Santino...Tino...whatevah - he's good

[United20]

Quaranta is really picking his game. He is a total different player than I have ever seen him. The Gold Cup was just a starter. For those who have not seen his MLS performance this year...Tino just might make a late push ala Beasley did in 2002.

[Diakonov]

He looked really good tonight against the Metros.

[PhillyMLS]

He looked really good tonight against the Metros.

Well if we are going to go on how people play against the Metros we better call up most of Rochester's players.

[Sanguine]

Well if we are going to go on how people play against the Metros we better call up most of Rochester's players.

zing, but seriously, Quaranta has been playing very well for the better part of the last few months. He's a big-time talent, and he's starting to show it again now that he's had a decent stretch of good health.

[Sandon Mibut]

His last two games Quaranta has played against Mapp and Gaven and shown why he's getting the call-ups and they aren't: He plays defense and they don't.

Even though he's been listed as a forward these past two games, he's tracked back and he plays high pressure on the opposing forwards. Mapp and Gaven played next to no defense.

Gotta be a two-way player to be an effective player with the national team and Quaranta has become one.

And, for the second straight game, another great pass for an assist on a Kovalenko goal.

[luvdagame]

what impresses me about tino is the rarity with which he loses the ball even tho he consistently takes on defenders.

when a forward consistently takes on defenders, even the top forwards in good leagues, he will lose the ball a fair amount of the time. tino's percentage is very low in the games i've seen him play recently. then he follows his dribbling up with some precise passing.

for me, he is the heir to ralston's right wing spot. bruce seems to be grooming him for it.

he may also become one of bruce's many players who can play more than one position. he can be a forward and he can sit behind two forwards as an amid.

very talented player!

[D-Wall]

Santino is finally realizing his potential. He was excellent in the last two games and he brings a sophistication to the game with his skills.

The one thing I never really noticed about him was his size. He was turning defenders and riding tackles so easily against the Metros.

He has to improve his finishing though. Hopefully that comes back to him as well...

[DCFAN96]

Watching him you can really pick up on soem skills he has learned from Moreno and Marco. The way he shields the ball with his body is very similar to Jaime and his passing/visoin to look for that quick long ball is ala Marco. A big knock on him last year was his movement on the ball and him not playing defense but hes really picked that up this season, hes becoming a completer player and fortunately for him his talents allow him to play either at foward or in the midfield.

[Heathens '87]

for me, he is the heir to ralston's right wing spot. bruce seems to be grooming him for it.

he may also become one of bruce's many players who can play more than one position. he can be a forward and he can sit behind two forwards as an amid. very talented player!

I wouldn't exactly call right wing "Ralston's spot" given that he only came into the picture for the Jamaica qualifier last year, and has been getting a lot of playing time due to Reyna's unavailability, along with other injuries. Steve's been very helpful, but it's not as if he's been holding that position down for years.

Santino is a good example of a player who seems to be coachable, and now that he's finally healthy, he's able to implement what he's been hearing. His time with the USMNT seems to have resulted in him honestly working on what Arena asked him to, and I think you're right in that it starts with defense, and goes on to some positional flexibility.

It'll be interesting to see how he does as the competition level increases, but making a roster after the Gold Cup was a key next step....

[luvdagame]

i'm not a big ralston fan. in fact i consider the right wing to be one of the gaping holes along with left back for the usmnt.

but ralston has played the right wing more than any one else in recent times. and when reyna plays he does not usually play the right wing. in fact ralston has played right wing with reyna on the field. hence my phrase.

[LittleMaradona]

Sonny is the man.

[swedust]

I want to second that other still-getting-to-know-Quaranta poster about not realizing how big he was before seeing him feature in the Gold Cup. That he can withstand challenges while moving with the ball at speed is an asset we don't really get from any of our top guys, save I guess JOB but he doesn't have the same wheels. Dempsey also brings this quality, but to a lesser degree.

Good to have that kind of talent pushing the rest of the pool, whether these new guys become regular starters or not. I'd love to see Quaranta earn a spot in the First XI in Hartford, but that's probably our best midfield pool in a camp ever, with only Maestro missing from our top shelf guys.

[Red Card]

He looked really good tonight against the Metros.

I'm not taking anything away from Tino, who really looked great last night.

But last night is not conclusive. Metros' midfield lacks defensive bite. That is their fundamental weakness. Recently Mark Chung became player of the week against this weakness.

[ursula]

Call him "Hon" and you'll be alright by me.

[ursula]

His last two games Quaranta has played against Mapp and Gaven and shown why he's getting the call-ups and they aren't: He plays defense and they don't.

Even though he's been listed as a forward these past two games, he's tracked back and he plays high pressure on the opposing forwards. Mapp and Gaven played next to no defense.

Gotta be a two-way player to be an effective player with the national team and Quaranta has become one.

And, for the second straight game, another great pass for an assist on a Kovalenko goal.

I must say that some folks here sure got riled up a month ago when I said that the reason that Gaven doesn't make the Germany team will be because of Quaranta.

That's still true.

[Sandon Mibut]

I must say that some folks here sure got riled up a month ago when I said that the reason that Gaven doesn't make the Germany team will be because of Quaranta.

That's still true.To be clear, I'm not giving up on Mapp or Gaven. I believe both have futures with the national team. However (or how-ev-ah, if you prefer), I expect our flanks to be very ably manned thru 2010 (and beyond) by a quartet of Beas, Tino, Gaven and Mapp after Germany.

But for that to happen, Mapp and Gaven will have to learn what Beas and Tino did and that's no matter how good you are in the attack, you have to play both ways.

[sidefootsitter]

I must say that some folks here sure got riled up a month ago when I said that the reason that Gaven doesn't make the Germany team will be because of Quaranta... Eddie doesn't have Q's speed and now is behind on the ball control and passing as well. Eddie's still a deadlier finisher.

Personally, I think they are both mishandled somewhat by their respective coaches. Quaranta is a dynamite flank player and Gaven is more suited to be an off-forward, which is the reverse of the positions they actually play for their club teams.

Of course, I am generally down on Bob Bradley's moves anyway.

[tab5g]

if Tino does make the WC roster for Germany, he won't be keeping Gaven off the roster. The person who would be doing that, other than Arena and his tendencies toward rewarding long-serving players, would be someone like Ralston or maybe Jones, or Klien or I-don't-know-who-else Arena could fall back on.

[Anthony]

In honor of MLS's greatest Italian-American player

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Flag_of_Italy.png/250px-Flag_of_Italy.png

[ghazi]

In honor of MLS's greatest Italian-American player

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Flag_of_Italy.png/250px-Flag_of_Italy.png

Meola rocks.