Looking Back - An Analysis of the US Forwards of 94-98

[olephill2]

I'd like to have a cogent, thoughtful discussion about the US forward pool from the mid-90s. Many people contend that our forward pool today is lacking in quality depth, and I think from a quick glance our pool in the mid-90s was top-heavy, in the sense that we had 3-5 quality strikers, with a big drop-off after those 3-5. Here are the forwards I consider to have been cream of the crop from that era:

Eric Wynalda - the all-time USMNT leading goal scorer, and was in his prime in the mid-90s.
Joe-Max Moore - high workrate & determination made him a valued addition.
Earnie Stewart - Dependable player...he split between forward & midfield, right?
Roy Wegerle - Never really played up to potential in a US jersey.
Brian McBride - Didn't earn his first cap till 96, so he's less a part of the discussion here.
Cobi Jones - Very skilled... As I remember it, he was used up front in the 90s because of his pace, right?

Overall, how would you evaluate and rate the quality and styles of play of each of these 6 guys (and any other strikers from the time period you'd like to add)?

What type of forward was Wynalda in terms of style of play? More of a target man or the quick, creative type? How about Wegerle? Joe-Max Moore? How much PT did Earnie Stewart actually earn up front as opposed to in the midfield? How about Cobi Jones? Did he see more action at forward or right midfield in the 90s? Where was he better utilized and why?

I'll be very interested in your responses, as I see this 5-year (or so) period as comprising a sort of "golden generation" of US strikers (seeing as how 3 of them are the top US scorers).

[sidefootsitter]

Cobi Jones wasn't as skilled back in the 90's as he is now ... and he's still not skilled. But he could surely motor up and down the flank and actually had a decent shot.

Wynalda and Wegerle were good poachers but had very much the same style, which is why Bora rarely played them together. Both were miscast as solo forwards in Sampson's 3-6-1.

Earnie Stewart was really pretty mediocre Dutch player (shuffled between the top and the second division while there) but he had excellent wheels and gave the US some ability to hold the ball. As Earnie matured physically, he became a better player. He was very slight in his younger days. It's too bad he, Cobi and Tab Ramos all felt more suited to play on the right side of midfield.

Joe-Max Moore was the most adventurous of the uS forwards, having played in three foreign leagues (Germany's BuLi II, the Premiership and Ecuador's top league). To me, the guy was a prototypical BuLi II player - very decent skills, smart tactically but just not a top notch athlete. If he had that second/third gear, he could have become the best Yank forward of that era.

McBride was faster and jumpi-er than he is today but not as tactically astute or polished. And he missed a lot of headers that he slams into the net these days.

[dsp87260]

I'd like to have a cogent, thoughtful discussion about the US forward pool from the mid-90s. Many people contend that our forward pool today is lacking in quality depth, and I think from a quick glance our pool in the mid-90s was top-heavy, in the sense that we had 3-5 quality strikers, with a big drop-off after those 3-5. Here are the forwards I consider to have been cream of the crop from that era:

Eric Wynalda - the all-time USMNT leading goal scorer, and was in his prime in the mid-90s.
Joe-Max Moore - high workrate & determination made him a valued addition.
Earnie Stewart - Dependable player...he split between forward & midfield, right?
Roy Wegerle - Never really played up to potential in a US jersey.
Brian McBride - Didn't earn his first cap till 96, so he's less a part of the discussion here.
Cobi Jones - Very skilled... As I remember it, he was used up front in the 90s because of his pace, right?

Overall, how would you evaluate and rate the quality and styles of play of each of these 6 guys (and any other strikers from the time period you'd like to add)?

What type of forward was Wynalda in terms of style of play? More of a target man or the quick, creative type? How about Wegerle? Joe-Max Moore? How much PT did Earnie Stewart actually earn up front as opposed to in the midfield? How about Cobi Jones? Did he see more action at forward or right midfield in the 90s? Where was he better utilized and why?

I'll be very interested in your responses, as I see this 5-year (or so) period as comprising a sort of "golden generation" of US strikers (seeing as how 3 of them are the top US scorers).

I remember Cobi being more of a winger back then. His speed up and down the wings was his greatest asset.

Eric was more of a "quick, creative type".....I've never seen any other forward for the US dribble around people and make people look silly like he could when he was "on." There's a video that Zathras posted a while back....Waldo's Way.......it's up on youtube somewhere I believe, if the download link isn't any good anymore. (I'll try and find the thread and post the links here.)

