mathis for Convey is a possibility. You could also do Dolo at RM and Russell at RB in a more tradional 442. But I'd still have West up with McHead or Mathis, even though it means one of Convey/McHead/Mathis has to sit.

Enough noodling for one night.