Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter jpeace121
- Start date
Pope Benedict XVI Fan
Footballguy
Assists aren't a very meaningful stat in soccer. I wouldn't worry about it.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I think they are relatively important. But I was not worried about as much as fascinated by it. I bet no one would have guessed that it was his first assist ever.
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
http://trop.gl/4h
Mexico will be able to replace those suspended five players for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
FIFA and CONCACAF will allow El Tri to replace the five players who were suspended by the Mexican Football Federation for testing positive for banned substances last week.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Thursday that the Mexicans will be allowed to replace the five players. That included starting goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and defender Francisco Rodriguez and Antonio (Sinha) Naelson, Edgar Dueñas and Christian Bermúdez.
“There’s a certain level of drug in the bloodstream and FIFA’s decision to agree with WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] is that that these players can’t play at this time,” Valcke said at a press conference in Mexico City. “FIFA will authorize, if [the Mexican federation] so wishes, that the five players be replaced because it’s very difficult to see if this was a question of tainted food or if it was intentional.”
Mexico, which has 17 players on its roster, after right fullback Ricardo Osorio went home due to illness.
The Mexicans play Guatemala in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. ET Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Costa Rica tussles with Honduras in the 5 p.m. opener.
Mexico will be able to replace those suspended five players for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
FIFA and CONCACAF will allow El Tri to replace the five players who were suspended by the Mexican Football Federation for testing positive for banned substances last week.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Thursday that the Mexicans will be allowed to replace the five players. That included starting goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and defender Francisco Rodriguez and Antonio (Sinha) Naelson, Edgar Dueñas and Christian Bermúdez.
“There’s a certain level of drug in the bloodstream and FIFA’s decision to agree with WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] is that that these players can’t play at this time,” Valcke said at a press conference in Mexico City. “FIFA will authorize, if [the Mexican federation] so wishes, that the five players be replaced because it’s very difficult to see if this was a question of tainted food or if it was intentional.”
Mexico, which has 17 players on its roster, after right fullback Ricardo Osorio went home due to illness.
The Mexicans play Guatemala in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. ET Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Costa Rica tussles with Honduras in the 5 p.m. opener.
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I know there are many extenuating circumstances but it is still interesting to note that game 7 of the NHL Finals drew 8.5 million American viewers in prime time while the US - Ghana second round game in a weekend afternoon time slot drew over 19 million American viewers.
scoobygang
Footballguy
That makes no sense. Bradley's flick-on led directly to Goodson's header in the Panama game. Is that somehow not an assist? Meanwhile, Jozy took a few dribbles outside the box before his Guadeloupe goal.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I know it wasn't bad, but if it worked out "great" why did they feel the need to get rid of him? Not breaking your balls here- just still don't understand this.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I'm pretty surprised by this stat. Considering Bradley has been playing as a mostly attacking (I'm using that word loosely in Bradley Sr's formation) central MF, this really should be a guy creating goals in a clear enough way to get credit for the assists. I've liked how he's been playing, but this might start explaining the US's explosive offense.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I have to say- in all my years playing and watching, I've still never understood what criteria is used to determine assists. IME some leagues/statisticians credit just about anybody involved in the play leading to the goal, while others don't acknowledge a flick-on like Bradley's. 
Is it more art than science?
JMon348
Footballguy
He scored 130 goals in 5 years, tied for 4th in all time goals for the club. Seems like it worked out fine to me.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I can't figure that out either. I have r-ewatched the clip of the Panama multiple times on youtube and I am almost positive Mikey was the last to touch it before Goodson buried it. But the official stats do not award him an assist for what ever reason. I think it is a flat out mistake as I now see that they gave the assist to Landon for the cross which is not correct.
So for sake of correctness and assuming that will be fixed, he now has two assists in 56 games.
Last edited by a moderator:
El Floppo
Footballguy
I stand corrected.For some reason, I remember I watching his last season at Barca (the first I really watched this group) and I didn't think he was looking that lethal.
But I'm clearly wrong here. Rebok's quote makes it pretty clear the move was about Eto'o wanting to make more money.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The Big Soccer grunts did some nice investigative work and looked at all of Bob Bradley 36 real games(Gold Cups, WCQ's, WC and Confed Cup) in charge of the US National Team.
