USMNT vs Honduras

Discussion in 'Prem talk, Those Other Leagues, and International' started by SoCalJoe, Jun 5, 2009.

  1. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Sep 5, 2006
    Location:
    Walnut, CA
    I know there was a thread for both the Costa Rica/Honduras matches, but in an attempt to turn the page (for my own health mainly) thought this match deserved it's own.

    It cannot be understated how important this one has become. Everyone involved better show up at Soldier field with a single thought...pride. Simple things like being first to the ball, connecting passes, communicating, etc.. have to apparent or we can put ourselves in dangerous waters.

    My friends who I talk soccer with out here all are El Tri supporters and they are pulling for the US to pull the head out. A Honduras result makes things sticky for the Big 3 of Concacaf. Let's face it, 4th place and a playoff with a quality side from South America doesn't seem too appetizing.

    Our road form is so poor, that 3 points is mandatory (how many points does everyone think we are going to get from our remaining 3 road matches?) Anything less than a team playing with desperation and an attitude and a change may be in order, because a loss here and there is NO guarantee of a trip to South Africa next year.
     
    #1
  2. Clevelandmo

    Clevelandmo Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Line ups anyone? Here is my try

    Howard

    Spector . . .. . Gooch. . . . Boca. . . . . Pearce

    Dempsey . . . Sasha . . . Torres or Adu. . . . . Beasley

    Donovan . . . . . . . . . . Altidore

    I will miss not having Bradley, Edu, or Ching - feeling very very nervous. Unlike the rest of you, I would be fine with Wynne on the right, but I do want to see Spector play and think he deserves a chance (especially after Wednesday).

    Let's hope Altidore is a beast on Saturday.
     
    #2
  3. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    Try this one, Ms. Maureen:

    -------------------- Howard --------------------------

    Spector -------- Gooch ----- Demerit ------- Bocanegra

    -------------------------Mastroeni ----------------------------

    Torres ------------ Dempsey ----------------- Adu

    ------------------- Donovan -----------------------

    ------------------ Altidore -------------------------

    and I'd bring on Davies for either Donovan or Dempsey at the half -- depending on which one is less involved.

    I think this is a stronger back four, and a quicker midfield. Can't really do without Mastroeni with Edu and Bradley both out.

    Oh, and we win -- CONVINCINGLY
     
    #3
  4. pettyfog

    pettyfog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2005
    I hate to say this but I'm not convinced.

    This may be the game where Bradley's boyz may not be able to pull a good result out'a their asses.

    If he does start, it definitely could be Mastroeni's swan song. Way past 'sell-by'..

    I think the US defense depends strongly on how Altidore plays.. if he can get the ball.
     
    #4
  5. EricD

    EricD New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2007
    Location:
    Newport Beach, CA
    Cleve-Mo,
    Sacha is suspended for yellow accumulation.

    Timmy
    DeMerit Gooch Boca Spector
    Lando Mastro Adu Deuce
    Jozy Davies
     
    #5
  6. FulhamAg

    FulhamAg New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2008
    Location:
    San Antonio, Texas
    I'd like to see:

    Howard
    Spector (or Wynne)--Gooch--Boca--Bornstein (or Pearce)
    Donovan--Torres--Beasley
    Dempsey
    Jozy--Casey

    But I doubt we'll see a 4-3-1-2.

    Ideally you'd have Dolo or Hejduk on the right, Bradley in for Torres and Ching in for Casey. I like Davies better coming off the bench. As for the left, we've got to sort something out, so might as well keep rotating Beas, Bornstein and Pearce and hope at least one of them improves.
     
    #6
  7. EricD

    EricD New Member

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    Sep 7, 2007
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    It says that Sacha is just carrying a yellow, so I guess I misunderstood. I swear it said that he was carrying one prior to the match with Costa Rica.
     
    #7
  8. timmyg

    timmyg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2006
    Lineups: Tim Howard; Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein; Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, Landon Donovan; Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey

    Subs: Marvell Wynne, DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber , Jay DeMerit, Charlie Davies, Sacha Kljestan, Brad Guzan GK

    No Adu or Torres, but Pablo and Casey?

    Hmm -- Bradley may get canned earlier than we think, or pull off a miracle!
     
    #8
  9. Bradical

    Bradical Member

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    Apr 22, 2008
    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Interesting lineup, nice to see white hot Conor in there.

    US 2 Hon 0 (Altidore 21', Casey 49')
     
    #9
  10. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    Just finished watching the match -- there was some DVR action as I didn't get there until about 30 minutes in. It works nicely, it allows me to fast forward past all the studio crap. Fashion note from HatterMom: Why is Lalas wearing a pink tie? Doesn't he know he's a redhead?

    Okay. so it wasn't "convincing," but it wasn't lucky either. Super-stud Bocanegra with the gutsiest header you'll see in a while, following the 2nd of two legitimate shouts actually resulting in a penalty. Review:

    Howard -- What a man this guy is. Is there any keeper in the world you'd rather have between the sticks for USA? Anything he could get his fingers to was his.

    Spector -- Showed how a RB is supposed to play the position. Very good on covering and made a couple of fantastic forward runs down the right flank. A great cross or two and a solid improvement over Wynne. He's my #2 #2 [ just behind 'dolo].

