Right Midfield Is The New Left Back

I’m not sure if this is worth worrying about, for two reasons.

1. A right mid/wing doesn’t have to be right-footed. Yes, it helps, especially when crossing, but this is far from a requirement. I believe Beasley has lined up at right for PSV, and given that crossing his biggest weakness, he might actually be better off playing on the right and cutting to the center of the field. There are plenty of players around the world – Luis Garcia, Ryan Giggs, Ronaldinho – who can play either wing or behind the striker.

2. We fans tend to obsess over formations and positions too much when today’s game is much more fluid. USA may start in 4-5-1, but that can easily morph into 4-4-2, 3-5-2 or 4-3-1-2 depending on the situation and matchups.

With that said, if you don’t want Dempsey at right, you can line up (from l to r) Convey, Donovan and Beasley, or Beasley, Convey and Donovan. Keep in mind that Donovan may be more effective on the right, especially if he’s overwhelmed by the opposing d-mid.

The point is, don’t worry so much about which player fits in which position, and put the best XI on the pitch instead.

Come on, you guys have seen the Joga Bonita commercials. 1-1-8 is our only choice. Listen to Cantona, he’s your master.

spinachdip is spot on with his first point. I’ve said it several times on this blog. My preferred right mid is Beasley. Cutting inside is an affective move from the wing. It actually goes to the left-back’s weak foot. Most left backs are pure left-footers so you attack their weakness.

His second point is equally accurate and echoes some other comments I’ve made. Formations are fluid. 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-1-1 are all the same formation with minor on-field positioning changes or emphasis. It doesn’t matter what the “official” formation is once the whistle blows. Teams adapt constantly…what do you think managers are doing on the sideline all match?

Convey actually played a few games on the right for Reading, one he got man of the match like plaudits and he seemed to swap quite a bit even when he started on the left. The one drawback with him on the right, he’s nearly blind in his left eye (I think it’s the left) which means when he’s on the right most of the defensive pressure comes from that side, might be harder for him to see it.

Aside from that, Preki made a living for decades coming down the right, cutting to his left foot and scorching goalkeepers – this even when every warm body on the planet knew he was going to do it. So it can be done and most effectively.

One alternative not mentioned is Albright out there. He was a forward for years, has some height and decent speed and has learned to play defense. His crossing is far superior to most, maybe even Ralston, and he plays better defense than Ralston.

Spinachdip and Kelly have nailed it.

My vote is for Beasley.

I agree with the comments made so far, but just throwing Chris Albright’s name out there…

I somewhat disagree with the premise.

The “new left back” is, IMHO, still left back. Lewis is out of position, and may be a defensive liability.

Alos, seeing a Jamaican player force Chris Albright to excute those involuntary pirouette manuevers is cause for concern defensively.

I feel good about Dempsey. The guy is creative and he is direct and he will bust a move (or even a rhyme!). According to the previous thread, he arrived at Camp Cary in the best shape, too.

Beasley on the right as the #2 option there behind Dempsey? That’s clearly the best option. Remember: he scored from the right on that awesome set play in the Columbus qualifier win against Mexico — with a left-footed shot that curled into the net, no less. So I don’t think that’s a worry.

As an aside, however, I disagree with Carlisle’s assessment of our dependence on O’Brien:

“I’m on record as saying a healthy O’Brien is vital to the Yanks’ chances of advancing out of the first round, and I’m sticking to that view. But I’ll admit that the statement is made with visions of O’Brien replicating his form of 2002, which seems more unlikely with each passing day. So how tempted will Arena be to pull the plug on O’Brien and bring in someone like Ralston?”

Does anyone else think that he’s THAT important to our chances? I just don’t see it.

O’Brien is one of my favorite players. However he is gravy at this point. He’s been out of the picture for a while so I think its wrong to say our chances hinge on him. We still have Mastroeni, Reyna, and Donovan to man the middle of the field. If JOB gets back his fitness he will be a huge player for us but we are not doomed without him.

As for right mid, dempsey is my first choice but I think all the other guys mentioned above are all capable. Its fantastic that our depth allows me to say that now. If O’brien is 100% he could play there too (even though its not his normal position). Bottom line is we have several decent options.

Rick,

While I wouldn’t say O’Brien is critical, when he is healthy and in form, he is the overwhelming choice to pair with Reyna in the center of midfield. Obviously a big IF, but it would be a huge boost to have him in there if he’s ready. He’s got the talent (second only to Reyna IMHO); he’s got the experience. That said, Mastroeni is no slouch as the second pick to pair with Reyna. More of a classic defensive midfielder, but I have complete confidence in him.

Cheers

Albright is just a possibility on the right-mid, not something I particularlly want to see. But is it any more far fetched than seeing Lewis at back? Arena has done far weirder things in positioning…

Not just Arena–Albright has sometimes filled in at right-mid for the Galaxy, and often moves up into attack when he’s at right back.

[...] We’ve been through this before and I still say Dempsey looks the best bet. If he shows good form in the Send-Off Series he can go to Germany with confidence. [...]