Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Edson Buddle vs. Herculez Gomez


When you're a forward in the United States player pool there's one thing you always know:  it's a position in flux.  When you're hot and scoring goals, there's a very high likely hood that you'll get a call up.  But no one expected there to be so much discrepancy after the first guy (Jozy Altidore).  Landon Donovan, Charlie Davies, Brian Ching, Conor Casey, Eddie Johnson, Jeff Cunningham, Freddy Adu, Davie Arnaud, Kenny Cooper, and Robbie Findley all played up top for the United States in 2009.  Casey, Cunningham, and Findley were all enjoying strong runs with their clubs in MLS at the time and so were brought in, to little avail.  Casey's two goal output at Honduras has almost if not completely faded from memory and Jeff Cunningham's lone goal came on a break where any striker should've finished.  Findley didn't produce in three straight run outs with the US to start 2010 and ended with a futile effort against the mighty Dutch in early March.  Of those three, Cunningham, Arnaud, and Findley seem to be best suited for MLS.  Casey is a beast physically but lacks speed and true goal scoring prowess.  Everyone knows the Eddie Johnson story, who scored 6 goals in his first 4 internationals, then another 6 over the next 36.  He and Adu, though now both aren't dormant anymore, still aren't exactly producing enough numbers while in Greece.  Kenny Cooper, a player on the rise after enjoying a solid Gold Cup, saw his time at 1860 Munich diminish and hasn't found much time while on loan at Plymouth Argyle in the English Championship.

The other two forwards listed, Davies and Ching, are both on injured reserve at the moment.  Though I have them both listed in my final 23 man roster, we all know that injuries are very hush hush about when they want to heal.  Both are scheduled to return in early May, but with Bradley naming the 30 man preliminary roster on May 11 according to ESPN, who gets called in, just in case.  Hot money right now is on Hurculez Gomez and Edson Buddle.  As both are enjoying phenomenal seasons.  Buddle has already tied his season output from last year (5) in two matches this year.  Gomez, in 13 appearances for Puebla in the Mexican first division has 8 goals.  Those 8 goals ties his output from 2003-2009 at various MLS and USL clubs (Seattle, Colorado, and Kansas City).  Those are hot numbers.

The way I see it, the 30 man roster will have 7-ish forwards.  Or at least, mine does (Altidore, Davies, Ching, Casey, Gomez, Buddle, and Johnson).  The first four are self explanatory, Alitdore and Davies should/would/could be the incumbent starters.  Bob Bradley loves his target forwards so Ching and Casey get the nod, but who can provide that spark off the bench?  Gomez, who has scored most of his goals in a substitute role?  Buddle, who plays with Landon Donovan every day with the Galaxy and who's understanding of each other could be pantamount?  Or Johnson, who brings 40 caps and World Cup experience to the table?

Tough call for Bradley.  If Buddle and Gomez remain hot, it'll be really hard not to see them called up for the prelims.  Buddle can create match-up problems for central defenders because, he, like Altidore is deceptively quick on his feet and quite technical with the ball.  But, he's never afraid to get stuck in amongst the trees on a cross.   Most of Gomez's goals have come from him being in the right place in the right time, but there's something to be said for a player who has the understanding of how the game is flowing and where the ball will end up.  He's fast, technical, yet physical if he has to be.

Neither has been on the radar for the Nats in quite some time.  Buddle's first and only appearance in a US jersey was against Venezuela in 2003.  Gomez made his two caps in the disaster that was the Copa America in 2007.  Neither scored. 

So close to the time when rosters will be decided and so much to think about for Bob Bradley.  Though I suppose it's better to have these problems than to not have them.