i will be the first person to stand in line to let bob bitch slap me if Findley and Clark both score and the US wins. until that happens i reserve the right to think bob is a f**king moron when it comes to team and lineup selections and substitution policy based on historical evidence.
I actually kinda like the idea of Buddle paired with Altidore, but just don't know if it would work out. The friendlies would have been a good time to test it. I still would rather see Findley off the bench against a tired Terry and (especially) King, but maybe he can wear them down for Gomez later.
Exactly I don't understand Altidore over Buddle. What more was Buddle supposed to vs Australia to win the starting spot? He scored two goals and spoon fed Findley with an open goal. He was beast winning balls in the air and tracked back on defense consistently. Is Jozy really that much better that him scoring one wide open goal justifies him starting? I just hope Altidore proves me wrong cause he's my favorite player on the team and probably has the brightest future from all of our current stars. But right now Buddle is the obvious choice IMO.
even a blind squirrel finds the occasional acorn? but you are right. it has happened before, but the "bad" choices that ended turning out badly far outnumber the "bad" choices that proved all us BS Bob haters wrong. by quite a large margin. but like everybody else has said this is one time we would all love dearly and would be ecstatic to be proven wrong.
Is anyone really surprised here? BB is the ultimate creature of habit. I do like starting Findley, as I think he will offer value in stretching the field. My only concern is that the center midfield will lack the wherewithal to give Findley and Altidore the service they need to do some damage. Admittedly going on a small sample size here, but the first few games of the World Cup have been interesting in that the performances of each team have tracked almost identically to how they were performing in the friendlies leading up to the tournament (i.e., Greece looking awful; S. Korea looking good; France looking completely impotent; RSA continuing their unbeaten run, etc.). This suggests to me that given how both England and the U.S. have played in their friendlies suggests a REAL opportunity for the U.S. to do damage here. I just wish BB took more from the relative performance of the players IN THE LAST 3 FRIENDLIES and structured his lineup accordingly.
That's not going to be effective if we're down and they're semi bunkering for a result. But yes, Gomez would be one of the prime candidates to come off the bench in that situation, along with maybe Buddle, and Torres. I wanted Holden to be the #1 sub, but I feel like starting Findley and leaving two scorers on our bench ties our hands. Findley would have been coming off the bench if we were leading, along with Beasley, if I were the coach. I don't know what we're going to do now if one of our undisputed back 4 tire, suffer an injury, or get disqualified.
Can you cite some examples to back this up? Doesn't BB get some credit for adjustments made and chances taken at the Confed Cup?
Great lineup. It gives us the best chance to win. Findley covers lots of ground, plays D, and get forward with speed. Look to LD, CD, and JA for scoring. So many of you do not see the big picture. Clarks athleticism will be critical.
yeah. because edu is a crippled pensioner. and torres soccer brain and skill in no way make up for his fractionally less athletic nature.
you mean after his suspect choices and tactics and substitutions got us crushed in the first two games? but i will give him credit. at least he isn't starting borensuck. for that i think we can all agree we are thankful.
It's not looking good for Bradley so far. Indeed he kept too high of a line, and got beat, as he often did in qualifiers. That's in addition to a giveaway when he had loads of time.
That defense looks like a girl's high school team. Awful, simply awful. Bradley has looked sluggish too.
We need Torres in there to help control the midfield. This lineup is playing shambolically in this 'defensive" mode.