Galarcep's 23 man roster

[keller4president]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=364781&root=mls&cc=5901

He has Berhalter over Spector for eigth defender and Olsen as eigth midfielder. I think his choices and reasoning make a lot of sense.

[BED-STYPUNDIT]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=364781&root=mls&cc=5901

He has Berhalter over Spector for eigth defender and Olsen as eigth midfielder. I think his choices and reasoning make a lot of sense.

That his opinions and all, but we shall see what happens.

[peledre]

If it comes down to Berhalter or Spector I would pick Spector, we've got 4 guys, Berhalter, Gibbs, Gooch, and Pope who are all solid in central midfield. I always pick a guy on the way up rather than a guy on the way down. Plus Spector can play several different positions, and has a more attacking mentality than Berhalter does.

[Sean Donahue]

Seeing Hahnemann as the front-runner for the No. 2 spot is understandable because he has been starting all season for Reading while Howard has been on the bench for Manchester United, but that should not take away from the simple fact that Howard is the better goalkeeper.
Umm how is that a fact? And is form not very important for a goalkeeper?

[Soccerprep]

This is the exact squad I picked weeks ago, perhaps ESPN should hire me...I will write a weekly column for them, and they could fly me around the country to develop ideas for my column and watch some soccer.

[sidefootsitter]

Spector is playing and getting decent grades for Charlton, a team in the Premier League, which is better than Bundesliga, which in turn is better than Bundesliga 2.

Oh, and Gregg sucked vs. Germany.

Plus, I think Ching makes it before Twellman.

After Jamaica, I may have to agree on Olsen over Zavagnin.

[lurking]

If we put Greg Berhalter on the field we are screwed. The guy is an utter disaster. IMO his inability to defend led to the goal given up to Germany in WC02, he played extremely poorly in the Confed Cup in France, and he was absolutely a disaster vs. Germany most recently. The guy simply cannot play the position at an international level, and will cost us.

[Dr.Phil]

Plus, I think Ching makes it before Twellman.

Af.


No I dont think Ching is ready for a WC

[ursula]

Yeah, the only way I see Berhalter making the team is if Arena decides to use Gibbs at left back extensively. I can imagine Gobbs spending some time out there but more in a lets close out this game we're winning rather then as an everyday starter.

[Cweedchop]

Spector is playing and getting decent grades for Charlton, a team in the Premier League, which is better than Bundesliga, which in turn is better than Bundesliga 2.

Oh, and Gregg sucked vs. Germany.

Plus, I think Ching makes it before Twellman.

After Jamaica, I may have to agree on Olsen over Zavagnin.

As much as I want to see Spector play for the US, playing a handfull of matches for a team that perfects the 0-0 draw doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

I'm far from a Berhalter fan, but the guy has ridiculous experience on his side, including two fantastic matches at this thing called a World Cup a few years back.

That more than anything else will win out over Spector. Besides, Berhalter/Spector at this point is 4th in the pecking order to get off the bench for central defense. If that case pans itself out, I'd much rather have a player with years of experience over a kid who has played about 1/2 of a Premiership season.

Contrary to popular belief, players do from time to time have bad games and Berhalter certainly couldn't have stunk any worse against Germany. He has a lot more very good matches on his resume than that one clunker.

[Cweedchop]

If we put Greg Berhalter on the field we are screwed. The guy is an utter disaster. IMO his inability to defend led to the goal given up to Germany in WC02,


????????

Do you mean the pathetic foul called on Eddie Lewis that preceeded Germany's goal? Or are you reffering to Tony Sanneh and his non-existent marking on Ballack?

By the way, Berhalter had nothing to do with either of those plays and also had what amounted to a goal being called back had the ref or the linesman been paying attention.

Berhalter played and defended well in both matches against Mexico and Germany. And those just coincidentaly enough happen to be two of the biggest matches the US has played in recent memory.

I shudder to think what a nervous Spector would have done given the same chance.

[Hustletown]

I think Hejduk has eliminated himself from the final roster with his performance against Jamaica. The last impression he's left in Bruce's mind obviously wasn't a good one, and the poor performance in general is why he delayed naming the first draft World Cup roster.

The MLS pool, outside of Dempsey/Donovan/Pope and maybe Olsen has been very unimpressive of late. Really, Donovan hasn't done anything either lately. I know he's a good player, but it just seems like he lacks a true attacking instinct at times for the Nats.

My Opinion on the WC Roster

* Starters

Keepers (3)

Kasey Keller*
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard

Defenders (8)

Oguchi Onyewu*
Eddie Pope
Corey Gibbs*
Steve Cherundolo*
Eddie Lewis*
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Spector
Gregg Berhalter

Midfielders (7)

Claudio Reyna*
John O'Brien
DaMarcus Beasley*
Pablo Mastroeni*
Bobby Convey*
Clint Dempsey
Ben Olsen

Forwards (5)

Brian McBride*
Landon Donovan*
Josh Wolff
Eddie Johnson
Taylor Twellman

Left Corner- Convey/Beasley
Right Corner- Donovan/Convey
Free Kicks- Convey
Penalties- McBride

I'd play with a straight 4-4-2 ideally with Reyna/O'Brien in the middle. I just don't believe in any of our D-mids that much, but if JOB/Reyna can't start then fall back into the Diamond with Mastroeni at DM.

I'd love to have another winger. We might do good with Brian Mullan or Freddy Adu (if he was right sided). Too bad Mullan didn't learn how to cross last year, or he'd be on the roster. Adu is one of the best passers in the league, one of the fastest/most creative and a better set piece player than Donovan in my opinion. Just too soon for Fredster.

I'd like to see Donovan up front just because no one else is stepping up at forward. Donovan doesn't really have the instinct to play A Mid against top tier competition in my opinion. Force his aggression by putting him up top.

I'm only going 8 defenders and really don't like including Berhalter. Bocanegra and Spector are interchangeable parts who could fill in at any spot in the back if needed.

Some players I'd love to have on the roster but either haven't performed as well as they could, haven't gotten the look, not ready, etc.:

DM Ricardo Clark
WM Brian Mullan
WM Freddy Adu
S Edson Buddle
S Kenny Cooper

[aueagle1]

I think that Galarcep is likely correct, but I would take Spector over Berhalter and, now, Bocanegra. Spector is steady and can fill in at multiple roles. Berhalter, despite his excellent perforfance for years ago, is a gamble. I have found Bocanegra's performance uninspiring. However, both have the experience on Spector and I expect that Arena takes both instead. I don't think that it will be a problem either way.

[Bluecat82]

What would make things interesting is if one of the big three were injured in the next month. Reis and Joe Cannon are the best goalkeepers in MLS, but Arena would surely be tempted to call up longtime favorite Meola to be the third goalkeeper for a second straight World Cup. Meola has looked solid for the Red Bulls so far this season, and if he keeps that up in April, it will make it much easier for Arena to justify selecting him in the event one of the big three suffers an injury.

If it's Hahnemann or Howard, yeah, maybe.

If it's Keller, I've two word for you, Ives...

Brad. Friedel.

[Maximum Optimal]

????????

Do you mean the pathetic foul called on Eddie Lewis that preceeded Germany's goal? Or are you reffering to Tony Sanneh and his non-existent marking on Ballack?

By the way, Berhalter had nothing to do with either of those plays and also had what amounted to a goal being called back had the ref or the linesman been paying attention.

Berhalter played and defended well in both matches against Mexico and Germany. And those just coincidentaly enough happen to be two of the biggest matches the US has played in recent memory.

I shudder to think what a nervous Spector would have done given the same chance.

While I agree with your recollection of those two plays against Germany, I don't think Berhalter played well in the 2002 Germany match. Whenever he was isolated against Neuville he did a very poor job of closing him down. Gave him way too much space. I believe Berhalter would have the same problems against any forward with any sort of quickness.

[camasterton]

I think Hejduk has eliminated himself from the final roster with his performance against Jamaica. The last impression he's left in Bruce's mind obviously wasn't a good one, and the poor performance in general is why he delayed naming the first draft World Cup roster.

The MLS pool, outside of Dempsey/Donovan/Pope and maybe Olsen has been very unimpressive of late. Really, Donovan hasn't done anything either lately. I know he's a good player, but it just seems like he lacks a true attacking instinct at times for the Nats.

My Opinion on the WC Roster

* Starters

Keepers (3)

Kasey Keller*
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard

Defenders (8)

Oguchi Onyewu*
Eddie Pope
Corey Gibbs*
Steve Cherundolo*
Eddie Lewis*
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Spector
Gregg Berhalter

Midfielders (7)

Claudio Reyna*
John O'Brien
DaMarcus Beasley*
Pablo Mastroeni*
Bobby Convey*
Clint Dempsey
Ben Olsen

Forwards (5)

Brian McBride*
Landon Donovan*
Josh Wolff
Eddie Johnson
Taylor Twellman

Left Corner- Convey/Beasley
Right Corner- Donovan/Convey
Free Kicks- Convey
Penalties- McBride

I'd play with a straight 4-4-2 ideally with Reyna/O'Brien in the middle. I just don't believe in any of our D-mids that much, but if JOB/Reyna can't start then fall back into the Diamond with Mastroeni at DM.


The best roster! From your post to Arena's lips I hope!

[BED-STYPUNDIT]

????????

Do you mean the pathetic foul called on Eddie Lewis that preceeded Germany's goal? Or are you reffering to Tony Sanneh and his non-existent marking on Ballack?

By the way, Berhalter had nothing to do with either of those plays and also had what amounted to a goal being called back had the ref or the linesman been paying attention.

