I was one who posted for Jeff getting a good chance with the USMNT. I just saw him for 3 crucial games against the Revs. He was awful, really messed up Columbus' game. Lllamosa handled him like a school boy. Jeff is fast but is clueless and has a very bad touch. I wondered about Arena's judgement in not giving him more of a chance- I am not wondering anymore. If anyone calls for Jeff again, they should be forced to watch the Rev- Columbus series.
I concur. On Saturday, IMO he did not seem to shoot on goal when the opportunity presented it. Is that a problem with his play, or was Adin Brown getting into his head?
Re: Re: Cunningham is NOT in the mix! I actually think he killed you in this series. Yesterday, as soon as he went off and Washington came on, the game changed a lot. And not in our favor.
Jeff Cunningham and Mathis are overrated, i haven't seen something special from both when i watched they play, Mathis wasn't impress me at the WC eventhough he scored.
Re: Re: Cunningham is NOT in the mix! He would have to have a head to get into to. Jeff is the most clueless soccer player I have ever witnessed at this level.
How Cunningham and West ever got a US call up is beyond me. They have speed and absolutely nothing else. Cunningham was a joke in the Revs series.
I think Cunningham is actually a very talented player.. He has speed, skill and does pretty well in finishing.. Unfortunately for him, it's all about him.. He is the quintessential "Black Hole" when it comes to soccer.. He frequently passes up better opportunities for teamates in better position to score and often holds the ball too long.. Teamates can not make runs with him on the field because they probably feel they will never get the ball if Jeffro is anywhere in the vicinity.. Don't even get me started on Brian West.. Great speed, donkey first touch... Speed ain't everything folks...
You could take this post from Cweed and match it to about two dozen I've made over the past 18 months. And the observation above about Dante is right as well. CBus played very well this season when starting Dante. Big, strong and physical, he was a real handful for anybody. Then, about 70-75 minutes in, we'd put in Cunningham. And he ran wild, speeding by defenders who were already tired and beat up. Unfortunately, this worked so well that Cunningham, despite not being a starter, was our leading scorer and among the top 6 or 8 in the league. So all of a sudden, it was "why is this scoring machine on the bench?". Bottom line, to me anyway, it was the circumstances that made him successful. When the role changed, his game stayed the same: give me the ball and watch me lose it. And with the emergence of Buddle, all that work McBride does creating service and pulling up a defender to create a lane suddenly began to count for something. With Jeff, it's just wasted. Stern John he ain't.
how soon we all forget... without cunningham, would the crew have even beaten san jose? he was spectacular in that series... i think his problem lies in the fact that he is so up and down when it comes to playing...he gets on rolls and is amazing, when not playing well, he is the preverbial black hole everyone speaks of.
In that rarity of all BigSoccer rarities, this discussion may have actually begun to distill down to an actual point, to wit: Like in most things, but in soccer particularly, the difference is that a LOT of players can occasionally look like world beaters. But the really great ones, the top players, show up pretty much every time out. Or maybe it's the versatility factor; really valuable players, when they don't have their A game, are still making a contribution: winning the ball, tracking back to the box, making dummy runs, etc. For a guy like Jeff, if he's not scoring he might as well be standing in line getting a pretzel
When you select a player for the national team, you must have some confidence that a player will be DEPENDABLE and CONSISTENT. A player can have strengths and weaknesses. But if you know pretty much how those strengths and weaknesses are going to be played out on the field, you can deploy this player appropriately. Especially if the weaknesses aren't debilitating in nature. Moreover, such players are often quite coachable and you can get them to understand the requirements of their role, and get them to execute that role effectively. So, in other words, you may wind up choosing a player who, on the surface, seems less talented, but in fact whose performance is of an appropriately high quality and NOT highly variable. JC is, in a word, a crapshoot. What are you going to get? (A) The dagger like scorer/assist man, or (B) the brainless black hole? International games are simply too precious to toss him out there, only to find that version (B) is what you've got -- a set of weaknesses that can be truly debilitating to an international side.
Just a question: I haven't seen much of Edson Buddle, but has his season been like Cunnigham's? i.e., bring him on in the 70th minute, when everyone is tired, and he scores a goal; but start him, and nothing happens?
Good question. He has appeared in both roles, starter and sub this season, and has shown good things both ways. His long suit is not blinding speed, although he is quick. He is big and strong, and has a surprising touch for a big man. Towards the end of the season, and into the early playoffs, before he was injured, he had replaced Brian West as the starter on the right side. The thing that impresses most of all, to me at least, is his work rate. He leaves it all on the field every time out. He'll do the dirty work, track back with a Beasley, dig it out of the corner, give his body up to release one of the "stars" and, when he gets the chance, has a very quick trigger. The down side, as with a lot of young players, is that he will go through stretches where he is, well, abysmal. His touch disappears and he looks confused. We'll see if it's inexperience. Frankly, I like him a lot.
You've got to be kidding. Clint just didn't fit in with Arena's plans. And from having to go from NT poster boy to not getting much playing time had to be a huge let down. Clint was on his way to a big club in Europe and it got sucked out from under him. I didn't expect much from him this season post WC. Cunningham is just a hack.
How's this for an analogy? Lassiter, lots and lots of goals in MLS, but unfit for the USMNT DESPITE them.
Actually, he is a forward, not a midfielder.. He has only played right midfield due to Columbus's need to get more offensive players on the field and Brian West's relative ineffecitveness on the right flank..
Fantastic.. Except that number could have doubled if he just passed the damn ball.. Then again, when a league awards goals to players who don't actually touch the ball (Twellman) or for assists off the woodwork and for keepers saves, assists and or statistics don't mean a whole hell of a lot.. Anybody with a pair of eyes can see quite clearly that Cunnigham is an extremely selfish player.. Very talented, but very selfish as well.. Some may argue that being selfish is a part of what a forward is all about.. This is true to some degree but when you alienate your teamates you are doing much more damage than good.. As I see it, Cunnigham and the Crew are now 0-4 in MLS Cup semifinals and Jeffro's selfishness has a lot to do with it...
this is so true. it takes a certain player to compete on an international level. you have to be physical, tactically smart, and skillfull. in mls a player can be great while lacking one of these and compensating with one of his stronger traits. there is no room for that in international play however. i have seen people make cases for great mls players to be called up time and time again, but often times they don't understand this. ex: mcbride doesn't do ************ in mls! call up kries!
"He frequently passes up better opportunities for teamates in better position to score and often holds the ball too long." 26 assists in three years.