I have said it before, and I will say it again: Team USA needs a lightening rod, they need a premiere player who commands the ball in tough times. Donovan will not be enough to be competitive. We looked just horrid out there, and the sad thing was the final score was not indicative of the talent level of both those teams. Team USA has the talent, they just are one player away from being competitive. I just hope the Suns win tonight, that will make it up for me...
Meh, a lot of guys that won't make the team were playing and badly. I thought Holden looked pretty good, I though Ching in his little time looked good, I thought Goodson played well. I though Edu was good in midfield and bad at the back.... And, Gooch looked like crap, I just don't see how they can keep him, he is not moving well, not jumping and has no business on the pitch right now. DD
Ching does not fit with this team. He is soo good, but I think he just doesn't work with the talent on hand. Altidore too. Those two are my favorite American players, but I just think this roster is not conducive of their types of play...
Ching needs guys that can create for him...both Dempsey and Donovan can do that, and Altidore is like a better or younger version of Brian McBride, strong and good in the air. I think where we struggle is we need a burner up front ...Davies and his pace was so important at pressuring the back line of opponents. Eddie Johnson used to have it, but nothing else....maybe Buddle? We need someone up front that has jets. DD
We really need some ball controllers in the midfield. Very difficult for any of our forwards to make an impact when there is very little threat from the central midfield. We seem to do well on the pass and move, but no creativity and no distribution to the wings or forwards. This along with our back line are going to be our biggest questions needing answers against Turkey. That being said, Goodson looked good in the back. Pierce had a night to forget
I really think this needs to come from the middle. Dempsey is best when he is getting serviced. Donovan can burn but is not a true distributor.
I think yall have Ching's abilities all wrong, its the other way around, Chings strength and what he brings to the team is his great hold up play allowing Dempsey and Donovan to get more chances.
That is the problem, we need a contrast, and I would love to see some SPEED up there...to create space..... Ching is a better creator than Altidore, but Altidore is more physical...... I don't know much about Boddle, or Buddle, is he quick? DD
Pearce needs to go, he made two costly errors that led to the 2nd and 3rd goal for the Czech. I was really impressed by Rogers and Gomez tonight. I really wish that Bob would have called up Davies. We need someone with speed on the front line.
ESPN Grades the players from tonight's match There were few bright spots in the U.S.'s loss to the Czech Republic. The Grades Player ratings: (1-10; 10 = best) Brad Guzan, goalkeeper, 4.5 -- Couldn't be really faulted for any of the goals, but didn't necessarily cover himself in glory either. Jonathan Bornstein, defense, 3 -- Practically played his way off the team. His passing, positioning, and one-on-one defending were all poor. Fortunately for Bornstein, Bradley has to take either Bornstein or Heath Pearce. Clarence Goodson, defense, 6 -- Delivered a strong, composed performance for the most part with some timely defensive headers. On Herculez Gomez's goal, he did well to keep the play alive with a header across the face of goal. However, his missed clearing attempt on Martin Fenin's game-winner proved costly. Oguchi Onyewu, defense, 4 -- His rust was ruthlessly exposed on Tomas Sivok's equalizing goal, as his aerial challenge was completely lacking in explosiveness. Was also a bit foul prone, but the fact that he got through his first competitive match unscathed has to be considered a victory. Steve Cherundolo, defense, 4.5 -- He seemed a bit unsure of himself with the ball at his feet early on, but eventually had some good moments linking up with Holden. Seemed on his way to an improved second half, but faded. DaMarcus Beasley, midfield, 5.5 -- Had some decent moments, including one early on when he got to the endline and delivered a dangerous cross. His need to help Bornstein limited his chances to get forward. Jose Torres, midfield, 7 -- The player who probably did the most to help himself before Coach Bob Bradley makes his cuts. Torres was always available, and was tidy on the ball when he got it. He has to be on the plane to South Africa. Maurice Edu, midfield, 4 -- Scored a typically scrappy goal in the 17th minute when Holden's free kick dropped to him in the box, but his passing blew hot and cold; mostly cold. His spell in the center of defense didn't inspire much confidence either, as Tomas Necid skinned him for the visitors' fourth goal. Stuart Holden, midfield, 6 -- Caused all kinds of problems with this set piece delivery, and looked to combine getting forward. Worked his socks off defensively as well. Eddie Johnson, forward, 4 -- Same old Eddie. Struggled with his back to goal and when he did control it he took too long to get rid of the ball. Edson Buddle, forward, 5 -- Not the greatest performance, but he seemed a bit more eager than Johnson to put in the dirty work. Stuck his head in a dangerous place on the goal, and it paid off. Subs: Heath Pearce, defense, 3 -- Given Bornstein's struggles, Pearce wasted a golden opportunity to make a positive impression on the head coach. He was caught ball watching on Jan Polak's goal, and was skinned by Libor Sionko on Fenin's game-winner. Robbie Rogers, midfield, 6 -- Had an immediate impact with a dangerous cross that nearly found Ching, and later forced a diving save from Cech with a shot from distance. Sacha Kljestan, midfield, 5 -- He kept the attack ticking over with some safe passes, but for a guy on the bubble, Kljestan didn't have near the impact needed to change his status. Looked to be ball watching on the Czechs' third goal. Brian Ching, 6.5, forward, -- His passing and hold-up play were a huge improvement over that provided by Buddle and Johnson. He solidified his spot on the South African-bound squad. Herculez Gomez, forward, 6 -- The guy has a nose for the goal, no doubt about it, as witnessed by his 68th minute header. Seems like the ideal supersub to take to the World Cup. Alejandro Bedoya, midfield, 5 -- Didn't have much of an impact, other than being a fraction too late on Fenin's game-winner. -------------------------------------------------------- I forgot about Robbie Rogers, I thought he looked great too. DD
I think these grades are too low, especially Edu's. Edu was not at fault for the goal, it was Klesjan. Edu had the composure to try and keep pace with Necid, but to be fair Necid had fresher legs. Holden was as close to an 8 as possible. Holden was down right annoying for the Czechs and really I felt like if there was a stronger core around him he would have had less pressure and would have scored quite easily. My only reasoning for not recommending a 9 or a 10 is that he was not as aggressive/selfish as he should have been. I would have liked to see more shots on goal out of him...
