USA 2, Guatemala 0: A second look

 

                                                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com

If the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 victory against Guatemala was a glimpse into the future for the United States, then that future sure looks bright after several young standouts took full advantage of the chance to show that they plan on being factors in 2009 World Cup qualifying.

Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Kenny Cooper and Sacha Kljestan were all impressive in the U.S. team's handling of a Guatemalan squad that, to be fair, was a young team missing several key veterans as a new coach shook up his squad. Guatemalan B team or not,The Fab Four Americans certainly had to impress U.S. coach Bob Bradley, while also exciting fans that had been waiting months to see them all play together.

What did you think of last night's performance. Did Freddy Adu restore your faith in him? Were you happy to finally see the Kenny Cooper-Jozy Altidore tandem (or as I like to call them, the People's Tandem) in action? Were you disappointed with Jonathan Bornstein's return to the national team fold? Did the match leave you excited at what lies ahead in the Hexagonal Round of qualifying?

Share your thoughts on last night's match in the comments section below.

Comments

[DeLarge]

AltiCooper is money.

[Bob]

That guat. goal keeper was amazing. What is his name? He saved some real hard shots. The US could have easily gotten 2-3 more goals.

Yeah Kenny Coopenstien. Great goal.

[tom From Syracuse]

You would think that Altidore would be set up with a smaller, quicker forward. Instead, at 6 ft, 180lb, hes the smaller, quicker forward when paired with Cooper. I think thats a scary prospect for every defense we play. Go Alticooper.

[Clint]

I liked the way Sacha, Freddy, Ricardo, and Pablo worked together. If WC was tomorrow, would you put Pablo in the midfield w/ Bradley? I think I would.

[Angel]

I enjoy this game very much. especially having Altidore and Cooper at front. The attacking was good and I hope I can see more of the two in the future. Adu play a very nice game too. WOW this USA second Team play nicely and I wish Torres and Orozco were in the mix too.

[Joe]

Bornstein was crap. Poor decisions and out of position most the match. Thanks but no thanks.

I really like the Altidore Cooper combo because its the best of all worlds; speed, size, skill, aerial threat. Cooper's got a cannon and he unleashed it once last night but it was deflected.

All in all, a decent performance and it has me excited about the prospects going forward.

[Rafael]

The score gives no justice to the US team. They should have beaten this team by at least 4 goals. I'll take Jozy or Cooper over Johnson any day.

I hope the draw on Saturday gives us a good pairing for the Hexagonal.

[Elwood]

The attack was fun to watch, finally. The defense left something to be desired, except Goodson who I thought played a decent game.

Still unanswered is the left back situation.

Congrats Freddy!

[Bob]

I like pablo, however he is a card magnet. Plus I can't see BB playing a WC with Sacha, Freddy, Bradley all starting, they are awesome but still young. Unless they all really progress in the next year and a half.

[Alticooper]

hahaha DeLarge... yea my dream finally came true last night. Cooper and Altidore up top together

[Alticooper]

Does ANYONE have a good freddy adu goal link... not that crappy youtube one

[Igor]

Crappy youtube or no, that was a pretty amazing free kick.

[Michael F.]

Great to see these players and see them play together. I just hope BB keeps calling in Adu, Altidore, Cooper and Klesjten.

[g-loff]

I have to say that it was refreshing to see US forwards actually looking to take on defenders. On Coopers goal, Jozy created space for the cross with some nice footwork.

The midfield looked great stringing together some nice 1 or 2 touch passing sequences, albeit it was against less pressure than you normally would expect to see in a WC qualifier. The fact that guys like Sasha, Freddy, etc were really getting their heads up early or moving off the ball can only mean good things down the road.

[STX81]

Parkhurst is a BEAST!!

[Jesse]

-jozy and cooper worked well together and i truly believe they should be our two forwards.
-freddy adu has magical skill, but will always be a liability defensively. he's just too small to do it.
-people are ignoring ricardo clark here. he was stellar.
that said, here is the lineup i think would be the best for us if we played the WC now...

forwards: altidore, cooper
attacking mid/libero role: adu (no defense really needed)
left wing: robbie rogers
right wing: landon donovan (he has the best service of anyone and would give altidore and cooper the best chance to score with the head)
sasha or bradley in the middle backing up adu
backline of boca on the left, gooch and subotic/parkhurst in the center, and dolo on the right.
howard in goal.
we'd have to change to a 4-3-3, but i really think that's our best team.

[Coop]

The dates on the hex will be announced saturday. Does anyone know if the tickets go on sale then too or how does that work?

[Bunko Pete]

I hate to be a naysayer here, but I thought there was way too many Rt. 1 counters with long, hopeful balls coming from the backline. I would like to have seen more build-up out of the midfield. The few times that the midfield and strikeline did combine well leaves me wanting more.

I like the Jozy-Kenny strikeforce, but I also wanted to see how Rolfe might have paired with one of them for the last 15 mins.

Bornstein did well considering the lay-off from injury and absence from the MNT. He didn't shy away from the hard tackles. He didn't concede any goal-scoring opps.

[brett]

Alticooper - you can see the highlights on ussoccer.com, but its a tiny screen... still you can catch the Adu goal near tv quality...
---

jozy and cooper were everything i expected... they were creative, they were aggressive, they attacked the defense, and they worked well together... this duo really has me looking forward to some quality attacking football...

