Confederations Cup roster announced

Nicholas if I’ve learned anything about Bob Bradley over the years it’s that he would love to pair Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley in his midfield any day of the week.

Well, if you’ll concede that that CC should be on the roster, allow me to play devil’s advocate on Bob Bradley. Bobby is not blessed with a wealth of talent at his disposal. If Dunga makes a roster or lineup mistake, then they’re still good enough to beat our best by 2-3 goals.

Despite some of our limitations, the US is 25-9-4 during his tenure. That’s unmatched among the US coaching fraternity. Those losses include England, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, and a couple of Copa losses with a “B Squad”. Sure, you’d like to beat those teams, but we don’t have Brazilian talent. They could probably put together 3 or 4 squads who are better than our best.

Really, I get what everyone says about the empty bucket. As an Ohio State college football plan, I have similar complaints about the maddeningly conservative Jim Tressel. So yeah, it sucks as a fan, but would other coaches really get better results with our talent level? Arsene Wenger would get us to play more attractive football, but he wouldn’t be this water into wine. I’m not as convinced that there’s this one strategical thing standing in our way of great successes on an International Stage.

I think many fans are over-reacting to a very poor performance in Costa Rica . (I concede that Bob had a terrible plan and it was an equally poor approach in the 1st half of Saturday’s game, but likewise, the play on the pitch was terrible.)

Some might say I’m accepting mediocrity. I don’t think so….the point is that you have to play the cards in your hand. Our hand simply isn’t as good as the world’s best.

This post probably belongs with Marlon’s. Put me in the “have more patience” camp…..

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**If Marlon is right, and Bobby pairs Ric and Bradley Jr, then I’m jumping ship.

That’s a big Goalie, I wouldn’t wanna run into him.

Posted from  United States

Nicholas, I whole-heartedly agree with your post. I’m not disappointed with the US’s current standing in CONCACAF or FIFA. Ranked 14th in the world by FIFA is nothing to sneeze at, especially with the revamped ranking system. We are doing well in the youth ranks and I believe it’s just a matter of time before those youth affect the US Senior squad. It may be 5-10-15 years before we crack the top 5, but this is certainly within reach.

Given some of the injuries and with many of our top young players being benched across the globe, maybe we’re overachieving at the moment. Pulling top players from the MLS to fill gaps is not such a bad option given they will be more match fit than players from most other leagues come World Cup time.

Since this is the USA World Cup Blog, a little positive spin to go along with the negative spin we’ve seen so much of recently is in order here. Let’s think about the good things the team does and the effort they put forth instead of dwelling on what could be. When it’s time to really call for BB’s head, you’ll know it. That time doesn’t seem to be now. The argument has too many flaws. We need consistency right now and BB is good enough to keep the team moving forward.

Posted from  United States

Why do we live in a country where it’s perfectly acceptable amongst a decent amount of fans and the coaching staff to leave the most creative player in your nation (the only spark of life in games against teams like Spain with not so bad results you like to cite) on the bench? This is madness. Absolute madness.

I have nothing to contribute regarding the Confederations Cup roster because I’m not surprised by any selections. Well, maybe Conor Casey, but I don’t see him playing.

More puzzingly to me, why hasn’t Nike put out a Confederations Cup kit like they did for Copa America two years ago? Answer me that.

Posted from  United States

Everyday we keep Bob Bradley is another day we do not progress as a national football team.

There’s no point in keeping him through the WC. Why have another WC where we are embarrassed? It’s pointless.

Posted from  United States

Marlon: I don’t know, ask multiple coaches at Benefica and Monaco (it’s always the coach who’s not giving Freddie his chance to shine). Everyone loves to see flash, but thinking that Freddie Adu is somehow close to being the answer is akin to taking a page from the Underpants Gnomes Business Plan.

