Looks like there's a great competition shaping up for the a-mid role on the USMNT. Some of the people on the US boards seem ready to hand the job to Convey after the Argentina game. Big year coming up for Martino in his first full year as the man. It's really unfortunate he was injured for this camp. So, trying to be as unbiased as possible, how do Martino's chances stack up? How do Martino and Convey compare?
Martino, IMO, appears quicker, a better ball handler and is a good defender (unlike Olsen on both counts). He is very clever with the ball and gets it moving quickly. He has to get it moving quickly though as he (IMO) doesn't appear strong enough to hold long or take it through a crowd. Convey looks to have more pure speed and be a natural on the outside. Martino played some wing this year with only modest success on attack, but his ball skills allowed us to play a good posession game in the offensive 3rd. In sum, Martino is a natural center player. The ball would have moved better if he had been in mid. My guess is the Olsen experiment is over. Convey....?
I have to agree. From what I've seen, Martino seems a more natural fit inside with Convey more natural on the flank. It made me wonder when the folks on the US board, particularly United fans, seemed convinced that Convey was the man of the future in the middle for the US. I think his greatest potential is in competition with DMB for the left wing spot. I guess the biggest question with both of them is do they have enough size to avoid getting knocked off the ball in the middle of the field.