Jurgen not calling up Finlay by now is stupid. I like Klinsmann but Finlay has been playing well for a while now and plays a position of need we've lacked depth in ages. anyone see his goal last night? that was a great goal. the same applies to Bunbury. both wimgers will translate well to the international game because of there athleticism unlike with Zusi or Davis for example, not good enough on the ball and doesn't have the speed to be a danger player internationally.
I think you are both nuts. Gio can fill LD's role and Gerrard is a big upgrade from Savas. Sure, there is risk that it might not mesh or these guys treat MLS like a retirement league.
He'll get his chance, no doubt about that. Remember, camp cupcake is only 5-6 months away. That September friendly against Pery, we'll probably see a lack of Euro players in the team and that will open up some spots for MLS guys.
Hahaha.... You are hysterical. It's funny that USMNT would be demanding for something that could harm the team. Klinsmann isn't going anywhere. It's going to be a long three years for you at this rate. At least do some minimal research before you make these ridiculous comments. If you Google "gold cup injury replacement" this is the first article. The process is such that the scenario you described isn't even possible. It also clarifies why it was only stated that Garza had been called in for the Guatemala game. http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/06/30/08/55/150630-mnt-davis-ruled-out-of-2015-gold-cup Per tournament rules, pending CONCACAF approval a team may replace an injured player on the roster up to 24 hours prior to its first match due to injury. The player must come from the 35-man preliminary roster, which was due on June 5.
These statistical ratings are measures of on-the-ball actions. I'm not sure how useful they are for assessing a player like Finlay, whose game is built around off-the-ball running. When Finlay's runs create great scoring chances, the ratings aren't sophisticated enough to recognize this - even when it happens in game after game. Whoscored's man of the match yesterday was Kei Kamara, presumably in large part because he assisted both of Finlay's goals. But for me, both of those goals were chiefly about Finlay's movement.
Give it a bit of time. I'm convinced team chemistry is more important than individual class, and I feel a guy who comes to retire here and one who comes here just for the money are not what the Galaxy needs. I'd bet some good money (if I were the type) that if it happens, the Galaxy drops in overall team quality. Yep. I have a feeling he could play like Roberto Carlos and still the others would be "a bit ahead" of him.
Rogers would certainly be able to handle athletic wingers more so than Garza, that's for sure. The fact that both him and Johnson play two-footed would be quite intriguing to see on the left side
His form at the beginning of the year was poor. He is coming around, but his biggest issue remains slowing down when he is on the ball going forward.
That was always my understanding and the way that paragraph is written. The fact that requires approval would lend me to believe it has to be proved. I'd assume it would be somewhere between a note from the doctor to concacaf's doctor inspecting him. The only thing we really know at this point from him play for Houston is he didn't get "Victory'd".
I got a chance to catch up on some MLS games. CLB-NYRB: Miazga plays like a veteran. He's absolutely ready for the NT. Such an impressive player. NYRB might need to find a new CB in this transfer window because Miazga might be priced out of them keeping him. Finlay had two goals and played very well. The finishing ability was something to see. His speed and shiftiness also are big attributes. He might be more of a forward than winger though. Think Josh Wolff. FCD-NE: Hedges played incredibly well. I really don't think he's far off being the best CB in MLS. Some of NE's big aerial targets had no chance in the air against him. He plays like a brick wall. There is no way I'd believe that he's not better than Ventura Alvarado. Acosta played well. Credit to him. Mucked things up in the midfield. NE's midfield was terrible, and he played a big part in that. Zendejas the 17 year old from the U-17 NT keeps earning his minutes. He didn't do anything that great, but he works so unbelievably hard for an attacking midfielder and he's very skilled. Its the little effort plays to check back into midfield, win the ball and draw a foul when the other team is pressing for a goal that get your attention. We know he has skill. For such a young player, the rest of his game is unbelievably mature and advanced. NE's attack is a complete mess. Its amazing the difference a month makes. I've praised Heaps before for doing a good job, but he's done nothing short of a terrible job the last month. Nguyen has been brutally bad this season. Prima-donna playmaker who's not creating anything and doesn't help out a central midfield that is really struggling. Heaps is trying to get Fagundez minutes so they can sell him off soon, but I feel like every time he steps on the field his value decreases. He really has not developed the way he could've. Bunbury's been very hit or miss. Agudelo's being yo-yoed every single game. Hard to get a rhythm when your coach is asking something different of you every game. Rowe's just not getting enough minutes. He's done nothing wrong. He should be getting Nguyen's minutes. Davies is just not getting enough quality service. Shuttleworth might deserve a chance at Camp Cupcake. The amount of times he bails out Goncalves after Goncalves does something stupid is an alarmingly high number. Last season he didn't really impress me until the playoffs, but he's taken his play in the playoffs over to this season and he's playing really well behind a defense that puts him in tons of terrible positions. LAG-TFC: Lleget is for real. What has impressed me most is that he's playing a different position than I would've thought. I thought he was playing the #8 with West Ham. It'll be interesting to see where he'll play long term, but if he keeps making things happen in the attacking third, it won't matter. He deserves a chance with the NT. TFC's defense and midfield is just shambolic though. Probably USL level or not far from it. They look lost without Bradley. I don't remember the last time I saw an MLS match that was such target practice for one team. Lleget's been producing since he joined LA, so his performance wasn't a fluke, regardless of how bad TFC was.
