Clint is our most talented player, and Bruce should have rewarded him last night with a start and NEEDS to start forming a team around him..and get off his case..give him some confidence in where he stands w/Clint (look at Rangnick giving Clint full confidence, and look how Clint is performing). I think Clint generally underperforms for Bruce (last 2 years) since there is residue from the WC 2002. Quit the 'show me act' w/Clint, Bruce...Doesn't matter if you were right (and you were). It is time to turn the page, and tell Clint "this is your team now, and I want/need you to play a huge role". It is time to talk to Claudio and tell him why at DM (Armas' spot), he can be just as valuable, if not more in running the attack. It is time that Reyna slides behind Clint in the Armas role....I'd even be fine w/Convey AND CLINT attacking in a 3-5-2. Let's get this done, and get our most talented player on the US Nats fully integrated into the team, and not an after thought. Given we are woefully thin talent-wise, ball holding, creative-wise after first 12/13 players, we can not keep sacrificing Clint to formations that keep less skilled players on the field, who have too many giveaways/ruin attack. Let's turn the page...
Clint is to the U.S. as Kordell Stewart was to the Steelers..where ya play him Coach? Clint might be the worst case of tweener I have ever seen in any sport. He's a bandit in front of goal but isn't a target forward in the eyes of The Bruce. He's a cunning passer (Wolf's first in Columbus) but is no lawnmower of a workman in midfield. He's getting clock in zee German league and is slotted behind the front two right? Its up to The Bruce to fix the tweener situation (switching our traditional Britanico 4-4-2 to a 06.17.02 3-5-2 that has shown results) and find out where Clint can take over as Captain for Earnie and Claudio. With his flair he must be in our Nats first XI in our attacking 1/3.
Re: Clint is to the U.S. as Kordell Stewart was to the Steelers..where ya play him Coach? Well you are making two assumption that might need to be discussed: 1) We always have to play with a target forward with the Bruce: Well, is there no way we can slowly move towards a more possession oriented forward tandem? For example, Buddle has the physical characteristics of BMB, but not necessarily plays the same way (because he has more skill)....So, to me, we do not necessarily have to look for a BMB clone in order to keep a competitive side in yrs to come... 2) Can we both play a 4-4-2 and at the same time have one player in midfield with the freedom not to concentrate as much on defense (that would be Clint, of course) and see how it works? I like the 3-5-2 concept, but i'm afraid that outside the odd experiment (Reyna, Hedjuk) we would not have a true option on the right side of Defense....
I think Clint's problem lately is that he's never assured possesion of the ball. In order to get the ball, he has to move back into the defense and do some work there and run back to the other end of the field. That's what happened with him last year with the Metros. He has an awesome one touch pass that works marvels, but often no one is on the same page as him. This is how I'd go. ....................Reyna......................... Donovan...............Mathis........Beasley ...........McBride..................Convey....
I read it somewhere(internet)...he ate a bunch of hamburgers and has two kegs in his cellar and Bruce has doubts about his work ethic
I have to agree the Clint needs to be our main man. Sorry--I think Arena is wrong on this issue. He should have started against Holland. With Clint and a strong midfield we can play possession ball-as opposed to counterattacking, which I despise by the way. Also agree that Arena does sacrifice talent for formation. Reyna could easily adjust to DM. No only if we could get some people for the right side. Do other countries have too many left sided players. Can O'Brien fill it--Cherundolo perhaps? I think Eddie Lewis is starting to lose this place on this team. Though I think he had an off night the other night.
Clint is the most creative player we have, the best shooter (who else on this team even has the balls to shoot from outside? Just a few), and probably the most skilled. He is playing against higher level competition than any American field player besides a select few, every week, and he has, though it is too early to tell how he'll do in the long run, done very well for himself. My thinking was the he just needs the coach to show supreme confidence in him, but it seems to me Bradley did that last year. Maybe he was just in a slump. Great athletes do it all of the time. Who else on this team can deliver offensive passes like him? Sometimes Donovan does it, but it seems to me he opts for the safe pass a bit more often than Clint. This could be good but when your only other playmaking threat is only semi-aggressive, well, I'm just not sure that's good for a team that wants to improve. Reyna is no playmaker. Convey is getting better and should fit in on the team, but not over Mathis. To be fair, in his limited minutes, Mathis didn't impress as much as many of us who have been following him at Hannover thought he might.