    Gooch -- fine match. Won everything in the air and made several guest appearances supporting the attack with committed play. He hasn't seemed in danger of a card in quite a while either. I think he should be rid of that Accumulation of Yellows reputation. He didn't get any suspensions in Belgium this season AFAIK.

    Boca -- man of the match. Solid on the D -- especially covering the left side for Bornstein when he went up to attack. I forgive him not knowing what to do when the ball literally fell into his lap, since he got the winner. Hope his hamstring is not a major problem.

    Bornstein -- better than I've seen him before, but the weak spot in the defense all the same. Probably a better bet for LB than Pearce or Beas at this point, but I'm still not convinced that he can handle a decent right winger.

    Dempsey -- Aside from his mega-brain fart in the 5th minute, and his fluff in front of goal in the 2nd half, he had a very good game. Did entirely too much diving in the first half, but played more manfully and effectively in the 2nd. Every good move in the 2nd half involved him.

    Mastroeni -- overmatched, not really quality. Our midfield improved dramatically in the 2nd half. He only played the first.

    Clark -- the revelation for me. The guy has limited gifts, but he is also pretty unflappable under pressure, and we were under immense pressure. He played the best game I've ever seen him play, and that includes his MLS efforts. I'd rather have Bradley back there, but he'll do as cover.

    Donovan -- was better, attacking, aggressive, but I agree with Harkes. If you have him playing on the wing, you lose his effectiveness as the pacey guy racing through into the penalty area. El Salvador and Mexico will be very pleased if he plays on the wing against them.

    Casey -- did okay. Only a brilliant piece of goalkeeping from a Spector cross stopped him from scoring in the 2nd half. Not a lot of artistry there, but he continued to play tough even after a yellow on his first foul early in the match. No disrespect, but watching him out there just made me realize how good Brian Ching is.

    Altidore -- THE WORST PLAYER ON OUR SIDE WHO PLAYED 90 MINUTES. The way he laid off the ball made me wonder if he had a cast iron chest and cinderblocks in each boot. He looked like a clumsy 19 year old out there and, when we couldn't get a handle in the midfield in the first half, he contributed by delivering 95% of his first touches to somebody in blue stripes. He'll be better.

    Subs:

    Cheesehead -- did very well. His game is not smooth, but he made a couple of strong tackles and winning headers, and covered Bornstein's ass when the boy gave up the ball in midfield in injury time. I feel very good about him being the CB backup. Hopefully, Boca will be alright for the Confed Cup.

    Beasley -- came in to give us some more ooomph in midfield and immediately had to switch to LB when Bornstein cramped up. Did okay, but I would have liked him to feature wide and get Donovan more involved playing off of Altidore. Bet Bradley would have liked that also.

    Feilhaber -- Nothing to say other than "Welcome back, Benny." He looked a little shakey at first, but got better and better as the match went on. Delivered a brilliant pass to Dempsey that should have been coverted. I haven't seen him look this good in two years.

    Referee -- one unnecessary yellow [Casey], but showed a lot of calm and good judgment.

    Question of the night: Why weren't Adu or Davies on the bench? They were our two most dangerous attacking players in the last 20 minutes against CR.

    10 points for us, 1 point behind Costa Rica and 6 points clear of Honduras. We're in a good position just before the CC.

    USA USA USA.
     
    #10
  11. WhitesBhoy

    WhitesBhoy Active Member

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    Location:
    The Beach, For Now
    Unlike Don, after watching (highlights, mind you), I am going to say that was FLUCKING LUCKY! BIG TIME.

    The good doctor was just told to take the elevator, instead of flying the stairs. Make no mistake, this is still VERY much touch and go.
     
    #11
  12. pettyfog

    pettyfog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2005
    I had to switch back and forth between two games. 'My Teams' won both. I was uninspired and in just a grouchy mood after as before.
    On Altidore..wtf! Bush league lazy play almost all night. When you know a cross is coming and you got pretty much open goal.. you get around your marker TOWARD the ball. Dont let your marker intercept it.. idiot! You'd HAVE to say altidore played better against CR, wouldnt you?

    Casey: workmanlike, not impressed. Spector did alright. Better than Wynne, but of course he'd seen how Wynne performed and only had to do what he knew he could do.
    .. Oh well, maybe I'm just spoiled cause in mid-week I saw at least ONE team play brilliantly; the Ticos.

    The GOOD thing in retrospect: While the US is not impressing neither are the Crew, even though they're winning. So if Bradley's looking around he aint likely gonna raid the Crew roster.
    - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - -
    Sidenote On Adu and Beasley... when are our phenom investments coming in? Both in different paths used to show flashes of brilliance and we thought those would become the norm.
    Beasley contrary to most opinion was pretty much a flash player and he could be 'OWNED' by any competent draft player who had good 'twitch' reflexes: eg Chris Wingert on the night PSV had their scout in the Crew Stadium box. Made Beasley look like crap and PSV took him anyway.
    I think Wingert worked on the premise that he wasnt afraid Golden Boy would break if he knocked him over.

