[R] Bocanegra : Rennes v Auxerre - 3/8

Nice for Boca and Rennes.

9'

Goal! Rennes 1, Auxerre 0. Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes) header from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Mickael Pagis with a cross following a corner.

 

I think the little world of soccer didn't really understand what was the "Womens' Day" for...

 

Boca with a header chance in the 80 minute from the regular run of play. I thought he didn't get into the attack. He doesn't have enough speed to get back.

 

Rennes wins 2-0. Only watched from the 70th minute on, but I saw Boca make 2 runs into the box. Defensively, Auxerre got one cross in from his side, but he had switched with the left center back on that play. Rennes was playing 4 in the backline.

The more I watch him excel at left fullback for Rennes, the more frustrated I get about the US teams left fullback problem.

 

Sooner or later Bradley will be forced to make a backline change due to injury or suspension, and all it's going to take is a few good games by another centerback and the switch is on.

 

Speed of Ligue 1 < Speed of quality international sides

Also, Bradley's system (which seems to be working alright) requires attacking prowess out of our outside backs. Just cuz he can put in headers off corners doesn't mean he's quality for getting down the flanks and whipping in crosses.

 

Heath Pearce < Bocanegra

 

As an international left back? Wanna bet?

 

Yes. I watched Pearce get torched by Loco Rodriguez against Guatemala, and that was enough for me.

Edit: In fact, I'll take Jonny Bornstein over Heath Pearce too.

 

Erm... then I am truly stoked that you have no say in USMNT line-up decisions.

Or can we simply name one bad game and then the player is automatically terrible forever? If so, both of your favored left backs saw their international careers end eons ago (and several times over in the case of Bornstein).

I really do not understand the hand wringing over Pearce. For years, all we ever heard was "ohhhhh if we only had a natural left back to groom... ". Now, we have one and suddenly we need to move players from other positions to play left back.

This is not microwave popcorn. If you plan to throw out a highly skilled, fast, 25 year-old defender over one crap game from ago, then I am forced to suggest, sir, that your expectations are out of whack. Do we want a real left back to groom or not?

If anyone says Pearce is our #1 problem, they don't know squat.

 

I don't think he's highly skilled or fast. I think that if you have problems against Guatemala, and can't get a game at a side in danger of being relegated to the third division in Germany, perhaps your international place might not be very secure.

And what makes a "real" left back, in your definition? Carlos has played quite a few games at left back in the English Premier League, the French League and on the international level. That seems real enough.

And who said that Pearce is the #1 problem? That's your creation.

 

1 - As of the last USMNT time trials that I'm aware of, he was the fastest player in the pool. Seeing as how you 'don't think he's fast', let's just skip the skill discussion altogether.

2 - A natural left back, a left back whose first, main and true position is left back. A flank running, defending on the fly, cross whipping, overlapping left back. In other words, not someone whose main position is elsewhere, but can also play left back.

3 - You didn't. nor did I say you did. Others have. Not everything I said was a direct reply to your comment.

 

Again not referring directly to you, BigRose...

But I'd bet that at least half of the people who want Pearce replaced so badly still hold a silly chip on their shoulder over that "I'm the best US left back" interview from 4 years ago.

Yup. Damn skippy. Same exact type of thing I talked about in the Eddie Johnson gameday thread.

 

Watch that game away to Guatemala and then me that he's got good speed. Fast forward to just before the 20 minute mark. Watch that sequence and tell me he is fast.

I mean, I could just be pulling it out my ass because I think the guy is poor positionally, loses his marker on set pieces and when defending weak side because he ballwatches and loses focus, cannot beat a man off the dribble and is just not convincing as a crosser.

But I'm not. I think his speed is questionable. Completely unrelated to the fact that I don't think he's good enough.

Carlos may not be the prototype attacking left back, but I think he'd be better than Pearce.

 

Highlights of the game including the goal: http://watchsocceronline.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks.

I'll take my rants to the f* Heath Pearce threads from now on, promise.

 

Does the commentator refer to Bocanegra as "sexy"?

 

Not only El Loco at Guatemala.

But then Edwards at Trinidad and Tobago set up every one of their goals from the right flank.

And then most recently, his mark Dos Santos should have scored on the free kick that lead to the red card. Not to mention a couple other dangerous opportunities that Dos Santos was a part of.

Pearce's defense is a huge liability to me and it is not offset enough by his offense down the sideline. What offense has he has created during the WC qualifiers? I can't think of anything.

 

I'm sorry... did you just pinpoint one sequence from one game as evidence for your assertion that he has no speed?

Let it go, dude. It's over. It's not a repeating incident.

And yeah, your "scouting report" of him isn't worth a stale half-donut, mainly because it reeks of grudge hyperbole. Quick question: how many club matches have you seen Pearce play?

 

Oi vey.

Instead of picking all the cherries you've left behind, I'm just gonna ask one thing: who do you think should be the U.S. left back? And if you say Bocanegra, tell who takes his central spot.

 

Boca is one option at left back.

To fill the LCB spot, when healthy I would like to see what Marshall could do. I drool at the thought of Boca, Marshall, and Onyewu all charging the goal on a free kick.

But for now, I love Parkhurst. But, Parkhurst is not fast enough, or strong enough, or good enough in the air. Hypothetically, all this is true, but the bottom line is, I rarely ever see this guy get beat. Since we have Onyewu to wrestle with the Toni's of the world, I think Parkhurst would be a good partner. And he passes balls beautifully out of the back and reads the game as well as I've seen.

I thought Edu was our best player in the Olympics, but that maybe an experiment for 2014.

 

I thinnk arjekifiegd,kjsdf,jhba,jsdhfbmj dsfa in is trying to pump up the value of his signed Heath Pearce jersey for ebay