Sorry I’ve been alittle delayed on everything here but here’s the January roster for the Nats.More or less the camp cupcake we expected, with all Scandinavian and MLS plaers coming in. Brek Shea, Bill Hamid, Kyle Beckerman, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury and Jeff Larentowicz have all been called into the senior camp under Jurgen, but here’ s a real chance for them and others to prove they belong. Past January camps have always been a key part of bringing MLS and other plaers into the fold.
A lot of these players are a little fresh for my taste, but expect at least one of those defenders to be on the senior team by the time qualifying starts. We’re pretty shallow there and calls for Oma, George and Geoff have been ringing for months(although I’d put my money on Parkhurst.)
Also some names might seem to be missing from this roster, but remember there’s a simultaneous U-23 camp going on where players like Mixx, Freddy Adu and Zac MacMath are more likely to get playing time and will surely get a good look there as well.
No real shocks, all things considered, a lot of MLS names people have been calling for and a few others who we’ve wanted to see Jurgen look at for a while. If they aren’t here they’re with Caleb Porter. The only disappointing spot for me is Rico Clark. He’s not as bad as I remember, I’m sure, but he really has no place on our senior national team and he’s proved it multiple times. Not that he can’t play at a CONCACAF level, he can, but we’re mighty deepwhere he could help us. I’d rather see Beckerman, Bradley, Williams, Jones, Edu, Johnson and even Larentowiczbefore I believe Rico deserves another shot at the national team.
USMNT JANUARY CAMP ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS: Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS: Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), George John (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA)
MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
…and I don’t just mean he could go to any team he wants and manage to get a contract. Although Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton are all apparently calling and more calls are surely expected no one seems to know where the kid plays. Klinsmann and FC Dallas seem to call him a leftwing or a striker most often, but some people are calling him a center-back, and most people apparently view him as a centre-half. Although Shea has played other positions(and was quite the prospect at center-back considering his size and speed) I’d be shocked to see him end up playing anywhere but on the wing or up top.
Wenger reinforces that its just a training period and not a trial. Not surprising but worth mentioning so that people don’t run away with the idea. Also pushing the idea that America and Asia will have a huge effect on the future of the sport. The growth of the game in these regions really will have a huge effect on the world game. I know that I want to believe it myself so I’m a bit biased but it really does make perfect sense that North America, specifically the USA, and Asia will both continue to grow and really diversify the top level of the game in very interesting ways. Its nice to hear someone like Wenger supporting that.
In part because it’s apparently what everyone wants to hear I’ll let you know whats going on with Brek Shea. The Big Rooster is planning on training with Arsenal for a bit before coming back to FC Dallas in December. He isn’t playing for Arsenal. He isn’t on loan to Arsenal. He isn’t even on trial with Arsenal. He’s just training with them. Still very exciting but a lot of people don’t understand that those are different things. Of course being there means he is under their noses and is therefore more likely to be picked up by them, but they’re also not taking a truly serious look at him. I would love to see Shea go to a team like Arsenal and get some real playing time, but as we saw with Onyewu at Milan, it’s all about how much you’re actually playing. i would much rather Shea stay here and start than sit on Arsenal’s bench. Let’s not forgot the names Theo Walcott and Gervinho before we start suggesting Shea would get real time on the wings at Arsenal, they may be having a relatively down year, but there wings are still strong. I don’t expect to see Shea back at Dallas next year, but I also can’t imagine he’ll waste his time with a team like Arsenal that will bury him on the bench. At least for his own good I hope not.
The Right-Back spot is one of the deeper spots on the roster and one of the most talented. New players are coming in to break through old players and we could feasibly have three players who play right back for club being forced into other positions because they’re too talented to leave on the bench. A position of strength and a position of promise. The Left Back spot has been a troubling one, but that’s exactly why I decided to list this as one spot. I highly doubt that Jurgen will call in a worse LB instead of just switching a young RB over. Even if he would, a lot of these players are so versatile its not even an issue. Bob had switched players back and forth between both sides and Jurgen has continued to do so. These positions aren’t different enough to count separately.
