I don't really believe that Ching is the best striker we have right now (but it's close enough that I'm not inclined to argue that point). At the same time, I would be categorically stupefied if he were the best striker we have in three years. EDIT: I don't mean to bag on Ching. I like him, and I wanted to see he actually play at WC2006.
Honestly, who, aside from Altidore (who at this point is pure potential, and is very difficult to project over the next 3 years), do you think might seriously top him? I'm not a big Ching fan, but I'm being realistic. EJ perhaps could but I think we've all learned not to hold our breath on him. Davies? Not unless his first touch and touch on the dribble improves significantly. Kamani Hill? A whole lot remains to be seen? Twellman or Gomez or Razov? No way. Cooper? He's got to toughen up significantly and start playing to his size. Rolfe? Hasn't shown what Ching has. Buddle... I'll be (pleasantly) shocked. If somebody besides possibly Altidore or (doubtfully) EJ tops Ching, I think it'll most likely be from some other source than those I've mentioned. Mind you, I'll be disappointed if Ching's the best we've got, trust me, but I've already begun to prepare myself for the distinct possibility that he well might be. My prediction is come 2010 we'll be at least fairly strong everywhere except up top... and that's the one thing that will hold us back from a 2002-like run. I sure as hell hope I'm wrong; this is the one aspect of our team that has me nervous. Another thing to remember, of course, that Ching's got a history of injury-proneness...
So rather than begin calling them up now and getting them some experience and being patient with them, you want to wait 3 years so at best going into the world cup they have 10 caps tops rather than somewhere between 15 and 30. maybe more if they perform well. You don't throw them in and say, ok bud you're the future of U.S. soccer. Don't F*** up. You start them against sweden and catalona. You bring them into every january camp we have until the world cup. If we are well up on aggregate in after the first leg of 1st round qualifying, you start them. Once we have established our place in the hex, bring them in for the last games in the semi final stage. You want to let them know that you expect them to perform well, but that they aren't in a sink or swim situation. For any new young striker you job is to put pressure on EJ and Twellman and Ching. For EJ and Twellman and Ching, your job is to stop F***ing up and hold onto your position. If you wait, Johnson and Ching and even Twellman can continue to piss around on the pitch and still be considered our "Top Tier". These kids can at least provide some competition and that's the goal.
I believe EJ is already better than Ching, but the thing you have to remember is that Ching is in decline. Given that, I think Altidore, EJ, and Dempsey (if we continue to use him at striker, which I hope we do) will all be ahead of him, as will somebody (or a few somebodies) who's currently either not on the radar or is on the edge of it. These last don't necessarily have to be youth players, as one could have a Dempsey-like late-cycle rise or we could see a, say, Cooper or Herculez Gomez realize their potential. BTW, I think the 2010 team will be better than the 2002 squad at every area on the pitch with the possible exception of GK (though I believe Howard could be as good as Freidel was in 2002). If we don't have the same or better success as we had in 2002, I don't believe it will be because our strikers are holding us back. It will be due to a number of the other hundreds of factors which determine World Cup success.
