Tino is just miscast. Why exactly can't he get a game at forward paired with Davies? Do we honestly expect Ngwenya or Brettschneider to have a better contribution as forwards? I still think one of Tino's strenths is shooting. As a withdrawn forward he is close enough to the goal to shoot. In midfield he's too far away and he doesn't have the skills to take people on 1v1 to get into the box on his own. And as far as left mid, why not keep Da Luz out there for another game. He was coming off a reasonably good game, and had an impressive connection with De Ro on the first goal.
I used to be of the same opinion but Tino had two clear chances and one of them he missed badly, the other he just missed.
I know that is Rongen's view of Tino's greatest strength as well. However, no other coach has used Tino as a withdrawn forward. Now, all of those coaches could be wrong, but they are seeing something in practice that says Tino would be miscast upfront as well. It might be that Tino is like Justin Mapp -- a player that tantalizes, but just can't deliver consistently.
Once we shipped him off to LA in 2006, I don't think there was ever much question of him fulfilling the potential of 2001. That said, he was a very good player in the year-and-a-half after he returned, especially the first half of 2008. I think back to that sweltering Galaxy game when he just terrorized L.A. down the right side, drawing the early PK and looking, by far, like the most dangerous player on the field. I don't know whether it was the heat, a combination of factors or just rotten luck, but at least a half dozen United players came out of that game hurt and were never the same. Gonzalo Martinez, Clyde, Tino, Emilio, Burch, Gallardo, Fred, Jaime--it was like they all sailed through soccer's Bermuda Triangle and came out with half their skills, smarts and energy. About a month before that Galaxy game, when United was 2-8 and when the season was on the brink and we trailed Toronto in the 2nd hald at RFK, Tino practically carried the team on his back. He created two second half goals that turned that season around (temporarily). We haven't seen that player since the Galaxy game. Looking ahead to next year, I still think he can be a very handy guy to plug in when Pontius or Najar are out, and he can provide good cover at forward--I don't think he's drastically overpaid, given his years of service here, given his versatility, and given where the salary cap seems to be headed in 2012. But we all know Tino's limits at this point, so Ben has to go with Da Luz to get a sense of what he offers down the road. I've been in Tino's corner for four years, but I'll be disappointed if Da Luz doesn't start in Vancouver.
I'm not saying Quaranta would be a special forward, but with our limitations at the position I don't understand why he can't get a game there. I mean we have Davies and Wolff who have both been in and out of the lineup and after that our subs are pretty worthless. De Ro can play up top, but we're short at attacking mid too if he moves. The bottom line the way I see it Quaranta > Ngwenya any day of the week. Quaranta isn't needed on the left, he's not a left winger. Besides Da Luz has shown glimpses that he could lock that position down for the rest of the season.
From back in the day when I covered the team, pretty much all of them - Hudson, Rongen, Soehn - said that Quaranta's strength was his passing and vision, specifically his ability with the thru balls. I know many will choke on that with his prediliction for back passes, but when his confidence is up the quick strike passes, or the switches are some of the best in the league. Those come from midfield, not so much the withdrawn forward position. That being said, I've always thought he could be a 20-point withdrawn forward.
I think, this in and of itself, is the point. A motivated confident Tino is a quality player. Without those reps, I'm not so sure. The question is, what IS his motivation right now? Because my opinion is that the team has replaced him. You still can use his as a sub, as we do. Sure he would do XI somewhere else (and maybe give him said motivation) but not here right now. I think the combination of his personal issues and the way DC schizophrenically put him all over the place didn't help. But as I think back - he always was a role player, not a game changer. And when he got to be the engine, he couldn't do it. I mean Marco, DeRo - is what we expect. This is not Tino
Tino's issues have always been mental from what I can tell. I think they have contributed to his moving around (and vice versa, I'll agree). His pouting and throwing the ball around during the last game came close to his getting carded for no reason, and I'm not convinced -- even now -- that he has (or ever had) the maturity to get to the level his innate talent would suggest. He's a great story, but we're asking things of Tino he can't provide. Good players don't need the stars to align to have a good game. They make it happen.
Y'know the maturity thing is a good point DM. Tino DOES pout - and maybe to your point, why he can't make it happen.
The most interesting fact in all of this discussion is Tino's age and experience. He is an 11 year veteran at age 26. He's only 2 years older than Pontius. He still has time to develop the consistency we all acknowledge he lacks today.
Honestly the best outcome I go for right now is a Ben-like WC appearance at 29 after he gets selected as an alternate and replaces someone on the roster. If that happens, I'll call it a win.
This is kind of a double edged sword though - yes, he's young, which can certainly account for a lack of maturity and development. But as you say yourself - he's an 11 year veteran, and really he does not play like it at all.
While I'm no Tino apologist, you have to break down those 11 years. The first couple were when he had no business playing pro ball -- he was still a high school kid who couldn't even drive. You look at him, Justin Mapp, Bobby Convey and Freddy Adu and I'm not sure you can say that starting early necessarily accelerates the development process. Next, you have to wipe out about 3 of those years, at least, due to injury/substance abuse issues. I would count Tino's professional experience as beginning when he got sober.
and by then he'd already lost the reckless abandon or eagerness or whatever to throw himself into situations and/or shoot because of all the injuries that caused/helped that un-sober-ness. I don't think he has really gone into any challenge straight up since the last foot injury, he always seems to turn his body out of them, or dribble back before he even gets there. He might need to be locked in a dark room with that sports psychologist for a week