PTS Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 The immediate future (aka South Africa 2010) hinge on the development of Adu and Altidore and to some extent the further development of Bradley, Feilhaber and Edu. If Adu can grow into the dominant player he shows he can be, that allows us to move Donovan up to his natural forward slot and that would be a fearsome attacking duo. Forwards: Donovan-Altidore Attacking Mid: Adu Outside Halfbacks: Dempsey-Feilhaber Defending Mid: Bradley Fullbacks: TBD-Bocanegra-Onyewu-TBD Goalie: Howard Shoring up the outside fullback positions is, as always, a major concern as it's the team's major weakness. That leave us with decent options on the bench like Edu, Johnson, Ching, Lewis, etc. This would be a very respectable roster capable of upseting the traditional World Powers on any given day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Agreed. That's the part that hurts. Hopefully, in the next two games (tomorrow vs. Spain and Sunday vs. Argentina), we'll see some fuggin guts out there. Amen to that. We all know that we're at a talent disadvantage, but for gosh sakes, at lest give us a solid effort to be proud of as fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 The immediate future (aka South Africa 2010) hinge on the development of Adu and Altidore and to some extent the future development of Bradley, Feilhaber and Edu. If Adu can grow into the dominant player he shows he can be, that allows us to move Donovan up to his natural forward slot and that would be a fearsome attacking duo. Forwards: Donovan-Altidore Attacking Mid: Adu Outside Halfbacks: Dempsey-Feilhaber Defending Mid: Bradley Fullbacks: TBD-Bocanegra-Onyewu-TBD Goalie: Howard Then you'll have decent options on the bench like Edu, Johnson, Ching, Lewis, etc. I forgot about Altidore...that kid is awesome! I'd love to see some of these younger players bring some excitement to this team. We need some damn personality too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 3, 2008 Author Share Posted June 3, 2008 The immediate future (aka South Africa 2010) hinge on the development of Adu and Altidore and to some extent the future development of Bradley, Feilhaber and Edu. If Adu can grow into the dominant player he shows he can be, that allows us to move Donovan up to his natural forward slot and that would be a fearsome attacking duo. Forwards: Donovan-Altidore Attacking Mid: Adu Outside Halfbacks: Dempsey-Feilhaber Defending Mid: Bradley Fullbacks: TBD-Bocanegra-Onyewu-TBD Goalie: Howard Then you'll have decent options on the bench like Edu, Johnson, Ching, Lewis, etc. I like this very much. Why is Altidore not a part of this run of important friendlies? Is he injured? Seems like now would be the time to get him prime minutes. Every time I hear the words Josh Wolf (although I'm sure he is a very nice person), I just get a bad taste in my mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I like this very much. Why is Altidore not a part of this run of important friendlies? Is he injured? Seems like now would be the time to get him prime minutes. Every time I hear the words Josh Wolf (although I'm sure he is a very nice person), I just get a bad taste in my mouth. MLS is in-season and they tried to use the majority of their international players who are on break, and Altidore is playing TERRIBLY at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 MLS is in-season and they tried to use the majority of their international players who are on break, and Altidore is playing TERRIBLY like a lazy S.O.B. who thinks he's too good for the MLS at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 A little slow this morning, eh ballofmalt? http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?s=&am...t&p=1010347 I heard Artie is starting at forward for this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 The immediate future (aka South Africa 2010) hinge on the development of Adu and Altidore and to some extent the further development of Bradley, Feilhaber and Edu. If Adu can grow into the dominant player he shows he can be, that allows us to move Donovan up to his natural forward slot and that would be a fearsome attacking duo. Forwards: Donovan-Altidore Attacking Mid: Adu Outside Halfbacks: Dempsey-Feilhaber Defending Mid: Bradley Fullbacks: TBD-Bocanegra-Onyewu-TBD Goalie: Howard Shoring up the outside fullback positions is, as always, a major concern as it's the team's major weakness. That leave us with decent options on the bench like Edu, Johnson, Ching, Lewis, etc. This would be a very respectable roster capable of upseting the traditional World Powers on any given day. We need the youth. And I agree with an earlier post- we have too many players afraid to attack. Most every player looks to get rid of the ball as soon as they get it. I think Dempsey will be alright- he is one of the few on team USA with guts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 3, 2008 Author Share Posted June 3, 2008 We need the youth. I absolutely agree. Ironically though, against England, a couple of old guys, Eddie Lewis and Frankie Hedjuk, were about the only ones playing with any fire. The young guys looked dazed and in awe of England in all it's history and with all their superstars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Where does Altidore play in club, never heard about him sorry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Where does Altidore play in club, never heard about him sorry... http://youtube.com/watch?v=NiTjJULW7RE I don't care how high