If I ever knew this I've forgotten. What has been the customary practice, if any, for filling the three overage spots among the world's soccer powers? What about in the US? Does this competition matter enough to Brazil, Italy and the like to send their "3 best" (or at least the 3 best who also fill a need)? Do some simply not bother to use overage players as if to say "we don't need to" (would a FIFA player-of-the-year type even want such an assignment)? Do you give the spot to some players who are maybe just over the age limit in order to give them international experience? Do you reward a player on the down slope of his career and "who always wanted to go to the Olympics" ? All of the above? None? (Either of which would simply mean there is no "custom" ) In part, I suppose the answer will depend on the degree to which the world's soccer powers regard the Olympics as "meaningful". If Olympic basketball were a U-23 tourney would it matter as much here?
Brazil is sending Kaka, Robinho, and Juan... Dunga announced that last week... I remember in '96, it was Bebeto, Juninho (the right back) and Rivaldo... altho scratch Rivaldo because Im not sure if he was 23 back then...
I would bring Guzan, Parkhurst, and Bornstein who just barely missed the cutoff and you get them some very important international experiance while also filling in some holes, and you still leave the full team with a quality squad when they play Guatemala. -----------------Guzan------------------- Wynne----Spector---Parkhurst----Bornstein Rogers-------Bradley-----Feilhaber------Adu --------------Davies----Altidore------------ Subs: Seitz Ianni Myers Edu Kljestan Holden Findley That still leaves for Guatemala: ---------------------Howard----------------- Cherundalo----Onyewu---Bocanegra----Pearce ----------------------Clark------------------- ----------Donovan-------------Beasley------- ---------------------Dempsey---------------- --------------Ching-----------Johnson-------- Subs: Hahnamann Demerit Simek Beckerman Convey Rolfe Twellman
I think the S. America teams will be a little stronger or non-European teams in general due the Euro 2008. It's a month gap but who knows who gets knocked around in the tourney plus this little issue won't be ignore soon. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/07/sports/OLY-Beijing-Training-in-Japan.php More and more countries are staging their teams outside of China. Too much BS to go through
I know Argentina used overage players enroute to the gold four years ago. So did Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Paraguay, Greece, South Korea, Japan, Iraq, Australia, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali and Ghana. (Not every team used all three overage slots.) Only Serbia did not. Clink this link and you can see the rosters of each team with the DOB. http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=8229/teams/index.html In Sydney in 2000, gold-medalist Cameroon used overage players. So did Morocco, the US, Nigeria, Chile, Slovakia, Kuwait, South Korea, Japan, Australia and South Africa. (Again, not every team used all three slots.) Spain (bronze medalist), Brazil, Italy, the Czechs and Honduras did not use overage players. Again, follow this link to see the rosters. http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=3945/index.html Here's the link to 96, the first year there were overage players. the US, Argentina, Brazi, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, France, Saudia Arabia, South Korea, Australia, Tunisia, Ghana and gold-medalist Nigeria used overage players. Spain and Japan did not. http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197142/index.html
For USA - I'd like to see Tim Howard for the tournament experience. He'll be the man in the Nets for the World Cup, and thus far his experience in an international tournament has been in the ConFed Cup and last year's Gold Cup. after that? Gooch and Jonathan Bornstein.
Apparently Riquelme, Mascherano, and Demichelis will be playing for Argentina: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/football/n214236767.shtml
No way Bradley goes into a WC Cup qualifier in Guatemala sans his top GK and two of his preferred starting defenders, especially when he's already missing so many of his preferred players because they are U23 guys. Brad Guzan makes a lot more sense in goal if Nowak decides he wants someone more experienced than Chris Seitz in goal.
Good case. I do think we're likely to use the overage spots on a keeper and a defender. I think Guzan and Conrad or Parkhurst make a lot of sense there. I'd really like to see Landon Donovan as the third, because I really think we could medal in this one, and he would help that cause a lot. But that would mean doing without him against Guatemala.