Kljestan and adu did great, bar some minor mishaps but they are just human... they created a lot of the chances for cooper and jozy....

this was an interesting lineup, as we didnt play with true wingers.... we cramped in the middle and played the overlapping runs.... Thor was a perfect example of this... sometimes i dont give BB enough credit for lineups like this... people were questionable about Thor, but Fire fans have been begging DH to play him at RB... he offers ALOT to the attack, and should have gotten a PK...

Bornstein didnt impress, but he's still an option in the future....

[dwbpnm]

I don't get the love for Adu's play last night. I think everyone is being blinded by a decently hit free kick. Freddy repeatedly took long first touches that got himself into trouble, gave the ball up a number of times and repeatedly failed to help out on defense which last time I checked is expected of an outside MF. As always he had a few nice moves going forward. But if you don't play defense you can't be trusted on the field against better opponents who will actually bring a coherent sustained attack. This is exactly why he didn't see the field for Benfica except when they were already trailing or the game was comfortably put away and we're seeing the same thing at Monaco.

[BlueWhiteLion]

Sacha's performance made me put some faith back into him. Probably a limited perspective position I held, but several games--including Beijing, seemed to expose him as a bad combination passer. Since then, I have noticed some nice through balls in MLS play, and then, last night. He always has a high work rate, too.

Cooper/Altidore pairing surprised me a bit. Obviously they worked well together, and both are decent on the ball with their feet. Can't help but think that the team would benefit by making sure that someone like Landon or Adu were on the field when those two giants are.

Cooper--I don't see many Dallas games--looked really strong last night. I would think he will be a regular MNTer.

Adu is always fun to watch.

All in all, I enjoyed the game, and noticing new guys (for me) like Goodson. Decent job overall!

[Bob]

Hmm, have we all written off Eddie Johnson already?? He always can make a come back. lol just kidding.

I still want to see coops and jozy in a few more games before i sign off on them starting together up top.

[kpugs]

All the guys you mentioned are for real. Freddy and Jozy are no joke.

Having said that, it's Guatemala. Almost any imaginable U.S. lineup should be able to beat them 2 nothing.

So yes, we should definitely take away the positives from how well the youngins played, they were truly impressive. But we shouldn't view the meaningless victory as any type of accomplishment.

[TimN]

Altidore, Adu, and Cooper were fantastic.

Altidore did have a one chance early on, though, that he didn't handle well. He got behind the D down the right side and had a point blank shot. However, he elected to be unselfish and try to pass off to Cooper, who just couldn't quite get there to finish. Jozy should have taken the shot himself.

Bornstein did a lot of switching forward, which can be a good thing for the backs to do, but he made hasty decisions on crosses when he had more time than he realized. Two readily come to mind, one he sent on the ground too close to the keeper, and the other he sailed everyone on.

Our overall midfield passing with Sacha and Mastroeni also looked really nice.

Last night was a good glimpse at some of the available talent that often don't get enough looks, IMHO. Bradley should start looking at these guys more, and maybe a little less at guys like EJ and Ching. The rationalization for Ching has always been his size. I say we get that with Cooper, but a lot more actual scoring threat with Cooper.

[The Gentleman Masher]

The think I noticed most about the AltiCoop pairing is that both were interested in a)taking of defenders, and b) creating shots for each other and other players.

That's something we generally don't see in alot of our other forwards.

I think if you can have these guys up top with some midfield combo of Donovan, Beasley (or Adu), Mastro and Bradley, we'll be pretty solid in the front 6.

Back 4 still needs to have Boca and Gooch in the middle, with either Cherundolo or Wynne on the right. It'd be nice to have a healthy Gibbs and have him on the left...

[BlueWhiteLion]

I, for one, show Freddy love, not because he is perfection, but he brings creativity and control (your comments notwithstanding)that few other players for the US bring. Whether or not he is a 90er, or not, doesn't diminish that he can be a game changer either dribbling, passing, or free-kicking. he is a unique--if limited--asset for us.

[Bunko Pete]

TimN

Cooper and Ching are not interchangeable. They're both fairly big, but that's where the similarities end.

Ching's a classic hold-up man. Cooper is good with the ball at his feet, and creates a lot of his own shots.

You can't swap-out one for the other and expect the same tactics.

[sawatsky]

1. Overall: Man, Guatemala looked bad last night. Couldn't keep possession for more then 2 or 3 touches. Not surprising that we won easily when they played so crap.

2. Jozy: He is real real good. Play that kid form now on please.

3. Freddy: Funny, but around 60' I was getting pissed at what I thought was Freddy's lack of effort and was hoping BB would yank him out since he seemed disengaged. Oh well, nice to have him for free kicks.

4. Kljestan: Overall, I was more impressed with Kljestan than Freddy. Not perfect of course, but involved, composed, and dangerous (in the good sense).

5. Rico: Clark had a few nice moments, but one thing he did a few times that was driving me crazy was to receive the ball, turn and then freeze, surveying the pitch and looking to play the ball along to one side or the other while not moving when he had yards of open field in front of him. Take the damn space if they are giving it to you. I seem to recall this happening a few times in the 15'-25' area.

