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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (1 Viewer)

andy_b said:
Holland? I thought they didn't even qualify back in 2002. If the math formula is anything like it has been for the last few world cups, that one item alone pretty much assures that they won't get seeded. Which means any group that Holland gets placed in will be a great start to a group of death unless it is with RSA.
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Just like last World Cup when they were drawn with Serbia, Argentina, and Ivory Coast...
 
Obviously everyone is gunning for RSA in their Group, but home turf is such a big deal in WC Finals. Just look at how well RSA played in the Confed. Cup.

Honestly, I'd rather be in a group with another Afirican team, or any Asian team, and a mid-level UEFA squad.

 
Honestly, Im more concerned about the third and fourth place buckets than the first place bucket. All the seeded teams are going to be difficult - it doesnt matter if its Spain, Brazil, etc. On the flip side, if we get cupcake third and fourth place teams, we can have an easy route to the knockout stage regardless of who the top seed is.

 
Native said:
Honestly, Im more concerned about the third and fourth place buckets than the first place bucket. All the seeded teams are going to be difficult - it doesnt matter if its Spain, Brazil, etc. On the flip side, if we get cupcake third and fourth place teams, we can have an easy route to the knockout stage regardless of who the top seed is.
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we are the 3rd place team. I'm fairly certain we'll end up playing one of the more challenging unseeded Euro teams. predicted draw.....ArgentinaPortugalUSAwhatever African team is freaking awesome this year.
 
Ted Lange as your Bartender said:
If France doesn't qualify, who gets the 8th seed? Holland's the only team that makes sense.
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What about Portugal if Portugal qualifies? Lets compare Portugal, Mexico and HollandHolland:Current Rank: 32006: 11th2002: Did not qualify1998: 4th placePortugal:Current Rank: 102006: 4th2002: 21st1998: Did not qualify Mexico:Current Rank: 182006: 2nd round2002: 2nd round1998: 2nd roundKnowing that the 1998 numbers carry almost no weight I think Portugal is the strongest of the 3 based on current rank, 2002 and 2006 performances.
 
And Barça goes down!!! In Camp Nou!!

There's rejoicing in the streets. It's Barça's 100th loss in European competition. Not a bad stat to have actually.

 
CletiusMaximus said:
The Z Machine said:
And Barça goes down!!! In Camp Nou!!There's rejoicing in the streets. It's Barça's 100th loss in European competition. Not a bad stat to have actually.
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Yet Rubin Kazan has just one Champions League loss in its entire club history - very impressive.
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I was pretty impressed by the defense of Rubin Kazan. Their organization was superb. I wasn't as impressed with Barca. They don't appear to be in form at all - Iniesta in particular has looked decidedly average in the last two matches I've seen. Their backups were none to impressive either and without Puyol patrolling the back, they have issues.
 
prefontaine said:
CletiusMaximus said:
Jermaine Jones is now officially available for USMNT (although still injured).
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Will be interesting to see him play for us. Hopefully he is healthy soon so he can get some matches under his belt. Anyone know the status of Maurice Edu? When is he expected back?
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Not sure about Edu. I was hoping Rangers would do decent in the CL and he'd get some opportunities there but after yesterday they are pretty much out of it. As entrenched as Michael Bradley seems to be it wouldn't surprise me if Bob doesn't give Edu much of a chance, which is a shame.
 
Been away from my desk and just turned on the ticker;

Bayern at Bordeaux - an own goal by Ciani for Bordeaux in the 6th minute and then a goal by him in the 27th. 1-1 at minute 37.

Müller for Bayern with a yellow in the 13th AND 30th!!! Bayern a man down.

 
This is one of the worst combined goalkeeping performances I've ever seen.

And that disallowed goal was just horrible - what did the ref think the saw? The RM player running in to his own keeper?

 
Bayern lose 2-1 at Bordeaux. Man could it have been worse. Bayern played a man down from the 30th minute and two men down from the 88th.

Butt saved PKs in the 66th and in the 88th minute.

