Pre-match: US V Netherlands Pre match (R's)

I'm not sure we should show up.

It's Holland ya know. Macao is a great island. Take a break guys an dplay some blackjack.

First 15-20 will tell all IMO. I hope we come out very aggressive.

 

Holland are the back to back Euro u21 champs, and a lot of those players are back... I think they will put Babel at CF where he is at his best, imo... they are formidable


in saying that, this group is the first US group that fears no one... maybe Nowak does, but Adu, altidore, Rogers, etc dont... should be a good match

 

To be more precise, that's 14 field players available for 10 positions. Only 4 players for the 3 maximum subs. They lose a lot of subbing options in addition to the loss of starters.

The optimistic precedent is the U20 Cup last summer. The US started slowly in that one, drawing Korea in an unimpressive performance, followed by 2 brilliant games against Poland and Brazil as the team gelled and the Adu+Altidore magic clicked.

 

The Dutch will be much better finishers than the Japanese, so Wynne and Orozco both need to be better, but they will probably also give us more opportunities to create ourselves, so it should be a fun one.

 

No chance Dax starts this (or any game) match against Holland.

What I think Nowak will do:

-----Davies-----Altidore--
------------Adu----------
Rogers------------------Szetela
-----------Bradley-------
Orozco--Parkhurst--Edu--Wynne
---------Guzan---------------

4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. McBride's not playing 75 just to start 2 days later. He's too out of match fitness for that. I'm not sure he fits in with the style the other guys are playing with, anyway. He's a traditional English center forward, while the rest of the team are trying to play on the floor. Save him for the must-win Nigeria game as well. I'd love to see Davies out there. Speed to burn.

Backline doesn't change the whole tournament. Bet on it.

 

I like this strategy very much. We can win this game if we tie up a few loose ends. I think it's a winnable match.

 

I like this lineup. Anyone who would start Dax over Rogers hasn't watched much of either player, because it's obvious how much more Rogers brings to the table. Dax is outclassed against world class U-20 players, he's not even close when it's bumped up to U-23.

I sure wish we had Spector and the USSF hadn't dropped the ball on Castillo. Left back is going to be a trouble spot against the Oranje, who always have excellent play on wing. Orozco's going to have to have a huge game.

 

It's winnable. But I don't think the inclusion of McBride gives us a better chance of winning against Holland. Let him be on sub if needed, and be fresh and ready to go for Nigeria.

 

McBride definitely needs a rest. It's Altidore's turn to start and go 75 minutes. Let's hope Babel plays in the center, where we are strongest. Orozco should be able to hold on, but he'll need more help from the midfield then he got in the Japan game. I would pair Mike with Feilhaber and have them both play two ways, with a stronger emphasis on defense. I want to see what Benny and Freddy can do on the field together (other than bitch at each other, that is).

 

You'd want something like this?

-------Altidore---------Adu---
Rogers---Bradley--Feilhaber--Szetela
Orozco--Parkhurst--Edu---Wynne
-------------Guzan-----------

I could go for that, as long as it doesn't morph into an empty bucket (which it has the potential to do with that personnel)

 

A few keys to the game for me:

1. Freddy and Jozy-- two great tastes that taste great together. We don't seem to have any offense at the youth level without these two guys, so we must have them playing together. I'd put Freddy as an A-mid behind Jozy and Davies (who's been on a scoring tear for his club in Sweden. What other US forward not named Cooper or Donovan has been on any scoring tear this year?). If only Spector were here, I'd be tempted to put Mikey up behind Joay and Freddy up top with Edu behind Mikey (and Davies out on the wing). Alas, it's not to be.

2. Left Back must stay home. All Left-side width will need to come from the top down (Davies, Freddy shifted out and Robbie Rogers). I've said it a million times-- we are going to get burned on the left side of our defense. We need to hedge against that from minute 1 to 90+.

3. Gonzo magic. Our backline is good, but not great. Guzan will need to make one or two world-class saves before the game is over. Villa is paying him a lot of money now- time for him to show why he's worth it.

This match should be very entertaining if we try to take it to the Dutch. You know they will attack like there's no tomorrow. If we go for the glory as well, this could be the best match of the group.

 

and absolutely nothing offensively. not fast enough to beat anyone off the dribble. can't cross the ball at all. constantly muscled off the ball in MLS. Rogers is better than Dax, especially so on the wing. Dax shouldn't even be on this roster.

 

That's exactly what I want. I hope Rogers is up to it. He seemed to be cramping pretty bad and someone said he did his ankle, though I'm not sure that's correct. I don't think we'll see the "empty bucket". I'm hoping for something more like the second half of the Ecuador friendly, where Benny and Mike take turns attacking, but both have defensive responsibilities.

 

Here would be my take with this group of players and what we saw earlier:


----------- Altidore
----------------- Adu

Rogers ---------------------- Szetela

---------- Bradley --- Benny

Orozco --- Parkhurst - Edu --- Wynne

-------------- Guzan

The US is going to be an extremely difficult team to score against in this tournament. Both Edu and Parkhurst looked phenomenal against Japan.

 

Not sure I see this. Whether it was fatigue or something else, Japan was getting in behind the defense, in the box, at will late in the game. They should have scored.

 

Nowak may not start McBride but that would be the only change I'd expect. He should make a couple of changes but I'm not holding my breath.

The Netherlands are beatable. I watched their game today and they didn't impress me. I thought the US game was much higher pace. They are very organized though on defense and I don't know how we can break them down. Sacha surely can't and we aren't able to get McBride into the game. Scoring could be a problem. Hope Nowak doesn't play for the tie. I think we have a better chance against Holland then Nigeria (too big, too strong)

 

EMPTY BUCKET ALERT!!!

Actually that's the same group dcole and I were discussing above. I think it gives us our best chance at getting points against the Dutch. I'm still deeply worried about the defense, especially Orozco and Edu. Playing well against the Japanese is one thing, playing well against the Dutch and Nigerians is another. It's a step up in quality. That's a good thing, we want to test these players.

I have a feeling Altidore, Szetela, and Feilhaber came on as late as they did becuase Nowak wanted to keep them as fresh as possible for the next game. Although it didn't necessarily translate on tv, the conditions have been reported to be brutal out there. In that sense, I'm really really concerned that our defenders are looking to start every match. Let's hope we beat the Dutch, so we can rest a few against Nigeria.

 

I see us going with the same lineup except that Szetela and Jozy will start in place of Kljestan and McBride.

I wouldn't take Holden out. I thought he played well in the second half (not just the goal either)

 

That's like instructing a dog to lick his junk. He's gonna do it no matter what you say.