Wahl: Interview with Ast. Coach Onalfo (Ghanaian Scout)

[ECRedSoxFan]

Mods, if this is elsewhere, please remove, but I thought it was worth posting.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/grant_wahl/06/20/inside.onalfo/index.html

[Knave]

SI.com: I'm told there's a fun story about how you got Ghana game tapes to help your scouting from a Ghanaian businessman in Washington D.C.?

Onalfo: It's funny. My wife just brought over two more from him. This guy was so helpful in getting games for us. It's a contact through D.C. United, a mentor or friend of Nana (Kuffour) from Ghana, who played for D.C. United. This guy runs a distribution center for African foods out of D.C., and [United technical director] Dave Kaspar gave me his number. It was one of those things where I was like, Should I even bother to call this guy? Thank god I did, because 24 hours later I had a whole bunch of DVDs on Ghana. I got all their World Cup qualifying games, got their friendly games. Not all from him, but he provided six or seven games for us. It's all helpful, because it's not easy to get those games. They're played in some remote places like Congo and everywhere else.
That's a great story!

[luftmensch]

Mods, if this is elsewhere, please remove, but I thought it was worth posting.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/grant_wahl/06/20/inside.onalfo/index.html
It is, thanks. Good to know that we weren't taking Ghana as likely as Bruce seemed to indicate (I didn't think so, but it sure got the Ghana fans riled up...).

[dcole]

There's A LOT of substance in this article and I'm only half way done. I'm glad I'm getting to read it but I really hope no one associated with team Ghana gets a hold of it. I wonder if the Bruce authorized this interview.

EDIT: Finished reading it and I spoke a bit too soon. The substance pretty much ended where I originally stopped reading. Still, Onalfo's main conclusion is one I'd rather not share with Ghana.

[swedust]

Do we really have "great team speed"? I saw it against Latvia, but....

[QuakeAttack]

Good story, but nothing really new...

Once again, the team controlling the midfield will win this game. I expect them to play a little more consertative in attack.

I would like to see Curt address Ghana's transition defense. In watching the Ghana vs CR game, CR had some good counterattacks, but no results.

[Rob Base]

So if Mooch scouted the Czechs, then I'm guessing he gets an D. Seems I remember a podcast from him prior to that match where he talked about the strategy of attacking the space the Czechs would give on the wings. I don't remember seeing any space on the wings or anywhere else in their half.

Of course, I realize that the early Koller goal put the Czechs in a position to completely change their game plan and that may have made us look like we had no game plan (other that walk around looking beaten for most of the game).

Regardless of the circumstances, I prefer the scouting that led up to the Italy match to that prior to the Czech match. Let's hope Curt has it sorted out.

R.

[macheath]

So if Mooch scouted the Czechs, then I'm guessing he gets an D. Seems I remember a podcast from him prior to that match where he talked about the strategy of attacking the space the Czechs would give on the wings. I don't remember seeing any space on the wings or anywhere else in their half.

Of course, I realize that the early Koller goal put the Czechs in a position to completely change their game plan and that may have made us look like we had no game plan (other that walk around looking beaten for most of the game).

Regardless of the circumstances, I prefer the scouting that led up to the Italy match to that prior to the Czech match. Let's hope Curt has it sorted out.

R.

Well, let's hope Curt doesn't want to say what we're going to do, and print it for everyone to read. Against the Czechs, Ghana attacked pretty centrally and directly, so I think the stuff about speed and not getting into footraces is correct. The Ghana mids will be even more important with some of their strikers out for cautions. Keller has to be very alert for them bombing it from outside the area, and we need to mark them closely when they get within 30yards or so. I worry about our central defenders, and also no Maistroeni--who will be the DM that takes on Essien?

So I think a 3-5-2 might be considered to clog up the center more, and push Ghana out wide.

On our attack, I guess I saw a little more room on the flanks than you did from Ghana, but that could be because their opponents were attacking centrally. I think going wide makes sense, and also trying to win corners. The Ghanan keeper (Richards, I think) is quite athletic, but at least some of his athletic saves came from being out of position (sort of a Tim Howard problem...) So clog the midfield, go wide, play in the air and win set pieces.

[dirtskier]

So if Mooch scouted the Czechs, then I'm guessing he gets an D. Seems I remember a podcast from him prior to that match where he talked about the strategy of attacking the space the Czechs would give on the wings. I don't remember seeing any space on the wings or anywhere else in their half.

Of course, I realize that the early Koller goal put the Czechs in a position to completely change their game plan and that may have made us look like we had no game plan (other that walk around looking beaten for most of the game).

Regardless of the circumstances, I prefer the scouting that led up to the Italy match to that prior to the Czech match. Let's hope Curt has it sorted out.

R.


actually we got to thier corners pretty well. problem is it was with Beasley who couldnt do jack with it, and Convey couldn't hit a cross to save his life that day.

[Shaster]

I like Arena's scouting. He basically like said that Italy has no weakness (like he said that for Portugal 4 years ago). I kind of expect what he will do just exactly what he did in first half against Italy in 2002.

[Nutmeg]

In a recent press conference, it was interesting that Donovan said Ghana was at their best when they're allowed to find a rythm to their game. It made me believe that the US gameplan was to get into the midfield and disrupt them at every opportunity.

Reading this, it sounds like the US plans to sit back a little more, let Ghana try to get numbers forward, and look for the counter.

So will we press, or will we sit back?

[Hustletown]

I don't think we'll sit back. We can't given the result we need. We haven't displayed the efficiency up front to play that way.

I don't see us dropping into a shell for a large stretch of time unless we build a comfortable lead.

[DSM1]

I agree with Macheath's note about who will mark Essien. Without Mastro that is a scary thought. Our success, or lack of it, in doing so could well determine our fate.

[balatonsurfer]

Can't believe he didn't watch the Korea-Ghana game, which is pretty much the only tune-up Ghana played with most of it's starters.

Doesn't matter, we have 2 group games to study.

[KZ Man]

Do we really have "great team speed"? I saw it against Latvia, but....

It was there against Italy.

[KZ Man]

In a recent press conference, it was interesting that Donovan said Ghana was at their best when they're allowed to find a rythm to their game. It made me believe that the US gameplan was to get into the midfield and disrupt them at every opportunity.

Reading this, it sounds like the US plans to sit back a little more, let Ghana try to get numbers forward, and look for the counter.

So will we press, or will we sit back?

I think we need to press a bit, particularly early. Establish our dominance of the mid-field. Get a goal, or at least a few good chances to rattle them.

[GaetjensGhost]

So will we press, or will we sit back?


best defense is attack...especially when our defense isn't all that great and they haven't played a game together...(Dolo Gooch Conrad Boca) Doubly true without the defensive steel of Pablo. He would have been the perfect foil for Essien...but what the hell....He cant hurt us if he doesn't have the ball. Press them I say.

[rtung]

I don't think we'll sit back. We can't given the result we need. We haven't displayed the efficiency up front to play that way.

I don't see us dropping into a shell for a large stretch of time unless we build a comfortable lead.


Argh. When will people realize that sitting back isn't the same as being in a shell? The Czech Republic is a counterattacking team that doesn't like to press ahead with numbers, but rather, wants to create turnovers in the midfield and create quick counters from them.

They scored tons of goals in qualifying (and against us).