Questions Remain following Victory Vs Mexico

[deuteronomy]

These are my own, anyone welcome to answer them or add their own.

1. Is Hejduk a legitimate candidate at outside back or just a one time shot at old glory?
2. Are Pearce and Bornstein the only solutions we have at left back? How close is Jon Spector to being a factor?
3. Was the Onyewu/Bocanegra pairing really as challenged as they seemed Wednesday night or was that just an aberration?
4. Is Jozy really ready to take over at striker? Would we have to go with more of a basic 4-4-2 to accomodate him?
5. Given that Michael Bradley appears to be stepping up, who is the best player to partner with him?
6. Were Clint Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan's performances weak or was it just a difficult match for them?
7. Just how important is it to replace Howard with the exact right person in this next match?
8. We are in the Driver's seat of the hex, given our 2-0 victory vs Mexico. Any problems looming short of overconfidence?
9. What is Freddy Adu's status?
10. Qualifying through the hex should be a safe and conservative journey, right? What chances should be taken from here?

[PhillyQuakesFan]

1. Is Hejduk a legitimate candidate at outside back or just a one time shot at old glory?
2. Are Pearce and Bornstein the only solutions we have at left back? How close is Jon Spector to being a factor?

These two questions could be related, at least once Cherundolo returns.

[Swami]

Personally, I think that if all players are fit and in form, the answer at LB is Spector for this cycle. Pearce would be the back-up, but he needs to get consistent pt at a club; he should think about going back to Denmark next season if he needs to. Pearce has talent as the England, Spain, Arg games demonstrate, but a lack of pt will kill anyone's form.

Does anyone know what Spector's health and form are like?

[deuteronomy]

Personally, I think that if all players are fit and in form, the answer at LB is Spector for this cycle. Pearce would be the back-up, but he needs to get consistent pt at a club; he should think about going back to Denmark next season if he needs to. Pearce has talent as the England, Spain, Arg games demonstrate, but a lack of pt will kill anyone's form.

Does anyone know what Spector's health and form are like?

Spector has a difficult hip injury similar to the one which cost Bo Jackson his career. He played briefly at the end of one match on January 5th. He has not played since. West Ham spurned interest from Sunderland for him just before the trading deadline passed on Jan 31. They acknowledge that Spector is a part of their plans the second half of the EPL season. It is a bit mysterious since he was given a clean bill of health to play on Jan 5th and has not played since.

[Arid_Torpor]

These two questions could be related, at least once Cherundolo returns.

They could be related without Cherundolo's return if Wynne can turn into a legit option at right back. I think he can, but it remains to be seen if he will.

We'll find about more about #3 in the Confed Cup.

On #5, Sacha and Mikey seem to work well together. However, we have lots of talented guys, so someone else may step up.

#7, it really isn't that big a deal.

#9, Like a lot of guys, he has potential. Let's see if it will translate into success with the NT. I expect it will.

#10, We should try out a couple different players with the A team in games that still count. Not a whole bunch at once, but I'd like to see Wynne and Adu get tried out in a meaningful qualifier. We may also rotate the CM pairing to see what works, and keep transitioning to Altidore at striker.

[Heathens '87]

Personally, I think that if all players are fit and in form, the answer at LB is Spector for this cycle. Pearce would be the back-up, but he needs to get consistent pt at a club; he should think about going back to Denmark next season if he needs to. Pearce has talent as the England, Spain, Arg games demonstrate, but a lack of pt will kill anyone's form.

I'm really hoping you're right and that the summer tournaments present an opportunity for Bob to open up positions for competition. Spector, when healthy, has always seemed like a player without a home position. LB certainly seems like a position where he could challenge for a starting role. At the very least, having him push Pearce for the job could elevate Heath's play. I'm not sure that would come from Bornstein......

[raza_rebel]

I'm really hoping you're right and that the summer tournaments present an opportunity for Bob to open up positions for competition. Spector, when healthy, has always seemed like a player without a home position. LB certainly seems like a position where he could challenge for a starting role. At the very least, having him push Pearce for the job could elevate Heath's play. I'm not sure that would come from Bornstein......

I have to agree with you. Spector seems to be a utility man, jack-of-all trades. This can be an advantage since going to a WC you can plug him in almost anywhere and he can play multiple positions.

