I agree with all you wrote. Davies in his current form will do well against lesser teams than Brazil and Spain. I hope he continues to improve his tactical understand and tight ball control. We'll see. Altidore continues to show glimmers of the fantastic, but all too often exhibits a lack of energy or quickness. Maybe that's something the team just lives with if the trade-off is one grand success per game. He's got to become a 90 min player, however. Donovan looks particularly good when there are quality players around him who make use of Donovan's super field vision.
This ^. Boca > Frankie > (healthy on-form) Beasley > Bornstein/H. Peirce > (out of form) Beasley > left over MLS LBs but LB would still be the weakest link in our defense by far. If it turns out Dolo isn't finished yet maybe we could go Dolo on the right with Spector on the left with Frankie on the bench in-case of injury. That would raise the question of Boca or DeMerit with Gooch in the center. I'm guessing BB would go with Captain Boca ahead of DeMerit but that least that would leave us with two outside backs who could get up the field if needed and a better backup CB than Califf.
My learning was that not only can Spector play good D. but the guy can get forward and make good crosses which is needed in a 4-4-2. Any reason that once Steve is healthy that our back 4 should not be: Spector-Demerit-Gooch-Cherundolo I know it would be nice to have a lefty on the left but for defense I think that less important.
Well said but to paraphrase the old saying "If wishes were forwards goals would be free (and defenders like Gooch would get the big bucks)". We have who we have and its getting late in the game for anyone, even a forward, to suddenly appear. ===== Random Possibilities ==== IF Adu were to get 2/3 of a season as a starter and show well against adults be might be the dark horse candidate to pair with Jozy or Davis. Maybe we could find someone to play RW and can try Dempsey up top but its hard to see Adu getting up and down the wing well enough to be that guy and there are no other true RWs on the roster right now. Could Benny play the current role Clint does (RW on defense, pinch in on offense?), maybe but... Maybe Torres to LW, Landon to RW, Dempsey to forward but we finally found a spot that Landon is flourishing at, why move HIM around... None of these strike me as even as likely as Jozy's touch getting better with a full season of playing regularly if he could get loaned to a place he was a starter but even that is up in the air.
The main lesson learned here is that we should go into WC2010 expecting to advance to the knock-out rounds. Look at what we just did: First three games: Italy, Brazil, Egypt. That's a group with two seeded teams in it, so it's HARDER than any WCF group will be. We backed in with a lot of luck, but we scored three (all from the run of play) against Egypt and got lucky and advanced. Last three games: Egypt, Spain, Brazil. Again, a group with two seeded teams (and the World's #1 and #2 tems), so it's guaranteed to be harder than our draw for next June. 2 wins, 1 loss, 7 GF, 3 GA (two shut outs), +4 GD, 6 points. We just advanced out of that group and sent Spain home. Players, coaches and fans should all be EXPECTING to advance next year.
I thought Davies played a little selfish yesterday. He missed a couple of wide open strikers in the box.
He could have made exactly the same move with Torres, who's game is much more similar to Benny than Sacha's, in this game.
Defending them counts too guys, we gave up two set piece goals to zero scored ( PKs don't count), and Italy had a couple of headers which were the equal of Gooch's. And, IMO, Gooch gets that ball down if there is a 5'7" Central American in front of him instead of a 6'3" Brazilian....
Problem is ball control and ball possession. If we can control more ball, like what Mexico did against Brazil, we would have a better chance to beat Brazil and Spain. In these two games, US striking rate is too high. Like 4 shots 2 goals, is not very normal. The problem with defense after 60 minutes, is that you are tired to defend like hell. If you have more ball, you don't have to give up so much energy early. So the direction is to get more possession players on the field. Now talking about players. The most important is to get Clark to Europe. His potential is big, but need more high level coaching to make decision esp. in the attacking. Spector has some great long cross, but he needs to improve the ability to cross from end line, and also the combo into the box. Davies needs improvement in passing, he should pass ball twice to Altidore and Donovan. Also in 2nd half, he rushed some ball when he is in great position. I wish that time, Adu is there.
