Hamid starts. I'd guess Guzan and Johnson will be dropped after the group stage for Howard and Gonzalez.
Hamid was called on to make 2 saves... the one in the 74th minute (6:00 mark of video below) is classic Hamid. He does two good things and one bad. He gets down well on a shot from 25-30 yard, but gives up unnecessary rebound, but recovers quickly. The other was a routine tip over the crossbar for a corner towards the end of the second half (3:40). On the subsequent corner kick he punches around Zusi to give up another corner. At 5:15 of video, he isn't set and prepared for shot from distance off clearance... he was beaten but shot just wide. Hamid got a clean sheet against Nicaragua, but also made some mistakes and didn't seem real assuring on a number of occasions. Against better teams, mistakes get punished. My guess would be that this is one of Hamids last games outside January camps. He's number three on this roster now as far as I'm concerned.
It would be the only way he could see the field... got to firgure it's Howard from there out but it's a risk in a knock out game. Its also a game he could give to Hamid. Having said that I think we see Howard the rest of the way.
Why bring in Howard? Guzan or Hamid or Gonzalez should be able to get us through this. Heck, if we score more than we concede, we'd be okay. I wanna see what Hamid and Gonzalez can do. Not to see Howard again and again.
Getting the team prepared and ready for the World Cup is substantially more important than who we might like to see . .
True, but does playing Howard here do much to get us ready for the World Cup? Howard is Howard. Establishing a pecking order behind him in case he gets hurt would be be a priority for me, and these are the only competitive matches to do that where the World Cup isn't on the line.
Certainly, this is the other side of the coin . . Howard was a key player for us in WC '14. Getting the team comfortable and in a rhythm is important heading forward. I think Gonzalez will start Wednesday, we will see. There are a lot of MLS matches on Wednesday night. Neither Howard, Hamid and Gonzalez' teams play.
Arena should have brought in Howard to start. Or simply entrusted it to the likes of Guzan/Hamid/Johnson. Simply retreading the same guys teaches nothing. Howard was at his best when he knew Guzan was on his ass. I just think it's fine time Arena give the others a chance at the no2/3 spot
'95 6-foot-5 Adrian Zendejas continues to do very well in USL. After posting a ridiculous 0.36 GAA (3 goals conceded in 750 minutes) and 0.87 SV% last year up to the USL Cup Final match, he has a still-excellent 0.67 GAA and 0.81% SV so far this year, and also signed an MLS contract with Sporting KC. This is a keeper who is obviously pretty far down the list in terms of USMNT discussion, yet he's doing quite well as a pro who is age 21. Just feeling really good about the future of this position for the USMNT when we even have guys like him and Eric Klenofsky in USL, and others toiling away in good old NCAA college soccer such as James Pyle and Elliot Panicco, who look pretty decent and are gradually working their way up. Not currently playing professionally in a first-division league like MLS or the Belgian Jupiler League, not with a prominent DA or European academy, not with US youth teams, but still promising as additional insurance.
So is Gonzalez now tied to the US for good whether he plays in a match or not? Of does he still have to see the field to be cap tied. My understanding was that the paperwork he just completed was a one time deal so he's a US keeper play or not. And for the record I'd like to see him at least in the second half tomorrow night.
Not that there's any evidence (based on callups) Arena has him in MNT contention, but it's too bad Tim Melia didn't make the MLS ASG even as a backup. I understand the Howard pick based on the national team, but don't really get the Frei pick. Perhaps it was his save against TFC.
'99 Brandon Austin, who has appeared for our U18s, is traveling with Tottenham's first team for their USA tour. Lots of promising GK talent in our youth ranks. http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/04/2...r-brandon-austin-gets-usa-international-call/ Here is our confirmed travelling squad for our trip to the USA… ✈️ 🇺🇸 #SpursInUSA pic.twitter.com/ijyDaZKL7G— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 19, 2017
http://www.espnfc.us/club/atlanta-u...ill-help-determine-his-place-at-the-world-cup He just might get that no.2 spot But he and Howard should be retired once it's over. It's time for Horvath, Hamid to show us what they got.
Jesse Gonzalez: Bruce Arena helped convince me to make U.S. switch http://www.espnfc.us/concacaf-gold-...rena-helped-convince-me-to-make-mexico-switch Snip: "The U.S. had already opened the doors for me in the past, and I think it's something, as a player, that you want to feel like you're someone, that they're supporting you in everything," Gonzalez said. "And the U.S. did that, and I think Bruce did a great job of convincing me as well. He told me I was playing in MLS and it's way easier to keep track of you and everything. And I think he also did a great job of telling me of my future, and I think he had a point in that, and I agreed, and everything happened." "Osorio did not convince me": Jesse González http://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/nota/_/id/3406667/osorio-no-me-convencio-jesse-gonzalez Snip (translated): "I had talks with Osorio, I talked to Osorio and everything. The truth, as a good coach I respect, but what we talked about did not convince me, "revealed Gonzalez in an exclusive talk with ESPN. "It was a lack of opportunity. As a young goalkeeper, even to go to train and see how everything is with the senior team and start to pick up pace, "he said. "I think there may have been things that would have forced me to stay in Mexico, with the Mexico Team. Soccer is like this, sometimes you have to make decisions for your future and the United States opened the door and is giving me the opportunity, "he revealed. Unlike that, when he spoke with Bruce Arena, strategist of the representative of the Bars and Stars, he saw that his future was more encouraging with them and that is why he chose his country of birth. "From the very first moment, since (Jürgen) Klinsmann was here, the United States opened the doors saying that they were well interested in me. As a player you want to be in a place where you are being valued, "he said.
1) Too young for their liking; they have consistently preferred veterans in goal 2) Plays in MLS Edit: a possible third reason that Mexico would never say out loud -- they'll almost always tend to value Mexicans over Mexican-Americans
Because Osario is an idiot and doesn't know what a good keeper even looks like. Besides have you seen that jack ass on the sidelines. Who the heck would want to play for that jerk. So glad FIFA suspended him six matches for his tirades at the Confed Cup. Flat embassinng and its a dang good thing I wasn't the fourth official in the Portugal match. I would have have a very hard time when he was screeming directly in my ear to not deck his ass. And that would have been only the second time in my life when I threw a punch at somebody...that's who bad it was.
It is pretty astonishing how Osorio let Jesse fall into our hands. The posters who are unbiased on BSMX (the ones who aren't saying "you pocho, we don't need you") rate Jesse higher than Lajud or Gudino, and are unhappy at Osorio for allowing him to walk. Lajud is decent and will be part of El Tri's future, but those particular posters think Jesse is more special, for what he's doing at his age. Gudino hasn't done anything in the Portuguese first division beyond struggle mightily on a loan spell. I remember one post that said Jesse has Bundesliga potential if he wants to move abroad. The only young goalkeeper Mexico has right now who I think is bona-fide good is Abraham Romero, who was poached from our DA and YNT system. We have a 22-year-old starting for a UEFA CL club, four young-ish guys excluding Jesse who are starting in MLS, three under-20s who are on reserves/U23s of big Euro clubs (two, Klinsmann and Austin, are with the first team in preseason), two under-17s who are in the academies of big Euro clubs, one under-17 who apparently just signed in MLS. We also have an additional host of promising YNT keepers from the DA, NCAA, and others. And we were still able to convince Jesse to go with us.
Timmy with an excellent performance vs. Costa Rica. What a great comeback he's had since the November injury.