Eddie Lewis to left back

[Maximum Optimal]

Methinks this is a good time to try Eddie at left back. I like Eddie better there than Convey for two reasons. Eddie is a little bigger and more physical. Bobby has a more versatile offensive game and playing left back limits the ways he can put that to use. So here's what I would do against T&T: a back 4 of Albright, Gooch, Berhalter and Lewis. A box midfield, with Armas and O'Brien playing deep and Reyna and Convey playing more offensively. McBride and Donovan at forward.

[Heathens '87]

Methinks this is a good time to try Eddie at left back. I like Eddie better there than Convey for two reasons. Eddie is a little bigger and more physical. Bobby has a more versatile offensive game and playing left back limits the ways he can put that to use. So here's what I would do against T&T: a back 4 of Albright, Gooch, Berhalter and Lewis. A box midfield, with Armas and O'Brien playing deep and Reyna and Convey playing more offensively. McBride and Donovan at forward.

Eddie and Bruce have said publicly that they don't want to explore this option. Same with O'Brien. Things might change, and if there's an emergency need, all bets are off. But for this to happen on more than a temporary basis, Arena will have to lobby hard with Lewis (or O'Brien) if he wants to make such a move. They're both understandably reluctant, as moving back tends to happen when you're getting older.

Anyhow, I wouldn't expect it to happen here, not with Convey and Vanney in camp at LB. Who knows what'll happen down the line if a solid LB option doesn't emerge.........

[robchap628]

I would really like to see this happen, if Lewis is capable of defending well enough, I think it would be great, I'd love to have a LB with Lewis's crossing abiltity and I don't see any other answers to the LB problem right now, Vanney is not going to cut it, Convey doesn't have the defending or crossing ability to play there, I really think Convey is better suited playing central midfield, although there is not much room for him there. Lewis may prove to be the answer, don't get me wrong I love Lewis as a left wing, but DMB seems to have that spot and I think this is a good way to keep them both on the field at the same time, with JOB recovering theres a lot of depth in the midfield, Lewis's best bet of eaning a spot in the first XI may very well be as a LB.

[JohnR]

If we are to play Eddie & Convey simultaneously, I want the guy who is the better shooter & crosser closer to the opposing goal.

[robchap628]

If we are to play Eddie & Convey simultaneously, I want the guy who is the better shooter & crosser closer to the opposing goal.

If your referring to my post I said DMB and Eddie simutaneously not Convey and Eddie. I'd definately rather have Eddie on the Wing and Convey at LB, which will probably be the case agaisnt T&T unless Vanney gets the start

[Bigrose30]

Eddie Lewis is our best left winger. So he'll be playing left wing.

Given our current dearth at wingback, I would fancy that Bruce would be more likely to change formations (i.e. 3-4-3, 3-5-2) than to move our best players out of position.

Let a winger wing.

[JohnR]

If your referring to my post

Nope, was referring to Maximum Optimal's original suggestion.

[LittleMaradona]

don't get me wrong I love Lewis as a left wing, but DMB seems to have that spot
I don't think that is a forgone conclusion. I hope that Eddie has some good games the next month with the USMNT to get the naysayers off his back.

[robchap628]

thats nothing against Eddie, but DMB just proves to be to lethal there, in my opinion he's our best player as of late, so why not try and find a way to get DMB and Lewis, both excellent players on the field at the same time

[DrBobC]

Playing him at left back would not be a good idea with DMB out. We lose a lot in our attack without DMB. We need lewis on the laft for this game.

[robchap628]

Playing him at left back would not be a good idea with DMB out. We lose a lot in our attack without DMB. We need lewis on the laft for this game.

For this game lewis is an obvious lock on the wing, but it wouldnt hurt to try him at LB in the future, get him and bease on the field at the same time and possibly solve our problem of horrible LB play

[JohnR]

but it wouldnt hurt to try him at LB in the future, get him and bease on the field at the same time and possibly solve our problem of horrible LB play

Fully agreed. Da Bruce has been struggling for 3 years to fill the LB spot. He's failing because he's hording all his skilled players for midfield and there isn't one remaining to play in the back. Well yeah fine Bruce, but we have good DMB and good Eddie and good JOB and good Claudio and good Landon and good Pablo and (maybe) good Tino in midfield, and we can't play 'em all at the same time. Spread the wealth, baby.

Let's get Eddie and/or JOB at left back, unless for tactical purposes weneed a real hard-nosed tacklers in which case it's, sigh, Frankie I suppose.

[swedust]

I have come to have a very high regard for Eddie Lewis over the last 4+ years, but he does not have the requisite willingness to mix it up that even an offensive-minded wingback must have. And please, nobody raise R. Carlos as an example of anything: he's the exception that proves the rule.

