1. I'm very, very much against playing guys in roles very different from their club roles, so I hate hate hate the decision to start Edu in central defense. Look, even if he had been great, he doesn't play there for his club. He's not going to play their instinctively. As it was, he was poor, and the backline was really uncoordinated. 2. I hate to mention it, I really do. My track record on the Bob and mini-Bob issue is pretty good. But not trying out someone else in central mid the last 20 minutes is impossible to defend. 3. I give Bob credit for how Dempsey played. He had maximum freedom to roam the park, and he had maximum impact. Good adjustment to the absence of Landon.
We get it. We want Brazil's set-up where you plug in a #4 for a like-minded #4. That is not our reality. Imagine that you are the coach of this team and you watch these guys in training for a week. And game time comes and you have a player like Edu sitting on the bench to play someone like Goodson or Parkhurst. In a friendly. How boring is that?
Edu showed promise, in spite of the handwringing here. The key mistakes were from Onyewu and Bocanegra, but then again, that's nothing new, is it? Yet people whine about Edu because he didn't look like a natural. Bradley put Edu in defense because he is a smart, talented soccer player who allows the US to play more composed soccer from the back line. He'll make mistakes along the way, but I'll gladly take a step back to move the overall team forward. The next steps are phasing out Gooch and Boca. And then figuring out how Michael fits in a system where the US is trying to actually hold the ball. I'd also like to see Holden play centrally. Dolo was OK. Not great, not awful.
Edu had to play centerback at the World Cup due to tactical changes. He may have to do it again. I have a feeling that the occasional runout for Mo at CB in friendlies is for that very reason, and nothing more.
It's so impossible to defend that you couldn't even name the "someone" you wanted tried out on a roster of 18?
The Edu trial has to be made because of the depth concerns at the position. Mo's worst mistake was allowing Lewandowski's inside run but Howard saved his bacon on that one. Bob screwed the pooch by not covering for Boca until late and leaving him wide at the same time. Losing the possession game to a very mediocre Polish side (there are no Bonieks and Latos there anymore) with a cluttered central midfield was rather poor as well. If one had to learn lessons from the game, it'd be ... nothing that we hadn't known before.
After Gooch's goal, Bob had Dempsey drop back to Left-Mid, with Holden sliding inside, switching to a 4-5-1. Seriously, what magical line-up are people clamoring for with this roster?
Well, Bob could have called up players in positions other than in central midfield. Who's exactly in charge of the call-ups?
Landon Donovan. And before you mention it, I don't give a #$@% about the Galaxy on FIFA dates. Not sure I get the point of only using one sub.
I think Landon Donovan cares more about the Galaxy in the midst of a playoff run than a friendly. Of course, you may next chime in with a "it doesn't matter what he thinks, it's a FIFA date." I do agree that using only one sub, in a match where experimentation is encouraged, is odd.
So you couldn't think of anyone then. It was a bit odd that he only used one sub. He probably wanted to keep the backline intact for 90 I guess...and most of the subs were defenders. Perhaps Eddie Johnson just did not impress in training.
I can name several. First of all, given that he planned to play Dolo and Boca out wide, the common sense is to bring a left sided winger to provide both the width on the attack on the left and the defensive cover for Bocanegra, who slides inward as a rule. From what I understand, there's this DaMarcus guy ... he even has 93 caps to his name. And he was available! The second option would have been Robbie Rogers, who played pretty well in the Send-Off series and is easily replaceable for Columbus. Third option is Hercules Gomez, with Dempsey assuming his regular left midfield position. Fourth is Brek Shea, who was called up for Tuesday's match but only got in half hour today for Dallas. Fifth is Bobby Convey, who's playing out the string with San Jose. Is that enough? Because there are also Paco Torres and Marco Vidal. And Donovan. Or whoever.
? WTF? Really? Beasley? 2004 was awesome. Rodgers, who can't beat out Gaven for the Crew? Gomez, Convey, Vidal and Torres? Really? Alright, we definitely see the game differently.
Well, the USMNT does drop several notches without Landon, as anyone and their cat knows. I predicted a tie and a defeat, regardless of who is playing, because in my mind the USMNT without LD is a B team. Guy is huge. I think Bradley wants to test the new players. This game was to see what Jones could do, that was 80% of it. And to see if Bedoya deserved more chances. That was another 10%. And the last 10%, to see if Edu could be a decent CB. Next game, I guess he's going to test Lichaj and Shea. And maybe give Parkhurst a second look. Bob is rigid in his ideas. He's following a plan, and this time he tested the midfield with Jones and playing a 4-5-1. Next game I have a feeling he's going to focus on the defense (perhaps Shea won't even play at all).
Unless, you know, he gets some games at CB, learns to play the position, and turns out to be better than any of those guys.
Right and he left Parkhurst to rot on the bench. Edu will never be a better defender than Parky but he is a bb fav so he'll keep trying to fit that round peg in a square hold. God knows Edu will never get to challenge Mikey for his spot Boca is done. Was beat like a rented mule all night. What has Gooch done to get the start? not make the bench in Italy? Now we have the prospect of seeing Pierce? OMG Bradley is such a mistake
Ya and it's quite possible none of them will be as awesome as Marvell Wynne, Danny Szetela, Chad Barrett, Jonathan Spector and Sammy Ochoa were in WC'10. Which means you don't see it at all. Bob put out a contrived formation with players out of position and, as the result, delivered a middling performance against a middling side. Even if Beasley - who, by the way, is signed with a much better club than Feilhaber and Bedoya ... and Jones and Bradley, based on their current records - provides the glue that keeps his teammates in their more natural position and gives the entire team its proper shape, then he is worth bringing in. Otherwise, you've got a weird system with a bunch of players in unfamiliar - or ill suitable for them - roles. Which is to be expected with Bradley.
A conspiracy theory is forming in these forums: that Bob is moving Edu to CB and forgetting about Torres to protect his son's spot. I refuse to believe that is true. At least for now.
Bradley loves trying to fit Square Pegs in round Holes. "He has qualities that will give him chances to be a very good central defender"- Except this what you say to a player who is 18 years old and is a Center back by trade, not a 24-year old Midfielder who had a hell of a game against Manchester United and is continuing to trend up.