US v Poland Camp

[El Naranja]

Link (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/houstonchronicle/soccer/~3/256687544/ching_clark_get.html)

Bernardo Fallas has the list of players called up for the US v Poland game on Wed.

Besides Ching, Clark and Donovan (the only MLS players), we have:

The European-based contingent includes goalkeepers Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC) and Tim Howard (Everton FC); defenders Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Cory Gibbs (Charlton Athletic), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock) and Jonathan Spector (West Ham United); midfielders Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County) and Eddie Lewis (Derby County); and forwards Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC) and Josh Wolff (1860 Munich).

Let the formations begin

[Marko72]

Link (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/houstonchronicle/soccer/~3/256687544/ching_clark_get.html)

Bernardo Fallas has the list of players called up for the US v Poland game on Wed.

Besides Ching, Clark and Donovan (the only MLS players), we have:



Let the formations begin

No more midfielders than that? I'm assuming a couple more will be called in. The call-ups are pretty much what I'd expect. I do hope that BB sees that Eddie Lewis is little more than a stop-gap right now. We can't rely on him to be the man at LW or LB, but is admittedly a bit more useful at the moment than Convey now that we're short of bodies there.

I'd expect a couple of the youngish Euro wingers who weren't in the Olympic qualifiers to be called in at the last minute (in other words, not Hill or Zizzo), because this roster as-is has no back-ups at the wings. Smith, White, Nguyen, that sort. With the roster as-is, I suppose that BB has Wolff pencilled in as the back-up forward AND emergency back-up winger, and that Lewis and Donovan are scheduled for a full 90...

[CK]

Cory Gibbs....hmm.....the name sounds vaguely familiar:D

[Marko72]

I just want to take this opportunity to point out that we probably shouldnt' have unrealistic expectations of Gibbs at this point. It's great to see him back from injury, and let's hope that he stays healthy, but let's not look to him as an immediate savior.

[El Naranja]

No more midfielders than that? I'm assuming a couple more will be called in.

Eh..we've got Bradley, Feilhaber, Lewis and Clark, plus probably Donovan in the mid as well, plus Dempsey can play the withdrawn ST/CAM

-----Bradley--Clark--
Donovan--------Lewis
--------Dempsey
------EJ/Ching

I want to give Clark and Bradley another chance. That atmosphere at Reliant was insane and I hope it was just that. Both are too good to not be given another chance together, and both will be very important to the US in WC/Qs. I think they'll be fine together, once they've had more than ~70 minutes playing time.

Granted, there won't be too many subs, but maybe Bradley is more worried about getting this team gelled than he is about seeing who has what. They DO have some very important matches coming up :p

That said, having another couple guys around wouldn't hurt, but let's hope he doesn't go overboard with it.

[Nutmeg]

Super. The Dempsey forward experiment will live on. Benchanegra and Gooch will get some more time to work the kinks out.

[alocksley]

No Freddy for this one?

[TAT33]

Ching and Donovan up top...sounds better than Dempsey just trotting around trying to juke everybody or Eddie Johnson just...being out there (physically not mentally).

OH YEAH....welcome back Cory Gibbs!!!

[Marko72]

Eh..we've got Bradley, Feilhaber, Lewis and Clark, plus probably Donovan in the mid as well, plus Dempsey can play the


My point is that we've got 3 center mids and three wingers. We can live with 3 CMs, but asking two wingers to play a full 90 is asking a lot in a friendly. The back-up winger is the back-up forward, and the other back-up winger is the starting forward (Dempsey will most likely be the forward and Donovan the winger, but even if we flip-flopped them as many here would like, the situation's the same.)

It doesn't make much sense to me to bring a surplus of backs and be thin at the positions where you're asking your guys to run all over the place. Neither tactically (win the game), nor experimentally, or even team-gel-wise. An exhausted player is useless. (I'm not so much worried about Donovan as I am about Lewis and Dempsey.)

Part of this situation is the fact that our other options were just in the U23 tournament, but... I still don't see why just one of the others I'd mentioned didn't get called in.

[FC Tallavana]

OMG, I'm already picturing it...

-------------Howard
----Dolo-Gooch-Boca-Pearce
----Wolff-Clark-Bradley-Lewis
-------Donovan-Dempsey

[FC Tallavana]

No Freddy for this one?

Part of the contract. Poland wanted to ensure no ass-beating would occur to them on home soil.

[turman]

Eh..we've got Bradley, Feilhaber, Lewis and Clark, plus probably Donovan in the mid as well, plus Dempsey can play the withdrawn ST/CAM

-----Bradley--Clark--
Donovan--------Lewis
--------Dempsey
------EJ/Ching


I agree with you regarding Bradley and Clark being given another chance. I really hope Bradley knows Lewis is done. Ching can't be as fit as the euro guys, right? I predict we'll see the formation below. However, I wish BB would play a 4-4-2 and put Benny as the CAM and pair Donovan with Johnson.


Dolo--------Gooch/Boca -------Pearce

------------Junior---Clark-------------
Benny------------------------Donovan
-------------Dempsey-----------------

-------------Johnson------------------

[FC Tallavana]

Anyone else laughing at the notion that BF wasn't U23 material last week, but will be senior nat material next week?

[Lord15]

Anyone else laughing at the notion that BF wasn't U23 material last week, but will be senior nat material next week?

Wait til he plays well. Nowak is going to be a disaster. He'll pick Brian Carroll for the olympics because he 'adds to the team'

[sidefootsitter]

I hope he goes with Ching-Donovan upfront.

PS. What are the odds this is another "Empty Bucket"?

[Kickflip89]

I hope he goes with Ching-Donovan upfront.

PS. What are the odds this is another "Empty Bucket"?

90% would be my guess.

[dziabac]

Part of the contract. Poland wanted to ensure no ass-beating would occur to them on home soil.


USA will play well diffrent team then couple years ago. Some players are the same that in that game before WORLD CUP 2004 in Germany that USA won but we got new coach with him we were able to beat teams like PORTUGAL AND CZECH REPUBILIC so be AWARE !!

[Prime Time]

Anyone else laughing at the notion that BF wasn't U23 material last week, but will be senior nat material next week?

Like I said when someone stated, he can't crack the U23 Roster for Qualifying but he is on our National Team. Benny is far from losing his spot on THIS team. I'll take Benny with Bradley in the middle over Clark and Edu.

Also, GREAT to see Cory Gibbs back (if this is the true roster). Will be nice to see him get some playing time. Hopefully he works his way back into the team and hopefully the Ft. Lauderdale native can impress with time. Beasley has said that Gibbs is his favorite teammate to play with, and they have great chemistry together. Imagine if Gibbs could win the Left Back spot. Him and Beasley down the left side would be tough to get by.

[dziabac]

BTW according to Polish papers both teams arrive in KRAKOW and schedule to practice tomorrow but I just read that BIG SNOW STORM is going on POLAND. DAMN it !!! Another game in snow !!!!

[Kevin8833]

Roster Announced:

ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Cory Gibbs (Charlton Athletic), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
FORWARDS (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich)