The first U.S. national team match of the new year on foreign soil pits the Americans against Poland in a match that will be much tougher than some Americans realize.
This is not the same Poland team the Americans beat twice in a span of a year. Poland is coming off a very strong European qualifying campaign and should actually be considered the favorite going into Wednesday’s match.
Now that the U.S. roster has been revealed we can start to consider what the starting lineup may look like. Here is my guess on the starting XI Bob Bradley may trot out in Krakow.
USA Projected Starting XI vs. Poland
———-Johnson——–Dempsey———
Lewis——Bradley—–Clark——-Donovan
Pearce—–Onyewu—Bocanegra—-Cherundolo
——————-Howard———————
Bocanegra might come as a surprise considering he isn’t starting for Fulham, but I can’t see him going from regular captain to bench (and yes, I realize that actually happened at Fulham). Bocanegra’s lack of playing time could open the door for Jay DeMerit or Jonathan Spector to get into the XI though it should be noted that DeMerit only recently regained his starting job while Spector still doesn’t have one for West Ham (his two-match stint in the Hammers starting XI aside).
Will Bradley go with the Fulham forward tandem of Johnson and Dempsey? I would say so. Brian Ching seems unlikely to start considering Houston’s busy upcoming schedule. And yes, I know the same could be said of Ricardo Clark, but he doesn’t have Ching’s injury history and Houston has midfielders it can use in his place. The Dynamo doesn’t have forwards to replace Ching.
Heath Pearce should get the call. He has worked his way back into the mix at Hansa Rostock and I think he’s ready to stake a strong claim to the starting left back spot during this busy 2008 national team calendar.
I know there was a lot of complaining about the inclusion of Josh Wolff on the roster but the fact is he has played well enough to make it into the 1860 Munich starting lineup. That said, I can see him getting a starting nod, though minutes against Poland seem assured.
Oh, and about Eddie Lewis. Yes, he’s old and no he doesn’t seem likely to be around for the 2010 World Cup, but the fact remains that he starts in the EPL (insert your Derby joke here), is playing at a good level and is at a position where the best two U.S. options are both hurt or recovering from injury. There really is no point to call up some inexperienced player who is a few years away from being ready for this type of match when you have a player like Lewis who is ready and willing to do the job.
What starting lineup would you like to see against Poland? Share your thoughts and suggestions below.
MonkeyBoy, dano, brett I hear you, and you are right. But do you guys really think his game is as sharp as it was last summer? For real, he did’nt even make the U-23’s. I respect what you guys are saying but I think Nowack and the U23 coching staff know a little more than we do.
4-3-3 out of the Heerenveen playbook:
–EJ—————-Donovan–
———-Bradley———–
—Clark—Benny—Dempsey—
Spector–Demerit–Gooch–Dolo
———–Howard———–
I would like to see whether the above CB pairing works. I figure that they would complement each other, with Demerit’s athleticism and Gooch’s size and quality distribution.
EJ’s not really a winger, but has played there for Fulham recently. Maybe swap in Wolff for EJ. Donovan might find the space he likes up there on the wing and is experienced enough to know when to circle back to midfield from an advanced position.
Bradley gets to show us what he can do as an attacker (in a game that will be on TV in the US for once). He’ll probably do better in this spot (and against the Poles) than he did in a more defensive position, trying to keep up with smaller, quicker Mexicans.
Dempsey, Feilhaber and Clark fighting in the engine room, with Bradley and Donovan also coming back at times.
I don’t like Pearce (.) or Spector (out of position) as our #1 leftback, but at least Spector is starting some games for his club and can be counted on to show up on time for kickoff.
4-3-3 out of the Heerenveen playbook:
–EJ—————-Donovan–
———-Bradley———–
—Clark—Benny—Dempsey—
Spector–Demerit–Gooch–Dolo
———–Howard———–
I would like to see whether the above CB pairing works. I figure that they would complement each other, with Demerit’s athleticism and Gooch’s size and quality distribution.
EJ’s not really a winger, but has played there for Fulham recently. Maybe swap in Wolff for EJ. Donovan might find the space he likes up there on the wing and is experienced enough to know when to circle back to midfield from an advanced position.
Bradley gets to show us what he can do as an attacker (in a game that will be on TV in the US for once). He’ll probably do better in this spot (and against the Poles) than he did in a more defensive position, trying to keep up with smaller, quicker Mexicans.
Dempsey, Feilhaber and Clark fighting in the engine room, with Bradley and Donovan also coming back at times.
I don’t like Pearce (.) or Spector (out of position) as our #1 leftback, but at least Spector is starting some games for his club and can be counted on to show up on time for kickoff.
I really think Donovan could have been a fantastic creative midfielder if we hadn’t messed around with him so much by letting him play forward, and letting him get it into his head that he’s a forward. (Yes, I know we have very few options.) Let’s not do the same thing with Clint Dempsey. We are only hurting his development as a player by letting him play striker all of the time. He’s NOT a striker.
ben- we sorta saw that happen with the U23’s these past couple weeks… they sorta roamed and switched sides constantly until they found their groove… its not a bad idea
—–Ching—–Johnson——–
—Donovan——–Dempsey—–
——–Clark—Bradley——-
Pearce————–Cherundolo
—–Bocanegra—Onyewu——-
———–Howard————-
Since we don’t have any true out-and-out wingers who aren’t playing at Derby, why not play a more loose formation with Donovan and Dempsey as roaming playmakers behind a front 2?
According to Reading’s website (http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~1269707,00.html), Convey should be in the squad. Any word on what happened?
There’s not really that much to pick with such a small roster and some players selected who should obviously not be playing for one reason or another.
Eliminate the extra goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, Cory Gibbs, Josh Wolff, