Based on the play of the USMNT/Arena's choices and substitutions in the last two matches, I predict: Howard Sanneh - Pope - Berhalter - Bocanegra O'Brien Donovan - Reyna - Lewis Mathis - McBride Sanneh (LB): may play only half vs Poland. Gives Cherundolo a chance to come on from the bench. Dolo must show that at his height he can play well vs Poland. Pope (CB): until he got hurt late in the second half vs Haiti, he played adequately (but not that well). Berhalter (CB): Gibbs will be left at home. Berhalter still has to prove himself to Arena after his showing in Confed Cup. Bocanegra (LB): With Gibbs left at home, Boca will take the position that he plays for Fulham. O'Brien (CM) and Reyna (CM): If uninjured they will be the tandem in midfield, possession-meisters. Lewis (LM/wing): He is better at the position than Beasley. Donovan (RM): As BS posters have suggested, having Landon on the wing makes him play both ways, and is more useful for team play. Mathis (F) and Mc Bride (F) up front. Some would suggest other front-runners, but these two are playing (and scoring) in Europe. Only 17 days away!
Hartmann Hejduck Berhalter Califf Vanney Ralston Armas Mathis Lewis Woly Kirovski With this line up, you have the advantage of having excuses if you lose...
Keep Donovan at home. he's burned out, and another excursion to Europe 3 days before the season starts (with 2 Concacaf Champions Cup games to boot on 3/17 and 3/24), is too much. Let the guy rest for once and fill his spot with another youngster who is hungry to play. The Mexico and Poland games during the season should be enough.
This is pretty much in line with the only thing I wanted to add. Bench Donovan. He plays lazy because he knows he's a lock. Look at the results Yallop got out of him after he had the guts to bench the kid. He needs to sit, maybe be subbed in to add a little fire. But don't start him until he gets his desire back.
As much as BS wants to see Donovan in an Earnie Stewart-esque right midfield role. it's become apparent that Bruce Arena doesn't. It happened in Japorea, but not since (that I can think of). With that said, I think we'll continue to see an unbalanced midfield with Reyna, O'Brien (when healthy), and two from a group including Lewis, Beasley, Convey, Armas, and Mathis.
Definitely, keep his tired ass at home....I have been reluctant to question his attitude, because honestly I wouldn't know if it were true, but generally speaking, you can't keep playing when you're exhausted and not have it affect your emotions. We need to explore other options anyway. Why not Casey? For once, geography is not a problem in this game. I'm really looking forward to seeing him...it's been a long time since 2000 for me. Oh well, ...........
job is job going to be able to play. i know he got hurt right before the holland match, and i dont think he has been playing with ajax, though i could be wrong.
Starting XI Buddle-Wolff O'Brien-Mathis-Beasley-Reyna Bocanegra-Gibbs-Pope-Onyewu Howard Subs Casey Martino R. Clark Cunningham Califf Mastroeni Convey Walker Would like to see Mathis run the show with Reyna in behind him. O'Brien and Beasley on the wings, doesn't matter which side. I strongly believe that Buddle could really make some noise on the national team if given the chance to shine. I'm in agreement with some comments about Donovan. He hasn't done anything for me lately and looks really uninspired. Let him rest a bit, we will definitely need him down the road in qualifying. I'd like to see some new blood brought in to the mix. Though, some of the holdovers have a lot to contribute still. While the Haiti game bothers me, I wasted money on it, I don't think that posters should be calling for Arena's head on a platter. Lets see what happens in the Poland game and more importantly qualifying.
-----------------------Howard------------------- Sanneh---------Pope-----------Berhalter-----Boca ----------------------Mulrooney------------------ ---Reyna--------------------------------O'Brien-- -----------------------Mathis-------------------- ----------Donovan------------------McBride------ IMHO this group would give us the BEST chance at a favorable result. Also, I think this group would do a MUCH BETTER job of possessing & passing the ball. I hope Arena realizes that playing "long ball-style" is worthless & ineffective. With this group, we should be able to string some passes together, HOPEFULLY!! Subs: Cherundolo, Onyewu, Enochs, & Casey.
He's been on vacation when it comes to the national team since the last world cup ended. He needs to be left at home, or at least on the bench, so he remembers what is like to not be out there. And it needs to be made clear he is sitting because he hasn't shown heart and not because he needs a "breather".
There are certain ways you need to handle players, and Bruce to me doesnt know how to handle LD. I dont think you do either speedcake. You know the kid had his first week off in over a year (or was it 2) a couple weeks ago? And it was given to him by his club. He has to travel a lot, be away from his family, his girlfriend and everything else in his life. Some people are better suited to living out of a suticase than others. Ive seen enough from him to know it isnt a matter of heart, or not willing to work hard. The kid has a ton of heart, but he isnt the kind of guy that is an eat, sleep and drink the game 24 hours a day to the exclusion of all else. He's the kind of kid that will run through a brick wall for you if you handle him right. I think right now hes going out there out of a sense of obligation, and not out of a love for the game. You dont browbeat or threaten people who are burning out into better performance. The bottom line is head just isnt in the game right now. I find it ironic that he gets time off from his club team, who is already deprived of him time and time again, but who know that he needs a break, but his national team coach calls him into every camp and friendly. So dont call him into the Poland friendly. And the next friendly after that, call him in but dont start him. Not to "bench" him to "teach him a lesson", but to let him watch and want to be out on that field again. Just keep telling him your giving him a break, until he gets so sick of not playing to wear his begging to have his sabatical lifted. I doubt it will take too long.
if you say so. He is in his early 20's, he isn't 14 anymore. Nearly every top player in the world his age at this moment is playing in a FAR, FAR, FAR more demanding environment than he is currently playing in. If he is burning out now or even getting close then he is going to have serious trouble if he ever does make a move to a higher level of play.
