tomorrow 1pm the announcement is made on ussoccer.com http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=62387 Mods: If you want to move this into the other thread I won't complain. I don't want to cause work for you, but it just didn't seem like there was alot of predictions on the starting lineup in the Roster US-Honduras thread. So, I wanted a different take in this thread. I try and predict what Bruce is doing and thinking (not just what I would do if I was national team coach - things would be pretty different) but more like if I was Bruce's assistant and was going to head coach just this one game then give it back to him. he takes 18 to this game and unless they get injured in this game or training. I think it goes without saying that those 18 are a subset of the 23 he announces for the Grenada qualifier. my guess for the 18: Keller, Howard (Keller gets the start) Sanneh, Pope, Pablo, Bocanegra starting (Convey, Dolo, also get called in) Donovan, Zavagnin, Reyna, DMB starting (Lewis, and Mathis also get called in) McBride Twellman start (Mathis and Donovan are subs) Of course, Convey can sub in midfield so can Pablo in a pinch I think he tries out Pablo and Zavagnin against a CONCACAF team to see if Pablo can keep his cool if they try some cheap stuff and to see if Zavagnin can stay patient defending "toca-toca" players. He tries Bocanegra outside against speedy forwards that might be undersized (to see if he does/does not get exposed). He sees if Sanneh is fully recovered and serviceable. He sees if Reyna can work with Zavagnin and if Zavagnin has the offensive skills needed for that position. He gets to see if DMB is effective against this type of team. And if his box midfield works against an opponent that they may face in CONCACAF qualifying. If it doesn't work he goes with Donovan playing wide right midfield and Lewis coming on in the second half to see if we fare better banging crosses into the box. He knows what Armas brings so he tries out Zavagnin to see if he is starter quality. If Kerry fails to stand head and shoulders above Armas then he may just be a backup to that Dmid spot (should we choose to play with one) or risk not being called in for qualifiers as Zavagnin is not particularly versatile in his positions (see Nutmeg's thread). He certainly has a lineup he can go 3-5-2 with and may switch to that to practice that against this opponent in the second half if they need a goal. for the 23 he adds Brad Friedel Vanney and Berhalter (Gibbs still hurt?) maybe Mulrooney instead of Vanney. Armas and Obrien if healthy but likely Klein Wolff and Casey And some of these could start over the Honduras starters depending on injury (of course) and how those played against Honduras.
paulo...convey is injured, wont be called in. JOB is nowhere near fit to be called in either i also doubt twellman and Bake would ever be paired up...too similar of players... i'd go with ---------------Friedel---------- Cherundolo--Pope----Berhalter----Boca ------------------Mastro------------- Reyna--------------------------Beas -------------Donovan------------- Bake----------------------Mathis
berhalter and friedel are hurt, try keller and gibbs, if he's mended, otherwise mastro goes back there with pope.
forgot about Brad...throw in Keller or Walker instead. havent heard about Berhalter being hurt, but if so, throw mastro in his place and Zavagnin at DMid
I read that behalter broke his nose and cheekbone in last weekend's action. his coach said out six weeks at least. maybe he can compare notes with mcbride on this.
I knew that about Convey. then I forgot it as I was writing. Then use Vanney instead of Convey - and I still think Convey gets called up for Grenada. If he and Nowak think that he can heal in one week with special Swiss massage he can't be too bad off. Plus, others have postulated that at this point he may just be waiting around for Europe to come calling with this injury. I think Twellman would do well with McBride. And I think that McBride and Conor Casey will never see time together but McBride and Twellman may. I see Twellman as a slasher/streaker/forward/striker (like Wolff) that is good with his head. I don't see him as a target forward - but what I think is not important what Arena thinks is. I am not sure if Twellman is considered competing with McBride in a McBride - type role in Bruce's mind. I like your lineup but I guess that Arena thinks Donovan pairs better with McBride than Mathis. With Mathis playing midfield with his club and Donovan having more speed. I think Arena would switch those two positions. I would like to see Pablo get more minutes in the midfield too but he has been playing a lot of central defense lately.
and I think that keller is approaching some milestone with the national team. so I bet he starts. most shut-outs maybe? see ussoccer.com front page.
