Tim Howard was called upon again. Here, Jai Alai in Miami...
A little quick redress on Saturday’s 1-0 USA win over visiting Honduras in Florida. Jurgen Klinsmann’s first win as manager as well.
The Rooster deserves a Snickers commercial
The Rooster sticking around...as is TSG's nickname...excellent...
Tee up the nougat for El Gallo Loco.
Here’s why? Chances are that when Landon Donovan gets back on the pitch the quadrumvirate of Donovan, Shea, Dempsey and Altidore are the the top attacking wave for the States.
Now take a look at those four; only Shea is a true wide player.
Sure the Yanks fullbacks will make it up the pitch some, but that’s not going to happen with ease every game.
Shea is left-footed, plays near the touchline and is the only one that swing in a cross really of the four with consistency. (When was the last time you saw Donovan gain the corner and send one in the box? He’s got the ability just hasn’t done it much lately).
I’ve been looking for comps for Shea for awhile and Gareth Bale always comes up. Although Bale doesn’t attack diagonally like Shea. Ashley Young was suggested as was Thomas Muller.
A better comp may actually be Antonio Valencia who the States will face on Tuesday when they take on Ecuador. (And before the suggestions that Shea is the equal of Valencia…that’s not the case…they’re from the same, uh, coop.)
On and one more note here. Yes, Shea missed from in close, but, in my mind, that’s not an automatic make. Shea is watching the opponent’s line, the ball is played behind him to his weaker foot. He rushed. He missed. But sentiments that it’s one of the worse missed you’ll ever see? Hyperbole.
Orozco-Fist Full of Jersey...
This Orozco-Fiscal thing is not too difficult to figure out, or is me?
You thought I was leading off with a castigation of Orozco-Fiscal’s sketchy first half on Saturday.
Not so much.
The reasons for the Orozco-Fiscal’s inclusion are very simple, and it says more about the need at centerback in Klinsmann’s eyes than it does about the player.
With Boca in pairing, the US needs someone at centerback so they can a) play a higher defensive line so they can b) but more pressure on the opponent upon a turnover.
Without a centerback with wheels, a speedy striker on the other side of the ball can dart behind the line unless it sits deep enough to account for the speed.
When that happens, now the midfield is stretched.
A wonderful example of stretching happening is of course the Gold Cup Final.
Two curious things here though. First, if you want a speed player on the right, shouldn’t there be some redundancy in camp? The names that I’ve thrown a few times here are Geoff Cameron and Michael Parkhurt.
Benitez
And second, how does that backline progress. It’s a good guess that one of Bocanegra and Onyewu won’t be in the line-up come 2014. If you play Orozco Fiscal, you need someone that dominates the box. Is that really going to be Tim Ream?
It will be very interesting on Tuesday when the Yanks go up against Christiano Benitez, the flying fire hydrant.
He’s a squirrely player and is adept at challenging backlines.
Something to watch for in New Jersey.
Deuce, balanced...
Man-child
Onyewu? No.
Williams? Sort of, but no.
Altidore? No.
Dempsey. Yup.
This ain't Craigslist: Dempsey's with only seven missed connections
You think Deuce waltzed on to the pitch Saturday and thought, “Really, they brought these guys?!”
Dempsey looked like a man among children with his play Saturday. What you can’t help seeing with Deuce is that his game really hasn’t changed. It’s his maturity.
He doesn’t go walk-about (On national, international duty) like he used to for 10-15 minute stretches of games.
And wearing the #10 shirt on Saturday, Dempsey guarded the ball like a fat kid does with a chocolate chip cookie. After the first 10 minutes, when he showed some questionable touches, Dempsey was on fire, Chris Paul-style.
He finished 31 of 38 in the passing department.
The graph on the right shows the few misses that Deuce, more than 50% of them with eye on creating an opportunity.
Dempsey’s completed passes compilation. Well that sort of looked like this, 1:43 mark and then 4:10ish or so:
Quick hitters
» Not a great game for Kyle Beckerman. The Real Salt Lake midfielder got whistled three times for tackles that were borderline citation-worthy. That said, in World Cup qualifying and playing teams abroad, those tackles don’t draw as much negative attention.