Yes, but not every top player of his age has had to carry the burden of being labeled the "best player in the leage" or having the national team coach say he's "going to build the team around him." All the while, continuing to play and being expected to perform at a top, top level all the time. A lot of those players over there, due to the large amount of games played, actually do get to sit out games or get to sub in; they're not playing every game. And their teams are not relying on them to be "the man" al the time. And all of this is heaped on Donovan regularly, has been for a long time, and judging by all the interviews over the years, it pretty much came as a surprise to him; he wasn't ready for it. He just liked to play soccer, for fun, and enjoy every other facet of his life. As someone else said, he's not the eat, sleep, drink soccer, 24 hours a day. He wants to have a complete life, and there's nothing wrong with that. As I said on another thread, and Lurking pointed out also, I'd like to see him not get a start or two, sit on the bench for awhile and sub in sometime in the second half, to get the fire burning again. Anytime he's ever been subbed in in a game (Confed Cup excepted) he's lit it up and played like the Landon of old. And yes, he got a one-week vacation right before this Haiti game, as Lurking said. Donovan said it was the first actual vacation he's had in 5 years. He's been playing nonstop for at least 2 years now. And as of right now, he's in Costa Rica for an Earthquakes game on Wednesday (Champions Cup, I think it's called.) So I think Bruce would do well to give him a break, but do it without criticism (something Bruce seems unable or unwilling to do); use him as a late-game sub in order to help him get his form back. All players are different, and need to be handled differently.
Arena routinely asks national team regulars who almost definitely figure in his plans whether or not they would like to be invited into offseason camps primarily for new players. Players routinely turn down the offer if they feel they need a break and Landon, despite all the pressure on him, should be no different. I don't think everyone can go ahead and assume that Landon is dragging his bags from one meaningless (for him) Florida offseason camp to another at the behest of the people at US soccer even though he knows it is killing his form. This offseason was surely very hectic with the Olympics, but had he felt burned out he surely could have asked for the Haiti game off, too. I've heard his fitness described as pushing Lance Armstrong levels, and it seems to me you don't get that by taking off the December and January most players in MLS get. I just think that Bruce shouldn't have to worry about Landon overextending himself if he calls him into a camp. Landon should be the one to step back and say he needs time off like so many other players do. That is if he feels he does.
Well, it seems last year, Landon did (sort of) ask off: The Confed cup, where he said he was tired, burned out, etc. What was Bruce's response? Public criticism. "Landon needs to push through this. If he wants to be the best, blah, blah, blah, he's gotta play. Look at Beasley. He wants to play all the time, etc., etc., etc." Doubt if Landon wants to risk public humiliation like that again. Therefore, he's not going to turn down an invite and he's not going to say he's tired.
Enochs?! Are you kidding me. I'm all for letting new blood, but don't give a guy a cap just because he plays in Europe. Next, we'll hear calls for Steve Reeese to win a cap.
I wonder if Bruce will call any MLS players for the Poland game. I understand why he used a mixed squad against Holland -- MLS was still a couple of months away. But I'll bet he leaves most if not all of the MLS players in the States.
Perhaps Enochs is a bit of a stretch but I'm wondering who "deserves" a shot, plays in Europe & hasn't played for the USMNT in a while, if ever. Enochs just came to my mind first, but I'm open to other suggestions.
i agree with leaving LD @ home, if for no other reason than to give Connor a chance. Also, we know what the injury-prone Pope can do. Leave him off too. Keller (Hannemann) Sanneh (Cherundolo) Onyewu Gibbs Charly Blackmouth JOB Lewis Beasley Reyna Mathis McBride 2nd half, sub out Reyna, move Cletus to Amid, and put Casey in. Timmy may have FA obligations, that's why i gave the day off.
Problems with this lineup. 1. JOB has not played for almost one month. Even if healthy, you have to think that he might not be risked. 2. Lewis is a good Division 1 player, but he simply is not the answer for the USMNT. Starting him in any game other than through necessity is a waste of time. Especially since it means that Beasley will play on the right where he sucks. The solution is obviously Convey or some right midfielder from MLS as an experiment or play Kyle Martino in the middle and Reyna on the right. Mathis at amid is a possibility, but then you would have to play McBride with Casey, which is an obviously terrible combination. So if you do that, you need a MLS forward. 3. You need a couple of subs from MLS just to run a workout.