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Fella · 06-26-2010, 11:26 PM

QUOTE (Andy @ Jun 26 2010, 07:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>There were a number of things taken from this game:

1. Starting Clark after Edu has been great, makes no sense at all.
2. Starting Findley, whose only real skill is his speed, makes no sense at all.
3. Cherundolo had a bad game.
4. Altidore had an awful World Cup. I swear he was a black hole. The ball went into him and never came out. He attacked 2, 3 defenders all the time and failed miserably.
5. Howard, as good as he was all tournament, was completely out of place on the first Ghana goal. You should never give up a near side goal like that.

Anyway, it was an exciting WC for the USA. They actually played better than I thought they would have. I think they earned their place among the top 15 teams in the world. A little disappointing, when I thought they were in good shape given their pairing. Demerit is a local boy (Green Bay), so it was cool to see him get to play as regularly as he did. Hopefully he'll end up on an EPL team after finishing his contract with Watford this past season.

Yeah I was shocked at the starting lineup, Findley back in there after playing awful in the first two games, no Fielhaber or Edu after they played so well and no Onyewu to match up with their big athletic strikers, dumb all around.

Like Gad and I were talking about, Finldey's yellow card suspension against Algeria helped more than it hurt.

Cherundolo isn't very good, I was actually shocked he started game 1 but he played well early surprisingly but the speed of Ghana was way too much for him. Despite how good he was at times in the air, Demerit also got beaten BADLY a few times. Central defense was a huge hole all tournament.

I like Altidore, he has a ton of talent, but yeah he needs to learn the game better, he is very raw. He showed signs of almost creating some amazing goals but yeah he took on way too many guys most of the time. He had the same problem in the EPL all season.

The US misses Brian McBride who was a true reliable goal scorer, they don't have anyone like that now. Its a shame Charlie Davies missed this tournament because he could have possibly been that guy. Without him I think Dempsey should have played up front the whole time. We used to be so weak in midfield that we put all our best players there but with Bradley, Donovan and Edu there now we are fine with playing Dempsey at striker. I would have liked to see Buddle get some more time as well after how well he played in the warm-ups.

Anyway, I think we played well overall. We dominated that 2nd half and probably should have won, but I guess thats just Soccer. I think Dempsey, Bradley, Edu, Davies and Altidore will all still be around next Cup and a few guys will undoubtedly break out. We will be fine.

Coach · 06-26-2010, 11:56 PM

Soccer...................see you in 4 years.

**Andy** · 06-27-2010, 11:03 AM

Wow! England got screwed there. Granted they have some serious issues to fix, or that 1 goal is not going to make a difference.

Baron · 06-27-2010, 01:12 PM

QUOTE (Destined @ Jun 26 2010, 04:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This was our best opportunity we'll see for sometime. Donovan and Dempsey will be past their primes in 2014. Bocanegra, Cherundolo, and DeMerit will be deep in their thirties. Altidore(a 2010 disappointment) is our only hope.

While we played great at times this summer, we never put together a whole game. That's what iis frustrating. I was pleased with first half against England despite trailing early. The second half against Slovenia was amazing, and I thought we owned the second half with Ghana. Just wish we could have seen a complete game from the boys. It's frustrating, but at least we can't blame refs, or poor goalkeeping.

Meh. Next iteration of the World Cup will most likely be the most talented yet, more and more US players are playing in Europe. (From another board)

(Ages are what they'll be for the 2014 world cup).


Tim Howard - 35 - might be back
Jonathan Spector - 28
Carlos Bocanegra - 35 - probably done
Michael Bradley - 26 - in his prime
Oguchi Onyewu - 32 - last hurrah probably, if he can return to previous form and stay fit
Steve Cherundolo - 35 - probably done
DaMarcus Beasley - 32 - I don't see him being on that team, honestly, if he's marginal on this team.
Clint Dempsey - 31 - probably final world cup, hopefully will be solid
Herculez Gomez - 32 - unless he keeps blowing up, not likely to be back
Landon DOnovan - 32 - probably last World Cup
Stuart Holden - 28, in his prime
Jonathan Bornstein - 29, we'll see
Ricardo Clark - 31, i doubt he's back
Edson Buddle - 33, won't be back
Jay DeMerit - 34, MIGHT be back
Jose Torres - 26, in his prime
Jozy Altidore - 24, hopefully will be a force
Brad Guzan - 29, heir apparent to Howard?
Maurice Edu - 28, in his prime
Robbie Findley - 28, might be back if he improves
Clarence Goodso - 32, doubtful
Benny Feilhaber - 29, likely on the tail end of his prime.
Marcus Hahnemann - 41, will be tending his garden.

