OT: USMNT vs Paraguay Open Thread
Game is close to kick off on Fox Soccer Chanel. Looks like Bradley is going to role out a 442, Hannehmna in goal, Chandler, Demerit, Ream, Bornstein in back. Dempsey, Edu, Bradley, and Donovan in the middle. Altidore and Agudelo (!!!) up top. Pretty fast, attack oriented line-up. Lets go Yanks!
thanks in advance
Really excited for what Agudelo can bring. More goals on the International level than in MLS so far.
Think about this. He is younger than Brazilian Neyman who has 3 caps and 3 goals for Brazil. Agudelo has 3 caps (before tonight) with 2 goals and a pentalty drawn. Neymar has been linked with Chelsea in a move that last year was around 30 million pounds and could easily move close to 50 million this summer. The difference is (and it's a big one) that Neymar has played considerably more 1st soccer at the club level.
Is Ocho Cinco taking home his first cap?
Bornstein...
WOW. Horribile showing by USA.
but it certainly was dissapointing.
I do have to say that I am getting pretty excited about Tim Chandler. I really like his ability to get forward.
Hopefully the Second half will turn some of our possesion into pure goal scoring chances. It looks like we'll have the wind at our backs.
Controlled the run of play, but lazy defense on the goal. We don't look particularly sharp today, but I agree that I do like Tim Chandler.
Watch it again. Tim Ream got dragged to the ground. Shouldn't have been a goal.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:31 PM ^
I didn't get to watch the game, but from the reports I have read, it seems like the Honduran ref really did us no favors tonight.
Timmy Chandler and Tim Ream MUST be on our back line from now on.
Ream's ability to take an extra touch and get the ball where it needs to be rather than just getting it out is great. He was also a wall all night long. Timmy Chandler's speed and creativity are neccesary with our defensive-minded midfield and weakness at forward.
Juan Agudelo is raw, but godamn he's got talent. And confidence. And a good attitude. If he puts in the work he could be a great goalscorer for the US for a long time.
Altidore is dumb. Always in the wrong spot, always dribbling into pressure. Can't wait for Davies to be healthy.
Wish Bob Bradley had given Brad Guzan a chance rather than a 38 year old Hahneman.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:21 PM ^
Our back-line's play on ball has been really disappointing. I'm really glad that BB is giving Ream and Chandler a shot. I'm tired of Gooch and Demerit just woofing the ball down the field and giving possession back to the other team. I also want to see Goodsen get in there more. I love Gooch, but I don't think he will ever return to how he was before him injury. You can tell how slow he is when he is in there.
I'm also glad to see Spector not in there, although I would rather have him in than Bornstein. Honestly Spector had one great game in the Confed. Cup.
Altidore really needs CD to return. I think he plays the best when there is someone who can run off the ball with him. He is terrible at running off the ball to make openings. He also needs to learn how to hold the better instead of taking on the whole defense.
I can't wait to see Aguadelo when he comes to play vs. the Galaxy.
I'll take the US Mutant Ninja Turtles over Paraguay any day of the week. As long as nobody kidnaps April Oneil. Then all bets are off.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
Didn't they just play Argentina a couple days ago? Is it normal to schedule two friendlies this close together?
March 29th, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^
Fifa schedules them every now and then and most teams take advantage by either playing multiple qualifiers or friendlies. England played Wales and then Ghana, the US played twice, I think Argentina traveled to Costa Rica after playing the US. Pretty common.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:36 PM ^
DeMerit was a necessary commodity at one point but that's no longer the case with guys like Ream and Omar Gonzalez in the fray. I think Gooch is a guy who is still sketchy at the back but he's improved tremendously over the last year and having a guy with his athleticism who is 6'4" and 200 lbs. will always find a spot. I think we'll see the last of DeMerit and Bocanegra in the Gold Cup as age begins to work against them and other guys step up.