Step 1: Play Freddie Adu
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Collect World Cups

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underpants_Gnomes

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Brooks:
“I’m not saying he should be beating those teams just yet, again, this isn’t about wins and losses or expecting us to be as good as Brazil. Our point is that he has young talents who could be developing right now and one day get us closer to that level where we can beat those teams, yet they remain misused or largely unused in favor of older players who either flat out don’t deserve to be on the pitch or are simply wasting the playing time that could be used more productively with an eye on the future. ”

OK….not about wins and losses.

Which youngters should get called up and in what positions should they play?

Sure, you wouldn’t have played Pablo Mastroeni recently. You also wouldn’t have played Heydude in ElSalvador and our qualifying prospects might look much different right now.

I don’t think a guy like Freddie Adu warrants more than substitute time.

Who else? We very aggressively brought Feilhaber back into the mix before *he* even expected to be ready.

We’re using youngsters in the form of Torres, Bradley, Jozy, Klejstan (since demoted). We brought Spector in when he was healthy. Bornstein and Pearce are both 25ish and are playing (unfortunately). 13ish of the 23 roster spots are going to players under 25. 2/3rds of the players weren’t in the last WC cycle.

IMO, we’ve cycled plenty of youngsters through positions where veterans don’t have a stranglehold on the starting job (Dovonvan, Dempsey, Onyewu, Boca, Howard).

Do we have a young left mid that should be playing? Stu Holden? It’s not like he hasn’t had opportunities, but he hasn’t shown much….at all. Sal Zizzo? Danny Szetela? Yep…saw both of them last year.

Posted from  United States

Nicholas, I tried to get through your post, I swear.

First was this: “Sure, you wouldn’t have played Pablo Mastroeni recently. You also wouldn’t have played Heydude in ElSalvador and our qualifying prospects might look much different right now.”

So I’d have to assume you’re not ok with Pablo either? And I loved the use of “Heydude” (I am hereby stealing that), no issue there. I’ll just say this–unless Congress passes some law prohibiting soccer in the U.S. we can expect to qualify out of CONCACAF for the foreseeable future. We have a 300 million person pool to draw from. I’m not sure there’s 300 million in the rest of North America combined. We’re not all paying attention to soccer, but we’re not going to backslide. Just a hunch. So Heydude’s nice to have for now but he’s not our savior and not the long-term answer at right back. By “long-term” I mean 2010.

I stopped reading at “a guy like Freddie Adu.” What the hell does that even mean? You’re right: playing Adu does not equal World Cups. But not playing someone with his skill doesn’t make much sense either. Would you save him for 2014 then? Or maybe 2018? Hell, let’s just revoke his citizenship so he and the rest of Ghana’s national team can kick our asses again next summer. Something tells me he’d be getting more time on that team even at his age.

Player like Freddy Adu – one way player. It’s a liability. It’s why he doesn’t play at the club level.

Posted from  Canada

Bob Bradley already plays two holding midfielders. Why should we not play a third midfielder who concentrates on attacking? Did you even watch the Olympics? Do you think the USMNT has any other player who could shred and embarrass that Holland team? Of course playing Freddy Adu doesn’t equal World Cups. It just makes a more dangerous football team. One might even say it makes us look like a real one. Freddy Adu is competing with so much more talent on the club level then he is on the national team side. Don’t give me that he’s not defensive enough bullshit. When was the last time you saw him play to let you even gauge that?

Jonathan Spector and Sacha Klejstan are both 23. They do not count as youth being brought into the team at this point and the fact that you think of them as such is really just further proof that you and your logic are outdated. These people are professional athletes. They are not kids. Do you think Argentina is having issue’s deciding if they should play Lionel Messi being that he is only 21? David Silva is 23. Do you think there is a big pat on the back for Vincente Del Bosque when he plays him on the left for Spain? Gerard Pique is 22. Nobody in Spain is in an uproar about him having solid playing time. Wayne Rooney is 23. The same age as Spector and Klejstan. Well good on Fabio Capello for letting that young rookie into the side. Nicholas I don’t think I want to be fans with you anymore.

