Sorry if this has been brought up before... In my mind, Bocanegra will have a spot in the central defense. In my mind, either Pablo Mastroeni or Claudio Reyna can play right back with the other as a D-Mid in 2006. In my mind, Eddie Lewis won't be too old in 2006 and can play left back. So that leaves one spot, and that may go to Eddie Pope. So what's wrong with a Lewis-Boca-Pope-Reyna/Mastroeni back line? Our midfield will include LD, JOB and whoever the D-Mid is. I like this arrangment. Your thoughts???
My thoughts are that the only thing that makes sense to me right now re: our back line is Pope and Bocanegra in the middle. I have no idea who our outside backs might be ... and that worries me. Two years ago Arena refered to Cherundolo as someone who could be our right back for the next decade. Hmmmm. Maybe Steve will take hold of that spot and make it his own, but it hasn't happened yet. Left back? God knows what'll happen there. Maybe Chris Gbandi will prove to be a prodigy. About the only thing that seems to be certain is that the odd outside back experiments will continue. It started with Sanneh (a gamble which paid off in the WC, but doesn't seem sustainable to me), Lewis, Convey, Victorine... At one time I thought Suarez was the answer at rigt back, but now he, too, seems to have moved to the center (where he can battle for playing time - when he eventually gets capped - with someone like Califf). I can't see Mastroeni being the answer, either. Looks like it's central midfield or nothing for Pablo. And I seriously doubt that Reyna will ever be a USMNT defender. Let's just put that one to rest unless Briuce gives us some reason to think otherwise. Similarly, John O'Brien's just too damned good in the midfield to lose him there and stick him at left back. By the way, I wonder if Bruce's thinking has changed somewhat in the past couple of years regarding the physical size of our defenders. Looks like we'll have nice size in the middle, but I have might doubts that Cherundolo is tall enough to play right back for us. Just a guess. Anyway, I'm up for suggestions. We seem to be able to produce all the central defenders we'll ever need. But can someone look into their crystal ball and tell me where the wide backs will come from?
i think pope and bocanegra have the center deservedly locked up. i think cherundolo is the best option at right back, especially with his bundesliga experience, followed by mastroeni, with hejduk a distant third. reyna belongs in the midfield. left back (along with right mid) is the big question mark. i'm not convinced (yet) by the convey experiment, but if he steps it up over the next few years, that'd be great. i haven't seen lewis play left back, but that option doesn't instill a lot of confidence. the other option is to have bocanegra play left back, but i see a big drop-off at center back after pope and boca, so not sure who would fill that hole. JOB also belongs in the midfield even though he is the best LB the US has. so my vote is for convey-boca-pope-cherundolo as a backline for 2006.
as much as many shudder to think it, don't count out frankie at either right or left back or as cover to provide depth at both of those positions. otherwise, minnman about sums up my thoughts.
If Clark and Martino prove to be the real thing, we could afford to put JOB at left back and Reyna at right back. Clark's size would also help offset their lack of it. Maybe Frankie could then take the right wing, which is also still up for grabs. Of course, putting rookies down the middle (Martino, Clark, Bocanegra) is probably crazy, but let's see how the kids develop in the next few years. This might be a fantasy for 2006, but not four years later (without Reyna and Frankie, I mean).
There's so many guys in interchangeable positions that it's impossible to predict at this point. If any of our young central mids can develop--Martino, Clark, Convey, Davis, Stone, ANYBODY--then we can stick them in there with Mastroeni, Beasley on the left flank, who knows on the right. We could even stick Donovan up there, but I'd rather use him up top with someone like Buddle or Twellman. But this frees up O'Brien and Reyna to play at outside back, which gives us tremendous ability to attack up the flanks, and Pope and Bocanegra in the center. This kid Phil Spector, a right back on Arsenal's reserve team, is also supposed to be damn good, so he'll likely get a look if he pans out (let's hope he's another O'Brien or better, not another Kirovski).
