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USMNT Daily Update: Who should start vs. Belgium?

Eddie Johnson

By IVES GALARCEP

The U.S. Men’s National Team will play their first of five matches in a three-week span on  Wednesday in Cleveland, Ohio, and while it is arguably the least meaningful of the five, it should offer Jurgen Klinsmann a chance to see some different options in the starting lineup.

Michael Bradley and Fabian Johnson will miss the match due to club commitments, meaning those are two spots up for grabs in the lineup that will face Belgium. The Belgians are bringing a full-strength side so there is a good chance Klinsmann will try to start as many first-team regulars as possible.

The match will also be significant because, if he plays, DaMarcus Beasley will earn his 100th cap. The Puebla midfielder is likely to slot in at left back vs. Belgium, and should face a stiff challenge from Belgium’s speedy wingers.

Another starter who might not be in the starting lineup is Jozy Altidore, who last played on May 11th and may not be fully fit for the match. With Eddie Johnson in mid-season form with Seattle in MLS, and Clint Dempsey having finished his club season just a week ago, Klinsmann could save Altidore for the friendly against Germany, which would offer a good test for Altidore six days before facing Jamaica in World Cup qualifying.

So who could we see in the starting lineup against Belgium? Here is one possible lineup:

PROJECTED USMNT LINEUP vs. BELGIUM

——-Eddie-Johnson—————–Clint Dempsey———

Herculez Gomez———————————Graham Zusi

—————Maurice Edu——-Jermaine Jones————-

DaMarcus Beasley—————————-Geoff Cameron

——————Matt Besler——-Omar Gonzalez———–

—————————-Tim Howard————————-

——

Here are some thoughts on the squad:

Tim Howard is Klinsmann’s number one and he should start all five matches in the upcoming run, but Brad Guzan is a good bet to get a half in each of the upcoming friendlies, or at least one of them.

If Jozy Altidore is fit enough, he should start in place of Eddie Johnson, but if he isn’t, he would more likely be a halftime or second-half replacement.

If Clint Dempsey can’t go, Klinsmann could call on young forward Terrence Boyd. Belgium’s defense, led by Vincent Kompany, would be a great test for the young forward.

If Brek Shea is healthy and fully fit, he should see some minutes in this match, but it’s tough to see Klinsmann starting him.

Matt Besler played his first match last weekend after missing three matches due to injury with Sporting KC. If he can’t go, or not completely fit, Clarence Goodson could get the nod. I do think we will see Goodson start in one of the friendlies.

In case you were wondering, here is the list of players actually available to face Belgium:

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa),  Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)

DEFENDERS: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo)

MIDFIELDERS: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)

——–

What do you think of the lineup? Who would you start vs. Belgium?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Ives- Jozy might have not played in awhile but you could say that about most of the non-MLSers (Edu, Holden, Shea, Cameron) Jones & Dempsey finished up around the same time too. I thought the point of the friendlies was to get back in game shape for the Euro guys who’s seasons ended

    Reply
  2. Our defense is going to get destroyed by Belgium regardless of who starts. The only positive would be if Omar can hold his own. Cameron and Besler are going to get worked, and Beasley can easily get outplayed depending on who shows up. If Belgium actually plays as good as they look on pen and paper, they can beat anyone, especially a USA team that just doesn’t seem hungry the past few games

    Reply
    • “If Belgium actually plays as good as they look on pen and paper, they can beat anyone, especially ”

      That is a very big IF especially when it comes to these guys. They have been together a while now and have yet to be anything other than remarkable underachievers.

      Reply
    • @Ryan let’s be fair they were selling cold beer, ice cream and gelato at the Costa Rica game…who wants to eat when it is that cold. I would never eat in Mexico before a world cup qualifier…you never know what you’ll get…”a little Montezuma with you meal, sir”

      You could say that we will be destroyed because Belgium has many world class players or because they are just better. The first 20 minutes of the Costa Rica game the US looked pretty good and even dangerous…after that you can’t snow took away any ability to measure/qualify anybody’s play. The snow classico was about heart not hunger.