Can Bradley discard the play-it-safe-all-costs ethos instilled by Pops over the years?
» Michael Bradley, perfect with the pass. 22 for 22.
One problem. Nearly all of those passes were simple squares or back passes and I have a feeling that’s probably not what Klinsmann wants in that role.
That skill set seems more applicable to a holder.
» Danny Williams? Why put him on the right half to start the match?
Two reasons, one, he’s got some crossing ability. Two, you get to see his attackability (that’s a word) in a less risky location.
I expect to see Williams tried centrally
» I don’t have the answer….but I just think that with Timmy Chandler destined to play the right side at his club, he’s just out of position at leftback. Though he is able. Maybe right mid? That’s probably not the right answer either.
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Posted by Luke S on 2011/10/10 at 12:40 AM
i am done with orozco. why so much focus on specific attributes of our center backs under jurgen? it seems that we should just try to get our best two center backs and get them to form some chemistry. also, while i like chandler at left back, i would like to see him at right back more often. cherundolo is old, and chandler will almost definitely take over as the right back after him. also, it seems chandler is filling in for lichaj, who will hopefully regain his place as the starting left back when he returns from injury. i also really hoped to see williams in the middle, as he totally didn’t belong on the outside. not quick enough, and you could see he belonged in the middle defensively. also, he drifted into the middle into a holding midfield position several times throughout the game. with that said, i’m really excited for him to become a big part of our team in the center of midfield. with williams, edu, and bradley, jones working to earn club minutes and torres and holden out injured, we are stacked at center mid. i don’t think it’s right to play 29 year old kyle beckerman as much as he has been playing. look toward your ultimate goal, the world cup, and work on developing players who have a better chance of making an impact in brazil. it seems that the way for us to develop and reach a higher level is by devoting more of our time to the right players: the ones who we will turn to in important games in the future.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/10/10 at 12:43 AM
I wouldn’t worry about it as Orozco.
More focus now because the US is not hucking the ball up the pitch. Under Bradley on a change of possession there was either boot it OR Michael Bradley used to have to come way deep and dribble/pass his way through.
As well the entire game is going more offensive these days for a number of reasons.
Posted by Gregorio on 2011/10/10 at 7:54 AM
Ok Lets get the pool of possible CBs who are more mobile than current crop who resemble me trying to walk on the sand dunes in my flippers.
Who do we have coming up the pipeline?
John Anthony Brooks? never seen him only read some reviews
George John? not fast enough?
Zak Whitbread? slow? often injured?
Rico Clark? my restoration project but he was rumoured to be lost in the balck forrest region of Germany somewhere/
Does Alfredo Morales? play CB, is he big enough?
Anyway lets get some possibles out here to tinker with today.
Posted by VWall on 2011/10/10 at 8:59 AM
AJ Soares!
Posted by dth on 2011/10/10 at 9:28 AM
Enhhhhh….
Not a bad player. Not good enough, though.
Posted by dth on 2011/10/10 at 9:30 AM
Brooks gets wonderful reviews from just about everyone, but as a ’93 it’s going to be a wait for him.
John is plenty fast enough.
Whitbread is right out of the Onyewu/Gonzalez mold of “lumbering colossus.”
Other guys…Ethan White might be someone to keep an eye on; superb athlete with decent instincts, but needs to improve dramatically. Just a possibility there, really. A lot of other youth players (oh, we’ll say…Mobi Fehr) are just too darn young.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/10/10 at 9:41 AM
Agree on Brooks and Ethan White–though he’s very raw as well.
Posted by dth on 2011/10/10 at 11:01 AM
The thing I appreciate quite a bit about White is how dramatically he’s improved over the course of the season. To me that’s the one quality that differentiates the potentially exceptional from the merely good.
Beginning the season I thought for sure he was going to give up a PK, get a red card, or horrifically injure someone or something–he was just that aggressive, in a good way, mostly, but he needed some reining in. He did just that and hasn’t, to my knowledge, conceded any of the three.
