Ideally, the games in October should be a place for the USMNT to bleed some of its new players, who would you like to see called in and receive significant minutes if the US can afford to experiment? I'd like to see: -Rest: Cherundolo, Howard, Jones, Donovan, Dempsey, Bocanegra, Goodson, Onyewu, and Gomez (the 30 and older group of starters) -Call Chandler back in and see if he will commit. -Give Guzan some minutes -Establish Lichaj as an international LB. -Estalish Danny Williams as an international RB (if Chandler doesn't commit) or as CDM (if he does). -Give Cameron a chance to lead the backline. -Cap-tie and see what Seb Hines can do at CB. -Cap-tie Joe Corona and Alfredo Morales. -Call Ream back in. -See who else can play CDM besides Edu & Beckerman (Holden? Williams? Morales?). -Call in Andrew Wooten, Josh Gatt, Joe Gyau, and Mikkel Diskerud. -Try out some of the MLS stars: Meara, Beitashour, Myers, John, Pontius, Zusi, Adu, Agudelo, and Sapong. So, in short, if the US manages to qualify by the October friendlies, my roster would be: GK Guzan, Meara, Rimando (Alt: Hamid/Johnson) FULL Lichaj, Parkhurst, Castillo, Beitashour/Chandler* (Alt: Myers, Morrow) CB Ream, Cameron, Hines, John/Whitbread* (Alt: Besler) CDM Williams, Morales (Alt: Kitchen or Okugo/Larentowicz/Beckerman/Edu/Clark) MID Torres/Holden*, Zusi/Kljestan, Diskerud, Corona (Alt: Zusi/Kljestan, Bedoya) WING Gyau, Gatt, Pontius, Adu (Alt: Shea) FWD Wooten, Agudelo/Sapong (Alt: Agudelo/Sapong or Boyd) possible XI -------------------Wooten--------------------- --------Pontius--------------Adu-------------- ------Torres/Holden---Zusi/Kljestan--------- --------------------Williams-------------------- Lichaj-------------------------------Chandler/Parkhurst ------------Cameron--------Ream--------------- ----------------------Guzan----------------------- bench: Meara, Hines, Morales, Diskerud, Corona, Gatt/Gyau, Agudelo/Sapong
This is actually a pretty solid first team. I'd rather thrown in one of the young wingers in for Pontius but other then that I like it.
if this line-up is too experimental, you can add in Johnson, Bradley, and Altidore and have the best American players that will be under the age of 30 come 2014. Still, i think there is no point in risking injuries to starters if we lock up qualification. Plus, it's crucial to see which of these young players is ready to step up their games and which are not.
I want to see: Cameron, Lichaj, Gatt and Pontius. That would make me very happy though, so it won't happen.
I think of it more along the lines of the players I don't want to see: Howard, Dempsey, Bradley, Johnson, Altidore and the 30 and older field players.
GK: Guzan, Rimando and one of Hamid/Johnson DF: I don't think he'll be healthy yet but would love to have Gonzo there if healthy, Cameron, Lichaj (at RB), John, Ream, Someone else at LB (Castillo and Johnson seem to be 1 and 2 but we need more depth as we have seen this week). MF: Corona, Diskerud, Zusi, Shea, Williams (at CM/DM), Morales (could also see him at RB/CB) FW: Boyd, Sapong This isn't a complete....just guys I wouldn't mind seeing out there. AND NO CHANDLER!
Goop opening post. I kind of view it in two levels, guys I want to see, and guys I don't want to see. Don't = Howard, Dolo, Boca, Onyewu, Dempsey, Donovan, Jones, Bradley, Edu. We know what they can do, and what they can't. Older guys I want JK to take a look at: Beasley, Feilhaber, Kljestan, Buddle (injury), Holden (injury). Would also want to see more of Beckerman. Younger/less established players I want to see more of: Guzan, Hamid, Lichaj, Cameron, Gonzalez (injury), Ream, Whitbread, John, Hines, Williams, Chandler, Diskerud, Gatt, Shea, Adu, Agudelo, Boyd. Someting like this: ------------Guzan----------- Lichaj--Cameron--Ream--Castillo ------------Williams--------- Chandler--Holden----Beasley ------Agudelo---Buddle-------- Backups: GK = Hamid; RB: Williams/Parkhurst; LB: Williams/Lichaj/Chandler; CB: Gonzalez, Whitbread, Hines; DM: Beckerman; CM: Diskerud, Kljestan; RM: Gatt, LM: Shea, Feilhaber; CAM: Adu, Feilhaber; F: Boyd, Cooper, Sapong.
cb's. cameron/ream/gonzalez/john. mix and match. im all for young forwards (boyd, sapong, agudelo) getting run, looking at some wide players (gatt, see where shea is at, possibly gyau) certainly wouldnt hurt, but theres a very real chance we have no established cb should boca tumble down that other side of the hill hes on and/or gooch doesnt regain some semblance of form. thats the only spot we dont have anyone we know we can trust behind our 30-somethings.
