Thanks for the compliment, Imp. I can actually see what you're saying exactly. I nicked Donovan just a bit b/c he did a bit of passing to the Mexicans and tripping over the ball (I'm sure the weather contributed to this).
Ching was ... ... ... ... well, Ching was Ching. I felt like he did everything he was capable of doing, which is admittedly quite limited, so I gave him an average grade. I agree that Jozy's maturation between now and 2010 is one of the biggest keys to success in South Africa.
Last edited by WMR; 02-12-2009 at 10:46 PM.
If I'm going up there again for a game I know will sell out, I will get off at 11th Street and park on one of the side roads near the Fairgrounds. We eventually got sick of the wait and did that, 10 minute walk later we're in the ground instead of sitting on the Interstate.Originally Posted by improbus
My biggest problem with US Soccer and MLS has always been space. We have never really grasped the concept of playing to space and not to the man. It is by no means ironic that when players go to Europe, they start developing those skills (ala McBride). In a way, we play the iso game with our striker in the same way that basketball teams do. We have always had a strong ability to possess the ball, but we have a hard time manufacturing any real scoring chances from the ordinary run of play.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Just throwing this out there, but does this make sense to anyone else?
I can definately see the benefits of it, but wonder how receptive Beasley would be to the move.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/...ntryID=3910409
1. The troublesome left back spot and DaMarcus Beasley. For my money, the most disappointing individual performance against Mexico was that of left back Heath Pearce (although to be fair, Sacha Kljestan and Brian Ching were also in the running). Still, Pearce was a huge defensive liability. Not only did it seem as though Gio dos Santos was able to beat him off the dribble at will all night long, but Pearce also had a hand in Mexico's two golden scoring opportunities. First, failing to tackle Nery Castillo cleanly in the box (with the loose ball falling to Dos Santos), and later letting Dos Santos sneak inside him at the far left post to miss from two yards out.
It's usual for a coach to live with a left back's defensive frailty if he makes up for it on the attacking end, but Pearce offers nothing special on offense. Though he has a willingness to get forward, even that aspect was blunted by the poor crosses he hit. Pearce supporters point to his supposed strong play against Argentina last summer, but as I've mentioned before, it needs to be taken into account that Pablo Zabaleta (usually a right back) played as a makeshift right wing in that game. Anyone who has seen Zabaleta play in the Premiership knows that he isn't exactly a tour-de-force threat moving forward.
The U.S. simply must upgrade at left back, which is where Beasley comes in. Beasley put in a pretty decent performance against Mexico, especially for a player who has seen so little playing time in recent months for his club team. The strengths he displayed in that match (constant back-tracking, an ability to help harass and tackle Mexican attackers, a high work rate) are exactly the reasons he should be tried at left back -- something I've long advocated. On offense, Beasley hit some nice crosses, but they were mostly hit from deep spots, before he reached the Mexican penalty box or byline, or from set pieces. In other words, the same spots from where a left back would have hit them.
Beasley doesn't really have the offensive potency or shooting ability that one would like to see at the international level, but as a left back he'd have superior offensive ability by the typical standards of the position. Defensively, you can't tell me he'd be a weaker link than Pearce at the spot -- Beasley's tackling ability is at least as good as Pearce's -- and it's no shame to convert to left back. Patrice Evra, Gael Clichy and Philipp Lahm are examples of former midfielders and wingers converted into outstanding left backs -- and in the case of Lahm and Clichy, they're every bit as diminutive as Beasley.
The other compelling selling point is this: Outside of Pearce, who are the other options for the left back spot? Jonathan Bornstein, Jonathan Spector, Cory Gibbs or maybe a shift of Carlos Bocanegra? None of these are exciting options. On the other hand, the list of players who could replace Beasley at left midfield includes Jose Francisco Torres, Freddy Adu, Robbie Rogers, Justin Mapp, Bobby Convey and Arturo Alvarez. If the goal is to get the best players on the field, surely it's worth moving Beasley to left back for a game or two to see if one of the other young midfielders or wingers is ready to develop.
Sounds good to me. Could end up being Patrice Evra-lite.
4009
How tall is Beas?
And, speaking to another sentence, I personally don't view Bornstein as that bad of an option.
2014 Reds record: 1-2
I look like a banker in this...
US had what would now actually be a somewhat disappointing result versus Costa Rica on the road that ended in a 2-2 draw. We used to view a draw on the road in WCQ as an excellent result but expectations have been raised considerably for the USA in CONCACAF.
USA about to kick-off versus T&T for another WCQ, this time at home, in Nashville, on ESPN2.
Giving DaMarcus a run out at LB. Should be interesting. I'd LOVE to see him take the position and run away with it. His overlapping runs and crosses from that spot could be very dangerous if he could be adequate defensively.
It was El Salvador wasn't it?
I love the idea of Beasley at left back, it's not like anyone else has played well there.
I'm having to wait until I get home to watch this one.
I'm sorry, you're right, it was E.S.
Jozy with a really nice finish to put the USA up 1-0 in the 13th minute.
Jozy is a special, special talent. Assist from, who else, Landon Donovan.
Jozy's BIG TIME, baby!!!
Jozy Altidore youngest player to score for the USMNT and, naturally, youngest to score a hat trick as well.
Jozy looked great last night. I think the lack of a true striker's striker has been our only true weakness over the last few years. Brian Ching is good at creating chances, but he's best at drawing fouls, to be honest. I hope eventually to see Jozy and Freddy at the top for us, as I think they both have that elusive "it" factor. Beasley played very admirably at left back last night, and had a heck of a look at that header.
2014 Reds record: 1-2
I look like a banker in this...
Wow Trinidad and Tobago sucks at defense.
Beasley got beat a couple of times and gave up some nice crosses, but the guy he was marking easily looked to be the best player on the field for T and T.
I thought he did a great job moving up on offense though, and the US usually needs all the help it can get in the offensive attack.
Altidore had a great game, Donovan too, two of the goals were placed right at Jozy's feet.
I'm still somewhat of a neophyte with soccer but is there any point at all to a low cross from the wing. It happened often enough that it didn't seem like it could be a mistake but the pass never got past the defender. I'd think if you're on the wing, you want to put the ball up as high as possible, but maybe I'm missing something.
The only player I was moderately dissapointed in was Dempsey, but all the action appeared to be starting up from the left side so there weren't nearly as many quality build up chances on his side.
You're not missing much. Both are viable options. Typically, the way the U.S. likes to play, if you're in a set ball situation (like a corner or a set play from the deep wing) the ball's gonna be airborne. This is generally from the combination of number of bodies, angle of attack, and height of line players. Generally we're not afraid to bring up some of our taller players like Onyewu in such situations.
Regardless, the passes along the ground are much more geared towards our players' individual talents. Being as our goal scorers don't have a lot of height amongst them, most of them have learned to score on the ground. I think a good example of this is Beasley missing a no-doubt header opportunity, where if he would have chested it down, he would have a had an open look across the face of goal.
Basically, it just boils down to playing the strengths of your forwards and attacking midfielders. For us, that's physical play on the ground.
2014 Reds record: 1-2
I look like a banker in this...
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