The Evans call up is getting a lot of flack but in all honesty who else is there to call up in the midfield? The number of decent mids in the MLS who are American can be counted on one hand. I would argue outside of LB, it's the MLS's weakest position for American players. At least Evans is versatile.
One man who definitely has something to prove to Klinsmann is Anderlecht midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who the coach says will be getting a close look as he starts in central midfield alongside Jermaine Jones against his adopted country. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...nn-hopes-get-couple-answers-large-squad-frien
What was the USMNT (or the LAG for that matter) up to in Dec 2012? I think "4 months" is overstating the time LD took away from the game. His "off-season" already existed in some form within the months of Dec-March, did it not? "Vacation" isn't the right word in your sentence, either. (Part of his "vacation/personal-sabbatical/time-away-from-the-game-professionally" included some informal training/playing at places like Madison, Wisconsin, did it not? (Not that that is the "professional environment" -- but it certainly isn't a vacation, either.) Again, perhaps a useful (though not completely analogous example) of "those "best players" taking 2-3 months vacation/break from club and country to see the world (or to take some extended time away from the game professionally for themselves and/or their family)" would very well be the Reyna example during the 2005 Hex. Again, not that JK needs to treat/accept Donovan exactly as Arena opted to treat Reyna in that instance (or how JK might opt to "mutually agree" to handle Dolo in 2013), but I'd like a bit more information/clarification on how JK is making the decision he has (in terms of not "rushing" to get a "top player" back into the USMNT asap once that player is again fit and playing with their club.) If LD's "time-off" was not a "mutually agreed to decision" -- then what's the need for introducing the "these other players are more ready now" than LD line-of-thinking that JK has offered?
I understand what you're saying, but Brad Evans can grind his little heart out; he still won't be good enough. If he plays against Jamaica, we're screwed. He's not even remotely fast/quick enough for that team and those attacking players.
You seem certain that your opinion is correct. I am willing to give Evans the benefit of the doubt as a utility RB so nothing else needs to be said. In any case unless there are a few more injuries I don't think Evans makes the 23 man roster for the WCQs so we are discussing a fringe slot that really has no material impact on the team.
Mapp Avila McCarty Gaven Grabavoy Nguyen DeLeon Personally I don't think that Brad had a bad game against LA, especially if you're a fan of backpasses, but he is not and will never be international quality in midfield. He is a step below the Ralston line. At rightback he could be adequate, in a Bornstein/Pearce type way, but there are much younger MLS options with higher ceilings not to mention the clearly superior Lichaj.
Possibly. But to whatever degree much of that was free anyway, it raises the question of why that wasn't enough. I work in IT. I do that because I like computers and I enjoy messing around with them. That means my "work" is not always drudgery - I enjoy parts of my job. Conversely I sometimes (often) putter around with computers in my free time, including, or I should say *especially*, on my vacation. Would you seriously entertain an argument that the time I putter around with computers is not really vacation? (Edit: And if so, can you convince my boss? ) I don't really go for the Reyna comparison for a number of reasons. The main one being: By all reports that I have seen it was mutually agreed. That is not a minor point. In any case, once more, JK has not said other players are more ready than Donovan. He has said they are ahead of him. You may call that quibbling but it is a vital difference. "Ahead of" refers to a pecking order - that pecking order is the *result* of the coach's evaluation. "Ready" refers to a binary evaluation. Yes or no. You are ready or you are not. As I stated above (or was it the LD thread?) JK has made it clear that "ready" includes at least one time of not getting a call-up after returning to action. I know he could have been more explicit, but that would have involved calling out LD directly which JK obviously also does not want to do.
We're the ones who are switching back and forth with multiple windows, and possibly multiple displays - the better to hide that Bigsoccer window in an auxiliary tab
Evans showed well against Canada. It's not a surprises he got called in. Well, I'm kind of surprised Orozco didn't called in as he's a starter at right back with his club team and he did score that goal at Azteca.
