"5 games in 14 days. We knew coming in here we were gonna have to go deep into the roster." - Peter Vermes
So on some guys who arent really heavily in the mix... Bruin really looks like hes coming into his own. His body mechanics are a bit awkward, so I imagine any call ups are going to lag behind when he deserves them, but I think he should definitely be on the watch closely list. Lenhart is one of those guys that drives people nuts, and hes not always graceful, but he does a lot more for the team then people give him credit for. Hes faster then most people think, and his hold up play is better then people realize. But he definitely brings the nasty. Hes won and changed games psychologically.. how many MLS players can say that? Chris Pontius is just a talented player Id like to see get some looks. Just really smoothe on the ball, good size and athleticism. CJ Sapong I think just sort of has everything you want in a forward. Hes not a dominant player yet, I really want to see him elevate his game, but hes definitely someone who isn't far off. Im not a huge fan of Kenny Cooper but he obviously deserves some consideration for the year hes had. I think the Chivas USA move was definitely good for Juan Agudelo, but I really want him to be slow played into the national team at this point. He has the kind of talent he should be an elite MLS player, he really needs to learn and show he can grind it out over a full season and help Chivas win.
I watched a lot of MLS tonight. Bruin, at first, was had 3 shots on goal, but failed to convert all 3 until he finally put two in the back of the net. I was telling myself atleast he is creating chances and then they finally went in the net. To me, Bunbury will never be a national team player. He just gets lost in the game. I agree on Leinhart and my brother and I like to joke that he is just a psycho on the pitch. The dude will literally try to head anything that is close to him no matter the fall that will result from it. I do think he should be watched closely along with Bruin. Pontius and Agudelo are two no brainer call ups for me and I really think they both have a bright future. I can't get a read on CJ.
No one mentions that Donovan got 2 goals and an assist tonight? Magee also got himself a goal and an assist.
And Agudelo got an assist (a goal that deflected off of a teammate). That trade was definitely a good thing in my opinion. He's been playing very well now that he's actually on the field.
If I were Freddy's manager, I'd have him with my S&C coach as much as possible. If he could add some strength, he could negate some of his lack of quicks. He needs to be stronger, that is for sure. Some of that will come as he ages as well.
To be fair, I'm not sure LD is the type of player that falls into the subject of this thread. Magee is a nice MLS player, but that is his ceiling in my opinion.
I think LD looked really, really fast and dangerous at the lone forward spot last night. His competitiveness and ability to win and keep balls was better than I would have thought in that situation. As always, his runs just rip apart defenses if the ball can find him. This would have been goal of a lifetime. http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-06-20-rsl-v-la/highlights?videoID=189359
I doubt he'll ever get near the national team, but Pickens had a heckuva game in goal for the Rapids. He's been consistently solid for them.
yeah, he was doing good to piss me off as a quakes fan yesterday until the bitter end, great showing from him. all and all, we gotsz some good goalies in this leagaue
I get the sense that Magee is a blender. A guy that's not flashy, but you could put him in better and better squads and he'd fit right in. On the flipside, maybe if you put him on a lower level team, he woundn't necessarily be the superstar. Translation: I'd be curious to see him thrown in w/ the MNT "A Team" in a JFT kind of role. But, he won't ever get there because he'd have to be tried w/ B-siders 1st, and he wouldn't necessarily stand out with them.
The joke is that Klinsmann, who picked the MLS defender over the Premiership defender for the World Cup qualifiers, also hates MLS players
Not to diminish Bruin's goals, but Cameron had spectacular passes in the build up to each. He may well beat out Ream as a next gen CB.
By the way..........rumor is that Stoke City have begun negotiations to sign Geoff Cameron. http://www.chron.com/sports/dynamo/...-begins-talks-to-acquire-Dynamo-s-3655790.php That article makes it sound like dialouge................rumors in the UK say that a bid has been made. I bet he doesn't last the summer in MLS. Getting a work permit could be a problem, but it wasn't for Ream. Times are a'changing in that regard for Americans.
i dunno, im positive about it but for me its getting back to where we were. at one point one season (the fulham great escape) we had kasey keller (fulham) carlos bocanegra (fulham) clint dempsey (fulham) brian mcbride (fulham) tim howard (everton) brad friedel (blackburn) eddie lewis (derby) jay demerit (watford) bobby convey (reading) marcus hahnemann (reading) all reliable starters in the top flight in one year with benny feilhaber (derby) eddie johnson (fulham) oguchi onyewu (newcastle) guzan?? (aston villa), not sure if he was in that year or not as at least bench options. and not to mention guys like Simek who was tearing it up in the championship before injury. Now in the top flight of england we have Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, and Clint Dempsey as reliable starters. Two players who are actually still with the national team. That.....is just tragic and one of the biggest reasons we lost a step IMO. We just lost Ream and Holden from the top flight this year. Whitbread and Guzan are free agents and are likely going to drop a division. Now i know there are reasons like red tape and economic reasons as well, but it just seems like we should be expecting more of our guys pushing for the worlds top league. I hope Cameron can get over there, and i hope John can get over there as i think they are both on that sort of level. I am absolutely 100% confident that both Cameron and John could have WALKED into Wolverhampton's back line for instance. But i also hope for guys like Pontius, Wondo, Agudelo, Davis, Sapong, Bruin, the like to be getting looks from overseas clubs as well. At the same time, i am pleased we have them in MLS as they have enhanced the quality of MLS experience. We can all agree MLS has been much more aesthetically pleasing on the eye over the past 2-3 years.