Other players in the Player Pool:

Freddy Adu - will be 25, plays for Aris Thessaloniki FC in Greece
Alejandro Bedoya will be 27, plays for Obebro SK in Sweden
Sacha Klejsten will be 28 


Charlie Davies- 28. Would have started this world cup next to Jozy. Hopefully he gets some nice seasoning in europe in the upcoming years (currently in france).

Freddy Adu- 25. Hasn't lived up to the hype of the 14-year old wunderkind, but hasn't really been given a chance by any international team. I think if he gets some club stability, he could develop into a productive member of the senior team.

But you probably knew both of those guys. Here are some you might not.

Stefen Jerome- 21. A great prospect who is already playing professionally at 17. Has the potential to be a star striker.

Jack McInerney- 21. Drafted into the MLS as the 7th overall pick straight out of HS. Playing on the U-20 national team at age 17 at striker.

Gale Agbossoumonde- 22. Might be the future at central defense. Loaned out to play with Portuguese team Braga this year to train with their juniors. 6'2'' with a great football IQ for his age.

Greg Garza- 22. Has seen some time at left back, but will likely play left wing with his skill and speed. Trained in Brazilian camps from a young age, currently in the Sporting CP (Lisbon) system.

Moises Orozsco- 22. Dangerous attacking midfielder. Good distributor and finisher.

Christian Flores- 22. Center back. Currently playing in Monterey.

And we have players like Sal Zizzo (27), Danny Szetela (27), Gabriel Ferrari (25), Robbie Rogers (27) who played a big role in previous U-20 teams that still could make a splash on the big squad.

CUB5 · 06-27-2010, 03:36 PM

QUOTE (Baron @ Jun 27 2010, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Destined @ Jun 26 2010, 04:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This was our best opportunity we'll see for sometime. Donovan and Dempsey will be past their primes in 2014. Bocanegra, Cherundolo, and DeMerit will be deep in their thirties. Altidore(a 2010 disappointment) is our only hope.

While we played great at times this summer, we never put together a whole game. That's what iis frustrating. I was pleased with first half against England despite trailing early. The second half against Slovenia was amazing, and I thought we owned the second half with Ghana. Just wish we could have seen a complete game from the boys. It's frustrating, but at least we can't blame refs, or poor goalkeeping.

Meh. Next iteration of the World Cup will most likely be the most talented yet, more and more US players are playing in Europe. (From another board)

(Ages are what they'll be for the 2014 world cup).


Tim Howard - 35 - might be back
Jonathan Spector - 28
Carlos Bocanegra - 35 - probably done
Michael Bradley - 26 - in his prime
Oguchi Onyewu - 32 - last hurrah probably, if he can return to previous form and stay fit
Steve Cherundolo - 35 - probably done
DaMarcus Beasley - 32 - I don't see him being on that team, honestly, if he's marginal on this team.
Clint Dempsey - 31 - probably final world cup, hopefully will be solid
Herculez Gomez - 32 - unless he keeps blowing up, not likely to be back
Landon DOnovan - 32 - probably last World Cup
Stuart Holden - 28, in his prime
Jonathan Bornstein - 29, we'll see
Ricardo Clark - 31, i doubt he's back
Edson Buddle - 33, won't be back
Jay DeMerit - 34, MIGHT be back
Jose Torres - 26, in his prime
Jozy Altidore - 24, hopefully will be a force
Brad Guzan - 29, heir apparent to Howard?
Maurice Edu - 28, in his prime
Robbie Findley - 28, might be back if he improves
Clarence Goodso - 32, doubtful
Benny Feilhaber - 29, likely on the tail end of his prime.
Marcus Hahnemann - 41, will be tending his garden.

Other players in the Player Pool:

Freddy Adu - will be 25, plays for Aris Thessaloniki FC in Greece
Alejandro Bedoya will be 27, plays for Obebro SK in Sweden
Sacha Klejsten will be 28 


Charlie Davies- 28. Would have started this world cup next to Jozy. Hopefully he gets some nice seasoning in europe in the upcoming years (currently in france).

