Looking back at Josh Wolff: Was he ever that good for us?

[olephill2]

Over the course of his 9-year career with the US National Team, Josh Wolff has amassed 52 caps, with 9 goals and 5 assists. Wolff's best year statistically was in 2002, when he recorded 3 goals and 2 assists in 10 games (6 starts) with the Nats. One of those assists was in the Round of 16 World Cup match against Mexico, where he took an incisive pass from Claudio Reyna and teed up Brian McBride for the game's opening goal.

Wolff spent a lot of time injured in 2001 & 2003. Since returning to health in 2004, Wolff has appeared in 32 U.S. matches (23 of them starts), and has 3 goals and 2 assists on his record.

At the MLS level, Wolff's career has been up-and-down, but when healthy, generally he has been one of the league's more productive strikers. Here's a brief statistical run-down of Wolff's MLS career:

Year...GP/GS...G...A
1998...14/4.....8...3
1999...28/17...10..2
2000...25/20...7...5
2001....3/3.....2...0
2002...14/14...5...5
2003...13/9....2....1
2004...26/25..10..7
2005...22/22..10..10
2006...19/18...5...2
2008...11/10...3...3

I've colored Wolff's most productive seasons in blue, and his unproductive seasons in red.

While not terrible, Wolff's numbers for both club & country haven't been overly impressive. Statistically speaking, he lags behind pure strikers he's competed against for spots over the years such as Brian Ching, Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson & Ante Razov in terms of goals per game. When compared to withdrawn options such as Landon Donovan, Clint Mathis & Joe-Max Moore, he still lags behind most of them in both goals per game and assists per game.

Now, over the course of his career (until 2007 or 2008), I never really questioned Josh Wolff's call-ups, because I thought he was a valuable foil to Brian McBride. As a pacey guy who was pretty good with the ball at his feet and a fairly good passer, Wolff seemed to be a natural complement to McBride up front when Donovan was either unavailable or deployed elsewhere on the field.

But the numbers do glare out at me. How do you all assess Wolff's value to the national team over the years? Has he been deserving of the number of caps he's received with the Nats during his career (2008 excluded)? Especially looking at the 2006 WCQ cycle, how many of Wolff's call-ups were the result of either his past reputation or the favoritism of Bruce Arena?


When responding, please try to keep the toxic remarks toward Wolff as a result of his performance against England in May 2008 out of the discussion. The purpose of this thread isn't to ask whether Wolff is still worthy of being an option in our forward pool, it's to assess his value over the course of his national team career, namely from 1999-2006 (since he's been used so sparingly since).

[gewyglop]

The world's eye first looked upon Mr. Wolff in the 2000 Olympics. Josh scored a couple of goals including one in the quarter final. He was considered one of the top players for the US during that tournament.

He scored an memerable goal against Mexico during the WCQ and had earned a spot up top. His play in the WC was not exceptional but he did contribute and nobody can dispute his importance in the game against Mexico.

This post had me asking myself, was there anyone else at the time that could have filled the spot...that was better. I think as the years have passed, the answer would be yes. But I have the benefit of seeing it as history. You see a lot of Eddie Lewis/Johnson bashing, but who is to say those guys are not one game away from going on a 10 goals in 5 games scoring streak.

I always liked Wolff and although I know his time has passed. He always seemed to work hard and try his best. The coaches gave him chances because they believed he would produce. Until someone else stepped up and showed them different, he was our guy.

[russ]

This post had me asking myself, was there anyone else at the time that could have filled the spot...that was better. I think as the years have passed, the answer would be yes.

Really?Who?

[deuteronomy]

I agree that he played mostly in a period when we did not have a lot of servicable options. Injuries took a toll on him. It was impressive that both Derby and 1860 Munich saw enough in him to offer him contracts.

[yabo]

... He scored an memerable goal against Mexico during the WCQ and had earned a spot up top. His play in the WC was not exceptional but he did contribute and nobody can dispute his importance in the game against Mexico...


That's all you need to know about JW. He doesn't belong now, but that one goal makes him part of the greater epic.

[Bigrose30]

He was never a superstar for the US team. But then again, when have we ever had a superstar?

When injuries cut down his speed, he became a more clever passer of the ball. He came up big against Mexico in Columbus in 2000 and in the World Cup in 2002. He was good when it really counted.

[IndividualEleven]

Should be noted that Wolff Josh Wolff was used as a sub quite a few times which affects the goals per cap number.

Josh Wolff is a very modern footballer, so it's easy to see why clubs like Derby or Munich would want a player of such limited technique. Coaches love players who are both smart tactically and willing to make run after run after run. That's why Brian McBride(a couple of notches above Wolff in talent) gets worshipped. That's how EJ(yeah, I know, we'll agree to disagree) got an EPL contract.