6. Thorrington: Nice work considering he doesn't play RB for Fire. Would be nice for the Nats if he switched to RB next year to develop more comfort at the position. He seems no worse than Hejduk or Wynne as a backup to Cherundolo. Could be better than those 2 with increased RB playing time. He's better than Prideaux anyway, and moving him to RB means making room for Pappa/other in midfield, so it makes sense for Fire.

[Reid]

Bornstein, neither good nor bad in this game, def won't do us well in the Hex.

Happy with Thor at right back, I can see him as a possible back up.

Def 2nd whoever said Pablo starting alongside MB in the following games.

All in all, happy that a relatively young team was able to gel and seemed to work together well.

P.S. liked what i saw from Goodson.

[Navy Jack]

I loved the Fab Four. Cooper and Altidore to a little while took get settled but performed really well, and were dangerous on through balls and deep balls over the top when they did. I felt like Adu took a while to get settled as well, but eventually stopped looking for the foul and simply played. Kljestan played extremely well in my opinion and really boosted my confidence in him. Jonny B was really really disappointing. He did make a lot of good runs, but squandered chances when he did, looked nervous in the back and made me shake my head more than 5 times. All in all a good performance, minus Bornstien.

[Gabe]

Honestly, I think the real issue here is when and where to use certain players.

Adu
Altidore
Cooper
Bradley
Dempsey
Davies
Donovan
Beasley
Torres
Kljestan

As you can see, we have a few issues here. I think, against slower teams, this would be the best bet.

Forwards: Altidore
Midfielders: LM Beasley LCM Adu, CAM Donovan RCM Bradley RM Dempsey
Defenders: LB Bocanegra LCB Parkhurst/Subotic RCB Onyewu RB Cherundolo

Faster, more athletic teams, require a traditional 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2, where in which I think these allignments would be beneficial.

4-4-2

Forwards: Altidore, Dempsey
Midfielders: Beasley, Kljestian, Bradley, Donovan
Defenders: Bocanegra, Parkhurst/Subotic, Onyewu, Cherundolo

3-5-2

Forwards: Altidore, Davies/Cooper
Midfielders: Kljestian, Torres/Adu, Donovan, Bradley, Dempsey
Defenders: Beasley, Bocanegra, Wynne

ok...so the 3-5-2 is experimental

[Sean]

I know this sounds funny, but we should try to work Damarcus Beasley at left back. Many wingers have made the change before (Patrice Evra) and it allows us to get Freddy Adu on the field with Beasley (with Adu on the left wing).

[Jesse]

I'll try to draw out my proposed formation. Here are a list of my subs as well for positions.

------------altidore----Cooper-----------
---------------adu-----------------------

rogers--------bradley------------donovan

------------subotic/gooch---------------
Bocanegra----------------------Dolo
--------------gooch/Parkhurst------------

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

subs:
FW: Davies, Ching
LW: Beasley
Middies: Sasha, Clark, mastroeni
Def: Bornstein, Wynne, goodson, pearce
gk: guzan, hannehan?

I dont know how many subs are allowed. If I had to cut anyone, here is the order id cut subs: goodson, ching, bornstein, clark

[Angel]

Wow I can wait to see the next round of Qualifying with a pool of players like this, I not saying this are the 24 who Bob Bradley should take but he can choose from, PLEASE YOU CAN ADD MORE PLAYERS TO THE LIST, and maybe we can even make up to three USA national team

Goal Keeper: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Troy Perkin

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Onyewu, Semik, M. Orozco, Pearce, Demerit, Cherundolo, Parkhurst, Franklin, Wynne,

Midfield: Donovan, Beasley, M. Bradley, Torres, Dempsey, Adu, Edu, Clark, Kljestan. Convey, Mastroeni,

Forward: Altidore, Cooper, Davis, Ching, Casey, Johnson, Rogers, Shea, Findley

[DCU Fan]

I think Bornstein show what we love and hate about him. He is an aggressive attacking player who can take people on and knock it around when necessary. I'm not convinced he can defend well enough at this level. Obviously he looked off his game last night but if he can get some consistency and sharpen his game he could be an excellent left back (same could be said on the right side with Wynn).

But based on last night he still has lots of work to do which he can get done with Chivas next season.

[RSLfan]

I am probably the only person who didn't think Bornstein was horrible. He made some poor decisions no doubt, but I really thought his pace troubled Guatemala a lot, and I think he showed that if his crossing and decision making improves he could really be an offensive threat because he got forward very well. I also thought Klejstan, Altidore, and Cooper proved that they are ready to be called in on a regular basis, they may not be sure starters, but Jozy and Kenny especially aren't much of a drop off from our forwards now.

[Sigmund Freud]

The US depth is improving. I loved to see the combination play of "the fab four". They were inventive and unpredictable. The competetion for spots is going to be very intersting as we go through the hex, Confederation's Cup and WC. What a great problem to have.

I am starting to think that Bob Bradley knows what he's doing. LOL!

[Angel]

Wow I can wait to see the next round of Qualifying with a pool of players like this, I not saying this are the 24 who Bob Bradley should take but he can choose from, PLEASE YOU CAN ADD MORE PLAYERS TO THE LIST, and maybe we can even make up to three USA national team

Goal Keeper: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Troy Perkin

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Onyewu, Semik, M. Orozco, Pearce, Demerit, Cherundolo, Parkhurst, Franklin, Wynne,

Midfield: Donovan, Beasley, M. Bradley, Torres, Dempsey, Adu, Edu, Clark, Kljestan. Convey, Mastroeni,

Forward: Altidore, Cooper, Davis, Ching, Casey, Johnson, Rogers, Shea, Findley

[Mig]

Klestjan was my man of the match. Great vision with his passing and few turnovers. Also he fought for the ball well. A tandem on the left with him and DMB may be the ticket. Klestjan starts inside, DMB outside, and the tendency of both to move inside/outside could be very effective if they can connect. This kind of attacking tandem on that side would be handy if Boca does move out left as he will not attack the way Pearce can.

