Who's gooch's partner in crime: Bocanegra or Conrad?

[OWN(yewu)ED]

Gibbs has caught the JOB bug with a vengence and may not see action until next season around this time :(. I think when healthy he's without question Gooch's partner in crime. But with what we have now, what do you think? Both are good defenders. My vote right now goes to Boca he's been on one hellova run as of late.

[Maitiu]

I'd go with DeMerit over Conrad. But I would think Bocanegra has to be the first choice partner for Onyewu.

[forza inter]

either way im confortable..and with demerit id be ok too so long as they had a camp to get used to each other....all 4 of these guys are capable...3 of the 4 are proven in a world cup and jay is playing very well considering the circumstances with his club.


forza inter

[Adam Zebrowski]

my darkhorse is parkhurst in the future, although right now, conrad would be the guy....

[SoCalian]

I assume Spector goes on the Left, otherwise, I'd put Boca there.

[Mike Marshall]

I'm with Adam. I wouldn't completely rule out Parkhurst in the future.

[El Steve]

I don't know why so many people have DeMerit rated over Conrad.... Conrad was one of the players to actually show up at the World Cup and deliver a solid performance... I was a Conrad detractor before the run up to, and including, the World Cup.

The man's a leader and plays a good, solid game in the back. He's not the most naturally talented guy in the world, but he's a player who should be a regular the next couple years, I think, due to his availability in MLS.

[keller4president]

Let's not forgot Boswell, who I think is probably just as good as Conrad and much younger.

[thespian89]

Let's not forgot Boswell, who I think is probably just as good as Conrad and much younger.

Well, I wouldn't say as good but is coming along and getting there. Of course, his age is an upside.

[Galaxian]

Between these two options , I am more comfortable with Jimmy Conrad in the center.

Neither are very fast , but I think Conrads positioning is better than Bocas , and so is his reading of the game.

I love Boca and the way he plays , but he can be a liability at times.

By 2010 , I think Gooch will be paired with either parkhurst or boswell...

[Delta Blues]

Chad Marshall.

[shinzui]

I'd be fine with Conrad as a starter in the Gold Cup. But, if he's still the best we have in 2010 it will be a major disappointment.

[IndividualEleven]

After his WC, Conrad should be the starter along with Gooch, unless we're using a three man backline.

And it would be highly disappointing if Conrad is a starter in 2010. Talk about a prime candidate for the Jeff Agoos award.

[Eleven Bravo]

Between these two options , I am more comfortable with Jimmy Conrad in the center.

Neither are very fast , but I think Conrads positioning is better than Bocas , and so is his reading of the game.

I love Boca and the way he plays , but he can be a liability at times.

By 2010 , I think Gooch will be paired with either parkhurst or boswell...

i agree 100%. I don't know how much i like Boca in the center. he seems to be prone to the occasional bonehead play while Conrad is probably the most consistent and reliable player we have. i like Boca more at LB playing under a winger that just likes to attack (the Boca/Convey combo is a good one). And i like Conrad's vision and leadership skills in the middle matched with Onyewu's aggressive and offensive (well, on headers) style.

But i agree that Conrad is getting up there in age; therefore, it's an absolute necessity to find a player that will replace him if his play starts to diminish. And i think that guy will be Bobby Boswell (Parkhurst might be too small).

Also, if you were to ask what my prediction was...i'd say that Bocanegra is the most likely to follow the legacy of the overaged bonehead defender in the World Cup (Burns, Agoos, and Pope). Therefore, i think it's imperative that we start looking for other options besides Bocanegra now.

***one other thing, i'm not saying Jay DeMerit sucks or anything, but he's no where near a lock as a CB without at least one USMNT cap under his belt. Playing for the last place EPL team doesn't impress me THAT much.

[Eleven Bravo]

After his WC, Conrad should be the starter along with Gooch, unless we're using a three man backline.

And it would be highly disappointing if Conrad is a starter in 2010. Talk about a prime candidate for the Jeff Agoos award.

I guess we should start calling it the "Goose Award" because he was definately the worst player to probably ever played in a world cup before, but Mike Burns and Eddie Pope definately apply for that award too.

but i agree that Conrad could be but i'd have to go with Bocanegra as the potential candidates for the "Goose Award" in 2010.

[OWN(yewu)ED]

Ive got the feeling Conrad is gonna be around for 2010. Its not just the Goose award.....its the "veteran who got there based on his experience merit only and is going to be a liability that shoots us in the foot when it matters most" award. Goose and Pope can both acclaim to that award. Id have no problem if he was one of the four that go, but if he's starting i might have issues.

But the solace in that......people are right Conrad was one of the few bright spots in this world cup for us. Maybe he can break the cycle of bumbling old fart centerbacks :p. If he keeps his present form, and Gibbs is still hobbling around and unable to play, i see no reason why Conrad cannot stay competitive with Bocanegra. Conrad could be the back four field marshall and direct Gooch; "you....go smash that over there. you.....go kill that over there". That sort of thing.

[the stranger]

Since the defense is being built around Gooch, we should look for players that compliment him. Bocanegra is merely poor man's Onyewus who I don't think would mesh well with him. Conrad is a short term solution at best. Demeritt and Spector need to improve their games to be considered at all IMO. I like Parkhurst and Boswell since they both excel at positioning and covering for the mistakes that their more aggressive teammates (Heaps, Erpen) make. My only reservation is that they primarily play in a 3, so who knows how they will work with a central partner. Also, I'm not too sure about Boswell, but Parkhurst is a good distributor from the back, something we need badly (and can't count on from Gooch)

[Eleven Bravo]

Ive got the feeling Conrad is gonna be around for 2010. Its not just the Goose award.....its the "veteran who got there based on his experience merit only and is going to be a liability that shoots us in the foot when it matters most" award. Goose and Pope can both acclaim to that award. Id have no problem if he was one of the four that go, but if he's starting i might have issues.

But the solace in that......people are right Conrad was one of the few bright spots in this world cup for us. Maybe he can break the cycle of bumbling old fart centerbacks :p. If he keeps his present form, and Gibbs is still hobbling around and unable to play, i see no reason why Conrad cannot stay competitive with Bocanegra. Conrad could be the back four field marshall and direct Gooch; "you....go smash that over there. you.....go kill that over there". That sort of thing.

why not just have him as an assistant coach if you don't have any plans on using him instead of wasting a roster spot?

[Eleven Bravo]

Since the defense is being built around Gooch, we should look for players that compliment him. Bocanegra is merely poor man's Onyewus who I don't think would mesh well with him. Conrad is a short term solution at best. Demeritt and Spector need to improve their games to be considered at all IMO. I like Parkhurst and Boswell since they both excel at positioning and covering for the mistakes that their more aggressive teammates (Heaps, Erpen) make. My only reservation is that they primarily play in a 3, so who knows how they will work with a central partner. Also, I'm not too sure about Boswell, but Parkhurst is a good distributor from the back, something we need badly (and can't count on from Gooch)

i think a 3 man back might not be out of the question...I could see Boswell, Spector, Marshall, D. Robinson, or Parkhurst doing well in a back 3 to support Gooch.

[ECU_SIMMS]

nevermind