I'm not going to make a definitive conclusion on the Cameron/Omar combo based on one game in San Pedro Sula. And I'm not going to judge the Omar/Besler combo on one game at the Azteca that we easily could have lost 3-0, but somehow managed to hang on to a 0-0 draw. I think Cameron needs to be a starter for us, and I personally want to continue with Chandler on the right. He's been up and down for us (Chandler I mean), but I still think he's the future. Johnson........Gonzo.........Cameron........Chandler It's not that I don't like Besler. Having these CB issues is a good thing. If Klinsmann chooses to continue withthe Besler/Gonzo combo, then more power to him.
I'm beyond shocked that people think Beasley played well. He was ghastly in my view. Putting aside how many times he was flat beaten in 1v1s, he was caught ball watching and marking absolutely no one on at least a dozen ocassions. It was a stone-cold miracle that he was not punished. A miracle I tell you. Go back and rewatch the game and see how often Beasley was up the left flank simply watching while his man stood wide open. This was while MEXICO had possession, not the US. Look, he put in an admirable shift as a guy playing out of position, but he was miserably bad. Just miserably bad.
Let's all tape another peek at the tape of this game. Mexico was DREADFUL, else we lose 2-0 or 3-0. Besler was not nearly as stellar as all would like to believe and Cameron was torched!!! Zusi was just not able to beat anyone 1 v 1. He's good on a set piece every now and then, but his run-of-play game was, to be generous here, not good. Our offense was non-existent. If you set a team up like Juergen did, you BETTER get the point. He did. I will take it, but....
True, it's not much to go on. But it's all we have when taking into consideration those three players. And you have to admit that when we examine their club situations Besler has an edge. He plays as a center back week in and week out for KC, whereas Cameron is only a right back (or d-mid) for Stoke. Actually, has Cameron ever played in central defense for Stoke? I just don't see how Klinsmann could go and change the center of defense again after such a big result. We need stability and consistency there, and the worst thing would be to keep chopping and changing it as qualification proceeds.
I repped your post but am also quoting because I saw things very much the same way. I commented in the coaching thread that I felt JK seemed to have prepared the squad incredibly well to see the channels that Mexico would look for -- the number of lanes that we cut out and re-won possession without a hoofed clearance was remarkable to me.
Well, let's slow down a bit. They fit well where we were able to clog the middle and force Mexico into a crossing attack, and where all the defenders stayed back almost all game. Kinda like the Spain plan. They may not fit as well where we try to do something else....
Besler and Omar played great together. I think that Omar made his case to be a lock starter and Besler made his case to be called into every camp. I think that Omar, Besler, and Cameron should be competing for the 2 cb spots. However, if Cameron continues to get no time at club level at centerback. I have a hard time making that case but it's worth exploring. Cameron at RB was ok if a little shaky at times and wasn't able to put in decent crosses when he did get forward. I'm still a big Dolo fan if he gets healthy as I think he can contribute through Brazil 2014. I am not convinced of Chandler one way or the other but once again, it's good to have a few options. Beasly at LB. Well he played well for a guy who has almost no experience playing on the backline. BTW, I think he had the toughest task last night as that Aquino dude was going at him all night. However, I don't think he is the answer and I think Fabian is our LB. However, Beasly should be called into almost every camp as he can play anywhere on the left in a pinch and provides some excellent composure. I don't really understand all the calls for Lichaj as he is rarely even making the Villa bench as of late. Are you guys watching the Villa reserves or something? I know he played pretty damn good when he played there for us in 2011 gold cup but he was getting play time at Leeds then I believe.
ultimately i think we gotta stay with the hot hand, and i hope that klinsmann sees that too. And i agree keeping on shaking up the defense much more is counter productive. Stick with the duo that stood tall in the Azteca, thats a reasonable answer to me. Cant ask much more of any defender. And as far as the hot hand goes too......the GK position could be Guzan's to lose. We may have a 2002 GK controversy brewing for 2014, but i would lean towards the position being Guzan's to lose. make Howard earn it back.
If you sit back and concede 60% of the possession, then yes, its relatively easy to force the opponent wide and knock down service by clogging the middle. This was the perfect game for Omar to excel in.
Good way to use the player then. We're not going to be getting much above 40 percent against the top teams out there in any event.
It's not like that's all he did, though. He had to cover for a very, very erratic Cameron in the first half and did an excellent, excellent job in doing so.
We also had 1 shot total against Mexico.. so while I definitely have no problem starting Omar in games where we expect to be pinned back, I dont nescessarily think this game should be viewed as him being the answer in all situations.
Apparently the US Team had a "come together" moment sometime just before the CR game. You can tell it was effective because we've seen one good performance and one great performance. What's a shame was that Chandler and a few others missed out on that conversation that IMO must have built some great camaraderie. A conversation they should have been included in. At this point, I'd have to agree with you - Cameron over Chandler. You can not underestimate the power of team pride. Does Chandler have it? I highly doubt it.
and all things considered, i think most of us who watched the Honduras match were not impressed at all. It was a costa rica left back v 1.0 type performance, he had a torrid time out there. I agree, Cameron at right back fits, and also with the whole chemistry thing.
Gonzalez looked pretty great, but I would have been fairly disappointed if he hadn't dominated when asked to defend a bunch of high crosses being played into eight guys, none of whom was six feet tall. In that respect, Bradley and Edu mostly did a good job of shielding the center of the defense and forcing them to attack us out our strong point.
It's my inherent bias, but Besler was a monster out there. Gonzales, yes, but I do recall one period of about six or seven successive attacks that Matt stopped each and every one of. He started a little unsure, had a couple shaky touches later on, but frankly, with how he had to cover for DMB's struggles (like Gonzo had to cover for Cameron), I thought he came up spectacular. Gonzo's the showman defender, the fun one to watch and the easy one to be impressed by, but the pairing of the two was very sensible and very effective for almost every circumstance they hit. I hope Besler gets more chances out there. For a first true competitive cap, that was a very, very good sign. Now we just have to hang onto a successful defense long enough to find some dangerous offense.
I'm a huge Gonzo fan... but I love what I've seen from Besler as well. I really hope the two of them can form a long-term partnership back there.
The long range shot that Guzman stopped near the end with lots of traffic in front of him ......Howard would have let in. Sorry. It's the truth Besler was as calm as any USA defender I have ever seen. Shocking. Confirming that Boca should have seen a lot fewer minutes the past 18 months. Many here have said this.
Cameron's not a right back- I'm happier with him at CB than RB for the USA. Go watch him play for his club- they ask him to do more CB work at RB. Very defense-oriented game play at Stoke. The national team asks our outside backs to generate width in our attack- Cameron cannot do that. Chandler can.
So we have a dilemma now. Gonzalez, Cameron, Besler, Chandler, Beasley and Johnson all can play in our back line now. I wonder what Jurgen will do.
Cameron gets up and down flanks for Stoke and gets plenty of touches. Check out his stats. He is a real back. Besler looked the more composed of the centerbacks in the Canada match. His qualities really shone through in this match.
Omar/Besler also played well together vs Canada fwiw. Klinsy's already had them on his radar as a pair.
This is an important point; however, there will also be games where we are going to need a lock down rb. Thankfully, we now have some versatility at the position.
Exactly. Next step now is to watch mls April/June and pick out a good, young cb pair for the Gold Cup because we just dont know what can happen and I want a real cb, not a rb who is moved out of position. On present form I see John, Hedges, and I believe Okugo's star is rising altho I have not seen Philly's games this year.