MLS Cup & USA Soccer

[RozzySean]

Well what kinds of lineups do you guys forsee the US using vs Honduras and Netherlands. I know Honduras is the last chance to get some quality play for backups and guys who are on the fringe, I see Robbie Findley getting a start vs them just to see how he does and vs the Netherlands it's the last chance to really perfect your World Cup side and if we don't see Jermain Jones vs Honduras we may see him then.

If we could run out a side like this:

ST: Findley, Altidore
CAM: Donovan
LM:Bradley RM: Dempsey
CDM: Jones
LB: Cherundolo CB: Bocanegra, DeMerit RB: Spector
GK: Howard

Maybe Adu at Striker (he has history with Altidore), and maybe Edu at CDM if Jones is a no go. Also we could put Dempsey at striker to start off and replace him with Fielhaber, but we should only do that if our defense is sound. Also I was wondering if maybe Holden or Rodgers could play striker...I know everyone hates Rodgers because he's careless with the ball or tries to do too much (a la Clint Dempsey) but as a striker his improvisation would be welcomed.

Then I would like our chances to be effective in the World Cup. I think the main thing for us vs teams like England, Slovenia, and Algeria is that we need to attack the goal and never let up 100% nonstop attack. Sure we can draw with anyone if we focus on defense but we can't win if we don't score and once you score your first goal momentum builds. In France we didn't score until the last game, every second that ticked off the clock there was more pressure to score and more people wondering why we hadn't scored yet.

I like Findley a lot, but I think they will play Dempsey as a second striker behind Jozy, if Jozy gets his act together. If not, it may end up be Dempsey and Findley up top. I don't think you can rest our world cup hopes on a 19 yo Jozy who can barely break the lineup at Hull and an MLS player without significant international experience. The need one mature and experienced player up top. If CD was healthy, it would have been a different thing, because those to had enough experience together and a certain confidence.

Strange as it seems, Beasley is playing himself back into the picture. He's on a nice run with Rangers, about 5 good games straight. Two goals and an assist in the last two games. We'll see how he looks in a few weeks and how he looks against Celtic and Hibs - the better competition.

I think it will look something like this:

----------------Findley/Jozy----------------
-----------------------------Dempsey------
----Landon--------------------SH/DMB----
---------------JJ/RC---------MB------------
--Bornstein---Boca/Gooch/Demerit--Dolo-- If Both Gooch and DeMerit are
healthy, Boca may move wide.

Spector comes off the bench to sub either fullback position. Benny comes on if Findley/Jozy are useless and Landon needs to move to second striker with Dempsey moving to CF.

If Beasley keeps up his recent performance an stays fit, it's possible that both all the expected strikers sit, Holden moves to left mid, Beasley plays right wing (where he is playing well with Rangers), and Landon plays a more central AM/Hole Forward position and Dempsey is the CF. You could even do the same thing and play Benny at wide MF and use LD and Deuce up top.

[El Kabong]

I hate to disagree with you Rozzy but you know as well as I do that being good on a CLUB doesn't equal being good for the World Cup side. Jozy Altidore is a PURE striker on a high level, the first one of his kind that the US has ever had! He has a nose for the goal and he's scored 8 goals in 21 caps for the US at age 20, I don't care who you are that's HUGE for a US soccer player so he has earned his starting spot and NOBODY is taking that away from him anytime soon.

The US has all but a few pieces set in stone Jozy Altidore is set in stone as a starting striker and he'll be ther for a long time.

The only question is who do you pair him with? #1 A speedy player LIKE Charlie Davies but obviously not Charlie Davies and in this case the players that fit this role are: Freddy Adu (who played striker with Jozy on the U-23 team), Eddie Johnson, Robbie Findley, or long shot Robbie Rodgers or #2 a bigger player who controls pace better like Dempsey or Cooper..I like what Cooper and Dempsey do for our team with set pieces but they do slow down our attack a bit.