Posted by Soccernst on 2011/10/10 at 10:57 AM
I’d give Edu some more reps back there.
Posted by Alex on 2011/10/10 at 1:21 PM
Geoff Cameron!!
Posted by dikranovich on 2011/10/10 at 10:57 AM
matthew, can you think of the number of times throughout soccer history when people have said, the game is going more offensive these days, there are a bunch of factors that are making this the case. same story, different decade.
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/10/10 at 11:49 AM
What?
Posted by Luke S on 2011/10/10 at 9:17 AM
that makes sense, i just think orozco how now shown on several occasions that he is not at the level we want him to be. at the very least, i think jurgen should call john and gonzalez in. i’m just hoping orozco won’t be the guy we rely on for the future
Posted by Alex on 2011/10/10 at 1:24 AM
Clint Dempsey is easily the best US player right now.
Posted by dude on 2011/10/10 at 5:04 AM
I think if you bump Edu down to Beckerman’s position, and Bradley up to the one Edu was playing, it would have worked better. Of course, Holden is like a new baby: He changes everything.
Posted by dude on 2011/10/10 at 5:06 AM
As for the right side, Gatt cannot be called in soon enough. I think Landon will start there when he comes out of his current funk, but he’s truly a forward at heart. Gatt is a freaking winger, the type I thought Sal Zizzo could be before injuries.
Posted by Erik the Orange on 2011/10/10 at 6:10 AM
Tough to plan on Holden being a factor when he’s still got 6 mos of recovery to go. Once back he’ll have been out for a year….not that he wont come back equal strength or better, just making a point. Bradley has been playing a deeper holding role for his new club, I’d like to see him in that role for the US. Thought Bradley was sharper than most when he came on, as the article says, not many (if any) balls fwd, but he corralled quite a few loose balls and kept possession.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/10/10 at 6:43 AM
I agree on Bradley — Edu may be faster but given Bradley’s experience, might be wise to try him at least once as the holder.
Remember though, he’s coming on against an if-slightly fatigued Honduras B squad.
Posted by Jake C on 2011/10/10 at 5:57 AM
First, what would you call the first 10 minutes of deuce’s game if not pedestrian? Not to say he wasn’t the best player on the field Saturday, but he’s still not immune to the mental lapse; his giveaway on the pass to Chandler was horrible.
Second, Beckerman played an understated yet solid game. He fouled, yes, but he stopped plays and was tidier and faster with his distribution than edu, who I don’t think has perfected his touch; an alarming characteristic given his age.
Finally, agree with you about the US needing to play a higher line in the back…but it did my heart good to see Onyewu laying an attacker out. I didn’t realize how much I missed that.
Posted by cpjuengel on 2011/10/10 at 6:04 AM
yea, i agree on beckerman v edu.
and i too had forgotten just how huge Gooch looks when hes hanging out in the box on a corner kick.
Posted by Erik the Orange on 2011/10/10 at 6:12 AM
May be true, but I’d rather compare Beckerman to Beckerman. I thought he had a hard time finding the game vs. other performances. Edu seemed to play a little tenatively as well vs. other Edu performances. Not a great night for either, in my opinion.
Posted by cpjuengel on 2011/10/10 at 6:01 AM
i want to agree with this so much, becasue i loved lichaj at LB, but lichaj is (like chandler) right footed and naturally a RB. so he was doing in the gold cup exactly what Chandler is doing: playing LB out of position.
that being said he excelled there, which we all loved, and hope to see again.
but what if jurgen only sees him as third string RB?
Posted by Jared on 2011/10/10 at 6:45 AM
I think Lichaj will quickly become the second string RB because Cherundolo won’t be around forever. He’s not even playing for his club as much anymore either.
Posted by dth on 2011/10/10 at 3:18 PM
Lichaj is injured. That’s why he’s not playing.
That said, he should try and leave Aston Villa. I’m not sure they’re the best place for him.
Posted by Mr. Tuesday on 2011/10/11 at 9:40 AM
Chandler had no problem driving to the end line and putting in a left footed cross as good as any we’ve seen from an American LB. I don’t care if he’s right-footed, his left footed crossing is better than any of our left footed left backs. He also can cut inside of Shea. They’re a good combo, don’t mess.