      As for Mexico it was guts and a little bit of luck but still the US tried to be more offensive coming out of the back. Maybe exhaustion from absorbing the Mexican onslaught but it didn’t appear to be a lack of hunger.

      It is entirely likely that we will be slapped around in both games. For sure we will be pushed back in our half of the field with the talent we have available for Belgium but it is how we respond that is important when we get moments of possession…do we build our offense through short passes, width and movement off the ball…OR do we just boom it down field and hope.

      I expect that we should have more possession during the German game but even the German second team knows how to finish and they will have their opportunities.

      I expect no matter what happens the US will go out and try to impose their game when they can. If they lose while trying then we can chalk it up to a better team beating a lesser team…try to learn from it and move on to the next game.

      Reply
  3. Gomez Dempsey
    Shea Holden Jones Zusi
    Beasley Besler Gonzalez Cameron
    Howard

    The midfield choices are underwhelming, and the second tier mids and backs are like Camp Cupcake quality.

    Reply
    • Interesting idea to play Holden and Shea and see where they are at for this friendly. Hope it happens, especially with Holden.

      Reply
      • I wish it were that well thought out in terms of testing players, it was really more my reflex response to the talent on hand. Shea vs. Davis, Holden vs. a second DM or Kljestan. The pickings from the roster list are kind of slim, and if these two guys are healthy they are superior players to the alternatives.

        The forwards and backs also seemed to pick themselves because the fit quality players are just a notch above some of the MLS-level mediocrity competing with them, EJ, Parkhurst, Williams, Evans, Ashe.

        I also erred on the side of the (IMO) good players for game 1 because I think game 2 should be a tryout for the marginal players. I hope we don’t wear our first team out like last summer.

  4. Does anyone have a probable starting line up for Belgium? I heard they are going to be stacked.
    Will probably be a tougher team than Germany without the Dortmund and Munich players…

    Reply
    • They are stacked. Here’s my guess:

      —————————– Courtois ——————

      Alderweirald — Kompany — Vermaelen — Vertonghen

      Witsel —– Fellaini ——- Dembele ——- E. Hazard

      —————-De Bruyne —— Benteke —————–

      Yikes!

      Reply
      • Thanks, that is one hell of a team! Hazard, Dembele and Fellaini in midfield, never mind the defense. I hope they play lousy together or we may be in for a bad night.

      • Did Romelu Lukaku make the team? If so, I would expect to see him over De Bruyne considering recent form, and his youth…

  5. I think castillo should be LB and fabian should play mifdfield. Edgar “el homie” castillo played pretty darn good in his copa libertadores match. this and the fact that fabian johnson can play on the left side of the midfield can create a lethal combo.

    Reply
  6. The only way to deal with Belgium’s attack:
    ________________Howard
    Tally Hall____Guzan_____Hamid_____Sean Johnson
    ________________Rimando
    ___Cameron________Gonzo_______Besler
    __________Edu________J.Jones

    Reply
    • I like it, but the formation is off:

      Rimando–Guzan–Howard–Hall–Hamid–Johnson
      Jones*
      Cameron–Gonzo–Besler–Edu

      *Keep him here, otherwise, he breaks forward too often.

      Reply
      • both these lineups just made me laugh way too hard. think we might get some international media attention with those lineups? 🙂

      • With this game on the schedule, you have to question Klinsmann’s decision to call up so few goalies.

  7. Mo and Jones distributing with EJ up top will be like watching paint dry. This one is going to very ugly. I’m just hoping to see a cameo from Boyd and solid effort from the CBs.

    Reply
    • i think it’s contract related. apparently Stoke and Bursaspor are trying to work out what they are going to do with him. not with Pulis gone, who knows. but anyway, he was injured and missed 3 weeks as a result, but then never got back into the lineup despite Bursaspor wanting to sign him. which leads me to believe he was rested as they work out a contract? i am obviously completely guessing, but it’s strange. and just one more reason Kljestan should start ahead of Edu.

