Bobby starting, wearing the #10. Esky, Warren, Carroll and Stokes on the bench. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Bobby gets the assist on the US' first goal, sending Eddie Johnson in on a through-ball in the 13th minute.
Convey starts over Martino at a-mid. I'm not suprised that the others are on the bench though one might think that Esky would start over testo. Everyone but sormun, that is. (Testo is a forward for Richmond.)
Bobby scores in the 28th to give the US a 2-0 lead. According to the matchtracker, he got dispossessed but won the ball back and immediately shot from 15, beating the keeper near post.
Well, it's kind of absurd to expect the St. Kitts & Nevis U-23 team to be at the same level as any MLS team.
But it has to be a confidence booster to Convey and a good game means more foreign clubs will be interested in him in the offseason. Plus, this kind of boost is good for him going into the U-20 tournament.
71st minute: Carroll on for Clark. In his first five minutes, Esky has had two shots, both of which were saved by the keeper.
Both of which were 1-on-1. Sounds familiar too. Man they are really pressing their offsides trap, sounds fun to watch, hope Wed. is just as offensive minded
One would hope so but I fear that the bench will be emptied.. Pretty much everyone who started the game on the bench will probably start on Wednesday.. Also, the players with yellow cards will most likely not play at all.. All 5 United players should get significant playing time on Wednesday.. My guess is that we will put up at least 4 goals and then take the foot off the gas pedal.. It's a shame we couldn't host the first leg and see a real outpouring of goals..
Etch came on in the 70th minute for Bolivia in their WC qualifier at Argentina. Hey, I didn't feel like starting a whole new thread!
This team is NO competition, so any conclusions at all would be suspect. But, it is interesting to note Mooch's view of his own players and their roles. 1. Convey--purely a left winger in Hudson/Trask's eyes--wearing the Captain's Armband and starting in central midfield over Kyle Martino. As we all know, Kyle Martino is a full time central midfielder for the much more offensively productive Columbus Crew, and both players saw time in midfield for Arena during the Confed Cup. 2. Carroll, who has a lot of speed and a good left foot for crosses, that Ray has played at left back, being played at the role he has historically played, central Dmid. 3. Eskandarian, a sub, but who is tied with Buddle for 2003 points lead for this team, actually scoring. 4. Stokes, rooted on the bench for Ray, riding the pine for this team as well. I am a strong advocate for giving Convey the central attacking role. Get some decent forwards and let Convey create havoc along an opponent's back line. The goals will come. Convey has had stints in the center for DC United, and he's done marvellously, jumpstarting the DC United attack that had previously been on life-support. IMHO, Hudson/Trask are shooting themselves in the foot by shackling Convey on the wing where he is one-hand-clapping. I'm a self-proclaimed Carroll-critic. He definitely has the speed and crossing ability, but his defending scares me. He does surprisingly well at Dmid, and who knows, perhaps he'll eventually be the answer there. But I think Ray has the right idea on this one trying to convert Carroll into a left fullback. He has the skill set, even if he's atrocious defending from the fullback position at this point in time. But at Dmid--a far more complex position defensively--he perplexingly does OK. Esky is another one that I don't think is or will ever be a world-beater. But, he should have scored 7 or 8 goals for United this past (2003) season. He may be a short scrapper with mediocre speed and average ball skills, but he has a nose for the goal and can finish. I'm a fan of Stokes, and every time I see him play he does a pretty good job. But he needs long-term coaching, and frankly, I am not sure DC United is devoting enough resources to giving it to him. Surely, a cobbled together team like the US Youth team is not going to be able to provide that long-term coaching effectively because they just do not spend enough time together. But I think he can be a tremendous player. Kudos to the U-23's. Kudos to Mooch who isn't taking Cweedchop's advice and will continue to field his best team. And Kudos to the DC United contingent. Convey at attacking midfield ... it really is that simple. -Digital
I got mine about quickly. I think I ordered on a Tuesday and got them on a Thursday or Friday. I had them delivered through the normal mail.