I'm sure these points have already been made, but I'll try to put in my two cents two days after the game: 1.) Terrence Boyd is hungry for Altidore's job. I think the competition between Jozy and Boyd will intensify. You could see it just by his work ethic, running hard and always following up on the shot. 2.) Fabian Johnson is one of the most consistent players I've seen. His first touch is very good, and you could tell he wanted to take the shot on that one vs. one display against Scotland. Bright future... 3.) It's clear that JK is exploring his options by subbing out Bocanegra for CB pairing. 4.) Cameron was good, but we'll see if he can hold his line against Brazil.
One thing I liked about Boyd was his hustle. Altidore seems to get lost after losing the ball or making an effort. Boyd kept going. It really helped set the tone..... In the end though, I don't think enough can be said of having Donovan back, can't wait to see how things are with him and Dempsey back together.
I agree, Altidore is a step down and his work ethic is lacking. Too prone to flop, and does not pursue a lost ball....in general too prima donnaish.. Just my opinion of course.
The second half they came out as if something bad had happened in the locker room. They seemed to be pissed, but not motivated.
Uh, no, they took a blood oath to embarrass themselves in front of their wives and children. Damn! If they hadn't done that, we could have celebrated!
I think the broadcast was just fine. A lot of complaining going on, but the fact of the matter is that the USMNT is now on a 24-hour sports cable channel, accessible to millions of Americans, which is owned by a national media giant who is hungry to put American soccer on their menu (including features on their shows and online platforms). I rejoice that it's not 1992 anymore!
And a channel that only those who are subscribed to special packages can get. There's always the Spanish language channels, but it's really not the same. I'll settle for ESPN, at least it's not on a channel that's 'hidden' or hard to find....
It could be that they were trying and just got creamed. Who knows. Some of the defense in the 2nd half was criminally lazy. Jones was so open for his header. By then the game was already out of reach. It's certainly believable that the teams' frame of mind were very different. The US is warming up for qualifiers; while for Scotland was playing their last match before a summer break. Still, this was a very important match for Scotland. It's their second to last match before their own WCQs begin. They needed to use this match.
It's still a speculative point. In any case, the original post was about Klinsmann specifically and his affinity for Boyd having to do strictly with his height, even though that goes against Klinsmann's philosophy both as stated and as executed thus far. Notice he's called up Torres and even guys like Castillo and AJ DeLaGarza, who fans said were too small to play internationally.
Torres and Castillo aren't strikers. It's not just height, although that's an important factor. It's height, strength, speed, quickness all in one package. It's hard to blame coaches for going for that, but sometimes you end up with Eddie Johnson types, and you miss the X factors.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is a joke, yes? How many goals has Boyd scored for his national team? His (first string) club team? Mmmkay. Judging Boyd's performance against a side that almost everyone here has referred to as "poor" is probably not the best way to go. Ever think that Jozy's "flopping" isn't part of a strategy to slow the pace down and/or win free kicks in dangerous areas? Have you also seen Jozy double and triple teamed all season in Holland? And still scoring? I like that we finally may have some options up front and it's good to push Jozy, but Jozy is our starting striker unless he is seriously injured. Luckily, our side is balanced enough where goals don't always come through our central attacker.
Yeah, Boyd made some good runs and held the ball up decently. But he didn't get anything on goal when he got a couple chances, in particular one Donovan crossed to him on the far side with space where he didn't even get off a shot. I gotta think in the midst of that kind of an offensive outburst, Jozy gets on the score sheet.
It was the best topbox volley uberstrike since Feilhaber hammered that laser out of the air v. Mexico in the '07 Gold Cup...
There was nothing 'set' about that piece... Scotland dodged a bullet on that one... it would have been a serious kick to the nuggets if Torres nets that quickstart slap...
i agree but i think boyd had a couple of shots that were goal-bound that were knocked out for corners
I've been critical of the Boyd callup for a while. Not because the kid doesn't have potential, but mostly out of frustration that the US target striker pool is so thin that a 4th Division German kid actually has some claim on a Senior roster spot. I wish it weren't so. It shouldn't be so. And personally, I would have called up Cooper to see if his possible transformation to a target role with NY Red Bull could have worked internationally. I'd have waited a bit longer on Boyd -- at least until he's actually started a professional 1st team game.* That having been said, I thought Boyd played fine. This was arguably the biggest game of his professional career to date, and he was active and mobile and gave a hard-working effort. He looked a lot better than Brek Shea did in his first two Caps for the USA, and Brek has since shown he belongs on a good day. I'm hoping any of Altidore, Dempsey or Gomez will get the start at striker vs Brazil. But then I'd start Boyd again vs Canada. __________________ * Boyd now has more international starts (1) than 1st team professional minutes (0). Remember how strange it was back in 2007/2008 when BB was giving Feilhaber more international starts than his pro clubs were? Or 2008/2009, when Adu was seeing more international minutes than professional minutes?
I think if Jozy had played the identical game to Boyd, he'd be getting a hiding on here. Boyd gets some slack due to his lack of experience, but Jozy is a much more polished striker than the reserve Dortmund player right now.
Boyd did ok for his first outing. But talking of him as if he were a superior option to Jozy already is crazy.
I agree with most of this, but the one variable here is that Boyd has a lot of upside and is also eligible for another team. I think the sooner we get him involved and feeling like part of the team the better. That doesn't mean he should be starting, but I have no problem with calling him up. Kenny Cooper is one of my favorite MLS guys and I think he deserves a shot, but if what we have is a "bench spot" available, I'd rather have a guy like Boyd being integrated into the team than have KC get called up for nothing. Also, I realize that Boyd started the last game and so technically it wasn't just a "bench spot," but now that Jozy is in camp I think it will be back to the bench for Boyd.