Goodson was very strong last night given the limited attack of Guatemala. He did what he needed to do.

Bornstein was something of a horror show waiting to happen on defense. The couple of bad crosses I can deal with but man did it look like he would be beaten every time the attack came his way.

Thorington was pretty invisible excepting the (non-)penalty. But nothing came his way to defend.

I liked the mix of organized buildup (easier since Guat weren't pressing) and well-weighted longer balls which play to Jozy's strengths. Man, he looks like a junior Drogba with his mix of skills on the ball, speed, and strength. THAT is exciting.

[Brooklyn Zoo]

Altidore could of had the goal of the year of that wonderful chest control, but he skyed the volly..

I though Parkhurst looked calm and composed in central defense, I would love to see him go oversees.

[Isaac]

The way things are going this is the starting lineup for 2010

-------------Donovan---Altidore------------

--Beasley----Bradley---Kljestan----Dempsey-

--Pearce---Bocanegra---Onyewu---Cherundolo-

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

The Altidore Cooper thing would probably bend our line up too much guys. We'd need a 4-1-2-1-2 with Cooper and Altidore up top, Donovan the attacking midfielder, Deuce and Beez the wingers, and Bradley the D-mid. that would sacrifice some defensive strength which I really dont think Bob Bradley is willing to do. also Kljestan is a very creative player and I think he's the most creative central midfielder on the team with great hussle as well, which helped bornstein the other night and nearly resulted in his first MNT goal. Hopefully he'll get that soon. The kid can shoot, he just didnt try to do that too much last night, should work on his free kicks though.

[NOLA soccer fan]

I feel a little vindicated over the whole cooper situ.

hopefully he can have more games like that to prove its not a fluke, and that he and alitidore will terrorize backfields worldwide

[TimN]

Bunko Pete,

I agree, Ching and Cooper are absolutely not interchangeable, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have a forward who is a scoring threat than a "body" serving as a "hold-up man." I'd love to see us in a 4-4-2 with Cooper and maybe Altidore or Donovan up top.

[daniel]

I liked what I saw from Altidore, as always. He pretty much set up both goals. Cooper is better than ole Chingy. I am fine with Altidore and Cooper actually playing offense, scoreing goals, and then being replaced by the snooze-inducing possession and defense of Brian Ching. It is refereshing to see a couple of forwards look to score goals that don't require a rebound shot or two.

[Bunko Pete]

RSLfan,

No, I'm with you. I also thought Bornstein did reasonably well, especially considering his long lay-off from injury.

He does need to significantly improve his service from the flank.

[Angel]

PLEASE YOU CAN ADD MORE PLAYERS TO THE LIST, Wow I can wait to see the next round of Qualifying with a pool of players like this, I not saying this are the 24 who Bob Bradley should take but he can choose from, and maybe we can even make up to three USA national team

Goal Keeper:
Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Troy Perkin

Defenders:
Carlos Bocanegra, Onyewu, Semik, M. Orozco, Pearce, Demerit, Cherundolo, Parkhurst, Franklin, Wynne,

Midfield:
Donovan, Beasley, M. Bradley, Torres, Dempsey, Adu, Edu, Clark, Kljestan. Convey, Mastroeni,

Forward:
Altidore, Cooper, Davis, Ching, Casey, Johnson, Rogers, Shea, Findley

[dr dcr vcr]

Maybe I am in the minority here but Sacha was pretty bad last night. How many shots did Sacha brick INSIDE THE 6 YARD BOX? I don't remember the exact number but it was quite a few. His defense was awful (remember that play when he and Bornstein got beat by Figureoa also don't forget the lazy defending on the Morales goal in the MLS playoffs). Those through balls that led to those great chances were created by horrible defending. Also, I didn't think Rico Clark or Bornstein had a good game. Why did Bornstein even get called in again? It was not based on merit to be sure. Michael Harrington would have been a much better pick since he actually knows to defend and cross a ball, unlike Bornstein who is still learning the position and was injuried/ not in the first 11 for Chivas USA for a good part of the season. Everyone else played pretty well but the scoreline should have been much, much higher.

[Jesse]

Ooops. I dont know how I left out Dempsey. Here is a revised roster:
------------altidore----Cooper-----------
---------------adu-----------------------

Rogers--------bradley------------donovan

------------subotic/gooch---------------
Bocanegra----------------------Dolo
--------------gooch/Parkhurst------------

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

subs:
FW: Davies, Ching
LW: Beasley
RW: Dempsey-- bring him in at around 60 minutes. Move Donovan to the libero role and take adu off because he'll be tired.
Middies: Sasha, Clark, mastroeni
Def: Bornstein, Wynne, goodson, pearce
gk: guzan, hannehan?

[garg0yle]

Updated depth for Hex

F:
1- Altidore, Donovan
2- Davies, Cooper
3- Ching, Rolfe
4- Johnson, Casey

M:
1- Beasley, Bradley, Kljestan, Dempsey
2- Torres, Edu, Mastroeni, Adu
3- Rogers, Szetela, R. Clark, Holden
4- Lewis, Feilhaber, Beckerman, White
(More: B. Convey, C. Clark, B. Carroll, D. Arnaud)

B:
1- Pearce, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Cherundolo
2- Orozco, Parkhurst, Marshall, Thorrington
3- Bornstein, Demerit, Califf, Wynne
4- Franklin(not a LB), Goodson, Conrad, Hejduk
(* Spector, Simek, Gibbs may re-enter; Subotic?)
(More: Harrington, Moor, Whitbread, Shea)

GK:
1- Howard
2- Guzan
3- Hahnemann
4- Perkins
(More: Robles, Keller, Reis, Busch, Hesmer)

[martha]

Great display. The Altidore Cooper partnership should be here to stay....

Unfortunately Bradley likes forwards who dont score so expect to see the same old Ching. Game was fun until Bradley decided to kill the attack by inserting Ching.

Bornstein's crosses would get an AYSO player benched. Heres hoping hes out of the Natl pool.

Goodsen played suprisingly well and Sacha is on Beasleys footsteps.

All Adu needs is consistenncy. Thorrington should be kept at right back...for the Fire...at least for now.

[Sigmund Freud]

I'm extremely happy that Bob bradley started Altidore and Cooper. I was a little shocked to be honest. I'm very excited about our depth. BB will have some hard decisions to make in Feb. The interplay between Altidore and Cooper is what struck me the most. It's only one game for Cooper so i don't want to get too excited. I've been a supporter of Ching and his work rate and value as a target. Cooper still ahs to prove he can maintain this level of play at this level. I wouldn't hand it over to him just yet but I'm pulling for him. I loved what I saw.

I'm happy for Freddy. He's another one that needs to be more consisstant. I love watching him play when he palys like last night. His first past that sent Bornstein into the corner showed great vision and imagination. I knew we'd see a good performance from him after that.

That January camp should be a competitive place!

[Angel]

garg0yle thanks for the Update and you brough very players in to the list. Keep it coming guys. But please only guy you think can be good for the USA National Team..

[sawatsky]

> That January camp should be a competitive place!

Well, if Bob runs the Jan camp like Bruce, or like Bob's previous Jan camps, it will not include many of the top 10-20 players in the pool. It still might be competitive, but in the context of guys vying for 1-2 fringe spots on future rosters, not in the sense of top playing battling it out to establish the real XI.

[Andrew Koper]

Jozy Altidore and Kenny Cooper up top was great. Those two have the speed, height and strength to score. I want to see that for about the next six years.

Freddy Adu looked great. He should start on the USMNT now. He has the quickness to take on players one-on-one in a way no other U.S. player does.

I want to see Adu and Donovan as the left and right or attacking midfielders. How scary would the US attack look with those four on offense?!

Jonothan Bornstein flubbed his attacking opportunities. If the USMNT has too many midfielders, he should not be given a spot.

Bocanegra is a great, smart defender. I always like to see him in the lineup, but it's good to see the U.S. win without him.

Guzen was fine.

[brett]

mig- "Thorington was pretty invisible excepting the (non-)penalty. But nothing came his way to defend"

i respectfully disagree... i think Thor got into the attack quite a bit... i remember saying every couple minutes "is that thorington??" b/c i missed the starting lineup and i noticed he was back at RB... i wouldnt say he was a huge offensive threat, but as a defender he aided in the attack well

i think what caused us to be successfull was the type of lineup we had.... no true wingers... we congested the middle allowing out right and left backs to get up into the attack without causing too many issues.... adu and kljestan ran a more CM role in my eyes which opened the wings for the overlapping runs

[brett]

Sigmund Freud - well between Gold Cup, the Hex, and Confeds our player pool is definately going to get a work out...

about Jan. it may not be as competitive as we may think... what with the odds of Kljestan and Cooper possibly making the move abroad... but that could open the field up for others like Torres to really make his stand...

[jmac]

Guys, Bocanegra is not a serious option at LB, especially against higher level competition in the WC. We have seen it and it is not too pretty.

Why are people playing Donovan out of position on the right?

Did everyone send Kenny Cooper flowers for his goal? I swear this site should be renamed Kenny Cooper Fan Club instead of Soccer By Ives.

[Tony in Quakeland]

Sean:

I have been a proponent of the Beasley at left back idea for awhile. He's the perfect solution.

[A.S.]

I don't see why we count out Bocanegra at left back. Whatever we may have seen years ago, it likely isn't the same as now, given that he's playing left back for Rennes every day. And Rennes is the best defensive side in Ligue 1.

I'd play Boca at left back once or twice in the first few hex games just to see how he looks there.

[4now]

23 Tickets:

1. Howard
2. Guzan
3. Hannamen

4. Pearce
5. Bocanegra
6. Onyewu
7. Subotic
8. DeMerit
9. Dolo
10. Spector
11. Gibbs

12. Beasley
13. Bradley
14. Edu
15. Dempsey
16. Kljestan
17. Adu
18. Torres
19. Quaranta*

20. Altidore
21. Donovan
22. Cooper
23. Davies

*yes, really.

