Best would be if we could find a second forward like Eddie, one who can run, hold the ball up under pressure, and link with other players. Seen one around? I suspect then Arena would drop his longstanding practice of target man + fast guy, and play instead two "total forwards." However, in the absence of a second candidate, I don't see Eddie being pushed into a predominantly target role. He's more valuable as a runner.
They all can to an extent and some of those players are better than Eddie at some of them (Eddie ain't the best at combining with others though that has improved demonstrably in the last few years). Dempsey, for starters, does all of those things. Buddle ain't the best at linking with his forward partner, but he's probably at least on par with EJ on that score, and is a better dribbler, and among the best we've got at holding in traffic. Where he often lacks is that out of control Hejduk-esque work rate, but he's not lazy either. Has been scoring every year since he joined the league. Twellman does all of those things to varying degrees of effectiveness (faster than McBride, okay at holding under pressure and improving, works even harder, looks to combine but is often too tricky for his own good, IE too many flicks and back heels to no one in particular). It just seems to me that for McBride to be an automatic starter he needs to play better than he has. Very often with the USMNT, the strengths of incumbent players are emphasized and their weaknesses downplayed, whereas the challengers seem to have the opposite scenario: they're weaknesses (every player in the world has them) are emphasized above the things they do really well. A player like Alecko Eskandarian has a whole bag full of weaknesses but the main question is: as an overall player how much would he help, and for that his strengths need to be given due consideration as well (we'd suddenly have our first threat on Free Kicks since Mathis' hey day). If Bruce is going to wait until Thierry Henry comes along for us to replace McBride, McBride's going to be playing well after he's turned 40.
Buddle's played 11 minutes. Eskandarian has played 2. Ching 238. Twellman has 285. Casey has 391. Dempsey has not appeared as a forward and has played 2 minutes with 11 men on the field. Twellman and Ching have played well enough at times to deserve longer looks (Ching's scored a couple of goals, Twellman was outstanding as a sub against Mexico), Buddle, Dempsey and Eskandarian have barely seen the field. So that leaves Conor Casey as the one who really fits your description. Dempsey to me is most interesting because he seems to me an example of the old American mindset that we are so weak in the midfield that anyone who can possibly play well in the midfield for us, is therefore a midfielder. For the Revs the issue was an over abundance of forwards and the fact that he's a better midfielder than Noonan proved to be. When that abundance wasn't there for the Revs, he usually played up top. With the quality of midfielders the Nats have and are developing, I don't see a reason why Dempsey has to play in the midfield particularly if you feel, like I do, that he's more effective up top or in a withdrawn forward role. He seems to me a perfect fit for the McBride job. Strong in the air, and in holding off challenges. Technically superb. Good quickness. Solid passing vision which should improve. Works hard though it doesn't look like it sometimes. Tough as a nickel steak. Shown an ability to score goals. Sure he's a kid and he's still raw, but there's 18 months yet until the tournament and 17 months ago he was a surprise inclusion on the U20 roster for the Houston Soccer festival. Now he's coming off a rooke of the year, his first cap and a trial at Feyenoord. IOW, 18 months may not seem like it, but it's a long time.
Here are McBride's Fulham stats to date. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared...ms/f/fulham/players/27747/html/profile_hi.stm He has 0 goals against EPL competition in 13 appearences, and 3 goals in the League Cup against inferior competition, the Chelsea match aside. These claims that he is playing "the best soccer of his career" are greatly exaggerated. His run at Everton was far more productive, until they started marking him that is. It seems everyone forgets that Ching basically got the team through the last round with his goals, producing as a replacement for McBride. Because of his injury, every seems to have forgotten his contribution in the hype surrounding Mcbride's 180 minutes of inspired play. If one of the 6 different younger alternatives fails to step up their game and secure McBride's spot, then all this talk about how the depth of our player pool is really a load of ********. If the US can't find a player in their prime to replace a 34 year old McBride, then serious questions need to be asked about our developmental program. This isn't freaking Ronaldo we are talking about replacing, it a servicable international forward, who barely makes an impact in the EPL. Certainly McBride is going to play a role during qualify and will be on the WC team, but if we are going be relying on him for serious production, the US is going to fighting an up hill battle to get out of the first round.
I'm not sure, but I think I saw one booking a flight from San Jose to Germany. Let's say we get really lucky and everyone is healthy. Would it be that unreasonable to have a midfield that consisted of Zavagnin, DMB, JOB and Reyna, with LD and EJ up top? Or maybe Gaven or Dempsey continue to develope and end up earning a midfield spot in the starting 11. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but if EJ was capable of winning the ball in the air and playing some with his back to the goal, you'd have to think that having the combined speed of EJ and LD up top would give defenses fits. I just wanted to open up the conversation a little. Everyone seems focused on who would replace McBride, but if EJ could fill McBride's shoes (plus some) at target foward, you could also expand your search to include the other foward slot. As we know that Donovan could fill that slot if he wern't needed so bad in the midfield, you could also consider who could take Landon's spot in the midfield. So maybe the answer to who will replace McBride on the first 11 is not Ching or Casey, but rather (indirectly) Gaven or Dempsey.