      Reply
      • Agree on Edu and Kl*&%-stan (can never spell that name). If Jozy can lose his fitness in just 11 days then Edu would be even worse off not playing since April. But actually, it’s friendly and a good opportunity for Jozy to work his way back to fitness. honestly don’t care if we win against Belgium and/or Germany, just want see some of Klinsmann’s high-octane style of attacking soccer and maybe a counter-attack or two and get the team fired up for the WCQ games.

      • yeah, i think it’s the perfect time to see how we do with someone like Kljestan in there. no real pressure. and i agree about Jozy, if he isn’t in perfect shape, lets get him into shape. didn’t he say he would be maintaining his fitness on his own though?

  8. remember that time when all the mls teams tried to play gomez in the middle and he was run out of the league for sucking…he belongs up top.

    Reply
  9. ________Ashe
    Ashe——————Ashe
    Davis—————–Cameron
    ———–Holden
    Ashe–Cam–Cam–Ashe
    ———–Hall

    Reply
  10. Can’t wait till Eddie Johnson retires or is finally out of the usmnt picture for good. Whichever comes first

    Reply
    • Are you angry with him on a personal level for some reason? This statement can’t be based on form seeing as how he is performing on par with the best that we have to offer in the forward pool with the exception of Altidore.

      Reply
      • What about Boyd? He did pretty well this year…in a marginally if not moderately better league.

      • Ohhh noooo. Austria is not better than MLS at all. It’s low level league. It was a great chance for T-Boyd to get some playing time and strut his stuff, but he needs to take a step up in competition next year.

      • There are like 10 teams in that League. It’s better than being in a Bundliga 2 team but…

        Too be honest he might be better than Julian Schieber, if he was still in Dortmund’s reserves he might get some play time now. Mostly because Schieber looks worse than useless whenever he plays.

    • What has Altidore done for the NATS in the last 2 years? Scoring a boat load of goals for the Dutch Eredivicie somehow hasn’t transferred to the NATS. If Eddie Johnson can bring Altidore out of his shell, it sounds like a win win scenario for me!

      Reply
  11. Just out of curiosity how often a day does everyone come to SBI? I check it out easily 6 – 10 times day. Work gets boring.

    Reply
  12. “Tim Howard is Klinsmann’s number one and he should start all five matches in the upcoming run, but Brad Guzan is a good bet to get a half in each of the upcoming friendlies, or at least one of them.”

    Ives, with 6 Goalkeepers called up, this statement or “thought” makes little sense.

    Reply
    • Howard and Guzan are #1 and #2 respectively. The remaining 4 keepers called up have not been called up for the entire duration of these National team games, but are rotating. Each of those for being with the team for a small portion to get these players some time training with the USMNT.

      Reply
    • no, your comment doesn’t amke any sense because there ARE NOT 6 keepers in camp at once. RESEARCH BEFORE YOU POST LIKE A DUMB A$$.

      Reply
      • i don’t have to explain it to you. there is an article, on this website, explaining it.

        point is, you quoted Ives and said it doesn’t make sense what he said…when in fact, if you had actually read on the topic before commenting on it, you would have known that Ives was spot on.

        the 3rd goalie thing is more about the Gold Cup than WCQs.

      • @bryan, I’m just saying that there is a slew of young players in their off-season playing abroad that would have been better served being in this camp than rotating MLS goalkeepers to the tune of SIX who are known entities within the USMNT, perhaps taking up valuable places within this camp. I wasn’t expecting such personal slander, just a simple explanation as a longtime USMNT fan!

      • i understand what you are saying. and you are wrong. i know because i use to think the same thing. here is why i changed my mind:

        1. There were 23 out-field players called into camp plus two confirmed keepers, totaling 25 players.
        2. The last spot, the 26th spot, was reserved for the 3rd goalie. There are four players who are competing for that spot, and none of them will be in camp at the same time.