Mapp-Winger Avila-must be kidding McCarty-dmid/Evans offers more in attack Gaven- I'd call him over Evans Grabavoy-On par with Evans Nguyen-playmaker who dissappears and doesn't have the box-box lungs that JK likes DeLeon-winger I would like to see Mapp, Mccarty, Deleon and Nguyen called in but they aren't real replacements for Evans and everyone else is about on Evans level so they wont be a real improvement on him regardless.
What is random? Starting a Sacha, a 6/8 MF who plays that exact same role on the top team in the Belgian league, in a friendly match against Belgium? Yup, that was damn confusing to me too.
Pretty much. Fringe player at best and only called in as a stop gap. Don't know why people get so riled up about him. If we make the WC he wont be on the roster.
Which Dax McCarty and Brad Evans have you been watching? I don't think McCarty is USMNT material...but he's practically Modric compared to Brad Evans.
Actually Nguyen 's a winger/LM. He 's the Revs MVP player in 2012 when he played LM/winger. However, recently Heaps plays him as a playmaker because Toja 's not on par as their playmaker. If JK values guys like Davis (31 yrs), DMB (32 yrs) ... I think Nguyen (26 yrs) certainly can play at USMNT level.
I guess we disagree then. I think Mccarty is good enough for the Gold Cup and Evans isn't great by any chance but his passing range is better then Mccartys.
Huh? Brad Evans has had exactly one cap under Klinsmann - against Canada at Camp Cupcake. He then was an unused sub against Honduras and was not on the roster for the March qualifiers. I'm not a fan of Brad Evans's game but all evidence points to him just being a squad player.
You mean evidence like not having a natural right back on the roster and being quite thin in midfield? Dude is going to be playing significant minutes in all likelihood. Being a national team coach is about making sure you don't have to go into World Cup qualifiers depending on someone like Brad Evans, especially when there are superior alternatives healthy and available.
it looks to me that to get selected for the national team you not only need to be playing good but must have some one in the staff (other than JK) willing to pull for you.
I wasn't defending the Evans call up, just noting that the history suggests he is just a squad player in response to someone saying he seems to find minutes (when in fact he has only ever played one Camp Cupcake game under Klinsmann). Evans isn't who I would have called in. And because the squad is so thin at the moment, yeah, I bet he will get minutes against Belgium. But that's just a friendly. A slew of players (Bradley, Johnson, Williams, Castillo, Corona) will come in after Belgium, so I doubt Evans will get a single minute during qualifiers. Of squad members, I would play Parkhurst, Cameron, Fabian and Williams at RB before suiting up Evans. And even with Edu missing, we will have Bradley, Jones, Kljestan, Williams and Holden there for the #6 role.
I am with you on Nguyen....no pontius? He's playing better than De Leon right now too.... JK likes his 'grinders' though. Hey gave a chance to a 'creativity' guy with Feilhaber...and got burned. Personally, over time Pontius IMO will be the next break out player for us over Shea (who still has some maturing to do).
Well, the only person on the staff who had anything but the most shallow knowledge of MLS prior to taking the job is Vasquez. I'm pretty convinced he's responsible for most if not all of the selections coming out of MLS and Mexico. I don't think it's him doing guys favors - I think it's just him being a lousy evaluator of talent, which was borne out in his year with Chivas.
If it is an evaluation (to see who is ahead of whom), then I do not see how the next point applies. Link? And if such a statement does exist, I would suggest it is a foolish one from a NT manager. (and will that "at least one time of not getting a call-up after returning to action" standard also universally apply to other players, like Cherundolo, or is there a "mutually agreed to" exception?) So in JK's non-black-and-white world, "ready" for evaluation (to then even determine who is "ahead of" whom on JK's list) always requires a missed (per coach's decision) call-up? And/or is there the possibility that the friendlies v BEL and GER could be grouped into a separate call-up "opportunity" than the June WCQs? (and there is still some slight/tiny possibility that we could see LD vs JAM or PAN or HON? Or is it too late and JK did not include Donovan's name on some preliminary official big roster submitted to Concacaf/Fifa for the June qualifiers?) we certainly haven't heard JK referring to these next games as a "five game mini-tournament," have we?