I've been pimping Ching in other threads even after the "roster leak" He is the closest thing we have to McBride. With Arena going with a 4-5-1 we simply could not afford not to have a McBride knock-off and Ching is it. Congrats to him.
this has to be one of those "you don't take the best 23 players. Some guys are good locker room guys" type of deals. Are we sure conrad is one of the 23 and not filming a reality show for ESPN on being at the world cup?
geez i really did not expect Ching to make the roster . He has been playing pretty well in the MLS , but geez . I was iffy about Conrad , I just dont think he is experienced enough . Boca will play before he does .
Conrad's merely been the best MLS defender the last two years, and played well in the run-up games except for the Germany debacle. He will not likely see time in the WC, but I will feel confortable if he does. Good on set pieces, total team player, etc. Not that versatile, but you can't have everything.
Two target strikers, one support striker, one tweener. As predicted. Conor Casey is an alternate. So is TT.
So is Frankie a backup for both outside backs?It sounded that way to me. Don't know as I like that....
I am surprised too. Obviously. Arena wants another target man who is good in the air to back-up McBride, who has been tiring noticeably the last 15 minutes or so of Fulham's games. His MLS form has obviously helped. Conrad......seems to be in good form for KC. Maybe Bruce thought most of the collapse against Germany was due to Berhalter who has been so-so this year for Cottbus.
Wow. I can't believe you'd announce a leaked roster and then we find out that it's fake. Thanks a lot. The guy who did it, though he meant well for us fans, is about as trustworthy as Marcelo Balboa is an authority on who is going to Germany. Nonetheless, he is awesome, but for you I have nothing more than mild, temporary anger. Damn. I really thought TT made the squad. It would have been much better than Ching, IMHO. Ching's play is incredibly hot right now, but Twellman has produced on the Nats scene moreso (even Norway and Japan aside because those were fairly BS games) and I feel even more-so than how one does in domestic competition, that should factor in. Also, Chris would have provided more versatility and speed than Jimmy. Furthermore, Albright plays a great driven ball and can swing some stuff in, but I guess we just have to hope 'Dolo stays okay. Although, I suppose Jimmy has been on a completely different level the past 2-3 years. I know better than to question Bruce on his selections, but I'm just fairly pissed that we were all led on.
Replaced by an ordinary pineapple. Ching will do nothing unless he trys to mark someone and he will then let in a goal that will wind up beating us. Sad
I guess Arena had a few aces up his sleeve. Perhaps Arena was just more impressed with Ching's early play in MLS. As for Conrad, he's been with the team since the January camp and is a great locker room guy so I guess he preferred him to Albright or Berhalter.
Let's hope that Wolff plays horribly in camp and is dropped in favor of someone with a future like Rolfe or Twellman.
i sure hope Twellman and Albright didn't believe the leak. i'd be surprised if these (apparently) last two roster decisions have any impact at the WC finals. i'd be even more surprised if they have a negative impact on the USMNT. i don't see them getting much playing time, and I don't see them doing poorly.