Berhalter played and defended well in both matches against Mexico and Germany. And those just coincidentaly enough happen to be two of the biggest matches the US has played in recent memory.

I shudder to think what a nervous Spector would have done given the same chance.

Berhaulter didn't play well aganist Germany as he respected an overrated Oliver Neuville too much, and why would Spector be nervous? You shouldn't doubt a 20 year old and automatically assume he'll be nervous. Even veterans of many World Cup get nervous, and Berhaulter is capable of many mistakes, so don't discredit Berhaulter just because he has experience. Experience doesn't guarantee placid pastures on the pitch .

[WC2010Champs!]

I think Hejduk has eliminated himself from the final roster with his performance against Jamaica. The last impression he's left in Bruce's mind obviously wasn't a good one, and the poor performance in general is why he delayed naming the first draft World Cup roster.

The MLS pool, outside of Dempsey/Donovan/Pope and maybe Olsen has been very unimpressive of late. Really, Donovan hasn't done anything either lately. I know he's a good player, but it just seems like he lacks a true attacking instinct at times for the Nats.

My Opinion on the WC Roster

* Starters

Keepers (3)

Kasey Keller*
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard

Defenders (8)

Oguchi Onyewu*
Eddie Pope
Corey Gibbs*
Steve Cherundolo*
Eddie Lewis*
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Spector
Gregg Berhalter

Midfielders (7)

Claudio Reyna*
John O'Brien
DaMarcus Beasley*
Pablo Mastroeni*
Bobby Convey*
Clint Dempsey
Ben Olsen

Forwards (5)

Brian McBride*
Landon Donovan*
Josh Wolff
Eddie Johnson
Taylor Twellman

Left Corner- Convey/Beasley
Right Corner- Donovan/Convey
Free Kicks- Convey
Penalties- McBride

I'd play with a straight 4-4-2 ideally with Reyna/O'Brien in the middle. I just don't believe in any of our D-mids that much, but if JOB/Reyna can't start then fall back into the Diamond with Mastroeni at DM.

I'd love to have another winger. We might do good with Brian Mullan or Freddy Adu (if he was right sided). Too bad Mullan didn't learn how to cross last year, or he'd be on the roster. Adu is one of the best passers in the league, one of the fastest/most creative and a better set piece player than Donovan in my opinion. Just too soon for Fredster.

I'd like to see Donovan up front just because no one else is stepping up at forward. Donovan doesn't really have the instinct to play A Mid against top tier competition in my opinion. Force his aggression by putting him up top.

I'm only going 8 defenders and really don't like including Berhalter. Bocanegra and Spector are interchangeable parts who could fill in at any spot in the back if needed.

Some players I'd love to have on the roster but either haven't performed as well as they could, haven't gotten the look, not ready, etc.:

DM Ricardo Clark
WM Brian Mullan
WM Freddy Adu
S Edson Buddle
S Kenny Cooper


ill take your roster. i love having spector on the roster. I am worried about beerholder. he is 33 years old and he was slow when he was 23. we will be playing some fast individuals in 8 weeks and i dont want him to see the field. the only other open position was the last midfielder, i dont like olsen but he has "won" the position. olsen does have a few things going for him as well, mainly that he plays d-mid and r-mid. If he goes, he is clearly man 23 though. I, like you, wish clark and adu had made a push as it would have really prepared our team for 2010 much better.

[lurking]

????????

Do you mean the pathetic foul called on Eddie Lewis that preceeded Germany's goal? Or are you reffering to Tony Sanneh and his non-existent marking on Ballack?

By the way, Berhalter had nothing to do with either of those plays and also had what amounted to a goal being called back had the ref or the linesman been paying attention.

Berhalter played and defended well in both matches against Mexico and Germany. And those just coincidentaly enough happen to be two of the biggest matches the US has played in recent memory.

I shudder to think what a nervous Spector would have done given the same chance.

It could have been Lewis's foul. I do remember Berhalter giving up some fouls high and wide. Anytime he was pulled out to the side he was awful in that game.

And yeah, he can have "good" games. As long as hes not exposed at all in the back to either pressure or has to close down an attacker in space. But hes utter trash if hes not protected.

Hes a weak defender, he has been exposed more than once. Frankly I wouldnt rank him much above Tim Regan, and I am not a Tim Regan fan. The guy just isnt good.

[mj23drj]

Berhaulter didn't play well aganist Germany as he respected an overrated Oliver Neuville too much, and why would Spector be nervous? You shouldn't doubt a 20 year old and automatically assume he'll be nervous. Even veterans of many World Cup get nervous, and Berhaulter is capable of many mistakes, so don't discredit Berhaulter just because he has experience. Experience doesn't guarantee placid pastures on the pitch .

Yeah, if I remember correctly, Jeff Agoos had a lot of experience last WC Too ! That certainly didn't turn out too well, did it ?