Posted by chazcar2 on 2011/10/10 at 6:54 AM
I say use cherundolo while you still have him. He is still the team’s best defender and an excellent player overall. We have no one else to play left back right now. Chandler will only benefit from playing on the weaker foot. Also it gives us more depth at Fullback in general so hopefully we can avoid the gold cup final problem again.
Beckerman’s performance wasn’t great, but it was awesome seeing him move the ball. Watching his passes almost all of them were to players in dangerous positions. He rarely passed to the centerbacks. That is what you need out of the holder. Some one who can hit full backs in stride, thread a pass to the forwards, or pick out the other mids in space. A lot of players can make tackles and then pass it to the center back.
Edu’s performance was solid and I thought he felt more comfortable being free in the center of the field, but just didn’t quite put it all together. Williams I thought was a nice addition in wide spaces.
One last thought, I wonder if there is a starting spot for Donavon in this team going forward. He isn’t a true winger and seems a bit overwhelmed inside lately. Given his “age”, maybe he becomes the ultimate super sub. Can you imagine introducing the leading goal scorer for your country at 65 minutes? That kind of sub lifts the team and can intimidate the opponent.
Posted by Jared on 2011/10/10 at 7:05 AM
I think Donovan goes out on the right. He can play as winger when told to stay wide and do the job. That was essentially what he did for Everton.
I think you’ll see Williams in the position that Edu was in soon. Williams has stated that he prefers to play centrally and from what I saw he’s already a better player than Edu and he has experience in a higher league.
Posted by chazcar2 on 2011/10/10 at 9:05 AM
I wasn’t even thinking of williams specifically, but instead of Bedoya, Gatt, and other young names that keep coming up. If some young right winger makes a name for himself at the olympics or brings it in a good club league I would be hard pressed to start Donavon there.
One of the other things I liked was that Bradley can on for Edu. Hopefully this signals that Klinsman views them at the same position, just slightly different skills and skill level. Edu vs Bradley on the depth chart I think could do wonders for both players.
Overall I like the Depth Chart idea he seems to be embracing, can be hard to stick to as you try to get your best players on the field together, but at the same time, is useful for injuries and having great subs. Formation independant I like the idea of left fullback, right fullback, 2 center backs, Holding mid, Box to box mid, play maker, left winger, right winger, and striker. However that is called: 4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1, 4-1-3-2, 2-3-4-1, 2-7-1
Posted by Jared on 2011/10/10 at 9:19 AM
A lot of ifs about any of those guys stepping up to replace Donovan. I’d love for it to happen so that at least Donovan would be getting pressure to prove that he belongs as the starter instead of the sleepwalking that he started to do in the past year for the USMNT.
Posted by Alex on 2011/10/10 at 1:19 PM
I don’t think there is any player who’s going to displace Donovan. Sure he hasn’t been the greatest but he is still one of the best players in our pool bar none. I mean, just checking the FIFA 12 ratings! (jk). But seriously, as exciting as some of our youth players are, like Gatt, Gyau, and Bedoya (just to name a few) they are still unproven. Gatt is still a very very raw player. He has all the necessary physical traits, but he’s still learning the game. Donovan wasn’t sharp in the Costa Rica game, but I thought he was very good in the Mexico friendly. The RW position is his to lose.
Posted by chazcar2 on 2011/10/10 at 1:34 PM
It wasn’t a one v one skill comparison but more of what do I want my RW to do. In this current setup the RW needs to put crosses in and drive to the corner. Not something that best utilizes Donavon. I would almost like to see Donavon and Dempsey deployed Similarly to Messi and Fabergas lately, False 9 (Donavon) and a False 10 (Dempsey). But that eliminates a spot for Altidore.
One thing that I noticed as my understanding and soccer watching skills improve is the need to have wide attackers to control the ball and just pin fullbacks back to their own half. Donavon CAN do that, but will he?
