It's nice to see that he feels comfortable with Hudson. I imagine he'll do his damnedest to win that central midfield role this year.
He wants to play there but it seems that he'll be out wide again with the resigning of Etch and the trade for Dema. If one of them get injured or start playing bad, I think he'll be the first to be brought into the middle.
Something that I came away feeling very good from this article is this: you worry that this kid, having been out of the playoffs for 3 years, playing with a losing team, would develop bad habits. While that is always a concern, half of his season will be spent with teams that will win more than they lose. He'll play a variety of roles (from being a valuable spear carrier with DCU, to being "the man" with the U20, U23 sides).
I think the coaching staff see him on the wing, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to try as hard as possible to convince them otherwise. It's up to him to perform in practice to the point where they would be foolish not to play him in the middle.
In the long run, Convey is not going to beat out DMB as a left wing. That's why Bruce is grooming him as a center-left mid or, gasp, left back. The US has too much left sided talent (DMB, O'Brien, Mapp, Davis, Convey, Lewis) while our right wing is empty.
Of course not, the left side of midfield is not his natural position. He is a central player and has played there at every level except with DC. It will be interesting to see how much of a look he gets at CM from Arena.
No such thing as too much talent. Mapp and Davis have to show they should be a part of this. O'Brien will either be A-mid or D-mid (or even left back) and shine at all of them. As for DMB, remember: (a) he's had a history of concussions (and slow recovery). That doesn't mean the end of his career or that it will continue, it's just not a good sign. And... (b) he barely played in the WC (knee injury). DMB is a superb talent who's also so thin you worry he'll get hurt in a stiff breeze. He's amazingly tough--but to pencil him in as a our starting left mid for the next decade defies his health record so far.
Two things I brought away from the article is Bobito saying that he's going to try to be the go-to guy, and that he is aware of and wants to avoid burnout. Methinks he's growing up into a real threatening adult player. GM
I want Bobby to play in the middle. Which means we need to bring in a new left sided player. IMO, a player like Hejduk would be the perfect fit. There's a chance he'll come to MLS, he's fast and runs all day, since I think we're playing a 3-5-2 this coming season, he and Ben are both capable going up and down the entire wing all day, and he's got world cup experience playing left back. I just can't imagine why they'd resign Etch and bring in Dema if we're not going to play a 3-5-2. As for the article, I came away thinking Bobby is very dedicated and very willing to learn and take on new challenges. I hope we play him in the middle.
I'm not sure I agree with either of those comments. As for the US' talent on the right, I'm pretty excited about Ben Olsen, John Thorrington, Santino Quaranta, and guys like Claudio Reyna and Chris Klein will likely be in the mix there for 2006. So while I do agree that the left seems more promising, I do think we have a some talent on the right as well. Regarding Convey v. DaMarcus, well I don't think they provide exactly the same things. DaMarcus is more explosive, better at tracking back, and has some very good offensive skills, but he's not a classic crossing winger. Convey has superior vision and crossing ability. So, depending upon the circumstances, they'd complement one another. DaMarcus would be preferable for counter-attacking as he can do the defending necessary. While Convey would be better if a team is bunkered against us. But, I do think that Convey is most suited for the center, and the only two teams where he doesn't play in the center are the highest levels. As he matures, he'll be given his chance in the center, and I think he'll become the best central attacking midfielder the US has had in my lifetime. He's already a man among boys when he competes with players 2 and 3 years older than him. As he gains more experience, he'll continue to improve. BTW, excellent find Ryan, thanks. -Tron
That is quite and improvement from the All-Star game! Seriously, you keep scoring at that rate and good things will happen.
He's going to be/is great because his skills are always on the rise. He'll be even greater because he is a great player mentally. That's the kind of skill that allowed Valdaramma to be second in assists last year without ever breaking a sweat.