Mapp, Pearce, Spector, Rogers. Arnaud

[Sam Hamwich]

Arnaud is not a defender. He would be a total defensive liability at the international level.

ah yes, well he would have balanced the extreme asset we displayed at right back.

Every time I see him listed it is as right back.

[casoccerdad47]

Spector - Olympic qualifying - Vastly more important to our soccer future than a friendly against Mexico. We absolutely need to make the Olympics since so many of our 2010 squad will be from this group. Altidore, Adu, Bradley, Feilhaber, Edu, Spector all look like near locks and plenty of others will have a chance.

Mapp, Rogers - Brad Davis seems to have won that one. He played pretty well against Sweden, but he seems alot more of the Convey/Lewis mold than the Beasley mold and our team is built for Beasley if we're ever going to score much from the run of play. However if we're looking for our scoring to come from set pieces Davis may offer alot.

Pearce - no clue

Arnaud - who cares

I read somewhere that he picked up a knock in training leading up to the Mexico game.

[NYC ugly]

Face it people, the US has a lot of bodies who can play defense but is "EXTREMELY THIN" when it comes to quality. Even slow as molasses big soccer favorite Spector is usually crap when he wears a US bigboys shirt. Without Cherundolo the US right side is a big open gate. Bocanegra and Onyewu won't be mistaken for world class defenders anytime soon either. The US has no "DEPTH" anywhere except the keeper position.

[luvdagame]

The way I see it, he's effin Justin Mapp. He can work as hard as he wants in practice. I wish coaches would take a back seat and do whats better for the team instead of their own ego. Not surprisingly, this has a very ODP, american club team feel to it, where a players attitude is deemed bad and he's shunned....

attitude is deemed bad? what are you talking about. none of us is at the training ground, but people who know him say he just is never fit, and doesn't play hard.

you can't take chances with that stuff at the international level!!

[ussoccerTILLiDIE]

i'm curious to why no one has metioned anything about parkhurst in this thread.

[niterider10]

f@#ken (f@#ken) Justin Mapp get your act together!!!!

[DCFAN96]

I read somewhere that he picked up a knock in training leading up to the Mexico game.

Yup that was the case...he was a late scratch due to injury. As Goff reported on his blog, Spector was left off the roster in an agreement that would allow him to be called up for olympic qualifying.

Mapp on the otherhand...no excuse. The kid just aint cutting it.

[NYC ugly]

i'm curious to why no one has metioned anything about parkhurst in this thread.


Most people think he's too slow for international games. I'd like to see how bad he does in real games before I'd write him off though.

[FakeFlopper]

Can someone please switch out Mapp's hasheesh with some steroids? I think that'll do it....

[wsmaugham]

I think Rogers will emerge as an option on the flanks very soon. Same with Holden and Arturo Alvarez.

I like Alvarez in MLS, but he's just not fast enough for the international game on the outside.

[Principal Firebush]

I think Rogers will emerge as an option on the flanks very soon.

I hope he gets his chance soon. He has the skill, speed and attitude to be a real threat on the wing.

[olephill2]

ah yes, well he would have balanced the extreme asset we displayed at right back.

Every time I see him listed it is as right back.
Well I've seen Arnaud play and he is a right winger. He's not a defensive-minded player.

[Ghost]

Mapp's situation is that the Copa America was really his shot, and he was good once but lackluster twice. Still, I think his speed would be of value, especially given that we're becoming a slowfooted team.

[Maximum Optimal]

Mapp also did well against Denmark last year and in the meaningless qualifyer Arena played him in during the last cycle.

[Martin Fischer]

How fat, slow, intolerable, out of shape, or injured are you Justin Mapp that you cant displace Convey, playing not well to say the least, and Old Lady Lewis?

Maybe Bradley remembers Mapp's vapid display in the Copa America and his injury-ridden MLS season?

How hated are you Heath Pearce that you cant break the squad with one of the worst left side defenders in recent memory playing 90minutes?

Maybe Bradley didn't think it was a good idea to play a guy who hasn't played a compeitive game in nearly two months against a pressing Mexico side?

Is Spector hurt? Granted he's not the speediest guy around, but he would have done very well.

Maybe Bradley cut a deal with West Ham to release him for Olympic qualifing instead of a friendly?

Rogers is fast. He is a battler. You cant tell me he would have played worse than Convey.

I can't tell you that, but isn't the purpose of a friendly is to evaluate players? I can't say that given Convey's past contributions that is was wrong to give him a chance.

Arnaud played some minutes against Sweden a while back and he was good. I have seen a few Wizard games and he impressed me. Why not play him at right back? He certainly has the speed and ability going forward.