By the sounds off it, will be interesting when our Aussies play you guys in a warmup match as both seem like they're struggling a bit at this stage. We needed a last kick winner to beat NZ 2-1. We started with our best side (Minus Schwarzer, Kewell, Chipperfield and Emerton) and were down 0-1 at the half to the team most consider the worst in the World Cup. The subs after half time saved us a bit but we still looked pretty ordinary. So the US warm up might be our game to get kicked back into gear.
So Swolly, what are your expectations for tonight friendly, Mexico- Netherlands. Many of our premier player will be rested, (all the player who played in the CL finals) I want to see how Schaars and Boulahrouz play I hope they make the team.
After last night's game, Bradley has to consider leaving 2 of the backs home. I don't see a way he can even consider Bornstein and Pearce. Time and again, Bornstein finds a way to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has no knowledge of how to position himself...which is pretty amazing at this level. Pearce just looks overmatched and constantly over-commits. He was responsible for 2 goals. I've never been a huge Cherundolo fan. I think he tries too much to be a part of the offense and gets himself caught too far forward...plus he's not a good crosser. I hadn't seen too much of Goodson before last night and I was impressed. If Gooch is going to play tentative and clearly not 100%, we need Goodson on the field to match up to Crouch. At this moment, I'd start DeMerit, Spector, Goodson, and Boca. Kljestan had a nice run about a year or 2 ago...but it's over now. He's lost his touch and his confidence. He caused that goal. Rogers looked decent and he might have won a spot since Bedoya isn't likely to get one. Much to my dismay, Beasley will likely play in his 3rd cup. Holden is only getting better. I agree with Pizza that he will be even more dangerous when the defense is centering on Donovan and Dempsey. He's going to get space to run and hit crosses. Hopefully Altidore and whomever starts next to him is on their game because the crosses are coming. In the midfield, I'd start Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Edu...with Holden first off the bench. Up front, I'd have to go with Altidore and Buddle right now. Ching is probably first off the bench, but I'd expect to see Holden come in and Dempsey moved forward if/when they make a move for more offense.
No. Not really. He has good size (6'1") but not quick feet. Personally, I'd like to see Dempsey play an attacking position with either Altidore or Ching as the lone striker. Gomez is a wild card for me. I haven't seen enough of him to understand his strengths as of yet.
I didn't see the game, only some highlights and the goals. I must say, I'm still amazed at how well the U.S. does during qualifiers and against other teams with what little skills the players have, but I guess the heart and desire to win will make up for that with opportunistic and at-the-right-time positioning of the players for scoring. It goes to show you how in the MEX-ENG game, Mexico controlled the ball for about 65% of the time, but the poor shooting accuracy didn't help; also, when English strikers were positioned in the right place to score, they did. Mexico's multiple shots were on the goalkeeper's hands, while England's few shots were right on the money. Out of the USA's team, I believe Holden, Torres, and Buddles are keepers. Too bad Howard wasn't there, or it would have been maybe 2 goals only. Onyewu is not 100% and I doubt he should even be starting, but... who can you place instead? I don't think there are many choices. I agree with your lineup, leroy420. Although Bocanegra seldom makes mistakes, when he does, they're costly... I've seen them against Costa Rica and against Mexico. That's better for the entire game than just a few mistakes. Your defense needs work. Who was that dude that let the Czech player go behind him after missing the header? That's a no no. ESPN will have Bradley's Final Roster announcement at 1 p.m. today. MEXICO vs. NETHERLANDS today at 2:00 on Teledumbo!
That's the reason I'd like Boca to be on the outside. That way his mistakes can be covered by the center backs. That was Edu that missed that header...but the goal was created before that when Kljestan gave the ball away after making yet another horrible touch. The Czech player simply had better position and was able to body Edu away from making the play...and he's not really a center back. I think Bradley did that so he can see if it's justified to leave both Bornstein and Pearce at home where they belong. That way he can keep Boca on the left.
