comfortable with an all MLS team?

[stinky]

don't know about you, but i don't mind not having the euro's.....

they add to the team no doubt, but the mls'ers will probably have better chemistry....

we still have jolley, who undoubtedly will get a shot as he develops chemistry with pope game in, game out....

i think martino should've been included.....if he becomes the next reyna....we're fine....and don't forget about ricardo clark, who, if you've seen him play, can certainly be groomed as a #10....

defense: pope, boca, jolley, garcia

midfield: beasley, martino, donovan, clark

forwards: mathis/mcbride

that's pretty damn good imo.

[sregis]

i've no doubt we can qualify w/ an all mls team, but forget ever getting to the qfinals at a world cup.

[capt. america]

i don't see how we could go forward without considering sanneh, reyna or o'brien. those 3 were all outstanding at the world cup... maybe sanneh and reyna won't be at the same level due to age, but to go forward without o'brien would be foolish.

i liked howard, but friedel is better, so i keller in my opinion

[dcc134]

Originally posted by sregis
i've no doubt we can qualify w/ an all mls team, but forget ever getting to the qfinals at a world cup.

I don't know. To qualify, you need to win your home matches, at least tie on the road. The team last night would have lost if that game was in Mexico, and also consider Mexico didn't have at least 3 of their best players (Borgetti, Torado, Marquez). I was impressed by Mexico. We may have gotten them at the WC, but they still have a deeper talent pool.

JOB makes a huge difference in the mid field. Martino has ways to go until he can reproduce what JOB and Reyna can at that position. Clark hasn't even played a minute for the National team.

[sregis]

Originally posted by dcc134
I don't know. To qualify, you need to win your home matches, at least tie on the road. The team last night would have lost if that game was in Mexico, and also consider Mexico didn't have at least 3 of their best players (Borgetti, Torado, Marquez). I was impressed by Mexico. We may have gotten them at the WC, but they still have a deeper talent pool.

JOB makes a huge difference in the mid field. Martino has ways to go until he can reproduce what JOB and Reyna can at that position. Clark hasn't even played a minute for the National team.

but we can get to the world cup even w/out beating mex. and it's early...i'd put $ on clark being on the '06 team.

[dcc134]

Originally posted by sregis
but we can get to the world cup even w/out beating mex. and it's early...i'd put $ on clark being on the '06 team.

Without the 3 points from Columbus we aren't at WC 02.

You need points from Mexico.

Maybe Clark will be on the 06 team, but its far too early to say. Is he going to be one the team that gets us to the Cup? 3 professionals games isn't all that many.

[Noah Dahl]

A little bit of Euro seasoning is great of course, but I'm absolutely comfortable with an all-MLS team.

That Gold Cup team last year was largely MLS, and they were a real shot in the arm for our World Cup hopes.

Bruce even acknowledged that the new guard was more confident. I think they played better ball - certainly more exciting to watch and worth the risk.


Now I know some of you think Mike Clark is really good, but as a midfielder?

[FlashMan]

Originally posted by Noah Dahl

Now I know some of you think Mike Clark is really good, but as a midfielder?

I can't speak for them but I'm pretty sure they're referring to Ricardo Clark, the rookie for the Metros.

[Noah Dahl]

Dick Clark?? He's like 90 years old!

[The Wanderer]

Originally posted by sregis
i've no doubt we can qualify w/ an all mls team, but forget ever getting to the qfinals at a world cup.

I'm still not that comfortable with an all-MLS team either. In another 5 years or so, perhaps, but not yet.

[RoverMax]

I am comfortable with an all-MLS team, but I would be more comfortable with Reyna, O'Brien, Sanneh, and Friedel on the squad.

[Noah Dahl]

Intriguing. I wonder how such a squad would perform at a World Cup.

[sch2383]

This question is like asking if the Netherlands could qualify with only players based in their domestic league? They could, but its not likely and if they did, they wouldn't go that far.

I think we will see our younger players in Europe sooner rather than later. You figure Landon is gone once that deal keeping him here is over. Howard will be gone soon. Many preseason forecasts said that DMB will leave the MLS at the end of the season for Europe (wasn't there a deal in place before the market went to hell?) Also you have players like Spector, Kabysoon (sp?), Adu, Smieck, etc. who have or will sign contracts with Euro clubs and could play their entire carrers over there.

[Scotty]

Originally posted by stinky
don't know about you, but i don't mind not having the euro's.....

Yeah. Who cares about the trivial things they bring to the team. Like ball possesion.

:rolleyes:

[Casper]

Originally posted by USAMax34
I am comfortable with an all-MLS team, but I would be more comfortable with Reyna, O'Brien, Sanneh, and Friedel on the squad.

Hear, hear. No need to artificially limit our depth in the name of "chemistry." In my opinion, Reyna and O'Brien in particular among our European-based guys have an ability to CREATE chemistry, as does Kirovski, although he hasn't been able to show it much recently with the Nats.

There's really no culture gap between O'Brien and Donovan, two Southern Cal boys who got an early shot overseas. It's just that one of them went overseas and came back because he preferred his opportunity over here.

But Tim Donovan is still a Canadian traitor, and therefore not to be trusted unless/until Canada is eliminated from qualification for the World Cup.

[diablodelsol]

Originally posted by dcc134
Without the 3 points from Columbus we aren't at WC 02.


W/o the 3 points in Columbus, we actually call in a full squad for TNT and still go to the WC.

[nobody]

The MLS side can probably do most of our work for us, but we'll need at least a few of the Euro guys to be competetive at the cup, and that will mean integrating them into the team. I think we could really get our heads handed to us at Confed too, depending on what kind of squads teams bring if we went all MLS.

I'd be really interested to see what a similar lineup to the one that played against Mexico could do with just a few Euros slotted in, namely O'Brien and Reyna for Pablo and Armas and Cherundolo for Frankie. Heck, stick in Sanneh for Califf and use Big Brad and we're looking considerably stronger with...

.........Friedel
..Sanneh Pope Boca
Dolo...............Beasley
....Reyna O'Brien
.........Mathis
...McBride Donovan

I think it would be really hard to argue that MLS could field a team that could take out that combined squad.

[Dave Marino-Nachison]

F -- Thomas Clark (Air Force Academy), Matt Clark (Oklahoma Christian)

MF -- Jason Clark (Augsburg College), Colin Clark (SMU), Ricardo Clark (MetroStars), Shane Clark (St. Edward's U.), John Clark (UMKC)

D -- Jamie Clark (Minn. Thunder), Mike Clark (Crew), Haley Clark (Amarillo HS)

GK -- Clark Talley (U. of Memphis -- Carey's little brother)

Coach -- Bobby Clark (Notre Dame)


Given all the talk about Ricardo Clark at right back you could also move him to D if you wanted a 4-4-2.

[Noah Dahl]

...Treasure Island, as read by someone called McLean Stevenson.

[McGinty]

Originally posted by diablodelsol
W/o the 3 points in Columbus, we actually call in a full squad for TNT and still go to the WC.

Are you saying that Arena wouldn't call in Jesse Marsch in a must win situation? ;)