[jloome]

Adu's playmaking skills are blinding coaches (are you listening, Nowak?) to the fact that he's too small and defensively suspect in the modern game to play anywhere except up front or in the hole. Play him where he doesn't have to get back, and he'll be twice the player.

[trent]

sascha looked pretty dang good last night, most of his passing and through balls were spot on.

[NOLA soccer fan]

There is no position where you do not have to drift back. even strikers come back to help a bit in some situations.

adu is too small to be a forward, hed get knocked around like a pinball. bottom line, adu just needs to learn to play some defense. not alot, but enough. then we could all say how he is the second coming of pele.

but i like the progress this team is making. its a bit weak at the back, but we always seem to have a wall in goal. so i like the USMNT chances....

and i LOVE watching el tri look like crap

[RYC]

I just don't see Klejstan as net positive, but apparently I'm in the minority. To my eyes he had an ok game but not great and I only say ok because he's had some real poor performances recently. He had a couple of good through balls, but he really does turn the ball over a lot and usually very cheaply. when I see him play on the National team, it always seems to me that he's the weak link in the midfield.

[Steve]

Things I thinked I learned last night:

Altidore - just about ready to be starting, he is as aggressive in & around the box as any US player

Cooper - flashed nicely on the goal (beautiful), but thought he was weak otherwise. No first touch, wasted numerous nice passes, not a good dribbler, and was constantly offsides. Needs time & might have value as a late sub if the US is trailing.

Sacha - I'm convinced; he plays the through-ball as well as anyone other than Donovan. In a 4-4-2, he could be our 2010 starter next to Bradley. Don't think he can handle the wing, though.

Parkhurst - If only he were taller. Still -great speed, always in position, wonderful passing out of the backline (check out the accuracy on his long balls; freakish). Not sure if he can play fullback, but I think he's gotta be on the roster in 2010.

Adu - More of the same (good & bad) from him. Good -lots of pace, great first touches, a threat with the ball at his feet. Bad - can be pushed around, doesn't track back on D, and still a bit immature. Looking more and more like a late sub when the US is trailing.

Clark/Pablo - think they both played well and jumped ahead of Edu for the backup destroyer position behind Bradley. Can't see them both making the 2010 roster.

Guzan - Promising; needs all the experience he can get, so he must start every time Howard doesn't.

[TorresyVilla]

We finally have the players to help us succeed at the next World Cup. No doubt about it. We have a strong backline and a more or less solid midfield and now the offensive strike force we have so desired over the past few years.

[brentmcd]

know i'm in the minority, but i wasn't that impressed with cooper last night. his first touch was off, and i didn't see him beat anyone off the dribble. his goal was a gift from jozy, and he got lucky it went through the keeper's legs. call me underwhelmed. would have liked to see rolfe who has been on form.

on the other hand, i was very impressed with altidore. he seems to have really progressed in his short time in spain. kljestan continues to impress as well. thought parkhurst had a nice game too.

i have no idea why mastroeni continues to get called up. do we really expect him to go to south africa? rico looked better than i expected, but he doesn't hold or dribble the ball enough; he's always looking for the quick distribution. not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes you've got to carry the ball forward yourself, especially if the defense is giving you space.

would like to see more connecting passing through midfield instead of our traditional american boot-ball. with kljestan and bradley, there is hope. really wish that feilhaber would make a comeback.

[TorresyVilla]

@4now, Sounds like a great roster man.

But i figure Perkins might get the callup over Hahneman, with his solid play in the Norwegian league. Might be able to transfer to a bigger and talented league before the WC starts.

Subotic is headed for Serbia. Good riddance. If he wants to play with us great, but if not he should just state his intentions. I doubt Serbia even qualify for the WC.

I'd add Szetela in the place of Quaranta.

[Steve]

brentmcd - couldn't agree more. Jozy was the star, Parkhurst was overlooked glue. Cooper has talent but the goal (which was mostly Jozy) is clouding everyone's view of his overall play.

[HenrikSSW]

4 strikers? I'd say that's decent. With Cooper-Altidore and their potential no need for a 5th striker. Davies should be an excellent super-sub to call in around the 75th minute or so. How will Donovan fit in though? He won't be a sub if he's playing for BM.

[HenrikSSW]

Our backline for the WC

Pearce Gooch Bocanegra Cherundolo

Additional Defenders?

Spector Parkhurst Wynne DeMerit Califf

[kevin]

Any chance EJ could be 1 of those strikers come the next WC? Look at Emile Heskey, crappy striker but quite effective when paired with a speedy little forward. Consider it, with his play improving at Cardiff, maybe EJ should be considered for a super-sub slot.

[Aquaman]

Did anyone else have a problem with the CMU football game running over. I DVRed it, so I only saw the first goal. I watched the Adu goal on ESPN. That was F'ing beautiful. I wish I could have watched the full second half because from what I've read, the team looked really good. Hopefully, Bradley now sees that he has some choices and will tinker with different pairings of the new and old.

[kevin]

MY WC starting XI

Howard
Pearce/Spector Gooch Bocanegra Cherundolo
Bradley Kljestan
Dempsey Adu
Altidore Cooper

But i want Donovan involved. Might be best as a sub or in Dempsey's place.

[TorresyVilla]

Ohh and add Rogers to my choice for midfield.

