Been watching Chris Rolfe and it isn't the first time it has dawned on me lately that he is playing very smart and making great runs. His composure on the ball and his lethal accuracy even on long shots certainly has to make one sit up and take notice. I am not saying slap him in the starting lineup, what I am saying is maybe bring him into camp, see what he can bring. Thoughts?
The more successful our players are, the more successful the national team is. I celebrate it when our players find their stride and have a great run of form, no matter who may be in front of them in the player pool. Rolfe has been in Europe and has apparently grown. Good for him.
I am all for giving Rolfe a chance. I had him listed as our number 3 RM back in Nov 2011. At the time he was behind Rogers. I like Zusi game, but I think Rolf should be given a chance to be Donovan's back up too. What's nice about Rolfe is he could be a solid backup for RM, AM, SS or the "Joker" role that was talked in the Bob Klinsman thread. I think the time oversees served him well. His decision making seems to be a fraction of a second quicker then his opponents.
I don't know that much about his game, followed him in Europe a little bit, but I'd rather see what Eddie Johnson can do before him.
As we don't really have any REAL RM options beyond Donovan (Williams and Zusi aren't real wide players, and Gatt hasn't gotten his shot). Rolfe can play some RM and F. He's a good player. Good finisher. Good speed. Better than Robbie Rogers by a country mile.
Rolfe is a very respectable player but is not outstanding. E. Johnson making it back on the roster would be shocking after his performance abroad, except for a short stint in Greece.
I thought the same thing last year. He was in good form, at the time, but didn't get the call. I figured Klinsmann thought he was too old to be a fringe player. However, I agree that he could be very useful.
Eddie Johnson has improved immensely since first moving abroad. EJ would fit in more as a striker(or possibly right mid) in the team. Chris Rolfe would play underneath in Dempsey's position. I posted in another thread:
I don't really see him as a Dempsey-type player (someone who "tries shit" and makes us less predictable). Rolfe is a more of a poor-man's Donovan. He has great touch, vision, and intelligence without the extra burst of speed that Donovan has. I agree with those that say he could be brought in as a backup for LD. I think he's similar to Zusi, but a more dangerous finisher with a little less bite.
It is nice to see Rolfe playing well, him being from Dayton and all. But he could have held back a bit vs. the Crew. I'd rather call in Pontius tbh.
I am a bit biased since I am a huge Fire fan but to me he is the poor man's Donovan. It would be nice to see what he can do for the National team.
I've always liked Rolfe as a player, particularly because he just has really good feet. He's tidy on the ball and finishes well. That said, I'm fairly indifferent to him on the national team. I think he could do the job in a pinch, but a upper tier but not superstar career in MLS and a decent stint in some middling European leagues without ever moving up to the stronger leagues isn't exactly the resume of a guy who is going to step in and be a real difference maker on a team of the quality of the US team these days. I'd be fine with his getting some minutes and wouldn't be shocked. But I would be very surprised indeed if he were to ever be more than a bit player.
Josh Gatt is more of 'poor man's Donovan' at this point with the pace and touch and scoring ability. Perhaps Gatt will become much more over time. I disagree in that LD's game is built around pace, touch, and passing. Rolfe isn't a fast player at all. His game is based around good technique and an excellent shot. Rolfe doesn't stretch the field and he doesn't beat players for pace at any level. I agree that he is more similar to Zusi. Zusi is an orthodox attacking midfielder. Rolfe is evolving into an orthodox amid with a game slightly closer to goal than Zusi's but further from goal than Dempsey(who isn't really an amid).
Some guys find a bad situation and can't get out of it. Who knows what happens if Johnson ends up in Holland straight out of MLS? What happens if Aris (and all of Greece for that matter) doesn't turn into a financial calamity and he stays there? I'm less concerned with what a guy did 2,3, or 4 seasons ago vs. what they are doing today. EJ seemed to have really found a good level at Aris and was playing well. He was unlucky that situation didn't work out for him for reasons other than his performance. But he's playing as well as any striker in the league right now. He seems to have cleaned up, to a certain degree, some of the technical deficiencies in his game. And he has something that you just can't coach - speed. I'm not clamoring for the guy to be vaulted into the starting 11 any time soon. But I'm not so quick to write the guy off based on his failure at Fulham either.
I hate when a thread is about a certain player and then meanders off into tangents about a bunch of players who have nothing to do with the thread.
Well he has been playing the CAM/2nd FW role in Chicago since Grazzini left. So I think he fits the 1 forward formation that the USA plays better than Zusi. So if Zusi can get minutes, I think Rolfe could also get minutes. But I am ok with him not being called up this season, he is carrying the FIRE to first place in the east so he needs no distractions.