U20s draw 1-1 with Portugal in first of three matches at Madeira Tournament. Details, lineup and comments coming shortly.
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/1046788848/view hopefully this gives a good look into the thinking re the lineup. Looks as if those who were being challenged for a starting spot have responded well (although no announcement of a starting 11 has been made - and most likely will not be).
Good stuff Gersman. What do you think Justin Moose's chances of making the squad are? And if he does make the team would this make Grabavoy expendable?
kinda surprised simek didnt get the start in the center of defense considering they brought him down from arsenal for the tournament...but looks like he will go the full 90 against norway.
startling lineup GK-Steve Cronin D- CJ Klaas, Chad Marshall,Ryan Cochrane ,Jordan Harvey M- Devin Barclay,Ricardo Clark, Justin Mapp Bobby Convey F - Knox Cameron,Mike Magee subs used - Ned Grabavoy and David Johnson replaced Magee and Cameron,
Wednesday against Norway, 9 players who did not play will start GK- Ford Williams D- Drew Moor ,Frank Simek ,Heath Pearce , Marshall or Cochrane (each taking a half) M- Justin Moose, Jordan Stone, David Johnson, Arturo Alvarez F- Ned Grababoy, Barclay or Magee (each taking a half)
I am glad to see Rongen making that move for the next game. It at least makes it look like everyone has a chance to be playing when the real tournament starts. And EJ and Tino have played togethter for so long, they SHOULD step right in when they are available.
Well with 3 matches in four days it makes sense anyway, but it does appear that Klaas and Harvey are at least PENCILED into those starting fullback slots at this point.
You can watch the video highlights of both goals from RTP. http://www.rtp.pt/web/sites/rtpvideo.htm Click on Desporto from the menu on the left side, then Select and click on Estadio- RTPMadeira from the submenu. The coverage starts at approximately 8:20 with Convey taking a free kick to Cameron. Cameron controls it and fires a shot which is saved by the keeper, but Magee finishes the rebound with a diving header. Harvey gets beaten badly by a Portugal player for their goal. Ugh. The Norway/Madeira game ended 1-1. http://www.dnoticias.pt/edicoes/fotos/050303/desporto.jpg http://www.dnoticias.pt/edicoes/fotos/050303/dn011104.jpg http://www.abola.pt/wqua/wfotosdia/pag34.jpg http://www.dnoticias.pt/motor/default.asp?file_id=dn011104050303 http://www.abola.pt/wqua/FutNacional/ArqSeleccoes/Selec01.htm http://www.ojogo.pt/19-12/artigo252892.htm http://www.record.pt/noticia.asp?id=193497&idCanal=488
Harvey appears to have responded to the challenge Rongen gave him by bringing in the likes of Pearce and Shirley to take his left back spot. I give him props for that as it shows character. But, left back is still going to be this team's weak spot. Harvey just doesn't appear to be international caliber. He was only so-so as a U17 and he struggled in qualifying, thus leading Rongen to bring in the other players. Hard to believe, however, that there aren't other LB candidates out there who are 83s 84s besides Shirley, Harvey and Pearce. And don't even get me started on Zak Whitbred! Perhaps the sollution is to go to a 3-5-2 and have Simek play alongside Marshall and Cochrane in the back. Yeah, it likely screws CJ Klaas out of a starting job and it puts more defensive responsibilities on Justin Mapp and Devin Barclay. But, it certainly eliminates the nagging problem at LB and it allows Rongen to get another mid on the field like Jordan Stone or David Johnson (or even Klaas), which should free Bobby Convey up to attack more. Finally, let me say one more time - stoopid f-ing Liverpool!
Whitbread is in an interesting position right now ... he's getting some reserve team playing time and is captain of their U-19 team. Over the weekend, however, he attended a tryout camp for players who may be released following this season. Obviously, I want to see the kid wearing red, white, and blue, but his future is in the balance. There's no point in leaving Liverpool to train for a tournament that unlikely to happen.
Interesting. Is that mainly for 2nd and 3rd division clubs to look at young players the giant clubs might be cutting loose?
It's definitely not just for lower-tier clubs. As the article below points out, even many of the big clubs (Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool) send scouts. Incidentally, the Calgary Storm sent a scout there, but MLS apparently didn't bother. http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk...fm?objectid=12681817&method=full&siteid=50002
2nd Game Result (vs. Norway) I know this is the Portugal thread but the U-20's defeated Norway 2-0. The team played very well. I got the information 2nd hand so I do not have any details. Gersman will give us the details soon I am sure.
The so-called "exit trials" are a pretty interesting phenomenon. USL clubs generally attend and several players have made their way over here as a result. What's difficult to tell is how much of a kid's ending up here is a reflection of them, and how much of their club. It's well-documented how hard it is to break into a Premiership first team from the youth squad -- statistically the odds are against you, whether you're at Man U or Tottenham or Villa or wherever. Think about it: Eddie Lewis, an experienced pro and international who played in a World Cup last year, was a reserve last season. It stands to reason that even a jump to the reserves is hard for most youth. Here's a great feature article that touches on the mood of these trials. http://www.soccernet.com/columns/2001/0304/20010304featcalvin.html If Zak ends up here, it's not the end of his career but it would definitely suggest a longer road to "stardom" then one might think given his supposed credentials. They can't all be phenoms.