This. It's not a giant sample size, but anyone who's watched the MLS this year, more specifically the Red Bulls, knows that there's a reason New York didn't go grab a veteran goalie before the year. Meara has been fantastic. And for the record - because I know I don't like it when people try to knock A to promote B - I want to emphasize that Hamid, Johnson, and Rimando have been good too. Meara has just been great.
i wouldn't mind calling in a 30 and under group for these two games if we take care of business. A look at our best players under 30 come 2014. So, no: Howard, Rimando, Cherundolo, Whitbread, Parkhurst, Goodson, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Jones, Beckerman, Donovan, Dempsey, Gomez, Beasley, and Wondolowski... here is a look of an ABCD team of the young players in our pool. A lot of these players will move up or down based on injury, recovery, and form, but here's my list of the top under 30 players come 2014 based on the current 4-3-3 system. Forward 1. Jozy Altidore 2. Terrence Boyd 3. Andrew Wooten 4. CJ Sapong 5. Kenny Cooper - HM: Will Bruin, Teal Bunbury, David Estrada, Villyan Bijev, Jerome Kiesewetter, or Omar Salgado? Winger 1. Chris Pontius 2. Freddy Adu 3. Juan Agudelo 4. Josh Gatt 5. Brek Shea 6. Joe Gyau - HM: Eddie Gaven, Robbie Rogers, Nick DeLeon, Dilly Duka, Tony Cascio, Luis Gil, Brad Evans, Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, Alejandro Guido, Diego Fagundez, or Marc Pelosi? Midfielder 1. Stuart Holden* 2. Michael Bradley 3. Jose Torres 4. Sacha Kljestan 5. Graham Zusi 6. Joe Corona 7. Mikkel Diskerud - HM: Benny Feilhaber, Alejandro Bedoya, Conor O' Brien, Seb Lletget, Victor Pineda, or Danny Cruz? Def Mid 1. Danny Williams 2. Maurice Edu 3. Alfredo Morales - HM: Perry Kitchen, Amobi Okugo, Dax McCarty, Jared Jeffrey, Kirk Urso, or Sam Cronin? Right Back 1. Tim Chandler* 2. Jonathan Spector 3. Steve Beitashour 4. Zach Loyd - HM: Chance Myers, Tony Beltran, Kevin Alston, Ray Gaddis, Sheannon Williams, or Caleb Stanko? Left Back 1. Fabian Johnson 2. Eric Lichaj 3. Eric Castillo 4. Heath Pearce - HM: Justin Morrow, Seth Sinovic, Sean Cunningham, Greg Garza, AJ De la Garza, Connor Lade, Juan Pablo Ocegueda, or Corey Ashe? Center Back 1. Geoff Cameron 2. Tim Ream 3. Omar Gonzalez* 4. Seb Hines 5. George John - HM:. Matt Besler, Marvell Wynne, Chad Marshall, AJ Soares, Will Packwood, Austin Berry, Jalil Anibaba, Brad Rusin, Eric Brunner, or Michael Orozco? Goalkeeper 1. Brad Guzan 2. Ryan Meara* 3. Bill Hamid 4. Sean Johnson - HM: Zac MacMath, Tally Hall, Steve Clark, Joe Willis, Brian Perk, Jon Kempin, Cody Cropper, David Bingham, or Chris Seitz?
Should be an interesting mix of new young talent and reestablishing some older guys in October if we've wrapped up qualification. They guys they need to bring back into the fold due to injury/poor form/out the rotation/need another look are: Holden Chandler Shea Beasley Cameron Ream Gonzalez Lichaj Spector Cooper Agudelo Boyd Hamid Zusi The new players they need to bleed should be: Corona Mixx Gatt Gyau John So something like this: Hamid Spector-Cameron-Ream-Lichaj Mix-Holden-Zusi Beasley-Agudelo-Shea
For me it depends how we play during the early matches. If we win the early matches & qualify with games to spare...........but look uninspired and average doing it, I can easily Klinsmann going with the "A" team for the remainder of the semi group.
