Onyewu On ESPN News

June 1st, 2006 | by: Daryl |

Click on Gooch’s smiling face to see him interviewed on ESPN News. Nothing new for US fans but once again they make a big deal out of his physique (the interviewer guesstimates him at 240 lbs, which is almost an insult.)

It’s worth considering that while Gooch is indeed a big guy, size alone doesn’t make him a good defender. You don’t get to where Onyewu has in his career without solid defensive technique. His positioning and timing are just as impressive as his size, and though he sometimes appears aggressive, he never looks clumsy.

USA World Cup Team Blog RSS Feed

http://worldcupobserver.blogspot.com/ marc

Mainstream sports coverage seems pretty obsessed with the size and strength of athletes, so it’s no suprise they try to appeal to a wider fanbase when interviewing soccer players. The U.S. could use a few more big men in offense (somebody like a Vieri, only better).

Is it me or do all the interviews sounds alike:
“So are you excited? I hear we have a rivalry with Mexico?”

Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t know that. It’s not like we went to war with them in the mid 1800s and they’re still sore about losing California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas…
Mahdi

“Are you interested in playing in MLS?”

I hear that the most.
eric

Well not to bad. At leaste he asked him about Europe before MLS. The interviewer did about as well as Wynolda does when he interviews people and he played soccer.
Paul

Did any of you guys see this article on Foxsports?

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5649612

What do you think? Garnet would make sense in goal. Although, I am having a real tough time picturing any of the other guys on a pitch, not that I don’t think they would be good, it’s just an awkward thought.
Futahaguro

That FOX Sports article is amusing:) I have always wondered the same thing. If we were able to pump enough money into the MLS so its payroll would be a match to the other big sports we might have one bad-ass team. I mean, those American football players can MOVE! Imagine the airborne threat we would be. Just toss the ball in the air and we would win it. That would be fun to watch, big, strong, and fast players:) Just keep the attitude at home.
Mahdi

The article is thought-provoking. I think that LeBron James would be better suited as a playmaking midfielder ala Zidane or Nedved, which is the role he plays for the Cavs.
chuck

Thanks for the link, Paul — interesting read.

For my money, I’d like to see a few more cranial types in our midfield — think NFL quarterbacks.

I’m thinking of a Tom Brady or a Carson Palmer type of player. Heck, even Peyton Manning, assuming decent ball skills.

You don’t really have to be terribly fast to be a good distributer (Exhibit A: Carlos Valderrama), but if you want to add speed, we can go with Michael Vick, Jake Plummer, or Donovan McNabb, too.
Paul

Chuck, I think the QB analogy as play making midfielder works really well. Plus we all know Peyton has happy feet in the pocket!

As the article says, WR’s would make great forwards because they are so fast and their leaping ability is unbelievable.

I also think a punt returner/kick returner/third down back would make for a great sub for one of the strikers. Somebody like Dante Hall or Darren Sproles in the mold of a Pippo Inzaghi for Italy.

If this was some alternate universe where soccer was the number one sport in the US, do you think any of the guys currently on the team would make the cut if all the best athletes were playing?