Can some BSers stop their incessant whining and bickering in the US "news and analysis" threads? If you want to do it then take it over to the JK thread.
after thinking about this a while my sense is that you are correct. JK is not playing mind games with LD. JK thinks probably that it could be useful to fly LD up to Seattle and to be ready as a second half sub if he needs him. Yes he made his point by not naming him to the squad till the Gold Cup. And as a team - most of the current players don't hold it against LD for taking a break and reassessing what he wanted to do for a few months. But the counter point to that is the statement that it sends to the rest of the players if JK calls him to sit on the bench against Panama ... he could be concerned that that communicates to the current squad that he lacks faith in their abilities - and that would be a bad thing. So he has cast the die and we will run in Seattle with what we have minus Jones, Zusi, and Gomez. Time for Geoff Cameron to step it up and make it count against Panama. And I do think that Beasley will be used on the left flank somewhere. With Zusi out - Dempsey will have to provide feeds for Altidore and Bradley will have to decide when to go forward.
I would've had Donovan in camp for these five games, but since it didn't happen, that's it until GC IMO. We want JK to be consistent - well, it would be consistent not to call him in now. He's said he's comfortable with who he has - he has to stick with it. I have no doubt Donovan will be back - hopefully we'll be a better team for this whole situation.
What i find the funniest is the reports about why Williams left. I.E. mentionings of him wanting to go to Vegas and treating this trip as a fun time, rather than work like it really is.
Agree with a lot of this. Although, I'd suggest that want we really want is for JK to (continue to) put out a team that wins games (and specifically does enough to advance the team through the World Cup.) "Consistency" (to me as a fan) is a nice thing to have from a manager, but it really isn't a top priority. If the manager can remain consistent (in his approach or whatever) and still get the results, then all the better.
A lot of Klinsmann's decisions are head scratchers. The lack of depth at RM combined with Donovan's exclusion is certainly questionable. The funny thing is that despite running guys like Brad Evans out at right back we've gotten positive results so far. I mean who here wouldn't have been thrilled to be sitting on seven points at this point after seeing the schedule for the Hex? I for one was thinking that five points would have been good and four reasonable given our brutal early schedule.
Today is June 10 (and many fans must certainly be satisfied with what JK and his teams have done so far in the WCQ process). With 60% of the Hex remaining, it will be interesting to see if JK's "head-scratching" decisions would or could ever start to negatively affect the squad and results. I certainly think the US will make it to Brazil, but I tend to think some managerial decisions have been made (or will be in the near future) that could very well prevent the US from qualifying early. (And I do not actually know if there are any benefits to wrapping up the task of qualification early -- or if it is best to continue to have the team playing meaningful Hex matches all the way through Sept and Oct.)
Weird, my original response disappeared. I meant in terms of being able to play on the right - he's had experience there for the Nats and with Santos Laguna.
The inclusion of Shea and Williams is especially baffling considering they weren't 100% and hadn't been playing for a while before the call up. Now without Jones, Edu, Zusi, and Herc, we're going to have to play guys out of position in an important qualifier.
Without the injuries/suspensions I would agree that its unnecessary. We are low enough on healthy numbers that he wouldn't be taking anyone's bench seat. Given the situation, I don't think they'd see it that way. If they did, they'd have to be more interested in themselves than the team. The team needs some cover. There will be few legit options off the bench. Is Holden really ready to go in a qualifier? Boyd? Klinsmann's hands will just be overly tied. when it comes to subs or injuries on Tuesday. If we're lucky, we'll be ahead enough that it won't matter, but you never know in CONCACAF.
Don't be so sure that Jones will be back. Obviously Zusi will, but we also have quite a few others on yellow cards. We might be missing another player instead of Zusi.
I agree 100%. Will we even have 18 to dress? Are we including Holden as an actual option off the bench?
If ever there was a time for Fabian Johnson to show his attacking skills that has so excited much of BS, now would be a good time for that. Otherwise, we will have to rely on either Brad Davis on the left or EJ on the right to create something. For a game that has to be won, not drawn, that is a bit of a risk otherwise.
I watched him a lot in Hoffenheim matches and he does have some attacking skills, but even there, with teammates he's familiar with, he seems timorous in the final third. I keep hoping he'll break out of it, and damn it, demand the ball. Disagree about the "has to be won, not drawn" importance of the match. One draw and one win still puts the USMNT on track to make the Finals.
We have 20 field players currently in camp. Even without Jones and Zusi, that's 18 guys without keepers. That's plenty. We do have 7 guys in camp on yellow cards. Now let's do a worse case scenario: all seven get yellow cards. We're missing a lot of key guys - Bradley, Dempsey, Besler, Beasley, Evans, Davis and Fabian Johnson. We're down to 13 field players. In such a circumstance, we could line up: --------------Altidore----EJ----------------- Corona----------------------------------Zusi -------------Jones-----Kljestan-------------- Castillo---Cameron---Gonzalez--Parkhurst -----------------Howard----------------- With a bench of keepers, Goodson, Boyd and Holden. So yeah, in such a nightmare scenario (or choose your own - red cards and injuries are possible too!) then yeah Holden could be needed off the bench. Anyway, I think that's all very unlikely to be necessary since we would really need to lose all of them to panic about not having enough players to play.
It isn't only about having enough players to play. The analysis could be of does JK have enough of the right/best players available to play well and get the points needed to advance the team. I do think he does have enough of those players, but it is getting kinda low in count and there is now room on the expanded (23 player gameday) roster to bring in additional guys to fill out the active roster, if JK wanted to do so.
Agreed. He has enough bodies, but I'm worried about the attacking depth/quality. For example, here is what many fans think will be the XI tonight: --------------------Altidore------------------ F.Johnson------Dempsey------E.Johnson ---------------Cameron---Bradley---------- Beasley--------------------------------Evans --------------Besler----Gonzo--------------- ------------------Howard-------------------- Bench: Guzan, Rimando, Parkhurst, Goodson, Castillo, Kljestan, Corona, Davis, Holden, Boyd. There is only one true goal-scorer on the bench to use as a late-game offensive push (if needed), and that's the still very raw Boyd. I have little confidence that if this is the lineup, and if the US needs a goal late in the game, that the bench has anything worthwile to offer. I think we will see Davis or Corona start in midfield and EJ saved as the attacking sub option. That helps some off the bench, but starting Davis or Corona doesn't make me confident.
That lineup gets my vote. There are 2 schools of thought on this topic. I am in the camp that says at home against a pure absorb and counter team like Panama, one should attack early and with variety. EJ adds another aerial threat along with pace to counter their counter. Davis and Corona lack those attributes.
While I am not an EJ fan HHF is correct that EJ brings another heading option into the play. That CB vs. the US in the Panamanian GC win in 2011 just killed every play in the middle. Multiple options may be better. Hopefully there will be someone to deliver the balls.