Saturday, January 29, 2011

NP's 23 for the Gold Cup: January Edition

So have begun the preparations for the oh so critical 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.  Though guessing the roster for a tournament some five months in advance is a bit redundant, it's entertaining at worst.  Five matches into the 2014 World Cup cycle, and we've mixes of experience (Brazil, Poland, Colombia), and youth (South Africa, Chile).  So what does this tell us about the potential 23 man roster for the June tournament?  Here is how I see the roster filling out:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Sean Johnson

Defenders: Steve Cherundolo, Eric Lichaj, Oguchi Onyewu, Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, Tim Ream, Jonathan Bornstein

Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Jonathan Spector, Alejandro Bedoya, Mikkel Diskerud

Forwards: Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo

Last players off: Jay DeMerit, Sacha Kljestan, Jose Torres, Hurculez Gomez, Michael Parkhurst, Zach Loyd, Omar Gonzalez, Dominic Cervi

Starting 11:

-----------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----Onyewu-----Goodson-----Bocanegra

------------------Jones--------Bradley

Dempsey--------------Holden--------------Donovan

-----------------------Altidore

What do you guys think? Who did I miss?  Think any U-20 guys (other than Agudelo) could make a quick rise through the ranks?

American Central Midfielders, It's All the Rage in England

Today we learned that Michael Bradley will be on the move.  But not to all the rumored locales.  First there was the Sunderland connection, but that fell through with the sale of Darren Bent.  Then popped up the Palermo and Galatasaray, then yesterday it was reported that Bradley had in fact been sold, heavily rumored to the Turkish giants, but today, the fog has settled.  Bradley has been sent on loan, with an option to buy, to Aston Villa FC.  Bradley joins Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jonathan Spector (West Ham), and Jermaine Jones(Blackburn) as American central midfielders currently plying their trade in the English Premier League, add Maurice Edu (Rangers) if you want to talk about Yank center midfielders in the United Kingdom.  This move came about after Bradley turned in a transfer request to the Borussia Monchengladbach front office.  Trivia time: when was the last time an American turned in a transfer request??  This is the first that I can ever recall.  Bradley jumps off the sinking ship that is Monchengladbach, who currently are buttressing the Bundesliga, have been all but relegated at this point, with only 13 points to show from 19 matches so far this season.

Bradley joins many fellow yanks at Aston Villa, with GK Brad Freidel, GK Brad Guzan (currently on loan at Hull City), and DF Eric Lichaj all currently on the books at the Birmingham club.  Villa is also owned by American Randy Lerner.  So what kind of competition will Bradley face for playing time?  Villa currently employ Nigel Reo-Coker, Stephen Ireland, Fabian Delph, and Stiliyan Petrov.  Much tougher than the current crop of CMs at 'gladbach.  But competition is a good thing, especially for a young player like Bradley.  If he can break into the Villa first choice squad, he could set himself up for a full transfer to Villa, or to a bigger Bundesliga or EPL side.

I like the move, assuming he gets some decent playing time.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

USA 1, Chile 1 Looking Back

After having to re-watch the match twice because of shotty ESPN3.com streams, I finally have a general grip on how we should be viewing the inaugural match of the 2011 year.  Let's review your starters:

Starters:

--------------------Rimando

Franklin-----Gonzalez-----Ream-----Loyd

----------Larentowicz-----McCarty

Bedoya------------Diskerud---------Shea

-----------------Wondolowski

Finishers:


------------------Johnson

Franklin-----Wynne-----Ream-----Wallace

--------Larentowicz-----McCarty

-----Alexander-----------------Diskerud

----------Bunbury--------Agudelo

Quick notes:

*Chris Wondolowski is not a target forward and it showed.  He had one good moment from what I can recall with a clever control and shot on target.  It's not really his fault that he had a poor match.

*Dax McCarty had an excellent match.  It's too bad that the US has a surplus of central midfielders already.  He would make an excellent stand in however should someone pick up a knock.

*Gonzalez and Ream only get 45 minutes together.  Really??  Why Bob, Why???  Marvell Wynne, despite his renaissance at centerback for the Colorado Rapids this season, he simply will not do on the international stage.  Come now Bob.

*Zach Loyd from nowhere makes an instant name for himself in the left back pool.  Tough, hardy performance from the FC Dallas youngster.  Deserving of some further looks.

*Mikkel Diskerud, mehhhh.  I like that he is willing to try things, in fact, I love it.  But I felt like he tried too hard at times instead of keeping things simple.  He's gonna be a great player though, I feel it.

*Shea with his second uneventful match.  For all the potential, he's got a long way to go before he is a consistent contributor for the U.S.

*"I like da BOON-BER-RY!!"



Player Ratings

Nick Rimando - 6 - Didn't really have much to do, but made no mistakes.

Sean Franklin - 5.5 - An okay debut for the LA Galaxy man, but he's well down the U.S. depth chart there.

Omar Gonzalez - 6 - It's clear that the 6'4 man child can control the air and be a threat on set pieces, but to take that next step, he must work on his distribution.

Tim Ream - 7 - He had some shaky moments, but it's his passing and distribution out of the back that sets him apart.  Could sneak into the top 4-5 U.S. centerbacks by the end of the year.

Zach Loyd - 6.5 - As I said above, Loyd introduced and endeared himself to U.S. fans countrywide with a determined and gritty effort on the left flank.  More please.

Jeff Larentowicz - 6 - Won't break into the CM depth chart anytime soon, but his tackling was spot on and played well enough for continued second team call-ups.

Dax McCarty - 7.5 - The "Ginger Ninja" was the U.S.' most influential player on the night.  Could crack the depth chart if there are injuries to anyone.

Alejandro Bedoya - 6 - Influential with his play on the flank, but disappeared at times.  His well timed run nearly led to a goal, but lost his balance after the Chile 'keeper spilled the ball.

Brek Shea - 5 - Brilliant in the first 15 minutes, and toothless for the rest of his time on the pitch.

Mikkel Diskerud - 6 - Inventive, creative, incisive.  Kid will be a star, but needs to learn to harness that creativity and when to just play easy.

Chris Wondolowski - 5 - Playing out of position did him no favors, and actually crippled his entire outing.

SUBS

Sean Johnson - 6 -  Grabbed his first cap, wasn't at fault on the goal, and past that, didn't have much to do. Future star?  Big?  Check.  Bald?  Check.  I like it.

Marvell Wynne - 4.5 - Clearly just can't fit in any position for the national team.  His gymnastics led the Chile goal.

Teal Bunbury - 6 - For the first time in a long time, the U.S. actually has some unofficial depth at forward.  Eyes to stars and feet on the ground kids.  Well taken penalty.

Juan Agudelo - 6.5 - Still just 18 years old, and fearless.  Drew the penalty well and nearly snatched a late winner.

Eric Alexander - NA - Inaugural cap for the youngster.