Steve Cherundolo-32 Hannover
Obviously Dolo’s the incumbent. He’s got the spot until somebody steps up and grabs it out of his hands. Of course another right back playing in Germany has had a few attempts to do so. The biggest concern about Dolo going forward is his age. He’s 32 now. He’ll be 35 by 2014. I haven’t seen a single thing to show me that Steve’s going downhill by any meas. He’s still one of the best and probably the most under-appreciated American soccer players of this generation.
Timothy Chandler-21 Nurmberg
One of the key points of interest in the recent “Germerican” movement. Johnson and Williams haven’t looked bad in their time with the team. Jermaine Jones was a nice addition. Even counting Klinsmann leads to a bit of an up and down view of it. Chandler is why people are excited about the sudden influx of German players. At least for me its more about the sudden influx of players who can play like Timmy Chandler. As young as he is, as versatile as he is, and as talented as he is I honestly expect Timmy Chandler to not only be starring in the 2014 World Cup. I expect him to be the best player on the field in most matches by the time 2018 comes around.
Eric Lichaj-22 Aston Villa
A lot of us have pegged Lichaj as most likely to fill the Left Back spot, and he really doesn’t have much of a shot behind the two players above. When he gets back from injury he should be competing more for the left back spot which puts more pressure on both of the players above him. A good player whos got a spot on the team for sure.
Zach Loyd-24 FC Dallas
Also a natural Right back having a very sucessfull season with FC Dallas, and building report with Brek Shea(which may make him a good option on the left), Loyd has been one of the many players who are considered to have a shot at stepping into the hole at Left Back. Although Timmy Chandler has filled that well I can’t imagine Klinsi wants to keep him there long term. Loyd should definitely get a serious look.
Jonathan Spector-25 Birmingham City
Specs has had his high points and his low points but I really do love having a player like him as a 12th man. Need a CB? He could fill in. Need a RB or LB? He could fill in. CDM? CAM? Anywhere along the back line and up the core of the middle of the field Spector could play. I expect most of his time to come at the outside back position but he could just as easily vie for a role farther up the field.
Sheannon Williams-21 Philadelphia Union
Sheannon has really come on this year with the club. He showed a few flashes last year but nothing as good or consistent as he’s done this year. If you want offense from the back he can give you a ton of that. There’s been many times this season that Sheannon has led the attack and even gone on breakaways all by himself. He, along with Loyd got a lot of talk when Dolo went down in the Gold Cup and the hole at Left Back opened even wider.
Danny Williams-22 Hoffenheim
He just joined the team and is expected to fill in the central midfield, but he was also considered an option at Left Back by many. I had assumed he’d fill one of the holding Midfield spots, but when Jurgen used him along the right flank it brought that question back to my mind. Danny could play RB if we needed him to. I don’t think we need him to but he looked good enough to earn another look somewhere on the field in his little playing time with the team.
Fabian Johnson-23 Hoffenheim
We’ve seen very little of Johnson too, but as with Williams I believe from what I have seen and read that he’ll earn a spot on the team easily and quickly compete for a starting spot somewhere. The influx of talent to this team is exciting. Bob saw a lot of these players so I’m by no means blaming him, but we are still at a point where the USMNT is growing rapidly. As for Johnson, he’s been mentioned mostly at LB, but thats where the hole is. I’m very interested in seeing where he ends up being played.
Bobby Convey-28 Earthquakes
I’m not saying Bobby Convey has no chance of ever making the team, but as with many of the names mentioned in BigSoccer Left Back threads, it seems pretty hopeless. He’s pretty old to bring in. Convey’s a relatively good defender in MLS now and had a small place on the USMNT roster for a short time, but he’ll be 33 by 2014 and there’s so much depth at right back that there’s no need for him. Or most other players on BigSoccer threads whether too old, too young or just not good enough.
