The Soccer Thread (IV)

Whoa, you got me! Yeah, I think Dempsey sucks!

Yeah, that's it. It's not that I'm aware of what exactly he brings to the team or anything.

I guess paying attention to the game instead of the highlights means some fandork will respond with pretty cliches.

"Make a difference on a big stage"? Spare me.

 

Thanks for attacking me with sarcasm. That was big of you.

Yes, Dempsey tends to disappear at times for the national team, but I think a lot of that has to do with not being put in the the best position to succeed. When he played up top (coincidentally, where he plays for Fulham, where he has been dynamic this season) in the Confederations Cup, he showed exactly what he can bring. The US team does not have many guys with the skill, experience and savvy the Clint Dempsey has. That's my point. They likely cannot advance without him playing, and playing at a high level.

Maybe I am a "fandork" (thanks for that, although I played the game for 20 years, officiated it for 15 and watch it as much as my cable package allows), but I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.

I just want to have a good conversation. I apologize if my response to you seemed like an attack. I was just frustrated because so many US supporters feel the side is better without Dempsey, and that frustrates the hell out of me. I'd love for you discuss why you think it would be better for Dempsey to not be able to play in the World Cup, since your original post seemed to infer that. There are many points that could be made to defend your stance.

 

With the way Bob Bradley runs his team, I can see why some people would think the US functions better as a unit without Dempsey.

Bob's brand of 4-4-2 (i.e. the empty bucket) has some very defined roles and not much room for a roaming, improvisational attacker like Dempsey. He's certainly not a ball-winning destroyer like Baby Bradley, Edu, Clark, etc., and neither is he a deep-lying playmaker like Feilhaber. In the midfield, that leaves the wings, which are more suited to the likes of DMB, Holden, Donovan and guys with speed to burn and crossing ability.

If, like you say, he is at his best up top, he still doesn't quite fit in to Bradley's system. Dempsey is certainly not a target forward like Ching, Cooper or Casey, which leaves him the role of the withdrawn/speed forward. Even then, he's competing with guys like Altidore, Donovan and (eventually) Davies.

Deuce reminds me a lot of Paolo Di Canio, minus the fascist leanings and with more rhythm — bags of skill, mercurial, frustrating and capable of changing a match with one moment of brilliance. The question is, how much Bad Deuce are you willing to endure in the hopes of Good Deuce popping up at the right time?

 

Good points, TB. Everything you say is true.

I think running a system that fails to take advantage of one of your most talented players falls to the manager. Especially now that Davies looks lost for South Africa, and Altidore struggling to find his form, I think they need to have Dempsey up top with the freedom to improvise. The days of throwing the ball up top to and knowing he will win a ball or a free kick are in the past. Ching, Cooper and Casey are not Brian McBride.

My opinion is that the US team is attacking like it has less talent than it truly does. They're still playing the long ball, target attack, when with players like Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, Davies (and maybe Edu and Torres and Jones) the skill is there to be more creative and play a better brand of soccer. Sure, I'm probably giving the US skill more credit than it deserves, but I'd like to think we can play better, more attractive soccer than we have in the past.

 

I like the 4-3-2-1 with Clint and Landon roaming behind a target forward. While it is not the most attacking style, it frees Clint and Landon from the defensive work which isn't their strong suit. I'm just not sure that Jozy is that guy up front.

 

Hey guys,

I just checked the standings again to be sure.

Yep, sure enough, there's Arsenal, right at the top of the table.

Trying. To. Contain. Excitement. It's. Only. January.

 

And. Chelsea. Have. A. Game. In. Hand.

 

And. Leeds United ... shit

 

1) Three D-mids? You can't play for PKs in the group stage.
2) Landon does plenty of tracking back (Dempsey admittedly less so).
3) Jozy is definitely not a lone forward. He's at his best when he has someone to play off of, as he showed in the Confederations Cup.

 

I'm sorry. I can't hear you over the sweet sounds of bitching from everyone not in first place.

I've had a bad week, and I'm going to celebrate this as long as I possibly can — even if it's just for a few days.

 

What's that? Can't hear you from down here at the bottom of the table.

 

My apologies . . . you so clearly misread my intentions, I reacted poorly.

I don't think the team is better without Dempsey. But I also think his moments of brilliance - and that's what they are, moments, NOT stretches - cloud the fact that you can go long periods without hearing his name during games.

I would caution against thinking our attacking talent is as special as it seems. Easy to look good against CONCACAF teams, or in the odd EPL contest. Not so much in the World Cup.

I think you are giving them more credit than they deserve. There are skilled players, but not enough of them.

They have exactly one world-class player who they can depend on to control tempo, but Landon Donovan hasn't exactly shown consistency in big games. Maybe he turned the corner with the Confederations Cup. Dempsey has skill and creativity, but is still learning how to involve himself in games from the opening whistle to the closing whistle. Davies and Altidore provide nice speed and size up front, but won't exactly go get the ball on their own.

And that just about does it for the players who I want to see with the ball at their feet during scoring chances. Most of the rest, offensive skills-wise, are grinders and opportunists, not playmakers.

I'm probably being too negative here, and I'm sure there are trustworthy players whose names I'm forgetting.

I do agree that Dempsey would ideally be up front with Altidore at this point, assuming Davies is indeed lost. Up front, Dempsey can do the most good when he's on, and the least damage when he's off.