 
Moe. said:
The Z Machine said:
Atletico sucks.They are bad. Very bad. Not good.
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They have pretty much the same lineup as last year, right? What happened?
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They have no changes really in their midfield and defense. Well a few here and there, but the main components are in place from last year where they played so well at the end of the season to get that CL spot. On D, they sold off Heitinga after 1 year of poor perforance at DC, and picked up Juanito to replace him. Bigger than that was the non-resigning of Leo Franco, their goalie for the past 5 years. He was getting long in the tooth (now 32) and they had a chance to pick up a rising star for the Spanish National team in Sergio Asenjo.I think Leo's departure had a big impact on the defense. They are playing without any confidence whatsoever, and I think Leo brought a strong mental game to the squad that helped the team out in this area. By replacing him with a guy 10 years younger, they removed that leadership and experience, and it's showing big time. Furthermore, the defense just seems to get beat way too often and then on top of that they make stupid fouls that get them in card trouble. As typical with ATM, they'll come out strong and pressure up top early with Kun and Forlan, then something will go amiss in the defense, and the team will collapse. That could be 2 minutes in, or ot could be 60 minutes in, but the opposition knows that there's likely to be a defensive breakdown that if they stay active will result in a goal.Personally, I want to see Abel Resino go. He did well last season, but has shown that he doesn't have the capability to force a defensive presence with these players. It's like they don't play together very often, or don't speak the same language or something, but what the word is for "lack of cohesion", they're that.It's disgusting. As a manager, you cna only lose so many game 3-0, 4-0, 5-2, etc. before you're done. Especially with such talent on the team. They aren't Real or Barça or Chelsea, but they are better than Mallorca or Tenerife or other teams.Sorry Abel, you seem like a nice guy, but your time at the helm of this ship is done IMO.
 
Very much a soccer noob here but are the round of 16 matchups already set in the CL? IE, does 2nd place in Group G play 1st place in Group H, etc? Or is it somehow rigged after the results of group play are known?

 
paulpogo said:
Very much a soccer noob here but are the round of 16 matchups already set in the CL? IE, does 2nd place in Group G play 1st place in Group H, etc? Or is it somehow rigged after the results of group play are known?
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I know they re-draw after the group stage. I think the group winners are in one pot and the runners-up are in another pot, and they may prevent clubs from the same country from meeting in round 2.I think they re-draw again for the quarters, and that draw carries through to the final. There's no restriction on the same country's clubs meeting in the quarter-finals.
 
< quick sidetrack story >

So, I work at a university, and a couple of the things I am over are Greek Life and Intramurals. A month or so ago, during Bid Day for the guys, I showed up in my Liverpool jersey, as it was a Saturday and I had just watched them play. Immediately, this one kid who was going through Rush, and who apparently lived in England starting yelling out "Scousers Suck!!!" and other such anti-Liverpool comments. We have had a friendly back and forth about Liverpool and his team Arsenal ever since then.

Yesterday he comes in to turn in his fraternities signup form for Intramural Soccer. He was taking obvious pleasure in the fact that he had named the team "Scousers Suck". I didn't see it at the time, as I was on the phone, but I took great pleasure in the fact that I have the ability to change the name to "Arsenal Fancy Lads". I can't wait for the schedule to come out.

