Wynalda to Bruce Arena: It's "now or never" for Taylor Twellman

When I said above that Taylor Twellman must "wait his turn" - I didn't mean wait for McBride or someone else to retire from the team. I meant wait his turn with Buddle, Cunningham, Wolff, Mathis (again) and all of the other guys who are vying for a major role.

I don't disagree with anyone that it is important to always be trimming from the existing squad and adding from the emerging youngsters.

Sorry, because that wasn't clear when I re-read my post. I hope that TT makes it in for this qualifying cycle. But if he doesn't, I am still confident he will not be judged another Jason Kreis (after a measly six caps).

 

But that IS the case. Even if he had scored twice against New Zealand I don't think he would've been called up for Gold Cup. The main reason Bruce called up these younger guys is so they could get an extensive look at these guys while practicing. I'm alsmot positive in one of either Connely's or Wahl's reports that they said that the Staff had serious doubts of Twellman's ability to play at this level. The author also mentioned that the staff thought that Martino had a huge amount of potential.

Everybody think back to the days (or current) when you were playing an organized sport during highschool. Wasn't it fairly easy to figure out who was really talented and who obviously didn't have enough talent compared to players around him or her? Thats whats important. Statistics don't tell the story, especially in soccer. Scoring is more about creatinig than finishing. The general list of the best ballers in the world, Zidane, Figo, Becks, Nedved, Ronaldinho, Edgar Davids, Roberto Carlos....the only forwards you even compare to these guys are Henry, Van Niestelrooy and pre-injury Ronaldo. And those guys are famous for creating goals for themselves. Any yahoo can score goals if the service is great. But that doesn't mean that yahoo is all the talented. It just means that he doesn;t miss sitters.

Twellman is no yahoo. He is an excellent finisher. And he strong in the air. I really wouldn't mind if he was a call-up. and NOT because of his productivity. I like him because he does all the dirty work and he works tremendously hard. He also has good talent for finishing. He is NOT as good as BMB because he doesn't have the skills, he isn't as powerful in the air, and he isn't as athletic as McBride.

 

Having said all of that, I WILL say that what i really disagree with Eric Wynalda on is that Twellman is the best young striker we have in MLS. To me, Buddle is still clearly the better of the 2, and i suspect will be better on the national team in the future. I am simply holding the position that TT also deserves a real shot at proving himself worthy at that level.

 

Re: Re: Wynalda to Bruce Arena: It's "now or never" for Taylor Twellman

Someone please fill me in on when McBride became this great athlete that people keep saying he is. He is no more athletic than Twellman is. He is marginally better in the air, and he is not as good of a finisher on those "sitters" that everyone claims he scores all of his goals from. If we were comparing Twellman's athleticism with that of LD, DMB, Convey, Bocanegra, etc., then maybe there would be a point ........... but McBride????

 

You also have to take into consideration that McBride is injury prone. Same for Reyna and, hate to say it, Josh Wolff. You can't hang your hopes on someone you can pretty much bet won't be available.

Anybody remember Waldo gifting McBride with a goal that he could've taken himself? I think it was McBride's first with the full national team. It's unfair to say this article is anything other than Waldo calling things as he sees them.

Until some commentator with more knowledge and more balls comes around, Wynalda rules.

 

And how do you know? You may _think_ that is the case and you _may_ be right, but there's no way I'd make those kind of statements with any certainty.

A lot of VERY good players in a lot of different sports have been thoroughly screwed by this kind of thinking. Edgar Martinez was 27 years old before getting an everyday shot with the Mariners. The coaches just KNEW that despite his being a great AAA hitter, he wasn't big enough or fast enough to succeed in the Majors.

Now the debate isn't whether he was good enough for the majors, but whether he's a hall of famer.

Kurt Warner? Dennis Rodman?

Hell, look at Damani "Freakin'" Ralph. You think maybe an MLS coach or two underestimated _his_ talent level?

I just think scouts and coaches have to keep an open mind when it comes to players and be willing to adjust their evaluations as time passes.

 

This is actually a pretty good thread even at post 100, pretty rare here on BS.

It's all subjective in the end I guess. I watch Twellman and I see a guy who does one thing well at the MLS level -- finish, usually with his first touch.

But I've never seen anything from him in the way of passing or winning 50/50 balls at midfield or creating goals for others that screams "International Player!"

 

Re: Re: Re: Wynalda to Bruce Arena: It's "now or never" for Taylor Twellman

Well I guess it defines how you define "athletic." Twellman is quicker than McBride, no doubt about it. Twellman is also probably equally agile as McBride (and both are extremely agile as shown by McBride's famous scissor kick goals and Twellman's diving headers). Both are equally not fast.

Where McBride stands out as athletic in my mind is that he is much, much, much better in the air than Twellan in terms beating a mark by outjumping him to a high ball. In other words, McBride has major hops, better than anyone currently in the USMNT pool. McBride is also way, way stronger than Twellman, which combined with his superior touch, translates into a lot more ability to hold the ball under pressure.

In my book, that makes McBride more athletic (and among the most athletic in the USMNT pool) than Twellman.

My final view on Twellman is that he is a good player and might have a strong future on the Nats. But based on what I have seen so far, he will probably be only a role player in the next cycle, even if McBride does fade from view through age.

 

Like it or not, in all sports, people who make decisions on players do so based on actual producation AND their view of the players' potential.

I have to believe that right now, two of the people being discussed on this thread are viewed VERY differently.

Here's a guess on where they stand in the eyes of the folks who matter:

Edson Buddle - Extraordinary talent. Tore it up last year then got hurt. Came back and was rewarded with a first cap. Suffered another unfortunate injury. Now he's back and on an incredible tear. Percieved as someone headed for overseas stardom. He'll get MANY chances to become a Nats fixture and is already thought of as being on a track to start in Germany '06

Taylor Twellman: Overachiving producer with limited upside. May force his way into National Team picture with continued domestic results. Will get chances but fewer of them. Like a successful Triple A pitcher without commanding stuff. Will have to scratch and claw to make it on an International level.

 

I'll take this criticism because I deserved it. But i'm still positive that either Connely or Wahl reported the Staff's misgivings about Twellman. I don't think there is much room for improvement in Taylor's game. I'm hope i'm wrong though.

 

That's fine. My only argument is that Taylor's game might be the kind of game where his skills are the kind where coaches may underestimate what he brings to the table (forever, in baseball, players who could draw walks and reach base were woefully undervalued). There's something to be said about guys who don't seem to be overly impressive in any physical ability but score goals by the truckload somehow.

Sometimes these guys reach a level where the competition shuts them down. Sometimes, like Batistuta, they never do.

Just a quick question, and not intended as an argument or a criticism. If Twellman were to transfer to England or the Bundesliga and score like 15 goals playing regularly in the first team, would that make any difference, is the disconnect between club ball and Nats duty the same?

 

Just remember, voros, that Rob Neyer (or John Sickles) like to say "there is no such thing as a pitching prospect". Tomorrow's Roger Clemens often struggles to hold down a middle relief spot on a major league roster even after he mowed down batters throughout the minors. Granted there are some skills that you can project (the ability to throw strikes/avoid walks, the ability to minimize home runs, the ability to induce groundouts) but there is still a lot that is mysterious about evaluating pitchers - even with all the statistics.

Taylor Twellman's success is largely a factor of hard work, sheer desire and instinct. It is not born out of tremendous athletic gifts, highly refined soccer skills or imagination/flair. He is perhaps similar to one of those short Houston pitchers (Billy Wagner) that none of the other teams would seriously scout. And Jovan Kirovski is like that left-handed power pitching prospect (Steve Avery) that no one can quite give up on. Maybe.

On the other hand, maybe Taylor Twellman has been "getting batters out" but he has a "low k/inning rate" and high "hits/inning and hr/inning" that indicates his success won't last.

I agree with the posters above who have put their money on Edson Buddle.

Why is Rivaldo so dangerous for Brazil, yet so mediocre for Milan? How come Rai was a legend for PSG and such a disappointment for Brazil? It doesn't always make sense when you are comparing club-level to the national-team.

 

I've told Rob before that I think he's wrong on that score, but what can you do?

Clearly there are relationships between how a player (pitcher or hitter) performs in the minors and how he performs in the majors, that much is easy to show in short order. Examining what they are and how they work is the hard part.

By the same token, clearly there's some relationship between the quality a player is in MLS and the quality of player he'd be as an international. I mean nobody is clamoring for callups for Jamar Beasley or Ted Chronopolous. The question is determining just how strong that relationship is and how it applies differently to different individual players.

I just think if I was coaching, I'd be damned sure to find out where Taylor Twellman fits on that scale.

 

Concerning TT's lack of productivity thus far on the international level, I think we can all agree that(yes, that includes the Crew fans also, ) he has merely fallen prey to happenstance.
No player can escape its clutches or be immune to its inducement.

 

First let me give you my opinion on what International Level of play means, to me anyway. I think its key to unserstanding my answer to your question. I consider true international play (where the USA is concerned) to be against the best countries in the world. Mexico, Costa Rica, ConFed Cup, World Cup, etc. I'm not including the rest of CONCACAF, the likes of Wales junior varsity, and the the worlds minnows. So when we play Internationally, we're playing against atheletes who play professionally in England, Germany, Spain, Ialy, Portugal, and France. Obviously the exception is Mexico and Costa Rica. But they aren't exactly better than USA either. So if Taylor did produce in those leagues I mentioned, he'd be doing it against players he would go up against playing internationally with the United States. Therefore, it would indeed make SOME difference.It would depend on how is he is scoring those goals. My arguement that service matters is still relavent. I'm sure Twellman could get 15 goals per season if he were to be playing for Real Madrid. Not because its that easy, but because Taylor can finish. If all his goals were due to his service, I don't think his situation should chance with the NATS. He is still a 1-Trick Horse, and thats just just not good enough for the National Team. Just ask Ante Razov.

But, if Taylor was scoring those goals by beating defenders on the dribble and stuff like that, then hell yes it makes a massive difference. There's a large difference between scoring goals on CJ Brown and Mike Petke and scoring goals on Wayne Bridge or William Gallas or Rio Ferdinand. And it would prove that Twellman does indeed have international level talent. Which is exactly what Landon Donovan proved in the World Cup.

 

Sure but Twellman doesn't just knock the ball in from six yards out though. He's scored some pretty nifty goals this year. Here's one from the MLS site that displays a little bit of skill:

http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=ml...72003_DCNEtwellman.asf&proto=mms?mswmext=.asx

I think it's one of the better non-Damani Ralph (non Ruiz Bicycle) goals of the year. A deft little touch that _badly_ torches Ivanov.

Now sure, toasting Ivanov is different than toasting a real defender, but the play was nevertheless very nice. I think it's the quickness with which he takes his chances which results in the goals.

 

Wynalda:
"It's now or never for Taylor. If he doesn't get in with the national team now he's going to lose the opportunity to play in a World Cup. If he gets in now he'll be in perfect position by 2006."

You have to wonder about this statement. Taylor should be able to play in '06 and '10. Now or never?

Fact is, Taylor has been getting shots. There are not that many games the year after a WC. The Confed Cup was a bonus. Taylor has not been shut out in favor of another unproven prospect. Thats what he is. An unproven prospect that has done nothing with the time he has been given. His production so far has not matched up with what McBride did when he was getting his first shots. And McBride wasn't playing day-in and day-out in a MLS calibre league to get sharp. God bless MLS, such as it is.

Taylor has a future. It will include a further shot at the USMNT, I'm sure of it. Waldo tottally fixating on Twellman rivals the rashness ussually only seen on BS when seemingly everybody is threatening BA's job if he doesn't cap Adu immeadiately. Thats what Waldo is paid to do.

But from the games I've seen Buddle is my bet for National Team success. He blows by people, makes his own goals. By '06 I expect Twellman will be making a living with the Nats poaching Edson's rebounds and finishing off situations Buddle has helped Donovan, Martino, Beasley (amoung others)create.

As an aside: 4-4-2 reported polling unnamed MLS Managers and Coaches for a list of "the MLS players most likely to make a splash in Europe". I chose to believe that the pro coaches know more than we do.
Their complete list, in order:
LD, DMB, Bocanegra, Pablo, Buddle, Adin Brown, Martino, Ricardo Clark, Clint.
I'm a little suprised to see Pablo listed. I'm shocked (and thrilled) to see Ricardo Clark. But maybe there is something to those comments about the USMNT staff not seeing Twellman as ready, cause he ain't listed, which I find suprising as well.

 

I'm a little bit amused we're getting all blue in the face arguing about whether or not Twellman's had a fair shot with the USMNT.

I wish qualifiers would hurry up and start already.

Not knocking any of you and your strongly held convictions about Twellman. Just #$!@ tired of firendlies.

 

Re: Re: Wynalda to Bruce Arena: It's "now or never" for Taylor Twellman

You are right. There were misgivings about Twellman that I have seen from one of those sources. I still say, give this guy a shot to prove us wrong. If he does, i won't even brag that i told you so! (mainly because i don't know for myself) I just think he has earned a shot to fail on his own merits.

 

I tend to agree. At the critical moments, he is one step ahead of his opponents by fractions of a second. I think it's his determination to succeed that gives him that extra thrust.
That, and a great sense of target timing & positioning on the field.

 

time to watch the Revs/Rapids game on ESPN 2!!!! yesssssssssssssssssss!!!!!

 

I wonder how Twellman performed in practice with the Nats. Some players just play well for each other - some players don't.

As a case in point, consider Brian Ching. He and Donovan had instant chemistry for the Quakes, and if it weren't for an injury Ching's name would certainly be on the list of 'Future McBride' replacements. Brian is not the fastest or most skilled player, but he and Donovan make each other better. Graziani, on the other hand, had skill to burn, but didn't play well with Donovan.

I wonder how Twellman meshes with the rest of the Nats. Since I can only see the Nats games, I'd like to see TT given more chances to show his stuff. ...and I'm sure BA will call him in again, so I'm confident we'll get a chance to see TT playing again for the Nats.

 

Re: Re: Re: Wynalda to Bruce Arena: It's "now or never" for Taylor Twellman

I'd love to be wrong about Taylor Twellman. Donovan is the only proven forward that we have right now that as A)Healthy, B)Under 30, and C)actually brings his A-Game (unlike Clint and Jovan)