In those 36 games only 5 assists have come from the central midfielders. Much of this is due to tactics and to the fact that we still score a lot on set pieces.
1. Mastroeni shoots off Ching's back against Barbados
2. Kljestan pass to Beasley against Cuba
3. Kljestan header that Ching knocks in on the line against Cuba
4. Bradley header to Goodson against Panama
5. Bradley pass to Altidore against Guadeloupe.
In those 36 games only 5 assists have come from the central midfielders. Much of this is due to tactics and to the fact that we still score a lot on set pieces.
1. Mastroeni shoots off Ching's back against Barbados
2. Kljestan pass to Beasley against Cuba
3. Kljestan header that Ching knocks in on the line against Cuba
4. Bradley header to Goodson against Panama
5. Bradley pass to Altidore against Guadeloupe.
This is pitiful, but expected when both of your CMs play too deep. Time for a change in tactics and coaching.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I don't disagree- but it's the same old question... and then what? I still think the formation gives our best players their best opportunity to succeed. That said- I've said repeatedly that the team looks better with the central MFs not playing flat and deep, but with one of them advanced...even somewhat.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The number of 5 is low but then when you look at the opponents listed above it is very telling as outside of Panama, they aren't even decent CONCACAF sides.
Last edited by a moderator:
The Gator
Footballguy
OH COME ON
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
That was my favorite
The one-touch passing in tight areas, the running off the ball and the trust that the other guy will find you is more impressive than the actual finishing.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I am a bit old school when it comes to formations and still love a diamond midfield. And strangely, Mikey was excellent in the attacking central midfield role in Holland when he scored a bunch of goals but never gets to play that for his dad.
Right. Who do you want creating? Bradley, Jones, Edu? Or Dempsey and Donovan?
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Ironically none of the 5 you mentioned. If healthy I would want Holden and Benny to be the creators hopefully sending Dempsey and Donovan closer to the goal for finishing.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
I should have specified, it was Xavi's pass that got me all aflutter.
I think it helps that he is a lefty, but it was amazing how many of his goals were really just from hustling, making good runs, and working the give-and-go so well.Not a bad finisher imo.
scoobygang
Footballguy
I think Jones will eventually get plenty of assists (he already had one in his first friendly on the type of trademark long ball that he was spraying all over against Guadalupe). Jones strikes me as a bit inconsistent, but when he's "in the mood" as they say, he plays those type of probing passes from a deep lying area like a Pirlo. Which is one reason why he's not an exact copy of Bradley, Edu, or the other CMs.
I would be fine rolling with almost any type of other formation at this point. I understand we want to get our best players all on the field, but doing so is not producing results. If Bradley and Edu/Jones cannot be on the field together without both hanging back, then they should not both be on the field. As was mentioned earlier, Bradley shows skill going forward in other leagues, but rarely ventures forward with the US. In that respect I don't disagree that this lineup is a good one for the US in theory, just in practice. That strikes me as a tactical instruction by the coach and really needs to be remedied. The team is sorely missing an attacking presence in the CM and it is no wonder the attack looks so consistently hapless.
Bonzai
Footballguy
Yeah, the timing of his runs really stands out. God, I hate that little ######.
It is interesting, but wouldn't the Olympic Gold medal game be a better comparison here?National teams playing in an elimination game for a global tournament that is held once every 4 years rather than one game in a 7-game series in an annual tournament that pits a team from two cities against one another (one of which happens to be in a different country).
Last edited by a moderator:
The Gator
Footballguy
Liverpool Close in on Zapata
When does Columbia play again? Need to see what this guy has. Looks like they don't
When does Columbia play again? Need to see what this guy has. Looks like they don't
Last edited by a moderator:
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
jonessed
Footballguy
Berbatov doesn't work as a primary striker and that's what the Spurs need.Modric isn't going anywhere for less than 35 million pounds and given the number of teams interested in him I imagine if he did go it would be for more.
Last edited by a moderator:
B Maverick
Footballguy
EPL Sched Analysis
EPL schedule is released. Nice article on how the favorites early season looks.
It's the best day of the summer -- the day when the EPL fixture list is released. You can see all the fixtures here.
In one fell swoop, supporters of all 20 Prem teams can pore over the schedule and map out their team's road to glory, or perdition if you're one of those types. It's a time when virtually every statement must be followed with the asterisk of "on paper." As in, "My team should cruise through October and beat Sunderland and Wigan … on paper."
