Berks cannot even argue that Donovan has been playing well since Scotland. Each time someone passed it to him Landon would be reluctant to take more than a few touches and then give the ball off. On the odd chance he did take people on and that was when he looked good, but seriously this reluctance and hesitation in attack is not helping the team in any way.
Meh. I don't think he looked worse than any other American player offensively. He had two good chances (one, Edu got in his way, and the other, the ref failed to give advantage that would have played Jozy 1-vs-1 with the GK). He also had another play where there was some contact deep in the box but no PK was called. I don't know... he drew some fouls, fouled some players and failed to get on the end of a couple of crosses when he was 1-vs-4 in the box. Seemed like an OK 25 minutes given the circumstances. Again, what did Gomez do in 65 minutes tonight? "Hustled?"
Midfield: Bradley has played 3 poor games in a row. Edu was better defensively, not sharp enough in possession. Jones did some subtle things well. The problem is none of them are going to consistently create opportunities or even put attackers in positions where they can. I continue to dislike these three at the same time. Forwards: Dempsey - I love that he'll try shit. Even if it only works once/twice per game, that's all it takes. The key to getting an aggressive Donovan is the same as it has been - get him to defend. Gomez didn't impress me today. Neither did Jozy. Defenders: Johnson showed concerning signs as a left back. He was beaten badly a couple of times and ultimately cost us the goal. The rest of our defenders continue to panic under pressure. They define the ceiling of this team.
Thank you for bringing some sanity to the discussion. Mexico's golden generation is ascending. The US golden generation is in decline. What Mexico is capable of at this time is significantly more than what the US can bring to the table. Did no one notice Mexico soundly beat the Brazil team that thumped the US (yes, the game was entertaining, but it was a thumping)? At this juncture, eating points on the road with draws will do. That's really about the absolute ceiling of a team that has a aging, shaky central defense and no true forward with a killer instinct. The US won't put away teams when bossing the game, and the defense will concede more often than we like. It's cyclical and this is a down cycle unless a couple of young guys burst onto the scene in the next year.
Lack the subs who can change the game!!! All midfielders are CM,DMC. All forwards are target forward. No subs have speed, dribbling when we need.
I guarantee that if four Central American teams make the hex, at least one of them will be as bad as Guatemala.
Now if he could just figure out how to pass it ACCURATELY we'd be all set. The guy is just a liability in possession, he makes his teammates chase down his inaccurate passes and it disrupts our rhythm, shape, and counterattacking prowess. So, so bothersome because a lot of these are passes most high level youth club players could make. He did well defensively, though.
I have no idea if this stems from JK believing that (with Dempsey's breakthrough year) he needs to be the man, or from Dempsey's own personal belief that he needs to be the man and JK is just tolerating it. It drives me crazy to see Dempsey dropping back so far into central midfield that both Jones and Bradley are at times ahead or level with him. He scored goals in the EPL because of his movement in and around the box, not because he was pretending to be Andrea freaking Pirlo and Ronaldo all rolled into one.
Maybe just good tactics by the coach. First half just play hard, push the US and have guys out there doing the dirty work. Second half, bring on the talented kid with fresh legs and hope that the game might open up for him a bit. The 3 man substitution at half-time by the Guatemalan coach was an all or nothing move. Definitely rolling the dice.
Sorry, haven't read the thread but just got home from the bar and I just had to post. Jozy is a slug. If he'd made even a half-hearted run, Bradley's cross would have given him a clean shot at a 3/4 open goal. I've supported the kid since I first saw him at 17 yrs old playing for NY but his head is sooooooo wrong. Jozy, get your stuff together and you can be the Didier Drogba of your generation. Keep playing the way I saw you play tonight and you can become the Eddie Johnson of your generation. 'Nuf said on that. Decent result. The Guats were appropriately cynical in their approach but from the 30th minute on we had space and time to move the ball. Should have opened them up 3-5 more times but our top three got static about 20 yds out. Referee was scared-poopless. Howard was below average (for Timmay!!!). Dempsey's goal was brilliant. PPV was crap. Central midfield was solid. FJ is bomb. Gomez was adequate. Two Qs for Klinsi: Why not start Cameron? Why pull Donovan with a time-wasting substitution for Beckerman?
Ah, then in that case yes. I think Dempsey floated inside and Jones was forced to play on the right wing, but he doesn't have the necessary skills to do so, and that was why he was exhausted by the 70th minute. You can't ask a holding CM to play RM. That's on Dempsey.
Completely agree with this. He helped man a solid CB pairing with Boca. Nice job on his part. Glad we have him.
Worst shooting ever... Free kicks were a joke. Our team did not play well as a whole. We look completely lost in the final third. Fabian Johnson gave us one good run and luckily the ball ended up with Dempsey. To be fair, field conditions looked less than ideal, and Guatemala was hacking quite a bit; not an easy game to win, especially when there is clearly some fatigue from a tough schedule. (why?) Still, it hurts to give one up in the last ten minutes, and six points from two games would have been nice. Edu has been getting worse and worse... He continually gives over possession. He is decent if he releases the ball quickly, but once he is forced to move with the ball his skills go out the window. I think Landon needs to play up top, and if that means going to a 4-4-2, so be it. I would like to see what Dempsey and Donovan can do up front together, because as they grow older their range is decreased. In the lineup we played today, Donovan ended up hanging back while Dempsey lingered up top, and it ruined our shape. We became lopsided. As a result Johnson had few chances to go forward and Landon was stuck in no-man's land for most of the game. Our offense was too predictable.
I see this as the biggest issue this team faces. I get the idea of putting your best XI players on the field, but the 3 man midfield of Jones-Edu-Bradley simply doesn't work. We're missing an offensive minded player who starts the attack and creatively links with the guys up top. I think Diskerud, Corona, and Adu are just the obvious three that quickly come to mind.
A lot of folks are reminding us of previous qualification rounds and how the US were able to make it through to the WC by drawing with other CONCACAF teams and getting enough points to garner an invite. While this is true, I feel like that should not be good enough. Yes, I take for granted that the US and Mexico will be going to Brazil for the WC. If we fail to qualify it should not simply be "too bad." It should be/would be embarrassing. I may stop watching the game completely and try to have my love of the game removed from my brain. Qualifying for the World Cup out of CONCACAF should no longer be impressive or anything upon which we should hang our hat. Not qualifying for the Olympics is deplorable. It also does not bode well for our future. I know people will rain down with excuses, but I'd rather have medals and such. The seeming lack of progress is what hurts. I am thankful for Clint Dempsey and I think he's a really solid player. But the fact is we only have one. And who will replace him? Who is next in line to pick up the yoke and carry the USMNT forward? It is clear that Jozy aint that guy. While we have some serviceable guys, where are our stars? We simply don't have any. THAT is what hurts. I want progress. i know im all over the place but I'm getting old and I want to see some progress. I feel like we have topped out after 1990 or so. Seriously, McBride should still be lacing em up.
Yup. I have been reading forum posts on the net thinking we'd win this one by 5. This is a CONCACAF away qualifier. This result is to be expected (i thought it be 2-1... but i'll take the draw). I was honestly surprised by the lack of reds.
How many times have we seen this movie? Every cycle is the same. We're just not that good- so all of these away matches become struggles. It is nice to see some other things haven't changed over the years: -Terrible lighting -Field in poor condition (from what you could tell from the 75 watt bulb) -JV broadcast production -Comical opposing coach, this time wearing a pennie about two sizes too small (I was really hoping he was going to light a cigarette midway through the second half) -Referee handing out cards like candy on Halloween
Did you just see the El Salvador game, or the game against Guyana? I'm sorry, but there is nothing "Ascending" about Mexico right now, unless you are spelling "Ascending" with two "s"s and a hyphen as opposed to an "sc". The only solace to Mexico right now is that at least we are also in the toilet with them. Oh yeah, and they actually knew to bribe the official before the match for those 3 points.
I love Fabian as much as the next guy but we have to be honest. Some of his defending tonight was Bornsteinesque tonight. Burned twice in the first half for clear chances and committed the fouls that Pappa converted for the equalizer.
He was one of the top players against A&B. Which many people are conveniently ignoring in this thread. He was poor tonight. But I'm not running to Shea - who continues to look poor in MLS, Adu - who has yet to do anything in MLS, Diskerud - who just came back from his loan, Gatt - who is unproven, or Danny Williams - who gave us nothing on the right. People are using his comments and games in which he was not the only poor player to crucify him. Again. I find it ridiculous. It just amazes me. People cannot just say he had a poor game. Nope. (This is not against you in particular).
Upon reflection, the guy who had the best game was Jones, whom some thought would struggle and get a red in CA.....
I agree with parts of what you said, but this is completely wrong. Dempsey spent a lot of his time occupying the space behind Gomez in central midfield, which is what killed our shape. It made our attack come from only one side of the field (the left) and killed anything we could have produced on the right because Jones was forced to be Danny Williams, Sr. It also pushed Bradley and Jones (when he wasn't playing right wing) further back.
Didn't watch the game, but sensed a draw would be the end result based on the way the team was playing going in. My only thought is that I am confident that the team will perform better in the upcoming games solely because Klinsmann won't have three weeks to train the guys to the ground.