Mathis will be in top form by the end of the Bundesliga season - just in time for WC qualifiers. Arena needs to make a commitment in formation with certain guys as the core team...Mathis should be in that mix. Mathis is an attacking minded midfielder, not forward. If he were to play forward, Mathis skill as a passer would be wasted. Reyna can easily move back to DMid or the Right (even D if need be). The combo midfield of LM-Beasley AM-Mathis DM-O'Brien RM-Reyna with Convey, Donovan coming in to replace these guys depending on availability. These six guys are talented and should make-up our midfield. But it should be Mathis's team to run, give Claudio a role to support which he will become more dangerous not being the focus of the attack.
Wow! I guess when CLint is in good form, people will come out of the wood work to show support! I have thought most of what everyone has said on this post for a while. With the exception of a few, most on our nat team don't demonstrate consistency. So, I don't know why Clint has gotten the shaft. I agree with the attacking midfielder assessment. He is not as effective up front, but deadly in the attacking role!
I do put responsibility..a lot in fact...on Bruce to figure how to get Clint to reproduce his BL performances for the Nats (and/or Clint's form from 2000, 2001)...it is up to a coach to figure out how to push player's buttons...and in Clint, he is a major cog in our machine...we need his talent and shooting from long range, occasional world-class trick, and unorthodoxy on the pitch...all things this current team in short supply...we don't have 'other' options.. So figure it out Bruce....
Clint showed up in 2002 fat and unmotivated.Should Bruce have sent him to a fat farm or expected him to act like a professional and keep himself in shape?
Why do you keep saying this??? He started 10 of 15 games and played including 2 of the 5 World Cup games. Only 7 players (Donovan, McBride, Maestro,Armas, Pope, Agoos, Hedjuk) had more minutes than he did. Why would Bruce play someone so much who was fat and out of shape?
The thing I find funny is that Clint is mentioned so often as a "possesion" player. Clint is the most direct and counterattacking type player that we would use in the middle of midfield on the roster. Also, the use of a large target forward is seen by many as a possesion style move because of his ability to win and hold the ball in deep positions. I for one do not think that Clint was in a slump in MLS last year. I think he was playing out his contract and not feeling challenged. I saw one game at Giant's stadium and the amount of walking off the ball that Clint did was atrocious both on defense and offense. Now Clint is giving it his all and things are going his way. Bruce has always seemed to think there was room for Mathis on the nats since his break out in WCQ. I just think that Bruce needs to find a way to make the old Stewart role Clint's. And Clint needs to find a way to put the effort into defense. The other choice is to find someone like Martino, Convey, or Donovan to fill this role. Just because Clint has had some early success in Germany doesn't mean he's a guaranteed starter for the nats nor does it mean that in 2 years he'll be in this form for the cup.
Memo to Bruce: Find a way to get the production Clint is enjoying in Germany within the US Nat team. That's one of your, if not the main task going forward. We need Clint.
It's not Bruce's fault if Clint doesn't play as well for the Nats. When Elber and Amoroso were sucking for Brasil the press wasn't yellin' at big Phil for him to get them to reproduce their club form, they were yelling at him for other things for sure, but it's not Bruce's responsibility to mold the team to any one player, especially one as mercurial as Clint. That's putting all your eggs in one basket and it could come back to haunt you. Clint needs to reproduce this form with the Nats and we'll see if he can, come the Poland friendly and later in qualifying.
The difference being that there were twenty brasillians behind Elber and Amoroso waiting to jump in and take their spots. Who else do we have that is like clint mathis? What U-17 or U-20 prospect do we have that might be like clint in ten years? I think it is worth Bruce Arenas time AND effort to do a little bit extra to get Clint producing for the national team again. People ask why does bruce bother sticking with players that don't produce. Well I admit sometimes I don't understand Bruce sticking with some of the players he does, but with Clint you have a guy who on any given day could be the best player on the field for us. That deserves a little extra attention I think.
Changing the subject, but I wondered for years why Eddie Lewis continued to play...then came the WC and that guy came through on several ocassions. From that point forward, I've never doubted BA and his choices. It's a bit frustrating from time to time, but I keep the faith.
Along that same line, I can remember people like myself (and of course Segroves) criticizing Arena for sticking with McHead. I guess we should all just relax a bit and trust The Bruce.
Show us your Clint! Show us your Clint! Show us your Clint! But in all seriousness... Clint hasn't been doing well in the Nats because he's been unmotivated. The fact that he didn't want to play in the MLS had to do alot with it... especially when it comes to play for a team with fans that are the most demanding. Unfortunately due to his injury, he had no choice but to stick around for a year more. But now that he's playing for Hannover in Germany and doing very well I may add, I think we will see a new much improved Clint in the National team. I think Arena would be dumb not to call up the more motivated Clint this time around. Peru y tu?