What happened to Danny Szetela?

First No reason to get salty about this stuff.
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jozy altidore can’t legally buy a beer. I think he should pretty much have a permanent spot given our forward situation. Nobody is biased against using youth per se, but when watching the olympics, I never confused adu with messi. You’ll notice that when other nations call on youth, they also call on very special players and those players perform well and are proven commodities. I don’t want to knock Freddy, but I don’t put him near that class but do consider him a great situational player. Hope he gets chances to prove me wrong. You respect his ability much more. Cool. Agree to disagree.

Anyone besides freddy who is being held down?

Posted from  Canada

Brooks:

- “First of all, congratulations on being the only person who puts value in FIFA rankings. Secondly, of course the US is doing well in CONCACAF. It’s CONCACAF! We should be absolutely dominating it.”

The number of people in a given population is not the sole indicator of success in any sport. Latin American countries have the luxury of football being their primary sport. Kids there want to play because those are the ones making the big bucks, making the news and the morning papers. The best athletes there choose football over other sports because of that. Our best athletes may start with soccer, but soon switch to football/baseball/basketball when they start middle school because there’s a better chance to succeed with it. Why should we be dominating CONCACAF?

“And what makes you think those kids will affect the senior squad before they turn 30? Bob’s awesome ability to not integrate our young and talented players to their fullest?”

The point is we have to deal with superior skill of existing players for many years to come, regardless of who we generate in our youth squads. It’s unlikely we will produce the skill of Messi or Ronaldo anytime soon. Do you really think having someone play on the US MNT is going to suddenly make them that good? They have to come there with that level of skill. Playing for the MNT is for those players who have already made it at the club levels, it’s not for training.

- “Then how do you explain Charlie Davies not playing? He’s playing at the club level. Also, if you can’t see the value of using Adu even if he’s been sitting on the bench in Monaco for eight months then I understand why you’re a Bob Bradley apologist.”

I see the value of using Adu. I don’t think anyone argues against using him. But he has not earned a starting spot by any stretch of the imagination. He gets used about as much as he has really earned the right. He’s on the bench for his club.

- “Wow, ok. Well, if you want a sunshine and lollipops look at the US MNT, go read the official US MNT blog. Also, understand that we’re not being negative here just for the sake of being negative. We’re voicing concerns that all US fans should have.”

I never said don’t be negative. I said don’t be so one-sided. I’m no BB apologist, I just have respect for the job and it’s very easy to sit on the sideline and disagree with every little thing. You don’t know what’s going on in the background and will never have that insight, very few do. The big picture is we don’t have enough talent to challenge for the World Cup this go around and the fact is we are doing fairly well given the circumstances.

- “That’s just complacent and ridiculous. If you spend all your time thinking about how satisfied you are, you will never strive to get better and achieve more. Dwell on what could be, Peter! DWELL ON WHAT COULD BE!”

Basically, get real. Name one US player who’s a star in one of Europe’s bigger leagues (or little leagues for that matter), please? I don’t mean just a player on a team, I’m talking a star. Without that quality, what coach is going to produce in the World Cup? I think this site DOES dwell on something that’s not within reach YET. We’re making rapid strives, but come on, get real.

Posted from  United States

Agree on Torres against Costa Rica, but Torres has been given a generous amount of time overall. His isn’t a case of youth not being served.

Davies has shown something, and should be slated for time. At forward, I would say we need to cast a wider net.

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Just a quick note on why I chose age 25….it’s because those guys are clearly not in their prime years and won’t be there until 2014. They could have 2 to 3 World Cups left provided they’re playing well. So that’s 2/3rds of the roster who won’t be at their prime until the next qualifying cycle. The rest are veterans who are by no means on the downside of their careers (there isn’t a player on the Confed Cup roster is past their prime, unless injuries get the better of them).