I'm biased, but Johnson has been amazing for the most part, apart from one game so far. Meara has been good too, wouldn't mind seeing him, but Johnson has a higher ceiling IMO.
Rather than list players, which other posters have done very well already, I'll take a slightly different spin on the thread topic. Ever since the end of the 2010 World Cup, I've been nervous, and eager, to see the transition to newer, younger defenders, especially the CBs. More skilled defenders would be an added bonus, but some kind of transition prior to 2014 was crucial. It's been my #1 concern for almost 2 years now. We knew DeMerit, Boca, and Cherundolo were going to be well past 30, and Onyewu and Goodson were going to be slightly north of 30 in 2014. Plus, Onyewu was still recovering from his first knee injury and Only Spector and Bornstein would be prime-age players in 2014, and JB was an on-going quality concern at LB. So, if/when qualification to the next round is assured, I'd like to see a serious focus on finding/developing better/younger defenders, especially the CBs. I'm much less worried about how the midfielders and forwards shake out. But the defensive backbone HAS to be the next focus. Keep some of the known quantities around in midfield and up front, for continuity, but work on that back line as Job #1. Double down on getting Chandler back, or focus on Lichaj, at RB. Keep playing Johnson at LB to build up his international experience. Bring in Ream, Gonzo (as soon as healthy), Cameron, John, Whitbread (if healthy), Besler , Hines. Commit some serious time to these guys.
Anyone i'd be interested in or somewhat deserves a shot... (stars will be next to prefered) GK's: Meara, Saunders, Hall, Gruenebaum, Kennedy DEF: Chandler*, Lichaj*, Ream*, Hines*, Demerit*, Borchers, Wynne, Beitashour*, John*, Gonzalez*, Soares, Dunivant, Spector, Besler, John Anthony Brooks MID: Kljestan*, Holden*, Davis*, Labrocca, Zusi*, Adu*, Williams*, Nguyen*, Beasley, Morales, DeLeon*, Shea, Gyau*, Gatt, Diskerud, Bedoya FWD: Wooten*, Cooper, Agudelo, Pontius*, Sapong These are players not in the current squad. Throw in some in the current with not much playing time with the starred guys & you got what i'd like to see..
Morrow too. I know he's only played a few games at LB for San Jose but with the lack of depth at the position, it wouldn't hurt to see him get called into camp and compete.
Morrow fits in the category for me that he can wait until Camp Cupcake. Ready in October: GK=Guzan, Meara, DF=Lichaj, Castillo, Spector, Chandler, Ream, Cameron, Hines, John, MF=Edu, Williams, Bradley, Kljestan, Torres, Pontius, Gatt, Adu, FW=Agudelo, Boyd, Altidore, Wooten On the Fence/Challengers: Beitashour, Bedoya, Gyau, Shea, Cooper, Diskerud, Zusi, Morales, Corona, Holden (if healthy) Can wait till January (or later/never): Hamid, Johnson, Besler, Gonzalez (if healthy), Myers, Morrow, Sinovic, Loyd, Pearce, Feilhaber, O' Brien, Duka, Rogers, Nguyen, Cascio, DeLeon, Cruz, Gil, Gaven, Evans, Bruin, Estrada, Bunbury
I don't know how to type this without it reading like I'm just being a jerk..so just trust that I'm not trying to be one. Why? If we qualify with games to spare and then play our A team the two outcomes are: 1) they look good but nobody will care because it will be against subpar competition; 2) they look poor yet again. Either way I think it's clear we start non-A team players for the most part. Obviously only in this scenario.
The point of bringing in a new team if we qualify early is to look at interesting new options that could take a part at some point. Im not saying what you're saying isnt possible but with what I said in mind, the likes of Bradley, Torres & so on should not be involved.
Why? Because it doesn't seem like something Jurgen will do. Unless I'm mistaken, our last game is at home against Guatemala. This game could be the critical contest in determining whether Jamaica or Guatemala advances. I could easily see Jurgen saying that for the integrity of the competition, we'll field our "A" team in this game. If the group is totally decided already, we can field whomever we want in that last game.
I wouldn't dare attempt to predict what Jurgen will do. So if that's what you're talking about, then nevermind what I said.
NYRB recently denied Meara a call up for the Republic of Ireland, so he may not play for the US in the future. At least, that's what I remember reading somewhere.