Honduras v USA Match Thread

Figured I'd get it started now that the roster is out. Starting XI? Predictions? Like Klinsmann's call-ups?

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals) – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa - 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton – 22/9 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0)
DEFENDERS (9) : Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0), Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander – 31/5), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 5/0), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana – 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg – 0/0), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders – 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 0/0), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim – 3/0), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg – 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8) : Michael Bradley (Roma – 19/5), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo - 0/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 9/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 5/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 12/0), Jose Torres (Tigres – 9/0), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim – 4/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 3/0)
FORWARDS (4 ): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 17/6), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 26/10), Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders – 11/10)

I would have liked to see Lichaj, Feilhaber, and Wondo before Evans, Torres, or Castillo, but since two of them are out of season I guess I cant complain too much. Lichaj really is getting screwed though with Evans being chosen out of position and out of season over him.

 

I don't understand Evans, either, but it's only one spot, I'm largely O.K. with the rest of the team. Would've like to have seen Wondo get a shot, too, but I guess it ended being a numbers game. Would like to see him and Clint together, think there might be some latent chemistry there to blossom. And no Kyle Beckerman! Stunned by that one, don't know why he is so highly regarded.

In fact, if someone will do the math, how many January camp participants did he name?

 

Most interested in who starts on the back four. Even though Cameron has been starting on the outside for Stoke will he be moved in to pair with Gonzales? What I expect see on my bad computer link (2013, and I'll guess that 2% of US households have that tv network ) is;

Howard
Fabian, Cameron, Gonzales, Chandler I wouldn't be shocked if Cameron is moved out right and Besler is paired w/Omar.
Jones
Torres Bradley Zusi
Dempsey
Gomez


I would prefer Torres on the bench, move Deuce on the left and have Jozy and Gomez together. As far as a prediction, it will be a tough match on a horrible pitch. The US starts with 3 road matches out of the first 4 games, so it's a brutal start. Hope to sneak out a win, but a draw would be by no means a disaster, in fact it would probably be a pretty good result.

 

I'm more interested to see how we play, over who we play. I've grown weary of Klinsmann's overly cautious approach to these CONCACAF matches.

I don't have a problem with Clint in the 10 spot. He's been playing there with Spurs and it gets him in front of net easier w/o having to log a million miles covering a wing defensively. I'd really like to see Jozy play to see if/how his Dutch form carries over.

 

This is what I'd like to see:

-----------------Howard
Chandler--Cameron--Boca--Parkhurst
--------------Bradley--------------
Klejstan--------------Davis----
-------------Dempsey-------------
----Alitdore---------Gomez

A very offensive-minded line-up. What the heck we're down in Honduras, you have to go for it. I like the idea of Davis in there so he can send in crosses to the head of Demps and Alitdore. I know we need to be transitioning away from Boca but for now we need at least one veteran in that back line.

 

I think the back four will likely be Chandler-Cameron-Boca-Johnson

 

Lax, you are probably right that this will be the back 4. With Dolo out, there is no way Chandler won't start, be capped and his national team future done and dusted.

The one spot that really concerns me is Boca. Simply put, it's time for someone else to be thrown into the mix. I know the argument of having an experienced player in that type of environment etc., but can anyone honestly say with a straight face that Boca, who plays for the last place team in the Spanish 2nd division, is a better player at this point in time than Omar? This is a perfect opportunity to put a young promising player into the fire and see if he steps up to the challenge.

 

I agree that we have to start grooming someone to take over Boca's spot, but this is our first qualifier of the Hex, on the road, with three guys who have never gone through this (including another center back who has been mainly playing right back and midfield at his club team). We need some experience back there.

 

Wow I didnt realize it was so early; I assumed it would be late - what the heck. My son has soccer right in the middle of the game, but I'll do my best to get into the chatroom for at least a bit. The question is, do I give him the option of skipping so we can both watch it live in peace?

 

I'll be working, but hope to pop in as time permits.

COME ON YOU YANKS!

P.S. I'm hoping for a slow news day so I can do a piece on the local American Outlaws chapter. They switched establishments a year plus ago, so I've been wanting to do something with them for a while now. Fingers crossed tomorrow's the day! And we win!

 

Hate to correct you again Don, but it's at 3 pm cent, not 5. If you get BeIN, they're re-airing it at 10 pm cent. I won't be able to make the chatroom due to the early start.

 

I am looking at the roster below and shaking my head because at the end of the match someone is going to be played out of position and probably not look good when placed in that circumstance. This group of players just does not seem to fit together as a squad and that is a carryover problem from Bob Bradley and before Bob Bradley. There are only a couple of different line-ups I can pull out of my hat where someone is not spending major minutes playing outside of their preferred club position. I know these are professional soccer players who should be able to move around the pitch with some flexibility but is it any wonder the US plays so narrowly, that some of our players often look too uncomfortable on the pitch and that our best width typically comes from the fullback position? A full fifteen of the twenty-one outfield players spend the majority of their club minutes in central positions and a sixteenth, Graham Zusi, was groomed as a central midfielder before being moved out to the right for Sporting KC.

If I were forced to call up that many players that feature in the middle of the pitch I would strongly consider abandoning the 4-4-2 altogether because the US does not have the talent to play that formation at the moment. I know this may sound utterly insane but since, in my opinion, central defender is our weakest position at the moment and defensive midfield our strongest I would consider shifting to a 3-2-3-2 formation. Well, I would have strongly considered it if qualifications were not already on top of the US but since they are I know I am only dreaming of seeing something that might look like this:

Howard
Chandler – Gonzalez – Johnson
Williams – Cameron
Zusi – Bradley – Davis
Altidore – Dempsey

I would ask Williams and Cameron to sit back and cover for Chandler and Johnson as they got forward and give Dempsey the green light to roam the pitch in search of the ball while keeping Altidore on the last defenders shoulder. I know the formation is not orthodox but perhaps it is time to stop trying to fit players into a system and start developing a system that suits our players. An overload of talent in the middle of the pitch has been a decade’s long problem in the US. There must be some way to take advantage of it.

With the friendlies behind the US and no real expectation of seeing a formation change I would like to would see something like this:

Howard
Chandler, Cameron, Belser/Gonzalez, Johnson
Williams
Zusi – Bradley-Davis/Kljestan
Altidore-Dempsey (given permission to roam)

What I expect to see is Howard, Chandler, Cameron, Boca, Johnson, Zusi, Bradley, Jones, Torres, Dempsey and Gomez in some formation.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals) – Detailed Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3):
1. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa - 5/3 SO)
2. Tim Howard (Everton – 22/9 SO)
3. Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9):
1. Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0) – Central defender
2. Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander – 31/5) – Central defender
3. Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 5/0) – Central midfield
4. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 0/0) – Central defender
5. Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders – 0/0) – Central midfield
6. Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg – 0/0) – Right Fullback
7. Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg – 3/0) – Right Fullback
8. Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim – 3/0) – Left Fullback
9. Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana – 0/0) – Left Fullback

MIDFIELDERS (8):
1. Michael Bradley (Roma – 19/5) – Central midfield
2. Danny Williams (Hoffenheim – 4/0) – Central midfield
3. Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 9/0) – Central midfield
4. Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 5/0) – Central midfield
5. Jose Torres (Tigres – 9/0) – Central midfield
6. Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 12/0) – Central midfield
7. Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 3/0) – Right midfield
8. Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo - 0/0) – Left midfield

FORWARDS (4):
1. Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 17/6) - Forward
2. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 26/10) – Attacking midfielder
3. Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2) - Forward
4. Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders – 11/10) – Forward

 

Grant Wahl is saying his predicted line-up of Howard, Chandler, Cameron, Bocanegra, F. Johnson; Williams; Zusi, Bradley, Jones; Dempsey, Gómez is what Klinsmann will be going with. So three defensive mids again :roll: . I would have preferred Davis in there over Jones or Williams so we have some width but hopefully Zusi will provide some.

 

I like your experimental line-up Barry, because I would also like to see more width. However, I look at that lineup as more of a 5-3-2 because there is no point in using Chandler and Johnson if they arent going to be making lots of runs forward. So when they are forward Williams, Cameron and Gonzalez are your back three for a total of five defenders.

 

Danny Williams??? First to be subbed if that's the right lineup. Fingers crossed that Wahl is wrong and Jozy gets the start, but doubt it. 3 points would be a great start, a 1-1 draw (which I think the score will finish) wouldn't be a bad result by any means, and a loss wouldn't be the end of the world. Hoping to make it to the chat for the second half.

 

#USMNT lineup for #USAvHON: Howard ©; Chandler, Gonzalez, Cameron, F. Johnson; Williams, Jones, Bradley, E. Johnson; Dempsey, Altidore

 

I did Don. Thanks for checking. I'll be in the chat for the first 40 min or so.