        That means, even if he called in 15 keepers, NOT ONE spot was causing an out-field player to be left out. no matter what, there would be only 23 out field players in camp, no matter how many keepers came rotating in.

        That’s the point and why it truly isn’t a big deal. I agree, we have a few players who are in the off-season that should be in this camp. Morales is one of those. But the goalie situation can’t be blamed for it.

  13. —————–Howard——————-
    Cameron—-Gonzalez—Besler—–Beasley
    ————-Jones——–Edu—————
    Zusi———–Corona————–Dempsey
    ——————Altidore——————

    Reply
  14. Ives failed on his line up selection AGAIN

    Gomez on the wing, AGAIN is why we are not scoring any goals. Stop putting players out of position. We need a true winger

    Maurice Edu, first of all shouldn’t even be on a US roster, let alone starting…….. Jones + Edu = no possession… It’s the same with Bradley + Jones = no possession

    Wingers and creative midfielders. The US-U20 team have more possession

    Reply
    • who are these mythical wingers in the US player pool we are all missing? feel free to post your own lineup suggestion

      Reply
      • Don’t you see them over there next to the Leprechaun wearing the Gryffindor jacket riding the Unicorn!!

        3-1

      • this but don’t drop Donovan’s name until he’s proven his commitment in the Gold Cup.

      • I think he is committed but not ready for 90 minutes. Let the guys who didn’t go on vacation play.

      • @the unmistakeable Ronaldinho: DaMarcus Beasley is a dammm good winger and deserves a shot to sbow what he can do and a friendly would be the time to give him the chance.

      • I meant for this game in particular. Beasley and Fabian Johnson could be good “natural” wing options on the left, but it doesn’t look like either will be available to play there vs Belgium. Gomez or EJ will likely fill that role in that game.
        Anyway, the point I was getting at was that we have a serious lack of true wide players. This isn’t Klinsmann’s fault. There are plenty of issues that can be raised against him but the whole not including wingers isn’t one of them.

      • But we only need two wingers–I think. Left, right. Yeah. Two. And we got ‘em: Beasley on the left and Donovan on the right. I would give anything to see:

        ————Jozy or Herc or EJ———–

        DMB———-Captain Dempsey——–LandyCakes

        ————JJ90Y——–Mikey B.———————–

        That would be an awesome offensive line-up, I think. That said, we gotta put our faith in Klinsmann because he’s been there and done that and sees stuff in his mind that a lot of us cannot even imagine. And it could be that part of Klinsmann’s strategic long-term plan is to keep the USMNT goal total down to a minimum to put pressure on the defense to hang tough. Trial by fire, gettin’ out of the comfort zone. Toughen ‘em up for WC 2014. If we get there.

      • Beasley will be playing left back and Donovan isn’t on the roster. That isn’t an option for the Belgium game or any game in the very near future.
        We lack true quality wide players in the player pool. That’s just a fact. There is no depth in that area.

      • If you are going to put DMB on the wing put him at right wing so he can do the Robben impersonation he used to do at PSV.

        DMB is deadlier cutting in onto his.left foot.

      • Biff, you have it exactly right: Dempsey withdrawn behind pick-a striker, with DMB and LD on the wings. Too bad Klinsmann can’t see the obvious. Or perhaps he considers other things more important than getting the best possible combination playing together ASAP — as his recent game-playing with regard to Donovan seems to indicate.

      • “Or perhaps he considers other things more important than getting the best possible combination playing together ASAP — as his recent game-playing with regard to Donovan seems to indicate”

        Belgium and Germany are friendlies.

        Why is it important to get “the best possible combination playing together ASAP” for friendlies.?

        As for the qualifiers it remains to be seen if Donovan will be at his best form by the time they are played.(June 7 thru to June 18).

        He is not in his best form now and is more likely to get sharp playing competitive games with the Galaxy than prancing around in a camp he’s attended a hundred times before and playing a couple of boutique exhibition games where the opposition will be half hearted.

        Plus this gives LD an axe to grind and LD always loves to prove you wrong.

