The Secret to our Success?

[Prime Time]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=soccer&entryID=3588406

1. The shortcomings of the U.S. central midfield.

Last week's win against Trinidad & Tobago showed both the good and ugly aspects of the U.S. midfield. The good: In the first half, against a bunkering Soca Warrior team that set up far too deep in its own half, Michael Bradley showed more offensive poise and controlled passing than he has for a long time for the national team. The bad: In the second half against a T&T team that pressed the ball in midfield, the U.S. and Bradley reverted to the constant turnovers and inability to hold the ball that has plagued the U.S. midfield ever since Claudio Reyna and John O'Brien were at their peaks.

U.S. fans can talk all they want about the lack of quality forwards in the U.S. pool, but until the central midfield becomes more accomplished, this team will continue to have problems against quality sides because of its inability to transition and link from the midfield to the attack with any degree of consistency. Those who have criticized Bob Bradley's lineup choices (myself included), point to his constant use of two defensive/holding midfielders as one of the root causes of the U.S.' offensive inefficiencies. Except that based on what Bradley told SI's Grant Wahl after the Cuba game on Sep. 6, the critics have been wrong all along: sort of. That is to say, Bradley, in his opinion, hasn't generally been playing with two defensive midfielders, and doesn't view either the younger Bradley or Maurice Edu as such. "I don't consider that they're both holding midfielders," said Bradley to SI. "We encourage the idea that one can move out and join in [the offense]."

This being the case, U.S. fans need to hope that either Bradley or Edu evolves into a midfielder capable of providing more penetrating playmaking (unlikely, in my opinion), or that either Sacha Kljestan (who started against T&T) or Benny Feilhaber can step up and become that player. Klejstan and Feilhaber's development is critical for the U.S. because with the exception of trying out Clint Dempsey in the central midfield role, there aren't a whole lot of prospects in the pipeline at this spot for the U.S. The problem is compounded by the fact that the other central midfielders Bradley typically pairs with his son are another pair of defensive midfielders, Ricardo Clark and Pablo Mastroeni. However, while Bradley might not think he's fielding a dual holding midfield structure, in reality he is, at least with the personnel choices he's been making.


I actually agree with this and have been saying it for a while now. We need a center mid who can possess the ball and create attacks. The guy with the best skill set (IMO) is Benny, but that's only when he's healthy and in form, and that's a big BUT (no pun intended).

Discuss. :)

[Barcasox]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=soccer&entryID=3588406




I actually agree with this and have been saying it for a while now. We need a center mid who can possess the ball and create attacks. The guy with the best skill set (IMO) is Benny, but that's only when he's healthy and in form, and that's a big BUT (no pun intended).

Discuss. :)

Did you seriously just say Benny is a better option than Freddy Adu...*sigh* What has he done recently?
Might I remind you that THIS:http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2008/08/video-benny-feilhaber-is-having-trouble.html
does not count as a good performance

[Prime Time]

Did you seriously just say Benny is a better option than Freddy Adu...*sigh* What has he done recently?
Might I remind you that THIS:http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2008/08/video-benny-feilhaber-is-having-trouble.html
does not count as a good performance

I was talking about center mids, but if Freddy Adu can be the guy who can maintain possession and start up the attacks, then I'm all for it. Adu is obviously the most talented of the bunch, but he wasn't listed in the original paragraph which is why I excluded him.

[Roehl Sybing]

There was a post in this space. I take it back.

[Barcasox]

Can someone give Barcasox his yellow card back? Pretty please?

Adu is an attacking mid. Feilhaber is in central mid. The US needs a playmaker in central midfield as Reyna (allegedly) was way back when.

what's wrong with Landon behind Jozy as a half striker/ half attacking mid with Adu in the center?

[Dynamic]

The best of evar.

[Barcasox]

There was a post in this space. I take it back.

That's right. No one reminds me of the horrors of my yellow card

[Bigrose30]

Did you seriously just say Benny is a better option than Freddy Adu...*sigh* What has he done recently?
Might I remind you that THIS:http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2008/08/video-benny-feilhaber-is-having-trouble.html
does not count as a good performance

All Freddy Adu has ever done is play well at youth tournaments. Coincidentally, other than a golazo against Mexico, that's all Benny Feilhaber has ever done.

Call me cynical, but I'm no longer holding high hopes for any player until he completes a single professional season as a regular starter.

[prowazekii]

I guess it depends on how the author is defining the term "prospect". But saying "there aren't a whole lot of prospects in the pipeline at this spot for the U.S. " at central mid is somewhat odd considering 2 of the most talked about youths (Renken and LLetget) have both spent time at CAM rather successfully. I admit they are young, unproven, and unestablished at definite position (Renken more often deployed as forward), but I would call them worthy prospects at least.

