So something like this? 3-4-3 DMB---LD---EJ Dempsey JOB-----------Reyna Pablo Gibbs/Gooch/Boca 4-3-3 DMB---LD---EJ Dempsey JOB-----------Reyna Boca/Gibbs/Gooch/Dolo I like that...I like it a lot. Leaves Bruce with a lot of nice options off the bench as well (BMB, Wolff, Lewis, Dolo, etc.)...
It doesn't work. Pope, Gibbs, Boca, and Oneywu are fine, although just a few weeks ago many BigSoccer posters were ready to run Pope of the team as the "next Agoos". I'm not ready to drop Pope that quickly, so I think we have 4 WC quality center backs. The rest is wishfull thinking. Conrad has one Nat game under his belt and was barely OK against Cuba. He won't be ready to start a WC game in 11 months. Spector was just roundly faulted for a stinker match at center back in the U20 WC, and he still isn't starting for a pro team anywhere. Jay Demerit, Chad Marshall and Uho Ihemelu are definately on the far horizon, but you'll need very powerful binoculars to see them from Germany in 11 months. Mastroeni simply CANNOT play center back in a 3-man back line, because in such a case he would be even more essential in the 5-man midfield!!! Berhalter may make the WC squad as a deep emergency sub like llamosa was the last time; he ain't starting quality anymore. Califf??? Hernandez??? Starting quality in a WC??? The 3-man back line will not be the core US lineup. A one-time special based on a favorable matchup? Absolutely. But Arena will stick with a 4-man back line becuase at the WC level it fits our center defensive depth best, it gets Cherundolo on the field, and it allows Hejduk to be a reasonable sub.
Um, how many shots as he had at this role? Unless I'm wrong, he had ONE...in Azteca, where we hadn't scored for a couple of decades. He deserves another chance at the role without Bruce stupidly playing Demarcus in the middle behind him. DMB was the worst player on the field...well, not the worst player, he's a fine player. He had the worst performance, and his primary job was supporting Eddie, so how in hell was Eddie supposed to do anything?
No width out right. If we play this way, and the other team has half a brain, they'll ignore the left side of their defense, and we'll only be playing 2/3 of the field, and it'll be too crowded for us to do anything. Plus, playing dolo and JOB as marking backs is a stupid waste of their talents. I award you no points. Etc. etc. Seriously, one of the worst lineups including our best players I've ever seen. This lineup would struggle to beat the crap we put out there against Cuba.
Definitely think this is the best line-up in which to utilize Dempsey while playing our best players. I don't see how anyone can argue we're going to play a 3-man backline in WC or even WCQ games with the personnel and attacking structure we have. This line-up has skill players at all necessary positions (all but central d) and size in the middle (including Dempsey at A/C-Mid). Reyna on the right will probably be top choice, and with 'Dolo making runs on the right, they should pair up well with GAM. Same goes for JOB. In the 4-4-2, JOB can roam well up the left side, with DMB and Mastro providing defensive cover. True, if JOB goes to D-Mid, then you put him even closer to the action, but I think he'll have a greater impact playing up the wing in our system (serving in lethal crosses) than as a D-Mid (Pablo and Armas stay at home, and our defense is used to that extra cover).
Nope. It's missing one crucial thing. Size on corner kicks. Put Boca and McBride on the field together, particularly with Gooch as well, and we are threat to score on any corner. McHead has been a real threat his whole career off corners, as effective setting up teammates as scoring, Boca's even better than him at winning headers on goal off corners today as I mentioned preceeding his goal against Panama last month. Boca is simply far too good and effective an offensive threat to sit. Gibbs isn't anywhere near as effective off of corners as Boca, and is not more technically sound as a centerback either so I have a hard time understand why so many put him in the starting lineup over Boca. That's are most frustrating problem really right now, we have in Boca, Gooch, and Gibbs, three very, very solid centerbacks. We can't start them all and Gibbs has yet to look as comfortable as a LB as he does as a Centerback. Not sure what should be done but I simply can't see the point in leaving Boca out of the starting lineup. You just can't. Count me as another Nats fan who thinks Donovan should see more time at Forward. I think Arena should work Donovan and Dempsey in at forward and A-Mid, alternating to create a comfort zone for both. Why? Because GAM is our only elite caliber forward right now. McBride is close, and quite technically sound and more reliable, but we simply can't afford to rest easy with McBride and continue to rotate scrubs like Noonan and Wolf and Casey (now out of the picture, and I'm sorry it was injury, rather than his proven ineffectiveness that removed him) because McBride has shown an alarming tendency to get hurt. He may avoid it, he has been healthy essentially for about 3 or 4 full seasons, but lets not forget that the