Alex. Phil Spector is the legendary record producer who just murdered that B actress at his home a few months ago. If you meant Jonathon Spector, he is going to Manure when he turns 17 this summer. If you meant Frank Simek, he is indeed at Arsenal, and will be featured this fall at the U-20 WC in Dubai....
i dont understand why the eddie lewis experiment was scrapped (or was it?) - in any event, i saw each of eddies turns at LB and he was damn good (especially when JOB is at LM, although not bad with DMB) - hes had a bit of a dream form run with PNE since halloween or so and im predicting that some EPL club is gonna make a move for him - yes, he essentially turns us into a 3-5-2 but so would convey or for that matter JOB im also a cherundolo fan but ive seen a lot of him with hannover 96 and hes played some corkers against top sides - he ate up ze roberto the last time they faced bayern (a 3-3 draw IIRC) with both of these guys i believe its a matter of consistant PT with the Nats - i understand BA wants to play some mad scientist (and it often works to his credit), but the difference between competing at a WORLD CUP and winning one could be that the experiments arent experimental anymore - change can have a way of sparking the attack, it can also wreck the defense my 2006 backline (and im comfortable with it) lewis-bocanegra-pope-cherundolo
oh and id almost be willing to bet dollars to donuts that frankie simek will also be one of the 23 at germany2006 i also hate the convey at LB experiment - he is outclassed nearly everytime the ball comes down his side... no lack of effort but hes completely lost there - all the great things he shows come at the other end - he might make a great LW sub by 2006
i would have absouletly no problem putting obrien at left back. in the middle of the park, it depends on who develops. a mastro-clark (double holding midfielders.. with attacking wingers of dmb and santino?) or mastro-martino. if either of these midfielders develop (and i think it is very possible that they both do) then obrien at left back, boca in the middle, pope in the middle, and cherundolo/reyna at right back. we will have a very competitive team in germany. Ld and (?buddle) up top.
And, to state the obvious, it's gonna be interesting to see if Bruce regularly starts to use a 3-5-2. He was pretty wedded to the 4-4-2 last time around and stated that it was because we just didn't have the wing midfielders who could play the 3-5-2. Thing is, we managed to pull it off rather well in the WC. And we DO seem to have guys now who can handle both the offensive and defensive roles required by wide middies in a 3-5-2 -Olsen, Reyna, Beasley, O'Brien, just to name a few.
Spector is a center back...he reminds me of a more skillfull and faster right-footed Greg Berhalter. We have some time, so it's possible that we may see some surprises out wide -- think Gibbs and Gbandi. Lots can happen over the next 3 years. Also, I beleive that Bocanegra could also slip to the outside, though he needs to spend some more time there at club. It is troubling, though, how the outside back position seems so much in flux right now.
I think we should play - or at least consider playing - a 4-2-3-1 a la Deportivo and/or Real Madrid. Maybe I'll start a thread on the subject once the Mexico game is memory. Another thought from all these posts is we'll have a larger, deeper pool to choose from (though we're still kinda thin at the two back positions and at right mid) and the choices will be that much tougher for da Bruce.
I'm still a fan of the 4-2-3-1, especially if we are talking about converting midfielders to outside back. The real question is, can we find the right mix of attacking mids and the right striker? We've got some talented attackers, but - for example - I don't think Twellman would fit well into either of those roles. One possibility: ..............Buddle O'Brien .. Martino .. Donovan ......Maestroenni Clark Barrett Bocanegra Pope Reyna .............Friedel I think there are some overlooked prospects in MLS at the outside back positions. Eric Denton improved over the course of last season, and has been very very good so far reproducing on the left what Hejduk is generating on the right for Columbus. If he continues to improve at this rate, he might deserve a look. I think Chris Leitch's upside is large, but he's got some improving to do first. Of course, we can't forget Wade Barrett just because he's not in the league anymore. Of the players out there right now, I think Barrett has the best chance of staking a claim to left back, but there are some other options in MLS that might have a chance, and could provide decent cover for whomever does get the nod. Players like Whitbred, Simek or Salyer (or other youth players) may have an impact, but if they aren't playing first-team pro ball by next season, I'd have to consider them long-shots to make the roster unless they have a dramatic breakout year in '05.
So the 3-5-2 it was, after all. It'll be interesting to see if Bruce sticks with it vs. Wales, Portugal and New Zealand.
Perhaps, but IMHO Califf has made major strides over the past year. Maybe it when he decided to lose the Col. Sanders hair-do, but he seems to be playing much better D now than in 2002 (when he seemed completeley over-matched).
If Pope and Bocanegra aren't the starting center backs one of them is hurt or someone else emerges out of nowhere in the next eighteen months. Right now it's a mortal lock that those two will line up together if healthy. Who else would you put there? btw...Boca has a LONG way to go before he's in the same class as Pope. Eddie could walk into the starting XI for most sides in England today.
I feel, like others, that a 3-5-2 will work well for us. We have plenty of good center backs and lots of good midfielders. You should always find a formation to fit the players, not the other way around. Play three center backs, Pope-Boca-Someone else Play five midfieders-Mastro, LD, Reyna, JOB, DMB give two of the midfielders some defensive responsability, like JOB and Mastro, We would be giving up the corners, but we should have the bodies in the box to clear out most crosses.