Assuming we stay with the 4-4-2 empty bucket/4-2-2-2/4-4-1-1 (which I think is a pretty safe assumption) against teams that don't suck (not minnows) than our lineup would most likely look or should look like this over the next few years (I'm trying to mix what is or best talent that BB may be hesitant to play with what he think ie. Bornstein vs. Spector): -----------------------------Altidore-------------------------------------- -----------------------------Dempsey------------------------------------- Beasley-----------------------------------------------------------Donovan -------------------Feilhaber-------------------Adu------------------------ Bornstein--------------------------------------------------------------Dolo ----------------Parkhurst-----------------------Gooch--------------------- -----------------------------------Howard-------------------------------- I prefer Spector to Bornstein but not so much that i think Bradley should be fired because he disagrees with me. But I don't see BB using Parkhurst as much. When healthy it has yet to be proven that Dolo is not the best RB. Onto the attacking stuff... Donovan and Deuce have shown they can switch throughout the course of a game fairly well. Feilhaber is a hybrid DM/AM who needs to control the pace of the game whereas Adu represents the outright attacking-mid. I out Altidore up top because he has shown the most with the U-20s, and I have seen even less of Davies and none of Ferrari, Zimmerman, and Smith. The Replacements: Zizzo should be making Dempsey work for the RM spot (moving Donovan inside most likely if Dempsey loses it) Rogers needs a club that doesn't suck. Davies should and I think will see time this fall (against Sweden at least) and Ferrari should be capped against Switzerland (cap-tying him) Zimmerman's been mentioned, need's 1st team time at Hamburg in the next 2 years. Edu needs to keep pulling the strings at TFC to give himself a chance and get called up at some point during qualifying. Szetela needs to go to Europe and also see time against some shit team during qualifying to at least show he works with the Senior team. Mapp needs to get fit, it will be an uphill battle for him to unseat Beasley or even Convey at LM, fits the role of supersub perfectly right now now. I realize I went to youth midfielders as well here, but I think it's necessary as it affects the overall attacking outlook of the team. (ie strikers) Twellman should never wear the USA uniform again EJ still has potential, but I'm getting sick of him, Ching is the only known quantity as a target forward with the Senior team and will be given a chance to make the 2010 WC team. I apologize for all the ()'s in this post (I hope you were able to follow along) that was very good.
Are you saying that because you think the CM lack defensive quality or what? Adu should actually be the farther left of the 2 CMs. Perphaps I should've noted that Feilhaber has more defensive responsibility than Adu in that formation. I realize Adu doesn't play spectacular D but he plas more than Donovan or Dempsey, please elaborate.
And the rumor is Eddie Johnson could be headed to Derby County this summer.The last striker we had that was getting first team football in the EPL was pretty good... Also Adu to Celtic is rumored as well. If these guys go to Europe, that will be 3 American attackers this year alone. That's encouraging. PLus, I would suspect the Altidore may not be far behind. If the the amount of Euro clubs coming in for American players isn't a sure sign that US football is on the rise, I don't know what is.
The proposed midfield lacks balance. Even Argentina plays with Mascherano and Cambiasso. Any lineup with Beasley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Adu - particularly Adu - needs a defensive guy for balance. Though Feilhaber is my favorite of the younger midfielders, I think you need a guy like Clark or Bradley as a d-mid to make that lineup feasible. Let's be honest: Adu won't ever lineup in the middle. He needs to play higher up the field.
Agree. I think we've found this summer that, in any foreseeable future, you really want Feilhaber playing in the middle of the pitch for us. He brings offensive creativity and flair to the middle and will spring a lot of attacks for those more out-and-out attacking mids/wingers that we've got (ie Donovan, Dempsey, Beasley, Mapp, probably Convey once he's back) and are developing (ie possibly Adu, Nguyen, Hill, etc.). But he alone does not present sufficient defensive bite. You need to partner him with someone else who brings a bit more ball-winning strength. This guy doesn't have to be a pure destroyer a la Mastroeni (although it could be a guy like that) but would preferably be a more two-way guy, like Clark or Bradley Jr (or perhaps a guy like Edu or Szetela one of these days) who brings sufficient defensive ball-winning presence. Obviously, things are looking fairly good in this general area of the pitch for us over the foreseeable future, but it's far too early to say exactly what our best lineup(s) might look like in 09/10... We do seem to have a lot of young guys in these roles with talent, though, and the chances are good that at least a couple of very good players the caliber of say a Beasley, Convey, Mapp, Adu, etc could possibly be on the bench or stay home in the WC. Of course, that's the sort of problem we've always wished we had.
