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I didnt say we are going to win it , my point was you said you have as much chance as England to win it. Which is obviously not the case as these odds suggest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
You can wish in one hand and crap in the other England isn't going to win it. You may as well have our lineQuote:
Originally Posted by skel1983
Scrap we comfortably beat them 2-0 about a year ago, but friendlys i dont count im not sure if we have ever played them in a competitve game?
I hope they leave Adu completely off the team.
And they're not going to start Cooper.
it will be Ching or Casey. And Jozy will play off of one of the two. Sucks. I think Davies was probably our best goal scoring option outside of Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey.
I guess they could move Dempsey up front. They tend to do that later in the game.
That would get our best players on the field as Holden could replace Dempsey at midfield and he's better than Ching or Casey. But I'm not sure it would work overall.
I must admit after 35 years of living I no longer get excited about our chances in the world Cup.Quote:
Originally Posted by LyleYou can wish in one hand and crap in the other England isn't going to win it. You may as well have our lineQuote:
Originally Posted by skel1983
England's world cups are as predictable as Fedorer winning Wimbledon, we will go out in either the quarters or semi's in a penalty shootout or else a controversial last minute goal from our opponents.
The only real debate is which players will miss the critical penalties this time around. I'll go with John Terry and Lampard.
....we beat you in the 1950 World Cup....I didn't even know we had a team back thenQuote:
Originally Posted by skel1983
The only issue Adu has is marking his man, other than that he's quick, he's fast, he can pass and shoot. He's a better option than Ching or Casey both of whom suck.
It was effectively an amateur side, it remains one of the greatest World Cup upsets in history.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle....we beat you in the 1950 World Cup....I didn't even know we had a team back thenQuote:
Originally Posted by skel1983
The only issue Adu has is marking his man, other than that he's quick, he's fast, he can pass and shoot. He's a better option than Ching or Casey both of whom suck.
I don't think USA have as good a chance of winning the World Cup as England, especially missing Davies who I thought was a better foil for Donovan than Altidore. However, can't see either side winning it.
The US are the kind of side who can ride a 2-3 game wave as they did in the Confederations Cup, but I'd be surprised if they got further than the last 16.
England meanwhile get torn apart by good, quick passing sides. The signs are there against the likes of Croatia & Belarus, & it would be no surprise to me if they get shocked by one of the African or South American sides next summer.
People have got carried away again, even if they do play to their potential, they just simply haven't got enough for the likes of Brazil, Holland & Spain.
In terms of who can replace Davies, the obvious is Altidore to start more. Adu is good, but I'm not sure how well he would work with Donovan. Santino Quaranta is a good option as he's similarly quite quick & a decent passer. I would actually recommend Kenny Cooper as more obvious choice than either Ching or Casey as his physicality could cause some problems for some defences. I'd think Bradley should decide on it after seeing who they get in the group stages.
....if only Eddie Johnson was consistant we wouldn't have this issue
....even more bad news, Oguchi Onyewu tore his patelar tendon vs Costa Rica
Without Davies, I would be tempted to play Dempsey up front with Alitidore, with Donovan as an attacking MF behind them. Bring Eddie Johnson and Adu off the bench. Let's hope Gooch will be fit enough to contribute.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
I like Kenny Cooper, too. He would be a good option if Dempsey plays more of as an outside MF. I have a gut feeling that Altidore and Dempsey could be a good combo up front. I've never understood why Brian Ching is rated at at all.
I agree with you about Ching and I feel the same way about Conor Casey...the only thing those guys have done is play for MLS teams that are decent enough to feed them the ball. Kenny Cooper played on Dallas FC that only had HIM as a goal scoring threat.
I would say that Stuart Holden has a good shot at more playing time if Dempsey moves up to striker. If Demarcus Beasley could return to top form he could really help out, but just as with Eddie Johnson he is so inconsistent, that I would rather give the chance to a younger player like Freddy Adu.
I think that's exactly what we will see. I don't see anything else working. Holden can do a nice job and will be more disciplined playing out side than Dempsey. I can see a 4-4-2 diamond mf working well, with Donovan at the top and Clark holding. If Beasley is fit, I like him at left mf to cover defensively for the weak spot at left back. If Gooch isn't 100%, I there is a serious hold at CB and I can't see playing without a defensive mid, even an average one like Clark.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
I doubt Beasley will ever play again for the National Team we're better off with Torres on the left but as for filling Dempsey's spot, no one is better suited than Benny Feilhaber.
I WISH we would use Marvel Wynn at LB but he's more of a project at this point. I think Spector is the best fit and Cherundolo can be used as well.
At CDM, I would hope Maurice Edu comes back... he may be better quality than Clarke
Dempsey should be used up front but I think the big thing we miss with him up there is #1 We lose a quality midfielder although Feilhaber is good he's not a PROVEN player at the level Dempsey is and #2 Altidore needs to play off of SPEED. The good things we get from Dempsey moving up are #1 We're better on set peices #2 Dempsey is a better passer than Charlie Davies (although Davies was good at finding the goal recently). Another thing we could do is move up Landon Donovan and fill his spot with Dempsey but we'd still be left with a hole at midfield. If we use Freddy Adu or Kenny Cooper we don't have to worry about midfield but since we are deeper at midfield than at striker it would make since to move Dempsey or Donovan upfront.
I only hope Onyewu heals up in time, but if he doesn't Jay DeMerit is the best chance and maybe Gibbs comes back and plays well, there was a time where people thought he would replace Onyewu.
Edu is going to have to get playing time, where that will be I don't know as he's been on the end of a fair bit of racial abuse in his time in Glasgow, some from his own fans last night.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
I honestly don't think you guys will be able to play such an attacking formation at the World Cup. I'd say have Donovan up front, purely because Dempsey tends to track back, whilst Donovan often suffers from the typical #10 syndrome of not being arsed to come back to help the defence.
Onyewu should be ok, luckily he plays at the club with the best medical facilities in the world & I think he should be back late January or early February. What he needs to do then is get a run in the Milan team, but with Nesta, Thiago Silva, Kaladze & Bonera all ahead of him that may not be quick to happen. Shame because I'd like to see him get a game for them (my Dad's Italian btw, hence me supporting Milan), Standard Liege have definitely suffered without him, & I can't see either DeMerit or Gibbs offering what Onyewu does.
The absolutely worst thing that could happen is if Bob Bradley shifts us into a single striker formation just the way Bruce Arena did.
The US also needs to play the ball through the midfield more.
You know if worse comes to worse we could always bring Brian McBride back, he's 37, he's got loads of experience and we wouldn't have to swap a midfielder in
DeMerit and Onyewu played extremely well together in South Africa, I hope we can put that tandem out there again this summer, but if not Gibbs was doing very well before he got injured and I have been shocked he hasn't even been on the bench recently
The thing is Kenny Cooper is good for that & he would let Altidore have a bit more freedom. He may not be as tough as McBride or as good in the air, but IMO he's actually got a better eye for a pass, so if holds the ball up, I think that he's a better option to release one of Altidore, Donovan or Dempsey.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle