I don't get to watch MLS, ever, but my dad went to the last DC game and said Convey was "great. Always showing for the ball, great vision "Bobby convey is great. He wants the ball all the time and gets it and sort of has eyes in the back of his head. He never quits running and he is good on defense as well. Tough also - doesn;t back down and when someone marks him he just shoves them off." What do you guys think who've had the opportunity to watch him this year?
He started the year off not doing anything real special. But then I guess he kept learning. In late June he scored his second ever MLS goal. Since then, he's done pretty well. He finished the season with five goals and he finally matured playing in the middle. He plays out wide a lot but has lately been playing in the middle. He will still play both in the future but more one than the other. He scored 3 goals in the last 4 games I believe so it was quite an end to the season for him. The future looks bright.
unfortunatly for him, the future almost looks to bright. Chaces for him overtaking Beasley on the left are slim to none, so he will be in a dog fight with Kyle Martino for Playmker of the future. Assuming USSF just doesn't gift-wrap that position to Landon Donovan. But yea, Bobby Convey has mad skills. runs in the family actually as his older sister was a star for the Lady Lions of PSU.
Convey definitely has qualities that will make him a good player for the future. The only question I have about him is to what degree he will succeed. Touch, vision and an understanding of the game appear to be his primary assets, and at his age it is impressive to see those qualities so early, but at the same time, I wonder if these qualities will be enough to allow him to exceed where he is now. In particular I don't see any outstanding physical attributes that set him apart. He doesn't appear to be especially fast, and I don't think he will get much taller than he is now. While these things are not necessarily shortcomings it means that to improve his game he will have to continue to develope the touch and vision above where he is now to rise above his current level. Ideally he might fall into that O'Brien/Reyna mold of midfielder that is good at controlling midfield play and creating for the attack from time to time. The trick here is that these are the kind of qualities that can only be learned by experience at playing at increasingly higher levels of play. Unlike Donovan, Beasley or Quaranta who all have different physical attributes that accentuate their skill, Convey will have to become a smarter more intuitive player to set himself apart.
I agree with everything else that you wrote, but have to disagree with this part. He's at his best when he's playing combination ball -- give and gos, one touch passing, etc. He's not the hold, make the safe pass, outlet player that Reyna and O'Brien are. He's the ACM for the U-23 team already. Up until the second half of this season, he was nothing special and working his way into Chris Albright territory. Getting chewed out and benched brought out a spark in his game that hasn't left yet. He's making "The Leap" that Donovan and Howard made last year but he has to continue it into next year before we can pronounce him "at the next level." On the DC boards, I'm calling for him to have the keys to team, and we'll have to live with his inconsistency. Sachin
Point taken, and you're probably correct. I guess I was attempting to find some possible comparison with current players skill wise, and was thinking more in terms of skill attributes. However you are correct in pointing out that he is much more tuned in to the attacking mindset than the midfield organizer role.
I disgree, and I've made this point before on the DC Boards. Every time DC has tried Convey in the ACM spot he hasn't done well. However, the past few games, he has played more of a holding midfield role and has done so spectacularly. He begins the offense, holds, distributes the ball, makes smart, very smart runs into space, and has starting scoring a lot more. If he makes the leap to the nats, it will be in the Reyna-type position. The only thing holding him back is his size, and hopefully he'll add on some muscle as he gets into his 20s.
Others can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't seen DCU much this year, since we lost Home Team Sports and got FoxSportsSouth. But my sense from limited viewing is that he has no future as an international as a winger. For one thing, he's gonna have to be better than Beasely, and that doesn't seem too likely. To me, he might be like Kirovski in one way...my sense is that Bobby can be great in the central midfield of a 5 man midfield, but he can't get close to that level in any other position or system. If he's going to be primarily an attacking mid in a 4-4-2, I don't think he has the size or speed to tend to his defensive responsibilities. In a 4-4-2 with a dedicated DM, and Bobby as the AM, I don't think he has the finishing ability. Plus, in that system, I worry more about his lack of size; will he have receivers for his quick passes? If not, he's going to have to hold the ball until people get into position.
Convey seems to me to have grown a bit this last year and is still only 19 years old, so I wouldn't rule out a bit more growth. Of all crazy things, he's scored a couple of times with his head this season, too. Further, both he and Chino Alegria are listed at 5'8 (with Alegria listed at 155 lbs and Convey at 150), but Convey looked both taller and bigger out there to me last Thursday, so I don't know if they've boosted lil' Chino or if Bobby has outgrown his roster listing. FYI, the USSF website lists John O'Brien as 5'8, 145; Claudio Reyna as 5'10, 160; and Landon Donovan as 5'8, 148.
touch and vision are the main weapons of players like Beckham, Figo, and Zidane, Of course all those players complement that with rocket shots. But Convey can go a long way with Touch, vision, and an understanding of the game. Speed is overated in the midfield. Beckham is a slow-poke and if I had a choice he'd be my first choice r-mid to start a team, not Figo.
And I've been saying since the end of the '00 season (when the playoffs seemed to be out of the question) that he just needs time in the middle. He has amazing vision and ability to see plays developing, both on the ball and off the ball. The only young US player I have seen who is better at making the threatening one-touch pass is Donovan. He also has the ability to beat multiple defenders on the dribble. I think you're underrating his size and speed. No, he's not in Beasely's class, but who is? He's got above average speed and great endurance (notice how he has been such a 2nd half force lately) and just wait 'till he plays a whole season with sensei Ben Olsen. What I did not see in him before this year was finishing ability and defensive commitment. And he has shown both, ask any DC fan how much defensive cover he provided for McKinley in the 1st half of the season. His skills and temperment make him perfect in the middle. Is he the mainstay AM of the future? I don't know the other candidates well enough, but he'll be a regular, and if he's not THE guy, we've got a pretty good problem.
I think the size issue is being overstated. We can't field a team of midgets, but if most of our team is adequately sized, there is plenty of room for a creative player, regardless of his size.
Im watching the River Plate vs Inpendiente game on FSW and I think Bobby needs to model his game after D'Alessandro of River Plate. Only half joking here. Same build more or less. Different caliber of skill level probably, but not that far off.