Venturing an actual US soccer discussion, rather than overly emotional, thread

and a couple of more things:

Arena's decision to keep everyone in the dark, including his players, about who would start backfired. Players didnn't seem confident, they didnt' seem enthusiastic, probably because they hadnn't gotten over the weeks worth of nervousness about their prospects. Then, to start three players in positions they don't normally play (Donovan, Beasley and the left bac, was arrogant. It's OK to do that in friendlies, but you don't do that against the world's best.

the US should go to a 4-3-3, open up the midfield, and create more scoring chances. Of course, that means putting somme players in positions they don't normally play (for example, put Eddie Johson on one of the wings, and Convey on the other), but desperate times...

 

Win Saturday, win vs. Ghana.
Six points.
Still possible.
Many of us thought getting a result vs. the Czechs was possible going in. So it's not impossible to win these next two.

 

I did pick the Czechs first, the US second. Thus, I thought we'd lose to the Czechs anyway.

By the way, anyone see Togo? That, my friends, is how you play with spirit and desire.

 

Excellent point.

 

Re: Venturing an actual US soccer discussion, rather than overly emotional, thre

I'm an American. The USMNT is America's team (Fuck the Cowboys). I'm sayin' we.

And someone said Reyna was the only bright spot, Johnson brought some energy in the second half.

 

I think you're wrong on this one, Doug. The US needs more players in the midfield, not fewer. We don't have the skill to transition with only three players there, so I think a 3-5-2 is the best fit for the US.

Watching most of the games to this point, the goals have mostly come in one of two fashions - long strikes, like Rosicky's first goal yesterday, and well-timed runs behind the defense. The USA has a lot of players with blazing speed, I don't know why we don't try the second tactic instead of lobbing balls in the air at McBride's dome.

 

I don't think the US can do the well-timed run because Reyna and Donovan don't seem to be capable of making a pass similar to what Nedved made yesterday. They just don't think that way. Reyna likes to pass side to side, and Donovan likes to get the ball and full-speed at whoever is closest to him.

I said yesterday that the US seems to mimicing what other people do when they attack, but don't have any idea why they are doing it. Because of that, they can't free-lance.

You are right about their speed. They are very fast, but Eddie Johnson isn't disciplined enough to use it, even if he could get that pass.

I think a 3-5-2 exposes the defense too much. Gooch isn't fast enough to cover that much space, and Pope isn't big enough to handle the premiere forwards by himself.

I don't know if the US has the players to go with a 4-3-3. Frankly, I would bench Donovan and Reyna.
so, perhaps a 4-4-2, with Johnson and McBride in the front, Convey, Beasley on the left, dempsey and o'brien on the right.
defense stays intact.
The midfield is weak defensively, but could score a lot of goals.

 

I'm okay with Donovan, only because he tends to show the no-nonsense, piss-off kind of approach that we need when playing some of these European nations. Reyna wants to play the European game, and that's not the American game. Is it any wonder, then, that the USA's best matches in 2002, Reyna wasn't on the field for? I did a little checking, and he didn't play at all when we advanced past the group stage in 1994. He played in all three of the debacles in France in 1998, and missed the win over Portugal in 2002. The Mexico game, even though we won, he played in and we were out-played by the Mexicans.

I think we need to put our speed out there in force. That means no McBride and no Reyna. Beasley needs to get knocked down a peg or seven.

Keller
Albright, Onyewu, Bocanegra
Convey, Lewis, O'Brien, Donovan, Dempsey
Johnson, Wolff

 

Re: Venturing an actual US soccer discussion, rather than overly emotional, thre

Yes. Sort of short for "Getting a positive result."

 

if you take out mcbride, though, you lose one of the US's best and proven goal scorers.

 

True, but most of McBride's tallies have come off his head - again, more the European style favored by Reyna.

Besides, I'd rather bring him and Ching in off the bench later if you need that type of game. If he only has to go for 30 minutes, he can be a lot more effective.

Another point - the USA has yet to show they can deliver a single solid cross.