Noonan has a great case. Cunningham is a good player. Esky is simply a better player than Twellman the playoffs proved that.Esky hasnt gotten a call up YET so how could he possibly prove he can play at that level. Im going by MLS not National team because it wouldnt be fair to say well Esky hasnt proven he could play at that level.
Adu is more of an atatcking midfielder actually he used to play forward so thats another option. Adu will probably be in the 2006 squad he more than proved that he can play. He had a good year with DC and next year he might be a starters for DC. About the keepers. Keller most likely not. He will be 36 or 37 and is just now getting first team Football in Europe. I would say Howard will probably be the starter by 2006. Of course if Carroll stays with United Howard will have to look elsewhere for first team Football but, there are plenty of teams in the Premiership that would let him be a starter.
I'm surprised noone has mentioned Berhalter. Have I missed something or is he done? Also, WC2006 is not that far away in soccer terms. What I mean is that it is just a little more than a Euro season and a half and an MLS season and a third away. If players like Spector and Karbasiyoon, exciting prospects they may be, don't start playing first team soccer by this time next year, I don't think Bruce will bring them to Germany. A few coca-cola appearances here and there just won't cut it for Bruce. Their best hope for them I guess would be if they would be loaned out by their clubs.
Defensive names that haven't been mentioned: Jimmy Conrad-he really showed me something this year. Better than Califf, and I'm a Galaxy fan. Jeff Parke-he has great quickness and speed. He could emerge big time. I disagree with Voros that Clark is a destroyer type midfielder. He seems to be very much an offensive threat and is a great 2-way player. I thought he had the best MLS playoffs of any defensive mid in the pool, better than Dempsey. I hope we see him tomorrow in Columbus.
I think Clark is much more two way than Pablo and is more involved in possesion and attack. The American Patrick Viera may sound a bit cliche now but he has the same extendo legs, comparable ball skills, and maybe a better outside shot. I will continue to promote a 3-5-2, if Pope can play like he should and usually does and Gooch turns into the player we expect him to be my lineup would look like this: -------------Howard----------- -----Pope----Gooch----Boca--- ---------Reyna--O'brien-------- ---Dolo------Lando------DMB-- --------Buddle--Johnson------- Backline is flat out dominating in the air but just average in speed, puts Boca at his best position and Marshall, Spector, Simek, Gibbs, and Russell can play here. Holding mids are really dependent on health, but KZ, Clark, Dempsey, Mastroeni, Ned, and even Szetela can play here. Lando and DMB are locks and Dolo is very good in the attack in the Bund, Beasley and Dolo both provide offense and very good defense for wingers. Forwards go with whoever is hot. Not to say we would play like them but this formation is eerily similar to what Brazil used in the last world cup, Lucio=Gooch, JOB and Reyna=Gilberto and Kleberson, Dolo and DMB=Cafu and RC. I think our personel fit this system to a T.
That is a none too inspiring list. I'd imagine Szetela will eventually be a central midfield player and the Arnaud plays up top so we look pretty thin at RM.
I suppose that's where we disagree because I consider Vieira a destroyer type d-mid as well. I don't define a destroyer type player as one who lacks offensive skills. What I mean is that generally he plays as a defender, making tackles from touchline to touchline to break up attacks. It's not that this type of player can't have offensive skills, it's that he doesn't necessarily need all that many (hence Armas). So guys like Vieira, Keane, Gattuso would be destroyers. Davids, Gerrard, Mulrooney (which of these things is not like the other?) are more of 2-way d-mids. Clark is much more of the former group than the latter. Szetela and Dempsey, on the other hand, would be much more of the latter.
I don't see how that 3-5-2 is better than the same players in a 4-4-2. You've given DMB more defensive responsibilities to get Dolo up into the attack? That doesn't make any sense to me. I'd take -------------Howard----------- Dolo-----Pope---Gooch----Boca ---------Reyna--O'brien-------- ------Lando--------DMB------- --------Buddle--Johnson------- over that 3-5-2 any day.
I agree that the RM position looks a bit weak. But in 2006 a player like Eddie Gaven -- if he makes the team -- will be a right mid, not an attacking midfielder. But Gaven will only 19 in 2006... although he will have about three years of pro experience. Is a player like Pat Noonan a possibility at RM? I don't know enough about him to say, but I don't see him beating out our top four forwards, so maybe that's a dark horse candidate.