Without that "on paper," we know all too well that we could be looking the part of fools, especially after coming off such a topsy-turvy Premier League season. But that still doesn't stop us from fearless prognostications, counting up how many points we think our teams will tally for each month and where the title and relegation battles will be won and lost.
The season officially kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 13. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, what jumps out at first glance among some of the contenders for the first half of the season? Here are some top-line thoughts.
1. Arsenal has a rude awakening
Forget that the Gunners must qualify for the Champions League in August. They're also staring down the barrel of a fairly difficult start to the season, with a trip up north to Newcastle (where they infamously blew a four-goal lead in the corresponding fixture last season) before a home game against a revitalized Liverpool and a trip to Old Trafford. But Arsene Wenger's men will get a breather in September with matches at home with newly promoted Swansea and Bolton, as well as away to Blackburn, which should be a slam dunk of nine points. October will present stronger challenges in Tottenham away, the physical play of Sunderland and Stoke at home, and Chelsea away, before another nice respite in November: West Brom at home, Norwich away and Fulham at home.
2. Defending champ's tough road
Manchester United starts off away at West Brom, which isn't exactly a guaranteed three points given the Red Devils' patchy away form last season. Right after that come key tilts at home to Tottenham and Arsenal. Without being overly dramatic, these August clashes could foreshadow how the EPL season will play out. If United flops, it will embolden the other title contenders; if it lays down a marker by taking full points, it'll set the tone that it won't be easy to wrest the title away from the Red Devils. But after August, it doesn't get much easier for Sir Alex Ferguson and his players, with an away trip to Bolton, home to Chelsea and then away to Stoke all before Oct. 1. In fact, United will have faced the other top four finishers from last season before the end of October, and it'll have to compete against lunch-bucket teams like Bolton (Sept. 10) and Stoke (Sept. 24) on the road. But the crowded holiday fixture list has been kinder on paper, with newly promoted QPR, Fulham, Wigan and Blackburn from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31. Away to Newcastle on Jan. 2 could be a bit more problematic, however.
Tweet, tweet
Don't miss a moment of the latest soccer coverage from around the world. Follow us on Twitter and stay informed. Join »
3. We hardly missed you, Jordan Henderson
Fresh from his transfer from Sunderland, Liverpool's new midfielder Henderson might face his former team when the Reds host Steve Bruce's men at Anfield on the first game of the season. After that, Steven Gerrard & Co. travel to the Emirates, host Bolton and then are away to Stoke and Tottenham. The big derby with Everton is Oct. 1, and the Reds face Chelsea and Man City back-to-back in November.
4. Blues feeling good
Chelsea still might not have a manager yet, but it has a relatively easy (on paper, of course) time out of the gates. The Blues start the season at away to Stoke, and playing in Britannia Stadium is by no means a cakewalk. After that, they take on West Brom and Norwich at home, then away to Sunderland before facing United at Old Trafford on Sept. 17. There's no reason Roman Abramovich's team shouldn't face Ferguson having already bagged 12 points. Chelsea seems to benefit from having the top teams spaced out in the fixture list, as it doesn't play Arsenal until Oct. 29. Liverpool is Nov. 19. So the table is set for the Blues to get off to another strong start. Then again, we saw what happened last season when they were cruising along until the infamous sacking of Ray Wilkins.
5. Old 'Arry better be ready
As Spurs head coach Harry Redknapp fights to hold on to his prized midfielder Luka Modric, he must ready his troops for battle right away. In August, Tottenham faces Everton at home, United away and City at home. While it should beat Everton on (wait for it) paper, given that David Moyes' team has been bogged down by slow starts, it could also come away without any points after facing the two teams from Manchester. Fortunately for Spurs, the first of the derbies with Arsenal is at White Hart Lane, on Oct. 1, and during the crowded holiday fixture list, they face two newly promoted teams, Norwich and Swansea away on Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, respectively, before returning home to take on West Brom on Jan. 2.
