Say what you will

Discussion in 'USA Men' started by bye_urn, Sep 6, 2011.

  1. bye_urn

    bye_urn Member

    Aug 13, 2009
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Torres has been impressive and is busting his a$$ on both sides of the ball.

    That is all.
     
  2. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
    I'm worried that he's too much of a tweener to be effective 90 minutes. But Jose Torres definitely needs to be at least a supersub this cycle.
     
  3. nobody

    nobody Member+

    Jun 20, 2000
    I think he has looked very good. However, I also think that if we ever have a full selection healthy the center of the park is a very, very crowded place on this team and it may or may not be good enough for anything beyond mop up minutes. He may turn into an ideal sub to bring on late with a lead to possess the ball and kill off the clock.
     
  4. SOCCERMARINE

    SOCCERMARINE Member

    Jun 28, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  5. dcudude

    dcudude New Member

    Jul 1, 2004
    DC-area
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thought he looked better against Costa Rica, but I definitely like what I see as well..... I would have liked to have seen more cutting passes offensively vs. Belgium. Torres is definitely back in the mixx though!:D
     
  6. drgonzo

    drgonzo Member+

    Jun 1, 2011
    Club:
    San Diego Flash
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    His distribution was good, he tracked back and defended and he didn't look flustered when he had the ball and defenders where running at him. I think he's done really well and it's more then likely he'll be part of the most future call ups.
     
  7. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Torres needs to continue playing for the nationa team so he can get noticed by some European clubs. If Torres can make a move across the pond that will be great for him and the national team.
     
  8. cleansheetbsc

    cleansheetbsc Member+

    Mar 17, 2004
    Club:
    --other--
    It works the other way. Play well for club, move to better club.
     
  9. USAsoccer1

    USAsoccer1 Member

    Jul 15, 2011
    Sacramento
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't see him as tweener, I see him as a guy that is not great at anything but really good at a everything. He is someone that needs to be on the field :)
     
  10. anazarn

    anazarn Member

    May 27, 2008
    El Paso
    Club:
    CF Indios de Ciudad Juárez
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Doesn't a healthy Holden make Torres a bench player? They seem pretty similar to me.
     
  11. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Using both would be like having Xavi and Iniesta. :D
     
  12. anazarn

    anazarn Member

    May 27, 2008
    El Paso
    Club:
    CF Indios de Ciudad Juárez
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Holden is great and all--and pretty versatile, but to compare his versatility and skill set to Iniesta is a BIT of a stretch.
     
  13. Pragidealist

    Pragidealist Member+

    Mar 3, 2010
    I like Torres as well. I am not sure where he fits when all the top players are called in together. If it looks like what I think it would be something like

    -------------------------------Altidore

    Shea----------------------------------------------------Donovan
    ------------------------------Dempsey
    ----------------Holden------------------------Bradley-------
    Chandler/Lichaj-----Boc-------------Unknown---------------Dolo



    Or something like that. I see Holden and Bradley being able to interchange in that CM/DM role. Then they have guys like Aguedelo, Torres, Edu, Jones, and young guns as depth and tactical adjustments.

    So I can see Torres coming in to play in the CM role some, but I think when the top European players are all back and together JK will have to try and find a way to play Holden and Bradley.

    The team starting unit isn't going to be completely different under JK than Bradley. The top talent is the top talent. JK will hopefully get to add some new pieces like Shea and maybe a couple of others. He will hopefully solidfy the backline. But Dempsy, Donovan, Altidore, Bradley, and Holden are the top talent that the US has and it shown by their value to european clubs.

    Torres has some definite skills and tendancies that fit what JK and the US need, but I am not sure he is quite the right fit. He doesn't play defense particurarly well and is not really a #10. A CM needs to play defense better. So I am just not sure where he fits.

    Really I think he would have to beat out Dempsey for that #10 role or beat out Holden as a better attacking option.

    The other way this roster could look is with two CAM mids in a 4 1 4 1. But that would still fit Holden and Bradley interchanging to make those penetrating runs. I haven't seen Torres do that and that's what the US needs to compliment the other playmakers.