It doesn't necessarily place more defensive responsibility on Beas. Remember, there are 2 guys behind Dolo, LD, and Beas. O'brien can cover for Beas if necessary and we'd still have Claudio in the middle. There are a few teams that use their central players to for cover their wide players. Real Madrid, Portugal, Holland, etc. I think the main difference between Bob's formation and this 4-4-2 is that the 3-5-2 places Landon squarely in the middle of the action, instead of the box-type midfield which puts him closer to the wing, where he's less effective. This formation looks really good. It's really flexible. You can play it straight up as a 3-5-2 or you can change shape to the 4-4-2 Allosm described. You can easily pull back the wingers if you want to go into a shell, or you can move O'brien to the left wing and play Beasley in his PSV position if you want more offense. There's a lot of different stuff you can do.
i gotta agree witht he other poster, moving dolo up in midfield? no need. id rather just see him play as a defender like he is and if we are using 2 dmids anyways, having 2 out right attackers roaming all over the field(LD and DMB) sounds like a better option.
Here would be my lineup -----------------Howard-------------------------------------------------- ---Cherundolo-----Oneywu------Spector---------Boca--------------------- ---Beasley-----------Donovan-----------------Lewis---------------------- -------------------Adu--------------------------------------------------- -----------Buddle-------------Johnson------------------------------------ Yes yes there is no D-mid but, I like attacking more than defending.Buddle is the best forward in the MLS Johnson has more than proved he can play at this level. Adu should be on the team in 06 he is a good player now and within 2 years he can be a great MLS player.
Flexibility is defineately an important part of my lineup. Putting LD in the center of midfield was more important than moving Dolo up. DMB playing infront of Boca and a D-mid does not unnessecarily burden him defensively, putting Donovan in the middle of the action where he doesn't have to worry about defense that much works great.
my team ---------------------------howard spector----------gibbs-------------gooch--------------bocanegra -----------------pablo-----------------dempsey ------------LD-------------------------------K-Mart ---------------------EJ---------Ching bench DEFENDERSope, convey, marshall, MID: gaven, mapp, adu, claudio, mathis FORWARDS: buddle, esky,
Defender: pope (What happens when there's a space between the colon and 'P') Defenderope (What happens without that space)
The 3-5-2 doesn't burden Beas defensively but it does give him more defensive responsibility than in the 4-4-2. If this were to get another gifted midfielder on the right wing, I'd be all for it. I just wouldn't want to take anything away from Bease to move Dolo into the midfield. I do like having Donovan more central but I'd like to believe Arena can do that in a 4-4-2. He has to find a right mid. I'm not a big fan of the box midfield, I think it's used more out of necessity than being a great tactical move. You have to build a team with what you've got. I think it will be tougher to find a good RM for the 3-5-2 than it will be to find one for the 4-4-2. If the Nats had a Beasley clone for the right I'd be much more happy with the 3-5-2. One other thing, I don't think it does much good to put JOB on any lists. He's not reliable. I wont be surprised if he's retired by 2006. I'd love to see him healthy but I doubt it will happen.
Philipakos got injured about a week before Olympiakos' first match of the season - which was UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 against Deportivo La Coruna. He was in fact going to start that match before he was ruled out. Now, he may be a substitute in the early stages of his return to the team, but most people say he'll inevitably re-gain a first-team place. Either way, he is thought of as a very important player to Olympiakos. (btw, he'll be back in a couple weeks or so)
Why does puting Cherundolo on the right take anything away from Beasley on the left? I just don't get it. What Yank Abroad besides Beasley is having a better year than SC? Beasely has been playing on the left for the Nats for years with no "gifted" right mid and it hasn't taken anything away from him. Steve Cherundolo is good with the ball at his feet, he is quick, and he has two or three times the crossing capability that Damarcus has. Playing with Cherundolo and Beasley as wingbacks in a 3-5-2 just seems like a no brainer to me. We have lots of centerbacks and we have lots of D/holding mids. We're suited for this formation.
Thanks for the info, Thrylos. That's great that most people say he'll inevitably regain a starting spot! I hadn't realized that he was that close to breaking into the starting eleven or that he is thought of as that important a player to Olympiakos. Even if he only comes on as a sub, if he at least gets playing time with the first team, I'd still be psyched. And I'm glad to hear that he'll be back in a couple of weeks. Does Philipakos have dual citizenship? And if so, do you know what his current thinking is as to whether he'd prefer to play for the U.S. or Greece, if he had the choice? (apologies if this has been discussed already somewhere else)
quite simply i dont like how he plays (like a chicken with its head cut off) but your right he should at least be on the bench. he just slipped my mind.
He is our most complete two way player you jackass, he brings a defensive presence in midfield and a pacy balls to the wall attacking play in offense. He is an automatic starter for the next 8 years.