Alright folks, open thread time. Ian hinted at it in a comments section, so consider this the pro-active next step!
The game last night was like a David Mamet film: flashes of brilliance amid a sea of boredom. Capello confounded the world by picking the same old England team. My email to someone this morning: Capello was supposed to be the wind of change, but instead, he's just blowing David Beckham.
The idea of putting a relatively unchanged side out, with 18 kiddies on the bench who saw maybe 90 minutes between the lot of them, was ridiculous, but at least we won! Capello will have learned little from the squad's performance, aside from a few obvious home truths, but let's hope the young'uns get a chance against T&T next week.
As for the US, no Landycakes, and the inclusion of Josh Wolff was just baffling.
Video highlights are after the jump, but use the comments to wax lyrical about how crap the USMNT really was. I do rate Bradley and Dempsey, and at least Ricardo Clark had the balls to make a few strong tackles, but that was it really.
Also a fun stat of note: between the two XIs and benches named, only 5 MLS players. Both teams started 1 MLS player a piece, and the US had 3 on the bench, 2 of whom will likely leave in the summer.
Have at it, folks!
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14 comments:
It was an absolutely pathetic display when there was a real opportunity of showing some class. I saw no motivation and plenty of awestruck from the US players.
I also say a number of piss poor passes and first touches. Work rate, will and industriousness will not take the US to the next level.
What will take us is the US getting its top athletes into the soccer program (not likely to happen) and an emphasis on technical skills.
The squad needs to just forget about defending. We're not good at it, all of our backs for the past 20 years have been crap, and our keepers have been pretty damned good. Besides which, every footballing nation has its NT follow its national personality:
England plods along, defends, plays generally arrogant ball, and hasn't been a major factor on the world stage since the 60's.
Italy is overly cynical and dramatic.
Portugal Dances and dives.
Germany is organized, but always fall just short of the main goal.
Holland plays free-form, and geenrally doesn't give a crap what the rest of Europe is doing.
So America needs to attack, attack, attack, with no regard for how to actually defend. Run a 3-4-3, with a diamond midfield, overload the hell out of the box, and smash your way to victory.
I actually think that the US runs a more latin style game than people give it credit for. But there wasn't much creativity evident last night at all.
It can no longer be denied that Eddie Johnson is pants. He looked frightened to death during the entire match.
Ian: playing like Guatemala doesn't count as "Latin". [kidding]
Attic: a better formalized structure over here would help. Also, a stronger national team schedule on a regular basis, and the efforts to retain a lot of their best players to the MLS in order for them to play together more regularly might help.
Even if it means more defeats like this one, at least the games have some merit to them. Playing Aruba over and over again does the US no good.
Keith: not a bad idea, that. There have been countries who've adopted that approach before. The African nations all play like that, and by golly, it does work. They win 3-2 every time but do so with little to no regard for defending.
Fun Fact #1: It's not.
Fun Fact #2: Fan's Attic actually lives in an attic, where he's imprisoned by his wicked family
LB: Tell me we wouldn't be nasty with the following formation
GK: TIMMAY!
Defense: Don'tCare Gooch Don'tCare
CDM:Feilhaber
RWM: Edu LWM: Beas
CAM: Landycakes
RS: Deuce LS: Adu
CF: Altdore
Keith:
it would be a lot of fun to watch. Those lads up front are swift and nimble, to be sure, but they all get dispossessed far too easily. So does LandyPandy.
That being said, it's a marked improvement over the crap back line we saw yesterday.
First off, I don't think you will the US ever play a three man back line. Secondly, if they did, then they would put Bradley as the holding midfielder. Thirdly, I'd like to see Adu or Dempsey run the show behind the strikers. Landy always scores goals when he plays up top, I don't care if he thinks he's a true #10 or whatever.
I'm personally geeked to see the Don'tCare brothers patrolling the back.
Ian: the point is to offer up a solution that would be a) potentially workable b) fun to watch and c)more ballsy that anything US Soccer has tried before. That said, I like your edits of moving Landy to wing striker, and Deuce distributing from the center. Benny's there to take the 50+ yarders after every clearance from the crosses rained in by Landy and Freddy.
I didn't see the game but ignorance never kept me from having an opinion. Landycakes needs to come off the bench. He's MIA for most of the game anyway and his speed and long runs would come in handy in the last half hour. He'd never do it, though. He thinks he's too damn important.
I hate Donovan with the fire of a thousand suns. He disappears in big games (most of the time), and does nothing but sulk when he doesn't get his way on the pitch. Tactically, the US is better off without him.
at least i'm not in my mom's basement.
It speaks volumes about our squad that the most technical skill my untrained eye witnessed came from 33-yr old Eddie Lewis. He showed skill that seemed to be lacking from the rest of the squad, except for . . .
. . . Dempsey & Bradley. They were decent and managed some nice touches and looks.
Adu coming off the bench? Josh Wolff starting over Jozy? Wtf?
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