Our options at Left Back

We're all scratching our heads, and have been doing so for several years. Mind you, we don't have players in many of the other positions that inspire confidence, but the LB has been a particular sore spot. And nobody you've named does it for me. However, somebody has to play there, so it's like choose your poison. Well, maybe not that bad, but I just don't see anyone in the player pool right now who can compete against the aforementioned names. Not having seen Nazzani play, I would guess that he's more of a long-term possibility, given his age and lack of experience at higher levels of play.

 

It depends on what you want out of the fullback position and on the tactics. You need to be more specific.

 

Spector needs to be in the mix, assuming he resumes regular play for West Ham. I've seen him enough at left back, both with ManU and West Ham, to know that he is a reasonable candidate skill-wise, and he certainly has enough experience against quality players.

 

Pearce was the US best defender vs. England and is underutilized going forward by Bob.

He provides speed on the left flank to cover for the much slower central defenders and, as such, represents a good mix for the US defense overall.

To his situation at Rostock - Hansa is poor offensive club and its two best players are arguably another left back/left mid, a loaner from Leverkusen Bastian Oczipka (German youth international) and Fin Bartels, a left midfielder and also a German youth international.

Finally, they also have a veteran (29 YO) left midfielder Christian Rahn, who had played for Hamburg and Köln and has 5 caps with Germany.

All of the above are left footed players.

Heath mostly beaten out Rahn but then was beaten out by Oczypka.

In the game that I saw, Oczypka was by far Rostock's best player. The guy isn't on the Leverkusen books for nothing. The guy is a stud.

So, that's what it's like for Heath Pearce in Rostock - plenty of left footed players but no quality strikers. Take out their nine goal explosion vs. Koblenz and they have scored 14 goals in 14 matches, third worst in Bundesliga II.

That's the main reason why the club is in 15th place.

 

I'd be interested in a list of Nats-eligibles who played significant minutes at left back for each MLS team.

Did Frankie play much LB or was he solely RB?
Did Namoff log a bunch of minutes at LB?

 

I can see some of the questioning of our LB position, but it is by far not our worst. We have a solid starter in Pearce, who's gelled well with Beasley and the rest of the defenders. We have solid backups in Boca and Spector. Heck, we're happy starting Altidore at striker when it takes injuries for him to make the bench for his club (granted it's a much better club). Many push for Adu to start when he's struggling to get any playing time in a lower league.

LB is not nearly as bad as our RW situation, which for some reason continues to get ignored. LD is probably the best player there, but he's our best player and that's not his best position. Dempsey is ok, but a bit slow and doesn't provide the defensive cover that Beasley gives on the left. Szetela has done well there, but that's not his regular position and he needs to get more playing time with his club. Sasha has similar limitations to Dempsey. Heck, our best option may be to have Spector start at RB and move Dolo up to RM.

BB's move to a 4-2-3-1 formation has left a lot of pressure on our wing defenders. Beasley helps cover some of that on the left, but Dolo is left essentially on his own out right. This is ok against CONCACAF minnows, but will definitely get exploited by better international competition. This is why RM is our most critical concern at this point, not LB.

 

Any position where your lead starter on the national team is a 19 year old club backup is your weakest position.

So,yeah,it's still forward.

 

I think we really need a RM similar to Beasley at LM -- a player who can make a difference at offense (as well as cross the ball), but still is a significant contributer to defense. Dempsey doesn't fit that mold IMHO. White may be an option, but I haven't seen enough of him to know. Hill may also be an option, who also got some RB time for the Olympic qualifying.

As for LB options in MLS, I would venture to say that Pearce, Boca and Spector are all better LBs than the ones starting in MLS. Not saying that someone shouldn't get a look, but I doubt we'd find a solution.

 

DMB at left back? He did play a few minutes there in a qualifier when Lewis came in. We have other options at left mid, so its at least a possibility.

 

Frankie Hejduk's experience at left back is largely limited to WC2002, and where Bruce Arena called on him primarily because of a knee injury to Greg Vanney. His strength is his pace and work rate, although, at his age, that too is diminishing. He is primarily a right-footed player, and so would not fit well Bob Bradley's scheme, which involves using outside defenders to overlap, press into the attacking end and cross the ball. Bryan Namoff has been almost exclusively a right back for DC United (with some appearances in central defense and midfield), and has had very little (if any) experience on the left side. He has one cap with the US that I'm aware of, as a right back vs. Denmark.

It will be worth seeing if Cory Gibbs or Jonathan Bornstein regains his form. Either of those would likely be better option than Hejduk or Namoff.

 

Beasley should be playing LB. He doesn't have the imagination to produce what we need from LM anyway. With him at LB, we can play Freddy at LM and let him pinch in to play more centrally while Beasley runs like mad to overlap and provide the width.

 

If we ever did acquire Subotic, would he be able to play LB? I know that he usually plays Center Back.

 

What Beasley does provide from the wing is great, well timed runs. His biggest knock isn't creativity, but finishing sitters. Leaving Beasley to cover the entire left side, which is what would happen with Adu as a "LM", is foolish and puts too much pressure on our defense to cover for his offense. His pace and runs are necessary to us being able to break-down tough defenses.

I think Beasley would be sorely missed at LM, unless you replace him with someone like Rodgers. Rodgers has the pace and ability to be a threat on the left, but he has yet to develop the great timing and positioning that Beasley has on the wing. Still, I think that is a better option then putting a central creative player who doesn't work hard or defend out on the wing (Adu).

BTW, Beasley does not have any significant time for club or country at LB against decent competition for anyone to know if he would be any good at LB. Beasley plays best currently for the NT when he's backed up by Pearce, who helps out on offense and is solid on defense. This frees him up to make runs and provide width for our team, which is necessary.

 

No, the folks I've read who are hoping for Subotic to play for the US want him to play centrally and Bocanegra to play on the left. Subotic is already on record has saying he wants to play for Serbia, not the US.

 

Can I get a link to where he said this. I have never heard that he said that he wants to play for Serbia.

 

He's never gone on record saying he's set on Serbia.



And in a note related to our LB situation, Ives is reporting Bornstein may be on the move... to the New Medowlands Metro Bulls.

 

I don't read the article as Bornstein being on the move. It's more of a speculative piece, suggesting the best scenario for the trading away of the Red Bull's 2nd DP slot. Could it happen? Sure. But right now it's just one of several possible scenarios for the Red Bulls.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_...tove-suggesting-a-blockbuster-trade.html#more

 

Bornstein got moved to left midfield this past season, I believe.

Harrington is pretty much the only MLS based prospect at LB who plays the position for his club. He hurt himself with a poor performance in the U-23 China friendlies. He's looked excellent since imo.

 

so far, Bradley's LB plans look like:
1. Heath Pearce
2. Jonathan Bornstein
3. Frankie Hejduk (probably temporary only)
4. Jonathon Spector (moves ahead of Hejduk and maybe Bornstein when fully healthy again)
5.Cory Gibbs? Bocanegra? Not that strong, but maybe Frank Simek or Jay DeMeritt can play a little left back? I know they can both play on the right side...

 

Based on what we have, Beasley would be my first choice at LB.

 

Give Beasley a chance. He no longer has a place in the midfield.

 

This is debatable and it's one game. Life goes on, not freeze-frozen at one friendly.

Bradley, like Arena, wants outside backs to go forward. Which is why Dolo, Hejduk and Bornstein have all scored in Bradley's reign from the run of play. Pearce hasn't, not becauase Bradley is holding him back, but because he isn't quite in these guys' class going forward.

These are fine theoretical qualities. But he has to play well in reality, which he has done only intermittantly.

Actually, Rostock is tied for the fifth best offense in the Bundesliga, if you consider goals to be a good measure of offense - and the seventh worst defense in the Bundesliga. Is it too much to ask for a minimum of research?

Long-winded BS based on reports and extremely limited viewing -- what is actually known is that Rostock is a crap team in a mediocre league and Pearce is far from being one of their best players. You find this to be normal, while I recognize that while the USMNT player pool isn't competitive with the best teams, this resume is weak even by our standards.

Finally, even if true, regardless of the reason, Pearce not playing will likely lead to him performing worse for the USMNT.

 

Bornstein also played center back and right back this year. In the playoffs, he was back on defense, playing left back in Chivas' last game of the year.

Since Bradley has not played Hejduk as a left back, why do you say this?