Pretty much what everybody else has said since this post. Let me emphasize, however, that as good as Feilhaber can be (and I think he could potentially be the best we've ever produced at CM) he needs to play alongside or in front of someone who is at least his equal defensively. Thus, I'd look at something like this if you want to play Adu (and I do want to): ------------------Striker------------------ -------------------Adu------------------- --Beasley------------------------Donovan ------------Feilhaber--Clark---------------
I like Tonerl's lineup, and I think that's what BB will be running in 2009 at the latest. I hate that it demotes Dempsey to supersub, but really, what choice is there? I like the flexibility...it can be radically changed with a single sub (for example, another DM for Adu, with Donovan moving to the center, or, a right wing for Benny, moving Donovan up top in a 4-4-2 diamond). And even without changing the personnel, you can tell Landon to play striker and ask Feilhaber or Clark to cover the right wing's defensive responsibilities.
If we go with a youth movement at striker, or just a youth movement in general...(it's the U-20's after-all). We have to look at the repercussions of playing our vets and the newer guys. Both the chemistry and the tactical issues. Some have mentioned the problems with EJ, or Twellman Others the problems with having Adu & Donovan. Others the problems with having Benny and ??? as there other CM So the problems are real: 1) EJ is not very technically skilled and needs another forward, Twellman is a poacher who cannot finish (not good) 2) Finding a formation that will tactically suite a withdrawn forward (LD's best) and a CAM (Freddy's best) is not easy. 3) With BF becoming a classic pivot, who is his other CM. Tactically, the only formation that meets all those requirements is the 3-5-2 ------Altidore----LD----- ------------Adu---------- DMB------------------Duece ------Benny---Szetela------ (BTW Danny is in because of the focus on youth....Rico is better now) But is our defense ready to do this? Is Duece a capable RM in the 3/5/2? Good questions... I don't have the answer, but the 3-5-2 does meet the tactical requirements and allowd the most players to be in there natural position, thus minimizing potential chemistry problems. You could also run a BL 4-4-2/3-5-2 with a pivot and a DMB as a left back...SFS you want to contribute to how that would work?? PooBah
You got it poobah, I was about to say this would be much easier if I thought we had the backs to play a 3-5-2. I guess it'd have to look something like this: ----------------Donovan---------------------Altidore---------------------- Beasley-----------------------Adu--------------------------------Dempsey ---------------Feilhaber------------------Clark---------------------------- Bornstein----------------------Parkhurst---------------------------Spector -------------------------------Howard------------------------------------ But like I said I don't see us having the backs to do it, otherwise it's perfect.
I would say that Conrad, Gooch, Bocanegra, Gibbs (if healthy), Demerit, and maybe some I can't think of right now would be a better choice in the middle of a 3 man line than Parkhurst. Don't get me wrong, I like Parkhurst but I think he needs to be paired with someone who can win some balls in the air. Heck, I think a 3 man backline precludes Bornstein (and Cherundolo possibly) as well since the best part of his game (supposedly) is his ability to get forward and that's not what you're looking for out of a LB in this formation. More likely your line would be: Bocanegra/Gibbs------ Conrad/Gooch/Demerit/Gibbs -------Spector/Simek
Where does it come from? Have you ever seen him try to trap a ball? It's painful. Since I disagreed with you above, let me say that this I do agree with. I'm also looking forward to seeing how Convey looks for Reading this season - if he can continue to improve as he has for the past 2-3 years, I could see him holding down the starting LM job.
