Quaranta as A-Mid

[United fury]

I toiled with this idea for awhile now, and after seeing him play last night I thought I'd bring up the idea.(when he comes back fully from injury)

Quaranta has good passing ability and is one of the few players on the team that doesn't cough up the ball when under just a tad of pressure.

I think he is actually slightly better than Moreno or even Fred there.

What do you guys think?

[Fisty409]

I'd say give it a try, even though i would more likely prefer Fred there because of his creative ability. But We sould try a 4-5-1 and give moreno a rest on saturday.

Like this
----- Simms -----
Thompson----------Somebody
Fred------Tino
Luci

[revelation]

Tino was always pegged as the next Moreno. However, to date he has never been injury free enough to demonstrate this ability for a full season. I hope that he can this season, because we will need him to play at a very high level in Sept. and Oct. when the real Moreno is exhausted.

[Bolivianfuego]

Are you SERIOUS????? Better than Moreno?????


Quaranta has to walk before he can run. I am not even convinced he has a starting role on our team period at this point. He shows good flashes of brilliance, cant hold the ball all that well, nor dribble, decent shot, but thats about it. His passing isnt nothing that special either.

[John_Harkes_6]

Repeat after me - withdrawn forward, withdrawn forward, withdrawn forward!

I can only hope with Gallardo likely out for the foreseeable future Soehn does the right thing and drops Moreno to the middle, moves Quaranta to withdrawn forward, and uses Fred and Thompson on the wings.

Given Peralta's injury and Moreno's limitation on conditioning - I would almost be inclined to go back to a 3-5-2 (I mean hell, we can't shut anyone out with 4 defenders what could happen with 3 ;)) however Stratford is injured as well so I don't know who we would slot in there.

Brian Arguez would be nice - oh wait, we let him go for a bag of popcorn.

[United fury]

Are you SERIOUS????? Better than Moreno?????


Quaranta has to walk before he can run. I am not even convinced he has a starting role on our team period at this point. He shows good flashes of brilliance, cant hold the ball all that well, nor dribble, decent shot, but thats about it. His passing isnt nothing that special either.

He is better at that position. Overall, of course not.

Just an experiment for the short term while Gallardos out anyway.

[revelation]

I think he was referring to the hold the ball comment. Frankly, there is no one on DC United and perhaps MLS that can hold the ball as well as Jaime. Watching his footwork over the last two games was the ONLY reason to go to the SuperDuperLiga matches. F---ing brilliant touch and close control.

[jason1551]

Repeat after me - withdrawn forward, withdrawn forward, withdrawn forward!

I can only hope with Gallardo likely out for the foreseeable future Soehn does the right thing and drops Moreno to the middle, moves Quaranta to withdrawn forward, and uses Fred and Thompson on the wings.

Given Peralta's injury and Moreno's limitation on conditioning - I would almost be inclined to go back to a 3-5-2 (I mean hell, we can't shut anyone out with 4 defenders what could happen with 3 ;)) however Stratford is injured as well so I don't know who we would slot in there.

Brian Arguez would be nice - oh wait, we let him go for a bag of popcorn.
The old "Arguez could have been great" argument? Geez. I thought we gave up that ghost a while ago.

In the meantime, it looks like Joe Vide might become our solution to the back-up d-mid quandry. I'll let others decide if that's a good thing.

[John L]

well - maybe eventually - but not yet - use Saturday to give him like half a game to see how he goes, probably at his usual spot - only when he's ready for a full game would I try him at A-Mid

Even at his best and most effective (and I like Tino a lot), I never felt he was always 100% in the game all the time - He'd always seem to drift out of the game and seem OK with that

An A-Mid doesn't have to be 100% physically involved the game all the time - But he does have to be aware all time and be ready to step in where and when needed to dribble away from pressure, give the right release pass, set the tone of the game - While I think Tino has the skills, I don't think he's got the right game for it - Then again, who else do we have who can fill in 100% of the time? - Not anybody

[JoeSoccerFan]

The old "Arguez could have been great" argument? Geez. I thought we gave up that ghost a while ago.


If Arguez hadn't been drafted in Indy, Robbie Findlay was surprisingly sitting there! A fast forward that can create his own shot could have fit in nicely!

[JeremyEritrea]

If Arguez hadn't been drafted in Indy, Robbie Findlay was surprisingly sitting there! A fast forward that can create his own shot could have fit in nicely!

I still cannot begin to fathom why the team drafted Arguez when it should've been obvious that his desire was to play in Europe.

Supposedly, he's doing well in Hertha's pre-season.

[jason1551]

If Arguez hadn't been drafted in Indy, Robbie Findlay was surprisingly sitting there! A fast forward that can create his own shot could have fit in nicely!
And we could've had Altidore instead of Moose the year before.

The real question I have is what we do next year when we have two first round picks to screw up.

[AMERICANS SC]

And we could've had Altidore instead of Moose the year before.

The real question I have is what we do next year when we have two first round picks to screw up.

Hopefully not screw up!

[AMERICANS SC]

If Arguez hadn't been drafted in Indy, Robbie Findlay was surprisingly sitting there! A fast forward that can create his own shot could have fit in nicely!

Dane Richards and Cory Ashe were available also (as was Adam Cristman).

[jason1551]

Dane Richards and Cory Ashe were available also (as was Adam Cristman).
They have speed, but their first touch is godawful.

[MattMathai]

They have speed, but their first touch is godawful.

True enough, but having a player like that camped out on the wing would spread a defense out nicely, allowing our more technically gifted players to do damage in the middle.

[jason1551]

Hopefully not screw up!
Based on the last decade's worth of draft picks, I would rather trade them away for depth or starters than actually sign someone.

[MattMathai]

Based on the last decade's worth of draft picks, I would rather trade them away for depth or starters than actually sign someone.

By way of devastating counter-argument, I give you Jason Moore.

Er, ...

[Bolivianfuego]

I'd be down for experimenting next game, throw Quaranta where Gallardo was, play with 5 midfielders, clog their last 3rd of the half, tell Emilio to stay his ass with the last defender on the line!!

I am sick of him trying to come back and dribble it himself!

But yea, quaranta deserves sometime but he def. isnt the next coming of jaime, i dont think ever!

Thats not to say he can get better yes, but i dont see him being a '10' ever. He has good touch sometimes... and can pass good... sometimes. He hasnt shown that 'spark' that you see with young South AMerican' kids or anyone for that matter that show signs of being a 10'. I havent seen it from him, and i dont know why people insist on maybe him being that.

Maybe at best a withdrawn forward. He just doesnt have the holding capability and distributing when two guys charge at him like he should.

[JoeSoccerFan]

Q rehurting his hamstring eliminates any experiment with his positioning.

I will be there on Saturday and I don't care who they throw out there. I'll root, root, root for the home team.


With the Dynamo staying over the week-end, P.M. (doesn't exist?) on Monday night.. :cool: