Has anyone seen the list of absentees from the Wales squad they are bringing for May 26th friendly. Absent: Hartson, GIGGS!!!!, Bellamy, Robbie Savage, likely Gary Speed, Darren Barnard, among others. That absolutely stinks!!!! I was and I'm sure Arena was hoping for a stern test from a very in-form team. Instead we'll get a mix of players from Premiership reserves, Division 1, and Wales U-21 squad. I'm sure Simon Davies will find a way to back out as well. Far from the squad that beat Italy 2-1 in Euro qualifying. That was the squad I wanted to see. I know this really isn't a lack of respect from Wales, as most of the absentees have appropriate reasons, but it still stinks. We had better spank this team!
Link? This absolutly pisses me off....I was sooo looking forward to our boys going up against a very solid team. And especially looking forward to watching Ryan Giggs. One of my favorite players in the World
Here is are the players that Wales will be sending to the US for the friendly: Wales squad to face the United States in friendly CARDIFF, May 16 (Reuters) - Wales manager Mark Hughes named for the following squad of 20 on Friday for the friendly international against the United Stakes in San Jose, California on May 26: Goalkeepers: Paul Jones (Southampton), Darren Ward (Nottingham Forest) Defenders: Gary Speed (Newcastle United), Andy Melville (Fulham), Adrian Williams (Reading), Rhys Day (Mansfield) Midfielders: Mark Pembridge (Everton), Simon Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Matthew Jones (Leicester City), Carl Robinson (Portsmouth), Andy Johnson (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Trollope (Northampton), John Oster (Sunderland), Jason Koumas (West Bromwich Albion), David Vaughan (Crewe), David Pipe (Coventry) Forwards: Gareth Taylor (Burnley), Simon Haworth (Tranmere), Neil Roberts (Wigan), Christian Roberts (Bristol City). Saludos y Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera! Pichi
You really thought he was going to be playing in a May friendly as opposed to lying on a Mediterranean beach? Perspective. Besides, you can watch Giggs practically every weekend on FSW from September thru April. I hear the American Giggs will be there.
my point for starting thisw thread exactly!!!! I would love to see DMB and Giggs on the same field. Maybe one day we'll see them wearing the same shirt!!!! (I know, unlikely!!!)
I have to agree. I was hoping to see some of the better players. But then again they should have scheduled it for July or August. No Page,(Currently much more important games to play), Hartson, Bellamy, or Giggs. I wasn't expecting Giggs. Surprised they got Roberts for this game though. But still Wales is good once again and I was hoping to see a full lineup. US Soccer knew that they wouldn't do it and they still schedule it for this time. Boo.
Good article from the BBC here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/wales/3034223.stm
"With such stretched resources, Wales' 10-game undefeated run looks set for a severe test against a team ranked 10th in the world." Yeah. This time. But not when Bellamy is in the lineup and he has a cool head on his shoulders for the match.
Exactly. He has so much potential I believe, and I think he should look to giggs as the perfect role model of pace, dribbling and crossing.
And when did you expect them to schedule it? The US has 2 international tournaments this summer. So its not their full squad, this is something were used to. Its our national team and thats all that matters to me. I'd watch them play against the Vatican if they had a team.
Okay. Who are we playing besides Wales? New Zealand, Paraguay. This should have been scheduled later. Wales is a team on the rise and we should be playing them later in the summer. The big match of the summer. O, well. Just bad planning.
Does anyone know why bellamy is out, as far as I knew he wasnt injured and dont think he is suspended. I would expect USA to beat this Wales team. Expect 2 of the midfielders likely to drop back to play as full backs, Likely to be Jones and Davies. With Pembridge, Robinson and Johnson filling the midfield palces. It should be 3 up front with Koumas and Oster playing off Taylor. I think Koumas is a very underated player, he hasnt really had a chance with Wales as Giggs plays in his position. The game was sceduled at the wrong time as far as we are concerned.
Maybe this was the only time they could get them to come over here and play? And to a lot of people Paraguay, a team thats qualified for the past two World Cups might be a bit more of an interesting opponent.
I love Wales but when it comes to soccer, I hope it's 4-1 to the US. Giggs is the only player I know on the Welsh team now. Mark Hughes was a great player so I'm sure his team will play hard, well the ones that bother to come.
Well I doubt that considering the US is bringing in just SJ, DC and a couple of YA for the game. Corrales, Ching and Cannon just to name a few.
Isn't Paraguay in their league season? Yeah, but few teams in the world have the current form that Wales does.
One thing to remember is that 2 lesser known players who actively particpate for Wales (at least in their European championship matches) Robert Earnshaw (who set a Cardiff record with goals scored in a league season) and Daniel Gabbidon (who recently returned from injury) will not be participating because of Cardiff City's 2nd divisions playoff match vs. QPR. Some other Cardiff players who were called up will also be otherwise occupied.
We need to kill this crap team. We have got to earn some respect from European team. The message needs to be sent, if your going to play the USA you had best bring it or you will be embarrassed.
Well, even if they bring their best team and we beat them. It wouldn't mean that much. They are a Rugby nation anyway. If we played England and won it would probably be considered just another fluke. Respect will come in time, probably when we knock someone like England out of a World Cup. Also, isn't it about time we had a friendly against England?
I agree, but I dont recall anyone saying that the game wouldnt matter when we thought Giggs and co. where coming. We have a problem with European teams. I have a nice fact for you, the USA has not won a game in Europe since April of 1998. And look at the teams in the World Cup that beat us, Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, even Austria and Czechoslovakia. We could only tie Switzerland. (I wont count Italy and German twice, we're suppose to lose to them). With a one off win over Portugal. When we play European team we need to play their best squad in order to gain experince. That's why crap like this makes me mad.
They need to cover crap like this when they sign the contract for the game.It's almost a deception on the ticket buyers and advertisers!
Yes how dare Hartson choose to play in the UEFA Cup final, Earnshaw, Gabbidon, Weston, Jenkins, Fowler, Page and Blake play for their clubs in playoff finals, and Bellamy, Speed, Barnard and Roberts be injured when they all could have been playing a completely meaningless friendly against the US. It's an outrage!