I agree that he has no chance for the World Cup, but I'm not sure you'd find many people who'd agree that he was a disaster for our U20s. IIRC, he let in one soft insurance goal against Ghana, but they were all over us in that game and could easily have scored more if he hadn't had a good day.
He let in a comical goal with the U20s at the Toulon tournament, as well as the soft goal against Ghana. He may have potential, but he is nowhere near ready to be a regular professional goalie, much less on the World Cup team.
I thought he was great with the U-20's. From what I remember, it was split. Some people thought he was very good, others thought he was awful. He was good enough though for Klinsmann to call him up without him playing a single game for Southampton. His elevation to the Southampton bench might be temporary, but the other options for the next two months are bad options. Cropper is likely to eventually get a chance to show what he can do. Boruc will regain his position when he comes back unless someone really stands out, but Cropper could elevate himself to be the back up keeper for Southampton this season. I think he is better than Gazzaniga after watching both keepers at least a few times. Davis is on the team because he is the captain and has been with the team for a long time when they were in the 2nd and 3rd divisions of English football. He is old and isn't good enough for BPL football.
I thought Cropper did well for the U-20 World Cup. It was the fault of the defense and just bad luck being drawn into a group w/ some of the best teams of the tournament. Hopefully that doesn't repeat for the real deal come the drawing on Friday. Imo I doubt he's on the plane for Brazil though w/ Rimando being locked at #3 and Johnson & Hamid ahead of him too.
Yes, JK seems to be in the pro-Cropper camp, so that counts for something. Though letting him sit the bench in a Euro friendly doesn't really mean that much. For me, I can't shake his abysmal performance in the Toulon tournament and I can't believe the will ever beat out any of the top 3 goalies in a Premiership side. But I have been really wrong before (loved Danny Szetela), so time will tell.
Yup. Cropper was called up for that match because there was no point bringing an MLS guy over to be 3rd string keeper. It was a good experience, but I doesn't mean much regarding his place with the USMNT. If the World Cup was tomorrow, there'd be 20 guys you'd call up first. Anybody with any professional experience whatsoever for instance.
Cropper is doing well for himself but nobody in their right mind would bring him to Brazil. Even if he played the next few games it means nothing towards his chances. I can think of at least a dozen MLS keepers alone who are better then him. Not even close to the level of a Rimando or Johnson.
Am I start to detect some male pattern baldness there? One feels a sense of guilt when rooting for 20 year olds to start losing their hair, but such is the case with American keepers
Thats not the truth. Cropper was on the bench on the original team sheet, but picked up a late injury, so Davis has to sit on the bench today. Davis is apparently the more fit of the two right now, so he is sitting on the bench, but neither are fit. Southampton is playing with one keeper at the moment.
All of the Southampton fans have been calling for Cropper to start. I said a few weeks back that Gazzaniga is awful, and after not even a few weeks all the Southampton fans want him banished from the club. Assuming Boruc isn't back soon, Cropper should get a shot in the next few weeks to take the starting spot. Gazzaniga isn't good enough for this level and Davis is 85 years old. If Cropper doesn't get a chance, he should really look to leave in the summer. He has a great chance to gain some minutes in the BPL, and he at least deserves a chance to prove his worth.
He's 20 going on 21. He's not at a "Guzan point" where he's 27 and hasn't played any consistent first team football in four years. He's in an odd situation because he doesn't really have a track record as a first string keeper at a club level. I imagine he'll bide his time at Southampton for at least another year... maybe go on loan to the Championship.
Southampton is starting a keeper that is his age who isn't very good. I don't think that is a good sign for how Southampton rates Cropper. Gazzaniga looks awful, but he has been starting instead of Cropper. Can't bode well for Cropper.
When you have the injuries that Southampton have at the back (at least 3 of their first choice back 4 have missed the last few games), you dont throw in an untried kid for his debut. Gazzaniga is young and inexperienced, but hes got a season and a bit of football under his belt, which Cropper hasnt. Plus, the Saints makeshift defence is likely to be more confident with a keeper they've played with before behind them
Have you seen Gazzaniga play? The word that comes to mind when watching him play is shaky. He might have a season under his belt of first team football, but I don't think that matters when you can't use that experience to your advantage. He is awful. I know the defense hasn't been good because of the injuries, but you can see that he has no clue what he is doing. He doesn't look like a BPL keeper right now.