Assuming good health and fitness, if any of the names mentioned so far were on the roster, I wouldn't complain. Zavagnin was a revelation against Mexico, and it would be good see him get another run out. IMO, Hejduk is also worthy of consideration. Here's a trivia question: Has anyone ever seen the third GK used in a match, and, if so, which one? I haven't. Is there a rule that says a 23-man roster needs to include three GKs?
how could I forget Frankie! oh yeah he is definitely called in for Grenada but maybe he sits this one against Honduras out. Let the Euro boys get a run out. Someone said Berhalter was injured for 6 weeks. I revise my predictions: 18: Keller, Howard (Keller gets the start) Sanneh, Pope, Pablo, Bocanegra starting Vanney, Dolo, also get called in) Donovan, Zavagnin, Reyna, DMB starting (Lewis, and Mathis also get called in) McBride Twellman start (Mathis and Donovan are subs) 23 (add 5): Johnny Walker Frankie Armas (perhaps Klein and drop Zavagnin or Lewis if they perform poorly) Wolff and Casey
With Berhalter, Convey, and Gibbs out it would be great to see Bruce call up Onyewu. This would be the perfect game to give him a look before qualifiers. I think that we will see a box midfield like we saw against Mexico. Keller Cherundolo-Pope-Mastroeni-Boca Reyna-Zavagnin Donovan-Beasley McBride-Mathis/Wolff This lineup should crush Honduras.
Johnny O Sorry if there is already a thread for this, but is O'Brien anywhere close to being fit for US games this summer?
Well, we sure will find out which players in Europe Bruce wants to see and which ones he thinks he's seen enough of. My guess on What Bruce will do, not what I want to see: Keller's 100th cap- clean sheet- Goals: Donovan (25', 44') Casey (36') ----------------Keller------------------- Allbright-------Pope-----Gibbs----Hejduk ----------Reyna-------Mastro--------- ---------Donovan------Beasley---------- ----------Wolff--------Casey------------ Bench: Boca, Armas, Mulrooney, Walker, Kirovski, Cherundolo, Zavagnin, MAPP!!!
--------KELLER--------- Hejduke---Pope---Boca---Convey Reyna-----Armas Donovan--Beasely Twellman--Mcbride
rice man, re-read Tree's first post. Some questions: Does Arena stick to the same style as last time? And play a 4 - 2 - 2 - 2? Does Arena go with form or experience? If he goes with Form, Tim Howard is the man in the nets. If he goes experience he'll play Keller. If Gregg Vanney a better LEFT FULLBACK than Carlos Bocanegra? Please remember this NOT Chris Coleman coaching the USMNT. Our LB will have get fully into the attack like Convey and Hejduk did against Mexico Is Landon Donovan a midfielder or a forward Will Arena go conservative and play a worker bee at Right Mid? (using a diamond midfield) Who's the man that gets to start next to Brian McBride. For all you who think Casey will start, forget it. Two lineups here from me: -------------------Howard-------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ---Cherundolo-----Pope-----Bocanegra---Vanney---- ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------Reyna----Zavagnin---------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ------------------Donovan---Beasley---------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ------------------Wolff-----McBride----------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------Howard-------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ ----Cherundolo--------Pope----Bocanegra----Vanney--- ------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------Reyna----------------------------- ---Donovan-------------------------------Beasley------- --------------------Mathis------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- ------------Wolff-------------McBride------------------- Actually, here's a 3 -5 -2 for fun ---------------------Howard---------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- ------------Boca------Pope--------Gibbs----------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- ----------------Zavagnin-------Reyna--------------------- ----Cherundolo---------------------------------Beasley---- -------------------------Donovan------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------Wolff---------------McBride----------------- ------------------------------------------------------------
seriously, wolff, why, has he even scored in mls yet? man, give someone else a shot. keep donovan in the midfield, probably in front of reyna and let mathis partner up top with mcbride.
he plays for Kansas City. Thats reason enough to not score goals. Why do I start Wolff? Because IMHO he's our best pure forward. And that includes Donovan. Who created the winning goal vs Poland? He still has most of his speed, he has all of his instincts and all of his vision. He's basically the same player that setup goals against USA's two biggest games against Mexico. Maybe a bit less explosive, a bit smarter and more experienced
apoo, i love stevie c at wingback in the three five two. I don't know why we don't see that formation more from Bruce. you know how i feel about Bocanegra at Fullback. Kasey gets his 100th cap Cherundolo-Pope-Bocanegra-Vanney ---------Reyna-Mastroeni ---------Donovan-Beasley --------Mathis-----McBride nothing really new from me... but man I love that midfield. Reyna and Mastro and Donovan and Beasley are going to boss Honduras. Let Pablo get under Amado's skin early and Honduras will start to fall apart. Too bad about Gregg Berhalter, he plays so well with Eddie Pope.