preceeding three or four were littered with a myriad of injuries. Noonan, Wolf, Casey, Twellman, Ching etc have yet to show that they have any business starting in anything beyond Concacaf matches. Dempsey and Donovan have shown far more, and it must be stated that Donovan has been as good at forward and at times better, than he has been as an A-Mid. I know Bruce starts him at A-Mid in part because noone can play the role remotely as effective as he can, no one has the same caliber of vision, acceleration, passing accuracy, and deadly shotmaking as he does, but at the same time, now is the time to figure out how to get Dempsey on the field, and whom to pare with GAM, or McBride if either are injured and/or dinged come the World Cup. My first choice lineup for the World Cup right now would be: --------------------------------Keller------------------------------------- -------------Dolo---------Gooch-------Boca----------Gibbs---------------- ---------------------Reyna-------------------O'Brien---------------------- ----------------Donovan---------------------------DMB------------------- ---------------------------GAM-------Dempsey---------------------------- I think the key for Arena right now is to figure out whom to start at LB in a 4-4-2, if a 3-5-2 is viable, and whom should be the paired options with GAM or McBride depending on whom is healthy. Right now more than anything, I'd like Bruce to take turns running an attack with Dempsey and Donovan at A-Mid and Forward respectively while testing a back 3 with O'Brien and Reyna in the back instead of Pablo. If we can defend effectively with Mastro, I'd prefer this option because it creates a midfield with three players utterly comfortable on the ball, and great poaching, and attacking forwards with Donovan, GAM and McBride as potential options. I love Mastro's work, but feel that he could prove to be a liability if we're grouped with teams with the skill and smoothness of the Dutch, the Brazilians, the Portueguese, Argentina etc on the ball. When we're facing teams that could put constant pressure on our defense, I'd love to feature a midfield that possesses confidence on the ball, and smooth and crisp passing to get us out of the trouble we can face when guys like Gooch and Mastro are called upon to move the ball upfield (I'm not comfortable with either of them when it comes to handling the ball against teams like Brazil, and lesser but nearly as effective teams like the Dutch, the Argentines etc).
I've made this point before in another thread: We have the personnel to switch between a 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 at will, within a game if neccesary, and certainly from game to game. I understand Mr Martin's concern about our perceived lack of quality CBs--but we have 4 already, and I believe that by June we'll have developed an additional 2 (Marshall and Spector). That said, I propose we officially list ourselves as a 4-4-2 and start the game in that lineup but, sometime in the first 20-25 minutes, we suddenly shift to a 3-5-2. How do we do this?? Simple: The RB pushes up to play RM; previous RM becomes a CM; and the LB becomes a third CB. The beauty of this tactic is that, with our current player pool, it isn't reliant on any one or two players to make it work. There are 3 "hybrid" positions neccesary to use this tactic, and we have at least 3-4 guys who can play at the international level at each: Cherundolo, Reyna, Klein, Hejduk, and Mullan at RB/RM; Dempsey, Reyna, Gaven, and Donovan at RM/CM; and Bocanegra, Gibbs, Spector, and Vanney at LB/CB. Now, after a few games, the opposing teams will pick up and expect us to shift to a 3-5-2. That's where we throw them a curveball by doing it suddenly at a different time each game. We start out something like this: ---------------------------Keller------------------------------ ---------Cherundolo---Gooch---Gibbs---Bocanegra------------- --------------------------O'Brien------------------------------ ---------Dempsey--------Donovan--------Beasley-------------- ----------------------EJ-----------McBride-------------------- Then, sometime early in the game (how early depends on the opposition and how the game goes early on) we switch to this: -------------------------------Keller---------------------------------- ----------------------Gooch---Gibbs---Bocanegra--------------------- ------------------------------O'Brien--------------------------------- --------Cherundolo----------Dempsey--------Beasley------------------ -----------------------------Donovan-------------------------------- ------------------------EJ-------------McBride----------------------- Now this may not provide us with enough defensive force in midfield against some teams, so if we feel we'll need more then we start Mastro at DM, Donovan at RM/AM, and make the switch to 3-5-2 early to get Donovan involved in the game.
I'm not exactly sure where he plays, but I think it's going to be pretty hard to keep him off the pitch. I think my favorite option today would be... -----------Johnson--McBride -Beasley-Dempsey-Donovan ------------JOB--------Reyna ------Boca---Pope---Gooch But you could see someone sitting for Cherundolo too.
