How to best use our talent next summer: 3-4-2-1

[BenC1357]

I know Bruce loves the 4-4-2, but bear with me. This thought started in my head due to the fact that we have little depth at the true forward position besides EJ, but we have one really good target forward in McBride. So why not do this???

---------------Keller----------------
-----CB#3-----Gooch-----Boca------
-------------------O'Brien-----------
-RM---------Reyna-----------Lewis--
------Donovan--------Beasley-------
--------------McBride---------------

CB#3 is either Berhalter, Conrad, Pope, etc.
RM currently is Ralston, but Quaranta, Dempsey or someone else could grow in to that spot. Could Convey play over there?


This allows us to get all our talent on the field, has a good balance of defense and offense, and most importantly doesn't force us to play another striker if we don't have one talented enough for a World Cup starting 11. Donovan and Beasley could run off of McBride and play combinations together as they do so well. The outside mids still make runs all the way forward and back.

Again I know Bruce rarely likes to stray from the 4-4-2, especially in games against good opponents like we'll face in Germany. But why wouldn't this work best?

[rgli13]

we have precious few "proven" goalscorers- it doesnt make sense to leave one off the field. this is assuming, of course, that you feel ej has proven himself. i think he has as much as he possibly can so far.

in any case youre close. 3-4-1-2

keller
gooch-gibbs-boca
dolo-reyna-job-beasley
donovan
ej-mcbride

dolo is the solution to our right mid problem in this formation, and allows us to play a 3 man back line because both dolo and beas are great defensively- thus they can get back and cover on the wings.

so, this would be my official suggestion of how to best use our talent in germany.

[Autogolazo]

keller
gooch-gibbs-boca
dolo-reyna-job-beasley
donovan
ej-mcbride


Not enough "D" here against top-flight competition, we miss not having Lewis out there, and the last thing we want is Beasley having to constantly track back, when he could well be our best attacking option.

Until EJ starts setting the world on fire again, he's on the bench.

I think this is a more realistic lineup:

Keller
Gooch-Gibbs-Boca
Dolo-Reyna-Mastro-Lewis
Donovan-Beasley
McBride

Gives us enough D, solid in the air against all these big European teams, great service from the flanks (Dolo and Lewis are more free to go forward than in 4-4-2). Then sub in EJ, JOB as needed.

[FirstStar]

Assuming he's healthy, any formation that leaves GAM off the pitch is a mistake. Putting GAM up top by himself also appears to be a mistake (although it's only been tried once).

The 3-4-1-2 (better known as the 3-4-3) is a better option. With Lewis on the field out left, the 3-4-3 can easily switch to a 4-3-3 if necessary (and Landon could drop back and make it a traditional 4-4-2).

I like the offense we create with the 3-4-3 and think that our defense should start up top in the opponent's half, thus it's misleading to say that there's not enough defense on the field with this formation. What you are saying is that the last line of defense is thinner. With DMB's and Lewis' ability to track back and Gooch's ability to shut down the middle of the field, there's more defense out there than meets the eye.

[Serie Zed]

Cherundolo CB CB Lewis
--Reyna--Pablo--JOB
---Donovan-Beasley
-------Johnson

[NBlue]

So why not do this???


Because we have Eddie Johnson on our team.

[BenC1357]

Because we have Eddie Johnson on our team.
Not to rip the guy, but what has he doen against anyone who isn't a small team from CONCACAF???

Don't get me wrong, I see the potential, but the guy ripped up the semi-final round of CONCACAF qualifying and hasn't really been seen since. Sure he was hurt, so I'll wait, but I'm not totally convinced that he is ready to start up top in a WC game.

[FirstStar]

Not to rip the guy, but what has he doen against anyone who isn't a small team from CONCACAF???

Don't get me wrong, I see the potential, but the guy ripped up the semi-final round of CONCACAF qualifying and hasn't really been seen since. Sure he was hurt, so I'll wait, but I'm not totally convinced that he is ready to start up top in a WC game.

Who has he played except small teams from CONCACAF? Mexico, and there we saw that he doesn't play well up top all alone. Everything else is pure speculation, but he sure can put the ball into the net.

When healthy, we need him on the field. He doesn't have to do it all by himself, he just needs to bury the chances Landon, dolo, JOB, Reyna et al will create for him. No one else seems to be able to do it, so why take away the one player who has shown promise in this department?

[Stan Collins]

Not to rip the guy, but what has he doen against anyone who isn't a small team from CONCACAF??? Watch the Azteca game again. He didn't score because as a team we sucked, but his touch, his scrap, his vision, his speed, all a cut above our other strikers. This is the guy McBride and Donovan have been dreaming of working with.

I'm not totally convinced that he is ready to start up top in a WC game. I'm about as close to convinced as you can be in this game.

[cherno]

If everyone is healthy and inform (a bigger if with some players than others), these are the guys that I think have to be on the field for us (in pseudo-order):

Keller
Beasley
Donovan
McBride
JOB
GAM (he'll move up once he regains form after his long layoff and shows he can bury em against higher-quality opponents as well - which I think he'll do)
Dolo (mostly because if he's not on the field, someone else is at RB unless we're in a 3 back system which Bruce seems reluctant to do).
Reyna
Gooch

So for me, for the big game when every body is rested and we don't need to worry about saving anyone for the next game what I want on the field is;

------------Keller-----------
Dolo---Gooch---Gibbs/Boca---Lewis (if that experiment works out)
-------------JOB--------------
Reyna--------------------Beas
------------Donovan----------
--------EJ-----------McBride

I realise this is not the best utilization of Reyna, but it's hard to get JOB, Reyna, and Donovan out on the field together in a four man midfield without playing one of them out of position on the wing or putting JOB at LB. I suppose, though, that we could also go with a box midfield with JOB and Reyna as the two DMs and Landon and Beas as the AMs.