        His exile may last longer but whenever he comes back he should be a lot meaner and angrier than usual and that is a good thing.

        With LD it can be profitable to tug on Superman’s cape.

    • Ives fails quite a bit.

      But on this one I think it’s pretty close to what we will see.

      Not really a fan of this site though.

      Reply
    • You’re the one who failed…. to actually read the article. Ives was projecting what JK WILL do, not what he SHOULD do.

      Reply
    • Ives failed again? Umm, you he realize he doesn’t actually choose the roster, right? Any problems you have with previous rosters are due to Klinsmann, not Ives. Feels like I shouldn’t have to explain that…

      Reply
    • You hear that Ives? Your lineup predictions are why we aren’t scoring any goals! Stop trying to forecast Klinsi’s choices and do what this guy wants instead!

      Reply
  15. Surely Jozy will still be fit to start. A couple weeks without playing a match really isn’t that much after just completing a 9 month season. He has been training with AZ the whole time correct? Speaking of players not being fit, hasn’t Edu been out injured for close to a month now?

    I’d be in favor of giving Kljestan a start. Its time to give him some quality minutes to see what he will really bring to the table. We have seen Mo plenty. This is a great time for Kljestan with Bradley out.

    Reply
    • I’m not saying he definitely wont be fit but you start loosing muscle mass from lack of use in days. I doubt he’s been sitting a couch this whole time but by the same token I doubt he’s been training at the same level he did with his club either.

      Reply
    • I’m not saying he definitely wont be fit but you start loosing muscle ma$$ from lack of use in days. I doubt he’s been sitting a couch this whole time but by the same token I doubt he’s been training at the same level he did with his club either.

      Reply
  16. I’d rather have EJ on the wing for his speed and Herc up top, tucked inside cleaning up the garbage. I’d also rather see just about any other CM other than Edu. Give Sacha a shot there and have JJ play more defensively.

    Reply
    • I think it is almost certain Klinsmann will deploy 2 d mids against Belgium. Way too much offensive talent in Hazard, Witsel, Fellaini, Dembélé, Benteke, Lukaku.

      Reply
      • You’re probably right, but for a friendly, why not experiment a little to try to fix your glaring weaknesses (lack of service, lack of flow and scoring chances).

      • I was also commenting on what I’d like to see, not what JK will do. I’ve given up predicting JK. It’s just an exercise in frustration. Is he still on the streak of never starting the same lineup?

      • personally I think the title “defensive” midfielder is a bit overrated. Defending is a team concept mostly accomplished through hard work and positioning. Being able to tackle well is a bonus but I wouldn’t play someone like Beckerman over a player like Kljestan purely because he is better in the tackle. Jones is a very hard working touch tackling player. Pairing him with Kljestan, who has a bit more passing range, makes more sense to me than Edu.
        I will say that I haven’t seen Kljestan play for his club, but he is starting centrally for the Belgian champions. Surely he is not shirking his defensive duties there. We can get by just fine with his defensive abilities and his added abilities on the ball will help relieve pressure from the defense. We are too often giving the ball away cheaply in midfield which allows the our opponents to come right back at us. ball retention is also a form of defense in itself.

  17. why would Klinsmann start two forwards all of the sudden?

    it’ll be two misfit wings with forwards or defensive mids masquerading as wings
    two or three defensive mids
    a forward on an island
    at least one defender playing out of position

    Johnson
    Gomez-Dempsey- Zusi
    Jones-Williams
    Beasley-Besler-Gonzo-Cameron

    Brad
    Ashe
    Edu
    Boyd
    Shea
    Klestjan

    Reply
  18. I don’t ever remember Klinsmann starting a game in a 4-4-2?

    I think he sticks to the formation he used in the Mexico and Costa Rica games.

