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Dempsey and Bradley discuss Guatemala qualifier

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OSvvYPSuZg]

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  1. So I ask this question….

    Do we despise Guatemala so much that we won’t agree to play out a nil nil and advance both of us? Will we really risk playing attacking football just to knock them out knowing it could be bad news if we lose 1-0 or 2-1 and Jamaica makes up the goal difference?

    I say we just start out knocking the ball around the back, Guatemala will be quite happy to ride out a draw I would think…

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  2. Tha Deuce is tha man. he said it correctly “we were in antigua trying to play on that b—” which was accurate cuz those field conditions would never fly in CONMEBOL or UEFA. USSF should have known beforehand and moved the venue.

    im excited to see Tha Deuce perform.

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  3. This game needs to be a statement game. For too long, the US has been unable to assert itself on lesser opponents. That is why they always seem to be playing to the level of the opponent. Control possession, create chances, boss the game.

    I didn’t expect Klinsi to turn the US into a freewheeling offensive juggernaut, but taking the game to Guatemala, Jamaica, and Antigua, even if they are bunkering/bad pitch/on the road/insert excuse here, isn’t too much to ask.

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      • Incorrect. USA has 10 points, Jamaica 7. USA only gets eliminated with a loss and a Jamaica win by 3 or more goals. Even a 3-goal Jamaica win gives the US a chance on number of goals, which they are currently ahead 8-4. Jamaica needs at least 4 goals so let’s pray for another wind storm.

  4. Dempsey didn’t do well, but consider the style of game that was played. He is the player that gets that ball right at the top of the box and distributes or shoots. With Concacaf teams consistently bunkering against our team, there a 4 or 5 players right there at all times and playing his game isn’t really an option. I think Klinsmann needs to figure out how to utilize him better. Can he do better, yes, as can the whole team. Can it all be blamed on him? no.

    Clint has always come through in the clutch for us. That is why he is on the field. Let’s not take that for granted.

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    • This is a good point. With Dempsey getting the kind of attention he does, the other players need to be making smart off the ball runs and fill in where they leave holes.

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  5. I think that part of the transition this team is in right now is finding a way to address the reality that Landon Donovan is no longer a “keystone” player. I think that is he doesn’t retire from international play we’ll see him used more and more as a super sub. So, injuries aside, the fact he has been so absent from this round of qualifying has been a good thing, as it forces the issue. Utilizing the “double bucket” could very well have been part of exploring that question (do we not even try to replace that kind of player and simply play a system that puts our best players on the field?)

    That said, I think it would be reasonable and valuable to see JK use this match (or at least a portion of the training sessions) to keep investigating the Kljestan and Zusi prospects. I would hope to see players like Bedoya, Shea, Adu, Feilhaber, Corona, Gyau, Gatt, Diskerrud, Luis Gil, Jose Villareal, and Victor Garza get a hard look in January.

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    • and it is to be expected, not every player over 30 can be expected to maintain top form… Donovan had a combination of speed and skill and the loss of speed with age is completely normal…

      that said, you’d expect the coach to call in more wing players as potential repalcements and cycle through them in friendlies and potentially as subs in qualifiers-instead Klinsmann has called in less (no Gatt, no Lichaj, not Bedoya)…and instead relying on a bunch of defensive central mids to maintain possession and find precise angles on passes a la Barcelona is foolish in my view…

      wings are not a must, as Xavi, Iniest and co. have proven, but we are as far from having players of that skillset in our player pool as we are form any position on the field

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      • He tried calling in Gatt before but he was injured, and is just coming off the injury.

        I know Lichaj is the SBI community’s savor, but he is not a winger.

        Bedoya has never really shown and after a very poor showing in Scotland, is just finding his feet. He’s not the answer either.

        Friendlies are the time to experiment. However, Klinsi has not had that opportunity because he was forced to use the previous friendlies to find his team and for them to understand his system.

        Now that he has that core, I think we’ll see more experimentation.

      • Barcelona may not have “wings” in the midfield, but they certainly have two wings in Pedro, Sanchez, Villa, etc. who play a wing forward position and stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically. Wings are a must in order to space the field.

    • I just have to say it…Donovan is still one of the best STARTERS we have on the team. Using him as a sub would be a total waste.

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      • Yes, he’s still our best wing option unless Shea, Gatt, or Gyau has a real breakthrough. He’s also our best crosser of the ball as he demonstrated with Everton last year. As long as he retains speed and health, he should be our starter in Brazil.

    • What are the chances Donovan can transition to a central midfielder as he ages (a la Giggs)? I know he’s expressed considering retirement, and right now there’s no depth at wing, but his experience can only help in big games. If (…big if) he wants to play well into his 30s, a switch will have to be considered at some point.

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      • He played plenty of CM as a younger player (he’s a number 10 after all). With his speed, ability to cross the ball and aversion to physical play, though, he is clearly best suited to the wing. Also, in order to play CM for Klinsi, it is mandatory that your best position is defensive midfielder.

