playing at azteca, don't see wolff nor ej being able to go the full 90 as the speed forward.....eventually, the altitude and pollution would wear them out... ideally 30 high intensity minutes from ej against a relatively tired mexican defense might be enough to change the match towards the usa.... I agree marquez could handle mcbride..... beasley and donovan and wolff will get the mexican attention, and they'll be very reluctant to push numbers forward.... each side will get 2 or 3 good chances....I just can't see it being a shoot-out
Not walk-it-up the field soccer, no. However, at our best (such as when we played them last) we will outpossess them. We'll press them out of their game such that they'll cough up the ball or be forced to whack long passes. On offense, we'll play too fast for them, via one- and two-touch Donovan type soccer. I saw Mexico lose 4-0 to England in a friendly a few years back this way. England just blew them off the map ... too intense, too fast, too direct (in a good way) for Mexico to handle. Against Mexico, we sure as hell don't need any slow players. Anybody who wants to notch down the tempo, take a hike. We'll use you in another game, against a different opponent.
I saw the england-mexican friendly too, but I think the high pressure tactic at azteca isn't a very good formula.... I think a mixture of high pressure, mixed with periods of passivity (call it almost bunkering if you wish) can be successful.....
agreed. We need to take it to them and rattle them. Reyna and O'Brien would need to be at their destructive best and they need to make quick decisions getting the ball upfield
it just depends on where you pressure Mexico. We want to pressure their backside and force them to make mistakes. If you get the chance, watch Brazil - Mexico in the Copa America. Another examople of what John is talking about
Well, yes. I don't have an Azteca formula. Seems as good an idea as any. Most of the time, we never even give these guys a game.
I think to continually pressure mexico's backline at azteca, will eventually require arena to use two subs at the forward slot... I think pressuring more in midfield to cause transition chances for beasley/donovan and EJ might work... while people might criticize the arena pass it around the back passive possession game, I think this passive approach gives mids/forwards enough recovery time from their OTHERWISE aggressive pressure... so reyna dillydallying with the ball can be a good thing... the key object will be the last 20 minutes, and the relative ability for the usa to raise the pressure in the mexican end....then, trying to turn over the mexican defense is a very good idea....
http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562135438 interesting review from soccer america... note the #6 ranking for Casey, which should enhance his possibilities in 2005 for arena... note cherundolo too....for those who think arena's forgotten stevie, I think there's a massive misjudgement there...
As the world's #1 Reyna critic, let me state that even I like the idea of Reyna at Azteca. A Claudio like the Claudio at WC vs. Mexico -- one who picks his spots to play fast on the counter, then takes the air out of the ball to rest the U.S. team and frustrate Mexico -- is just what the doctor ordered. I am not completely blind to the man's virtues.
I'm in the column of those seeing a wise usage of reyna too.... there are some match-ups, like the scenario at azteca where reyna can function tactically productively.... and I'd throw saprissa into the mix too as a venue where'd we want reyna... and possibly in guatemala city.... these are places where you want to control the tempo a bit, not let the home crowds get too excited... but reyna needs another defensive helper in midfield, as panama city proved... the big question during the hex will be HOW arena decides to use reyna... arena isn't stupid and sees what we see too....then it's a question of judgment of tactical use of players...
Much of his sucess was earlier in the season, unfortunately Casey has slipped a bit. And most posters feel his better form wasn't good enough either. We shall see.
Firstly, about the linked Soccer America Article, anyone else find this quote funny? I know what SA meant by the "0 goals", but couldn't they make an adjustment for keepers? As to fans misjudging Arena's use of Steve Cherundolo, I think Adam Z is right. Two players who seemed to slip from Arena's radar but still have a strong chance, or even a strong likelyhood of making the starting 11 come WC06 are Cherundolo and Friedel. Arena left Friedel off this year for multiple reasons. 1) Brad was needed by his struggling club team, and Brad wanted a break from international play. 2) Howard was struggling with his form and his starting job and needed to stay at Man U. 3) Arena had an outstanding alternative he could rely on. Keller was NOT needed by his club team and was basically a "freebie" selection in that in him the Nat's would get a high quality keeper for important games, help that keeper stay sharp while also advertising him to other clubs, and not piss off that keeper's club team by calling him in at bad times. So, don't count Friedel out for WC06 by any means. If he is the "in-form" keeper in the Spring of 06, he'll be the guy in the net. Cherundolo's lack of playing time late in the year was also not some sign that he is on the "outs" with Arena long-term. Arena just liked the matchups Hejduk offered in several games and has always liked Frankie's work rate. Arena didn't NEED Cherundolo for any of these games this year. Moreover, after bouncing in and out of Hannover's lineup last spring, Cherundolo seemed on the verge of locking up a starting job this fall. Arena wasn't going to endanger that for Steve by calling him in constantly. Steve has had a terrific fall with Hannover, so it seems to have worked. Plus, Arena earns a few minor "good will" points with Hannover for when he really needs Cherundolo for some important Hex match. Cherundolo will be in the mix for the starting right back job in 06.