    Gomez
    E.Johnson Zusi
    Dempsey

    Edu Jones

    Beasley Cameron
    Besler Gonzo

    Howard

    Reply
    • _________________Gomez__________________
      E.Johnson_____________________________Zusi
      _________________Dempsey________________
      _____________Edu_______Jones_____________
      Beasley___________________________ Cameron
      ____________Besler______Gonzo_____________

      _________________Howard___________________

      Reply
      • that’s not an empty bucket…

        empty bucket would not have Dempsey “filling” the bucket like he is above, right?. the term is derived from the midfield formation of a 4-4-2 with two deep lying center mids and then two wingers and two strikers. like this:

        _____E Johnson____________Gomez_________
        Dempsey_____________________________Zusi
        _________________________________________
        _____________Edu_______Jones_____________
        Beasley___________________________ Cameron
        ____________Besler______Gonzo_____________

        _________________Howard___________________

    • +1

      I was thinking:

      ————————–EJ—————————–
      —Gomez——–Dempsey———–Zusi————-
      —————–Jones———–Kljestan—————-
      -Beasley—–Goodson/Besler–Gonzalez–Cameron-
      ————————–Howard————————–

      Guzan, Parkhurst, Edu, Davis, Boyd off the bench…

      Reply
      • Bingo.

        And, obviously depending on Altidore’s fitness, I’d like to see him starting in place of EJ.

    • Jozy should be there. The US changed the start of the camp with so many players likely to miss it. The call in date is now the 26th and I’m pretty sure Jozy will be available then. AZ dropped their silly game.

      Reply
  19. My lineup is somewhat similar:
    ——————–Howard——————-
    Cameron–Gonzo—Goodson-Beasley
    ———–Jones——–Edu———————
    —Zusi———————Dempsey———–
    ————Altidore—E. Johnson————-
    Subs-Gomez, Shea, Kljestan, Holden, Guzan?, and maybe f. johnson and bradley if they’re back from club commitments, just to get some touches, i would love to see fabian get a run out at rb for like 15-20 min
    A couple notes-Dempsey will move more in the hole and allow beasley to overlap him, edu will stay put and be able to cover against the belgian wings
    -I’m taking goodson over besler because of the physical strikers we’re facing (lukaku, benteke, etc) and with gonzo and goodson in the middle, crosses shouldn’t be a problem
    -It’s howards job to lose for now, although guzan has had a better year
    -Wouldn’t mind seeing gomez getting the start ahead of eddie johnson, but id like to see EJ work up top with altidore

    thoughts?

    Reply
    • Everyone seems to like Kljestan, and most agree he’s had his best season, yet no one picks him. I’m not a big fan of his at all, but at least he’s playing. Everyone bashing Klinsi for picking players who aren’t playing, then put Edu who hasn’t played properly in weeks is a tad funny.

      I’d like to see:

      ——————Boyd—————–
      Johnson—Dempsey——-Zusi
      ———–Kljestan-Jones————
      Beasley–Besler-Gonzo–Cameron

      My logic:

      – Johnson just doesn’t do it for me as a central striker on the international level, especially as a lone striker. I’d assume Klinsi keeps his 4-2-3-1 formation. However, Johnson is in form so I’d toss him out wide where he has been productive at the national level recently. Gomez, while offering lots of energy, hasn’t performed offensively. Let’s see what Boyd can do.

      – Kljestan has earned a chance with the absences. Edu and Jones together will produce less than Bradley and Jones. Might as well try Kljestan one more time in hopes he connects some forward passes.

      – No need to mess with the backline. Albeit Beasley for the bench when Castillo and Johsnon return. Besler and Gonzo need as much time together as possible.

      Reply
      • Don’t want to scroll all the way to the bottom of so many comments, so this is as good a place as any. My opinion is that it doesn’t matter one bit who starts. Give the marginal players some time to see how they do against a quality side, play some starters just enough to keep them fresh, and don’t get anyone hurt.

