Bornstein in, Pearce out. No Ching. Forwards - Buddle, Findley, Gomez, Altidore Not much experience up front. Roster
It will be interesting to see if Beasley will play left back against Turkey considering how bad the defense looked.
So do the picks seem like the right choices? I don't know enough about it to have an opinion. I did watch the second half of the Czech debacle, we didn't look too hot. Isn't Ching a big name?
I would've preferred to see Ching remain on the roster at Findlay's expense. True, Brian is no spring chicken, but he's got an excellent work ethic and, as he demonstrated last night, he's a hold-up, one-touch maven. If only he weren't so one-dimensional ...
Ching being left off is big surprise. All four forwards chosen are W/C rookies. I know that the experience heavy squads in 98 and 06 flamed out but that is really going with youth on the part of Bradley. If the US doesnt make the second round Bradley shouldnt even make it to the plane home without getting his pink slip.
It appears as if Bradley is going with the counter attack plan. Hey. It worked during the Confederations Cup. I just can't believe that the U.S. - in 2010 - is relegated to having Bornstein, Findley and Buddle as 3 of the "top 23" players for the World Cup. 10 years ago I would have assumed that we'd have more world-class players.
I am actually surprised Bradley is still with us. I really thought that Klinsman would be given the job, if he wanted it, a year out from the WC. I did not think Bradley would be here this long. There were rumors that this is how it would shake down but maybe something happened with Klinsman and he did not want the gig so they stayed with Bradley. Who knows, it was just part rumor and part what I wanted to see happen. I do think he is better than Bruce Arena. I am likely wrong about that too.
The roster shows a bunch of players with European and other pro team experience. That sounds pretty good to me, isn't it? We didn't use to have that kind of player on the U.S. teams in past World Cups. So what are our chances, realistically, of winning a couple? How far could we go?
I expect us to advance through the 1st stage. I won't be overly excited or sad if we don't. I will be stoked to get through the next. I just don't know what to expect from them to be honest. Are we the team that beat Spain, had an amazing half v. Brasil or the team from a couple of nights ago? We'll see.
The state of U.S. soccer is such, and will continue to be such for some time, that we should be pleased with advancing from pool play and celebrating anything beyond that. Yes, the overall state of U.S. soccer is much improved from 20 years ago. There's more athleticism, technical ability and depth than ever before, but we lack the genuine world-class players that are needed to consistently compete with the Brazils, Argentinas, Germanys and Italys. Upsets can and will happen, but they should never be expected. Neither should beating teams that, for all intents and purposes, are merely a notch or two below us in terms of overall ability ... this includes Slovenia and Algeria.
Great showing from the U.S. today. That second half was the best 45 minutes of national soccer I've seen in many months. Additional thoughts: Findley impressed. Still don't agree with Bradley's exclusion of Ching, but another showing like that from Findley might have me thinking otherwise. Boca is going to be our left back. He's slow and therefore vulnerable to speedy wingers, but he's nevertheless our best option as Bornstein can't keep attackers in front of him. Dempsey showed once again why some folks hate him (miserable first half) and others love him (netted the game-winning goal at the 75th minute; induced two Turkish bookings). Jose Francisco Torres is movin' on up! Don't be surprised if you see two Texans on the pitch come Cup time. Slam Bob Bradley all you want, but realize he's got a near-impossible job right now in trying to determine who starts, which formations to use, and when to use them. Personally, I favor opening with a 4-4-1-1 with Jozy up top and Dempsey roving across the attacking third, then pulling a midfielder and adding another striker at some point in the second half to achieve a more conventional 4-4-2. That's more or less what the U.S. did today, but we didn't have the chemistry in back or personnel/positioning in midfield to benefit. Look forward to facing the Socceroos next Saturday!
I have to agree that it was some of the best 45 minutes of soccer I too have seen in a while from the national side. It was a lot of fun to watch... R.J.