Because he isn't much of a defender?

For all the talk about Bob Bradley bringing in new faces, I fail to see why these players were not given playing time.

Try interspersing a little reading and research with your ranting.

[Sam Hamwich]

Maybe Bradley remembers Mapp's vapid display in the Copa America and his injury-ridden MLS season?

Ah yes, as opposed to that time Convey...well, that one time when he, um, sure but of course against um, somebody, he must have done something (I watch him at Reading. He had two good flick-ons against Liverpool, besides that, he has done very little this year)? I saw Mapp go cross field, beat 6 Danish players, and put in a cross for goal. As I understand it, the US team faired poorly in CA, but wasnt the idea for them to learn from that playing time?

Maybe Bradley didn't think it was a good idea to play a guy who hasn't played a compeitive game in nearly two months against a pressing Mexico side?

yes, because the alternative was to play a guy in his offseason. Pearce needs minutes to get minutes. Run him out for 30 min. I am fairly certain he has legs and is young and has played before against, I dont know Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, etc.



Maybe Bradley cut a deal with West Ham to release him for Olympic qualifing instead of a friendly?


I guess. He has been riding the bench most of the year, coming in for maybe 20min per game. Dont see this as a must for West Ham.



I can't tell you that, but isn't the purpose of a friendly is to evaluate players? I can't say that given Convey's past contributions that is was wrong to give him a chance.

Which contributions are those in the last 3 years, exactly?

Because he isn't much of a defender?

And whom on the right side for the US was?

Try interspersing a little reading and research with your ranting.

Nothing you wrote had a hint of research in it. Try re-reading it before you rant on my rant.

[Martin Fischer]

Ah yes, as opposed to that time Convey...well, that one time when he, um, sure but of course against um, somebody, he must have done something (I watch him at Reading. He had two good flick-ons against Liverpool, besides that, he has done very little this year)? I saw Mapp go cross field, beat 6 Danish players, and put in a cross for goal. As I understand it, the US team faired poorly in CA, but wasnt the idea for them to learn from that playing time?.

Yes, one idea was for the players to learn. One idea was for Bradley to learn about the players. Mapp's performance in real competition -- as opposed to saloming through a vactioning non-national team Danish National Team (see Ceres) -- probably cut more weight. Given that Convey has performed at times, he was certainly at least a good a bet as Mapp.

yes, because the alternative was to play a guy in his offseason. Pearce needs minutes to get minutes. Run him out for 30 min. I am fairly certain he has legs and is young and has played before against, I dont know Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, etc.

Corrales had at least been in camp for a month and had played a competitive game this year. Pearce was not great against South Africa and since the pupose of friendlies is to learn something, I don't know what could be learned from throwing a guy with no match fitness (different from being in shape Sam) out there against a very sharp side, other than embarassing him. Since you apparently don't know, Pearce's problems at Rostock have nothing to do with what happens on the field, so playing or not playing for the USMNT are irrelevant to his club career at the moment.

I guess. He has been riding the bench most of the year, coming in for maybe 20min per game. Dont see this as a must for West Ham.

It doesn't matter what you think West Ham should do with Spector, the point is that West Ham doesn't have to release him for the Olympic Trials and BB decided that was more important than a friendly. I can't make out if you are criticizing this decision or not - now that I have dcone your research for you -- so please enlighten.

[casoccerdad47]

Face it people, the US has a lot of bodies who can play defense but is "EXTREMELY THIN" when it comes to quality. Even slow as molasses big soccer favorite Spector is usually crap when he wears a US bigboys shirt. Without Cherundolo the US right side is a big open gate. Bocanegra and Onyewu won't be mistaken for world class defenders anytime soon either. The US has no "DEPTH" anywhere except the keeper position.

A little harsh. I've noted before that when watching a replay of an old community shield game between Manchester United and Arsenal, where Spector and Clichy came on at about the same time, I was surprised when Spector was able to stay with Clichy and I wouldn't call Clichy slow as molasses.

[Aaryque]

A little harsh. I've noted before that when watching a replay of an old community shield game between Manchester United and Arsenal, where Spector and Clichy came on at about the same time, I was surprised when Spector was able to stay with Clichy and I wouldn't call Clichy slow as molasses.

Spector has good pace. Always has. As often happens with this kind of thing cultural assumptions are displacing objective evidence in the assessment of how fast a player is. For another example see how surprised people were that Rogers was the fastest player at the recent U23 camp despite a history of torching defenders up and down the sideline. Unfortunately this phenomena also tends to work in reverse when assessing how "heady" a player is.

[Dr.Phil]

Pearce needs to step up

He did well against Brazil and other friendlies.