Of the other questions:
1- Hejduk was a stopgap. He might make one more appearance but what were the options? Wynne. Not in a game like this.
3- I thought that Boca and Gooch seemed comfortable. After watching the replay, Dos Santos and Nery Castillo did give the backline some shaky moments.
4- Jozy isn't ready to carry the offensive load...yet. Ching was in there to pound the backline for his time. It made Jozy's job easier. Give JOzy some more time in Espana and he'll be ready.
5- I think who to pair Bradley with, depends best on conditions of the game.
6- Demps seemed to have a good first half. He looked gassed the 2nd half. Sascha, I couldn't grade b/c I didn't see him. Not being a smartass but I was looking for someone with longer hair and mvann pointed out he had gotten a haircut. So I kept confusing him with Demps.
7- If Howard is going to miss a game, El Salvador is the one. Home or away. Guzan needs the experience.
8- Overconfidence? Fans, yes. Bradley. Prolly not. Its one match and we haven't played in Saprissa or Azteca yet.
9- I like Freddy, but his club situation is screwing him over. He'll get some WCQ minutes, but depending on how his club situation is around WC selection time is, will determine if he make the WC roster.
10- Play strong away friendlies with countries that have various playing styles. It will better prepare the coaches and players.

[SUDano]

My Question that remains following our victory vs Mexico is Why does John Harkes continue to say U-S-I instead of USA?

[casoccerdad47]

Spector has a difficult hip injury similar to the one which cost Bo Jackson his career. He played briefly at the end of one match on January 5th. He has not played since. West Ham spurned interest from Sunderland for him just before the trading deadline passed on Jan 31. They acknowledge that Spector is a part of their plans the second half of the EPL season. It is a bit mysterious since he was given a clean bill of health to play on Jan 5th and has not played since.

Since then he played 90 minutes in both of West Ham's reserve games in January. He hasn't been able to break into West Ham's first team defense because they are playing well right now (he has been on the bench for a couple of games) and the only reasons that most managers change a defense that is playing well are injuries and cards.

[jamison]

On Hejduk, he was the perfect fit for this game. He plays on emotion, and it was Mexico, in his house. You saw it in his face at the end of the game, those 90 minutes meant more to him than to anyone else on the team, possibly save Landon. He is not a consistent enough player for every game in the Hex or in the WC (against Arg./Brazil, it could get ugly), but, I wouldn't read too much into his start on Wednesday. Bob asked him to run through a wall head first, he said "No problem", end of story. Wynne, while speedy, has a long way to go here, and I think we'll be looking for the next 'Dolo for a while.

Jozy is a big talent, but, let's be honest. He needs more than 8 minutes, and most importantly needs more time with the full team to train and get into the set up of the Nats system. I'm hoping that by the Costa Rica game in October, he's the full time starter. Right now, for this game, Ching was the pro's pro and did what was needed.

[PhillyQuakesFan]

1- Hejduk was a stopgap. He might make one more appearance but what were the options? Wynne. Not in a game like this. .

Assuming he's healthy, Frankie will be on the team in South Africa. Probably not a starter, but on the team. Mark my words.

[Wessoman]

These are my own, anyone welcome to answer them or add their own.

1. Is Hejduk a legitimate candidate at outside back or just a one time shot at old glory?
2. Are Pearce and Bornstein the only solutions we have at left back? How close is Jon Spector to being a factor?
3. Was the Onyewu/Bocanegra pairing really as challenged as they seemed Wednesday night or was that just an aberration?
4. Is Jozy really ready to take over at striker? Would we have to go with more of a basic 4-4-2 to accomodate him?
5. Given that Michael Bradley appears to be stepping up, who is the best player to partner with him?
6. Were Clint Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan's performances weak or was it just a difficult match for them?
7. Just how important is it to replace Howard with the exact right person in this next match?
8. We are in the Driver's seat of the hex, given our 2-0 victory vs Mexico. Any problems looming short of overconfidence?
9. What is Freddy Adu's status?
10. Qualifying through the hex should be a safe and conservative journey, right? What chances should be taken from here?

1. Hejduk is a legitimate contender for Right back 2010. Sadly, Spector has been gone for so long we are unable to ascertain if he will ever recover his old form and recapture his position for the National Team in time. Furthermore, Wynne has speed and is learning ball skills, but will he learn enough skills to handle a World Cup, because right now Wynne cannot handle a big team like Mexico. Gibbs is also in the same boat as Spector, which may leave Cherundolo and Hejduk as our definitive Right Backs for the World Cup.

2. I've already talked about Spector in question #1. Left back is a problem, but I believe both will eventually be solid enough to play by 2010. I think Bornstein takes the starting spot. I like the idea of moving Bocanegra to the left, but that depends on the development of Parkhurst, Marshall, or Orozco.

3. They are both very solid but I think this pairing has been used for so long teams have figured it out. I would prefer that Parkhurst, Marshall and Orozco be rotated with Califf from time to time to give the central defense fresh looks.

4. Yes Jozy is ready but is Bradley ready for a flat-back four is the problem? I think Jozy/Donovan will be a great pairing in the World Cup.

5. Torres. This would be the closest thing to the dominating Reyna/O'Brien midfield of old.

6. They weren't weak so much that Mexico really crowded the passing lanes. Mexico's gameplan was actually based around nullifying their game. They didn't expect Bradley's pace and fervor and didn't find the answer for it. For example, look at the second goal--Notice how they give Bradley tons of space while Dempsey (Who was the obvious point of the attack) was being shadowed and covered. Bradley used this to his advantage and tore off a wicked shot.

7. Very. The fact that Guzan rides pine really bothers me. Ultimately, I think it goes to Hahnemann.

8. Really, while I love beating Mexico the key to the next level is the big monster. The focus should be to beat Costa Rica at Saprissa--THIS is the monkey on our back. We have drawn at Azteca-But the USA has always played nightmare games at Saprissa. June 3 will be our big day. I say on that date, the USA goes to Saprissa with 9 points. A point or three in Saprissa, and a rapid turnaround in Chicago, and we have 13 or 15 points halfway through the hex, and that allows the US to really focus on the summer tournaments with little effort because qualification is assured with 3-4 points out of 5 games.
Remember, a horrible loss in Saprissa could cost us dearly because we will have to play Honduras days later. A bad result will hurt our confidence and we can drop home points. Finishing the first half of the hex with less than 11 points would be considered a failure for this US squad.

9. Limbo. Adu is not getting minutes so he won't get minutes for the National team. If this situation persists, we can have a salvage operation by having him play in the Confederations Cup or the Gold Cup. A good showing can get him a look to regain a spot at Benfica. Furthemore, US Soccer can intervene by allowing Benfica to loan Adu to the MLS, where he can play to match fitness in preparation for the summer tournaments.

10. None. The only time we can take chances is when we have 16 points and are assured of qualification. At that point, WC Qualifiers are glorified friendlies, and we can experiment with some last minute players (Jemal Johnson, Zak Whitbread perhaps?) and lineups. Our mistake in 2006 was not casting a wide enough net for players before the World Cup started, as such, we should continue to look at new players until the end of the January 2010 Camp Cupcake. From then on, it's all prepwork.

[Heathens '87]

Assuming he's healthy, Frankie will be on the team in South Africa. Probably not a starter, but on the team. Mark my words.

I'm beginning to agree with your view. 23rd man, veteran team leader, constant energy, vocal and demonstrative, not a starter but still usable, model of fitness, World Cup experience, etc. Frankie brings an awful lot to the table, and he's also someone who can keep the team from becoming too cerebral. We'll see how his '09 goes, but we may indeed be marking your words.......

[Adam Zebrowski]

hejduk was in germany 2006 with the team, just not on the final 23...

2 more years is a long time, but i give him a great chance, as back-up for both backs...

this means a wynne won't stand a prayer...

and giving guzan is the likely back-up now, i suspect he'll see some time once usa clinches.. add in gold cup if you really want him to see time, and confed cup, perhaps a match...

[Heist]

2. Are Pearce and Bornstein the only solutions we have at left back? How close is Jon Spector to being a factor?
3. Was the Onyewu/Bocanegra pairing really as challenged as they seemed Wednesday night or was that just an aberration?
6. Were Clint Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan's performances weak or was it just a difficult match for them?
7. Just how important is it to replace Howard with the exact right person in this next match?
9. What is Freddy Adu's status?
2 - What about Boca? Isn't he playing LB at Rennes?
3 - They each made some mistakes, but also both made some very good plays. I'm not too worried about them.
6 - I don't think they were that weak. Kljestan didn't score 3 goals again, but he did play relatively well for his first qualifier vs. Mexico. Dempsey was fine, not explosive, but solid.
7 - Its El Salvador. We should be able to beat or tie them with whoever in goal.
9 - Ask me again once he starts playing (or until the Gold Cup starts). Until then he's not on the list unless we have some injuries. BTW, I never thought I'd say that a few years ago.

[Heathens '87]

What about Boca? Isn't he playing LB at Rennes?


I recall Bocanegra playing some LB leading up to WC06, and while he was fine positionally, he didn't quite seem to have the speed needed to play outside, and he's a bit limited offensively. I'm thinking specifically of the game against Guatemala in Birmingham. And if that was apparent in CONCACAF, it might be even more of an issue in a World Cup.

Through cards or injury, if we had to use Bocanegra at LB, it's wonderful to have a CB with that capability. But I'm certainly hoping Pearce, Bornstein, Spector, or anyone for that matter, takes the notion of Carlos as first-choice at LB off the table......

[Adam Zebrowski]

boca as an attack minded left back isn't what he does well..

i think freddy has been hurt by torres and kljestam emergence...

the kid needs to play club ball, or else we don't see him until usa clinches the finals with matches remaining

[Heist]

boca as an attack minded left back isn't what he does well..

Its true he doesn't have what Bradley seems to want in a LB, but given the lack of anyone stepping up it seems like an option he should consider. There are more likely replacements in the middle (although our defense and goal positions are much less deep than they used to be I think).
I agree with the other poster too... I hope someone takes over the LB position, but Pearce sure seems to not have the attacking ability to help.

[roadkit]

Assuming he's healthy, Frankie will be on the team in South Africa. Probably not a starter, but on the team. Mark my words.

No kidding. Jesus H. Christ, what does it take?

He was named to the team for WC 2006 until he got injured.

He is on the reigning championship team in MLS - and played a big part in their run to MLS Cup.

He is a top U.S. player, and has passion and experience.

So yes - I agree with you 100%. He'll be on the roster for the next WC.

[TrueCrew]

hejduk was in germany 2006 with the team, just not on the final 23...


Only because of injury. He was on the initial 23, and has a decent shot to be there again.

Responding to the initial post:

1. Is Hejduk a legitimate candidate at outside back or just a one time shot at old glory?

As above, he is legit. Can play either side. I'd say Dolo is still the starter, Hejduk a candidate for back up along with Wynne. If Spector regains form he could bump Frankie (assuming he isn't the starting LB). With both Spector and Hejduk in the lineup, their versatility could allow BB to go with 7 defenders and take an extra attacker or midfielder, though this may be tactically over BB's head, as evidenced by the 18 vs. Mexico).

2. Are Pearce and Bornstein the only solutions we have at left back? How close is Jon Spector to being a factor?

We'll see if Spector gets on the pitch today, but he has been playing in reserve matches.
Boca is NOT a serious contender at LB, in my opinion, unless we move to a 3 back set like Rennes (his club team) play. Pearce, Bornstein, Spector, and Hejduk are all possibilities. Haven't seen much of Orozco, but he also seems better inside, as does Gibbs, who is also recovering from injury. Unless someone like Harrington (KC) makes a big jump forward, I'd say those four are it.

3. Was the Onyewu/Bocanegra pairing really as challenged as they seemed Wednesday night or was that just an aberration?

No. I thought there was a bad touch or two, but we did pitch a shutout and the wind conditions were difficult, and the field slippery. Those are our two starters: Califf, Marshall, Parkhurst, Spector, Gibbs, & Goodson & Orozco will challenge for backup spots. Why BB won't look at Conrad seems beyond me, he is still playing well.

4. Is Jozy really ready to take over at striker? Would we have to go with more of a basic 4-4-2 to accomodate him?

No, not yet. Wait until he starts playing regularly with Xerez first. We play a 4-4-2 plenty, it won't be that much of a change. Just plug in Jozy for Ching.

5. Given that Michael Bradley appears to be stepping up, who is the best player to partner with him?

Right now, Kljestan. Torres will make a case. If we wan't more defense, Mastroeni, Edu, Clark, and Szetela will all be options as well.

6. Were Clint Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan's performances weak or was it just a difficult match for them?

It was a hard game for everyone, especially attackers. The conditions were tough.

7. Just how important is it to replace Howard with the exact right person in this next match?

We'll win regardless. But it will go a long way to determining the #2 and #3 keeper spots, presently held by Guzan, and I think, Hahnemann.

8. We are in the Driver's seat of the hex, given our 2-0 victory vs Mexico. Any problems looming short of overconfidence?

Long way to go. We held serve, and need to continue to do so at home, and pick up some road wins to get this thing wrapped up early. Next two games should yield 3 points (@ El Salvador, home to T&T). Then it gets more difficult: @Costa Rica and home to Honduras. Call me after the Costa Rica game.

9. What is Freddy Adu's status?

On the bench at Monaco. Still in the running for the squad, those he is clearly not a starter at this point for the Nats.

10. Qualifying through the hex should be a safe and conservative journey, right? What chances should be taken from here?

None or very few until qualification is assured. We go with the best we have, pure and simple. It's a chance for our #1's to play together, and especially in CM, LB, and potentially 2nd striker, we need the time for the players to develop.