Developing the bench is a process that should have been underway at the beginning of the cycle. Beasley, Conor Casey, Kljestan. Not a good job thus far. As a wide midfielder I'd disagree that Feilhaber has 'clearly shown more ' 2 way football ability than Adu. Frankly Adu hasn't gotten much of chance thus far.
Biggest Lesson - We need more depth for success in tournaments with games every 2-3 days over the course of 2 weeks. Exactly. If there is one area where we actually have talent that competes with most of the rest of the world it's LD and Clint. LD and Clint are first-choice outside mids. Bob just needs to find their backups AND play them. I think Adu can be one of those guys. Adu is best suited to be an outside mid at international level like LD has proven to be. If Freddie wants to see the pitch, he will learn to play the defensive side of an outside mid's responsibilities. Stuart Holden is the other guy I think could slot in quite nicely. Saw him again last night against the Galaxy and he's got lots of ideas, decent pace and excellent control. Keep waiting for Robbie Rogers to have his break out. Looked like it was happening last season but he (and C-bus in general) started off slumping this season. LD and Clint being able to fluidly swap sides of the pitch makes the backups being dedicated left or right outside mids less of a priority. Central midfield shouldn't be a problem. Mastro, Clark, Edu and Jones are all the depth needed for the more defensive minded central midfielder. Add MB, Torres, Benny and potentially Adu or Holden slotting in to the more attacking role. That should work out just fine. Sacha just isn't athletic enough to play internationally outside of CONCACAF. Maybe he can make up for it with technique and speed of thought but he's not there yet. Our pool of forwards is looking just fine. Altidore, Davies, Ching and one of Cooper, EJ (hope springs eternal), Buddle, Movsisyan (assuming interest), Marcus Tracy (doubtful) with Dempsey and perhaps Adu being able to slot in as well is solid. Demerit, Gooch and Boca are a solid enough core of CBs. Since Boca appears to have become a first-choice at LB it'd be interesting to see what Whitbread could do. Parkhurst, Goodson and Marshall get their Gold Cup auditions for the 4th spot. Right back is looking much better with Spector and Dolo. Wynne's got so much athletic talent. Hope he can find the tactical, technical to take advantage. Frankie just keeps on being the Energizer bunny. Boca and Bornstein at left back is kind of situational. Boca for physical, tactical defense. Bornstein brings speed, quickness and more attack. Pearce needs to play. Sean Franklin might have been a dark-horse candidate if he hadn't gotten injured. Bob's got to take his core and create that 16-18 player squad that can bring in 2-3 non-first-eleven without a huge drop off in quality.
Jozy was worse. Our forward play nuked us in the final, Brazil had Fabiano/Robinho, we had those two guys. Otherwise, we matched up OK. Davies has a year to show that he can complete some passes, Jozy a year to get match fit and to adjust to the role that he plays on USMNT. They may well each be starters in WC, and perform well. But some work ahead of them. I would definitely look hard at Cooper for a role.
Agree on the points about needing depth. You may be a little optimistic on the forwards and Boca imo. I think we have potential, but I wouldn't say our forwards are "looking just fine" at this time. Personally, I don't expect Ching to have a big impact at the WC, and the rest of the players you mention are all unknown quantities with a lot of potential. Boca, while a decent player, was a liability yesterday against Brazil. I'm sure he was more than a little tired from tracking Torres a few days before, but that speaks to depth as you point out.
Ah, but there's the rub. Bob can't "create" anything. He can put players on the squad or on the field and issue instructions, but the request to "play better" is not one which weak players can really meet. The coach can create an atmosphere that promotes success, but at the end of the day, if two teams have equal coaches, the one with the better players tends to be the winner. Which would you bet on, the team that is obviously weaker or obviously stronger?