    Its possible he could be a central faciliataor with Dempsey, and Donovan on teh wings, but that would mean he would have to outplay Shea's benefit. Out of the players the US has in its pool, Adu has the better chance of doing that and I would say that's probably unlikely.

    Its also possible that Holden comes in and plays better at the Dmid spot and Torres and Bradley duke it out for CM. I am sure that is what many want. But I think its more likely that Bradley is winner in the Dmid role. Holden the CM role with his box to box play that can hunker back and play as a second dmid when needed. Bradely has enough ability to play two way that so that holden and Bradley can act a bit more like a pulley and add that versitility that JK wants- but with the primary duty being the Dmid.

    Dempsey is the closest thing the US has to a #10. I just don't see where Torres fits outside of a supersub role. He does add some nice depth though.

    I have the same problem with the new youth coming up. Who do they replace? What the US really needs more than anything is a super solid backline. The rest of the team looks pretty good, especially with the addition of Shea.

    With that I am not saying its perfect- but I don't see a lot of positions that can be easily filled or won away. I have a hard time seeing Edu, Beckerman, or Jones beating Bradley at Dmid. Jones I could before I watched him play. Beckerman is the best backup out of the three. I just haven't seen much from Edu. His offensie spacing is horrible.

    I have a hard time seing Torres beat out Holden. He's good depth there though- as Holden gets back into form.

    Its going to be interesting to see how this roster fills out. I hope in the end JK does a better job than Bradley at developing depth at every spot. That was one thing that hurt at the WC when certian players got hurt or were out of their previous form.
     
  14. comoesa

    comoesa Member+

    Aug 13, 2010
    Christen Press's armpit
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Holden has to play a game first guys.

    Assuming Holden does return to form. I expect we may see a lineup with him and Torres in it with one geared more towards Defense and the others possession.

    Competition is good for the team.
     
  15. Que Bueno

    Que Bueno Member

    Aug 7, 2010
    Kentucky
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not in this formation:

    Adudelo/Altidore
    Donovan---------Dempsey


    Torres---------Holden
    Edu/Bradley


    Back-------Four
     
  16. Pragidealist

    Pragidealist Member+

    Mar 3, 2010

    Now you've sacrificed Shea for Torres...
     
  17. Pragidealist

    Pragidealist Member+

    Mar 3, 2010

    I tend to think he will play a game before the WC...
     
  18. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would make Jermaine Jones (I'm guessing) Busquets, with Dempsey, Donovan, and a forward being the front 3.

    I could live with that. Bradley wouldn't start, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing...a 4-5-1 with Holden, Torres, a DM like Jones, Dempsey, and Donovan might be the best TEAM we can put out there.
     
  19. Wessoman

    Wessoman Member+

    Sep 26, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I can't agree more.

    The only thing for the US, besides working on the possession game, is for Torres to increase his fitness to 90 minutes. And we wait for Bradley and Holden to come back to form. If they never do, that sucks. But if they do, that would be the most talented US TEAM we have fielded since 2002.
     
  20. GVPATS77

    GVPATS77 Member+

    Aug 18, 2008
    Fullerton, CA
    This is so true. Big time clubs are far more interested in a players performance in 6 or 7 games with the national team than they are with 40 games with a club team and consistency on a week in and week out basis.

    :rolleyes:
     
  21. anazarn

    anazarn Member

    May 27, 2008
    El Paso
    Club:
    CF Indios de Ciudad Juárez
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]

    If people are into playing Torres and Holden at the same time I was considering this. Lo and behold, someone wrote a little hypothetical piece about this exact line-up.

    http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011...d-states-usmnt-jurgen-klinsmann-clint-dempsey

    Although, if the other team is getting too much room in the midfield it has the same problems as Jurgen's other line-ups where the wingers have to track back and the person up top is on an island.
     
  22. Albee

    Albee Member

    Dec 28, 2007
    Torres is quickly becoming my favorite player
     
  23. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We would crush teams with that line-up.
     
  24. El Michael

    El Michael Member

    Dec 17, 2009
    Club:
    DC United
    +100 but I wonder if JK will go as far as to build the team around him....I definately like him when supported by 2 DM's i.e. 4-2-3-1
     
  25. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It would really help if Torres could start building up some muscle.
     

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