He seemed really promising, but he hasn't been capped in over a year. Is he still even on the radar screen right now?
Yes he is floating around on that "if only he could stay healthy" team along with John O'Brien for the US and Jonathan Woodgate for Engalnd.
You know, nobody says this but I think if he was healthy for the Czech Republic game in the WC it might have turned out differently. Instead, Eddie Lewis went walkabout at left back. I remember Bruce playing him in that friendly at Germany and he was the best US player on the field and did a job on the two different guys the Germans threw at him. But that game was one in a number of great performances of his. I think his injury had huge implications that were not well understood at the time. He is easily our fastest central defender and a great tackler also. Unfortunately, he has had a string of injuries and never seems to play a full season.
it's not like he's been available and not called in .... let's just say in the past year, he's been capped in every game he was healthy enough to play in.
Whenever he get's back to full fitness I would love to see him paired with Parkhurst in central defense. Gibbs' speed, tackling and man marking combined with Parkhurst's ability to read the game, cleanly break up plays and launch attacks. Could make for a promising partnership.
Absolutely. Gibbs was playing excellent football heading into Germany, and that Czech game could've been very different with Gibbs in place of the aging Pope. If he can get himself back and fit shape without losing his speed and athleticism from this injury, he can be useful during this cycle as he's 27 and certainly not past-prime regarding age for a defender........
Gibbs, if healthy, would have absolutely been Arena's first choice left back at the World Cup. Losing him and Hejduk was devasting to the US backline. And it's not just against Czech. Think about the goal that Boca gave up in game three where he could have cleared it out but instead sent it into our own box where Gooch was called for a PK. Gibbs or Hejduk would not have made that mistake IMHO, and both of them are too fast to get beat in the first place. I hope Cory manages to get healthy this year and gets back into the picture for WCQ.
Dead on this would be a great pairing beats gooch-boca by miles. In my opinion this pairing would be world class.
He's training and possibly playing with the reserves while he gets back to match fitness. His injury is all healed and he's supposed to be back with the first team in about a month.
You're welcome. He's probably hitting the sack, it's late in London. Now go do some research yourself and report back what you find. Start here: American Soccer Daily
no one says it because it wouldn't have turned out differently, unless Gibbs could play the hole, or CAM, or create positive possession for the midfield and attack
Thanks for the info, I had no idea he's been injured almost constantly between then and now. But I want him back. And no, I doubt things would've turned out differently against the Czechs. 1v11 is still not much better when compared to 0v11.
If he's healthy and in form, I expect him to start. I think he's our best CB all around. The sad reality is that if he didn't get hurt in run up to the WC, he would have helped a lot. The only problem is that I doubt Bruce would have started him over Pope, I just think Bruce was set on his ways.
If gibbs can come back and be healthy I would love to see him in a 3-5-2 paired with parkhurst and one other person, this would be a great back and allow more options in midfield and attack, without him I don't think we can have a capable enough 3 man backline, but parkhurst is great in the center and gibbs would be awesome on the left, maybe someone like spector on the right, this would be great and something that we hopefully use.
Man, I remember that game in Nashville and that play that ended it for Cory Gibbs. One of my biggest peeves with Arena was that he never really looked at DeMerit, so when the US Backline ended up looking like the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, we had guys like Albright, Pope and Berhalter going to Germany to play against some serious offense. Sure, the US was going 3 and out in Germany thanks to Arena, but if Gibbs was there, I say the US came home with 4 points instead of 1. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the height of Cory's career is when he played at MLS. The long off-Season kept him healthy. Maybe Gibbs should seriously consider returning to the MLS, because the European fixtures are too crowded for a glass-jaw player such as himself. Sure, he has the cops to play in Europe, but I'm calling it--Gibbs will play well in Charlton, play himself as a starter by Winter break, and come March, his knee will break down again and he will be injured until 2009. Furthermore, a move back to MLS will ensure looks for qualifiers, which would really get him playing back in the National team. I really do hope Gibbs plays because I am really wary of the Onyewu/Bocanegra centre. Those two players do not gel as well as they should, and I really like Parkhurst/Gibbs or Gibbs/DeMerit back there, especially when you realize that Conrad is just getting older and probably will have a Llamosa-type role come 2010, if Danny Califf doesn't get that job.
Gibbs becomes a better player every single week he is out! Did you ever see the Chris Rock skit called "new pu55y, old pu55y?" We have a new one "injured pu55y". It is always better than old or healthy pu55y!