6. City's time to shine?
From the start of the season until Dec. 1, the Blues of Manchester face just one top-four team from last season: United on Oct. 22. In December, however, they play Chelsea and Arsenal back-to-back. But Roberto Mancini has a deep squad, one he'll probably add to during the summer to help slog through the six league fixtures in December, coupled with Champions League matches. Then again, City shouldn't look too far ahead, as August could also prove to be tricky. After opening the season at home to newly promoted Swansea, it faces Bolton and Tottenham away.
Let the countdown to the new season officially begin.
***********************
As for United, with having seen Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea twice by early Feb, takes some of last seasons late drama away. Dont like that the away matches are the 2nd match for Chelsea and Arsenal. Manchester Darby and Everton with 4 to go will be interesting with Swansea and Sunderland to end the season looking like a nice way to cap a 20th title.
*************************
Would love to see a Berb for Modric trade, but I am not sure Tottenham would want Berbatov back? Also wanting 35 million pounds for Modric would make this less realistic as well.
It looks like Sneijder may be a better option.
**************************
Brown to Bolton would be sweet, even for 5 mill.
Gibson appears to be open to a move to Sunderland.
Oshea, not sure where he goes.
EPL schedule is released. Nice article on how the favorites early season looks.
It's the best day of the summer -- the day when the EPL fixture list is released. You can see all the fixtures here.
In one fell swoop, supporters of all 20 Prem teams can pore over the schedule and map out their team's road to glory, or perdition if you're one of those types. It's a time when virtually every statement must be followed with the asterisk of "on paper." As in, "My team should cruise through October and beat Sunderland and Wigan … on paper."
Without that "on paper," we know all too well that we could be looking the part of fools, especially after coming off such a topsy-turvy Premier League season. But that still doesn't stop us from fearless prognostications, counting up how many points we think our teams will tally for each month and where the title and relegation battles will be won and lost.
The season officially kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 13. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, what jumps out at first glance among some of the contenders for the first half of the season? Here are some top-line thoughts.
1. Arsenal has a rude awakening
Forget that the Gunners must qualify for the Champions League in August. They're also staring down the barrel of a fairly difficult start to the season, with a trip up north to Newcastle (where they infamously blew a four-goal lead in the corresponding fixture last season) before a home game against a revitalized Liverpool and a trip to Old Trafford. But Arsene Wenger's men will get a breather in September with matches at home with newly promoted Swansea and Bolton, as well as away to Blackburn, which should be a slam dunk of nine points. October will present stronger challenges in Tottenham away, the physical play of Sunderland and Stoke at home, and Chelsea away, before another nice respite in November: West Brom at home, Norwich away and Fulham at home.
2. Defending champ's tough road
Manchester United starts off away at West Brom, which isn't exactly a guaranteed three points given the Red Devils' patchy away form last season. Right after that come key tilts at home to Tottenham and Arsenal. Without being overly dramatic, these August clashes could foreshadow how the EPL season will play out. If United flops, it will embolden the other title contenders; if it lays down a marker by taking full points, it'll set the tone that it won't be easy to wrest the title away from the Red Devils. But after August, it doesn't get much easier for Sir Alex Ferguson and his players, with an away trip to Bolton, home to Chelsea and then away to Stoke all before Oct. 1. In fact, United will have faced the other top four finishers from last season before the end of October, and it'll have to compete against lunch-bucket teams like Bolton (Sept. 10) and Stoke (Sept. 24) on the road. But the crowded holiday fixture list has been kinder on paper, with newly promoted QPR, Fulham, Wigan and Blackburn from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31. Away to Newcastle on Jan. 2 could be a bit more problematic, however.
Tweet, tweet
Don't miss a moment of the latest soccer coverage from around the world. Follow us on Twitter and stay informed. Join »
3. We hardly missed you, Jordan Henderson
Fresh from his transfer from Sunderland, Liverpool's new midfielder Henderson might face his former team when the Reds host Steve Bruce's men at Anfield on the first game of the season. After that, Steven Gerrard & Co. travel to the Emirates, host Bolton and then are away to Stoke and Tottenham. The big derby with Everton is Oct. 1, and the Reds face Chelsea and Man City back-to-back in November.
4. Blues feeling good
Chelsea still might not have a manager yet, but it has a relatively easy (on paper, of course) time out of the gates. The Blues start the season at away to Stoke, and playing in Britannia Stadium is by no means a cakewalk. After that, they take on West Brom and Norwich at home, then away to Sunderland before facing United at Old Trafford on Sept. 17. There's no reason Roman Abramovich's team shouldn't face Ferguson having already bagged 12 points. Chelsea seems to benefit from having the top teams spaced out in the fixture list, as it doesn't play Arsenal until Oct. 29. Liverpool is Nov. 19. So the table is set for the Blues to get off to another strong start. Then again, we saw what happened last season when they were cruising along until the infamous sacking of Ray Wilkins.
5. Old 'Arry better be ready
As Spurs head coach Harry Redknapp fights to hold on to his prized midfielder Luka Modric, he must ready his troops for battle right away. In August, Tottenham faces Everton at home, United away and City at home. While it should beat Everton on (wait for it) paper, given that David Moyes' team has been bogged down by slow starts, it could also come away without any points after facing the two teams from Manchester. Fortunately for Spurs, the first of the derbies with Arsenal is at White Hart Lane, on Oct. 1, and during the crowded holiday fixture list, they face two newly promoted teams, Norwich and Swansea away on Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, respectively, before returning home to take on West Brom on Jan. 2.
6. City's time to shine?
From the start of the season until Dec. 1, the Blues of Manchester face just one top-four team from last season: United on Oct. 22. In December, however, they play Chelsea and Arsenal back-to-back. But Roberto Mancini has a deep squad, one he'll probably add to during the summer to help slog through the six league fixtures in December, coupled with Champions League matches. Then again, City shouldn't look too far ahead, as August could also prove to be tricky. After opening the season at home to newly promoted Swansea, it faces Bolton and Tottenham away.
Let the countdown to the new season officially begin.
***********************
As for United, with having seen Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea twice by early Feb, takes some of last seasons late drama away. Dont like that the away matches are the 2nd match for Chelsea and Arsenal. Manchester Darby and Everton with 4 to go will be interesting with Swansea and Sunderland to end the season looking like a nice way to cap a 20th title.
*************************
Would love to see a Berb for Modric trade, but I am not sure Tottenham would want Berbatov back? Also wanting 35 million pounds for Modric would make this less realistic as well.
It looks like Sneijder may be a better option.
**************************
Brown to Bolton would be sweet, even for 5 mill.
Gibson appears to be open to a move to Sunderland.
Oshea, not sure where he goes.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Yes and no. Yes in that it's obviously a better comparison national teams to national teams. No for two reasons. 1) in that comparing a final game with a second round game is never going to be fair. I think it is very fair to say the size of the US soccer audience would have grown significantly if it was in the finals. I don't have the ratings of early US games in the Olympics but I don't feel scared in speculating that they were no where near the size of the final. 2) I am not convinced the audience for Olympic hockey is pure. I get the feeling that if the games were not wrapped up in the bigger Olympic umbrella the audience would be smaller, almost as if some people watched because it was in the Olympics. If they treated the World Hockey Championship as the top tournament, then we would probably have the best comparison. Another interesting comparison is game 7 with the UEFA Champions League final. When you factor in the time slot and the fact that both teams were not in the country and the fact that the game had zero build up to it on national tv, the fact that it drew over 4 million viewers is pretty amazing.
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
RFK has reportedly expanded capacity by putting more obstructed view tickets on sale. About 1000 left.
Media covering team are predicting that both Jamaica and ELS will have excellent support in stadium.
Media covering team are predicting that both Jamaica and ELS will have excellent support in stadium.