Clint, I know you are trying to blame this on Agudelo, but they've been miserably bad without him on the field. I just don't see it with Fagundez. He gives them absolutely no width on the wing and plays too similar of a game to Nguyen. Perhaps he could play as a #10 and Nguyen to the bench. They have no attacking ideas without Agudelo since Nguyen does absolutely nothing and Bunbury is so hit or miss. They really should be transitioning to a 4-4-2 without Nguyen on the field. Last weekend, Agudelo almost brought them back from down two goals late in the game. He was great once he came on. This week, I didn't like the idea of taking off Davies to bring on Agudelo as a lone striker. They should've played them together. Hedges is just going to eat up any long ball to a lone striker. I've complimented Heaps a lot, but he's done a terrible job lately. He's just trying to throw things at the wall and hoping they stick, and they haven't.
I think we can safely conclude that Nguyen's season last year was a fluke. I had my doubts, but gave him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. I've been proven otherwise.
I've heard the excuse that he's in a contract dispute used by some. Wouldn't that give him more motivation to play well?
Remember when he never played in Jan camp freindlies and people wondered why? They said later he was hampered by something. When a player does not smash the ball at goal it can be a sign. Altidores's pen Friday?
Seeing how Acosta is playing more of an 8 than 6 with FCD I have a theory that he was moved to left back to accommodate Zelalem playing in central midfield. Zelalem is better on the ball and stuff but Acosta covers tons of ground is all over the place and plays good defense. The team would have been very different with that change but surely a little politics was involved to move a former team captain who played in CM for a year and a half to left back for a player the US has been after for a while who just committed. No wrong answer BTW. I would have done the same to get Z into the fold. Think Acosta was never going to be the lone defensive mid.
He got more than as sniff early in Klinsmann's tenure. Most on BS hated the smell at that point in time.
I think Rogers really benefits from playing for LAG. I don't think he's bad, but he has so little defending to do. How would he do if he was playing for Chicago or Montreal? Would people be praising him? I still think Klinsmann has handled the situation poorly. I'm not saying the reason that he hasn't received a call up is because of his rather recent announcement because I actually don't think he's that good, but Rogers constantly pointing out that his relationship with Klinsmann ended after the announcement and Klinsmann stopped talking to him around that time does not help at all.
C'mon....... This is absurd. I know you actually watch MLS. I know this will sound patronizing, and I apologize for this, but it really is ok not to have a strong, definitive, inflexible opinion of things. The really strong opinions should be reserved for those who have left you no alternative, and those people and situations are generally pretty rare. You seem to feel that every other player is due a really strongly positive or negative opinion, arrived at early on, and everything from that early point on is argued exclusively from that point of view, with very little nuance. I don't know why you have to do that.
He was not playing and excelling at the role that he's been excelling at (with a down period early this season) more recently. That's a significant development.
I think if this were 3 years ago, Ethan Finlay would have been called in by now. Its a testament to the growing depth on the USMNT, but people need to consider depth more when wondering whether someone will or won't be called in. Right now, the 4-4-2 Diamond is more or less the go-to formation for the national team, so any winger looking to join would need to play either more as a forward, or as a wide mid. I think Finlay's best chance would be as a forward. I'm not sure how he would play if he were asked to play more in possession or defense. He's not tasked with that role in Columbus, so it's difficult to evaluate his ability there. Personally, I love Finlay, but I think Nagbe and Lletget are better candidates at similar positions right now. Watching Nagbe, I wonder how much he would score if he played in LA with a similar supporting cast.
Tommy Thompson's having a howler in Portland, sad to say. If Kinnear had anyone on his bench to sub in for him, he'd have been subbed off by now.