usa right back

[scottdavidolson]

what is the BS opinion on russell v. cherundolo at right back

anyone else merit a shot from mls?

[rkeane15]

right now i think dolo should be our right back. maybe russell should get a look. i think sanheh could play the position in a pitch ,too. he just got back to form though.

[Sanguine]

Has anybody on BS even seen Russell play recently? I sure haven't.

[rkeane15]

i think i saw his back as i watched highlights in the arsenal game. ive heard he is good, thats it.

[Parmigiano]

Has anybody on BS even seen Russell play recently? I sure haven't.

I saw him play 20 minutes against Arsenal. Granted, it wasn't a lot of time, but he made an impact, had several touches, showed composure and touch on the ball, strength and timing in defense (against Henry, no less), a great throw in, and good speed and passing. Obviously moves forward very well.

He's a big strong dude, too. IMO he will have a future with the Nats, and probably in the long-run will be a better option than Dolo. I know it wasn't much time to evaluate him, but I've seen lots of Hejduk and plenty of Dolo, and comparatively, I was damn impressed by Russell.

[mschofield]

dolo is a step up from heydude, russel is about on a par with dolo, but has an advantage against a very physical side. heydude is great when you're playing against frantic low skill teams that slide around a lot.

[MLSNHTOWN]

With Sanneh's play in MLS he should be in the pool.

I think we have lots of options at right back now.

1. Dolo should be #1
2. Sanneh if you want size
3. Hejdude if you want bad crosses and giveaways
4. The rest of the pool: The young up and comer (Spector?), the extreme unknown yank abroad (Russel), the MLS midfielder convert (Albright), the emergency cover players (mulrooney, Mastro).

[freisland]

Jermaine Jones is our clear number 1.

after that it's a pick-em.

or Reyna.

[freisland]

perhaps the question should be:

Which RB for X opponent.

Certainly we have seen enough of Sanneh, Dolo, Heydude and Albright to know the strengths and weaknesses of their game.

Heydude is a more "tenancious" defender and better man marker than Dolo but his distribution and crossing are erratic. He has the best footspeed of the "top 4."

Sanneh, when fit, is by far the best RB in the current pool. I have not seen him since his return. He is not as fast as Dolo or Heydude. Is he back to speed?

Dolo is probably the best going forward, although he can be erratic as well. He is not as tenacious a defender as frisbee dog and not as physical as Sanneh. He is probably faster and quicker than Tony, tho.

Albright might the most offensively dangerous of the 4 but has been too erratic in the back to unseat any of the others.

Russell is a non-issue at this point, but is obviously one of the guys to look at going forward.

So, against El Sal away do you want -

1) a commanding physical presence in Tony Sanneh - with the added possibility of scoring off a set piece with his head?

2) a mostly stay at home, tenacious D of Heydude?

3) a compromise player in Dolo, who will add to a wing attack but might give up a bit on the back post?

4) a guy who will give up a goal? (just kidding - but I don't think Albright is really in the mix at the moment.

I would suggest that against El Salvador away, Dolo or Sanneh are the best bets and probably Dolo at the end of the day. If we end up with Boca/Pope in the middle (although me may be without boca) a little extra footspeed won't hurt. Also, without Boca, we may want Sanneh in the middle...

[stucknutah]

perhaps the question should be:

snip

Heydude is a more "tenancious" defender and better man marker than Dolo but his distribution and crossing are erratic. He has the best footspeed of the "top 4."



Maybe he USED to have the best footspeed of the group, but no longer. Frankie has been beat for speed multiples of times his last few Nats games. Dolo is quicker, Sanneh, with his long legs, is faster. I can't comment on the rest. Frankie is still extremely fit, so he can play the outside mid if we go extremely defensive (and want to delay the game with crosses into row Z and random flying tackles which wreck ankles;)).

