USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago (3 – 0) Post-Game Thoughts

Anybody else notice during the interview with Landon last night he made it a point to bring up how well Brian Ching played. I just don’t get this. Did Brian Ching sell his soul to the devil to get people that can affect his playing time love him?!?! Brian Ching does a fine job but he is most definitely not the answer to WC2010. If Brian is starting when we roll into South Africa we’re in big big trouble.

Posted from  United States

I would cry if he started at the world cup. honestly.

Posted from  United States

I think he must bake delicious cookies and the players are afraid that if he isn’t called up, he won’t bring them around anymore.

It’s DaMarcus Beasley, with an A, not DeMarcus with an E. Just to let you know.

If the US is to have any hope in WC2010 it all depends on how well Jozy plays.

And by hope I mean make it out of the group stage.

I like the Altidore-Ching pairing because we changed our style of play with it. Having Landon Donovan drop to the mid field allowed him more touches and allowed us to better play along the ground.

I like Donovan on the left…I’d also want to see him at the CAM position….Potentially…

——Ching —- Altidore
————Donovan——–
Beasley/Torres—–Dempsey–
———-Bradley————
Spector–Boca–Gooch–Dolo/???
———–Howard———–

Having Torres in there gives you the option to switch up by formation. With him as a Defensive Mid (his natural role at Pachuca), you may move Bradley forward and Landon out to the left.

If we thought that Beas was our solution at LB, I think you look at this….

——Ching —- Altidore
———-Donovan——–
Dempsey—————Dolo–
———-Bradley————
Beas–Boca–Gooch–Spector
———–Howard———–

Posted from  United States

I loved Altidore’s performance, but if our WC hopes are pinned solely on him, the US won’t make it out of the group stage. US success will come if there are a number of goal scoring threats on the field, because Altidore will not be C Ronaldo, Messi, or Henry by 2010 (capable of beating a quality defense single-handed). I think the lineup from T&T is a step in the right direction, but I would submit this list as changes that I would like to see and why (using the Mexico/El Salvador formation as the base):
1) Moving from the 4-4-Donovan-Ching to a 4-4-2 – Shares the load up top, gives someone for the target man to pass to.
2) Put Altidore up top – no explanation needed
3) Develop Cooper into a more dangerous Ching – as long as the US backline continues to lack creavity in starting attacks and pumps through long balls, there needs to be a target man in the lineup. I will be thrilled the day that this is no longer necessary, but that day has not come. Cooper has the physical traits needed to play Ching’s target man part while still finishing chances.
4) Moving Donovan to the wing – T&T game showed what he can do with space, ES showed that even a CONCACAF defense can dedicate one guy to shadow him the whole game when he’s in the middle forcing him to become a distributor vs a scoring threat. Any world cup class defense can shut down Donovan when he’s in the middle without exposing holes in its defense. I think this is the reason that Donovan “disappears” in big games. But on the wing he’d have space to work with and threats around him that require defensive attention, opening him up to send in crosses or cut in for goal himself.
5) Reign in Hejduk (or whoever plays RB) – side backs getting forward are great when there is good discretion in the runs, but when a side mid is more concerned about covering constant runs from the back than scoring, there’s a problem. With the exception of pushing Altidore aside for a header, Dempsey is the bigger goal scoring threat. When Dempsey is constantly dropping off to cover Hejduk’s runs, he is not a threat to score.
This would give the US five players that are threats to world cup class competition to score in the run of play (Altidore, Cooper, Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley) versus one player whose goal scoring was not hampered by the lineup and strategy (Bradley). With that array of attacking players, the US could play attacking vs counterattacking soccer and would be in a good position to move past the group stage.

Posted from  United States

I understand the wish to replace Ching with Cooper, but Cooper hasn’t showed anything in the limited opportunities he has had for the Nats. Lets hope that he sees some more serious minutes during the Gold Cup and actually makes something of that opportunity.

Just because he has the physical traits to play the position doesn’t mean that he has the ability or desire to do the little things that make Ching an effective part of the US offense right now.

I agree that Ching is currently the better player in the long ball receiver and distributor role. But, with so many national games this year and Cooper possibly playing in Europe next season, I think there is time to develop him into the starter in that position. Ching will be 32 by the world cup and I don’t see anyone else that has been called into a camp as being a potential replacement as the target striker. I would like to see Cooper be a starter for all Gold Cup games and get a call up and sub role for the El Salvador or T&T games in September and Honduras or Costa Rica in October if the US has already qualified. If he can show well in those games, get a summer transfer to Europe, not ride the bench in Europe, and play with the first team in the friendly lead-up games, I think he could be a starter by South Africa. If he doesn’t do well, I’m not sure where you turn to fill Ching’s shoes as he inevitably slows down and becomes more injury prone.

For those who think that Ching, Heijduk, Pearce, Beasley, should be playing with the USMNT, you guys are fricking crazy. Have any of you played abroad? Or play with foreigners in the US? If you have you will realize that the average athletic foreigner knows how to step over the ball better than all of the aforementioned. That is pathetic!

Put Adu forward with Altidore, but not ching. I prefer McBride at what, 34, 35, to be paired with Altidore. Freddy Adu must be played.

Freddy Adu will attract a whole new generation and at least the US has a league (not saying much), but it is enough to encourage younger players to play, which is important.

As for Ching, it is politics. Same with Beasley and the rest of these washed up runners who play footbal.

You can teach kids how to play correctly. It isn’t dificult, but you have to have an understanding of the South American, Euro style of play.

I’ll step off my soap box.

Bradley as coach is beginning to wear thin.

“the average athletic foreigner knows how to step over the ball better”
than Ching, Heijduk, Pearce and Beasley.

The really do. Marlon, you should be agreeing with me. Ching, Heijduk, Pearce and Beasley are not good. You know this, I know this. Most people who have played abroad and understand the game know that the US are easily pressured. We need technical skill.

Please look at my 442 line-up in a response I made to the Beasley injury. I would bet that 442 would beat any other USMNT line-up.

Take it easy. I enjoy your posts.

Paul