Clint Dempsey

[Bruce S]

is scary.He has been professional for 1 year exactly.I am so glad Feynoord passed on him for now.

[Clint Eastwood]

is scary.He has been professional for 1 year exactly.I am so glad Feynoord passed on him for now.


I was very impressed with him as well. Great header on the goal, but he did a lot more than that during the game.

Bruce has seen it and the kid will surely get more caps in the near future.

[sidefootsitter]

is scary.He has been professional for 1 year exactly.I am so glad Feynoord passed on him for now. They won't pass this summer. Or someone else will make the move.

[lmorin]

Clint Dempsey is going to be (is already??) the USMNT's Michael Ballack.

[K.P.]

If he plays like he did last night, I think he'll take over the right midfield spot for the national team.

[IMOX77]

The thing i noticed was he was even more confident than he was last year and much better. The progress this kid has made in 1 year is incredible.

I do not want him wasted on the right i want him in the center. Enjoy him why is still here.

[_Wheels_]

Clint Dempsey is going to be (is already??) the USMNT's Michael Ballack.

As long as he doesn't turn into a flopping whiner like Ballack, I hope so.

[sidefootsitter]

Clint Dempsey is going to be (is already??) the USMNT's Michael Ballack. I said (almost) the same thing on the "forwards" thread. FWIW, Dempsey may be already a better dribbler than Ballack but Michael does have a superb shot and is better in the air.

[sidefootsitter]

The thing i noticed was he was even more confident than he was last year and much better. The progress this kid has made in 1 year is incredible. I do not want him wasted on the right i want him in the center. Enjoy him why is still here. I think he's a deep-center-right mid in the 4-4-2 "Box" or a "3-5-2". Depending upon his willingness to handle defensive responsibilities, he could be the "base" in the 4-4-2 "diamond" as well.

[Adam Zebrowski]

so, what's the ideal way to organize the midfield with:

mastroeni
dempsey
beasley
donovan???

is it simply the box approach, or does someone see a better set-up?

those are the 4 guys I want in my usmnt midfield!!

[Beckham7]

Watch out for Danny O'Rourke. He's playing great right now, and will only get better.

[Adam Zebrowski]

o'rourke looked like he was auditioning for the old guatemalan sides with all the hacking he was doing in the match yesterday....

the kid has a long way to go.....

[Beckham7]

o'rourke looked like he was auditioning for the old guatemalan sides with all the hacking he was doing in the match yesterday....

the kid has a long way to go.....
Riiiight whatever you say.

[Adam Zebrowski]

i've seen o'rourke play a half dozen times for indiana...

and yesterday, was the 1st time as a pro...

I agree, he'll improve as he plays, but getting onto arena's radar will take quite a showing...

[metx]

Demsey is the man._ bye, bye, Reyna and bye, bye McHead and ply Donovan whit Johnson

[Clint Eastwood]

Watch out for Danny O'Rourke. He's playing great right now, and will only get better.

We should definitely keep an eye on O'Rourke. He's got some bite and attitute, and sometimes we need a bit of that. It'll take him a while yet to be ready for a role on the USMNT, though.

Dempsey is ready NOW. When he, Noonan, Twellman, and Cancela are on the same page that NE team is REALLY dangerous. If their defense can come together they'll be good.

[K.P.]

so, what's the ideal way to organize the midfield with:
mastroeni
dempsey
beasley
donovan???


I'd do this:

---------Donovan----------
Beasley------------Dempsey
---------Mastroeni---------

[Sachsen]

I'd do this:

---------Donovan----------
Beasley------------Dempsey
---------Mastroeni---------

I agree with this. And Dempsey is not "wasted" on the right in this formation. Both he and Bease cover the middle section of the field here, leaving room for both the right and left backs to come up the sidelines.

Also, Lewis has been tearing it up as of late. Depending on opponent, I can see a 3-5-2, which Bruce uses sometimes:

--Lewis-----Donovan-----DMB--
----Mastroeni------Dempsey----

Frankly, I don't see even someone as talented as Eddie Gaven getting on the field much as long as those 5 keep playing the way they have been. At least not until Lewis's age catches up with him, at which time DMB goes back to the left and Gaven takes the right.

Oh, and anyone who still thinks we should play Donovan as a forward with EJ, instead of his natural a-mid spot? Please put the crack pipe down and step away from the keyboard.

[Adam Zebrowski]

ok, I can see dempsey on the right, not out wide, just let cherundolo have that space...

dempsey and cherundolo would be an interesting mix on the right side though..

[superdave]

That was a dominant performance last night. How many attacks was he integral in?

IMO, one of Bruce's key tactical challenges over the next 14 months will be to find a role for Dempsey. A DM in a 4-4-2 box midfield, paired with Mastro or Reyna, behind DMB and Landon? As Paul Scholes behind GAM's van Nistelrooy, ca. 2003? As a right wing? As a DM in a diamond? (I think this is the worst option; you want Dempsey up front getting to crosses. He can't get forward often enough in this role.) In any event, the kid is just blowing up. I honestly think there's a 50-50 chance he'll be better than Landon by next summer. (And y'all know I'm a Landon fan.) You gotta get him on the field, but where?