Freddy Adu- 25. Hasn't lived up to the hype of the 14-year old wunderkind, but hasn't really been given a chance by any international team. I think if he gets some club stability, he could develop into a productive member of the senior team.

But you probably knew both of those guys. Here are some you might not.

Stefen Jerome- 21. A great prospect who is already playing professionally at 17. Has the potential to be a star striker.

Jack McInerney- 21. Drafted into the MLS as the 7th overall pick straight out of HS. Playing on the U-20 national team at age 17 at striker.

Gale Agbossoumonde- 22. Might be the future at central defense. Loaned out to play with Portuguese team Braga this year to train with their juniors. 6'2'' with a great football IQ for his age.

Greg Garza- 22. Has seen some time at left back, but will likely play left wing with his skill and speed. Trained in Brazilian camps from a young age, currently in the Sporting CP (Lisbon) system.

Moises Orozsco- 22. Dangerous attacking midfielder. Good distributor and finisher.

Christian Flores- 22. Center back. Currently playing in Monterey.

And we have players like Sal Zizzo (27), Danny Szetela (27), Gabriel Ferrari (25), Robbie Rogers (27) who played a big role in previous U-20 teams that still could make a splash on the big squad.


</div>

Nice breakdown! I don't think Guch, Howard, Bocanegra, DeMerit, Buddle or Goodso are back. I think we'll see a lot of new faces in the backfield during the next CONCAF.

dac757 · 06-28-2010, 10:30 AM

I hate football.

Blargh, the England football team annoys me no end. Individually we have some of the best players in the world, who perform week in week out in their domestic leagues and stand head and shoulders above most players, and yet put them in an England shirt and put them on a pitch and the all forget what the hell they're doing. The are a lot of disenchanted (is that the right word?) England fans, and I'm one of them. I want us to basically stop playing anyone above the age of 28 (basically the whole team this World Cup) and start building up with our youngsters (who got to the final of the Euro U21 Championships last year, and lost to, yep, Germany).
Terry, Gerrard, Heskey, Lampard, Upson, James, Barry and pretty much all our subs can sod right off, they've had numerous chances to perform on the world stage and never have. Rooney and Ashley Cole are the two players I'd keep, but I'd consider dropping Rooney until he decides he wants to play for England like he plays for Man Utd.

Anyway, enough of that, it makes me angry.

While I don't know a lot about US players, as there are hardly any of them in the Premier League (and frankly, if you play in England but below the PL, you are nowhere near international standard), I think you might do OK going forward as long as you build on this World Cup.

De Merit is NOT a good player. He plays for Watford in the Championship, and he makes Matthew Upson look fast. I lost count of the amount of times he got out-paced/out-turned in the competition. He may well be good in the air, but that only has limited uses. Looking at you in this World Cup I would say your defence is your weak point (apart from Howard, he's damn good). Also, you need a clinical goal-scorer upfront, maybe Altidore could become that, but I have major doubts. He came on loan to Hull last season, and was awful. Like, really, really awful. But hey, maybe English football just wasn't for him (and frankly, who is English football for anymore after this World Cup?).

Midfield-wise though you look pretty solid, and there's no doubting the Donno and Demps are quality players. Also, make sure that manager of yours stays, he clearly knows what he's about tactics-wise, and isn't afraid to make necessary changes. Unlike a certain Mr Capello.

Scarey · 06-28-2010, 11:50 AM

You basically described the US team for the last 3 or 4 World Cups, except defense is usually stronger. Also our keeper, while very good, hasn't been as good as Howard. Nothing against Keller, great keeper. But the middle has always been very good while our forwards are often over-hyped or just plain not good.

Scarey · 06-28-2010, 12:19 PM

I take it back. Between Howard, Friedel, and Keller, the US has had fantastic goal keeping since I can remember.

Destined · 06-28-2010, 02:08 PM

Keller sucked balls, I never was impressed. Howard is the best US keeper of our generation, and Friedel has been awesome for Blackburn and Villa but rather exiled from the USMNT.

***rok*** · 06-28-2010, 02:10 PM

QUOTE (Scarey @ Jun 28 2010, 11:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I take it back. Between Howard, Friedel, and Keller, the US has had fantastic goal keeping since I can remember.
Yep, I think we are one playmaker/forward and one above average defender away from reaching the next level internationally. I'm not concerned so much about our midfield or goalie situations, and have been happy with those 2 areas for a few years now.