this kid's opinion of himself is...he can play, and he's got balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Here's a clip of Adu and Altidore teaming up at the U20 World Cup last year against Brazil. Adu and Altidore were ripping that tournament apart. That team would have won the U20 World Cup if not for the anti-USA officiating in the quarterfinals against Austria. I was at that game in Toronto and it was just as bad as the 2008 World Cup Game against Italy. http://youtube.com/watch?v=EYFfq9tecHk&feature=related They don't show a good replay of Adu's moves, so make sure you watch the first few seconds where Adu juggles the ball through two Brazilian players. Here's another clip of Team USA's U20 team at the last World Cup featuring some great goals in a 6-1 win against Poland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Here's a clip of Adu and Altidore teaming up at the U20 World Cup last year against Brazil. Adu and Altidore were ripping that tournament apart. That team would have won the U20 World Cup if not for the anti-USA officiating in the quarterfinals against Austria. I was at that game in Toronto and it was just as bad as the 2008 World Cup Game against Italy. http://youtube.com/watch?v=EYFfq9tecHk&feature=related They don't show a good replay of Adu's moves, so make sure you watch the first few seconds where Adu juggles the ball through two Brazilian players. Here's another clip of Team USA's U20 team at the last World Cup featuring some great goals in a 6-1 win against Poland. sick moves by Adu! Can we start this kid already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Just saw Altidore just signed with Villareal of the Spanish league.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHOUTBOX MONSTER! Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 U.S. first half >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> U.S. second half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well, the U.S. was able to play one half of decent soccer. Freddy Adu looked great! Too bad he couldn't go the full 90. My opinion is he's absolutely ready to claim a starting role in midfield. Without him, it was a different game--no creativity at all. I saw enough in one half. The kid is good! I honestly don't understand why Josh Wolff keeps getting minutes. The poor kid does not belong out there. Please, Bob Bradley, move on! Dempsey, sweet Christ man! Act like you give a crap. Typical Eddie Johnson performance. Shows flashes of skill and speed. Poor finishing. Unbelievably lazy at times. Frustrating! Did you see, at about the 25 minute mark, how he let that nice long ball go over the end line for a goal kick? Really really really poor effort. He improved his hustle after that, but he really needed to bury that header near the end of the half. Eddie Lewis. I really thought his national team days were over. But he has showed a lot the last two games. His cross to EJ's head was perfection. EJ blew it. And his nice free kick almost found the top corner. Beasley. They keep making the coming-back-from-injury excuse for him. But does that excuse him from constantly making bad decisions with the ball? Michael Bradley. Poor overall game. Showed good hustle getting back on D, but looked like the stereotypical dumb American against Spain's quality. His muffed header at the end (even though it if was offside anyway) was embarrassing to watch. I think he can be a good player, but I'm starting to get those "coach's son" thoughts when I see him get every single start and never get subbed. The back line. Same as usual. Decent marking overall, but lousy control and outlet passing. Way too many weak, panicked clearances giving the ball right back to the opponent. In the second half, everybody looked bad, except maybe Guzan. Xavi's goal was amazing! Spain played with lots of skill, class and patience. Could easily have been 3-0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well, the U.S. was able to play one half of decent soccer. Freddy Adu looked great! Too bad he couldn't go the full 90. My opinion is he's absolutely ready to claim a starting role in midfield. Without him, it was a different game--no creativity at all. I saw enough in one half. The kid is good! I honestly don't understand why Josh Wolff keeps getting minutes. The poor kid does not belong out there. Please, Bob Bradley, move on! Dempsey, sweet Christ man! Act like you give a crap. Typical Eddie Johnson performance. Shows flashes of skill and speed. Poor finishing. Unbelievably lazy at times. Frustrating! Did you see, at about the 25 minute mark, how he let that nice long ball go over the end line for a goal kick? Really really really poor effort. He improved his hustle after that, but he really needed to bury that header near the end of the half. Eddie Lewis. I really thought his national team days were over. But he has showed a lot the last two games. His cross to EJ's head was perfection. EJ blew it. And his nice free kick almost found the top corner. Beasley. They keep making the coming-back-from-injury excuse for him. But does that excuse him from constantly making bad decisions with the ball? Michael Bradley. Poor overall game. Showed good hustle getting back on D, but looked like the stereotypical dumb American against Spain's quality. His muffed header at the end (even though it if was offside anyway) was embarrassing to watch. I think he can be a good player, but I'm starting to get those "coach's son" thoughts when I see him get every single start and never get subbed. The back line. Same as usual. Decent marking overall, but lousy control and outlet passing. Way too many weak, panicked clearances giving the ball right back to the opponent. In the second half, everybody looked bad, except maybe Guzan. Xavi's goal was amazing! Spain played with lots of skill, class and patience. Could easily have been 3-0. I'm gonna watch the game on my DVR today, but based on your review, sounds like the same ol' same ol'. With the exception of Freddy, of course...I hate to say it, but if Klinsmann were the coach, this team would look different. Just sayin'.... I'm going to give Bradley the benefit of the doubt since you seem to hold him in high regard, I just think we need a shake up on this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHOUTBOX MONSTER! Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well, the U.S. was able to play one half of decent soccer. Freddy Adu looked great! Too bad he couldn't go the full 90. My opinion is he's absolutely ready to claim a starting role in midfield. Without him, it was a different game--no creativity at all. I saw enough in one half. The kid is good! I honestly don't understand why Josh Wolff keeps getting minutes. The poor kid does not belong out there. Please, Bob Bradley, move on! Dempsey, sweet Christ man! Act like you give a crap. Typical Eddie Johnson performance. Shows flashes of skill and speed. Poor finishing. Unbelievably lazy at times. Frustrating! Did you see, at about the 25 minute mark, how he let that nice long ball go over the end line for a goal kick? Really really really poor effort. He improved his hustle after that, but he really needed to bury that header near the end of the half. Eddie Lewis. I really thought his national team days were over. But he has showed a lot the last two games. His cross to EJ's head was perfection. EJ blew it. And his nice free kick almost found the top corner. Beasley. They keep making the coming-back-from-injury excuse for him. But does that excuse him from constantly making bad decisions with the ball? Michael Bradley. Poor overall game. Showed good hustle getting back on D, but looked like the stereotypical dumb American against Spain's quality. His muffed header at the end (even though it if was offside anyway) was embarrassing to watch. I think he can be a good player, but I'm starting to get those "coach's son" thoughts when I see him get every single start and never get subbed. The back line. Same as usual. Decent marking overall, but lousy control and outlet passing. Way too many weak, panicked clearances giving the ball right back to the opponent. In the second half, everybody looked bad, except maybe Guzan. Xavi's goal was amazing! Spain played with lots of skill, class and patience. Could easily have been 3-0. I pretty much agree with everything here. Adu was unbelievable IMO. I think the mis-hit header from Lewis to Johnson says alot about the attackers for the U.S. Some quality chances, but no real finisher. I'd love to see a line-up with Altidore and Dempsey up top and Donovan at attacking mid, flanked outside by Eddie Johnson and Freddie Adu. Then there might be some different results. Overall, this match was a much better effort. Now they move on to the current #1 in the world. I may be making the trip. Anyone else heading out to Jersey for the game Sunday night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 I'm going to give Bradley the benefit of the doubt since you seem to hold him in high regard, I just think we need a shake up on this team. Basically, it's just been benefit of the doubt for me too. I stuck up for him in the past because, once the Klinsmann hopes were dashed, I thought it would hurt the team to keep going with just an "interim" coach. Plus, around that time, the team was looking impressive against Mexico and beating up on the tiny Island countries. That CONCACAF competition really skews your perception. Just wait & see how spectacular we look in the first WC qualifier against Barbados on 6/15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Basically, it's just been benefit of the doubt for me too. I stuck up for him in the past because, once the Klinsmann hopes were dashed, I thought it would hurt the team to keep going with just an "interim" coach. Plus, around that time, the team was looking impressive against Mexico and beating up on the tiny Island countries. That CONCACAF competition really skews your perception. Just wait & see how spectacular we look in the first WC qualifier against Barbados on 6/15. I just still can't get over the fact that Klinsmann basically availed himself to the job, LIVES in this damn country, and they passed on him just because of money. That's still so infuriating to me...we have a proven winner right there, ready to take on the challenge of turning us into something respectable on the world stage - and assuredly able to accomplish exactly that - and they pass on the guy You know who I think gets screwed from all our CONCACAF matches? L.Donovan. I think this is a big reason why this guy thinks he's the sh--, and then disappears in the big games. He seems to think that because he's relevant in these matches against lesser opponents, he's equally as relevant against Italy, Germany, Brazil, and the Czechs. How long do we have to hang our hat on that "sneak attack" win over Portugal? When can we say we've REALLY beaten a world power and that we've arrived? I hope I'm wrong, I just don't feel like we're getting any closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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