USA v Denmark - 1/20 - Lineups

[Palermo10]

Any idea who plays where on Saturday?

[Bob Morocco]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say:

---------Cooper------------------
-----------------Donovan--------
----Mapp------------Noonan----
----------------------------------
-------Clark--Mastroeni---------
-Bornstein-------------Albright-
------Conrad---Robinson-------
----------Cannon----------------

Really hard to say as all I've heard is that Cooper has been impressive and Jaqua has picked his game up.

[IndividualEleven]

There have been no/few camp reports on how well individuals have been playing.

Therefore taking into account MLS regular season, MLS playoffs, WC performance, coach preferences:

-----------------------Cooper------------------------
---------------------------------Rolfe----------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------Mapp------------------Donovan-----------
----------------------------Clark----------------------
----------------------Mastro---------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
-----???-------------------------------------Albright----
-----------------Califf------Conrad----------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------Cannon-------------------------

4-4-2. Rolfe slight withdrawn. Donovan and Mapp as wingers. Clark in more of two-way. Mastro a destroyer.

Cooper - so superior to the other big guys.

Rolfe - Don't think Nowak has forgotten about this cat's clowning of DeeCee.

Mapp - Too much talent and now seems to have the work ethic.

Donovan - getting it done from the right side of the formation.

Clark - Important game for him with Carroll(DeeCee alumnus), Bradley(daddy's boy), Feilhaber(too much game not to get a game) unavailable and with the coach having wanting him to play fullback with the Metros before shipping him out.

Mastro - automatic first choice until someone clearly takes it away

Albright - best MLS right back

Conrad - had good WC.

Califf - experienced. in season. former Defensive POY

???? - Dunivant, Pearce, Bornstein. First hand accounts could have been useful here.

[Shibb]

We need this to just get a break in all the reporting on Beckham... I'm tired of it already. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see an article like "Beckham's picks for the USA starting XI".

[Martin Fischer]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say:

---------Cooper------------------
-----------------Donovan--------
----Mapp------------Noonan----
----------------------------------
-------Clark--Mastroeni---------
-Bornstein-------------Albright-
------Conrad---Robinson-------
----------Cannon----------------

Really hard to say as all I've heard is that Cooper has been impressive and Jaqua has picked his game up.

This is what I would do -- except run out Heath Pearce at left back and Danny Califf at center back initially, he plays in Denmark, will have to return soon, can look at Bornstein and Boswell (not interested in Eddie Robinson) later.

[braun]

Noonan did not scrimmage yesterday due to injury. Will he be able to start Saturday?
There are 6 subs in friendly matches, so if not 100%, expect to see Noonan (who was a great sub at the end of the MLS season) subbed in at the half.

I do think Bradley will give Pearce a chance to start similarly to Califf because they play in Scandinavia and know these Danish players.

Mastroeni has done nothing really to exclude him from the starting XI and who is a better DM?

There's been little info/news from camp useful enough to really predict Bradley's choice for the other positions, since he has 6 substitutions and will use all of them.

[Wallydrag]

I may be crazy, but it seems like I read/heard somewhere that they were going to try a 4-3-3.

Again, I could be crazy.

[FC Tallavana]

Based upon a second-hand report I've received from camp look for our attack to likely be:

----Cooper-----Johnson
---------Donovan


Donovan will be an A-mid.

[abw]

Isn't Pearce likely at left back?

[socks]

Donovan will be an A-mid.

Which I think could be interesting as Donovan, a married man now, steps in with the 'next generation' and could realistically step up into a leadership role and distribute in the way that Reyna did 8 years ago. I have been on the criticize Donovan bandwagon but then again, Convey fed me so much crow that I can hardly trust my own criticism.

[dncm]

Noonan did not scrimmage yesterday due to injury.

Any more details on what this injury is?

[deron]

"Mastro - automatic first choice until someone clearly takes it away"

"Mastroeni has done nothing really to exclude him from the starting XI and who is a better DM?"

Why? Shouldn't Mastroeni have to prove in camp that he still deserves the spot, where the other guys prove that they can do it?

It seems to me that the attitude is that he starts until he screws up bad enough to give another guy a shot. Why wait until he messes up. We don't know what's going on in camp maybe he's earned the start, but I wouldn't be disappointed to see Mastro not start either.

[braun]

Any more details on what this injury is?

Said to be a muscle "strain". See: USSoccer.com.

[IndividualEleven]

"Mastro - automatic first choice until someone clearly takes it away"

"Mastroeni has done nothing really to exclude him from the starting XI and who is a better DM?"

Why? Shouldn't Mastroeni have to prove in camp that he still deserves the spot, where the other guys prove that they can do it?

It seems to me that the attitude is that he starts until he screws up bad enough to give another guy a shot. Why wait until he messes up. We don't know what's going on in camp maybe he's earned the start, but I wouldn't be disappointed to see Mastro not start either.

If it's clearly taken from him in camp then Mastro starts with the other guy subbing in and then taking over the starting spot later on. That's the way transitions are usually made.

[NBlue]

I think any prediction at this point is a shot in the dark. Still, I tend to think that something along these lines is possible:


--------------------------Cannon-----------------------------
Albright------Robinson---------------Conrad-------------Pearce
-----Noonan---------------Mastro-------------------Bornstein
---------Donovan----------Cooper-------------Johnson--------

I have no idea.

[deron]

If it's clearly taken from him in camp then Mastro starts with the other guy subbing in and then taking over the starting spot later on. That's the way transitions are usually made.

You're probably right.

This being the start of a new cycle I'm sort of hoping you aren't though. I have hopes that everyone's getting a shot at starting. Once we're into qualifying, I can see following the substitute-to-starter approach. Right now is the best time to be aggressive about awarding minutes irregardless of experience. Otherwise we might see Clark play as a sub for 10 minutes after Mastroeni, and end up arguing about whether he was really given a shot.

[Monarch Bay Beachbum]

I would not mind seeing this one:

----------------Cooper----------EJ---------------------

------------------------Donovan------------------------

Bornstein--------------------------------------Noonan---

--------------------------Clark--------------------------

Pearce---------Boswell-------------Conrad--------Albright

----------------------perkins-----------------------------

[sidefootsitter]

I don't know.

[ECU_SIMMS]

no way boswell doesnt start. He should be the starter without a doubt.

[phills]

Why Johnson??? He does not deserve to start...