I don't get it. Since we're qualified already, I hadn't paid any attention to the lineup until I tuned in to watch the match. What in the heckle & jeckle were players like Beasley and Gooch doing out there??? I was glad to see Howard in goal (and he did not do well), but otherwise there were way too many guys with nothing to prove running around on a dangerous, wet, articificial pitch in a hostile environment. Save the full-team playres tune ups for closer to departure for Germany. I could have cared less about the 3-0 scoreline except for the fact that we had some of our best guys out there when they shouldn't have been.
???? Playing left marking back is EXACTLY where Boca played and earned himself a look-see from Fulham.
Why? Cuz let's face it, with Bruce honoring Eurorest and MLS' playoff run, he had less than half the pool available.
I don't think you and I are watching the same games. Martino gave some hustle and did fine considering the established conditions. Quaranta has done more on the right side than anyone else in recent memory. He was exciting during the Gold Cup. You'd prefer Ralston? Cunningham, a dribbler, would have gotten creamed last night. The CR defense was swarming; TT and Ching had two to three defenders on them all night. There was no space for a player of Cunningham's style to perform. Ditto for Adu-- and why endanger the future? This game was to learn what NOT to do, not what could be done. I dislike to lose, but I think tactically speaking in knowledge gained, we learned a ton. See other threads and you'll get what I am saying.
Did any positives come from this match? Why did we use a 3-5-2 against a more skillful offensive team? We know that Pope is done and Bocanegra didn't show much either. It was a very sad performance. I think Twellman, Bocanegra, Ching,and Albright didn't do much to solidify their roster spots. Even Quaranta looked bad in the few minutes he played. Maybe the only good that came from this is that we learned that certain players do not fit in certain roles. I don't think Ching or Twellman play well without a fast counterpart or great service. Albright is not a RWM. Finally Pope or Bocanegra cannot be trusted to run a three man backline. They get exposed with speed. That game was just too painful to watch.
Yes. Despite a lopsided scoreline that flattered the Ticos, we are still going to the World Cup. After we beat Panama on Wednesday night, some of the Chicken Littles (who have a valid complaint to be upset mind you) will hopefully settle down a bit.
Maybe true (I haven't watched yet), but Ching only recently came back from a protracted injury, and still hasn't regained his prior form. He only started the last three Earthquakes games, and subbed in only the three before that. Prior to that, he had not started a game since May.
Well bringing in our B squad to a place the USMNT has never won, with CR looking for a win to secure a WC spot and the US with individuals out there looking to impress (not working as a team) I guess you could say "what do you expect"
He played as a marking back in a 3-5-2 when he was in Chicago, and he's one of the reasons that people sometimes suggest that the U.S. should play a 3-5-2. Whatever out-of-position issues the U.S. may have had, I submit that Bocanegra was not one of them.
Herculez would have put a couple in the back of the net.... C'mon, do I have to put up a smiley face for everyone...
I guess you'veonly seen his bad games and not his many good games. Drop it and leave it be because he's one of our better players and you know it.
Do you think Mathis still has that quality? I haven't seen him play much for RSL this year, but he certainly hasn't exhibited it the times I have seen him play. He was spectacularly mediocre in the last game against the Quakes, and RSL immediately got more dangerous when he was subbed off.
Yes and no. I don't think anyone had in mind a formation like that even if they were thinking of the same set of players...
The formation lost this game: Boca isn't a LB in a 3 man backline Onyewu isn't a RB in a 3 man backline Albright isn't a RM period. He may be a backup RB Convey isn't a CM. He's a backup LM Beasley isn't a CM. He's a starter at LM Ching and Twellman are both slow post forward types. Lewis played LM and played pretty well Mastroeni is a DM and played pretty well. Putting players in postions to succeed is what the coach should do. For this reason Arena failed the team terribly. Virtually same players in different positions would have gotten a 1-1 tie in this game. PS: I didn't think we played that terribly. Really a 1-0 game. With 2 great goals.
I think there's been a drastic overestimation of how experimental the formation was tonight. Some thoughts: * The defensive array of Lewis-Boca-Mastro-Pope-Onyewu-Albright is pretty reasonable, and if the U.S. is to be able to play a creditable 3-5-2, these are players we might expect to perform in it. We learned last night that this group of players is not well-suited to that formation. As a wingback, Albright played a decent RB, as a wingback, Lewis played a decent LM, as a marking back, Bocanegra played a decent orange traffic cone. * With the personnel on the field, the formation could have rotated into a 4-4-2 with Boca wide left, Albright wide right, Lewis and Beasley on the wings. I don't think that ever actually happened, though. * I don't really understand the point of playing Beasley in a CM role, given that he already showed against Mexico that he doesn't play effectively there. Hopefully, Bruce has gotten the message. * I would have been interested to see if the attack had been more balanced if there hadn't been a black hole in the right forward part of midfield.
We had every reason to think he could be going into the game. We had every reason to think he could be going into the game. He was playing a right wingback, and his history suggested that it was reasonable to see if he could handle it. As a wingback, he played a decent RB. On the other side, as a wingback, Lewis played a decent LM. Convey was the least of our problems, and he played quite well shading toward the left side of the field. He was our only effective midfielder going forward. I agree with this, and I would have thought Arena had already gotten the message in the game at Azteca.
Yes, I thought I was the only one who thought that DMB is so overrated! Let me tell you, his brother Jamar was way better, but he career was ruined by the old NE Revolution regime.
I'm amazed at all of the sweeping judgements being made based on this one game. Talk that "So and so never deserves a shot at the national team ever again" or that this is a sign the US will struggle in qualifying for 2010 is completely out of line. People, this was Costa Rica. Away. In miserable conditions. This was around the 4th time I've seen the US play away to Costa Rica and I'm not sure they have ever looked good, nor has any player ever really distinguished himself. OK, I take that back, I believe Roy Lassiter once had a two goal game in San Jose. On the whole, however, playing at Costa Rice has a tendency to make US players look like clones of Mike Burns. The US looked like a mess against CR four years ago in San Jose yet I think we did OK in the world cup. As some other posters have mentioned, I'm glad that CONCACAF will be sending 3 strong teams to Germany. It's one game, let's move on.
you made my point precisely - we don't have anybody that size (small) with that talent - so focus on developing the bigger stronger players - unless by some miracle we see a Messi come out of the woodwork in this country. it is time to end this experiment. He does a wonderful job of scooping up garbage goals in the MLS - but international defenders don't make those kinds of mistakes - which is precisely why he has yet to score in an international match. We need players who have the immense talent or size and creativity and speed to create their own chances 1 vs. 2 or 1 vs. 1 .... Twellman is a nice kid - but he doesn't have it. We need 10 more Eddie's.
Twellman gets a lot of goals when paired with Ralston. What if Arena tried something really crazy like playing the two of them at the same time?????
I do have high expectations - anything less will not this team out of their group in Germany .... at the international level - luck will not cut it - you have to create your own chances. Twellman does not do that - he is opportunistic and defenders at the next level up will not give him that opportunity - that is why a goose egg next to his name. Adu gets pushed down because of his size - but in tight spaces and open field he has enough creativity and talent to create the slot for a shot. TT does not.
every player at this level on our squad needs to stand on their own merits wth talent. MLS talent level and international talent level are a different ball of wax. The game is so much faster at the higher level - and opportunistic goals are far and few between.
Oh, and Clark's lack of time yesterday indicates Arena's interest in finding an alternative to Armas, I fear.