I think if we were able to pull this off it would be the BEST situation for our team(if Onyewu is healthy he starts instead of Cherundolo and Bocanegra plays CB):

-------Donovan----Altidore------
-------------Dempsey-----------
--Bradley--------------Fielhaber--
-----------Jones or Edu--------
Cherundolo--Bocanegra--DeMerit--Spector
----------------Howard----------

The main issue with that lineup is that Dempsey isn't a box to box player like Donovan is and our speed/high motor strikers outside of Charlie Davies aren't very good: Adu, Johnson, Findley, Rodgers and Jozy isn't good enough to play up top alone and we simply don't have the talent to play that type of game (one striker). I think the more players we throw at the goal the better because our strength is defense and goal keepers

[RozzySean]

I hate to disagree with you Rozzy but you know as well as I do that being good on a CLUB doesn't equal being good for the World Cup side. Jozy Altidore is a PURE striker on a high level, the first one of his kind that the US has ever had! He has a nose for the goal and he's scored 8 goals in 21 caps for the US at age 20, I don't care who you are that's HUGE for a US soccer player so he has earned his starting spot and NOBODY is taking that away from him anytime soon.

The US has all but a few pieces set in stone Jozy Altidore is set in stone as a starting striker and he'll be ther for a long time.

The only question is who do you pair him with? #1 A speedy player LIKE Charlie Davies but obviously not Charlie Davies and in this case the players that fit this role are: Freddy Adu (who played striker with Jozy on the U-23 team), Eddie Johnson, Robbie Findley, or long shot Robbie Rodgers or #2 a bigger player who controls pace better like Dempsey or Cooper..I like what Cooper and Dempsey do for our team with set pieces but they do slow down our attack a bit.

I think if we were able to pull this off it would be the BEST situation for our team(if Onyewu is healthy he starts instead of Cherundolo and Bocanegra plays CB):

-------Donovan----Altidore------
-------------Dempsey-----------
--Bradley--------------Fielhaber--
-----------Jones or Edu--------
Cherundolo--Bocanegra--DeMerit--Spector
----------------Howard----------

The main issue with that lineup is that Dempsey isn't a box to box player like Donovan is and our speed/high motor strikers outside of Charlie Davies aren't very good: Adu, Johnson, Findley, Rodgers and Jozy isn't good enough to play up top alone and we simply don't have the talent to play that type of game (one striker). I think the more players we throw at the goal the better because our strength is defense and goal keepers

The talent on this team is at midfield. Better to play Dempsey up an give Benny or Holden a shot than insert Cooper, Adu, or Rodgers (though I like Rogers and wouldn't mind seeing him on the roster.)

If Dempsey isn't a box-to-box player, why would you play Landon up top? My diagram might not have been clear enough...I would play Dempsey as a "hole" or second striker, instead of "tandem Striker" approach. Let him attack from either side wide or go central, while Jozy stays as the pure CF. He plays this role often at Fulham and it's a big part of the reason Zamora has been tearing it up.

I agree that Jozy has probably earned his spot, but if he's not playing at a club level, I don't know how sharp he will be. Jozy would benefit more from having a big partner up front. Dempsey isn't as fast as Landon, but he compliments Jozy more than Landon. Also, Donovan is a better defender and has better pace to recover into the defense after a deep attacking run.

Also I think Dolo and Spector/Bornstein flip, but that's not important.

Club play is not insignificant. Jozy made USMNT contributions largely against CONCACAF teams. Yes, he had a goal against Spain, but a guy like Dempsey is playing against teams like Chelsea and Man U who are better than the Honduran and Costa Rican national teams. Against the same level of competition, Jozy isn't contributing. It's just food for thought.

I'm very curious to see how Beasley plays in the upcoming games against Celtic and Hibs. Goals against MLS level teams like Motherwell and Dundee don't rate on the same level as goals against Celtic or assists against Man U (did you see Dempsey's header to Zamora's feet!!)

Bradley will probably stick with Jozy unless he looks really rusty in the friendlies, but I wouldn't mind see what a Dempsey/Findley tandem could do, supported by Donovan, Bradley and Stu or Benny.

[El Kabong]

I know Dempsey isn't a box to box player but the best case scenario is that a player that uses speed and pressure pairs with Jozy in order to lay the ball off to him so he can take a crack at goal OR someone Jozy can feed on a run. Dempsey is creative and can score but I think on the whole it makes us a slower attacking team AND we need someone to control the ball through the midfield and really Donovan is the only guy to be consistent with that so it's probably best for Dempsey and Donovan to stay put and for us to utilize another striker for the first half and then move Dempsey up to striker and bring on Fielhaber...that's what we had the most success with in the Confed Cup.

Jozy isn't going to move anywhere no matter what Bradley decides to do, he has the ability to score goals and he's strong. Adu and Rodgers add speed AND creativity with the ball, I think either of them have the potential(in the future) to add more to our attack than Charlie Davies. Cooper gives us some ball control and the ability to use set pieces more effectively. With Cooper in the game we could also use the long ball more and maybe that allows for Donovan and Dempsey to shake their markers and get better runs on the goal.

