Santino

[Brunssen]

Is this guy really 6'1 185? as the website states? BTW, can you give me info on him?

how does he play?
how are his physical attributes?
who would you compare him to?
why is he not playing?

alos, news on edward johnson would be good...different forum but thanks nonetheless.

[Brunssen]

just found out he had abdominal hernia surgery, when did he get injured, what is the time frame on a return to action? doesnt look good.

[John_Harkes_6]

Originally posted by Brunssen
just found out he had abdominal hernia surgery, when did he get injured, what is the time frame on a return to action? doesnt look good.

He is out for the remainder of the season - I think if we advance into the play-offs he might come back but I am not sure of this.

He was playing before he got hurt and playing fairly well considering we had crap play from the midfield at that time.

[Lanky134]

Originally posted by Brunssen
Is this guy really 6'1 185? as the website states? BTW, can you give me info on him?

how does he play?
how are his physical attributes?
who would you compare him to?
why is he not playing?



He's very mobile and quick for a big guy, with a rocket shot. Prefers to shoot from a minimum of 15 yards (hit a 35 yarder earlier in the year) out rather than plant himself inside the 6 and bang it home.

He loves to receive the ball about 35 yards out on the wing and drive inward towards goal with the ball, which I'm guessing he learned from studying Baggio and Rivaldo. He tends to hold on to the ball too much, which is natural for someone of his age, because he's used to going around everybody. With experience and proper coaching he could be on the US team in 2006 and for a number of years to come.

Dave

[CHICO13]

Originally posted by Lanky134


He's very mobile and quick for a big guy, with a rocket shot. Prefers to shoot from a minimum of 15 yards (hit a 35 yarder earlier in the year) out rather than plant himself inside the 6 and bang it home.

He loves to receive the ball about 35 yards out on the wing and drive inward towards goal with the ball, which I'm guessing he learned from studying Baggio and Rivaldo. He tends to hold on to the ball too much, which is natural for someone of his age, because he's used to going around everybody. With experience and proper coaching he could be on the US team in 2006 and for a number of years to come.

Dave
You forgot cocky and arrogant, which IMHO are great traits for a forward. Wish he was playing now. I'd like to see him stick it to the MetroPukes.

[Th4119]

I'd say 6'1'' 185 sounds about right.

[Red&Black]

he's a weird 6'1", he really doesn't seem or play like a bigger guy. in fact, it took me several games to realize how tall he was.

he is suprisingly quick for his size and is developing some better ball skills. what he has, and United currently lacks, is a sort of "gunners" mentality, he'll take shots, he has a bit of that hunger/selfishness a good forward needs.

i do think he has a tendency to dribble too much and he doesn'ty yet have good field vision, but he is getting better

he is relatively flashy, at least for an american forward and sometimes he trys some wild things, which i do appreciate.

while he is a fine talent and pretty good on the ball, he needs to improve his workrate a bit off the ball, he needs defensive polish and in my opinion, he needs to learn how to make runs diagonally into the box--he still mostly trys to outrun defenders.

but man, did he improve this year. after last year i wasn't sure if he would improve much (he was very nice last year) but he really has. it is a shame he got hurt, he and our young midfielder bob convey just began to sync up.

[wu-tang beez]

I know this has nothing to do w/ the thread, but how did Etchescary look in Bolivia's friendly? He's still young enough to make their wc2k6 campaign.

[CHICO13]

Originally posted by wu-tang beez
I know this has nothing to do w/ the thread, but how did Etchescary look in Bolivia's friendly? He's still young enough to make their wc2k6 campaign.
The games not till Wednesday. If you see him in 2006 for Bolivia, it'll be as coach.

[1MADDOG]

Quaranta is definantly european material. He's fast, dribbles very well, tall, and has a great shot.

He has grown from last year. I did not even recognize him this year because he has buffed up soo much.

Diablo is too slow. He has never played all that well in the midfield for Bolivia. He got his popularity as a forward. His forward days are over, way over. I would like to see Moreno in the line up if he can straighten out his game and play with a bit more flair.

[Brunssen]

Ellinger compared him to Landon Donovan? Just a bigger version. Is this a fair assessment? Can you compare the two?

[DCU]

I don't think Santino is much like Landon at all. They're just very different players. When Santino plays forward, he plays like a target man. Except he has skill. His best traights are probably his ability to turn on his marker with the ball, his shot, and his ability 1v1. He's also a good passer. His worst are probably his work rate, movement off the ball, and a lack of breakaway speed. I'm still not convinced he wouldn't be better off at right midfield because of his lack of speed. Also, he doesn't quite have the bull like attitude of Vieri or Batistuta. Unfortunately, we already have a great right half (who's finally healthy) and Santino's workrate and defense aren't up to snuff for forward, let alone midfield. All that said, he's a great talent.

[neilgrossman]

Originally posted by Brunssen
Is this guy really 6'1 185? as the website states? BTW, can you give me info on him?

how does he play?

He plays with a lot of urgency. As soon as he gets the ball, he knows where he wants to go. Sometimes he picks wrong, but he doesn't wait around. I think that is why DC United fans love him so much. He replaced a forward (Albright) who never played with any urgency and thus could not score.

[soccerfanatic21]

He is definately gonna be in the WC in Germany in 2006 if he is healthy and the coahcing is good!I think all the younger players are gonna be kind of hidden behind Landon Donovan b/c he is the "poster boy"!!Sometimes i think players like twellman,convey,quaranta and beasley should get more credit not just Landon!

[GUTuna]

Originally posted by Brunssen
Ellinger compared him to Landon Donovan? Just a bigger version. Is this a fair assessment? Can you compare the two?

I also think they're different players.

Landon relies more on his speed (and he's faster) than Tino is. Tino uses his size to his advantage. While Tino doesn't always seem "big" (in the Vieri sense) he uses his body well.

Landon is also more of a playmaker, settling well into the withdrawn forward role, while Tino is more of a front runner.

Where they are very similar is in their confidence in their skills and willingness to pull the trigger on a shot. Both of which serves them very well.

[Red&Black]

as much as i like tino, i am unsure if he will really be in the picture in 06. first off, you have a couple of guys like mathis and wolff who are quite a bit ahead of him in development now and ought to be peaking for 06.

you also have some younger guys (though still older than tino) like conor casey and twellman who have accomplished more to this point in the pro game.

does he have the potential to be in our pool in 06? absolutely. however, right now i personally believe there are several players quite a bit ahead of him. who knows what will happen in a few years.

[uniteo]

Originally posted by Brunssen
Ellinger compared him to Landon Donovan? Just a bigger version. Is this a fair assessment? Can you compare the two?

I think it is fair if you remember that LD is 3 years older than Tino. Q1 has played right wing quite a bit for the Gnats (gnats = youth Nats, get it).

Both are good finishers, capable of holding the ball or making the threatening pass, able to take on defenders with the dribble...SQ has some flashy moves but is less of a presence in the midfield - of course 3 years ago Donovan was not much of a presence in the midfield.

The big difference is 1st touch...Tino is no slouch, he has very good control of the ball, but Donovan's first touch is sublime.

As was previously mentioned, Santino has a scorers mentality, and I think that is what will differentiate him and his style from LD...he's a unique breed of forward in that he can create a shot AND finish, reminds me of Jaime Moreno really, and while I think of him as different from LD, all these attributes are also applicable to Landon.

So yeah, they are similar, just a different feel about them...SQ is always a threat - menacing and looking to score, while LD kills you silently and from all angles, you never know when he'll strike