</ quick sidetrack story >

 
SmoovySmoov said:
< quick sidetrack story >So, I work at a university, and a couple of the things I am over are Greek Life and Intramurals. A month or so ago, during Bid Day for the guys, I showed up in my Liverpool jersey, as it was a Saturday and I had just watched them play. Immediately, this one kid who was going through Rush, and who apparently lived in England starting yelling out "Scousers Suck!!!" and other such anti-Liverpool comments. We have had a friendly back and forth about Liverpool and his team Arsenal ever since then.Yesterday he comes in to turn in his fraternities signup form for Intramural Soccer. He was taking obvious pleasure in the fact that he had named the team "Scousers Suck". I didn't see it at the time, as I was on the phone, but I took great pleasure in the fact that I have the ability to change the name to "Arsenal Fancy Lads". I can't wait for the schedule to come out.</ quick sidetrack story >
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That's pretty funny. I dj once in a while at a local bar where they occasionally have a karaoke night. Behind the DJ booth, I have an Arsenal flag hanging. So, one night some kid comes in wearing a Newcastle jersey. He comes up to ask about the Arsenal flag and some friendly bantering goes back and forth.... fast forward a bit and the kid drinks up enough courage to sing karaoke. I call him up and set up his song... hand him the microphone and he immediately says, "Gunners suck"! He looked a little confused at why his next word wasn't coming through the speakers.... and seemed generally dumbfounded when I took the microphone back and didn't let him sing his song!If you're going to start the slinging, make sure you are prepared for the consequences!
 
" 57'

Well where do Everton go from here? It is no exaggeration to say that this could become a mauling of devastating proportions. The Toffees need to tighten up, and quick, if they are to salvage any pride at all."

 
Senor Schmutzig said:
LHUCKS said:
That was one of Howard's worst games in recent memory.
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Is it just me or has Howard looked a little shaky in the last few games he has played for the USMNT? I'm a big Howard fan (hell, I'm an Everton fan so how could I not be), but he just hasn't looked comfortable back there the past few times I have watched him play.Maybe it's just me. Of course I don't know who else I would rather have back there net-minding. :lmao:
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Ooooof. Howard and company giving up a five-spot to Sporting. I haven't watched a lot of the game so I can't place all of the blame on Tim Howard in the back but come on......five goals? Thank god Everton got 6 points out of its first two matches as now they are atop table with Sporting at 6 points, BATE and AEK both at 3 points.
 
Senor Schmutzig said:
Senor Schmutzig said:
LHUCKS said:
That was one of Howard's worst games in recent memory.
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Is it just me or has Howard looked a little shaky in the last few games he has played for the USMNT? I'm a big Howard fan (hell, I'm an Everton fan so how could I not be), but he just hasn't looked comfortable back there the past few times I have watched him play.Maybe it's just me. Of course I don't know who else I would rather have back there net-minding. :shrug:
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Ooooof. Howard and company giving up a five-spot to Sporting. I haven't watched a lot of the game so I can't place all of the blame on Tim Howard in the back but come on......five goals? Thank god Everton got 6 points out of its first two matches as now they are atop table with Sporting at 6 points, BATE and AEK both at 3 points.
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didn't see the first goal. of the last 4, he should have saved 1. maybe 2. goals 2 and 3 were just bad defense. cardoza got way too open in the middle of the field and the left back was just beaten down the wing to allow the cross.
 
Michael Laudrup was the odds on favorite to fill the Atletico job. He turned it down.

Former Spanish national team coach, Luis Aragonés and former Real Madrid (and Getafe) manager Bernd Schuster are rumored to be in the mix.

Aragonés has coached Atlético many times in the past, as far back as the 1974 and as close as 2003. He's a big name in Spanish football and has a strong following among the rojiblanco fanbase (he played striker for them at the end of his career). He seems to be a bit of a "player's coach" as well since many former players have given him accolades.

 
ok... so ####.

I somehow got suspended- no idea for what.... so I missed the whole Davies, Gooch, CR game discussion.

The Davies crash/injury just breaks my heart. The kid was playing like a monster and getting better every outing. I feel for the deceased girl's family and for Davies, but also for all of us die-hard US fans who collectively started to look at Jozy/Davies strikeforce as capable of actually scaring opponents in the WC. Get better Charlie!

Gooch... I'm sure it got posted here tonight, but ESPN is reporting that it's a 6 month rehab, not 3-4 as originally thought. ####.

CR game... wow- it's been a while, so I'll do my best to remember....