He had his heyday during a fallow period for the US forward position so no complaints about his minutes. I have however liked to seen a different type of footballer given more of chance--a player like Kirovski or Cunningham in a slight different attacking setup.

[TrueCrew]

Wolff is a reliable player whom the manager can rely on to buy into the team concept and follow instructions.

He also can (rarely) deliver something special (the bike this last week-end).

He doesn't keep opposing managers up at night, but he's steady.

If LD can't go, I say he's a viable option at the withdrawn striker role (though I'd prefer Adu, Davies, or even Altidore partnering Ching).

[drew_VT_6]

People forget that we didn't have speed at the forward position at the time like Josh Wolff had. Landon and Beasely weren't quite on the scene for the 2001 WCQ early rounds. Earnie Stewart had lost a step by that time and Joe Max-Moore was one of our other starting options.

Wolff is a serviceable player who won't disrupt a locker room and who is a pros-pro. I'm glad we don't have to count on him, but he'd be an ok backup.

[superdave]

I wonder if he would have been a more productive player for club and country if he had been converted to RW in 2003. That would have put his best skills (dribbling, speed, smart runs) on display, while hiding his weakness (finishing.)

[cyberthoth]

I think Wolff was good but he was so injury prone that we never really got to see a full season of him in MLS or with the Nats to see it.

When you get down to it that entire generation was snake bitten with injuries.

Wolff
Mathis
O'brien
Olsen
Gibbs

These players would've been pillars for us during the last World Cup if they hadn't suffered career altering injuries. We are as a national program only now really starting to recover from that.

[russ]

Josh Wolff is a very modern footballer, so it's easy to see why clubs like Derby or Munich would want a player of such limited technique. Coaches love players who are both smart tactically and willing to make run after run after run. That's why Brian McBride(a couple of notches above Wolff in talent) gets worshipped. That's how EJ(yeah, I know, we'll agree to disagree) got an EPL contract.



The limited technique which led him to score and set up a goal against Mexico in Columbus in 20degree weather?That limited technique?Srsly,d00d.

Having said that,yeah ,not a good finisher.

And (see bold)you did not just call Eddie Johnson smart tactically and willing to make run after run did you?Tell me it was a typo or tortured syntax.Lie if you have to.

[CarlitosWay]

Wolff should go down in the "Chris Armas" wing of the Halls of USMNT history. Players who flashed brilliance when not injured.

[hanoah]

That's all you need to know about JW. He doesn't belong now, but that one goal makes him part of the greater epic.

Even better than that one goal, which was assisted but a somewhat lucky bounce off of the Mexican keeper, was his assist later in the game when he beat a mexican defender to the goal line and centered for Stewart.

In my opinion it was that one game that gave him as many caps as he received.

[Papin]

Even better than that one goal, which was assisted but a somewhat lucky bounce off of the Mexican keeper, was his assist later in the game when he beat a mexican defender to the goal line and centered for Stewart.

In my opinion it was that one game that gave him as many caps as he received.

He made a fool of more than one defender on that play.
Here's the old Cypress Hill highlights clip (assist is toward the end). (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXgGGcpwjag)

[Adam Zebrowski]

wolff is a far better player than armas was, skill wise..

people want to neglect the mexico match, at their own risk...

wolff is less scorer, and more the guy using space to create attack....

[hanoah]

He made a fool of more than one defender on that play.
Here's the old Cypress Hill highlights clip (assist is toward the end). (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXgGGcpwjag)


Thanks for the link, it was great watching that again.

[hanoah]

wolff is a far better player than armas was, skill wise..

people want to neglect the mexico match, at their own risk...

wolff is less scorer, and more the guy using space to create attack....

I don't neglect the Mexico match at all. Because of it I was a Wolff fan for many years.

I never underestimate the importance of a guy who creates the space for someone else to score. But a guy has to add a little more than just that to be useful and I think Wolff did during his time. He was never going to be a superstar, but he had his place.

[IndividualEleven]

The limited technique which led him to score and set up a goal against Mexico in Columbus in 20degree weather?That limited technique?Srsly,d00d.

Having said that,yeah ,not a good finisher.

You look at a player does over the aggregate of games. Over the aggregate of games Wolff has shown himself to be a player of very limited technique. Heck, during the England EJ took John Terry on 1 v 1 from a stand still position and earned a free kick. His technique still sucks.

And (see bold)you did not just call Eddie Johnson smart tactically and willing to make run after run did you?Tell me it was a typo or tortured syntax.Lie if you have to.

That's why the man got an EPL contract. That's why he was a leading goal scorer in MLS. There are plenty of just fast players out there.

[russ]

Look,I suppose we disagree there.EJ is just fast and can finish sitters.He does not make good runs or frequent runs and never has.

And I'm still waiting for a serious replacement at the time for Woolf.Johan "I can't get by the Israel defense" Kirovski is simply an unaccptable answer.