Will McBride get call-up if he stays at Fulham?

[ttrevett]

Bruce Arena has always said players who are not playing regularly with their team will not get called up to national team camps. As it stands now at Fulham, McBride arguably could be 3rd, 4th or 5th on the depth chart with their off-season acquisitions. Given that,I don't think that he'll be starting, and may not even make the bench in some games unless there are some injuries.

Therefore, does Bruce break his own rule and bring in someone who is not playing regularly for his club side? I'll bet for McBride, he willl.

I understand why he has this rule. Those players not playing with the first team will not be as sharp as those who are. They aren't likely to be game fit. With McBride however, I don't think either of those will be a problem. If anything, he'll will be more fit than he ever has been in attempting to crack the first squad, knowing what a hard worker he is.

What do you think?

[Motterman]

Therefore, does Bruce break his own rule and bring in someone who is not playing regularly for his club side? I'll bet for McBride, he willl.

I agree. Conor Casey isn't the finished article to play that target forward role in a big match yet. He's shown potential, but his first touch is dreadful. Ching looked pretty good in the last friendly though too... I'd still go with McBride and whomever else you want to play next to him.

[voros]

Bruce Arena has always said players who are not playing regularly with their team will not get called up to national team camps.
He can say whatever he wants, in practice he's called up plenty of guys not playing regularly like Kirovski and Lewis.

[ttrevett]

He can say whatever he wants, in practice he's called up plenty of guys not playing regularly like Kirovski and Lewis.

I agree with Kirovski, but I don't recall Lewis getting called up all that often when he was riding the pine at Fulham. His presence at camp picked up after his transfer to PNE, IIRC.

[russ]

Lewis' drop from the team had more to do with a missed open net and an idiotic red card in WCQ.

He was not getting that much playing time when he was recalled to camp.

[sch2383]

I believe Bruce will bend his rules for McBride, but I think he will make his way onto Fulham's first team anyway.

[Adam Zebrowski]

personally, I'd prefer conor casey to seize the target spot by this time next year......

realistically mcbride gets the job due to the experience and known quantity...

but I don't want to enter and 06 finals with him, I'd prefer a younger target guy, casey to have gone through an hexagonal to really get ready for a FINALS

[onefineesq]

All things being equal, I would start Ching in this game. Casey Conor is coming off injury and there is no way that McBrides fitness can be anywhere near Ching's, and Ching is on fire. McBride has been average the last few games for us, and he will still be basically out of season (in preseason, or just starting the season). It's all about form, and barring injury, it seems that Ching is way ahead in that department at the moment. That being said, Bruce almost always calls in McBride, so i expect him to be there.

[superdave]

Bruce Arena has always said players who are not playing regularly with their team will not get called up to national team camps.
No he hasn't. If so, please explain Frankie Hejduk getting so many minutes at the World Cup. Explain Eddie Lewis starting the last two matches.

Where does this rank among bigsoccer myths? I say it's #2 behind the Julie Foudy one.

I don't feel bad about the threadjack because the first post is itself a threadjack.

[russ]

"I don't feel bad about the threadjack because the first post is itself a threadjack."

How can that be?

Was this posted in another thread first?

[speedcake]

Bruce Arena has always said players who are not playing regularly with their team will not get called up to national team camps. As it stands now at Fulham, McBride arguably could be 3rd, 4th or 5th on the depth chart with their off-season acquisitions. Given that,I don't think that he'll be starting, and may not even make the bench in some games unless there are some injuries.

Therefore, does Bruce break his own rule and bring in someone who is not playing regularly for his club side? I'll bet for McBride, he willl.

I understand why he has this rule. Those players not playing with the first team will not be as sharp as those who are. They aren't likely to be game fit. With McBride however, I don't think either of those will be a problem. If anything, he'll will be more fit than he ever has been in attempting to crack the first squad, knowing what a hard worker he is.

What do you think?

I thought it was more along the lines of "guys getting first team action and who deserve it will get looks, get their chance."

Never, ever has been anything about only calling guys in who start every match for their club and regardless this has never, ever been the practice.

Sorry, but your whole post is irrelevant and Mcbride will be called in as much as possible regardless of how many bench splinters he collects or doesn't collect at Fulham.

[onefineesq]

I thought it was more along the lines of "guys getting first team action and who deserve it will get looks, get their chance."

Never, ever has been anything about only calling guys in who start every match for their club and regardless this has never, ever been the practice.