CR goals- man did Gooch look ugly on that first one- dived in cheaply and weakly to get beat far too easily in a non-dangerous place- should've/could've just ran with Ruiz and forced him wide... unless Gooch thought he was beat on that initial surge (didn't look that way). Thought he looked a bit rusty (understandably) defensively with his spacing and tackling, but actually quite good with the ball at feet. Was a great calming presence in the back on the ball and did a great job getting the midfield involved versus previous games where US defenders were just pounding the ball up and out. I watched that 2nd Ruiz goal a few times and couldn't figure out who to blame; that whole side of the field looked like deer in the headlights while CR one touched the ball around. Once again, poor spacing and Boca's inability to quickly plug space/back-up a team-mate left an attacking player in a dangerous position... but damn! what a strike by Ruiz!

I thought the US played quite well on the ball for most of the game. Some nice flow through the MF to the forwards and the entire team did well to move, as a Jamaican team-mate of mine in college used to say, "as a unit".

Game could've and should've been a blow-out by the US.

I read a little bit of the older posts, and I gotta disagree with my guy Z. CR dug their own grave with their game managaement once they got the lead. the US was pushing guys forward in the 2nd half giving CR LOTS of counter-attack opportunities. But instead of pushing aggressively downfield to go for the coffin-nailing 3rd or 4th goals, they held the ball up every time... it was almost amateurish, IMO. Couple that with the typical "ow my arm, my arm... I think it's broken" tactics (but I did love the CR coach preaching his case, post-red card, to the DC cop... :wall: ) in this game and their collapse in recent games and they've got nobody to blame but themselves. And considering that the Ticos have US's number, I'm just as happy not to see them in the WC (go, Uruguay!). Plus... I've grown to appreciate the Hondurans this hexagonal (and during the Gold Cup) and felt like the deserved the trip due to their play.

Jozy... wow- some of you highlighted his game, but IMO that was as good a performance by a US forward as I can remember (except for the -cough-cough- finishing). Andy mentioned his work-rate which was off the charts- but he was making fantastic runs all game (knowing when and where to go, not just running) AND winning/shielding the ball (a gripe I've had about US soccer for a while now) AND turning at and beating players AND finding his team-mates with well played crosses/passes. I heard him quoted after the game as crediting Davies' accident as opening his eyes to needing to give everything he's got every time he steps onto the field because you never know if it'll be your last. I hope he keeps that to heart. And I hope he doesn't miss any more sitters like the one-on-keeper header Casey put on his noggin in the first half.

Casey... no.

LD... up and down game and not up to the incredibly high standard he's set pretty much since the 2nd half of the CR game away in San Jose.

Bradley... solid game- too bad Benny didn't bring his A game, or the US would've absolutely blown CR out through the MF. as it was, the MF had their best collective effort pretty much since the Confed Cup.

Benny... an off game definitely, but I still like the way he plays- he sees the field in ways nobody else on the squad does, but he looked a little flat.

Holden... a little disappointing with some of his decision making on the ball, but worked tirelessly and deserves to be in that spot at this point given the work-rate and his ability to hit the perfect dead-ball or cross more often than not.

Torres... I've been with everybody else since first seeing him- great on the ball, great vision and pretty tough for a littlish guy. Did well with the game more wide-open when he came on and when given time to turn the ball due to CR holding back in the their own half. One knock- the weight of his passes was pretty soft his whole time on the field. But he's a guy I'd love to see get in the mix somehow.

Bornstein and Dolo had nice games... even saw Dolo win a header. I still think Bornstein dives in too easily (when coupled with Boca's inability to back up his team-mates quickly... not good) and so is too easily beat on the dribble or diagonal ball, but he showed a lot more confidence on the ball than he has in recent appearances. Dolo was his usual, suave self putting in great crosses and making defenders wrong footed when he cut inside from the flanks. Sounds like Castillo will get the call-up for Denmark (or has the roster been picked already?), so Bornstein might be on his way out.

Boca... I hope he can partner well wtih Chad Marshall... ####.

