USMNT v. Guatemala

Roster has been named...and what the hell does Kenny Cooper have to do to get another look?

GOALKEEPERS: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan.

DEFENDERS: Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Heath Pearce, Steve Cherundolo, Frankie Hejduk, Jay DeMerit.

MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, Eddie Lewis.

FORWARDS: Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching, Clint Dempsey.

 

esp instead of Ching.

 

Aug. 20, 8 p.m. MT, at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

 

This is one thing that bothers me about the USMNT. We have never really had a good attack. Our mid to late 90's teams were the closest I can think of.

So why in the WORLD do we keep sending the likes of Brian Ching? I've yet to see him do anything. I can't even think of a goal I've seen him score, national team or otherwise. And Duece is not a forward. Poor guy keeps being put there because we can't seem to find anything else.

If this is our lineup for the main chunk of WC qualifying, I fear we may not see South Africa come 2010.

 

interesting...only Heath Pearce is a natural LB...Boca can play there, although we all remember...gulp....the Ghana gaff!. Glad to see the Cheesehead in the squad and personally I'm happy to see Eddie Lewis included. The old man can still play. I wish Steve Ralston would get a call up. He's having a great year for New England and I spoke with him after they played RSL here in Salt Lake City and said as much to him. His response was classic..."I'm getting too old for that stuff!" Anyways, looking forward to getting our World Cup Campaign going.

 

From Dispatch:

Carroll and Rogers may be alternates. Other two have been called. All are starters.

So..... THWD!

 

Re: RE: USMNT v. Guatemala

If Dempsey and Ching are up front, goals will be scored. I haven't seen that duo together since the Gold Cup.

 

RE: Re: RE: USMNT v. Guatemala

Ching is in there because he's effective, can hold the ball up, and defenders dont want to play against him. He's scored 7 goals in 27 games for the US (and I doubt many of those were starts).

I can understand why people would make the case for Cooper, Buddle, Altidore and a few others but Ching does get the job done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F31UwfIb ... re=related

 

He had two against Barbados a couple months ago.....granted I could have scored against them (probably not).

 

I must say that M.B.'s yellow cards in the olympics were very soft...the 2nd was due to 'time wasting' and the first should've never been called in the first place.

Aside from that, I agree that discipline is lacking, and lacking in a tremendous way.

Discipline and more technical ability are the only things debilitating this group of players.

 

The Beas has been added to the squad

 

I have to imagine it'll be much closer than that. I'm thinking 2-1 to the USMNT. Carlos Ruiz scores for Guatemala, in between Boca or Gooch knocking home a corner and Demps or Beas or EJ netting a winner. Donovan to assist on both, as long as I'm making unnecessarily specific predictions. Maybe one of the speedy guys (Landon, EJ, DMB) will net an insurance goal late, but that's the only way I can see us getting to 3.

 

I would start Ching up front with Donovan - a strong man and a small speedster. If we're throwing out predictions, I say Ching will be the hero.

 

I harbor a positive-bias for Ching b/c of the Quake connection...and until somebody else proves they can score (Cooper! Cooper !! Cooper!!!), he's as good as any to start up top in my book.

 

Dempsey can score. EJ can score. (I mean, maybe only in WCQs, but that's what this is, right?)

 

As awesome as that would be - having seen the US play against Argentina on that fateful night - I don't think a repeat is in store. The crowd will be 100% hostile to our team, the Guatemalans will likely play something resembling a 8-1-1, and even if the Guatemalan squad played the proverbial Beautiful & Sexy Soccer - it ain't the same as playing against an all-star squad like Argentina.

This is going to be some ugly game and I will be glad with a win regardless.

 

i believe jmh's good juju will see that they both score today (on the pitch that is, and not as used in the vernacular of wilt the stilt.)