The next US Right Midfielder

[appoo]

Hey guys with Ben Olsen back we got ourselves a derby for the right Midfield spot. IMHO I think its gonne come down to Ben Olsen, Santino Quaranta, John Thorrington, and Dema Kovalenko. It'd be a waste to limit LD to one side of the field. And I don't know if Reyna will have enough attack left in him to man that spot. What does the Bigsoccer nation think?

[Soccernuthost]

Too many questions right now. Is Olsen really healthy? Or is this one of those false recoveries we've seen before?

Are we actually going to use midfield wings or stick to a more box-like midfield?

My opinion is that if Olsen stays healthy his future lies as left or right wingback. I have no doubt in my mind that had Olsen been uninjured this year, he would have started as our left wingback where we saw Frankie Hedjuk play.

[appoo]

Originally posted by Soccernuthost
Too many questions right now. Is Olsen really healthy? Or is this one of those false recoveries we've seen before?

Are we actually going to use midfield wings or stick to a more box-like midfield?

My opinion is that if Olsen stays healthy his future lies as left or right wingback. I have no doubt in my mind that had Olsen been uninjured this year, he would have started as our left wingback where we saw Frankie Hedjuk play.
pre-injury, he played Right mid better than Earnie Stewart.

[galaxyfan03]

IMHO there are three solid choices for the foreseeable future.

Ben Olsen (provided he makes a full recovery and stays healthy) & Bobby Convey (provided he adds some 15 or 20 pounds over the next couple of years) are the most logical options, based on their skills, talent & potential.

How about John Thorrington, who plays in the English First Division??? I believe he's a RM & his post-match reviews are outstanding, 90% of the time. Think he deserves a cap, ASAP.

As far as Quaranta, isn't he, strictly, a forward?? Play him where he's most effective.

Olsen, Convey & Thorrington are capable of "running" the RM position for the next decade IMHO.

[weasel]

Convey is already taller and heavier than Beasley, so I don't see how he needs to add any more weight. He's also left footed, so I don't see him as the best choice on the right.

Quaranta can play wing, but his future should be at forward.

Thorrington has been playing 2nd Division ball - not 1st (I can't remember if they got promoted), so the jury is still out on how effective he'll be at the highest levels.

[Jacen McCullough]

As of right now, I think it'll come down to Reyna, Olsen, Quaranta or Beasley. If Brad Davis continues to develop at his quick rate, he may well be ready to start by '06, and if that's the case, I see Beasley as the player more likely to be able to play on the other side of the field. Honestly, just based on gut instinct, I think our team will look more like a 3-5-2 for '06. We are short on good defense, so I'd like to see a 3-5-2 with Pope, Mastroeni and maybe Bocanegra in the back, with JOB and Reyna as twin d-mids, Beasley and Davis(or Olsen) on the wings and Donovan at A-mid. Mathis and Wolff up front.

JMac

PS: Yes, I realize that making predictions like this are totally pointless, but that's half the fun. :)

[appoo]

Beasley, Convey and Brad Davis are completly left-sided players. Santino Quaranta does NOT play striker or forward for DC United. He plays Right-Midfielder.

[odg78]

Originally posted by appooOnU
Beasley, Convey and Brad Davis are completly left-sided players. Santino Quaranta does NOT play striker or forward for DC United. He plays Right-Midfielder.


Tino does play as a forward for United. He and Jaime Moreno are our first choice pairing. I believe he has played at right mid for us just a couple of times though he has played the position for the youth teams from time to time.

[BallStateMiddie]

I could see Carrieri getting a shot with the nat's possibly in the midfield. He's a hard worker, and he has the speed to get up and down the flanks. As for 'tino Q, I want him up front every time. I think we'll see one of our usual forwards getting pushed back into the midfield, since we have a plethora of attackers. Maybe even Wolfe on the outside? Somebody who doesn't usually play there, anyway.

[GoDC]

Originally posted by Soccernuthost
Too many questions right now. Is Olsen really healthy? Or is this one of those false recoveries we've seen before?

Are we actually going to use midfield wings or stick to a more box-like midfield?

My opinion is that if Olsen stays healthy his future lies as left or right wingback. I have no doubt in my mind that had Olsen been uninjured this year, he would have started as our left wingback where we saw Frankie Hedjuk play.

Olsen played 30 minutes or so at forward for DC Saturday night. Looked healthy though he ran out of gas after about 15 minutes. Just missed on 2 shots and was very lively, like the Ben of old. I have not seen if he will play tomorrow night on the turf at Naperville or if they will hold him out until after the AS Break.

[braun]

Originally posted by GoDC


Olsen played 30 minutes or so at forward for DC Saturday night. Looked healthy though he ran out of gas after about 15 minutes. Just missed on 2 shots and was very lively, like the Ben of old. I have not seen if he will play tomorrow night on the turf at Naperville or if they will hold him out until after the AS Break.