Howard... I'm sure he hated getting megged on that first goal, but not much he could do there. The save he made on a point-blank volley in the 1st half was unbelievable, and what makes him in the upper-class of world GKs; his reflexes are off-the-charts. He still gets into trouble on those inbetween balls right around the 6... but whatever. The 2nd goal was an absolute canon- unstoppable.

 
And regarding the whole "LD is one of the best players on the planet" discussion... don't get me wrong- I'm a big fan. He's clearly been playing head and shoulders above anybody else on the team and consistently so since the 2nd half of the CR game in San Jose. I agree completely with whoever talked about Bradley's tinkering helping a ton in that regard... but I really don't see the difference as being the US playing counter-attacking. IMO, they only play that way when forced to by better teams or in hostile arenas- I don't see that as some kind of directed style of play from Bradley.

Rather, I see the switch from a 4-5-1, where LD got the ball too often in the middle of the park with his back to goal in support of Ching. Up against a holding MF and center back, his best options were usually a one/two touch pass back... and that was only if he was able to find the space to get the ball in the most crowded area on the field in the first place. Bradley switching LD out to the flank in a 4-4-2 has been the real reason LD has found opportunity to get forward and at space, which is clearly his forte.

And again, I agree you guys saying he's as important to his team as just about any player is to any team in the world.

But again, you could go through La Liga and the EPL and pull 50-100 guys who are better pure players in every element of the game than LD day-in, day-out. Not a knock on LD- just spaking the troof. Top 5 from CONCACAF, without a doubt, but would'nt start at any top-tier club in Europe.

 
So given Davies and probably GOoch missing the WC (guh), here's a maybe kinda-sorta lineup for SA...

Howard

Dolo/Spector, Marshall, Boca, Castillo (Bornstein/gulp... Hejduk)

Holden, Jones/Clark/Edu, Bradley, LD

Jozy, Dempsey

I actually really like what I've seen from Marshall for the US. Shut down Costly (Hon) and Perez (Pan), each of their country's go-to forwards. Solid in the air, great on the tackle and not horrible in distribution (although this is one area that Gooch's time in Italy- even just the training field- seems to have payed dividends). Castillo? Who knows... can't really get much worse than what we've got at LB

I'd like to see LD stay in the MF and not get moved up front. Yeah, he's got the pace that we'll miss with Davies' absence, but Davies is also one powerful Mofo (former wrestler) who uses his speed AND strength to win and hold balls up front. Davies can play with his back to goal- this is not LD's strong-suit at all.

Davies' injury kinda fixes the Dempsey problem, IMO. He's too good to leave off the field, but too uncaring in the MF to warrant his inclusion as a done-deal. I just hope to god he doesn't get lazy up front the way he has in the MF for the Nats- but he's definitely a guy I'd want in front of goal with the game on the line.

Again, regarding Dempsey- I watched a number of early Fulham games this season and he was playing far better for club than country- primarily because he was clearly trying harder in England. I watched far too many situations arise for the US where you could see him just not making the run (always defensively- he never has that problem getting forward) and then I'd flip on the Fulham game the next weekend and see him doing exactly what he didn't do for the US. Speaking from my ### here... gotta be that he's fighting for his job every time he steps onto the field for Fulham ,where he clearly all he has to do is sign his player card and he's in for the US.

I don't think this lineup is going to scare too many of the other 31 teams... but after the Confed Cup, you know they'll all have their eyes open and won't take the US lightly.

 
I think that Torres will give Holden a run for the 4th MF spot. Clark is the odd man out with Jones in the mix, and Benny providing much better spark in the MF. If Bradley and Jones can link up and provide compatable central midfield presence, then I think that would free up LD and Torres to create more off the dribble for the 2 strikers. Castillo will also pay dividends as the two flaws in Torres's game right now are defensive presence and top end speed (well in addition to some inaccuracy in the longer passing area as notes by Flops).

I think that we've seen where teams can beat us badly, and that's down the flanks with crosses in to the box on counters or a quick build-up. The second way that a GOOD team can beat the US is through quality possession in the midfield and a miscue by a defender to leave a gap to squeeze a pass through. In this area we'll definitely get worse without Gooch, as his body simply takes strikers out of their comfort zone in receiving balls to run on to.