Sorry, but your whole post is irrelevant and Mcbride will be called in as much as possible regardless of how many bench splinters he collects or doesn't collect at Fulham.

I agree with your post completely, but this begs the bigger question. If Bruce in fact does what you and I both expect him to do, is it a smart decision? I say that because if Rivaldo, former world player of the year and scorer of 4 or 5 goals in the last WC, in a winning effort, can be basically tossed from Brazil's team after falling out of favor with AC Milan, why is it that we are all so confident that McBride will be starting whether or not he is stinking it up and/or riding the pine with Fulham?

[numerista]

Mcbride will be called in as much as possible regardless of how many bench splinters he collects or doesn't collect at Fulham.

Is this the general consensus? I sure hope not ... in the past three games, McBride has really been showing his age.

Also, let's remember that we have two good wins this year (@Poland and home to Mexico), and those happen to be the two games that Casey started in McBride's place.

[speedcake]

Is this the general consensus? I sure hope not ... in the past three games, McBride has really been showing his age.

Also, let's remember that we have two good wins this year (@Poland and home to Mexico), and those happen to be the two games that Casey started in McBride's place.

No one is pumping in the goals right now from the forward spots. No one. Pete and Repeat.

Mcbride is going to get more than a couple of chances to prove he deserves to be included in WCQ sides because he has earned them and no one has proven to be ahead of him in the ranks.

We'll see how he does in the semifinal round of qualifying. Then we'll talk more.

[speedcake]

I agree with your post completely, but this begs the bigger question. If Bruce in fact does what you and I both expect him to do, is it a smart decision? I say that because if Rivaldo, former world player of the year and scorer of 4 or 5 goals in the last WC, in a winning effort, can be basically tossed from Brazil's team after falling out of favor with AC Milan, why is it that we are all so confident that McBride will be starting whether or not he is stinking it up and/or riding the pine with Fulham?

We aren't Brazil.

We don't know how Mcbride is going to react to his new found adversity.

His experience, leadership on the field, clutch goal scoring ability, and success to this point for the national team demand that he be included until the point that he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is in fact over the hill.

Let's not be so quick to write off some of our vets before they have been given deserving chances to prove their place.

[superdave]

"I don't feel bad about the threadjack because the first post is itself a threadjack."

How can that be?
Because the whole thread is based on something that's not true. Why don't we spend a thread talking about how Bruce has said that he'd never play someone whose club wears white as its primary color, and what impact that would have on McBride? Since Bruce never said that, either, such a discussion would be equally pointless.

A useful way to discuss this would be to stop acting like Bruce has some policy on this, but instead just point out that if McBride's playing time slips, that's gonna have an effect on his Nats chances.

I know I'm a crank about this, but like I wrote, this is possible the #2 bigsoccer myth behind the alleged Julie Foudy comments.

[Davids26]

Eddie Lewis was named to the World Cup team after playing I think 1 or 2 first team matches the whole '01-'02 season...

McBride is a bigger asset to the US than Kiro or Lewis ever will be, the precedent is there, and there's absolutely no reason to think he won't be well involved in the national team even if he isn't playing regularly for Fulham, but damn, that Rovers transfer that he passed up is looking better right now...

[divingheader]

JMM played for the USMNT a lot while seeing no daylight at Everton.
The fact is McB is the USAs one proven starting international forward. He has a bunch of guys chasing him: new blood like Casey, Ching and Twellman, older hobbling blood like Mathis and Wolff. And some dark horses like Buddle. But McB is The Man.

By Ger'06, I hope there is a New Man. For my part I've always liked Buddle, but Ching certainly is on fire and deserves a shot, right now.

Myths:
Pardon my ignorance, but what's the Julie Foudy legend? I'd have thought the Cobie 4 incher legend would have reared it's little head...

[numerista]

His experience, leadership on the field, clutch goal scoring ability, and success to this point for the national team demand that he be included until the point that he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is in fact over the hill.


... this is the kind of reasoning that sent Mike Burns, Tom Dooley, and Roy Wegerle to the 1998 World Cup Finals.

[speedcake]

... this is the kind of reasoning that sent Mike Burns, Tom Dooley, and Roy Wegerle to the 1998 World Cup Finals.

What, the reasoning contained in my whole post? Did you read it? Are you advocating that we dump Mcbride based on a couple of sub par national team performances and before he is even given a chance at having a solid season for Fulham?

That kind of reasoning gives me the eeby jeebies, no offense.