Sharp as a tack? http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=52674&itype=113&iCategoryID=0 The likely line-up against Panama? -----------------Countess---------- Wingert---Borchers---Marshall---Whitbread ----------------Beckerman---------- ---Davis-----------------------Beasley -----------------Convey-------------- ---Eskandarian-----------Donovan----
One chance only for Eski. Otherwise, put Ed Johnson out there. Brad Davis on the right is also an interesting choice, with Kyle Martino and Eddie Gaven available to play somewhere in midfield.
I slide convey out to the left in favor of davis...and insert martino into the A-Mid position ( is martino still nursing an injury?? ).... I also favor EJohnson up front over Eskandrian....
Re: Re: 2/2/04 U23 Update Martino is not with the team. He is injured and was sent home. And also Testo for Donovan if he doesn't score in the first half.
The US needs a big target upfront with Donovan. Eski is the same size and should a sub for Landon. I am with the EJ / LD combo.
Did anyone notice the match stat said Nate Jaqua came on for LD at the 61'? But the article below stats he was sent home with Martino.
I am sure Buddle would have been starting if he had been healthy. An argument can be made for Johnson, but I think I would choose Eskandarian over Testo. Esky may not look pretty, but he has consistently put the ball in the back of the net for the Youth Nats.
The shocking thing about that projected lineup is that the average player is playing up by 1.3 years! The starting eleven is playing up by a total of 14 years, with only Brad Davis and Nat Borchers born in '81. And they may only be starting because Ricardo Clark '83 and Gooch '82 aren't available. Furthermore, if EJ started over Eskandarian that would be two more years added to the total. That's quite a statement about our future talent base. Or perhaps this is a "golden generation".
here's hoping Wow, this team really looks weak w/o Clark, Gooch, Yi and Martino. Hopefully we can survive qualifing and get those guys back along with some overage help before the Olympics. DMB, Landon and Covey will really have to carry this group through the next two weeks.
I'm pretty sure you're wrong. Eskandarian has started about every game that the U-23s have played over the cycle. Mooch didn't even bother to invite Buddle to Europe last year, although he joined the team after Jaqua got injured. IMHO, Mooch was always going to start Esky (and Wingert) regardless of the player availability and that includes Casey.
EJ No. Like 3 or 4 of the 5. By all accounts, he had a good tournament. He also had a couple assists, which is why he won the golden boot instead of the other guys with 5 goals. But EJ's not a Buddle replacement. He probably plays much more like Eski than Buddle. He does not play like a target forward like a McBride, Ching, Buddle, or a Casey. A run-onto the ball, open-field sprinter type who just happens to be big.
Re: EJ Disagree, EJ is a target forward who can do that other stuff too. Much closer to Eski in being able to play a target forward role. The question is can he score from the run of play? I think yes.
I think it was 4 out of 5. He had 1 assist. Ok, had Convey taken the PKs, would he have made them all, and if he had would he have gotten the best player award? Also Buddle doesn't play like a target forward. He's just sorta big.
Yeah, this lineup looks weak compared to what we could put out there, but comparatively speaking, this is one of the strongest lineups the US has fielded for Olympic Q. I mean, there is still a lot of experience there.
If our starting backline is, in fact, from L-R, Whitbread, Marshall, Borchers and Wingert, it is big, blonde, slow and painfully raw. Only Borchers has played a first division game while Whitbread has at least played for Liverpool's reserves. I know Gooch isn't available and Yi was a question mark, but I'm really surprised Burciaga and Lewis aren't playing. The upside is that Wingert and Whitbread are good passers but I'm concerned about their pass. Maybe Mooch looked at Panama and Canada and decided he needed size instead of pace. We'll see if he's right, but as we speak, I'm concerned that there isn't more speed or experience in our backline.