Altidore is a lost cause from what I can see. Freddy Adu part deux minus the blazing speed and skill. The guy does not deserve to wear the colors right now. Hopefully Bradley sees this. Agudelo and Bunbury will probably see minutes during the Gold Cup so it'll be exciting to watch them develop. I'd expect to see us in the final with Mexico as usual. You can never predict how that match up will play out though.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^
I agree to a certain point with Gooch. I feel that he has lost a step and it shows when he has play someone one on one. I'm not sure if he has another full cycle left in him with younger guys showing promise. It really pained me to see him trying to come back from injury since he is one of my favorite players on the USMNT.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:44 PM ^
showing at the WC last summer. He wasphysical and forcing the defender to play to his physicality. He is more of a Heskey type who needs someone who can run to open spot and score goals. This is why Davies was an ideal partner for Jozy. This is another reason why Bradley wanted to play Findley so he can run to open spot and score goal. Findley can run but he can't do anything else.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:56 PM ^
Yeah, he was much better during the WC. If it wasn't for him Bradley wouldn't have equalized vs. Slovenia. I think I'm more disappointed based on the hype. That being said, he doesn't really no what to do in space, wwhether he has the ball or not, and unless he is within twenty yards of goal he isn't much help. So yea, I definitely see the Heskey comapriosn. That being said, I would rather have Davies/Dempsey and Agudelo up top instead of Heskey and anyone else.
I get the feeling Altidore thinks he's more skilled than he really is. He should be more aggressive in the air, because his size and strength are two advantages he still has (i.e. the way he turned Capdevila when he scored vs Spain). More than anything he needs to find a club where he can play. I'd rather see him playing every week in MLS than riding the bench in La Liga or wherever he is on loan.
March 29th, 2011 at 11:11 PM ^
That is exactly how I feel about usmnt players going overseas. If you aren't going to get playing time you mind as well play in a lower league or the mls.
March 30th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
an attacking middie. USA could really use his creativity and goal scoring skill at mid-field. Davies and Agudelo would be a good combination at striker in which USA can attack with Donovan, Dempsey, Davies and Agudelo.
USA's weaknesses are defense and ball possession. Michael Bradley had a nice showing at the WC but he's more of a solid reserve than a starting center mid. Stu Holden would fit in well at center mid because of his creativity. Bradley and healthy Holden would be a decent duo for now.
I like Ream, Chandler and Lucaj as defenders going forward into the future. This is a good time for USA to transition defensive vets to young defenders who are better and skilled before the '14 WC. USA is getting better with talent pool they have available but still a long way from being one of the best in the world. This is why USA needs to develop young players and encourage ball possession and creativity that you see from top teams in the world.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^
21 year old Jozy Altidore is a lost cause.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:57 PM ^
Twenty one is not that young for soccer. most of these guys peak 25-27, and he hasn't shown the potential to get that much better.
March 29th, 2011 at 11:25 PM ^
The age when most players peak and in turn become less useful for their teams is relative to how much talent the youth coming up behind them have. The US doesn't have the luxury of producing talent in the likes of Neymar, Aguero and Ozil every few years so our guys tend to have longer stays with the UMNT than in comparison to the elite teams. Like you said, there was time when guys like DeMerit were needed despite their shortcomings and now with the youth like Chandler, Ream, Gonzales, etc. stepping up at the back, we can move away from the serviceable and into the realm of skilled. We have exactly 0 proven, in form, true strikers in our system at the moment and it would be premature to drop someone like Jozy. Has Jozy lived up to the hype he got as a 17 year old? No but that doesn't mean he won't regain his form.
As far as potential goes, it was a mix of big eyes and poor timing when he moved to Villareal and then pulled an Adu and jumped from lesser team to lesser team. It's possible he could go the way of Eddie Johnson and fade into oblivion but it's not like we're Brazil and we can just replace Adriano with Robinho and keep chugging along.
Long story short, yes he's out of form and perhaps he's currently not our most productive striker but 21 is too young for the US to cut ties.
March 29th, 2011 at 11:24 PM ^
Freddy Adu should've played for Ghana.....In other news, Ghana drawed with England 1-1.
I actually think we've got a bright future. Three strikers in Agudelo, Jozy, and Davies who all bring something different to the table. All younger guys too. Midfield is probably our best position overall with the likes of Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Jones, Edu, Chandler, Feilhaber.
But the back line concerns me. Ream looked good, but how does he hold up against better, more experienced, more determined competition. Gooch looks a step slow, but will still be a valuable reserve if not starter going forward. Boca is up there in years. Bornstein and Spector aren't USMNT players. DeMerit has got a year or two left in him. I like Timmay Chandler as a RB, but it seems like he's better on runs forward. I'm hoping Bradley keeps him back there and he develops the marking skills to be a fixture there.
Ideally, our Starting XI in the Gold Cup is...
---Howard---
---Chandler---Gooch or DeMerit or Goodson---Ream---Bocanegra
---Dempsey---Edu or Jones---Bradley or Holden---Donovan
---Agudelo---Davies or Altidore
For the Gold Cup. He picked up an injury while playing for Bolton and needed surgery. A knee I think, but either way it sucks bad that we wont have him.