[zach]

what about clark? why not the fab 5? he had a great night as well. He played some excellent balls to the forwards.
Out of the 5, I could see Altidore OR Cooper AND Sacha having shots at getting starts in the early going of next round. Adu and Clark will maybe get called, and maybe get subbed....Until we get to the top of the group and play our weaker players again.

Do you think BB would go into the first final round game without 2 defensive central midfielders and that sacha-bradley is a real possibilty?

----altidore
----------------donovan
beasley--------Dempsey

------Sacha---Bradley------

Pearce, gooch, boco, dolo

-----------howard---------

sub cooper and ching for forwards

sub adu and eddie lewis for wings

sub edu or clark in central midfield

start pablo over bradley or sacha when he gets out of foul trouble

sub bornstein for left back
sub subotic :P for right back

sub guzan for howard

[Jags98]

I agree with above, how do you put all these guys on the field together? Rogers, Holden, & Wynne need to get their opportunities. With a Cooper/Jozy up front and Davies as a sub, how do you play a Torres, Bradley, Sacha, Dempsey, Donovan, Adu, Rogers, Beasley? Loving the depth and it is building in the back as well. Its a good position for us to be in.

[Hector]

Go Jo-Coo!

[victor]

I just don't see how folks are in love with Kljestan. He is woefully inconsistent and for my money, he's battling Torres for a spot in 2010. And I take Torres. Kljestan works hard and can sometimes hit a good pass, but he can also make some bad giveaways, seems to often press too hard to make a play and plays matador D quite often. We really need Sztela to develop and what about Beckerman? Captain of his squad, an offensive threat and provides defensive bite, I think he really needs to get a look. Quaranta too, I love that kid.

[fieldsy]

i think that Klejstan impressed me the most with his play. he was solid in the mid-field.

[Huck]

Kevin, are you on crack? BB will never put out a XI in a meaningful match w/o Donovan unless he's injured. Nor should he. You really think Cooper, Kljestan, Beasley and Adu have all earned the place rather than Donovan?

[Sevy]

I think everyone who thinks Adu played great is blinded by his goal. Did any one see how many bad corners he took in the game? Missed passes? long touches? Lack of defense and hussle?
I was happy with Alticooper up front and even the rest of the mids but Adu was very inconsistent.

[AlohaDan]

I looked closely at Cooper the whole game.

He didn't play that well IMHO. but not badly either.

Losts of hand shoving, and he got called for it. Looked like Gouch a few years back.

Had a few good defensive moments. But seems slow in shooting. Lost quite a few balls at the top of the box. I saw that in his last few MLS game

The kid that should be paired with Altidor is recoverying from tonsilitis. Davies. That's the pairing I want to see.

Speed to burn A younger Ching is not that useful.

[Isaac]

My 23-man roster:for the next Hex match

GK:Howard,Guzan,Hahnemann
DF:Wynne,Bocanegra,Onyewu,Cherundolo,Pearce,
DeMerit,Parkhurst,Goodson
MF:Dempsey,Bradley,Kljestan,Adu,Edu,Szetela,
Beasley,
FW:Donovan,Altidore,Cooper,Ching,Davies

4-4-2 with Donovan and Jozy up top, Dempsey and Beasley on the wings, Bradley and Kljestan in the center, Pearce and Cherundolo on the back outside and Bocanegra and Gooch in the back inside and of course Timmy in goal. Thats probably my lineup. Its also a pretty likely lineup and roster. The good thing is that Bradley cant call up Mastroeni in place of Cooper because of the mustard accumulations.

[Justice]

wow, how quickly we forget about clint dempsey. For me, he's a constant threat and plays with a swagger I don't think anybody else on the team has. Mental is a big part of this game too. Don't forget about that. The young guns did well for themselves last night, to be sure. I think people are being a little hard on Freddy. I think he had a strong game. He tries hard, he could try harder on defense, but let's be honest, we'd always have a libero type player covering our more attack minded mids anyway, so that doesn't bother me at all. Well done, boys. Keep up the good work.

[Betinho]

Klejsten had his best game as a Nat team member. I can't remember one mis-step. If he puts togethre a few performances like that in a row...he's got to be on the field.

As far as the subject of competition - I'm not so certain Beasley and Dempsey have their positions locked up (and they are 2 of my personal faves). In fact the only positions that seemed locked in are Howard, Boca (wish he could distribute like Parkhurst), Gooch, Bradley and Donovan. There's not much separating the rest of the positions. I would put Jozy in the locked in category but not sure Bob would agree.

[HomeyBoehme]

@brentmcd -

"his goal was a gift from Jozy, and he got lucky it went through the keeper's legs"

Really? Luck? Now I'm not going to say Cooper intentionally put the ball between the keepers legs. What I am saying is that Cooper got on the end of that ball in a difficult situation, and put that ball on frame. Where exactly did you want him to place that shot? How many options do you think he had with a defender on him, falling to the ground and stretching to make contact with the ball?

I'm also not a fan of the reasoning that Jozy was mostly responsible for the goal. Yes, he had the assist, but Cooper still had to finish it. How many times do you hear that someone else was responsible for the goal when Ruud VanNistelroy scores, or Raul, or Messi, or Rooney? C'mon...strikers #1 job is to finish. Cooper did.

I'm not saying Cooper had a perfect game by any means, but he did score a goal and he did link up well several times in the attack. Job well done IMO, and a positive step toward strengthening the team (especially the striking department) ahead of WC 2010.