[Scotty]

http://www.listal.com/image/products/180/B00005956N/dvds/the-secret-of-my-success.jpg

[Maximum Optimal]

Many of the same thoughts have been expressed by me and others around here. For example in this thread from a few months ago titled, "Die, Empty Bucket."

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=14721375#post14721375

There are three things that need to happen that would make us a very interesting side by the summer of 2010:

1) Adu develops or simply maintains what he showed us against Spain
2) Altidore develops
3) One of Edu/Szetela/Kljestan/Feilhaber develops into an international quality two way mid (of the caliber of Reyna or JOB).

I do not include Clark and Bradley among the possibilities because they don't show me either the passing or possession skills needed to be international quality two way mids. They could still be useful as the more defensive of a two-man central mid combination.

Of the three items I listed above, the one least likely to be satisfied is #3. The odds are certainly against any one of those players reaching the JOB or Reyna level. But there are four of them and they are young. We could get lucky and one of them could take some big steps forward.

[FnordUnitedFC]

I was talking about center mids, but if Freddy Adu can be the guy who can maintain possession and start up the attacks, then I'm all for it. Adu is obviously the most talented of the bunch, but he wasn't listed in the original paragraph which is why I excluded him.

If Adu and Benny are on the field, and Donovan isn't on the bench or abandoned to the right wing where he is useless, how does Baby Bradley play?

[jamezyjamez]

I would say one of Landon's best games in the US shirt was at right wing last year against Brazil in Chicago.

[Bob Morocco]

"The good: In the first half, against a bunkering Soca Warrior team that set up far too deep in its own half, Michael Bradley showed more offensive poise and controlled passing than he has for a long time for the national team. The bad: In the second half against a T&T team that pressed the ball in midfield, the U.S. and Bradley reverted to the constant turnovers and inability to hold the ball that has plagued the U.S. midfield ever since Claudio Reyna and John O'Brien were at their peaks."


Because the Prozone stats for this game seem to be lost in the mail we really can't evaluate this. I can say that Chang and I probably have different views on the definition of "constant turnovers". FYI it seemed like Villarreal's midfielder's pass completion rate today was around 75%-80& with probably 50-75 passes for each pro-rated over 90 minutes.

[Xensik]

I was talking about center mids, but if Freddy Adu can be the guy who can maintain possession and start up the attacks, then I'm all for it. Adu is obviously the most talented of the bunch, but he wasn't listed in the original paragraph which is why I excluded him.

The last time I saw Adu start for us he made a lot of penetrating runs, including a brilliant stop on the line and a chip back towards the goal. He totally put the opponent on the back heel. I say if you could find some decent wingers, put Adu and Dempsey in the middle and let them attack away.

[Martin Fischer]

The last time I saw Adu start for us he made a lot of penetrating runs, including a brilliant stop on the line and a chip back towards the goal. He totally put the opponent on the back heel. I say if you could find some decent wingers, put Adu and Dempsey in the middle and let them attack away.

You want Dempsey and Adu in central midfield? Really?

While anything is possible, do you know any team above the u-13 league that lines up with something similar?

[hasselhoff]

All Freddy Adu has ever done is play well at youth tournaments. Coincidentally, other than a golazo against Mexico, that's all Benny Feilhaber has ever done.

Call me cynical, but I'm no longer holding high hopes for any player until he completes a single professional season as a regular starter.
That's not cynical at all. It's prudent and based in the realities of the game instead of wishful thinking. Adu and Feilhaber have yet to show they can perform consistently against grown-ups. I hope they do show something, and soon, because the nats need more quality.

[fusion101]

That's not cynical at all. It's prudent and based in the realities of the game instead of wishful thinking. Adu and Feilhaber have yet to show they can perform consistently against grown-ups. I hope they do show something, and soon, because the nats need more quality.


I agree with your point here. The only way to address this issue is for Bob to give players like Adu, Altidore, Edu, and Sasha quality minutes. Until this happens ruling these players as busts or saviors is misguided.

[Reccossu]

Isn't the really critical nugget here that Bradley doesn't realize he is playing with two defensive midfielders? That is mind boggling.

Either:

1) he's lying, or
2) he's an idiot, or
3) his players are playing like 2 d-mids when they are not supposed to.

None of these is good.

I'd be much more comfortable if BB had just said, yes, we usually play with 2 d-mids because I've decided that's best strategy for this team. I'd disagree with him, but at least he would have taken a quasi-defensible position.

[Roehl Sybing]

Either:

1) he's lying, or
2) he's an idiot, or
3) his players are playing like 2 d-mids when they are not supposed to.

None of these is good.
Why is #1 bad? If all this is a con to make the rest of the world laugh at us, it's working very well.

You know, I enjoy the swagger the US team has sometimes (Eric Wynalda saying we'd make the semis in '06 was a nice touch), but nothing works better than lowering expectations.

As long as we're winning, I really don't care what the expectations are. But if they're low, even better.