Maybe the game was too frustrating by the time the 78th minute rolled around, but for those of us still watching, Jack McInerney entered the game and was surprisingly good. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIXuln-29cs&NR=1&feature=fvwp"]YouTube- Jack McInerney[/ame] Thats a popular clip of his performance at the U17 CONCACAF Championships (aka u17 world cup qualifier). If you have the game tivo'd, go back and watch those last 12 minutes with eyes on McInerney. You'll be surprised. He frequently set himself up slightly above the box, his sweet spot for shooting, but his teammates ignored him. He made several intelligent runs, good and productive passes, and even tried to get on his bike. He has a true nose for the goal, and if he plays that way the whole season, it'll be tough to keep him off the field.
I was very impressed with Jack Mac! He freed himself a couple of times, and the midfield didn't take notice. I honestly feel if Fred had been anchoring the midfield (and was still in the match at the end), that Jack Mac would have become the trivia answer for the Union's first goal ever. I'm not a fan of "rushing" young players into the game. But I have the feeling he is deserving of much more playing time in the future.
I do wonder if it was a combination of a fresh and enthusiastic Jack Mac and a Sounders D resting on its 2-0 in the 78th minute laurels. That said, he certainly looked worthy of a real test next time.
he's only going to be as good as the service he gets. he's a 1-2 type player IMO, the same way messi plays. he's not a landy type player that can create on his own by virtue of lightning speed. him and danny working together is going to make all the difference
Have to agree, he made me not want to throw my remote through the TV after watching Myrie muff it up all game long...
http://mlsinsiderblog.com/?p=1553 [ame="http://vimeo.com/10421691"]On the Couch: Jack McInerney on Vimeo[/ame] Found an decent little interview with him before the game yesterday. Already my favorite player. Jesus he's young though.
When Myrie was passed for the first goal, the way he sauntered down to the line really annoyed me. Had he given it full throttle he could have got there and at least tried to get in a sliding block.
It will be interesting to see how Nowak uses McInerney throughout the season, given how he used Adu and brought him along so slowly (not saying that was a good or bad decision, incidentally).
have you ever watched Messi play? to say he doesn't possess speed or the ability to create on his own is, quite honestly, insane.
Sebastian Lletget, Stefan Jerome, and Jack Mac--future stars for the US of A! You heard it here first!
Mcinerney is our next striker. Hope he gets more playing time for Philadelphia. Hmm On Philly's website they have highlights from their preseason friendlies and in 1 game Jack M. scored from almost center field. Jozy is gonna have a True Striking Partner for sure next WC. So glad we have McInerney.
Also notice he's not just standing around when he's off the ball. He's actively looking around him and thinking where to go. Too often, with young player especially, players lack the vision and mentality to position themselves well.
i'm really glad jack got some playing time. the young guns on this team are going to be called upon early in their careers and they're going to need this in-game experience to adjust.
He's a very interesting young player. He's a mature and well developed player compared to what has come out of project 40 in the past.
i didn't say messi doesn't have the speed of landy, i said jack mac doesn't. way to rearrange the context to try and make yourself look smart. plus, have you seen messi play for argentina? he's not even close to the same player without xavi and iniesta creating for him. before you go and have another fit, i'm not saying messi is a bad player. i'm saying he's a player on another universe when he works with xavi and iniesta. not saying he can't create. jack mac is more that type of player than a rooney type of player that just soldiers around all over the field looking to put the ball in the net any way he can
to be fair to both of you, Messi does use a lot of 1-2 passing in the box for Barca, but that's more because that is how they operate near the box. He also does create using speed and moves by himself (both for Barca and Arg) in a similar (if not much, much better) manner to Donovan. Messi (who is not the person we're discussing) can create in both ways, that's more just a testament to his awesomeness. All that said, there had to have been a better example to liken Jack Mac's 1-2 play than Messi, someone who doesn't also possess and often use the other skill you are trying to highlight.
just a forewarning, i was at that game, and that goal only came after multiple bad(im talking horrendous) first touches. It was already 4-0 by that point and the UNC keeper just wasn't paying enough attention. He's got a bright future, but he hasn't done anything YET, so don't read too much into things at this point.
I agree, I love Jack Mac as much as the next guy but I think everyone needs to take a step back and put things in perspective. He played 13 minutes in garbage time when Seattle had already notched it down and wasn't playing with the same physicality as they did at the beginning of the game. And believe me, for a young player like Jack Mac that physicality will make a huge difference because that is the difference between U-17 games and pro games. Jack Mac will be great but I doubt it will be this season or even next season in all honesty.
A common knock on him is his first touch. He can dribble well, but the corner flag might out do him on some passes.
Mentioning this kids name in the same sentence as Messi (after playing in 15 min. of an MLS game) is an insult to the worlds greatest player. Absolutely nothing in common. Jack Mac did look good, so did Torres. I like the young team.
oh dear god in heaven. his 1-2 play reminded me of what has elevated Messi over the past 3-4 games and it's similar to what I see happening with Jack's development. i used messi as an example because many people are familiar with messi and it would be great if jack evolved into half the player that messi is. but whatever - i didn't say messi isn't fast - i didn't say messi can't create - i didn't say jack is as good as or the next messi i said it's a similar kind of deal where jack mack will need good service from the midfield because he's good at the 1-2 like messi has because messi has such good service from the midfield. let's take everything we all say way too serious, totally out of context and explode into a fit of rage at the conclusion shall we. again
haha, hey guy, I was defending you back there. If you want to get technical, when we're talking about 1-2 play in the box for Barca, it's usually Zlatan, it used to be Eto'o, or whoever is playing the CF in the 4-3-3 that dishes out the 1-2 service you're talking about to Messi. So it doesn't really have to do with service from the midfield so much as an understanding with your CF that can play with his back to goal. My point was this type of play is common, not unique to Messi (not that you said it was), and maybe there exists a better example that isn't as incendiary as using Messi has been, haha.