EDIT: Waldo's Way (Eric Wynalda Video Compilation) (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257123) (The link to download seems to be invalid now...I'll check on YouTube.)

Waldo's Way (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TIanG77z68) on YouTube

[Zathras]

Thanks for the plug, dsp87260; I had to take the link down because I only have so much space on that server and the YouTube link was still there. Besides the Wynalda video, there's one there for Joe-Max Moore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nL1yRt849Q)as well, and I've been meaning to get one done for Earnie Stewart for a while now. I did two videos for Brian McBride when he retired too.

But, to the topic at hand:
Cobi Jones

Still more of a wing player in those days, although he played up top more frequently than later, he still was seen more out wide and really lacked the killer instinct that was needed for a forward. His tenacity was his major asset, and in Bora's bunker-ball system, his speed allowed him to join in the attack as a sort of a withdrawn forward/attacking midfield role. When Sampson took over, I think we see a better development of Cobi (along with some others, Stewart for example which I'll address later.)

Brian McBride

Young and up and coming MLS star at the time. Along with the likes of Roy Lassiter and Jason Kreis, he looked to be a part of the vanguard of new American players to be found via MLS. Unfortunatley, MLS success didn't translate immediately for Brian (for that matter ever for some others.) Sampson was high on him initially, giving him caps in several friendlies in 1996, but his sort of petered out quickly. The failure of the entire squad at US Cup '97 really put him in a hole which he only dug himself out of with the recall for the last (meaningless) qualifyer in Foxboro against Guatemala. From there he had a solid Gold Cup camp and made the '98 team.

Roy Wegerle

A bit of an enigma for me. Roy was billed as being the man to bring a great boost of quality to the US in 1992 when he arrived before the US Cup, and he duly provided just that as he looked terrific in those three games, giving us a quality strike to win against Portugal (and a certian 19 year old prodigy named Figo.) By 1994 he had faded a bit. If I had to describe Wegerle in one word, it would be "streaky." He was on for a run of games where he'd play really well and then he'd just disappear for a while. He could be great, or he could be invisible. He was certainly more of a finisher than a creator, though, second to only Wynalda in finishing ability, IMO. Still, he was past his run of form by World Cup time and living on past glory.

Earnie Stewart

Speed was the name of Earnie's game when he played forward. As mentioned earlier, he wasn't that big of a physical presence, and as exemplified in his game against Brazil in 1994, he wasn't the guy to win a lot of high balls, but he'd chase all day and cause a defence problems. His finishing was decent, and I'd argue he was a fairly good player in the Dutch league, although he didn't live up to his early potential as a forward (3rd in scoring behind Bergkamp and Romario in 1991.) Much better used in Sampson's system as a winger, where his speed and his hard work would pay of more.

Joe-Max Moore

For me, Moore was an up and down player. Much like Wegerle, he'd go on streaks, but I always felt he lacked a bit of the required quality. His free-kicks were often great, but his other work as a forward sometimes left something to be desired. He would work his socks off for you, though, and he did eventually win me over. I think his reality is best signified by the ways in which Bruce Arena used him early one--he jumped around including to defensive midfield before finally finding a role as a support forward (rather than the out and out goalscorer.)

Eric Wynalda

The best US Striker I've ever seen, bar none. Wynalda was a clinical finisher and had the speed to get behind a defense and cause them trouble. It's too bad that the injuries totally killed off his speed and wrecked his game so all anyone remembers is a poor France 98. He had the arrogance required to be the right kind of forward, whether it was warranted or not, he had it and it paid off. The confidence he showed in 1996-7 was a spectacular weapon for the US. When he was on, the US was ticking. When he scored, the US record was 20-3-5.

It bears considering, however, the other forwards used in that time span. Some played more than others, but here's a list of the ones who appeared a number of times:

John Kerr Jr. - made the Copa America Squad, later became embroiled in the MLS pay dispute and was not heard from much again.

Frank Klopas - From an earlier era (part of 1990 qualifying) Frankie was one of those players who was always supposed to be better than he was, for me. He played professionally in Greece where he bounced from forward to midfield and even wingback from time to time. Had some skills, but was quickly passed by.

