Clint Dempsey: Prem Beast

Fulham looked great and Dempsey was a key part of the offensive hammering that Fulham leveled on Man City. Good to see Dempsey and Fulham having some success this year after the close call at dropping last season. Dempsey has raised his game a level this year and so has Fulham. The team has a legitimate shot at Europe, an amazing turn around in a year.

Dempsey has shown again what he can do when surrounded by mid-table EPL talent; folks who criticize his play on the USMNT really need to look around the pitch and see what is different. It is not Dempsey.

Point is his compatriots need to raise their level of play and then the USMNT will truly deserve that 15 ranking. Beginning with better passing and service to the only midfield/wing player on the USMNT starting in the EPL – namely, Clint.

Posted from  United States

@Lee. Agreed. This goes back to a conversation many were having in the Edu-Beasley post several days ago.

Dempsey’s problem on the USMNT it not him, it is the technically skilled players around him. Dempsey, imo, is the first player with technical skill who was born in the US. Adu is obviously the best.

I want Adu in the middle with Dempsey. Put Altidore up front and put Donovan to right back. My formation is on another post.

You put the best technical skilled players around Dempsey, primarily Adu who is better imo, Altidore, Donovan, Torres or Bradley and I think you could create a very dangerous attacking team. If we only had one more technical strike who was smaller and faster and more dangerous with step overs, etc., then I think the US could be a true force.

The only problem is I think US coaches tell their players not to dribble and show-off. BS. When on the offensive side of the middle 3rd and always in the attacking third, take people on. Take them to school. Make them respect you. Even if you don’t get through, they will know you are willing to come after them. Lastly, you put the ball between a defenders legs in the attacking third, you own him for the entire game. All you have to do is fake like you are going there and the defender has to stay honest, which gives the offensive attack that much more space to make plays.

Someday…maybe Bradley will learn and not suffer the same fate in 2010.

I will guarantee that if Ching, Heijduk, Pearce, Beasley, or a few others I can’t think of off the top of my head are starting for the US in 2010. Better mail it in boyz!!!

GLT MNT

How do you feel about Charlie Davies?

Posted from  United States

Charlie Davies will need a move to a real league before we can talk about him for the national team. I hope he gets shopped around a bit in the next transfer window or soon there after because the Swedish Allsvenskanliga is not where Charlie will rise to greatness. I think a move to Holland would be a step in the right direction. He scored 15 goals in 30 games for Hammarby last year and he’s already tallied one this year in 2 games. He obviously has the talent.

If Charlie can get a transfer and start playing against some real competition with success I think we could definitely start talking about he and Jozy up top as I believe they compliment each other fairly well. However, if he stays in Sweden he won’t end up being much more than Matthew Taylor at TuS Koblenz.

Posted from  United States

Back to the issue of Dempsey:

Maybe if we got Hejduk to stop over-running the right wing and forcing Dempsey to hang back we could see more of his creativity through mid and up top. We lose most of what Dempsey brings when he’s forced to fall back and cover for these never-ending insane runs by Hejduk that end in a tired cross straight to the defender. Who new: it comes back to poor coaching.

That was a great game.

Posted from  United States

I wonder if Matt Taylor will get a USMNT call-up

Ray, I think your exactly right about Dempsey having to cover for Hejduk, but I think there is a larger problem on the national team that Unbelievable touched on in the Edu/Beas post. There was not enough knowledge of the game in the youth coach ranks 20 years ago when the current national team players started playing to instill an understanding of game flow from the beginning. Because of this US players are constantly fighting an uphill battle to learn the game when they move over to Europe.

I think his early exposure to understanding positioning is the strongest reason that Michael Bradley seems to be in goal scoring position from a DM position more often than some of our strikers. And while he might sometimes look like a chicken with his head cut off, I attribute that to the fact that rarely will anyone cover the hole he leaves to make a charge up, requiring him often to stop runs at awkward looking times. If it were up to me, I would have the entire national team watch and dissect hours upon hours of Dutch “total football” just to see what well-timed runs and defensive cover looks like.

When I was playing on my grade school team, my dad was the assistant coach. He had never played the game, never really seen the game, but the head coach needed another set of eyes to watch 16 kids, so he volunteered. With the ability to follow the game now and a generation of parents that played the game growing up, I hope that the coaching disadvantage that the US had is disappearing.