I'm not sold on Marshall. I think he makes too many mistakes. I've seen him play very tentatively in the past and didn't like it. He's young though so it might have been "first caps" jitters. Spector showed that he cna get the job done in the central defense, although he'll have to some heavy lifting with no Gooch. Losing those two guys (Davies and Gooch) was a big big blow to the USMNT's hopes. A real shame.

I don't want to see Ching, Casey, or Cooper on the field in the World Cup. I really feel that we'll only be able to beat a crap-level team with them there. Demps better get on the training for the reserved striker role. He'll need to do a LOT of running in this position, as Joey is going to be playing higher, and sometimes with his back to the goal. That means Demps will be facing forward, making good passes to LD and the other winger, and finding seams/lanes to creep in to without the ball. He'll have to be a creative force in the offense and mentally tough to play at least some defense without getting out of position for the attack. It's a tough role. Davies was doing it pretty damn well, as his motor was strong. Demps needs a tune-up in the area.

 
Quique Flores is the new coach at Atlético Madrid. He has previously coached at Benfica and before that Valencia (where he took 2 teams in CL berths in 3 years, including a quarterfinal finish in 2005). He was a long time player at Valencia and coached in the Real Madrid youth system.

I'm not so sure about this one... I'd have much preferred a more seasoned coach, someone older who has been around the block and shown the ability to get good results through challenging times. Bernd Schuster would have been an interesting fit IMO.

We'll see how it goes. Nothing could be worse than where Atlético is now, so there's only 1 direction to go... up.

 
El Floppo said:
And regarding the whole "LD is one of the best players on the planet" discussion... don't get me wrong- I'm a big fan. He's clearly been playing head and shoulders above anybody else on the team and consistently so since the 2nd half of the CR game in San Jose. I agree completely with whoever talked about Bradley's tinkering helping a ton in that regard... but I really don't see the difference as being the US playing counter-attacking. IMO, they only play that way when forced to by better teams or in hostile arenas- I don't see that as some kind of directed style of play from Bradley.

Rather, I see the switch from a 4-5-1, where LD got the ball too often in the middle of the park with his back to goal in support of Ching. Up against a holding MF and center back, his best options were usually a one/two touch pass back... and that was only if he was able to find the space to get the ball in the most crowded area on the field in the first place. Bradley switching LD out to the flank in a 4-4-2 has been the real reason LD has found opportunity to get forward and at space, which is clearly his forte.
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I greatly respect your opinion but I have to disagree with your assessment here. The bolded sentence is key to me (and I agree with the last half 100%).LD has in fact been tried on the wing in the past with pretty miserable results. A big reason is we asked him to play a more classic wing position - something his skill set would have you believe he would be very good at. However, he became very uninvolved and the move seemed to really stymie his creativity, essentially blunting our best offensive weapon. But that was yesterday and that was a more classic 4-4-2.

What we are playing now is not a traditional 4-4-2. Both LD and Dempsey are playing more as attacking wings who roam into the space that would normally be occupied by your central mids. But we play the central mids deeper, leaving a lot of space for these two to create. Neither LD nor Dempsey do much crossing whatsoever and instead make runs to the middle and our fullbacks are the main crossers. I think this is very much about tactics and not about just the switch in formation. We have built our tactics around two unconventional wing players.This is a big difference from how Stuart Holden for instance plays the position. Yes he meanders inside some but for the most part, he plays his wing and looks to make square crosses into the box (which for instance, fits better with a striker like Ching than Davies or Jozy).

And I don't think it is coincidence at all that in games when the US has a high percentage of possession, we all come on and say LD didn't have one of his better games. These things tend to coincide. High possession leads to shortpassing in tight spaces, long drives, or crosses into the box, which simply don't highlight LD's strengths at all. When we are playing a defensive shell like in the Confed Cup (at least the last few games), he is amazing because he has a tremendous work rate and will go deep and do his job but still have the energy to then break out and create in space. This highlights his best skills. LD is a counterpuncher and literally one of the best in the world at it.

