Edu set to start at center back vs Mexico

This just made this game a whole hell of a lot interesting. I've thought for a long time that Edu would be 10x a better center back than he would be a midfielder.

 

Maybe, Edu needs to prove to some clubs that he can play CB...

 

Might want to edit that if you still can.

 

This game is getting weirder and weirder.

 

ding ding.

See, Valencia.

 

What about Valencia?

 

Wow kind of bummed I won't be able to watch this game. I'd like to see this.

 

It will be interesting, for good reasons or bad. The problem is Klinsmann waited too long. He could have tried this during other friendlies. Experimenting at Azteca is likely to burn him.

 

I guess I don't understand why he wouldn't have called in Anibaba, John, Marshall, Omar, Pearce, Okugo, Califf, or any one of a number of other Americans that deserve a reacharound. I've always thought Edu could be a good cb, but c'mon man. This smacks of someone trying to be too smart for his own good. When I do shit like this it typically blows up in my face.

As a side note, he's basically just told John and Omar (maybe less so for injury) that they don't rate, and go ahead and take that Greek or Mexican callup next time they come around.

 

Really? First of all.. is Mexico going to call up Omar right now? He's coming off a major injury. If I were Klinsmann, I would have taken him and then just not had him dress if he wasn't quite ready, just so he could experience it. He could easily be one of our CBs or at least among the rotation during qualifying. Also, is Greece clamoring for George John right now? I haven't heard about it. Has he done much this year? Dallas has been pretty bad so I can't say I've watched them much.

 

I think Edu is an acknowledgement that Onyewu just isn't going to work out and it's time to move on. I think all of us including Jurgen were relying on Onyewu, who showed good form at Sporting Lisbon, to be in the mix. Now that he's not, it's back to the drawing board.

 

Well, I'm not commenting on current form. Most of Dallas issues to my eyes have been missing offensive pieces and allowing Chavez to boss it for SJ. Ihemelu is out I think, and John has had a bit of a Euro hangover and some injury probs I think. What little of seen of John, I think he's been ok. I have no idea if Greece is still looking. I doubt they are, but that doesn't change the fact that it was a snub, no? If I'm John or Omar, I'm p.o.'ed, and considering all options. And I'd have done the same as you, called Omar in and let him ride the pine for fear of injury.

 

I think Edu is worth a try here. I just hope he gets to play there for whatever club he plays for or he gets some other games there for the US before he ends up playing there in a game that matters. It would be nice if he was a solid backup at CB and one of the DM positions. *IF* Holden comes back and is a real option then Edu would be fighting Bradley, Jones, and Beckerman if not more players for DM playing time. Not a winning proposition (although personally, I like him there more than Beckerman, I don't think JK does) if you want playing time.

 

I don't really think Omar can feel snubbed here... well, he can, but he shouldn't. Despite what I said about it being a good idea to bring him for experience, in terms of his form, he's just too soon back from an injury to be ready for Azteca. As for John, if he doesn't have a real option with Greece, then any perceived snub would not be a big deal. I probably also would have called him because it'd be nice to have an actual centerback on the bench if Edu or Cameron don't work out. I'm just not as worried about either of them in terms of a snub making them run to another country. I dislike the selections for other reasons.

 

It's a friendly. Even if we fans care about it a lot.

 

Omar and John were called up to CC2012 but declined to pursue Euro trials. Omar had the ACL and has been back 4 matches while John has been in and out with knocks and has been OK at best.

 

I guess that leaves room for Williams to slide in at a DM role. JK will go with Beckerman.

 

Starting Edu next to Cameron will be a problem and not just from an Edu at CB is somewhat questionable/experimental side of it.

After watching Cameron very closely, he is not great in the air. He needs an Omar Gonzalez or Chad Marshall or Gooch type to do all the heavy lifting in terms of the long ball clearances into the defense so that he can do all the cleaning up with his speed and quickness. For Houston, Bobby Boswell would perform this task for him.

Chicharito is sneaky good in the air, but Mexico usually doesn't pair him with a target forward type so I don't know that it is a huge deal v. Mexico. But I would imagine there will be instances where the ball will be played in the air up to Mexico's forwards and against Edu/Cameron the forwards hold the ball up too easily (compared to Bocanegra or Goodson who might win a disproportionate number of headers) and that will cause the US problems.

 

The timing of this move strikes me as a 'professional consideration' as opposed to a purely sporting one. Nothing unusual about this. Shea's inclusion falls into the former category. Previous cycle Goodson got a cap after moving to the 2nd division of Norway.

Among the center mids on the roster Williams and Jones have gotten full Bundesliga games at centerback with Jones actually garnering good reviews(I didn't see the games) in the press. There's no reason even with Orozco and Besler on the roster to go with Edu at CB other than as a fillip to his career situation. Again, nothing wrong with this though I wish the opponent were of a lesser caliber.

 

i like this experiment, the BIG central defender, read slow into that equation, thimk balboa and lalas types, get5v exposed for pace qnd skill, which is what mexico is, skill and mobbility more than pace

the big guys die at altitude

cameron has mobilityt, as does edu

i like this more than having an omar type

jk is showing some novelty doing this...

when jamaica roles around 9?7 we know bocanegra will be a cb, and with jamaican pace, helps to have a mobile partner...cameron or edu, i'd put 67% on edu 33% on cameron

 

Agree this could have been tried sooner.

And while he may get burned a time or two, I doubt it will burn him (the implication being a knock to his confidence). Edu is a vet at this point, and he strikes me as the kind of player who is going to keep the proper perspective on an experiment in a friendly at the Azteca. JK knows how to navigate this as well.

 

Even before the news of Edu to the back, just looking at Cameron and Fiscal as backs it looked like Klinsmann is looking at adding mobility to our center back position. Edu to center back makes that movement even more prominent. And, if you recall the last few games against Mexico, they mostly sliced us open by passing balls on the ground centrally and just running easily past out slow center backs. The lack of mobility back there has been striking at times. Personally, I'm not necessarily more in favor of moiving Edu back than just playing whatever more mobile defensive guys we already have. But if this is truly a signal that we are looking to get guys who can actually move in the center of the park, I'm all for it.

 

If true this would be good news. Of course, Edu is set up for failure in this particular match. He isn't even in a pre-season with his club. The team will be under heavy pressure the whole match. But I hope that JK persists in this experiment.

It is an often heard refrain around here that these position changes should occur at the club level. I agree this is the ideal. But what if it is not occurring at the club level but makes sense for the national team. Then I hope the national team coach would take the initiative and try things out on his own. It should be noted that some successful position changes (including von Bronkhorst to left back from midfield) occurred at the national team level before the club level.

The Edu to centerback move is a potentially important precedent because imo the team would benefit from a couple other position shifts. The ones I have in mind involve Shea and Johnson. Imo Johnson is the more subtle and creative attacking player. Shea more physically gifted and defensively robust. I would like them on the left side, Shea at fullback and Johnson in an advanced attacking role. Do it JK. Show us that you are capable of something better and more creative than shoehorning four holding mids into the lineup.