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Yes, playing the 21 year old Torres instead of the 20 year old Adu shows that Bradley is far too reticent to start youngsters. The US team featured a 19 year old, two 21 year olds, and a 23 year old in the starting lineup. The first sub to come on was 23. Freddy also came on. Six players 23 or younger got on the field.
Good point, we were already pretty young.
While I understand the sentiment to getting Adu on the pitch, he isn't a real good fit at the moment. He contributes skill and creativity which is lacking but his lack of physical size and speed work against him. On a national level, Freddy's average pace keeps him on the inside. He's quick but not fast like LD or DMB. And we need central midfielders that can maintain possession and can play solid defense. Both of these things are helped by size and strength which are obvious weaknesses of Adu. I think Adu generally needs to play an attacking midfielder role. This makes best use of his skills and minimizes his weaknesses. But we already have a couple that are better than he is and are in playing form. Unless there is an injury or card situation to Donovan or Dempsey, I wouldn't expect to see Adu starting or playing much. In fact, if we are going to trot out more youngsters at that spot, I'd like to see more of Davies personally. He seems to have been playing well for Hammarby for the last couple of years and provided a lot of energy late. I guess while Freddy has looked good at times, when I watch him play, I don't understand the hype he has gotten over the last few years. He's been billed as the future of US Soccer since he was 14 but nothing about his play makes me think Adu's (now 20) fully developed potential will be as high as Bradley (21), Torres (21), Edu (23), or even Kljestan (23), and I'm intrigued by the little I've seen of Davies (22). All of the aforementioned are playing good to great for their club side. Adu isn't even playing after being loaned out. Freddy needs to do something to justify the hype and, IMO, that needs to start on a club level so he can gain his form.
If you're saying that about Adu, I can't imagine that you've seen him play a lot. Kid was lights out for the US youth teams against world-class (albeit youth world-class) competition. Whenever I see Adu play lately, I keep seeing flashes of what made and hopefully will make him a great player- a world-class game changing player. I've yet to see that type of ability from any of the players you mentioned- even though I really like everybody on that list. But I agree that Adu isn't there yet for the Senior level compared to those guys. He needs to get day-in, day-out PT for his club team- banging it out with professionals to hone his skills. I just can't fathom the idea of getting loaned to a team that won't play him- and maybe there's a problem with Freddy that.
Hejduk's not healthy. He didn't even get named to the Confederations Cup team.I think it's Spector, Gooch, Boca, Bornstein at the back. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Torres pushed out to the left with either Klejstan or Ricardo Clark playing alongside Pablo in the middle.
I actually was in Europe during the u20's that he excelled in and got to watch a lot of those games. He, quite deservedly, got a lot of accolades from the press there and he obviously was outstanding. At that time, I was still fully on board. But that was 2 years ago. Since then we've had an Olympic u23 team where I thought several of those players outshown Adu as well as another year of club play. The difference to me with all those guys vs Adu is that all have better physical gifts and they are developing as players more than Adu (it may just be a lack of pt but it seems factual). He can't change his stature so he has to be better technically by a lot. It's certainly too early to give up on him, but a lot has changed over the last two years. Again, I'd very happy to be wrong...El Floppo said:
I like Jozy today, but that first touch is rough.
They're like two bulls in a china shop. But I kind of like it.
I have always liked Feilhaber. He certainly has added to the attack.
I still like Adu a lot. I think his main problem is that he is at a club where he is not getting regular playing time. The difference with the other guys and Freddy is that the others are getting regular playing time in whatever league they are playing. He still has a ton of potential yet to realize. He just needs to get in the right situation. As far as tonight goes, it was a lot better than at CR. There was more commitment to the ball. Better defending all around. We were a bit lucky to get the PK there at the end of the half. good energy in the second half. Had we played like this in Saprissa it might have been a different story. I was a bit disturbed that we gave up another early goal. It has to be a lot better in the first 15 minutes of the match there.
Not what one would expect at all from this group. CR is effin' good. I was really impressed with them against the US.I think the US has a legitimate shot at taking Mexico in Mexico City. That would sting for years.
When is that USA Mexica matchup ?Things get sick in Santa Barbara when those 2 go head to head.