I've really been digging this discussion, it's been awesome, but i didn't see anything about the forwards. Disclaimer: I haven't seen all the games. I hope Nutmeg and others contribute theirs. That said, just to kick it off, here are my impressions from what I have seen and from talking to others... FORWARDS Brian Mc Bride - McBride has seemed to have a bit of an up and down year in terms of scoring form both for the Nats as well as Fulham. He is still good at winning and flicking headers and still enables the team to maintain possession when the longballs start coming from the back. That said, questions remain about his age as the cup approaches as well as better more prolific options. Josh Wolff - Not as fast as he was before the injuries Josh has been a nice complement to whoever he's been partnered with. Has taken a step up in the past year and proved that he can compete at this level again. However, not the explosive player he once was. He will be valuable in the Hex as his runs can create space for his running mate and he can still score, but he needs to actually put the ball in the net a few times if he wants to play a big role in 2006. Brian Ching - saved our butts. Had a good MLS season and was rewarded with his first significant Nats experience coming in as a late game sub before he got hurt. Hardest working man in MLS and IIRC hasn't really been given a full 90 to show what he can do for a full game. Could be a future replacement at target forward if McBride shows sudden signs of aging in 2005 and it'll be interesting to see how his situation develops over the next year. Conor Casey - Moved up to Bundesliga and was given several early caps/camps to show if he could be the replacement for McBride but was largely disappointing. Had a few nice passes, some bad touches, steady, but not an impact player. Arena went in another direction for much of the later part of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if he's given another chance, (or even if he's an emergency type call in for the hex). Eddie Johnson (aka GAM) - 3 games. 5 goals. Certainly looks like an explosive player given the early production. Here's hoping he plays a lot in the Hex, but Arena may (still) want him as the late-game sub and go with a more experienced strike pair early on. But as we've seen, if there's a chance near the goal, the GAM will swoop in and finish (even if it means taking a goal from McBride). Barring some kind of collapse will figure prominently in 2005 and 2006. The question is can he be consistent, and then (if he can), who's his best partner? Taylor Twellman - can he or can't he? has he or hasn't he? Always a popular big soccer debate of either twellman is great and he's been screwed by arena or twellman can't cut it and arena's given him plenty of chances. Certainly prolific in MLS, twellman had a down year and seems to be a fringe Nats player for the future. Moving to Germany probably won't help increase his caps, although he may improve tactically/refine some skills that will help him make the next step. Landon Donovan - see Attacking mids. I like him better there, but he could play up top. Alecko Eskandarian - Not called in this year, but rumors were he was going to get a camp (that has now been canceled). Improved as the year went on, but faces similarly perceived problems to Twellman: not fast enough, not good enough with the ball, can't create a chance, needs good service. [I know i'm missing other forwards who should be part of the discussion so others should chime in] Overall: Arena has continuously tinkered with his front runners and seems most unsure about this area of the field. Eddie Johnson's emergence is the brightest of bright spots for 2005, but is tempered by the overall ineffectiveness of the rest of the forwards. Mathis for example looks nothing like the player who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (is it the curse?). McBride is getting old, others haven't stepped up in his place, or have been injured. (like Buddle. still want to see that strike pair together.)
SMASHmoloch, you didn't mention Edson Buddle. I think he's in the mix, and has a good chance to be the starting target forward Bruce likes.
my dream has eddie gaven emerging as the attacking mid of choice, permitting donovan to be paired with eddie johnson... I wouldn't mind landon being a withdrawn forward playing off ej.... mr martin explains in detail my evaluation of cherundolo too....I recollect reading arena had been in e-mail contact with cherundolo to fully explain the rhyme and reason of NOT calling cherundolo.... since we're NOT privy to these communications, unless we have a serious hacker in our midst, I err on the side of the optimistic view detailed previously by mr martin...