I think DeMarcus Beasley COULD add to the squad but his play on the national team had been deteriorating even before that disaster vs Brazil. If anyone is going to earn their way back on the team I think Eddie Johnson has the best shot at it, if he is fit and plays up to his potential he's a VERY solid option at striker.

[RozzySean]

I know Dempsey isn't a box to box player but the best case scenario is that a player that uses speed and pressure pairs with Jozy in order to lay the ball off to him so he can take a crack at goal OR someone Jozy can feed on a run. Dempsey is creative and can score but I think on the whole it makes us a slower attacking team AND we need someone to control the ball through the midfield and really Donovan is the only guy to be consistent with that so it's probably best for Dempsey and Donovan to stay put and for us to utilize another striker for the first half and then move Dempsey up to striker and bring on Fielhaber...that's what we had the most success with in the Confed Cup.

Jozy isn't going to move anywhere no matter what Bradley decides to do, he has the ability to score goals and he's strong. Adu and Rodgers add speed AND creativity with the ball, I think either of them have the potential(in the future) to add more to our attack than Charlie Davies. Cooper gives us some ball control and the ability to use set pieces more effectively. With Cooper in the game we could also use the long ball more and maybe that allows for Donovan and Dempsey to shake their markers and get better runs on the goal.

I think DeMarcus Beasley COULD add to the squad but his play on the national team had been deteriorating even before that disaster vs Brazil. If anyone is going to earn their way back on the team I think Eddie Johnson has the best shot at it, if he is fit and plays up to his potential he's a VERY solid option at striker.

Wow...Eddie Johnson...Cooper....I would rather play Michael Bradley at forward. Anything but those two. I'd rather role the dice with Rogers or Findley. At least those players have upside.

Dempsey isn't a "control the midfield" type of player. He's a slash, attack, cross, beat a guy one one one type of player.

A lot depends on the health of Jermaine Jones and Edu. If both those players are fit and can gel with the team, I suspect they will both start and play central holding roles. I also wouldn't count out Michael Bradley in a central mid role. Those two healthy, flanked by Landon and Beasley, would go a long way to helping control possession in the midfield.

Honestly, I don't think it will be the Confed lineup out there. Don't forget that DMB, when fit, has been one of the better players for the USMNT.

Don't be surprised if we see this:

---------------Jozy----Deuce---------------
--Landon-----------------------------DMB--
---------------Jones----Edu-----------------
--Boca--------JD-------Gooch-------Dolo--

[El Kabong]

Don't shit on Kenny Cooper, he's a solid player but he hasn't been played enough, he usually comes in as a sub but still he's 6'3 he has 10 caps and 4 goals and although erroneous he had 90 caps for Dallas FC and 40 goals, and he had 0 help on that team!...when he is in the game he scores and for a big guy he controls the ball well. Cooper is 1,000 times better than Ching and Casey. That being said I don't think Cooper pairs with Altidore because they are both bigger and similar style players.

I can understand your view on Eddie Johnson but you can't dis him and then go back and hope DeMarcus Beasley makes the team!!! Beasley leaving was what sparked the team to do well in the Confed Cup. Now I don't think either guy is horrible, they are both terribly inconsistent though and we can't have that in the World Cup!

If you're going to pair a striker with Altidore (and you HAVE to come to grips with Jozy being the starter, dude seriously) I would go with one of these players: Clint Dempsey (because we've had success with it before), Freddy Adu (because he's worked with Jozy and they've had success working with each other), Robbie Findley (who is playing very well right now and has earned a shot) and the outside shots are Eddie Johnson (whom I hope is fit and mentally prepared because when he is he's a very dangerous striker) and Robbie Rogers (just because he's pretty creative on the ball and I think as a striker he'd do very well).

I can't understand why you don't rate Jozy Altidore, the dude is a BEAST, he's 20 years old and he's a legitimate scoring threat. Just because Hull sucks, it shouldn't put any blame on Jozy, if Jozy was playing for a good side he'd be scoring more because he'd have better opportunities.

[El Kabong]

OK here's my best case scenario (Gooch is healthy & Jones works out as planned) side:

-----------Dempsey---Altidore------
-----------------Donovan-----------
-------Fielhaber------------Bradley--
-------------------Jones-------------
Bocanegra---Onyewu--DeMerit--Cherundolo
-------------------Howard---------------

Bench: Adu, Edu, Spector, Guzan, Holden