I get down on Bob for situational substitutions (like Torres in Costa Rica) and strategical head scratchers like the dreaded empty bucket. But I don’t get down on him on his overall results or this idea that we’re not systematically introducing fresher faces into the pool / giving them adequate opportunities.

I’d be very interested to see how our roster stacked up strictly from an age and experience perspective vs other Conferation Cup teams.

Tactics vs. skills?!? Bob Bradley has a way he likes to play and it comes off as boring and tame. Does it work…well for now it is going to get us qualified.

Now there are a lot of fans, me included who like skill. What I mean is we think that each spot should be filled with the absolute best player who can play that position.

For me those are the players like Torres, Feilhaber, and Charlie Davies. The thing is they probably don’t work with BB’s tactics that well, so what to do.

My solution find a coach who can use tactics that utilize our best players. Bob Bradley is not the man for the job. I don’t think he knows how to use our best and most creative players.

Posted from  United States

i have two problems with the line-up…conor casey, and michael bradley. it makes me very unhappy seeing conor caseys name after the terrible showing in honduras!! he had many open chances that he threw away. why cant our terrible coach bradley see caseys non-existing chemistry with our national team. I know brian ching is older but he can finish much better and has no fear at all….thats why he has metal plates in his head. Michael Bradley has scored a few goals but not enough for the amount of time he has played. he has no creativity, and cant finish to save his life! if i had a say i would get rid of both of those terrible players they should not have a place on the team and should never wear the jersey. They are not fit to represent or country! oh and get rid of the coach! i would like to see juergen klinsman….he knows more about european styles…he coached the germans and they made quite far.

Wow, some heated discussions over here! Not to take away from what anyone is saying, but to cut to the core of it, are people mostly okay with who was included and only in disagreement about who should actually play?

I think we could have a very productive midfield with good linkup with the forwards in some version of this:

Adu – Bradley (or Clark) – Feilhaber (or Torres) – Donovan

———- Dempsey ———— Altidore —————

Dempsey and Adu can interchange on the right as needed, both being more offensive minded and that’s why our more defensive mid is on their side. I like the possibilities of Feilhaber – Donovan – Altidore passing and making runs on that side of the field. In a pinch, either Adu or Donovan can slide up to make a 4-3-3 work pretty well, as long as Freddy gets it into his head that he has to track back once in a while. You could switch Dempsey and Altidore around with the logic that Jozy and Freddy play well off each other (Youth Teammates) and that Dempsey + Donovan is a potent combination for creating space and crossing.

I could see wanting to sub Dempsey for someone like Davies, or even just putting Adu as a forward. But I thought Dempsey was our most creative player against Honduras – he made some silly mistakes but clearly knew what he was doing with simple passing and creating space. His finishing was atrocious but at times he seemed to be the only player on that side of the field who knew what he was doing. That to me is valuable, he has the skills and footie IQ even if the end product isn’t always there – I think that is more useful than Adu up top since Adu is much more hit or miss.

Just my two cents!

Posted from  United States

Brooks:

“Guus Hiddink took South Korea to the WC semifinals and Australia out of the group stage.”

just wanted to add that Guus also took Russia to the semifinals of the Eurocup, no small feat considering they had to beat the (at the time considered unstoppable) Holland.

And the idea of needing stars to win a tournament is silly. Too many stars and you’ll turn into an enormous disappointment (think Argentina WC 2002 or Brazil WC 2006). What we need is for players to step up and BECOME stars during the tournament, and there are many players in the USMNT that can do that. Remember, a tournament is a marathon. Just because a player has scored many goals or has been considered “brilliant” by the public (cough Ibrahimovic cough) doesn’t mean they can do it throughout a small, competitive tournament like the Champions League or the World Cup.

Although I agree that we have to give BB the benefit of the doubt (although most would say we’ve done enough of that), the past few games have shown that either he knows very little about our younger players or he’s got some strange favoritism thing going on (ala Maradona with Argentina now).

Posted from  United States