USMNT WC Defender Thread

PF NOTE: This thread was split out from the "Goooch!" thread in Yanks over there..


Prepare to play in South Africa.

Mr. Spector, please come to the office.

(I really like Jimmy Conrad and his personality, I just don't know that he's good enough. Chad Marshall? Next.)

 

Bradley really has a problem, there. While Gooch should be rehabbed - assuming his rehab work ethic is same as on pitch- he almost certainly wont be match-fit.
Spector is a lock. Please keep your head on straight, Jon.

For depth, you ask any MLS watcher who they'd pick for their fantasy team, it will be Marshall not Conrad.
From what we've seen in the past, CB will be a weak spot.. choice will be a big show novice in Marshall, or a grizzled vet straight out of re-training, Gooch.

Other than confidence and projection on the pitch, Marshall and Gooch are equal in defensive effectiveness. And Marshall is more effective in the attack. But unless Gooch is demonstrably slower I wont fault BB for playing Gooch.

 

Really? when?

Exactly the point. Though I disagree with "LOT". Who's best suited to ramp up their game?

Aint Goodsen or Califf.

 

Why not 3 in the back and 2 defensive midfielders? We seem to have a number of holding mids, but we have only a few centerbacks - so lets change the system of play to match what we have. 3-5-2

Donavon or Demps plays as the attacking center mid, the other goes up top... then it is just a question of outside mids - and we have a bunch of them as well.

Doesnt seem like such a huge problem if you think about changing the system versus scouring the globe for a player we dont have. Gooch is a constant liability anyway - I have never liked him and I think he plays like a big dope.

 

Let's stop right there and consider!
'I don't think so, Tim.'
- Al Borland

Arrghh.. there I go again being an obtuse smart-ass.

I mean: Who's the LB? Who's the second DMid?

 

If Bradley won't switch formations to counter a 4-5-1, I have little hope he'll do it to match personnel issues.

 

Goodsen has had some good showings but it has always been next to a CB who could handle the physical/aerial duties while he provided good technical cover. In my opinion Goodsen needs to play the Aaron Hughes role next to Brede. With Gooch and Demerit going down we are looking for someone to fill the Hangeland role and Goodsen is not the answer for that. In fact the idea of a Boca/Goodsen or a Boca/Spector pairing scares the bejesus out of me. Boca and Hughes never worked very well in my opinion and I don't think either Goodsen or Spector are the same class as Hughes at CB.

Califf does not even belong in this conversation. Give me Marshall or Conrad any day before Califf.

 

Edu can play CB and can play "technical guy" next to "win the headers" Bocanegra. Mo should be playing again next month and will get good PT.

 

I think Edu will get a look at CB if the injuries persist - it's not as if he was horrible at the Olympics and he's developed more technical skill since that time. But, before trying Edu at CB, why not give an actual CB a shot, i.e., Orozco?

As for Goodson, Califf, Conrad, et al., we already know what they can do on the int'l level, and it ain't much. Let's give Orozco a shot and see if we can make Lynchberg Lemonade out of these injury lemons.

Also 'fog, I can see Heydude sneaking his way back in as well with the injuries. There's always room for a man of Hejduk's character and work ethic, or other positive intangibles, that are simply good for a squad regardless of whether he plays or not.

 

Has Frankie Simek ever worked his way back to being a starter at Sheffield Weds? Wonder what his status is.

 

edu, bradley and Clark can all play Defensive or holding mids. The 3 at the back would be easy - just stay compact and organized and let the outside mids take care of the flats - play this Castillo fella as the left outside mid (a little more defensive minded) and holden on the right... Demps or Lando in the hole and Jozy and Lando or Demps up top.

Whats so wrong with that?

 

It simply makes too much sense (in the event injuries have robbed our starting CB pairing) to adjust tactics to fit personnel. :twisted:

 

Though I'm not sure I agree with putting 3 in the back, I think the defensive mids would be covered. In addition to Edu, Clark, and Bradley, hopefully Jermaine Jones will get healthy, fit the chemistry, and entrench himself in that mix.
From a tactical standpoint, I'm not sure about it. I would think (and I have never played soccer at a high level) that it would also mess with the team's chemistry to switch to a style they have never played.
But from a personnel standpoint, it seems like a good fit. I have been wondering for a while who would get shut out if Jones entered the fray. If we maintain our (relative) depth at CM, it may help cover up some depth at CB.
I tend to doubt it's a long term solution, but it could be worth a try in training and a friendly.[/quote]

 

Personally - I think 3 in the back is easier to play then 4, especially when you have 2 guys in front protecting you...

Then you bring the outside mids who slide into the back line much of the time and it becomes 5+2 sitting in front of you.

You get screwed on the early (or high) cross - that is one thing to consider, but - my opinion - you dont see that ball being played all that often in an international setting. Anyway - it can be managed.

The bottom line - They cant play the same system all the time unless they are happy to get beat by managers that have tactical sense. These guys should know enough to go out and switch it up - at least you would thing so.

 

No top international team plays with only 3 at the back. There's a reason for that, not the least of which being that your only wide players are exhausted by half-time.

 

I cant believe you guys. It's what .. 230 something days to SA and you're advocating switching everything around and putting players in positions they arent used to. How many of those names drew howls when others advocated them BEFORE the crisis. How many are leading their clubs and what clubs are they leading?

There aren't enough friendly dates to accommodate that sort of re-ordering! UNLESS it's a 'feint' to keep the other teams guessing.
And I'm sorry.. when you go to three in the back, you essentially have 3 cb's, and, against top attacking teams, that means the DMids actually are making a 5 defender line.

Since a good review of events and player skills would have seen Marshall in Europe this year, if he hadnt had the serious concussion problems to recover from, I'll vote for Marshall.... and Conrad if need be.

 

JP; He's never returned to form after the serious ankle injury, and while only 25 he seems to destined for the 'what if' file. He was the player of the year for them a couple of seasons ago, so for him to be a reserve teamer or an unused sub speaks volumes on where his game is.

Fog; your right, the suggestions wouldn't have been made 'BEFORE the crisis', but now that we ARE in a crisis, Bradley needs to look at every possible solution. If Marshall wasn't leading your team, would you still voting for him? He deserves a shot to make the team to be sure, but there has to be a better pairing than Boca/Marshall. Add Borstein to those 2 (even w/Dolo or Spector), and the best we can hope for is not to finish fourth in our group.

 

3 in the back is a ridiculous idea for us. Please, let's move past that and focus on more constructive solutions.