So here’s my suggestions. I’m going to give one depth chart for this spot assuming that the top two will be the starters and everyone from there on will be depth. Very few of these players can only play one side so there’s no reason to draw a line between them. They’re almost all better on the right side anyway.
WCQ: basically the team I would play in a game tommorow
1. Cherundolo
2.Chandler
3.Lichaj (I know he’s injured but he still has a spot pretty comfortably).
4.D. Williams and Johnson (I haven’t seen either enough to choose but if I had to I’d go with Williams purely because he’s played with the team already).
WC2014: the team as I project after a few years of settling, for whatever that’s worth.
1. Chandler
2. Cherundolo (unless he voluntarily retires he’s not going anywhere).
3. Johnson
4. Lichaj
A few other notes, I expect Danny Williams to be on the team but I’d still probably peg him as a midfielder which is the only reason I left him out of the top ranks here. Chandler could do the same thing of course and slide up to RW. Also I expect Spector to be on the team because of his versatility. He’ll show up on about every list I do except Keeper. Sheannon will definitely get a chance to prove himself and I wouldn’t put it past him to step farther up in to the battle but I just don’t see it as of yet at least. Any one else you think might get a shot? Or should?
Image via Wikipedia
I planned on attending two games this week a while ago and didn’t realize how significant they would be. The first game was the recent USA vs Mexico game, which was obviously a big deal in itself, but pumped up a lot more due to Jurgen Klinsmann joining the team. Of course Sunil and the gang still managed to screw things up by setting the game for a Wednesday night at 9 o clock; a bit off of prime time as far as most people are concerned. The support was fairly weak from both sides. Presumably a game on the weekend would have seen crowds coming in from out-of-town to attend. Even a 7 or 8 o’clock start would have made the game a ton more accessible. Never the less the game was played and players looked good and players looked bad. WE’ll start with the bad.
It was fairly obvious that Edgar Castillo was not the best player on the field; especially after he got hit in the back of the head surrendering a corner. If we had any kind of depth at the left back position he would be out of the team for a while. Although looking at who else we have available, I wouldn’t be shocked if he shows up pretty soon again unless things fall apart for him at his club. Also he looks like an alien.
Jermaine Jones absolutely disappeared from the game and we totally forgot he was on the field. We saw Brek Shea and another light-skinned player warming up on the sideline. Everyone in my group assumed it was Jermaine until they announced that he was being subbed out and Juan Agudelo was being subbed in. He was that unnoticeable.
The good side of it, as has been reported everywhere was from a bunch of MLS players. Brek Shea, Robbie Rogers, and Juan Agudelo all put in pretty solid performances. I was personally very impressed with Brek Shea, and not quite as impressed with the other two. Neither did anything much wrong, but they both put in good games at a time when they are midseason and most of the other players competing were in preseason. It is a factor for sure. So while they looked good, they should have looked good considering that fact. Shea looked great though. He looked better than almost everyone on the field in the entire second half. I understand Mexico’s team had been a bit depleted by pulling subs, but Dos Santos didn’t make quite the quality or quantity of plays that Shea made in the time he was in. Again consider his form a factor, but Shea impressed a lot of people and earned more of a look.
That’s only part of why this is Brek Shea week here in Philadelphia. The other game I was supposed to be attending that also became a much more prominent one than I had first expected was Saturdays game against Brek Shea and FC Dallas. Dallas has looked nothing short of spectacular for most of the season, in no small part thanks to Shea. On second thought, imagine what this team will be able to do if David Ferraira comes back the way he was last year. As we have seen first hand an MVP season can be hard to replicate but it would be very interesting to see that teams attack.
After impressing for country Shea is back to impressing for club; who will be facing off with the Philadelphia Union tomorrow night. Obviously the Union saw how many headlines Shea was grabbing and felt a need to grab a few of their own from their next competitor. Those headlines all came in the form of very bad puns. “Much Adu About Nothing”,”Just Adu It” “Adoop.” Freddy Adu was welcomed back to MLS as Chivas was no longer an option. As all the headlines told you, he was reunited with his former coach and mortal enemy Piotr Nowak. Apparently things were exaggerated a bit and Adu actually came back, in large part, for the opportunity to play with Nowak again. Interesting, but what I find more interesting is what this means tactically.
