May -under 23 game heard there is a game for the under 23's sometime during the second week in may. does anyone know who got call in for this game?
While listening to the DC-Dallas match, I heard that Brad Davis was being called up to face the Mexican U-23 team on the 14th of May (away game). Have no idea about other call-ups, stadium, etc.
Well, that mean's he's healthy. I'd quibble with the semantics there. He "told" his coach? Somehow, I think it went more along the lines of the USSF requesting his release. The game is next Wednesday so I'm sure Mooch has picked his roster. Here's a guess at 18 players. GKs - Countess, Warren. (No surprises there). Backs - Gooch, Gray, Yi, Lewis, Wingert, Stokes Mids - Martino, Beasley, Beckerman, Clark, Mapp, Davis, Forwards - Donovan, Casey, Johnson, Quaranta Might as well look at some of the 20s and the Euros should all be available. Warren, Stokes and Lewis are the only MLS players who haven't gooten any minutes this year. Buddle will replace someone if he's healthy but he didn't play the last two games and is iffy for Saturday so I doubt he gets called in. Wingert is the only college player called in. Obviously Burciaga would have been called in if he hadn't done his knee, a malady which has already cost the U23 team J. and S. Thompson and Levesque. Esky, Schmidt, Jaqua, Stone, Magee, Pause and LeBlanc, all of whom have played in MLS this year, may also get called in. Figure we'll see for sure pretty soon.
Convey is with the Men's team this week, so my guess would be that he (and Donovan) will get a pass on the U23 game. It just seems a bit greedy for the Fed to borrow MLS starters two weeks in a row for a friendly and an U23 game. Not that I know anything, (Could be why Martino isn't with the big team this week...or not) SJB
just passing along info...could it be that the USSF hasn't requested anyone's release yet and he mentioned to his coach that he's going to get called up?
Lewis (I'm assuming you mean Ricky) had a known knee injury going into the draft. I don't know if that's affecting him still or not.
Lewis had a hernia operation. I think I read somewhere that he is back in training though - sorry for the unreferenced info. Any chance of an Arturo Alvarez selection?
Here’s the 18 – Beasley, Beckerman, Carroll, Clark, Countess, Donovan, Eskandarian, Gray, Jaqua, Johnson, Lewis, Martino, Onyewu, Pause, Stokes, Warren, Wingert, Yi. A few thoughts. This is Clark’s first call-up to the 23’s. He and Johnson are the only players from the U20 team called in. (BTW, Rongen is listed as an assistant coach.) I wonder what the thinking is in calling Johnson up but not Quaranta when Tino has been more productive in MLS? Donovan and Beasley but no Convey. Seems odd. Yi and Onyewu are the only Euro players. Guess this means Oguchi is healthy. Casey still hasn’t been called up by Mooch. I wonder what this means, if anything? Wingert is the only college player. Mooch just loves this guy. He’s been called up to every U23 camp so far. Beckerman, Carroll, Eskandarian and Warren have also been called in to all six U23 camps. Carroll, Lewis, Stokes and Warren are the only MLS players on the list who haven't gotten a game in the league this year. By contrast, Brad Davis (didn't someone say there was a report that Davis had been called in for this game?), Mike Magee, Tim Regan, Jordan Stone, Jake LeBlanc, Justin Mapp and Casey Schmidt have all played in MLS this year and didn't get called in. Arturo Alvarez and Craig Capano, both 85s and eligible for the 2008 Olympics, have also played in MLS this year. Too bad Buddle is still recovering and had to miss this. And, suffice to say, too bad that Burciaga is out along with Jason and Scot Thompson, Devin Barclay and Roger Levesque.
So maybe a lineup like this: -----Donovan---Johnson----- ---------Martino------------- Beasley--------------Eskandarian/Beckerman/??? -----------Clark------------- Lewis---Gray---Yi---Onyewu ----------Countess---------- Alvarez sure would look good at right wing, otherwise a pretty salty group. I'd like to see Jaqua get some time in as a target forward. Of course, I'd really like to see the game at all.
I have no clue about right wing. I would have thought Justin Mapp or Brad Davis could be tried there or have one of those two play left mid and put Beas on the right. Same with Convey. Even though he'd be playing up, I wouldn't mind seeing Alvarez there. As for Wednesday, perhaps Mooch will start Pause or Carroll at D-mid and play Clark wide right. With Onyewu's propensity to go forward from right back, Mooch may go with one left mid and three central mids and just give the space to Gooch to attack. Basically, I have no idea!
So maybe a lineup like this: -----Donovan---Johnson----- ---------Martino------------- Beasley----------Clark -----------Pause------------- Lewis---Gray---Yi---Onyewu ----------Countess---------- Love to see this lineup -- with Jaqua getting some time up top too. If Jaqua got in, that'd be 4 Fire guys. Actually, I'd prefer to see Mapp wide right -- that'd be 5 Fire guys if Jaqua saw some time.
Carroll has gotten time at right wing with the 23's, I would think it would look more like: -----Donovan---Johnson----- ---------Martino------------- Beasley----------Carroll -----------Clark------------- Lewis---Gray---Yi---Onyewu ----------Countess---------- It is odd that neither Convey nor Quaranta got called in. It would have made sense not to call Convey in if Donovan and Beasley were'nt called in either, but they were. Any chance United said no because both players start while Carroll needs any kind of playing time?
Yi? From what I gather Yi has played in about 5-10 games in the two years since he left UCLA. Should I be more upset with the fact that he get penciled in to these starting line ups or that nobody is challenging for his spot? I think he the last time I saw him actually play a game was in the U-20 tournament and he didn't exactly stand out. Is he still riding the success from his U-17 days when he had a physical advantage over his competition? His situation has been curious to me for a while so I appreciate any insight that those of you in the know can provide. BTW thanks for all the analysis on these threads.
I think this is something we really need to take advantage of. Gooch's size, speed and attacking ability make him extremely dangerous coming out of the back. I posted this on the DC board but I think when we call the full team in we should play a slightly skewed 4-4-2 like we did in WC qualifying. Something like this: ------Donovan---Buddle Beasley-----Convey--Martino ------------Clark--------------- Lewis----Gray----Stokes-----Onyewu -------------Countess------------
How about 4-3-3... .........Beasley...Eskandarian...Donovan......... .......................Martino............................ .........Beckerman.................Clark.............. ..Lewis..........Yi.........Gray............Onyewu.. ......................Countess........................... By the way, don't be surprised to see Beckerman start regardless. He has been the starter for the U23s in the middle.
Hell, as long as we're dicking around with potential lineups, Landon could play right mid. He has the wheels and Bruce used him there in the WC. Playing him there in qualifying would allow Mooch to get another talented forward on the field (Buddle and Johnson - man, that's some athleticism and size!) and another skilled player in MF.
Already talking about it here - https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=45980 Mods, can you merge these threads?
United play Tottenham at RFK this coming Wednesday and Hudson probably wants to put out a full starting X1 for that match.. This is probably the only rationale as to why neither were called into the team...
I like this lineup A LOT, except switch Eskandarian out with Nate Jaqua.......l can't wait till the senior team has enough skill to trot out a 4-3-3...
Sending Donavan and Beasley to Guadalajara for a midweek youth friendly 7 days after they went 90 minutes for the full national team, in midseason of our domestic league (they go head to head tomorrow) is crazy. Give 'em a break. Imagine Michael Owen jetting off to Turkey to play for the England U23's midweek under this circumstance.