View Full Version : Where's Gooch?
All this talk of Eddie Pope starting is scary. Anyone know what's up there..
Sachsen
03 Jun 2005, 12:14 PM
All this talk of Eddie Pope starting is scary. Anyone know what's up there..
It's very simple. Scary or not, right or wrong, Pope is going to start because of (a) the location of the game - Bruce throwing a bone to the home crowd; and (b) his "experience."
I fully expect Gooch to sub in for Pope around the 65' mark.
FC Tallavana
03 Jun 2005, 12:20 PM
Nope to Pope I Hope.
BlackLotus
03 Jun 2005, 12:33 PM
Nope to Pope I Hope.
that would make a good newspaper headline :)
InnocentBystander
03 Jun 2005, 01:09 PM
All this talk of Eddie Pope starting is scary. Anyone know what's up there..
I'm not worried about Pope. The odds are very slim that he will have two bad games in a row. Besides, he's had lots of experience against central American teams. That's got to count here...
DISCLAIMER: I'm no apologist for Pope. I expect (and hope) that his playing time will phase out by the '06 WC. But for qualifiers, his experience makes him a better option than Gooch. By the end of WCQs and pre-WC friendlies, I expect Gooch to become the central defender of first choice. But for now, Pope will do.
ugaaccountant
03 Jun 2005, 01:20 PM
All this talk of Eddie Pope starting is scary. Anyone know what's up there..
Link?
his lineup in his tuneup the other day was convey-Boca-Gibbs-Dolo, has something changed? This was obviously a response to Pope and Vanney dropping the ball against England.
SamsArmySam
03 Jun 2005, 01:24 PM
I don't really get it, either.
Could be Gooch can't go 180 in 4 days time. So Pope has to play one of the two games. CR makes more sense because they are less reliant than Panama on speed. And the home town thing is a factor. (But on that, I would imagine Bruce would tell MLS to kindly stick it if he felt Pope couldn't cut it in the back against CR, home town crowd or not.)
After seeing Pope against the England attack, and then the Frankie callup, I thought for sure we'd see the following if Gooch wasn't in the middle with Gibbs:
Hejduk--Boca--Gibbs--Dolo
Here's to wishing Pope an oustanding performance tomorrow.
SamsArmySam
03 Jun 2005, 01:26 PM
Link?
his lineup in his tuneup the other day was convey-Boca-Gibbs-Dolo, has something changed? This was obviously a response to Pope and Vanney dropping the ball against England.
Here's the Connolly article.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=334868&cc=5901
Assumption is that Connolly is privy to more inside information than we are.
And frankly, I'd love to see your back line against CR.
ugaaccountant
03 Jun 2005, 01:30 PM
Here's the Connolly article.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=334868&cc=5901
Assumption is that Connolly is privy to more inside information than we are.
And frankly, I'd love to see your back line against CR.
Thanks, Connolly normally is right so I guess that's what we've got.
dcole
03 Jun 2005, 01:40 PM
I re-watched the first half of the England game last night and found Pope's play to be frightening. On the first goal, Eddie didn't need to commit that foul. He had plenty of time to get goal-side of his man rather than flattening him. The camera work was crappy and it was hard to see how Johnson got so open for that through-ball, but Pope clearly thought it was Gibbs' fault from the tounge-lashing he gave Gibbs after the foul. Gibbs just looked at him like he was crazy. Eddie also goofed on the second goal, but the scarriest part for me was a back pass to Pope in about minute 15 that Eddie let go under his foot and roll about 25 yards past him into the center of the midfield. Luckily, England was snoozing at the time, but that was just unacceptable. I don't see Bruce starting Pope to appease MLS. I'm hoping for and expecting to see Gooch in the first XI.
Justin O
03 Jun 2005, 01:42 PM
From the Connolly article:
The U.S. will look to mark him with a backline that will likely include Carlos Bocanegra, Cory Gibbs, Eddie Pope and either Steve Cherundolo or Frankie Hejduk at right back.
I hope there isn't too much thought going into that last decision. I'd rather see Gooch than Pope, but I'd REALLY rather see Cherundolo than Frankie, God love him.
geordienation
03 Jun 2005, 01:46 PM
Here's the Connolly article.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=334868&cc=5901
Assumption is that Connolly is privy to more inside information than we are.
And frankly, I'd love to see your back line against CR.
Connolly wrote that off of a conference call. He's not privy to much more than you and I have.
stinky
03 Jun 2005, 01:54 PM
article in usatoday says gooch is there.Linkage (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/national/2005-06-03-us-costa-rica-preview_x.htm)
Adam Zebrowski
03 Jun 2005, 03:23 PM
I could see arena going gibbs and bocanegra against costa rica..
with onyewu playing in panama...
pope would be a nightmare...
wanchope would eat him alive on current form.
article in usatoday says gooch is there.Linkage (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/national/2005-06-03-us-costa-rica-preview_x.htm)
More importantly, what the hell does Keller have in the back of his pants? Tony Meola? Yikes.....
Hopefully that big (padded?) ass comes in handy...blocking something off the line, or by merely distracting Latin players... :eek:
Reminds me of "oops, I crapped my pants" on SNL
Also, mark me down as officially scared of Pope marking Wanchope. Would love to be wrong, but I just think Eddie is a step slow, and not powerful enough to handle him.
Having said, US should be able to score a couple (at least) against CR, so if the damage gets limited to 1 goal...maybe that will suffice.
Adam Zebrowski
04 Jun 2005, 02:48 PM
grant wahl reports gooch hadn't trained due to a knee bruise, but might ne more likely for panama...
now if bocanegra is your left back...
by default, gibbs and pope are the remaining center backs...
pope or berhalter....
don't want either matching up with wanchope...
the key, then, if bocanegra is in the middle...who's at left back..??
convey...hejduk...
the trade-off is whether having either is better than having pope!!