Figuring out how to get the outside mids in a 5-man midfield to play more defense (so that we can go with 3 CBs in the back) is a much more worthy exercise of tactical training than to teach our best LM how not to play his position. And yes, he's a better pure LM than Beasley by virtue of Beasley's value as a roaming forward/AMid.

Would I like a better set of options than Hejduk, Convey, Vanney, Boca (out of position), Spector, Burciaga, Gibbs (out of position), Ward, etc. for that position? Yes I would. But dumping Lewis into that experimental mixture is a waste of a proven commodity.

[ETSC]

It's a shame the US doesn't have any young outside backs who have world class speed and enough skills to turn heads while playing against some of the best young prospects in the world.

[Jay510]

Eddie Lewis at left back huh.....

David Regis, eat your heart out

[leftjab]

I would like us to have a left back who is actually a solid defender first and naturally left-footed, as many opposition attacks come from their right side, but not a converted central defender.

We (both Arena and BS posters) have all tried second best solutions: moving back our offensively-gifted left sided players (DMB, Lewis, even Convey, who is not a natural defender at all, JOB); promoting more natural left-sided defenders who are good offensively but frankly shaky defensively (Burciaga, who makes too many careless giveaways and half-hearted challenges to trust at the back internationally; Dunivant, who is not physical enough and sometimes a step slow covering back down the wing); putting central defenders out wide (Boca; Spector -- who seems to me a more classic central defender with his size and lack of quickness; Gibbs, who is left footed but not so quick; Vanney, who is slowing with age and was never that quick to begin with, and plays central d often for FC Dallas); or putting right-footed players out left (Hedjuk, Albright; Hunter Freeman (!) in the WYC).

with 3 in the back we can use 3 central defender types with the left back more of a central back type player, but i think we can't get away with 3 against top competition, and need a true left back in a 4-man backline.

I have no real suggestions as to who that LB could be, but it seems to me we simply don't have a true LB at the international level. It's not just us, it's a very difficult position to fill. But it's our most glaring weakness positionally.

[DrBobC]

For this game lewis is an obvious lock on the wing, but it wouldnt hurt to try him at LB in the future, get him and bease on the field at the same time and possibly solve our problem of horrible LB play
agreed

[sidefootsitter]

It's a shame the US doesn't have any young outside backs who have world class speed and enough skills to turn heads while playing against some of the best young prospects in the world. US may have them potentially (Burciaga, Spector, Dunivant) but Bruce has not exactly accomodated them this year. Five minutes for Spector does not a try-out make.

Having said that and fully recognizing that it was Eddie Lewis who scored the lone goal at Azteca, I'd still rather have him at the left wing-back spot with DMB protecting him higher than DMB on the right and Lewis trying to protect Carlos Bocanegra, because with Boca or Hejduk, you get no offense from the spot whatsoever and that allows the opponent all sorts of options.

I think in sports, generally, it's preferred to have a decent two way player than a very good one-dimensional one and none of Boca, Hejduk nor Vanney is all that good offensively that his defensive breakdowns can be forgiven.

Eddie Lewis may not be a great defender but he is probably a more than adequate wingback and a better two-way player than his competitors for the spot (with a possible exception of Spector, who has to prove himself at Charlton). Furthermore, playing Eddie L. at left wingback allows DMB to play left mid and Quaranta right mid. Otherwise, you shift DMB to right mid, where he is often lost, or to the bench, which forces you to sit one of your top 5-6 players.

So, with all the options considered, that's where I'd play Lewis ... of course, I made this suggestions months ago too. ;)

[XYZ1234]

Fully agreed. Da Bruce has been struggling for 3 years to fill the LB spot. He's failing because he's hording all his skilled players for midfield and there isn't one remaining to play in the back. Well yeah fine Bruce, but we have good DMB and good Eddie and good JOB and good Claudio and good Landon and good Pablo and (maybe) good Tino in midfield, and we can't play 'em all at the same time. Spread the wealth, baby.

Let's get Eddie and/or JOB at left back, unless for tactical purposes weneed a real hard-nosed tacklers in which case it's, sigh, Frankie I suppose.If we had all of those midfielders available Arena might put one of them at left back. I certainly agree with your reasoning but I can't remember Arena ever having a healthy DMB, Eddie, JOB, Claudio, Landon, and Pablo all available at the same time in the last 3 years. If it happens with a healthy GAM, McBride, Dolo, Gibbs, Boca, Gooch this team will be better than we've ever seen.

I don't think we can rule it out until it's actually an option.

[ursula]

I remember of 4 years ago almost, during that winter Gold Cup wondering here if Arena was gonna try out Lewis at @ left back. After all the situation then was Regis as the #1 then maybe Hedjuk who wasn't doing all that well then. I'd say that compared to now, left back was thinner then.

Well, Area didn't do it then. Since then we've heard from both parties that they don't want to do it. I haven't the foggiest why Arena hasn't tried it or why Lewis doesn't want to try it and why Convey is placed back there so often, but there you have it.