USA-Netherlands friendly

[El Kabong]

So this game is happening Wednesday and it figures to tell us a lot about both teams. The US will be sporting their new uni's (very classy looking, much better than our recent uniforms) and without Onyewu, Davies, and Dempsey due to injury we're going to see some other guys play and hopefully do well: Goodson, Beasley, Edu, Torres, Findley and Johnson all figure to get loads of PT in this game/training camp and all of them figure to have a spot of the roster as reserves if they do well. I think depending on how DMB and Edu perform they could figure into if Freddy Adu makes the team.

USA
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Heath Pearce (Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro, Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Landon Donovan (Everton, England), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris, Greece)

Your thoughts?

[El Kabong]

I also want to know if this game is a "MUST WIN" for the US or do we just have to perform well?

I would love to see Torres get lots of PT, but I think our starting squad will look like this.

--------Altidore-----Findley--------
--------------Holden------------
Donovan-----------------------DMB
--------------Bradley-------------
Bornstein--DeMerit--Bocanegra--Spector
---------------Howard------------

I assume that Donovan will play LM instead of CAM just because he's played that so well with Everton. I would like to see Edu get more PT than Bradley but we all know that won't happen

[OumaFan]

I'm not gonna watch it, just have to be somewhere else, I don't really care but obviously I hope we play well.

Holden's played well in the middle for Bolton but I'll believe it when I see it as far as him playing there for us. You know Bradley's gonna play. And honestly I don't dislike Bradley, I think he's a solid player but they don't seem to like to play him as the more defensive midfielder so that's why you rarely see a Bradley-Feilhaber cause then he's the clear defensive mid. Bradley Sr. seems to prefer to play Bradley with a more pure d mid so Bradley can play box to box.

I would like to just see how Edu-Holden looked once. Or even Clark-Holden as they played together for a while. But Michael Jr. is one of the untouchables along with Howard, Dempsey, Donovan, maybe Altidore, Gooch and Boca so apparently it will be Bradley-d mid.

Holden-Bradley could work if both played like they were two way mids, as in they rotated when to go forward and when to hold back but it seems like that's not Bradley's preference.

[El Kabong]

Altidore should be untouchable, he's one of the few offensive threats we have.

I would like to see Torres get some run.

Bradley is good and everything but he does deserve to have some run. I don't think he has enough skill on the ball to earn play over some other guys.

If we run a flat 4-4-2 maybe we could see Holden and Bradley...that could work pretty nice and could really help our attack. We could always sub in Edu, Clarke, or someone more defensive minded in after we go up a few goals.

I am making plans to watch the game and I'm hoping we don't get a red card...we don't need that.

[HattonTheHammer]

must be the 1st world cup in years where nobody is really talking up the dutch instead concentrating on the likes of brazil/spain/italy

These friendlys really are nothing but a good day out for those in attendants getting to see world class footballers going about as they would in a training session.

England-Egypt for us tonight. 90,000 fans get to see a nice little performance, a few quality goals and everybody goes home happy!!

[OumaFan]

good lord Findley looks like he'd have trouble making a high school team, just dreadful, but its early and this is a big step up so he might just be nervous. Jozy's looked all right and Holden's got something there, he should be one of our starting 11 most of the time.

Meanwhile, guys that shouldn't sniff our national team: Bocanegraa (ha he's our captain, fuck) and Bornstein. And maybe Findley. I guess there's nobody to replace Bocanegra at the moment.

Bradley looks pretty awful too, not that it matters.

[HattonTheHammer]

player ratings from goal.com


USA

Tim Howard – 6
Looks smaller in the net than a year ago when his form reached its peach, but still makes the saves required of him. Conceded to a penalty kick and a wickedly deflected shot, so no blame falls to the Everton man. Steady.

Jonathan Spector – 5
Never made it into the offensive third to display his crossing ability. Pinned-back.

Jay DeMerit – 6.5
Tough tackling and powerful, Watford's captain doesn't let anyone by without a few scars for his trouble. A minor injury eventually forced him off. Gnarly.

Carlos Bocanegra – 6.5
Headed home the consolation goal late in the match. His shift up until that point had been solid enough without ever showcasing his talents too brightly. Organized.

Jonathan Bornstein – 3
Oopsy Daisy. Five minutes after giving up a penalty for foolishly tugging on Sneijder's arm, Bornstein played the ball with his hand inside the area. Luckily for him the referee didn't see it. It was the chest of the Chivas USA man that deflected the game-winning goal in for Holland to cap off a miserable night. Silly.

Stuart Holden – N/A
Came off early with an injury before Bolton's latest addition could strut his stuff. Unfortunate.

Jose Francisco Torres – 5
Gave away the ball far too often for what is supposed to be Bob Bradley's technical option in the middle. Provided America's best chance in the first half when he sniped a shot from distance just over the net, but tempered that with picking up a needless yellow card. Sloppy.

Michael Bradley – 5
Playing in the position known as the engine, Bradley's new clean-shaven hairdo was apt; his balding tires couldn't find any traction in this match. Outplayed.

Landon Donovan – 5
Perhaps the flu that has plagued Donovan the past few weeks sapped his energy, but for some reason Donovan couldn't click in this one. Lacking.

Jozy Altidore – 6
Allowed himself to be forced wide by a wily Dutch defense far too easily. To say that he was the USA's most consistent offensive threat is to hardly offer any praise at all. In the 90th minute he found the confidence to split two defenders and cannon a shot on goal, but it was too little too late. Robust.

Robbie Findley – 5
Given chance after chance to show that he's Charlie Davies in disguise, even Bob Bradley will have to admit after this final test that Findley is, in fact, not Charlie Davies in disguise. Purposeless.

Substitutes

DaMarcus Beasley – 6.5
Promising.

Maurice Edu – 6
Tidy.

Alejandro Bedoya – 6.5
Determined.

Heath Pearce – N/A

Eddie Johnson – N/A

Clarence Goodson – N/A



i see jonathon spector is just as lame when playing for team US as he is at west ham

and how the hell does beasley get himself bumped to the bench??

[OumaFan]

Actually Spector's been pretty good for us lately. He was very good at the Confederations Cup. I don't pay attention to him much at West Ham.

Beasley up until a month ago was probably gone from the team. Wasn't playing at Rangers, was capital letters horrible for us when he did. So he's working his way back in, he's still got some work to do to start for us at the WC. Actually the only way he will is if Dempsey moves up top and even then he might not.

[HattonTheHammer]

Actually Spector's been pretty good for us lately. He was very good at the Confederations Cup. I don't pay attention to him much at West Ham.

Beasley up until a month ago was probably gone from the team. Wasn't playing at Rangers, was capital letters horrible for us when he did. So he's working his way back in, he's still got some work to do to start for us at the WC. Actually the only way he will is if Dempsey moves up top and even then he might not.

He mainly starts on the bench at west ham, one of those players who doesnt neccesarily do anything wrong but just fails to impose himself on a game.

Everytime ive seen demarcus play he has been the best player on the pitch. Superb little creative midfielder but you can understand bradley not starting him because of the little game time he is getting and if you cant make a starting lineup for a side in scotland then you really cant be all that.

You`ll tear algeria and slovenia to peices, chances are it`ll be germany in the second round for you and thats gonna be a massive ask. If you were to get past them and make it to the quarters who the hell knows how far you could go.

[OumaFan]

Beasley is a regular starter for Rangers when he's healthy but he's almost never healthy.

[OumaFan]

Holden out six weeks at least with a fracture in his leg. De Jong apparently showed himself a yellow piece of paper as a sympathetic gesture.

He should just be glad Holden doesn't play for Arsenal.