Presumably (read:hopefully) this means that Justin Mapp will be pushed to the sideline, while it also likely means that Roger Torres has lost a few rungs on the ladder of this team. As much as I would love to see Freddy and Roger creating in the middle of the field, I can’t imagine Nowak doing it and not having the two of them get beat up on every single ball in the air. We can’t have two players in one midfield standing under 5 foot. There’s a rule against that somewhere I’m sure. I don’t expect Adu to come in and start tomorrow, although I would assume he gets his first appearance this weekend as the team is on the road after that, but I would say I do expect him to be a pretty significant player for the Union by the end of the season. If we don’t get any one else added to this team (the only name I’ve heard is Juan Pablo Angel, who doesn’t really piqué my interest anymore and definitely not for his price tag. Maybe short-term till Nowak decides Mwanga can go 90, we’ll see), this is the lineup I would expect to see come out from here on out, with a few notes on key subs.
Mondragon
Williams Valdes Callif GFarfan
Carroll Adu
Le Toux Daniel
Paunovic McInerney
Obviously Mwanga playing the same super-sub role he has lately. Torres or Mapp coming in for Paunovic or Daniel, with Le Toux filling in any adjustments necessary.
What I’d really like to see happen by the end of the season, at least at some point, purely for excitement. I do think it could realistically be an occasional lineup for the coming seasons as Jack, Danny and Roger grow up a bit, although the odds of this are pretty low seeing what it would do to our ability to win the ball back in the midfield. Of course if you don’t ever give it up in the first place…
Mondragon
Williams Valdes Calliff G Farfan
Carroll
Torres Adu Le Toux
Mwanga McInerney
We’ll see what Piotr does this week.
FC Dallas put out a video introduction to their recently repositioned Central Defender Brek Shea. Presumably this makes Shea a center back for the USMNT which is why this might interest you. It popped into my view, nothing really particularly insightful other than a lot of “I like to have fun”-level stuff.
Ok so now that they announced the MLS Schedule we were free to wonder when the playoff format would be announced. Now that the schedule and playoff format have both been announced I’m not sure what to wait for except kickoff.
I could post an explanation of this, but the picture’s still probably simpler.
The three leaders from each conference automatically qualify for what I guess is the first round of the playoffs. Out of all of the remaining teams, the best four records move on without the conference mattering. They face each other in a play in game to face either the Eastern or Western Conference 1 seeds.
The play in games will be one game only, and the higher seed will host. The Conference Semifinals will consist of a two-game, aggregate-goal series, a structure unchanged from previous postseasons. I believe after that it will again be only one game and they will take place at designated hosting sites.
The benefits of this system are that two out of conference teams can not play in the other conference championship (ie.San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids playing in the 2010 Eastern Conference finals). Also the Supporters Shield winner will definitely be playing the advancing team with the worst record.
In another great move for pre-announcement announcements, MLS has announced that they will be unveiling the complete schedule for this coming season on Thursday February 10th.
“Assembling the schedule begins after MLS Cup and involves several interdependent factors including competitive fairness, international competitions, stadium availability, broadcast windows and club preferences,” the league said in a statement released Friday. “The 18 home openers were announced Dec. 20, and we have waited until the entire schedule is complete before making it public.”
“We recognize that the timing of [the schedule’s] release has caused some inconvenience and we appreciate our fans’ continued patience,” MLS said in the statement.
>>http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2011/02/mls-unveil-schedule-feb-10
First I would have to say Brek Shea is a solid player for FC Dallas and I fully expect to see him starting at left mid on Saturday. He’s young and has lots of potential, he was just two years ago a favorite of Man U’s head of scouting.
bpmangan
mattsant16
Pat
