I've been overseas and missed the most recent qualifiers. And I managed to catch very few Dallas Burn games this summer. So just a few questions about EJ's aerial game for those who have been able to see more of him than I have. I have noticed that many of his headed goals come from situations where he gets away from his marker and heads into the goal relatively unchallenged. Of course that is a plus, because it shows his quickness and striker instincts. But is he also capable of overpowering defenders to win headers in that robust, McBride sort of fashion? He certainly has the height and physique to do so. But does it happen often?
Next time try reading the post that you reply to. As to the OP, I don't know, I haven't seen very many Burn games.
Ive never seen him do it. My impression of him has always been he tends to avoid those types of confrontations.
Actually I've watched Eddie's headers this year and there's good and bad news. The good news is that Eddie jumps very high and usually gets a whole lot of steam behind his headers. The bad news is that he has a bad habit of not heading the ball down (neither Panama headed goal was headed down) and that leads to him occassionally skying point blank headers over the bar (Argentina in the U20s), and also hitting the crossbar a lot (he did it at least twice this year in MLS). A minor nit, I suppose, but an area where he has time to improve so he should work on doing so.
Disagree with minor Voros. As you pointed out this was "very" evident at the U20's. If he employs proper technique (coaches?) he score 3 or 4 more (during the tourney), and we beat the Argentines no problem. Does extremely well to get open (has the knack) and meet the ball at it's apex. Does all of the things a striker needs to do, except that last little bit. As LD told him, "he will get the passes at this level". Get this right and this kid will really make our crossers (Heydude excluded of course) happy. Question - When was the last time BM overpowered anyone to score a headed goal for the Nats? Of course he wins mucho challenges on goal kicks and long balls, but scoring with the head under pressure? Last goal I recall was against Honduras in that 4-0 blow out earlier this year where no one was within 5 yards of him and he didn't even have to jump. Haven't seen that heading prowess in the box for a while now. Think EJ and Ching are better at it now, while BM is better at using his head to pass and redirect. No big deal. Just MO.
I think you have to keep some perspective on what EJs game is. Eddie isnt what I think of as a "McBride substitute" a la Ching and Casey. He is a "wolff substitute". His game is with the feet using his speed. The plus he brings to that is he is a good deal taller than your usual speed based striker. The combination of his speed and size make him dangerous on set pieces because he is hard to mark. While I thin eddie has shown himself pretty able to use some of his size to hold off defenders with the ball, I dont think we will ever see him as a bruising sort of box presence. Most likely, in Bruce;s system he will be paired with a Casey or Ching guy who plays in front to do the hard work (at least until we stop using that type of up front tandem.)
The best header from US players is Bocanegra. After that you can go with Berhalter, Sanneh, and maybe Pope. Those guys have POWERFUL headers. EJ is a quick forward so when he got the header is because he got there first. Not because he pushes someone over. If we have two guys like that in the front, then we can kill a lot of teams.
No he is both, and that's the reason for the excitement. Can't say what BA will do, but with McBride going back to the bench for Fullham, I would think seriously about a Wolff/Johnson combination.
Goooooooch... one chance, one header, one <deflected> goal. If he's in the box, he'll automatically be covered by the biggest defender the other team has, thus availing McBride and others for easier match-ups. There was a reason that Miroslav Klose headed in most of his WC goals while Carsten Jancker was lurking nearby. Not that Rudi ever put the two-and-two together. Or, for that matter, Bruce.
Was at the Panama game and what I was most impressed about with EJ was his willingness to "take it" to the oppposition on the dribble. (I remember at the first Grenada game cursing the reluctance of our boys to individually challenge lesser players). I know that Panama was giving up near the end but that one play where he shot right at the goalie (damn) occurred because he fought offf two defenders hacking at him and broke clear. This on top of his "Grown-Ass Man" attitude and we might have a winner.
Bad news, perhaps. But he is still quite young and can improve his heading technique. So there is some good news for us as well, I suppose.
This is easily fixable. The mechanics of heading technique are much easier to master then shooting or dribbling.
I take your overall comment for face value. I doubt I've seen as much of EJ this year as you have. But didn't EJ place his first Panama header down and just inside the post?
I would love to see those two play together for a half. They mix their abilities differently than the typical Target/Running pair of fowards but all the skills at there when the two of them are paired, Johnson gives the size to get onto crosses, the speed for the break, and the strength to provide some back to the goal possesion even though he isen't a pure "target" type forward. Wolf is a great 2nd forward, he may be the best passing foward we have after donavon, runs the lanes well on the break including knowing when and how to make dangerous off the ball runs. The only concern is that I think of Wolf as having a woefully weak shot and I don't know if Johnson has the accuracy to count as the outside shooter, anyway, to me a very inestering combo.
agreed. mcbride's greatest goal imho against portugal was not because he overpowered his marker, it was because he made him look sooo foolish with his run. better to be smart than only strong most anyday. i want to see EJ against backs similar to his size and ability over 90 minutes, like jamaica. methinks he's earned it, too.
I would seem that way to me, as well. Yeah, Ronaldo still hasn't learned it yet. But as was mentioned earlier, Johnson has almost all of it down; positioning, timing, the leap. He only lacks that downward-directed snap of the head. However, Ronaldo barely even challenges for balls in the air. I think we have a pretty good chance of seeing EJ work out the kinks.
No it was up. It's not that he's a bad header of the ball, it's that a certain aspect of it could be better and it's an easy enough thing to work on.
no, he sort of looped it to the far post. It may have gone into the goal low, but that's just because it didn't have much power behind it. He did do the right thing on that one by heading it back the way it came, at least. He has it halfway down.
Well, he didn't seem to have too much difficulty getting that one down and in the corner. Maybe not the greatest marking. But the placement was perfect.
I must say that I was totally impressed by the height EJ got on his goal. I'm not sure anyone else on the team can get that high. That jumping ability is a bid advantage.
EJ's goal was great, but does anyone else here think that he seemed to back off after that first goal, seemed like he was backing off and not going full out, yeah you just scored a goal but 1 isn't enough. I dont know just from watching it, it seemed like his intensity dropped off severly, and what was up with Demarcus trying like mad to get McBride a goal?