A formation that Bruce has trotted out before was the box midfield (i.e., vs. Mexico @ Cotton Bowl). If Bruce feels that the box would be the best type of formation against the opposition, and he wanted to put a potent offense out on the field, he could go with this possibility: --------------Keller------------ Cherundolo---CB---CB---O'Brien --------Reyna----Mastroeni---- -------Dempsey---Beasley----- -------Donovan---Johnson----- STRENGTHS: * Firepower at all positions, except for center backs. * Cherundolo and JO'B would roam the flanks, providing offensive width and quality crosses into the attacking area. * Dempsey, Beasley, and Donovan can switch positions as needed, depending on opposition. All three players have shown prowess in those positions. WEAKNESSES: * Lack of width still a possibility, particularly the left side. I know JO'B played left back at Ajax, but I don't think he played "graveyard shift", where he was expected to run up-and-down the flank all match, which would be required of him with the box midfield. * Having two attacking fullbacks leaves the defense vulnerable. Dolo and JO'B would have to coordinate their attacks so that one back advances, and the other pulls back to provide defensive cover. Possibly replace Cherundolo with Hejduk, who is better defensively and provide the headless chicken hustle necessary to support (somewhat) on offense and cover on defense. * Putting JO'B at left back somewhat limits the skillset he provides to the USNT. Offensively he'd be more dangerous in the center of the field. If necessary, JO'B could replace Reyna/Mastro in d-mid and Hejduk/Boca/Gibbs slots into left back. McBride and Lewis can be rotated into the lineup as needed (not much rest time between matches in WC -- USNT needs to use whatever depth available). Again, this box midfield can only be used against certain opposition, particularly those that aren't very strong on the flanks offensively.
I'm OK with Boca and Gooch at center back rather than Gibbs and Gooch. Gibbs, I think, is a better pure defender and man-marker (see his effort vs. Holland last year), but I agree that Boca does offer an offensive threat on corners more so than Gibbs. I'm not certain McBride is all that effective as a scorer on corners. McBride does get his share of headed goals, but they seem to be from the run of play. One his real strengths in the air is re-directing high passes with his head. But Boca and Pope get as many or more scoring chances off corners than does McBride. If I have to sacrifice McBride's header-threat on corners but I get the speed and mobility of a Johnson/Donovan striker pair, I'll take that sacrifice. But, you can have Boco as one of the center backs if you like. If Boca, Gooch, and Dempsey are in the game, the team will have threats on corners. This is a good point. I agree that in Arena's classic 4-4-2, the outside back has as much or even more offensive responsibilites than the defensive midfielder. I really like O'Brien's ball control skills and passing vision, and I'd agree that he could use those abilities more as the left back in a 4-4-2 than if he were playing as a single defensive midfielder. A single defensive midfielder has a very restricted offensive role, and I don't want O'Brien restricted like that. But I'm also not blind. Arena has yet to play O'Brien as a left back. He plays musical players at this black hole position, but O'Brien hasn't been one of the experiments. I kind of hoped that the long (and thankfully ended) tryout for Convey at left back was a secret plan by Arena to prepare for using O'Brien there. I may like the idea, but I wouldn't place any money on Arena playing him there in the WC. O'Brien seems destined for midfield. In that case, I'd rather see him as an attacking midfielder or a true central midfielder with a designated defensive mid behind him. The team has enough quality center backs for an occasional use of a 3-man back line. It just can't be the primary formation given the team's current depth. Arena obviously has the main 4 right now, but Pope has shown some serious signs of aging and I'm thinking that in 11 months that will not have gotten better. I think the WC06 starting battle is between three players -- Gooch, Gibbs, and Boca. Pope is the experienced, veteran backup who can start in a pinch, but more likely will come in for injured or fatigued players. Marshall and Spector had better get onto the field for Arena soon, or they will not be at the WC. Bringing in young, inexperienced center backs is not likely at such crucial positions as center back, where reliability, stability, and confidence are crucial. Yes, Donovan and Beasley showed in 2002 that younger players can quickly join the squad, even shortly before the WC. But they played attacking positions, not central defense, and that difference is huge. Moreover, Donovan and Beasley had youth international experience beyond that of Spector and Marshall. I wouldn't hold my breath that either of these two young defenders have any meaningful impact on the WC06 team. Lastly, let me get back to my prior comments about O'Brien as a defensive midfielder. I think if he is a solo defensive mid, his attacking options will be restricted, and I defenately don't want that for such a skillful player. In the suggested 3-5-2 formation, O'Brien's offensive vision will be wasted. If O'Brien is going to play midfield (as I admitted above seems likely under Arena), then it HAS to be in a more offensive role than as the sole defensive mid. 1) He must be one of two defensive mids; or 2) he must be a true central mid with a defensive mid supporting him (like Mastro); or 3) he could be the attacking mid and allow Donovan to move to striker; or 4) he could be the left mid if Beasley is hurt/fatigued or playing right mid. But if O'Brien plays attacking mid and Donovan moves to striker, it probably puts Dempsey on the bench. Nice Bench option to have, though.
BA says Dempsey will be considered as a possible attacker. Listen to his press conference. Link found on the US Soccer page. http://www.ussoccer.com/home/default3.sps?iType=8239