Jovan Kirovski - The Future of US Soccer version 2.0 (preceded by version 1.0 - Reyna, and followed by 3.0 - Donovan and 4.0 - Adu) Kirovski was Sampson's future star and at age 19 was showing some great things. In the reserves as Man U (would have been playing for the first team, but for work permit issues) and receiving high praise from Alec Fergusen. Too bad his lack of playing time caught up with him and he simply didn't pan out. Could have been a great; he had all the tools.

David Wagner - Yeah, I know he's a joke now, but Wagner was in the form of his life in the run up to the World Cup. Against Paraguay he showed a lot more than most of ther other options at forward. Didn't show as well in the Austria game (The Great Deceiver) and quickly was found to be below the required level.

Roy Lassiter - The big one. Rocket Roy led MLS in scoring until quite recently. Sure he was offsides a lot. Sure he missed a lot of chances, but he reminded me of Andy Cole in that way. People would say miss a lot of chances, but in reality, he created a lot of those chances out of nothing with speed and tenacity; another forward wouldn't have even had the chance to miss. Should've been on the world cup squad ahead of Wegerle, IMO.

[sregis]

glad you mentioned klopas- i don't really recall his play as much as his impressive string of goals before wc '94.

[mette72]

Eric Wynalda

The best US Striker I've ever seen, bar none. Wynalda was a clinical finisher and had the speed to get behind a defense and cause them trouble. It's too bad that the injuries totally killed off his speed and wrecked his game so all anyone remembers is a poor France 98. He had the arrogance required to be the right kind of forward, whether it was warranted or not, he had it and it paid off. The confidence he showed in 1996-7 was a spectacular weapon for the US. When he was on, the US was ticking. When he scored, the US record was 20-3-5.

To say I agree 100% with the above is not enough. The US is in dire need of a striker similar to Wynalda RIGHT NOW. There is no one in the current player pool that is like him, in style of play, physical skills, or mental approach. I miss watching him play.....

[Maximum Optimal]

Wegerle and Wynalda were by far the best forwards from that period. However, both suffered serious injuries when they were at the peak periods of their careers and they never fully regained their best form after those injuries. If I recall correctly, Wegerle's injuries occurred ahead of the 1994 WC and he was only to be a bench player during that WC. Wynalda went down ahead of the 1998 WC and was only a shadow of his previous self in that WC.

During the past two decades, we have had only four international level forwards: Wegerle, Wynalda, McBride and Donovan. This makes me realize that as a country we probably have the hardest time producing good forwards. I suppose the same can be said of most other countries.

[SCBozeman]

Cobi Jones

Still more of a wing player in those days, although he played up top more frequently than later, he still was seen more out wide and really lacked the killer instinct that was needed for a forward. His tenacity was his major asset, and in Bora's bunker-ball system, his speed allowed him to join in the attack as a sort of a withdrawn forward/attacking midfield role.

Yes, Cobi had a horrendous strike rate as a striker. His current stat is 15 goals in 164 caps, and several of those have come towards the end of his career. IIRC, he was still well under 10 goals when he hit 100 caps.

Although there were diamonds in the rough back in the good old days (Wynalda, Tab Ramos), there's no way Cobi would be a US first-choice striker today.

[sidefootsitter]

I'd been corrected on Earnie Stewart (from more than one source).

So I accept the correction. Seventeen goals in 1991 for Willem II was a pretty good mark.

He just looked so light, even as late as 1994.

[mschofield]

Wynalda always struck me a striker who could do everything well, but nothing really well. He was complete enough, and would have been better with a fully formed McBride, to me, he wasn't one of those forwards you believed as always about to score, so much as one who kind of surprised you when he did. I know that doesn't make, as he did score quite a bit.
Wegerle was a symptom of a dearth of strikers at the time. He was a fine player, but was much better before he came to the US.
Jones always seemed miscast up top.
It's a shame we didn't naturalize Preki four years earlier.

[Adam Zebrowski]

i don't think wagner ever played any world cup quallies for the usa...

michael mason was the guy in 1997 against mexico at foxboro, who turned that match around coming off the bench....

winger with speed, toasted mexico for the 2-2 result...

for whatever reason, sampson decided to go elswhere...

[Zathras]

i don't think wagner ever played any world cup quallies for the usa...

michael mason was the guy in 1997 against mexico at foxboro, who turned that match around coming off the bench....

winger with speed, toasted mexico for the 2-2 result...

for whatever reason, sampson decided to go elswhere...

