Based on the fact he's in the starting eleven of a belgian premier league, he plays UEFA cup and he's in the best rated player of his team. Else, give me a US defender who's in the starting eleven. Please, in a premier league team.
1. Carlos Bocanegra 2. Steve Cherundelo 3. Jonathan Spector (for now) Gooch has SKILLS, though. I'd love to see him soon in the full National Team. BTW, anybody know if Alex Yi is still hanging around Belgium, or is he coming back to MLS?
usually I don't respond 2 ind posters but you're privy 2 a rare exception. Dolo is slow and short and will always be slow and short despite being an OK defender in a zone, but he's not the best RB 4 the US @ man marking, winning 50/50's, or keeping pace w/ skilled or speedy guys running at him. Considering the way Bruce prefers Heydude and has tried Albright, shows a lack of confidence. Heydude's crosses have a nice bend but are often untargeted. He's got good foot work and is a sinch 2 get off a play in the box. Heydude plays much harder for 90' than most everyone else. Hustle and speed can go a long way. If you saw Witbred in the U-20's or in the Liverpool v Porto game, it's easy 2 see he was flatly outclassed by the opponents. He has really bad form, is excruciatingly slow at reading a play developing, and also isn't exactly a speedster--something all outside backs must have 2 play our overlapping style. He does have 2 things tho, he's relatively tall and is an excellent offensive player. He's WAY down on the depth chart. There's a reason he was wearing #37 on tour here. Reserve matches simply aren't good enough 2 beat out guys getting actual run in the first team. Cooper's dad didn't score those goals for him, but we'll both see what he can do against actual competition and not just reserve matches. -------------------------------------------- BTW, I don't recall anyone naming Conner Casey, he's been slowed by injuries lately but has been a consistent goal scorer.
4. Wade Barrett? -------------- Yi got spanked in a scrimage at SMU a couple yrs back. I think Yi is supposed 2b Galaxy bound from what these boards claim. PS spector is the real deal, 2 matches in the Prem and a solid summer tour. If Bruce isn't being coy and really isn't enthralled by Gooch, than Spector will surely get a look see.
another vote for Bocanegra, but he's starting to earn some props. Of course, my evidence is his value in my EPL Yahoo fantasy league. I bought him for the PAR VALUE (like 3 points) and now he's nearly 15 points. He even dropped below the par value before the season started. Spector is the 3rd or 4th most expensive defender in that league now. I made a killing selling him. Young Americans in the EPL are a very good investment.
Greg Vanney - Bastia, France Ligue 1 Robbie Russell - Rosenborg, whatever Norway 1st division is called Eddie Pope, Metros, MLS (I include him simply because he easily could start for numerous european first division clubs) Gooch is a very exciting prospect, and I don't think any of our current defenders has anywhere near his seemingly absurd physical talent and potential. But he isn't just going to walk into a starting job on the Nats, he's going to have to earn it.
You're wrong here. Dolo's only weakness is defending at the far post while the crosses are coming from the left flank. Even that he is improving on this area. When there are more offense is needede, Bruce will get him on the field, but if there is more defense is needed, Frankie will get the call (if he doesn't try to lunge to an attacker then misses). As for Whitbread, he is firmly in Liverpool's top 18 now. He didn't make the top 16 because one of the young defender--the left back Warnock is in there and even starting the game. He just one defense injury away to an EPL game. Spector got the chance because that injuries to Keane.
Top 4: 1. Hanhemann 2. Russell 3. Onyewu 4. Beasley I can't say enough about the value of Hanhemann to Reading. He's the glue to keeps them together. I agree with what was said about him fully. Russell is a guy that amazes me every time I've seen clips of him. He's rock solid on D and is very good moving forward. He's worked his ass off to get to Rosenborg and he will reward them. Metz has lost a gem with Gooch. I don't know how they could pass on bringing Gooch back but their loss is Standard Liege's gain. He's an absolute monster and will be an asset to any team he suites up for. I know Beasley isn't not underrated in this country but I bet when first signed with PSV, there were probably many Dutch who were skeptical. He's already settled in and by the end of the season he will be a fan favorite and will have a huge impact on and off the field for PSV.
Look, I don't want to sound unkind as I like the guy and I hope he regains the form he showed a couple of years ago, but last season he wasn't anything special. Hard to say why, but many thought the lack of an experienced back up keeper pushing him allowed him to slip into a bit of a comfort zone. On the bench was an 18 year old. We did have another keeper, but we loaned him to Rushden for the season, where he did really well. When Hahnemann got injured at the end of the season this other keeper came back and looked better than Hahnemann did, any many said it was a good thing as it might make Marcus refocus a bit (and others said he'd take over as No.1 keeper). But he went to Portsmouth for more money and Marcus is again having no more challenge to his place than 18 year old jamie young again. Don't get me wrong, fans still like him, but at the moment he's not the player he can be.
Hear, hear. Bobby Convey is half-starting in "The Coca-Cola Championship" and accomplished little in MLS, and he's much more popular among U.S. fans than Eddie Lewis, who was described by FourFourTwo Magazine as the "best player" for another Cola club, and who enjoyed far greater success in MLS than did Convey. Sure, Bobby is nearly a decade younger, but still ...
Reyna. No, not by managers, or most English fans, but by American fans, he's vastly underrated, if BigSoccer is any kind of accurate barometer. Not that there aren't some other deserving players listed here, but Reyna is absolutely class, and there are way too many American fans who just don't see it. I mean... right back? What?
Nah, he's the most overrated. Captain America, our #10, huge feature story in USA Today before '02 World Cup, captain's armband, our one indispensible player, our one world-class player. You'd think the guy was Patrick Viera, instead of a holding midfielder on a team in the bottom half of the EPL table. Didn't Bruce play him at right wingback against Mexico? I guess he learned everything he knows from bigsoccer.com ... Look, Claudio's a nice player, a true pro, Lord knows we could use more like him in the U.S.A. But if the man is lacking for anything, it's not publicity.
Thought of you when I saw this lineup suggestion from a bigsoccer.com newbie, posted just today. Beasley.......Ching........Gaven O'Brien......Donovan......Dempsey Spector....Boca....Pope....Reyna ..................Howard Upon thinking more about the subject, I would retract my argument that Claudio Reyna is overrated. He was overrated terribly before the World Cup. Now he is fairly rated, possibly even (gulp) underrated as you maintain.
Another vote for Eddie Lewis. He's been great for Preston ever since joining them. I won't say Bocanegra because frankly he's been playing out of position and although not slow is not as fast as you'd like for a wingback in the EPL. He's best when covering the middle for Fulham, but gets killed at times. Will be interesting to see him versus Pires & Ljunberg again on 11 Sept. I think Dolo is underrated despite some other comments to the contrary in this thread - he seems to have a good enough rep in Hannover but I think his contributions there may be clouded by his, IMO, at times sketchy US Nat performances. If we're just talking about who plays abroad and is underrated based on their performances there I would put him up the list. If you're saying who both plays abroad and for the US Nats and does them both....not so sure about him.
Are you the John Kerry of BigSoccer??? You just flip-flopped in two consecutive posts on Reyna. I'm having a hard time believing that Boca is underrated when EVERYONE says he is underrated then says he's the best defender in the USA. You can't rate him much higher than that. I'd say Lewis based on the fact he is crapped on by most posters left and right about being called up but he's proved himself to be valuable both in England and for the USMNT.