After 3 games its clear that out of the 23 man roster, JK has a very short bench. We are playing with 14 of the 23 players. 13 if Jozy can't go... Will Jozy be health enough to play? Wondo and Johansson have no role Yedlin is a 85 min sub for a winger at best, if he was more he would've started today Davis is a liability and won't see the field the rest of the tournament Gonzo is the sub for Cameron, or maybe the new starter after today Brooks is the sub for Besler so probably not playing anymore Mix - even today he wasn't trusted to sub for one of the 3 CMs Chandler - will never see the field unless Beasley goes down Green - never going to play Guzan/Rimando - did we need to carry 2 back up GKs?
Will Jozy be health enough to play? Perhaps by R16 if not, definitely QF. I have been hearing good things. Wondo and Johansson have no role Johannson already played his role. We won that game, remember? Yedlin is a 85 min sub for a winger at best, if he was more he would've started today Yedlin has been great for us and played a role in the go ahead goal vs Portugal. Davis is a liability and won't see the field the rest of the tournament Yes. Good point. Gonzo is the sub for Cameron, or maybe the new starter after today Not Necessarily. We needed his size vs Germany and it proved invaluable vs Klose plus his clearances 1v1. If we need some build up play from the back we might see Cameron again. Brooks is the sub for Besler so probably not playing anymore Brooks played his role and was fantastic. Perhaps we would not be in R16 without him Mix - even today he wasn't trusted to sub for one of the 3 CMs He could very well see action in R16. Bradley might be on the outs. Chandler - will never see the field unless Beasley goes down Yes but Beasley is bound to hit a wall at some point. We might need timmy for a half if things go our way early vs Belgium. Green - never going to play He is an investment. Whether it proves worthwhile or not? We will know by 2019-2022 cycle. Guzan/Rimando - did we need to carry 2 back up GKs? Yes.
Most coaches have a short bench at the group stage. JK actually used a fairly large group of players so far, with Davis and Gonzo starting today and Yedlin coming in as a sub.
Yes, its a FIFA requirement. North Korea tried to be sneaky in 2010 by writing a midfielder as a "goalie". FIFA was not amused. They don't like teams trying to pull fast ones on them. When North Korea landed in South Africa they had 3 goalies at the WC.
Yedlin and Iceman need to be super-subs for this game. I'd start Mix for Beckerman. Bring back Cameron or wait keep Gonzalez. Not really sure.
The fact is we are short on attacking talent. Period. JK foolishly chose not to take a replacement for Jozy, and didn't pick LD. He also never takes Bradley off the pitch, no matter how badly he plays. We don't really have the type of CM's who can keep possession really well, though Jones and Bradley certainly will have their moments, they clearly are not going to remind anyone of Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo, Van de Vaart, or even Claudio Reyna for that matter. Furthermore, we don't have ANY pace on the wings out of midfield. You think Germany is scared of Brad Davis, Bedoya, or Zusi breaking down the wing? Nope. All our pace is out of the back. We don't have a Bale, CR7, Goetze, Hazard, Donovan/DMB type speed down the wings anymore. Nor do we have it up front. Altidore has some speed, but he isn't LD in his prime. Or even Josh Wolf in that regard. And he's hurt. AJ is a one-touch guy, and Wondo a poacher. Dempsey a predator type as well. Nor do we have a true #9. ================= Look, we have some good players. Jones. FJ. Dempsey. Howard/Guzan. Bradley. But we run 3 DMs out there (usually resulting in a technical disadvantage) and have no speed wide/up top. Nor do we have a #9 to bring the MF into play. Result: little space from good teams and good teams will dominate the ball. We have a good esprit de corps, but are generally pretty toothless in attack.
Basically it boils down to Davis or Green over Donovan. It was a huge mistake leaving him at home. Altidore: Looks like he's doing conditioning today. Good sign he might be back for Belgium. Wondo: Was fantastic in the few short minutes he played. I was hoping to see him versus Germany. I think he can provide scoring if given the chance. Johannsson: I think he was a backup to Dempsey before Altidore went down. Not sure where he fits. Mix: I think this team has needed his abilities. With Bradley's woes, maybe he will have a role going forward. Green: DONOVAN!!!! Davis: DONOVAN!!! Gonzo: Had a role yesterday and master it. That's the Omar I want to see. Germany is the perfect opponent for him but Cameron likely to play against Belgium. Brooks: Did his part. Scored a goal and saved a goal shortly after. Yedlin: Did his part in Portugal game and will be used when speed is needed late in games. Chandler: Won't see field unless Beasley goes down. Guzan/Rimando: You're required to have three goalies.