      • Good points but just a couple comments
        -Edu hasn’t been playing week in week out but he has gotten time for bursaspor and i like playing with a holding mid that will just sit there and protect the backline and edu is the only player like that we have available for this game
        -I’d love to see kljestan get some time as a deep mf instead of in attack or a winger
        -I dont think gomez has been sharp going forward because he’s been played out of position on the wing, so if altidore isn’t available id like him up top
        -I wana see EJ up top with another striker, like in the canada friendly, but with someone who can finish good chances (not wondo)

      • Agreed, Edu and Jones in the center are an offensive nightmare. I would throw Boyd and Johnson up top for speed since most of our attacks will be misguided long balls.

    • Not bad.

      But, I don’t think we see Dempsey anywhere but up top or at the top of a five-man midfield.

      I agree we see Goodson and not Besler against Belgium. Maybe OG and Besler against Germany.

      I would love to see Kljestan in place of Edu, but you may be right that JK plays a defensive lineup.

      I don’t think Altidore starts, although I’d like to see him match up against Kompany, Vertonghen, etc.

      Reply
  20. I’m okay with this lineup. I think it’s interesting, and good, that North American based players are becoming regulars and having success at the international level.

    Reply
  21. Snark, you forgot:

    GOALKEEPER: Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)
    FORWARDS: Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)

    I think it’s likely that we’ll see Dempsey in the hole between a lone striker and midfield. I’d rather see Kljestan in center mid that two D-Mids. Especially for a friendly.

    Reply
  22. Speaking of Fabian, Hoffenheim just scored to go up 1-0 in the first leg of their relegation playoff, in the 11th minute. WHOO HOO! Fabian is starting at left midfield, Danny Will is…nowhere to be found.

    Reply
    • Make that 2-0! Fabian wasn’t directly involved in either goals, but he’s lookin NICE on that left midfield. I really really think we need to play him at left midfield and Castillo or even Beasley at LB. Remember how awesome Fabian was for us against Slovenia when he played midfield? He is our answer for width, not Herc or Eddie. I love Herc and EJ, but Fabian is a true threat out wide.

      Reply
      • Not for these 5 games obviously, but if the dude is ever actually available and a part of our team, I wonder if we ever see Chandler – Besler – Gonzalez – Cameron with Fabian at LM

      • I’d much rather see
        Castillo-Besler-Gonzalez-Cameron with Johnson on the left wing and Chandler on the right wing. They both do very well in the back four, but if we can find somebody else to fill in there they both look much better on the wings.

      • funny thing about chandler at RM, he had an interview one or two days ago in which he said one of the reasons he had a poor year, in his opinion, was because he played at RM more than RB. he prefers to play RB he said.

        he also gave a good explanation of his hesitation with being capped (specifically, he explains his concern with flying and how much flying the USMNT does), confirms he never even got a call from germany, and even helps squash the whole germans vs. the rest rumor.

    • I watched the Hoffenheim-Kaiserlautern game and, speaking as a fan of Fabian Johnson, I thought he had a weak showing at left mifielder. yes, he had some good moments, but he got the ball swiped from him 2 or 3 times, had several bad passes intercepted by Kaiserlautern, and was anemic whenever he was in the box. He was not a factor in any of Hoffenheim’s three goals. He also missed an open head shot three years in front of the goal on a perfect cross–he sent it way over he cross bar.

      I really prefer Fabian at left back in a US shirt and would rather see Beasley at left wing. Beasely was excellent in a blizzard against Costa Rica and acceptable against Mexico, but after those two showings Concacaf opponents will have studied him at left back and will pulverize him if Klinsmann puts him there again. We need a club left back at left back, not a club left winger/forward like DMB.

      Reply
      • I understand that, but Fabian Johnson hasn’t played left back for his club in 2 months. He no longer fits your description either…

      • Fabian played left back six days ago in the Hoffenheim’s 2-1 victory over Dortumund.

        I opened up to the idea a few weeks ago of Fabian playing left wing for the USMNT. But, I tell you, yesterday he did not look good in the midfield, was the weak link in Hoffenheim’s offense, and I am now officially opposed to Fabian as left winger for the USMNT. The guy is a solid LB and that is IMO where he should play for us. We have better options for attack.

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