Fella · 06-28-2010, 05:18 PM

QUOTE (Destined @ Jun 28 2010, 12:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Keller sucked balls, I never was impressed. Howard is the best US keeper of our generation, and Friedel has been awesome for Blackburn and Villa but rather exiled from the USMNT.

Friedel actually chose to retire from international competition before the 2006 world cup. If he hadn't I don't think there is much doubt he would have started for us in 2006 and maybe even this year considering the way he played in 2002 and his track record in the EPL. He knew we were in good hands with Howard though so he stepped aside for more time off.

Destined · 06-28-2010, 05:36 PM

QUOTE (Fella @ Jun 28 2010, 02:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Destined @ Jun 28 2010, 12:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Keller sucked balls, I never was impressed. Howard is the best US keeper of our generation, and Friedel has been awesome for Blackburn and Villa but rather exiled from the USMNT.

Friedel actually chose to retire from international competition before the 2006 world cup. If he hadn't I don't think there is much doubt he would have started for us in 2006 and maybe even this year considering the way he played in 2002 and his track record in the EPL. He knew we were in good hands with Howard though so he stepped aside for more time off.
</div>
Ah. Ok that makes sense. I remember hearing calls for Friedel on a football show I listened to, and they made it sound like there was animosity.

Giff · 06-29-2010, 05:41 AM

My thoughts:
-More Edu and Feilhaber, much, much less Clark.
-I understand that Bradley wanted to put some speed next to Jozy, but Findley sucks. At least Herculez showed a nose for the goal, but I still think Dempsey should have been up there with him. If this team had Charlie Davies or Giuseppe Rossi, I think things go a lot better than they did (although I was pretty happy with the result overall).
-I'd have to think Michael Bradley earned himself a transfer somewhere, hopefully to England. I think his style of play fits perfectly for that league, and he's definitely earned the right to play there. I can't wait to watch him continue to develop., he was fantastic the whole tournament. And hopefully Landon will get back to England next season too, and stay there.

chitownwinninitall · 06-29-2010, 07:27 AM

QUOTE (Giff @ Jun 29 2010, 04:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My thoughts:
-More Edu and Feilhaber, much, much less Clark.
-I understand that Bradley wanted to put some speed next to Jozy, but Findley sucks. At least Herculez showed a nose for the goal, but I still think Dempsey should have been up there with him. If this team had Charlie Davies or Giuseppe Rossi, I think things go a lot better than they did (although I was pretty happy with the result overall).
-I'd have to think Michael Bradley earned himself a transfer somewhere, hopefully to England. I think his style of play fits perfectly for that league, and he's definitely earned the right to play there. I can't wait to watch him continue to develop., he was fantastic the whole tournament. And hopefully Landon will get back to England next season too, and stay there.

Agree on all counts. Also would say:

-I still think Torres can develop into a good player he just doesn't fit into a formation where it's only him and Bradley in the center of midfield, needs to have someone like Edu behind him.
-I think the reliance on the 4-4-2 really hurt us. It works with Davies, but there is no one else on the U.S. roster who can replace him. You could see this team played better with an extra man in midfield.
-Along with Bradley and Landon hopefully moving to the EPL. I'll be excited to watch Holden who is already at Bolton. And I don't know where he will end up but Altidore needs to go somewhere he can get regular playing time Hull was a really bad spot for him last year, bad team struggling to avoid relegation, manager turmoil, and to many other strikers to compete with.

Baron · 06-29-2010, 01:43 PM

QUOTE (Giff @ Jun 29 2010, 04:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My thoughts:
-More Edu and Feilhaber, much, much less Clark.
-I understand that Bradley wanted to put some speed next to Jozy, but Findley sucks. At least Herculez showed a nose for the goal, but I still think Dempsey should have been up there with him. If this team had Charlie Davies or Giuseppe Rossi, I think things go a lot better than they did (although I was pretty happy with the result overall).
-I'd have to think Michael Bradley earned himself a transfer somewhere, hopefully to England. I think his style of play fits perfectly for that league, and he's definitely earned the right to play there. I can't wait to watch him continue to develop., he was fantastic the whole tournament. And hopefully Landon will get back to England next season too, and stay there.

There was a rumor going around that an American would be going to Arsenal this next transfer window, a lot of the scuttlebutt I read was that it would be Bradley.

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