9/9 US vs. Brazil - the Attack - Post Game Discussion [R]

[dark knight]

Discuss.

[Maitreya]

Wolff battled hard and I think showed that he could be a good option for qualifiers, although I don't expect him to be around in 2010.

Dempsey continued to show that he a is good player, but needs another forward with him.

Johnson maybe should have played the whole game.

Congrats to Arnaud for a first cap.

[Aaryque]

If Altidore develops the way he can he might be exactly what Dempsey needs to create a very dangerous attack. Dempsey seems to be at his best as a withdrawn striker but right now (without Ching) we don't really have anyone who can knock it down to him.

[superdave]

I don't like Landon at right wing. It doesn't fit his personality or his skill set. Dempsey continues to impress.

[DirtyJerzey]

I don't like Landon at right wing. It doesn't fit his personality or his skill set. Dempsey continues to impress.

I disagree. I think in the first half up and to when we allowed the 2nd goal, we were scared to attack as a team. As soon as we were dedicated to attack with numbers, we played much better, and so did Donovan.

I think right wing can play to Donovan's skill set perfectly. It allows him space to create which he did to spring Dolo in our second goal.

[IndividualEleven]

Dempsey needs to play facing the goal and not be played up top. He scored when EJ came on. EJ and Demps should have started and Wolff should have been in Germany.

[dethfire]

Landon really does not seem like the old Landon we know, he's mostly invisible now in support mode.

[Maitreya]

Landon really does not seem like the old Landon we know, he's mostly invisible now in support mode.

I think Landon has lost a slight amount of the burst of speed he used to have (though he's still fast). His overall ability is about the same, however, because he is a much better passer now.

[YankHibee]

I liked Dempsey up top, but agree he needs a more traditional strike partner. I like Dempsey's ability to hold up the ball while overlaps are developing.

[Tim Berscoragin]

Dempsey is not a forward, and you're wasting his talents to play him as a target up top. He can play an advanced midfield role, but I would have much rather seen him in midfield and had two true forwards up top.

[NoSix]

Will never agree it is a good idea for a team struggling to score goals from the run of play, to put their best goal scorer (34 international goals) out to sea on the right wing. Donovan ought to be playing as a withdrawn forward behind a target man - Twellman, Ching, Johnson, Altidore - take your pick, with Dempsey at right mid.

[Kevin8833]

dempsey is my opinion would be best used as a number 10 or withdrawn forward. Johnson was pretty effective, wolff was not, and Donovan is best suited at RM in my opinion.

[Maitreya]

Will never agree it is a good idea for a team struggling to score goals from the run of play, to put their best goal scorer (34 international goals) out to sea on the right wing. Donovan ought to be playing as a withdrawn forward behind a target man - Twellman, Ching, Johnson, Altidore - take your pick, with Dempsey at right mid.

The problem with this is that Dempsey isn't a good right mid. If we play Dempsey on the right, when the game is over we will all be asking where Clint was. We have three options: play both centrally with a target striker and have only a single d-mid, play both as the forwards with two center-mids behind them, or leave one on the bench. The first option requires a heck of a d-mid. The second option gives us no presence up front. Would you rather sit one of the two?

[IndividualEleven]

Demps has goals against Tottenham, Liverpool, Ghana, England, Poland, and Brasil. That's straight up pimp-with-a-gangster-lean stuff. LD has bigger numbers as a result of more minutes and more time at forward but Dempsey has the quality.

Demps needs to play in the hole and LD needs to stay out wide.

[tuffbad]

EJ needs some samba lessons.

in his one on one the defender was not the slightest bit worried about him going around only through.

[Aquarius21]

Dempsey needs to play facing the goal and not be played up top. He scored when EJ came on. EJ and Demps should have started and Wolff should have been in Germany.

Agree with that. I don't understand why Bradley named Wolff to the training camp roster this time and last time around. Hasn't played since WC 2006? Well, there's a reason for that ie: i can't remeber what Wolff did, and even before hand. I understand the Ching is injured, but we have other players on the rise who could've filled that spot.

[DestroyerDaMarc]

The problem with this is that Dempsey isn't a good right mid. If we play Dempsey on the right, when the game is over we will all be asking where Clint was. We have three options: play both centrally with a target striker and have only a single d-mid, play both as the forwards with two center-mids behind them, or leave one on the bench. The first option requires a heck of a d-mid. The second option gives us no presence up front. Would you rather sit one of the two?

Really as said earlier, both players are not great with their skill sets. Both are withdrawn players mostly in the attacking mid catagory. One problem with Donovan is that he likes to wander into the middle of the park. Untill one quits soccer or the other addapts it will be this way for a long time as both Clint and Landon are two of the premier US players we have in the pool right now.

Also, Johnson. I think Johnson was good but how do we know he would be effective the whole game. I am so impressed he is playing well right now but he needs to be that player the whole game. Comming on in the 69th minute and well...playing against a tried Brazil D didn't show me too much except that he has energy.

[flux82]

After this game, my dream attack for the U.S. (midfield through forward line).

...................Bradley.......................
..Donovan....Feilhaber/Clark........Beasley
...................Dempsey....................
.................Altidore/Johnson............

I think Donovan was great once he finally accepted that he was playing on the wing rather than in the middle. Beasley is a little erratic, but a really good two way guy on the left who draws tons and tons of fouls. Feilhaber and Clark are essentially the same player at this point; I will be interested to see how Benny is at the end of the Premiership season. Altidore or Johnson as the striker, depending on who we are playing; I think either one could be a great late game sub. Finally, Dempsey is the key to it all now; as he goes, our attack goes. He has the skill, the size, the attitude, and the grit to be a great center of the park do everything attacker. I hope he continues to embrace this as he now doing with both the NT and with Fulham.

[bostonf4lyf]

Dempsey is not a forward, and you're wasting his talents to play him as a target up top. He can play an advanced midfield role, but I would have much rather seen him in midfield and had two true forwards up top.

i guess you didnt watch the fulham-tottenham game, where he was playing the mcbride role, and he was the best player on the field.

[FirstStar]

Dempsey needs to play facing the goal and not be played up top. He scored when EJ came on. EJ and Demps should have started and Wolff should have been in Germany.

Let's all face up to it right now-- whoever we pair with Dempsey up top right now is just taking up space while we wait for Jozy to get there. If Jozy doesn't develop (or someone else come out of the blue or, less likely, EJ turn into that striker we all thought he'd become), this team won't be able to take the next step up.

I hate to hype up Jozy so much because he's just a kid, but he's got the skill set and the ability the US needs to make our team into a legit scoring threat.

Once we do that, it will become a lot easier to keep balls out of the back of our own net.