We have all waited a long time for his return and hope that he will be fit in a short time. When healthy Beninho has always been a spark for the offense. At the international level, however, I can remember pretty ineffective play from him (as a sub), for example, The Gold Cup match vs. Colombia some years ago in Miami, which we lost on penalty kicks.

Just what is his track record internationally?

[GoDC]

Originally posted by braun


We have all waited a long time for his return and hope that he will be fit in a short time. When healthy Beninho has always been a spark for the offense. At the international level, however, I can remember pretty ineffective play from him (as a sub), for example, The Gold Cup match vs. Colombia some years ago in Miami, which we lost on penalty kicks.

Just what is his track record internationally?

He was pretty bad that whole Gold Cup but played pretty well in other appearences with the Nats. I am not sure his stats but he was a key player on the U23 team taht placed 4th in the Olympics and had played a role in the Senior Nats before the injuries.

[fidlerre]

Originally posted by galaxyfan03


How about John Thorrington, who plays in the English First Division??? I believe he's a RM & his post-match reviews are outstanding, 90% of the time. Think he deserves a cap, ASAP.

i think thorrington was called up once and received a cap but i could be thinking of someone else...i wanna say it was last summer sometime.

anyway. from the reports on this guy i think he could be a really viable option on the right side of midfield...

[diablodelsol]

Originally posted by fidlerre


i think thorrington was called up once and received a cap but i could be thinking of someone else...i wanna say it was last summer sometime.

anyway. from the reports on this guy i think he could be a really viable option on the right side of midfield...

June 2001 - US-Equador. The same match that Mathis blew out his knee in training.

Got about 30 minutes and didn't really have that much of an impact.

[teskicks]

Is Ralston completely out of the picture? From a distance in the past I didn't really notice how well he plays, his work rate at both ends of the field and especially his service into the box. Now that I get to see him everygame I am convinced that he should at least be in the picture and get some consideration. It has been amazing to watch him work with Twellman this season. Maybe I'm just a biased REVs fan but I think he at least deserves another chance.

[Sandon Mibut]

*If Olsen stays healthy, he's the front-runner, period. Don't worry about his fitness, as it will come back. He has a huge set of lungs and pre injury he could run all day.

*I don't think Ralston should be written off. I'm not saying he's gonna be our David Beckham but he's playing too well, and too consistently, in MLS to be forgotten and he's only gonna be 32 in the World Cup. While not young, it's not too old to be effective.

And now, 3 names for the future.

*Marcus Storey, a rising sophomore at North Carolina, where he was ACC Rookie of the Year last fall. Think a right-footed version of DaMarcus Beasley. He's not quite as good as Beasley but he's just as fast and a little bigger. Currently plays a lot of forward but has played some wide mid. Besides his skills, the kid's a winner, having won USYSA titles this summer and last sandwiched around an NCAA title last fall. He'll be 23 in June, 06.

*Adolfo Gregorio, a rising junior at UCLA. Not nearly the athlete Storey is but a technically sound player who is a very good crosser. He's an alum of the original Bradenton group and was on the U17 team that came in 4th in NZ in 99 and is currently in the U23 pool. He'll also be 23 in June, 06.

*John DiRaimando, the starting right mid for the current U17 team. Guillermo Gonzalez has gotten more hype but DiRaimando is supposedly the better player. He is supposed to be a trememdous crosser (I say "supposed" because I've never actually seen him play and am going on what people have told me) and has good pace and also has a nose for the goal. He'll be 20 in June, 06, the same age Beasley and Donovan were in Korea.

[QuakeAttack]

Originally posted by appooOnU

pre-injury, he played Right mid better than Earnie Stewart.

Ha, Ha, Ha...You're funny! At first, I thought you were serious. Then, I realized that you must be a DC United fan who is remembering the glorious days of yester-year...

Reality Check: Ben had/may have the potential to be better than Earnie, but he has never shown it at the USMNT level. I remember him as a 'rag doll' who get up and down the field for 90 minutes, but he wasn't much of a scoring threat and could be taken out of his game by physical play. His cross was OK to weak.

I hope Ben recovers in the next year or two and becomes an option at right-mids...

[appoo]

Originally posted by QuakeAttack


Ha, Ha, Ha...You're funny! At first, I thought you were serious. Then, I realized that you must be a DC United fan who is remembering the glorious days of yester-year...

Reality Check: Ben had/may have the potential to be better than Earnie, but he has never shown it at the USMNT level. I remember him as a 'rag doll' who get up and down the field for 90 minutes, but he wasn't much of a scoring threat and could be taken out of his game by physical play. His cross was OK to weak.

I hope Ben recovers in the next year or two and becomes an option at right-mids...

I am not a DC United fan. I am a fan of US Soccer. And Earnie Stewart did nothing over the past year and a half. Thats what I am basig it on.

[352klr]

And Ben Olsen has done even less in the past year and a half.

[todda74]

Originally posted by 352klr
And Ben Olsen has done even less in the past year and a half.

touche