Totally agree with what you've said there- sorry about incorrectly assuming you hadn't seen Adu.I've still seen Adu do more with the ball than any other US player in memory. I alluded to it earlier, but that he's not even getting PT with the team he gets loaned to... not a good sign for which direction his development is going. But I continue to hold onto the images of a "US" player playing the beautiful game and hope for more.
I thought they were really terrible together, but I like the "bulls in a chinashop" comment. I actually really like Jozy last night, even though his touch and game looked tired. The kid scrapped and fought- albeit more on the defensive side of things- but this helped keep Honduras from establishing their midfield which was a HUGE reason for the win. I still can't believe he went 90min x2- perhaps Bradley trying to use some Jedi supportive mind-game stuff on him, especially with Ching likely out for the Confederations Cup. We very well may have seen the changing of the guard- although given this 4-4-2, I'd LOVE to see Ching and Jozy out there together.So- Casey... ugh. Looked like a guy thrown into the deep end who panics and starts grabbing at anything close by. Paniced all night, until his last few minutes when he finally settled down, showed some good touch, body-control and decision making... and gets subbed (I know- for our defensive superstar DMB... made me think of Bradley taking out Torres v CR). Did not help himself out on the ball- but worked hard I guess. I don't remember him linking with Jozy even once- but I do remember Casey "dribbling" away from his team mates into useless situations repeatedly. Surely we can do better.Speaking of- I can't help but wonder why Davies didn't earn himself some PT after his US MoM (according to Alexi Lalas) performance v CR. Kid looked capable of being aggressive physically and showed much better ability with his skills and vision in his 10 minutes than Casey did all night.Dempsey- looked like Bradley had a talk with him and LD and told them to go for it. I actually really like the game Dempsey brings when he's doing the bull#### trickery that led to Honduras' goal. He just needs to keep that #### on the flanks and not in the middle of the pitch. He seems to be about confidence and swagger, and he needs the touches and trickery to find that. Not a great game from him last night, but it's the type of play he needs to use when he's at his best- and we'll need him at his best to beat any team of consequence.DEFENSE-Generally, night and day from CR. The back four had the proper spacing most of the night- some of this was helped by having 2 defensive central MFs and by having the US's 2 savvy vets on the MF flanks. But even between themselves, everybody did their job on the man and as a 2nd defender which helped Gooch and Boca find the proper positioning to defend crosses.Spector and Bornstein... what a difference. I thought Spector was fantastic- another example of a guy getting quality PT and really growing with it. I liked Bornstein, but you could see the difference between the two- Bornstein keeps diving in to the tackle,getting beat or creating a foul in dumb areas where his man won't hurt them- Spector kept to his feet and used positioning and technique to keep his man from being dangerous. It says something that Honduras' attacks all came down the middle.Gooch and Boca. Usual, solid performance by the two big men. I really hope Boca's healthy enough for the Confederations cup.Demerit- phew! I was scared when Boca went down. Jay did a solid job, using speed and tenacity to make up for some less than perfect positioning.MIDFIELD-First half- spacing offensively was horrible. Pablo and Clark did a good job shutting things down defensively, but there was nobody to create or even support Jozy and Casy up front creating too large a gap in the center of the pitch. As soon as Benny came in, that changed for the better and the US were able to attack with more control and options. I actually prefer it defensively too, as Benny was putting pressure on the ball further up the field. Clarke- was great. Did everything asked of him defensively and wasn't too bad offensively- more imporantly did the simple thing with the ball. Maybe he excels going up against familiar, MLS competition? Funny- in real time, I thought his PK moment was a dive, but the replays looked pretty clear.Pablo- another meh performance. But better than against CR at least. When his game is on, I'm a big fan of his ability offensively as well as his tenacity in the tackle and shutting lanes down- but I always worry about his temperment... that he'll blow a gasket and go flying in on the tackle with two feet or high. LD- touch was a bit off all night, but I loved the hustle he brought the 2nd hlaf of CR and all game last night. I'm glad to see him try and go at guys and space with the ball at feet- the US needs him to do that to have any success. That PK was aboslute money in as pressure a situation as I can imagine and his dead-ball deliveries were much, much better.Dempsey- mentioned it earlier- played with confidence and swagger, but didn't translate that into a really useful performance. But got more involved and showed real heart defensively (saw him repeatedly chasing down the sidelines