The US can not run a 3-5-2 against top teams and hope to be effective, and there is no way in hell Dempsey will play RWB. modified AC Milan style: ------------Striker------------ ----------------Landon------- --------Adu------------------ --Beasley--------Feilhaber---- ------------Clark------------- -Bornstein---------------Dolo- --------Boca---Gooch-------- -----------Howard------------ Options in the front six are Dempsey for anyone other than Clark plus all the forward posibilities. Against ManU AC attacked diagonally just short of the corners creating an in-to-out rotation of four attacking players with generally a fifth target player making a near-post run. So say when the US advances the ball up the right Landon makes a wide diagonal run early, Dolo plays it to Benny and overlaps while Adu comes right to support and the combining begins. It's sort of hard to describe without pictures (note: DM, LCM, and the LB are all support players looking for a switch short and long). ------------------------- ------------ST---------- -------------------RAM-- ------------LAM--------- -----------------------RB -------LCM-----RCM----- ---LB-------DM---------- -----------ST----------- --------------LAM---RAM ------------------------- --------------RCM----RB -------LCM------------- ---LB-------DM--------- ------------------------ Then often this structure develops when the RB has the ball laid back/wide: --------ST---LAM---RAM -------------RCM------- ------LCM------------RB -------------DM-------- --LB-------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------ The great thing about this style of buildup in this formation is that 3/4 of the attacking players on the ball side are free to switch as they like while the fourth, the RB, generally stays wide; they can also involve the ST in the buildup as needed or switch into his "position". Plus with Beasley as the "LCM" long switches from right to left will probably create a good opportunity for a cross into the box. This constant wide overloading of creative, technical players, will pull apart any defense and once the point of attack has been effectively switched numerous times the middle will open. We are at the dawn of a new era for the USMNT.
Do you believe he's at some level below the other available strikers in this regard? In my opinion, his touch and ball skills are the equal of any true striker in the pool. I'm not saying that is good on some absolute level, I'm just doing the concrete comparison with his direct competition. I've never really believed in Convey, so take this however you want. I don't really see him getting any better, and I think he'll never help you in all the ways Beasley does. He's a nice guy to have in the pool, but I don't see him cracking the true first-choice eleven.
That is exactly what I was thinking. And to elaborate, as BobMorocco alludes in his post about the quasi-Milan system, we're getting to a point where we have a small but influential core of young players who are tactically astute. As these players grow into the system more and become comfortable with Donovan and Beasley, you begin to see a squad that can change formations without any subs or even any direct prodding from the coach. That formation could very easilty become this one: -----------------Striker----------------- -Beasley-----------------------Donovan- ------------------Adu------------------- ----------Feilhaber---Clark--------------- and you've got yourself a 4-3-3, should the situation call for it, with Adu doing a Deco impersonation. The permutations are practically infinite, and this is the first time that we've had enough players with the necessary acumen to be able to manipulate the game in this way.
Damn, I'd love to see that combination of speed, positional flexibility and tactical smarts/technical ability! My concern would be in the area of size and bite. I think that the striker in that formation would need some height and strength. Ching could do it, but I'd prefer someone with legspeed too (Altidore anyone?).
Bob you have a great formation there. Nice and compact with lots of flexibility, I really like it. The Milan 4-3-1-2 is a Quintesential Italian Formation. Compact in the defense and full of flair in the attack. My only issue, in your formation you have Clark as the CM. Now, as you know, the Pivot in the 4-3-1-2 has to be the person who switches the field. You have our only pivot out to the right. If Rico and Benny had lots of time to work together and Bob was willing to make the commitment to basically work your formation in every friendly and qualifier from now until 2010 I would say it would work. Rico is not a Pivot, Gattuso and Pirlo are both world class and they can pull it off, I just worry about our midfield in your formation. BTW, I could see Danny being a better long term choice as I think his passing is better, but I have not seen enough of Rico to really make an informed opinion. Great Post PooBah
Our backs would have to be Gibbs---------------Spector --------Conrad---------- The two outside backs are the only real marking backs and those are our two best marking backs (Gibbs/Spector)...not saying much and Gibbs may never be back 100%. Conrad is the sweeper in this alignment. I don't know, it may not work. Against top quality opponents, bob has a good point, we could get torn apart. I just wanted to put out a formation that was tactically correct and minimized the effects of some of the issues people had brought up in moving forward with a 'youth movement'. Defensively, I just don't know. PooBah
I'm not saying that Rico is a CM. But, a major characteristic of his game is switching the field. He does all the time. Almost too much for my taste, at the expense of getting many penetrating passes. But, the dudes 1st option is almost always to keep the ball moving laterally across the field.