So, I'm Dunga and I've got a choice between Maicon and Alves (I'm liking this fantasy a lot already) at right back. Who do I start in which matches and why? If both players are significantly better talents than other members of the squad, can I play one of them in a less familiar position and put out a stronger side? Which one will better adapt to a change in responsibilities and be accepted by his teammates? By understanding the differences in quality between the two players and communicating instructions and offering opportunities for teammates to become familiar with their styles, a manager/coach does "create" an effective squad. Bob didn't "use" his squad in such a way that subs could change the shape and style of play. He needs to move beyond Lego bricks to brush-strokes. Torres is not Feilhaber is not MB is not Sacha. You can't just plug in a replacement and expect the same result. Would we have been up 2-0 on Brazil at the half of the final with MB in central midfield instead of Benny? We'll never know, but we do know the team played differently. Bob needs to be able to identify those subtle changes and determine when, where, why and how to use the players in his squad to create the dynamic changes from match to match as well as within a match that put the team in position not just to win that match but to be prepared for the next opponent with an appropriate combination of rested reserves and key starters.
The impression I get is that Bob has a ranking of the players in his head and he sticks to it until some unacceptable results occur. Then he moves to the next guy on the list. Just to cite a few examples. Edu was the favored partner for MB. Then he had a couple bad games (one in Cuba and I can't remember the other). So Sacha gets his chance. Plays well against Mexico. Then stinks it up in El Salvador. So Mastroeni gets a couple turns. Then Torres has a shot in that weird 3 central midfielder lineup against CR. Then Clark and Mastroeni get a shot against Honduras with Junior out. In some ways it is sensible to keep moving to the next guy until someone does well. What I don't get is a sense that there is a logic about when someone is brought in. For an example of the logic I have in mind, it would make sense to introduce someone like Torres into the starting lineup in a home game where presumably the team will be doing more attacking. But he gets his first start in CR in an unfamilar position within a new formation. Using that kind of approach, we would have wanted one of the more attacking mids for the Honduras game, but instead we get Clark and Mastroeni. Give him credit for subbing in Benny at half-time but there is no logic to the combination that started the game. On a slightly different topic, a while back I started a thread of what would have happened if Spector and Bornstein had started in CR and Wynne and Beasley against Honduras. Would we be talking today about what a great job Wynne against Spain and Brazil? In the same vein, if Feilhaber had been thrown into the lineup against CR and Torres had played against Honduras, would Torres have been the one given the chance to show his stuff in the Confederations Cup. Who knows? I'm happy with how the team did in the Confderations Cup, but I can't help but wish that guys like Wynne, Torres, and Adu had been given some PT to show what they could do. Surely it would not have been any worse than what Kljestan, Casey and Beasley did.
My statement regarding our forwards was more in response to the post I quoted to the effect that what we have is what we have. There won't be any Torres, Henrys, Drogbas or Eto'os emerging from the unknown in the next 12 months for the USMNT. However, out of our pool of the ten candidates I listed (and perhaps Gabe Ferrari, Robbie Findley, Andre Akpan or even Nate "The Brace" Jaqua could be thrown in as well as others I'm sure I'm neglecting), most will improve in the next year. I truly expect Kenny Cooper to make a statement in the Gold Cup if Bob gives him starts. Perhaps after a year of semi-regular starts in La Liga, Jozy will be able to make a turn and strike similar to Luis Fabiano's and Charlie Davies might get a chance to play in a 2 striker system instead of living on a island in Hammarby (based on YA postings and bits of You Tube). My statement is also relative to 2006 when talents on the decline like Ante Razov and Jeff Cunningham were our fringe forwards with EJ our only hope to pair with McBride. Re Boca against Brazil, I'm certain he was tired due to lack of training or matches while recovering from injury. I think he was also still a bit scared of his hamstring. I thought I saw him pull up and wince a bit after changing gears to protect a ball running out the endline against Spain (not sure who he was running against but Boca showed some pace). Regardless, you're right. Left back needs another couple of candidates.