    Adu.. much made of unassisted goal when he chipped the ball overhead to himself and ran around first of 4 MetroStar human roadcones. Still probably his 'highlight video'.

    Time to be MEN, BoyZ!
     
    #12
  13. EricD

    EricD New Member

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    Sep 7, 2007
    Location:
    Newport Beach, CA
    Welcome back Benny is right.
     
    #13
  14. Jensers

    Jensers New Member

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    Apr 18, 2007
    Location:
    Royal City, Wa
    Good review Hat.

    You know - I was really worried about Benny... Not so much with the way he would perform on the ball because I know the kid can play, but with his attitude. I was waiting for him to lose his head or cause some other kind of problem that would erase all of the good things he was doing as our creative midfielder.

    I also watched him very carefully in his post-match interview, but he seemed ok.

    Is it possible that the kid has matured enough that we can trust him with our hopes and dreams?
     
    #14
  15. EricD

    EricD New Member

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    Sep 7, 2007
    Location:
    Newport Beach, CA
    I was happy that Bob gave Benny a hug too. That is a long way from the criticism in an interview a while back telling him to grow up.
     
    #15
  16. Clevelandmo

    Clevelandmo Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Good analysis, Dont feel the need to add anything other than Torres to your question of the night. Also agree completely with your thoughts on Demps. I wonder if he is not over confident when playing against CONCACAF competition. He makes mistakes and tries flashy crap that he doesnt do in the EPL. You could see the Honduran goal got him mad and as soon as stopped flopping, he really got down to business. Thank God.

    Ooooooohhhhhhh UUSSAA - USA USA USA
     
    #16
  17. SteveM19

    SteveM19 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2007
    Location:
    Cleveland OH
    When Deuce made plays that stunk last night, I thought he was going to have a worse game than I possibly had seen him have in a Fulham shirt since I don't know when. Then he keeps the ball alive to score the last goal. I guess that's the heart of a lion for you.

    I never need to see Mastroeni in a US team shirt again, sad to say the old guy can;t do it at that level anymore. And Don was right, our midfield was so much betyter in the second half. I gotta say, hats of to Feilhaber -- I didn't think he wanted it anymore.

    Seeing Boca knock in that goal was such a treat, it took me a minute to process that it was BOCA that did it, and oh yeah, he used to play for FULHAM. What a goal that was -- he put his head where a lot of people wouldn't put their enemies' feet.
     
    #17
  18. omsdogg

    omsdogg New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    Location:
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Howard: Stud

    Spector: Good performance. I still like Frankie ahead of him, but with his versatility, maybe he is the answer for LB.

    Gooch: Big Tuffy

    Boca: Poacher in the box. Love him! Also hope the Hammy is ok.

    Bornstein: Best I've seen him w/ the Natties but can he do it consistently? Still needs to improve his one on one defending.

    Demps: I'll give him a pass.

    Clark: Best performance at the International level. Here is a nice spot for you on the bench and should anything happen to Bradley, your in.

    Mastroeni: thanks for your service. goodbye

    Donovan: Let's have him play withdrawn off Altidore

    Altidore: Maybe I can see the Xerez coach's point. Still, we know he's better and just needs some match time.

    Casey: considering the late call up and lack of time with the team, a good performance.

    Subs

    Feilhaber: finally over his injuries? Maybe our partner for MB in the CC

    Beasley: Didn't even really notice him out there.

    Demerit: let's just let him and Califf duke it out for the right to be 3rd choice. I do love the cheesehead though.


    The lineup I want to see for the CC

    ---------Howard
    Spector-Gooch-Boca-Bornstein
    ----MB------Clark----Benny
    ------Donovan--Demps
    --------------Altidore

    What I think we'l see

    ---------Howard
    Spector-Gooch-Boca-Bornstein
    Demps--Sasha---MB---Beasley
    --------Donovan
    ----------------Altidore
     
    #18
  19. pettyfog

    pettyfog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2005
    On my prev comment on him, I been struggling for an analogy from a different sport and I think I got it. He should be practicing football 'cut drills'.
    But if he already is, it looks like he thinks he's a wide receiver playing against a cornerback.

    Instead he ought'a be doing em for tight end against free safety.
     
    #19
  20. FulhamAg

    FulhamAg New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2008
    Location:
    San Antonio, Texas
    I agree with Don's analysis for the most part. Thought Bornstein was a bit better than he was given credit for. And he did shut down a couple guys one v one. We're still a ways from good at LB, but that performance was an improvement from what we've seen lately.

    I think you'd have probably seen Jozy yanked for Davies if we didn't have to burn two subs in getting Pablo off and then Boca due to the injury.

    Speaking of the former, I wonder what in the heck Bob was thinking starting Pablo and Clark in the central midfield. Both of them played hot potato with the ball and showed no ability to hold it up or control the center. That move effectively cut the width of space Honduras had to defend in half. They cheated the wings and put token pressure on the middle. And I rather doubt it came as a surprise to anyone that that was the result.

    Some of these decisions coupled with the appearance (and some rumors) of a "country club" atmosphere for those players who have cemented their positions has me rethinking Bradley as USMNT coach.
     
    #20
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