Actually, both Wagner and Mason were introduced into that game AFTER the score was tied 2-2. They created a couple of chances but the US could not score (the best chance was a scuffed shot by Harkes which was cleared off the line by Joaqin Del Olmo.)

Prior to that, Wagner had appeared in qualifiers against Canada, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, totaling 4 World Cup Qualifying appearances; all in the hexagonal round. He actually started the Canada game and assisted on Pope's goal playing 60 minutes before being replaced by Mike Sorber.

Mason appeared in the Canada and El Salvador games as well, totalling three qualification appearances.

[Adam Zebrowski]

mason was very effective....do wonder why sampson didn't give him a bigger chance in france

[Zathras]

mason was very effective....do wonder why sampson didn't give him a bigger chance in france

He wasn't terrible, but that Mexico game was his big up. He wasn't very effective in the other games he appeared for us in. When Sampson called him up, he was playing for Hamburg in the 1. Bundesliga. He was very quickly sold to St. Pauli (my favorite club in Germany, but they were Div. 2) and after a year was sold to a series of 3rd division clubs. I think that's really all the explanation needed.

[miked9]

I miss the bite Joe-Max brought to the table--he was a more professional and harder-working (albeit less magical) version of Mathis. And as I recall he did fairly well at Everton for a short stint, there.

[deron]

I miss the bite Joe-Max brought to the table--he was a more professional and harder-working (albeit less magical) version of Mathis. And as I recall he did fairly well at Everton for a short stint, there.

He did very well when he got there, scoring several goals prior to twisting his ankle or some other injury.

Arena's comment at the time really stirred the pot on BigSoccer. He said something to the effect of..."I'm not fooled by Joe-Max's scoring in England."

[sregis]

Arena's comment at the time really stirred the pot on BigSoccer. He said something to the effect of..."I'm not fooled by Joe-Max's scoring in England."

that i don't recall. what was the point, exactly?

[cyberthoth]

I see Joe-Max as being probably similar in quality and ability to Eskandarian...not really fast enough or tall but a good shot and some ball skills.

Lassiter was like David West...good speed...scored plenty of goals in MLS but not enough skill to succeed internationally

Cobi was Beasley with less ability...he was fast and could probably play forward but usually was a winger.

[miked9]

I see Joe-Max as being probably similar in quality and ability to Eskandarian...not really fast enough or tall but a good shot and some ball skills.

Oh man, the Revs fan in me just died a little.

[S.J. Jim]

Frankly, it's not all that enjoyable to think back on the U.S. attack during that era... not exactly our strong suit (kind of like now). I agree with those who said that Wynalda stood out. He had good skills, was athletic, and became more and more dangerous as he matured.

Regardless of what McBride did or didn't do between '96 and '98, I still reflect on his career with a lot of pride.

Earnie Stewart... a very good athlete, and in my opinion, a pretty weak soccer player. I don't have specific enough memories to cite examples, but to me he always seemed to be chasing... trying to recover from mistakes he made. He was a pretty bad passer of the ball, and I used to dread when he came in as a sub in his later years under Arena. The highlight for most people (the goal against Colombia in '94) kind of says it all. It was a goal, and I'll take it, but... weak. He was also world class at shooting over the crossbar when unmarked from 10 yards out. :) Sorry to be so negative about the guy, but that's my honest opinion.

Kobi and Joe-Max fit the mold of the hard-working, persistent types who you could count on to run their butts off and cause headaches for the opposition, even if they often lacked the flair to be spectacular. I'd want both of them on my team, anytime, though. I think Kobi played more up front than did Joe-Max, but I'll admit my memory ain't the greatest.

I had high hopes for Roy Lassiter when he first came on the scene, but he just never had the same impact on the international level that he had domestically.

Wegerle and Klopas showed flashes of potential, but neither were consistent enough. Kirovski... I don't know, maybe slightly overhyped. Certainly a good player, but you have to produce when it counts, and he just kind of faded away.

In general, although our midfied gradually improved throughout the 90's, there was never enough confidence in our ability to control the ball and attack assertively. As a result, our forwards were always at a disadvantage, trying to hold the ball against swarms of defenders who knew we were unlikely to make them pay for over-pressuring us.

Did we forget anybody? My weak memory at work again perhaps, but it seems like there must have been others who had as much or more impact than some of the names already mentioned...