Anyway, I think our tactics are clearly bent towards emphasizing LD's strengths, particularly in big games. In general, it's the right thing to do but it does have effects on other players and it is a less attractive style of play.

 
prefontaine said:
El Floppo said:
And regarding the whole "LD is one of the best players on the planet" discussion... don't get me wrong- I'm a big fan. He's clearly been playing head and shoulders above anybody else on the team and consistently so since the 2nd half of the CR game in San Jose. I agree completely with whoever talked about Bradley's tinkering helping a ton in that regard... but I really don't see the difference as being the US playing counter-attacking. IMO, they only play that way when forced to by better teams or in hostile arenas- I don't see that as some kind of directed style of play from Bradley.

Rather, I see the switch from a 4-5-1, where LD got the ball too often in the middle of the park with his back to goal in support of Ching. Up against a holding MF and center back, his best options were usually a one/two touch pass back... and that was only if he was able to find the space to get the ball in the most crowded area on the field in the first place. Bradley switching LD out to the flank in a 4-4-2 has been the real reason LD has found opportunity to get forward and at space, which is clearly his forte.
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I greatly respect your opinion but I have to disagree with your assessment here. The bolded sentence is key to me (and I agree with the last half 100%).LD has in fact been tried on the wing in the past with pretty miserable results. A big reason is we asked him to play a more classic wing position - something his skill set would have you believe he would be very good at. However, he became very uninvolved and the move seemed to really stymie his creativity, essentially blunting our best offensive weapon. But that was yesterday and that was a more classic 4-4-2.

What we are playing now is not a traditional 4-4-2. Both LD and Dempsey are playing more as attacking wings who roam into the space that would normally be occupied by your central mids. But we play the central mids deeper, leaving a lot of space for these two to create. Neither LD nor Dempsey do much crossing whatsoever and instead make runs to the middle and our fullbacks are the main crossers. I think this is very much about tactics and not about just the switch in formation. We have built our tactics around two unconventional wing players.This is a big difference from how Stuart Holden for instance plays the position. Yes he meanders inside some but for the most part, he plays his wing and looks to make square crosses into the box (which for instance, fits better with a striker like Ching than Davies or Jozy).

And I don't think it is coincidence at all that in games when the US has a high percentage of possession, we all come on and say LD didn't have one of his better games. These things tend to coincide. High possession leads to shortpassing in tight spaces, long drives, or crosses into the box, which simply don't highlight LD's strengths at all. When we are playing a defensive shell like in the Confed Cup (at least the last few games), he is amazing because he has a tremendous work rate and will go deep and do his job but still have the energy to then break out and create in space. This highlights his best skills. LD is a counterpuncher and literally one of the best in the world at it.

Anyway, I think our tactics are clearly bent towards emphasizing LD's strengths, particularly in big games. In general, it's the right thing to do but it does have effects on other players and it is a less attractive style of play.
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Excellently :rolleyes: I had meant to mention that aspect of the flanking MFs' role in this 4-4-2, with the central guys playing more like paired holding/defensive MFs and LD/Dempsey getting more room to roam. You are totally right that that aspect of the 4-4-2 has been the difference maker for LD, elevating his game due to the strengths you mention.

And maybe this is a less important part of your point, but I don't really agree that LD disappears when the US possesses... but I get your point. He's definitely at his best when he's got the ball in front of him with space to attack and that leads to a more direct attacking/counter-attacking, and maybe less of a classic possession game. Definitely well suited to that pure counter-attacking style as you say, but given that he's not alone out there, his team-mates often take his more direct attacks and rework the play to maintain possession if it's not on. And LD has proven himself very capable of playing in that style as well. Think of his distribution lately- I'm remembering a number of assists in recent qualifiers that were born out of possession, with LD using his skills to open himself up with the ball at his feet and find the decisive pass or cross.

 
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