when one of his team-mates lost the ball). Won the 1st header on the 2nd goal brilliantly, muffed Benny's feed to him embarrassingly.Benny- I'm really happy to see him back. Has looked the best choice in that #10 role when he's on- but that has not been often or consistent enough. Another case of a guy needing quality PT with his club to get in form and it's obvioulsy paying some dividends with Arhuis. He still needs a bit of work, but him and Bradley might be a good pairing eventually... or are they too similar? FORWARDSThey did a terrible job linking with each other, but each got the MFs involved- with perhaps too many chest/1-touch passes back. They played too similar a style that's meant for a 4-5-1, IMO, as if each guy was that lone ranger up front using his MFs back or slashing. If the US is going to use a 4-4-2, they need to find players that can complement each other and let them play according to the formation. I liked the linking play between the MFs and the forwards, but the forwards were not getting into dangerous attacking positions enough.Casey- yeah, he didn't have a full camp to train with the guys- makes a difference. And he was thrown into it for sure- but at a point I looked up and thought: can't control the first touch, can't figure out what to do with the ball when he finally controls it, consistent wrong decisions attacking with the ball at feet, can't hit a sitter volley from 10 yards with no defenders near him... Mr Bradley- I am convinced that I can give you all of those quality in spades. How about a call-up?Jozy- looked tired, but showed a lot of heart off the ball all night. kept hustling to pressure the ball defensively and get himself into the right posistions offensively. I'm honestly trying to remember him on the offensive side of things and drawing a blank. His touch seemed to let him down the few times he turned to attack players or space, but he did a much better job getting his MFs involved (Casey got better with that as the game progressed too). I hope the Ching bashers gained some respect for the guy seeing what happens to the US attack in his absence. I'm not a huge fan of his given his limited upside- but the upside is consistent and involves getting his team-mates involved in the attack... often in dangerous, goal-creating situations. Jozy showed a lot of heart with his work-rate, especially considering his absence from the game, but he's not there yet with his positioning or familiarity with his team mates.
Early August.When is that USA Mexica matchup ?Things get sick in Santa Barbara when those 2 go head to head.
What is this, 1997? - why not have it at the Rose Bowl again just to get even more anti-US fans in there. Seattle, Columbus, Tennessee... so many places to get a pro-US crowd. I get angry enough watching the US play below their ability- but to play yet another away game at home is enfuriating.
I agree. The team seriously lacks creativity and players with the vision to see the play before it happens. There is no Jason Kidd or Steve Nash to use a point guard analogy. Adu seems to have potential in this area and I would like to see him get more PT for that reason. I don't need to see a bunch of Ronaldo stepovers but there's very little imagination on this team. They play a boring, predictable, reactionary style of soccer.
Jason Kidd or Nash are world class point guards- to follow the analogy would be to say the US doesn't have a Michele Platini but could use one. Well, yeah. The US has had two creative central MFs in modern history: Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna. Both very good players in terms of the US, but not in terms of the world (decent, not very good). MLS and a culture of professional soccer for the youth to watch (ideally live, but EPL or La Ligua, etc on tv) is slowly developing better home-grown field generals (c: Sascha Klejstan, Benny Feilhaber, Kyle Martino, Beckerman, etc) but the US is obviously still a ways off... But so is most of the rest of the world.As such, the US plays a quick, 2-touch contol game, not a holding, Barca-style possession game. But they're not half-bad at their method, and when it and them are clicking they are able to open up any team in the world (on a given day). Until the players are there to support another style, that method will dictate much of what we see from the USMNT.I don't see Adu as the classic #10 playmaker; there's something missing in his game- either physically or mentally- to handle it for 90 minutes, even if his skills show flashes that he's the closest one there. And that's just on the offensive side of things. I agree that he's able to find and weight astonishing balls through, as well as turn and beat his man to play them. I'm a big fan and still have high hopes for him, but he disappears too much from Senior level games (even at the club level)- look at the #10 for Honduras last night... kid was all over the field all game and involved in pretty much every thing Honduras did. I saw some of that from Adu at the Youth level, which has me holding out for hope that he'll put it together- but I think in more of a #9 or #11- slicing and dicing attacking with the ball, but not acting as the QB or Point Guard. That role is exactly the role Landon Donovan already plays for the team.
