I glanced through the threads on the NZ game, and very few were on Greg Vanney. Although he always seems to start a bit shaky, after a third touch or so, he settles down and does very well. He was the one bright spot on defense against NZ and made some good runs and passes to the forwards. Do we really have another true left defender. (please no more Victorine conversions) For the Galaxy, Vanney played best when he was confident in himself, even most so when he actually took over the central defense. It seems he goes in as the forgotten defender and seems a bit nervous but then usually plays a very solid game. Do we think he can gain some stature and become a solid player or are those first few touches of nervousness not worth it. I think he is worth the shot and I bet one of the major surprises at the Confed Cup. What do others think?
Winning me over I think you're right. To be honest, he never impressed me in prior games - I saw him as a good pro but not necessarily an international. I seem to remember him making some blunders a few years ago in a US jersey. Against Wales, and this past game against NZ, I was really impressed. He played smart, got forward when he could, and played a really good game. I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm definitely open to seeing him more. As for other candidates, I don't know. Convey has been tried there. Maybe a left-sided combination of Eddie Lewis and DMB (who could switch frequently). As for pure left backs, none come to mind.
Vanney looks stiff and wooden to me- not very agile.I am not optimistic about him as an international player.
I thought Vanney had a very good game. He never got beaten, he pushed up well and linked with Lewis down the left side. A very professional effort. Jarrett
too bad he got injured last year. otherwise we would have been able to see how well he would do with the top players and also against stronger competition. I haven't seen him enough yet to really know how well he is capable of playing. Though our best backline, if healthy, would be Sanneh Pope Bocanegra.
Admittedly this was three years ago, but I definitely remember Vanney as the weak link in our defenses in the away WCQ games. He didn't seem to integrate very well with the rest of the unit, especially when the intensity and crowd noise increased. (Again, three years ago, so things can change.) I missed the first half NZ goal on Sunday, but I understand the attack came from our left side, and I wonder if something like that contributed. More broadly speaking, given our uncertainties at both outside back positions, and our strength maturing in the midfield, I wouldn't be surprised if we see more NAT lineups including three central defenders in a 3-5-2.
As an LAG fan I watched virtually every MLS game Vanney played plus his nats appearances. He has had two years playing in France since most of us saw him last, and his game has matured materially from the last WCQ days. In particular, his corner kicks and set piece kicks last couple of games were wicked and much better placed than I recall from his LAG days. With a recognition that neither Wales nor NZ fielded very difficult teams, Vanney acquited himself nicely. He was certainly a cut above anything David Regis ever showed, and I am not sold on Sasha or Convey in the back. Particularly with Pope's injury, I expect we will see a fair amount of Greg this year.
I do like Vanney and think he might be the answer to our current left back need, more so than benchwarmer Barret at present, but when Regis was on he was perhaps our best defender period. He was just prone to one stupid mistake every so often, less prone than agoos ever was, and he had better ball skills than any US defender I've seen. It's a shame he had those occasional mental breakdowns and got targeted by Bruce, even when some of them (i.e. the Italy game) were other people's fault (Hejduk's awful cross field pass, the Italian defender's foul on him that led him to losing possesion).
It seems to me that one disadvantage for Vanney is that left back is a position at which we have an increasing number of options. WHile Vanney has played well lately, he still seems to be nera peak. Meanwhile Barrett, Gbandi, Dunivant, and possibly even Bocanegra could wind up there. And that's provided we play 4 in the back, which is far from a guarantee.
I think the three most important qualities for a left back are: 1) speed 2) decision making 3) pure defending Vanney: speed - slow decision making - average pure defending - above average I don't see him as anything other than a second half substitute. I'm sorry, but you can't play outside back without speed. Prove me wrong, Greg. Greg has improved in the other two areas while in France. Good for him!