I'm with ya here....it seems that there is an evolving consensus that if we go with the box midfield, many want to see Pablo and Reyna at DM, and Donovan and Beas at AM. I'd love to see that against Honduras. Since Bora's era was before I followed US Soccer closely, can someone give me a brief idea of what to expect from him tactically? Thanks E Diddy
The strategy is quite simple. We need to play good defense and score when chances are there. This is a strong roster so there's no reaso why we should dominate the game. Here my 2 cents on the line-up ----------------------------??????????????????--------------------------- --------Cherundolo------Gibbs-----------Bocanegra-----Vanney---------- ------------------------Reyna---------------Mastroeni------------------- -------------Beasley----------------------------------Donovan------------ -----------------------Mathis--------------McBride----------------------- Donovan and Mathis would probably alternate during the match since either is suitable. The key is in the backline. Cherundolo and Vanney are very good when it comes to starting the attack out of the back. They almost serve as wingers in this formation because as they move forward, Reyna and Mastroeni can slide back into those fullback spots. Honestly because of his attcking abilities out of the back that is the only reason I like Vanney. We do have better defenders. Also look for Casey, Lewis, and Convey (if healthy) to be the subs. BTW I predict a 3-0 win with goals by Mathis, Donovan and Beasley.
GK - Meola D - Goose, Albright, Kenny Arena, Regis MF - Jon Thorrington, Richie Williams, Jordan Older, Mathis F - Adu, Cooper 3-3 Draw Adu Hat trick Williams red card
Bora has tended to play tactically tight defense, with at touch of counter, quick play offense. I haven't followed Hondo much since last Hex, but if the team is very similar, look for them to play how they did then (quick runs toward goal making good use of their speed) but to be much tighter in the back. They will likely give up a lot of possesion in the midfield in exchange for luring the outside backs up, then try to strike quickly with speed. The striking quickly with speed worked well at RFK. But I don't know if we can count on quite as many goals with Bora on board. As to the Euros being able to play a "box" midfield, Reyna at Gers certainly played a variety of formations that allowed/made him play an inside RM, once in a while with a pure RWM, but usually with no outside RM. Dickie A tended to use either a 5 or an unbalanced 4 with a true LW (McCann) duel CM's (one of van Bronk/Nerlinger/Bazza on the left, Reyna on the right) and a withdrawn/A-mid (Latapy/DeBoer) Canniga tended to play right, while Flo played a very McBride-esque (except McHead actually scores) tall target forward who prefers the ball at his feet. Reyna did sometimes play a touchline Rmid, but not often (I remember a very messy duel with Petta in one derby.) When Reyna played with van Bronk, Nerlinger or Bazza they tended to trade the forward role pretty easily, depending on who was one, had more space etc. With Albertz it was usually the German going forward and Reyna hanging back. I haven't seen much of Hannover since Mathis has gone there, but if he plays A-mid it won't be a box, I'd wager, but more the Bruce unbalanced diamond we saw a lot of last hex. The overlap coming from the left (DmB or Lewis) Mathis in the middle, Reyna with a bit more room on the right, leaving the touchline for LD at Forward or Sanneh/Dolo out of the back. I'm not sure this works as well with Mathis at A-mid as the nice thing about the unbalanced midfield is if you can reform on the fly alot. JOB, Stewart, Reyna, even Dmb and Convey are more suited to this as they can do a passable A-mid, wingmid and DefMid. Reyna, Job and Convey are probably the best trio for an unbalanced, with Lewis/DMB on the left, but who knows when we'll see them all on the pitch together. Boy, I really need to get back to work... what dribble.