      • Donovan is a central midfielder. He plays that position regularly for Galaxy. He winds up playing on the wing for USMNT because a) he’s generally the fastest mo-fo on the pitch, and b) we frequently have no one else.

        Like Dempsey, Donovan is an attacking midfielder who likes to cut inside and go to the box, rather than run play into the corner and cross.

    • This fascination with Parkhurst at LB boggles my mind. Apparently he’s played a few games at LB in Norway, so now he’s the starter for a very very very important WCQ?

      Dempsey has always been a frustrating player to watch, but he scores bags of goals, you take the good w/ the bad.

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      • I am actually not looking forward to parkhurst at LB, i just think he’s probably better than boca, even with Boca’s greater experience at the position. Clearly FJ is first choice, then Castillo. I’d rather JK had called in Licaj to play there than parkhurst. I’d probably even trust Spector more than parkhurst…and if only Timmy Chandler didnt flake out…he would have easily been 2nd choice.

      • Klinsi has some weird thing where he doesn’t seem to care who plays LB if Fabina isn’t available. Didn’t he play Klejstan there once? He also has a weird thing about calling in guys who he pretty much knows can’t play then not replacing them on the roster despite clear depth needs. No reason that I can see for Lichaj not to be on this roster.

      • Who did he know couldn’t play? Donovan told him he was better. Shea was 50/50 so it was a decent bet. Johnson was due to sickness. Castillo was injured in practice.

        None of them are Klinsi’s fault. Albeit, not calling anyone in is frustrating. Stubborn German…

      • LD and Brek were surprise call ins based on their injuries. I don’t think most people ever expected them to play. JK should have at least had backups picked out don’t you think? At worst, you get a few guys in to take a look at them and you have a full team to practice against. I really don’t see the downside.

      • Parkhurst played RB against Chelsea in Champions League a few weeks ago and looked really good and was providing great service (as confirmed by the announcers who were impressed with this “unknown American”) the game ended up a Chelsea rout and I didn’t stick around to watch it. were any of the goals his falt? because he looked really good in the first 20-30 minutes.

  6. Here is what I thought I saw….

    —————–Gordon——Johnson———————-
    —Zusi————–Dempsey———–Klejsten——–
    ———————–Bradley———————————

    Which would not seem to make sense if we solely need a draw to advance.

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  7. After his recent performances, Dempsey should be saying one thing and one thing only–I will suit and perform much better than I have been.

    End of story.

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      • Really? We’re really going to start getting down on Deuce because he couldn’t make an impact on that game under those ridiculous conditions and with utter lack of service? Really? Have we really reached the point where two years of the greatest offensive performance ever by an American player is somehow wiped out by one ineffective outing in a hurricane?? Have our memories really become so short? Really?

      • He did have a great two years. And you make great points about no service and bad field conditions. But, his last 3 performances have been subpar (2 jamaicas and ATG). Jozy just got left off the roster for bad performances. He also hasn’t been getting much service. So yes, Deuce needs to pick up his game a little cuz his form from the past two years aren’t helping this team right now.

      • I’m sick of scapegoating our forwards who are playing great and scoring goals for good leagues while we roll out 3-4 d-mids every single game. Do you think our lack of offense is due to poor forward play or the fact that we trot out the most absurdly defensive personnel and give the forwards absolutely no one to combine with?? If we had Messi, he’d look awful too with no one to combine with. Let’s place the blame where it really belongs. A forward can only do so much. He can’t pick up the ball in his own half, slalom through 8 guys and nutmeg the keeper.

      • And I’m sick of these comments about 3-4 defensive midfielders when it was done once. And anyone who has seen Jones play for club knows he can play the “central midfield” (keeping the FIFA roles) position with ease. Just for whatever reason, beyond that January game, he hasn’t delivered.

        Edu for Rangers was also used higher up the pitch so he’s not really a “DM”.

        So can we please move away from that tag? It holds up as much weight as a political argument.

      • Done once? You mean once every game? Not sure what team you’ve been watching but just about every game under Klinsmann has featured at least 3 d-mids. Usually it’s MB & JJ plus Beckerman or Williams or Edu. The best position for each of those guys is D-mid. Edu is not best as a D-mid?? Really??? Come on. You’re either not paying attention or deliberately trying to distort things. Those guys are all d-mids.

      • Edu, Beckerman, Jones, and Williams ALL play the defensive midfield role. Only Jones would try to claim that isn’t his best position, and even then he’d admit it’s a central midfield role that is high on defensive qualities. Bradley is possibly the only one who isn’t an out and out D-Mid.

        Quit blindly buying in the Klinsmann coach-speak, you’re losing credibility if you think playing Williams out on the wing is the “offensive soccer” that he promised.

      • Johnson somehow managed to have a good game on the same pitch in the same conditions on the same day with the same team supporting him…. just saying.

      • Good for EJ and everything, but you kind of proved my point for me, Wiger. If you’re going to build a football club based on a couple runs in a single match in a wind storm, then good luck with that. I doubt Spurs are rushing to sign EJ to replace Deuce. Y’all have some very, very, very short memories.

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