Nice thread. Jonez, I can't see Donovan as a striker. He's really bad in the air and, more importantly, seems to have a midfielder's personality (if that's the right word). He'd rather pass than shoot and tends to get involved in defense. voros, how comfortable are you playing a guy at a different position on the national team than with his club? (I know Dempsey split his time between forward and midfield; this is more in the abstract) I'm not happy about it, especially for a young player who's new to the international team. He's probably already a little nervous and uncomfortable; putting him at an unfamiliar position is only going to make things worse. This isn't an issue about a player being good or bad but better or worse. McBride has been the US's best option. If none of the younger players can take that away, either by their international or club play, it says more about the young players being disappointments than McBride still being good at 34.
you have landon starting twice ... which, you know, could only help the team if we had two of him. Arturo? hell, he'd have to breakout in MLS first (but we all know how you feel about players who don't play well in MLS getting shots with the national team. ) Jamil? Pleeeeeese. I have better touch than him, as does the wall next to me. there's a reason the quakes let him go in the expansion draft (knowing full well Landon was most likely gone and that DeRo was out of a contract and Ching is injury prone) ... he's not gonna wear the red, white and blue of any other team but Chivas USA. Jimmy Conrad? right on. I'd love for him to get his chance ... Eddie can't bring it forever.
Yes but forward is the position he's played all his life and I think the position Nicol wants him in (he switched back in forth between having him in the midfield and Noonan in the midfield once all three of he, Twellman and Noonan were finally healthy) so it's not like he's playing an unfamiliar position. D-mid is actually the unfamiliar position and it shows at times when he's deep in his own half. Even with the Revs he only played there when Joseph was out.
No, I don't agree with you about Grabavoy. My opinion is that he had a nice year, and that he performed better than I thought he would. I also believe that your overblown assessment of Grabavoy's abilities must be due to some personal relationship with him. Hence, the question still stands: Are you a family member, friend, neighbor, classmate, teammate, boyfriend, or girlfriend of Ned Grabavoy? Cheers!
While I like Donovan as a midfielder better than as a striker, when he's asked to play striker (which he often is for the Nats), he has done quite well. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Donovan is the best striker the US national team has. It's just that he is also the best attacking midfielder (and right midfielder) on the national team, and, right now, that is where he is needed most.
if we're looking for a target forward henry is not the man i think twellerman played well for us and deserves more of a shot(hes got the talent and certainly the only young forward whos workrate comes anywhere close to BMB's. Ching has earned more playing time as well. I also think buddle and esky need to be given a serious run.
when donovan is a forward, playing in a withdrawn role would be the slot I see him optomize his skills....playing off EJ would create a ton of free space around the box... in tis scenario, either gaven or martino or dempsey needs to emerge as a prime time AM...I don't see this happening during the HEX, but let's say using the GOLD CUP to explore this option is an experiment I'd like arena to pursue.. I like dempsey's hard play, and putting him into the backside of a mid field paired with mastroeni or reyna is another test I'd like to see...dempsey seems to complement either reyna or mastroeni... and finally, I see 2005 as the return of Cherundolo....arena made a pact wich seemed to say stevie...stay in germany for the autumn, but once 2005 rolls around, I'll call you early and often.... I think it's more likely arena bargained something similar to this scenario rather than dropping him out of the rotation..
First, most of those appearances in the EPL have been very short term? How many minutes are associated with those appearances. Only recently has he been getting 90 minutes consistently. I think that is important. I openly acknowledged that McBride's current excellent form (in my opinion) was short-term and could prove to be an aberration. Secondly, statistics don't tell you the whole story. Well that's your opinion based on stats. My opinion, based on seeing him play in the last two games, is that in the small sample of the last two games, McBride is playing as well as he ever has. Doesn't mean it will continue, but based on what I saw, he was doing all of the things that he did back a few years ago. I don't even know what the last clause means except I guess to imply that McBride's previous sucess in the EPL was luck or through the ignorance of EPL managers. Who is everybody? I only see me and possibly a few others. I am not discounting anything Ching did. He definitely outplayed McBride during that period. However, I didn't think that Ching's play in that period was as good as McBride's at his best. Therefore, if McBride is in fact back to his best, I still prefer him, Ching's decent previous performances notwithstanding. Perphaps. But, for me, I still want to put our best team on the field, even if it includes 34 year old McBride, and try to compete rather than surrender to cry about our poor development system. Maybe time will tell if you are correct or maybe time will moot the problem. We shall see.
My point was that none of them has demonstrated that they are at McBride's top level despite having opportunities to play for the USMNT. You point out -- as I read it anyway -- that Dempsey has not played at forward, Esky and Buddle have played very little, Ching and Twellman not that much. You concede Casey has played a lot of minutes. Dempsey -- I don't see him as a forward. Could be wrong, but he has not played enough forward at any level above college for me to even consider him. He is a much more exciting midfield prospect to me. Esky and Buddle: Didn't both play more the previous year? Anyway, while they did not have much time, I don't think it is Arena's fault as Esky just came into his own this MLS season and Buddle was recovering from injury for most of the MLS season and struggled with his form this year (or else why would any semi-sane competent person even think of replacing him with Dante Washington in the most important game of the year). In a perfect world, both would get more time, but the international calendar does not allow sufficient time to play enough games to allow everyone to get a lot of time and still meet other goals like qualification and building a team among your best guys). Ching and Twellman. I don't follow you hear, as both had nearly or more than three full games. Maybe ideally somebody needs a run of multiple games to be given a "fair" chance and international soccer is for the tougher of heart. Three games is a fair amount of time to show their ability. In my opinion, Ching has played decently, but not as good as McBride at his best. Twellman combined one good substitute performance with a string of poor performances. Rather than earning more time, he has earned a place in the back of the line (behind McB, Johnson, Wolff and on par with Casey, Buddle and Esky). In my opinion, all of them will get more chances, though it is unlikely that very many of them will get the type of minutes Casey got. There simply is not enough time with qualification and the number of decent contenders. They will have to make the most of their chances -- like a certain GAM -- in order to push their way up.
I look forward to the international debuts of Paul Rabchuka (sp.), Jay DeMeritt, Charles Kazlauskas, and Jonathon Carlos Elliot for the US..