Ill agree with the notion that the place that we showed the least depth was forward, followed by outside midfield. I didnt feel like we had good options at those positions. In particular, we really needed a forward who could have given his teamates a strong holding force as an outlet. Altidore needs to improve that aspect of his game. That doesnt nescessarily mean we need a target striker in terms of a center forward into the box. While people get frustrated with Cooper because he doesnt play big all the time in front of the net, I seem to recall that not being as much of a problem with his holding play. So hes a guy Id really like a good look at. As for outside midfield, thats a bit tougher of a nut to crack. Im not really sure if we have anyone there that is ready to contribute at this level. That said, I think maybe we should be looking for a forward or an outside mid who may not be all that great offensively, but can help with the possession side of the game, or apply useful defensive pressure. Not because I think these are the best attributes for these players, but because at times we may need to use more limited players who excel in certain areas when those areas are what the team needs most. Its a 23 man roster, so you have some room to carry some situational specialists. And I think thats what Bradley should really be looking at over the next year. Not nescessarily looking for a new starter or a second starter, but looking for the guys who can come in and perform a specific role when needed.
Forward was our weakest position. It is a tough position where you are constantly outnumbered and can't expect to win and make something happen with every ball that comes your way. But, there were too many instances of balls that were playable, that we should have kept in possesion, and the balls wound up lost to the opposition. It would be interesting to see what the impact of the forwards inability to hang onto passes their way impacted the overall passing completion %. If Cooper can indeed hold up the ball and quickly bring the midfield into play, he will have a spot on 2010 roster, imo. However, he seems to like to hold onto the ball more than hold-up and release (haven't seen him play this year).
Who is there to look at and try? Hmmm? Beasley at LB was a statement at how crappy the prospects are. Playing someone who isn't playing at the club level in a new position is a desperate act. BB thought RunDMB could still play and figured he can't be any worse than the rest of the prospects. As for the players getting chances because of injuries, earlier in this thread people were bitching about finding combinations. BB had combinations that were keeping these guys in the barcaloungers. People don't realize that as a coach you have to deal with the hand your are dealt, and that means injuries, out of form/shape players and who you trust and don't trust. After 2 weeks of reading all of the bitching, the only proposals for changes BB didn't make were not subbing an undersized player who has had no playing time this year, and a player who screwed up the last time he played and may or may not have had a concussion. Are there any GOOD ideas?
These plus Nutmeg's, and the assertion that we've probably underrated Clark a little bit. I personally think it's partly a run of particularly good form on his part, but it's clear that when he's on he's as good as anything we can throw out there in the defensive midfield. And, yes, we NEED a strong defensive midfielder out there. Assumably Jones fills that role (though that's not a 100% given yet as team cohesion must be given priority), but one of Clark or Edu will have to back him up at any rate, and if it turns out to be Clark, well, that's not the worst thing that could happen by any means. I'd like a LB upgrade option as well. Boca's probably the go-to guy in some situations (worked out very well on the whole vs Spain), but against opposition that involves quick wingers and physical forwards like Brazil (and northern European powers ie Germany, etc) he's not ideal in that role. Bornstein is not as big a disaster as has sometimes been reported, but neither is he at the level of our opposition or the team as a whole. Apparently Edgar Castillo wants to play for us and is eligible under the new rule because he hasn't played anything more than friendlies for Mexico. He's not a sure-fire starter for us and my read on him (after only seeing him in a few matches) is that he's basically a more technical Bornstein, but that's an option that behooves us to explore. If that works out, then we probably go to the WC with a LB-by-committee approach, with Boca starting some games, and Castillo (or perhaps Bornstein himself) starting others, and being used to kill off others. Another matter: depth. Between now and the WC, the guys on our bench who weren't called upon in the Confed Cup need multiple chances to prove themselves. We have the Gold Cup which is of only so much value given the competition, plus in the odd WCQ where we can afford it, plus the pre-WC friendlies of 2010 in which to do it. Because we need a squad that's closer to 20 deep than 15. Bob can have some confidence in his pre-game player decisions and game plan formulations, but he probably should re-examine the tactical and sub-on decisions he's been making in-game. The tapes of this tournament (as well as some recent WCQ matches) should give him and the coaching staff a lot to evaluate and learn from in that regard, and hopefully they'll have learned a lesson or two from it.