To go a little off-topic for this thread, that's 12 of the 23 man roster. Add in Convey, Mastroeni, Ralston, Albright, Marshall, Howard, and Hahnemann and I think that's 19 probables for Germany. I don't know who will take those last four spots. We obviously need two or three more forwards, but who? Twellman? Cunningham? Wolff? Can Ching fight his way back into consideration? Will Quaranta be tried out here? If Tino gets a chance over these last two qualifiers and shows at least as well as Twellman and Cunningham, I won't be surprised to see Bruce bring him along because he also provides some versatility (which Bruce loves). Anyone else that may have a chance of provide us with forward depth next summer?

Cherno

[cpwilson80]

I suppose, though, that we could also go with a box midfield with JOB and Reyna as the two DMs and Landon and Beas as the AMs.


Do this, call JOB and Reyna the two central mids instead of D-mids, and I'm sold on your formation.

[ctruppi]

So for me, for the big game when every body is rested and we don't need to worry about saving anyone for the next game what I want on the field is;

------------Keller-----------
Dolo---Gooch---Gibbs/Boca---Lewis (if that experiment works out)
-------------JOB--------------
Reyna--------------------Beas
------------Donovan----------
--------EJ-----------McBride

Cherno

I love this lineup and it looks very similar to the one we used in 02 to beat Mexico!! Good passing in MF. Tons of speed up top. A solid D. Come on World Cup!

[Clint Eastwood]

If everyone is healthy and inform (a bigger if with some players than others), these are the guys that I think have to be on the field for us (in pseudo-order):

Keller
Beasley
Donovan
McBride
JOB
GAM (he'll move up once he regains form after his long layoff and shows he can bury em against higher-quality opponents as well - which I think he'll do)
Dolo (mostly because if he's not on the field, someone else is at RB unless we're in a 3 back system which Bruce seems reluctant to do).
Reyna
Gooch


So for me, for the big game when every body is rested and we don't need to worry about saving anyone for the next game what I want on the field is;

------------Keller-----------
Dolo---Gooch---Gibbs/Boca---Lewis (if that experiment works out)
-------------JOB--------------
Reyna--------------------Beas
------------Donovan----------
--------EJ-----------McBride

I realise this is not the best utilization of Reyna, but it's hard to get JOB, Reyna, and Donovan out on the field together in a four man midfield without playing one of them out of position on the wing or putting JOB at LB. I suppose, though, that we could also go with a box midfield with JOB and Reyna as the two DMs and Landon and Beas as the AMs.



I like this lineup Cherno. IF IF IF we have a healthy JOB. If not then we put Mastro back there. Please Please Please no Armas.

Reyna can play on the right as we know. After all he played Right Back for Rangers at times. hmmm....

[cherno]

I like this lineup Cherno. IF IF IF we have a healthy JOB. If not then we put Mastro back there. Please Please Please no Armas.

Reyna can play on the right as we know. After all he played Right Back for Rangers at times. hmmm....
I agree. Notice Armas isn't even on my roster (I wouldn't be surprised if he's on Bruce's though . . . next year's Goose?).

Cherno

[cherno]

I like this lineup Cherno. IF IF IF we have a healthy JOB. If not then we put Mastro back there. Please Please Please no Armas.

Reyna can play on the right as we know. After all he played Right Back for Rangers at times. hmmm....
I might also consider putting Reyna back there but then who plays RM. Ralston's not the best solution. Tino has a long way to go but maybe could pull a 2002 Beasley (could just be the homer in me talking). In the end, switching Beasley over there and bringing Convey in might be best, but I would be very reluctant to play perhaps our best field player out of position.

Cherno

[Adam Zebrowski]

Keller
Gooch-Gibbs-Boca
Dolo-Reyna-Mastro-Lewis
Donovan-Beasley
johnson

I agree 3 defenders means a d-mid is needed and mastroeni would be my preference over armas...

against elite sides I see usa being more a counter type side, or one who greats offense off defensive pressure....

[Autogolazo]

The trouble is that we don't have a World Cup-level right mid. Ralston and Quaranta are not even close right now. We faked it for CONCACAF, but in a standard 4-4-2 that would be a glaring positional weakness.

We DO have a World Cup-level right back who is excellent at getting forward.

And we DO have Eddie Lewis, whose crossing ability and potent shot need to be on the field somewhere. His talents are limited in a 4-4-2.

And we DO have 3 talented central defenders playing in Europe (Gooch, Gibbs, Boca), not to mention perhaps a budding talent in Marshall.

At some point, we have to play to our strengths, and I think our strengths right now are counterattacking and set pieces. And some version of 3 in the back with Dolo and Lewis out wide.

I think this is going to leave JOB out in the cold as a starter except perhaps against weak teams where we might have possession (thus his start against T&T).

We have the size now to address the problems that plagued us against Poland and Germany last time. And we have the speed to counter.

[Wahoo]

Cherundolo CB CB Lewis
--Reyna--Pablo--JOB
---Donovan-Beasley
-------Johnson

I can't imagine any way McBride isn't out there.