[BellusLudas]

I was at the game last night 6 rows off the floor behind Guats goal (second half). Freddy's goal was out and out artistry. This was a confident group. It was difficult to find a player out of place. I look forward to watching the tape tonight.

[alex]

I thought the game was awesome. I think colorado should never get another qualifier..sorry! I think going forward e.jonson and b.convey have lost there spots. The team that was on the field last night isn't the future it's the present team they need to be the ones to take over games because the older guys seem to be too afraid to take on players these guys are not. First game in the hex the lineup will be.
forawds: altidore and ching
underneath: landon
mid: beasley,bradely,klejstian,dempsey
defense:spector,gooch,boca,cherundolo

the subs
forwards: cooper,davies
mids: adu,edu,rogers,masteroni(suspended)torres
defense: pearce,orozco,wynne,marshall

[NateinSF]

Beasley is not reliable. Yes, he's a great player but has a lot of injury problems and hasn't even been making the bench for Rangers the past couple of weekends.

[alex]

Ha! I forgot the goalie so that changes, beas at left back klejstian on the left donovan next to bradely.
Why do you guys pick simek and others over chad marshall? That guy is a beast. Can you imagine a gooch marshall paring, good god!! luca toni be ware!!

[Betinho]

"the older guys seem to be too afraid to take on players these guys are not"

I've been mulling something over for awhile that may seem a little rediculous: US players going to Europe isn't the best thing for US soccer. And it's precisely because of the point Alex makes above. They get to the EPL, etc and lose their confidence. They realize just what they are up against and become tenative. I'm not married to this theory at all but it came to me while watching Dempsey. When he was with the Revs he wasn't afraid of taking on anyone. After being with Fulham he's become more hesitant to do so. Even Adu - when he's not playing at an under age tournament or against a CONCACAF minnow, he's hesitant. Maybe "ignorance is bliss" is good for our guys. A false sense of "we are as good as anybody" attitude would allow them to play with less fear. Just a thought.

[Tim]

Sacha has been playing so well for club and country. He is definately going to Europe more specifically the Netherlands.

[This Guy]

All the people on here for about 6 months whining about Cooper not getting a call-up and BOOM!!!!!!!!!! There you have the reason. The only concern about Jozy and Kenny is they are strong and play physical. In Europe and in the WC that type of play tends to yield way to fouls and yellows. I liked what I saw, that is until Ching checked in and our entire attack left the field.
Another thing is many on here including a certain writer for ESPN? have argued the consistency of Ching may be what we need but after seeing that match and that attack, I feel good about the future. If not 2010 than 2014.
Add Vandon Donowan and Deuce to that attack with the speed of DeMarcus and we have a squad with a serious threat.

[jmac]

4now i generally like your roster, but will quibble with Gibbs & Subotic and would suggest Orozco and maybe Simek/Wynee. No on Quaranta and maybe Szetela or Holden instead. I love Holden's work rate and his ability to play all 4 midfield positions. I think Ching should be a close consideration, also.

Again, sillyness to think that Cooper should start over Donovan at forward.

[jmac]

Also, Edu has been playing like garbage recently. Maybe his future is at CB. I think Mastro and Clark are better choices to play instead of Bradley.

[Noogatuck]

Many of you seem surprised by how well Goodson played. He was the Norwegian League's player of the year after transferring from FC Dallas. While that is indeed a bush league, POY for a central defender is pretty impressive.

[Steponhens]

I was impressed with Cooper and Altidore together. It was refreshing to see them attacking and opening up the offensive end of the field. What surprised me most with Cooper were his crosses. He had a few to Altidore and one that dropped to Sacha (who blew the finish). After seeing Bradley this weekend I could see Cooper drifting out wide and crossing to Bradley making a run through the middle of the box.

Also, I am not impressed with Sacha. I see some of the things he is trying to do and I like the thought but the execution is not there yet. I like his style of play and hope he can sharpen his game up some. However, I do not think he should be starting for a full strength US National Team game.

All in all this was Guatemala. They had a lineup that was not their strongest and looked defeated before the game started. The other home qualifying games the US was dominant as well and one game by players who deserved a shot does not mean they should be automatic starters. I think many players deserve more looks and that we can be confident with different players starting and on the bench but it was obvious to me that the core of the team was missing.

[This Guy]

Everyone is overlooking Goodson's performance last night. He was by far the best of our backline. If you TIVO'd or DVR'd the match and plan on watching again. Watch every set piece the Guats had and every cross that entered the box. Goodson's head was on easily 75% of them. He could have easily been MOTM. To suggest Adu should start over Vandon or Deuce is like suggesting Eskimo's need ice trays. It is just retarded.
Dempsey and Donovan are our 2 best in our front 6.
Only goal scored in WC06 and most international goals. for a shaky kid who gets 2 minutes a match????? That's stupid.

[Isaac]

Betinho,

You make a valid point. as someone stated before, the mental game is very important. I think though with some players its not a case of they cant handle Europe so much as they get sent to a level or part of Europe that is too tough for them. They need to progress at a pace that is just right for them and somewhere that suits their style of play. Kljestan would be good for Netherlands because it fits his style of play, and its not too tough or easy on him.
But keeping players in the home country seems to work for Italy Ex: Pirlo.