Remember, a lot of player selection comes down to form, experience, and matchups. Although not a huge Arena fan, I believe this is one area of coaching that makes him a touch above many international coaches. Fortunately, in the lst five years, we have developed enough of a player field to use these variables to select a team. Therefore, at right back, you may have Dolo, Heydude, or Albright for WCQ depending on their form and the matchup (experience is the last variable). Until we make the WC and the draw has been made, it's silly to pick who will be a "lock" for the team.
I was having the same dream except in mine it was O'brien, not Gaven. I want to say that my dream is more realistic for the near future, but Johnny O hasn't played much lately, so maybe yours is more realistic.
No, it's not. JOB is not an attacking mid. He doesn't run at people, doesn't score goals. He is very good at holding possession, making accurate short passes, occasional long through balls and working hard. He is a deeper lying midfielder than Gaven and his inclusion in the starting lineup would not in any way replace what Donovan does there.
I've only seen Buddle play twice but i was impressed with his size and skill. Definitely has better ball skills and shooting ability than most of the pool. A pairing with EJ sounds intriguing. Speed and Athleticism (EJ) combined with a player of higher skill (Buddle). Problem is, i'm afraid Donovan and DMB won't be as effective on their runs from midfield because the way McBride as a classic target plays seems to play to that strength in our midfield. Buddle is tough to classify as a target forward since i haven't really seen him do well in the air (which in the past has been necessary for the counter since our backs and dmids aren't particularly effective with the ball). That's changing slowly and we need to see BUddle with some full Nats time before jumping to any conclusions. What do others think?
Ok, I have to disagree. This is why I'm always a bit wary of all the AM/HM/DM discussions that take place on this board. I know it's fun and sometimes useful to categorize players, but sometimes it seems like people rely on this too much. We are starting to develop more and more multi-dimensional players. Trying to describe these guys in two words will not cover everything they are capable of. John O'brien is a great example of a player with a diverse set of abilities , but with all the "holding midfielder this" and "attacking midfielder that" discussion on this board, people seem to be thinking he's just a Claudio clone. I actually think he represents a great compromise between Claudio's and Landon's abilities in center midfield. He's got good holding ability and distribution (probably equal to Claudio) and he can attack pretty well too (though not as well as Landon). He's actually pretty good at taking people on. He just never really got the chance in the WC because we were always trying to clog the center of midfield with three guys. When he's played on the left, he's shown that he has good speed and a willingness to take people on. He's not Landon, but like I said, he's a compromise between Landon and Claudio. One thing he's not is a Claudio clone. He has a lot more attacking ability than Martin has given him credit for.
This is basically what I came to after a debate with onefineesq in one of those London transends reyna threads. Reyna shouldn't start when we play weaker opponents where we know we won't have problems defending and with possesion (anyone in CONCACAF not named Mexico or Costa Rica or Jamaica) - he should be brought on as a late a late game sub. Agains teams that are our equal and are dangerous in the midfield and the attack, he needs to be in there, that includes the aforementioned 3 in CONCACAF, and most of the potential World Cup field.
Free country and all that. But for me, JOB is almost on top of Reyna on the Reyna to Donovan spectrum, if not on the other side. I think Reyna is a better goal scorer even.
A couple of developments here. Karbassiyoon has indeed found a loan deal, initially for one month at promotion-ready Ipswich. Let's see how this plays out. If he does get a long-term deal, I hold steady that he may be a factor by the end of next year. The other development is that of Spector. While I see him in his best spot as a central defender, he may play wide right for Blackburn on his long-term loan. Don't be surprised if that means he ends up playing in the Gold Cup in the same position. Overall, good news for the US in the past couple of weeks.
There are two people that constantly come to mind when i think of the '06 roster that it seems to me no one has on there mind. Mike Magee and Justin Mapp will both be on the 24 man roster that heads over to Germany. Both of these kids have exceptional histories with the u-17's and u-20's, and are both probably going to get their first caps with the first friendly in January, that is if the games don't get canceled by the USSF.