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
ESPN The Magazine ranked the best fans in America. Ironic to everyone but soccer fans, Mexican National Team Fans were ranked #1.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
I definitely agree with this. he can get stuck and make a bad pass when pressured, turning the ball over. However, I saw him make some long passes that I hadn't really seen from the US. Balls that scoot the ground quickly and end up in space right where the target should be running. It was nice to see. I would like Jones to be a bit better at holding, stopping play to reset the offense, as well as using his body to disrupt the opposition. Overall, I like his addition to the team and I think he's preferable over Edu (even though you guys know my love for him). If anything I'd sub MB for a better attacking midfielder. Whether that's Holden or Benny, I'm not sure. It may be MBradley, refocused with different tactics. In either case I agree with Flops, when MB drops back to play flat with Jones/Edu, it's not good for the US as we cede possession all the time. It's pretty much a turtle shell defense to me, and something that the US needs to get away from. Just look at Mexico's MF and see that they rarely turtle in the central MF, and they are much better at switching flanks and creating a build-up through the MF. This has been my major criticism for Bradley's offense. I understand the comment that it allows our most skilled players (LD and Demps) to move the ball forward from the attacking wings, but it basically makes the US poor offensively in the center of the pitch.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
But this is what I don't get. In three games so far I don't remember Landon or Demsey attacking from the wings. They are both pinched inside more than they ever have which is one of the reasons Cherundolo has overlapped 600 times already. The formation at this point seems to be a 4-2-2-2.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The Z Machine
Footballguy
LD crossed a few times from the wings, Demps pinched in a lot, so I get your point. My point was to talk of the ideal formation / tactics that I see. Perhaps BBradley feels that LD and Demps are more effective pinching in with the LB/RB overlapping them on the far wings. Or maybe there was space in the 'lupe defense there for LD and Demps to exploit? I'm not sure really.I hate to say it, but DMB (when he played decently) was the best on the wing doing what I described above. LD was good at this at one time as well, but we all know that Demps will just shut down and mot participate if he's left out there on the right wing. Maybe that's the reason...'NewlyRetired said:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Just like when they bombed Pearl Harbor.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Do you think most of the Mexicans have Jack Edwards "I Just Hit Puberty" call of Landon's goal as their ring tones?'NewlyRetired said:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This sport is a mess from top to bottom it appears :(
==================
Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl)
6/17/11 5:27 PM
Remember the feel-good story of Belize-Montserrat in 1st World Cup '14 qualifier? FIFA has suspended Belize FA for govt interference.
==================
Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl)
6/17/11 5:27 PM
Remember the feel-good story of Belize-Montserrat in 1st World Cup '14 qualifier? FIFA has suspended Belize FA for govt interference.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Especially the corrupt Caribbean nations. I count Belize in here because they are unlike the rest of Central America in many respects.
prefontaine
Footballguy
1) whether we play flat or Mikey higher is a function of how we approach different teams. It was flat vs Spain. MB pushed forward against Guadelupe. So naturally, given quality of opposition we also look much stronger when we don't. 2) We play deeper central mids because our defense is atrocious. We make a lot of mistakes. We pretty much always have but they haven't been punished because our two central mids (Mikey and Clark did this a lot) clogged space and covered. One reason this is important is our defenders to a man lack the quickness to make up for a mistake.'The Z Machine said:
3) We often give up cheap goals to crappy sides when we give the central mids freedom to push up
4) When our central mids have bad games it will look like vs Spain. And we get on them. But they are mostly cover and thus the 2nd man making the mistake.
I understand the frustration over our tactics. It's incredibly boring and we've been playing like this for 4 years or so now (these are not Bradley's original tactics...we ran a 4-5-1 for a year or two). However, does anyone really think we have top 10 in the world talent? Top 20? Honestly? We don't have a single player that is good enough for the top club teams in Europe. We have one defender that is even good enough to play in a top 4 Euro league. Our central defenders are frankly, scary for a National side and it's not like our fullbacks are covering for them. It's all good and fine to talk about changing our midfield system, but right now, because of our talent level at the back, somebody has to cover. That means LD, Demps, MB, or Jones. Which two would you pick?
Anyway, we'd all like to progress continuously and get to be a top 10 side. Simply changing tactics won't get us there. Its fun to play armchair manager and say just do this but the truth is our tactics are a big reason for our success...and yes, we've had quite a bit of success over the last few years. We finished 2nd in Confed Cup. We won our group in the WC. We all want more, but for our talent level, this is success.
I believe the talent pool is getting deeper all the time. Now we have a ton of average players instead of just a few. But we need to develop some stars. I don't know if that's on Bradley, Reyna, Gulati, or what. But until we develop our own Chicharito we aren't really going to progress. Mexico honestly has had the same problem for a long time. They have always had a passion for the game and tons of kids playing it. But they failed to develop any real stars and frankly their World Cup results show it. When was the last time they got beyond the first knockout round? (answer: 1986). Next question, when was the last time they got past the first knockout round when they weren't hosting? (answer: never). This generation seems poised to change it for them. We'll see. But it's simply not easy to break into that top tier of national sides. It's a long road and Bradley's game tactics aren't really what is holding us back.
Similar threads