Also, it wasn’t a point that Donavon isn’t needed on the team, just the thought of a 33 year old Donavon being able to run at more tired defenders when the US needs a goal, as opposed to trying to man the wing for the whole game for several games in a World Cup. This line of thinking could apply to Dempsey too, but his game is less about speed and he is a year younger. (Don’t think that isn’t important, as I make the journey further from 30 every day feels like it takes longer to recover and I feel a step slower).
Posted by Alex on 2011/10/10 at 2:34 PM
True, you’re looking at WC 2014. I thinking games right now and qualifying. I’m hoping guys like Gatt and Gyau are ready by then, but there are still 3 years of lots of football to be played.
Posted by totalsoccershow on 2011/10/10 at 8:35 AM
Good point about Orozco-Fiscal’s pace. A lot of people are asking what he offers and wheels is answer that at least makes sense.
Posted by Jeff L on 2011/10/10 at 9:40 AM
What about moving Shea back to LB and having him make threatening runs up the side? A la Alvez
Posted by Jared on 2011/10/10 at 10:02 AM
I think we’ve seen what happens when the US moves a left midfielder/winger to left back (see Eddie Lewis or DMB). I don’t like the idea of tinkering with Shea’s position since he’s been the consistent bright spot under Klinsmann.
Also, right now our defense is weak enough without putting a winger back there. If we could shore up the central defense with Pique and Puyol types then I’d be all for moving Shea there but that’s not happening any time soon.
Posted by SamT on 2011/10/10 at 11:30 AM
Shea found space in the attacking third on multiple occasions almost effortlessly. His instincts in the attacking third are outstanding. Exciting to watch him develop. And definitely let’s not move him to left back.
Posted by Alex on 2011/10/10 at 1:20 PM
Remember when people wanted him to play CB?? Hahaha
Posted by timmer on 2011/10/10 at 1:19 PM
The distribution from Carlos B was horrible in the second half. Re-watch the second half and count how many times he gave the ball away.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/10/10 at 7:04 PM
To be fair, he had looked very, very bad in the games leading up to the formation of that opinion. Now he’s the second-best attacker on the team, behind Dempsey.
Yes, better than Landon, at least based on current form.
Posted by Primoone on 2011/10/10 at 10:22 PM
No matter what excuses you might want to make for an international calibur player…truth of the matter is, it was an automatic make…Whatever helps you sleep at night man.
Posted by Mr. Tuesday on 2011/10/11 at 10:16 AM
Shea had more than one bad miss. His header in the first half should’ve been on target. He was put in behind and hit it at the keeper instead of the corner or pulling it back to the late runners if the angle was too tight. And then missing an open goal with no pressure. In the tones he’s being talked about in some parts right now, he should have put at least one of those chances away. (You know Dempsey would’ve scored all three for breakfast and added another two for desert.) Good player. Too early to be annointed the chosen one.
As for Orozco-Fiscal first half. No one has yet convinced me that he was the problem. I’m not saying he was perfect by any means, but the positives to the overall team game greatly outweigh the negatives. He’s hardly Bornstein/Castillo lightweight material. Bocanegra had a poor game by his own standards, and his central defensive partner was required to do a lot of covering up for him. Orozco-Fiscal frequently swept across to his side to clear danger – nothing flashy, no crunching tackles, but effective defending. I thought we were much more open in the middle once he came off and Onyewu wasn’t able to do the same job. But Gooch did make more yellow-card-bait tackles. Some people might see that as good defending…
A ballwinner and a quicker player to sweep up behind the big guy is the centerback combination required to play the way Jurgen wants. I mean, we forget that Pique and Puyol are a big reason why Barcelona can play the way they do. Put two lumbering guys back there and they have to defend too deep, there’s too much vertical space to possess the ball with short passes. No one’s saying we’re Barcelona but if the defensive line can’t get high up the pitch, all the short passes become longer, more difficult ones.
Also, Williams was actually quite poor. He had a slightly better second half but was very out of sync with the team and Cherundolo especially. He lost the ball a lot first half in tight spaces that he wandered into himself. He’s got some work to do but obviously there’s a promising player there once he builds a better understanding with the team.