[onefineesq]

I have to take issue with you freisland. Sanneh is at least as fast as Heyduk and Cherundolo. Neither of those guys is particularly fast. How many times do we have to see Heyduk get burned for pace before the myth of him being fast goes away? Heyduk is FIT. He routinely wins the fitness tests in the nats camp. He can run all day long. But he is not exceptionally speedy by any stretch of the imagination. Sanneh, when healthy is a cut above those 2 players (Duck and Dolo) because he combines speed, smarts AND size and power. The only question is how long his aging body can continue to play like he is playing right now.

[freisland]

I will defer to both of you on the speed issue - though I'm not certain that in a flat out dash Heydude doesn't beat Sanneh at least and probably Dolo.

Sanneh is not by any means slow, but one of the reasons that Frankie gets burned is he is not as smart about using his body, or positioning in general. On the Robben goal, for instance, Frankie gets turned by the overhead ball, rather than simply staying with Robben - that is the place for quick clutch or at least a hand on the midsection. You want position on the player. Frankie spun with the ball instead and let Robben - who is very very quick, by the way, round him.

But my premise remains. Frankie is a role playing back who will do exactly what Bruce tells him - a decent option against a particularly difficult 1v1 match-up, but Sanneh is a better defender, stronger in the air and, on his good days, a better offensive threat. Dolo is fairly consistent going forward - not brilliant, but he'll get you a few good crosses a game, fast enough getting back, a smart enough defender, but loses something in the air or against a very physical forward or winger.

[DaMa]

I think Bruce Arena feels more comfortable with Sanneh than either Heyduk or 'dolo. If he was *particularly* comfortable with either of those two players it wouldn't be so up in the air. On the other hand, Bruce has a long running history of reliance on Tony (and I must confess has been rewarded for that confidence). Given his recent run of play in Columbus, I would be surprised if Bruce doesn't give him every opportunity to get on the field (either at right back or d mid).

[thehands1616]

heydude is great when you're playing against frantic low skill teams that slide around a lot.

ohhhh that is way he is good in mls.

[TAKK]

I saw him play 20 minutes against Arsenal. Granted, it wasn't a lot of time, but he made an impact, had several touches, showed composure and touch on the ball, strength and timing in defense (against Henry, no less), a great throw in, and good speed and passing. Obviously moves forward very well.

He's a big strong dude, too. IMO he will have a future with the Nats, and probably in the long-run will be a better option than Dolo. I know it wasn't much time to evaluate him, but I've seen lots of Hejduk and plenty of Dolo, and comparatively, I was damn impressed by Russell.

Exactly what he said.

[TAKK]

God, I would love to see Toni at D mid. Think that is where he belongs now.
Knows what BA wants and has the added ability of being able to pass (to one of our guys) and trap. Physical...can tackle, and if he stays at home (like he should) should be able to compensate for Armas workrate with actual technical ability and get this..."experience." Sometimes less running, and actual playing ability (positioning, tactics, actaul ball skills) and game smarts, is more. Message to BA.

[Adam Zebrowski]

takk, you and I see the same role for sanneh...

and put him with mastro, and I like their complementary traits...

this let's usa use cherundolo at rb.....

personally, i'd put bocanegra at lb, because I see mastro and sanneh going forward more frequently, and boca coverage would be needed defensively

[scottdavidolson]

I recall leading up to WC 02 that sanneh at right back was terrible but as soon as he went into central defense was wonderful - I also recall him having the same situation at nurnberg that year.

[TAKK]

Looked damn goog against the Metroes plaing more of d mid role.

Composed, in control, smart pass and excellent positioning, kept it simple, old geezer who is a BA guy who would fit the bill.

Experience and ability....it's a good thing.

Experience and limited ability...I'll stop.

[freisland]

Bruce used Tony a lot as a RDM last hex - to good effect I thought (tho many disagreed.) It is possible he will do that again - line up unbalanced with Tony and Pablo in back, Bease as a true winger and Mathis or LD in front.

with Dolo not called up, however, that leaves Heydude on the right - I think, and hope, we see Sanneh there.