i really can't stand to post on the US boards so i thought i'd ask you folks how you think tino is stacking up with other young forwards in the potential US player pool. obviously he hasn't been able to have the kind of year we'd all hoped for due to injury. in terms of younger guys (not including guys like wolff, mathias or donovan who are already there) i see him around fourth best right now: 1. Connor Casey 2. Twellman Taylor 3. Edson (sp?) Buddle 4. Tino 5. Johnson(?) the kid at dallas i don't claim an exhaustive knowledge of up and coming players so there may be other guys out there. of course, this is as of right now, all these guys have plenty of time to play their way in or out of the pool. anyway, it takes my mind off our futility.
You probably have our boy pegged about right. I think the important thing to consider about your list is that the #4 & 5 guys, Tino and Johnson, are a couple of years younger- at least- than the guys ahead of them and a couple of years at this age make a huge difference in projecting for the future. Still, let's give them time. Get them more used to abusing MLS defenses, get them on the U-20 team, then the Olympic team. After that we'll see if they are ready to be in the senior Nats shortlist of the WCQ's, and then the WC itself. BTW, it's pretty cool how the US is starting to turn out big forwards.
You caught that disease, too, eh? I hardly even go to look there anymore. As for Tino, I think he is still developing, so it is hard for me project him into the national team right now. But comparing him to his "competition", I would say that you are pretty close. I might put Ed Johnson ahead of him, but we should get a much clearer picture of Tino's abilities during the U-20 qualifying tournamant in Charleston. Unfortunately, I don't get to see Conor Casey play, so I don't really know anything about his current form, except from news reports, which seem to be positive about his play.
Johnson seems to perform well when in U-17 or U-20 camp but every time I've seen him play for Dallas he looks lost and very tentative on the field. He hasn't had the pressure placed on him to produce at the club level like Tino has and is/was the #5 striker for Dallas, so he really hasn't gotten much playing time. Johnson also is quite skinny and needs to bulk up a little more... that will come with time. Tino has the confidence and knows he can play at this level. And has the size, although he could get stronger. Personally, I think Tino is ahead of EJ in development. Come the first USNats friendly, I think Twellman and either Kreis or Mathis start up top. It will be interesting to see if Arena gives Kreis another shot.
In the Olympics, Casey was used primarily as a target man. He's big and physical, but a bit clumsy and one dimensional. There were also stretches of the matches where we attacked from the wings and he looked completely lost. Why he was starting instead of Landon is something that only Clive Charles knows. Dave
Tino needs to play with the U20s this winter and then stay healthy next year to really move up in the pool. He has shown flashes but has been injured both seasons. Hopefully those are just "growing pains" and he will move on from them. Casey is injured (knee I think) but was reported to have played well in the German 2nd Division last year. Hopefully he will get his chances in the BUndesligia this year.
I think y'all are a little hard on Tino. Compared to other players his age, he's the only one who has shown the ability to be an impact player in MLS for a full game, on a game in and game out basis. Among players not yet in the national team pool, I'd rank Twellman and Quaranta in a class apart, except perhaps for Casey, who has been injured and before that not visible to me (though his performances for Hannover sounded impressive) for a while. Johnson and Buddle are still primarily reserve players, aren't they? And haven't forced themselves into their teams' lineups like Santino did.
Why bother giving Kreis another shot? He has done well for Dallas this year but there are lots of guys much younger who are having good seasons as well. He is 32 right? I doubt with our up and coming talent he'll be watching the 2006 Cup from anywhere but a local bar or his bedroom considering he'll be 36 at the time when people like Donovan are 24 and Santino is 21. I could see bringing him into camp if he had been a mainstay on the team for years now and could provide veteran leadership like an Earnie Stewart, but we all know he has been far from that.
Kreis is 29. I wouldn't mind seeing him get another shot with the Nats, just because I feel he's earned another chance. Not that I'm calling him to start, but I think at best, he could have a Joe-Max Moore role by 2006.
Thanks. That changes the picture somewhat, but I still say there are much better younger players that we will need more down the road.
Over the next couple World Cups I expect a transition in the bench warmer role. Previously this has been the spot of experience - Cobi, JMM etc. In the future we'll have the likes of Landon and Beasley in the role of the experienced and they'll be starting. The bench will transition towards younger players with more of an eye towards than the future than the current eye towards survival. Kreis, if I'm correct, will then most certainly be left out of the mix in favor of players like Q1.
i think you almost have to think about 2 pools, the qualifying pool and the cup pool. the qualifying period is so long that you will likely see some "older" guys who may not necessarily be around in 06, but may be key in 04. recall that even fairly late in qualifying arena pulled preki and ramos out of mothballs to play. and guys like mastronei and donovan weren't really factors (i don't think pablo even played in one qualifiers) in qualifying, showed up big in the cup (one could say the same thing about heydude and lewis, though they aren't "younger" guys). in regard to some other points-- 1. i don't think Budson is now a reserve player, he was the player of the month for august and started in the Cup semi. he has i think 9 goals this year. 2. casey is still hurt but close to coming back. hannover seems to suck at forward (at least when i have seen them on FSW) and he may get some big minutes. he really tore up the 2nd league last year, had a remarkable strike rate once he got into rotation. time in the big leagues will really help him i think. i don't think he is real clumsy any more, he seems to have blossomed a bit. Isn't it funny what a 180 degree turn we seem to have done. For years people bemoaned the fact that while we developed OK defenders, we never could produce good attacking players? That seems to be the great strength of the upcoming generation. In fact, to me, right now there are far fewer good (I don't mean MLS competent, but future USMNT good) defensive players who are under 25. Though defenders do tend to take longer to develop and are effective well after 30 often. i hope the dude who said about the changing benchwarmer role is right. i have to say it was great seeing OUR teenager shred someone else in the WC.
Buddle was the man in Columbus's Open Cup win over Kansas City. He scored one goal and set up the winning goal. His goal was a beaut -- nutmegged Vermes and ran right at Meola. He set up the winner by going at Meola and, after Meola blocked the shot, saving the ball from going out of bounds and passing it back to Perez for an open shot. Having said that, Buddle can get better -- quicker skills, better passing. But he is the real deal.
He's pretty thick and looks very strong. I was impressed by the way he hung in there and bounced back. He was driven out of the game for the first 60 minutes by some determined defending. He really earned that first goal.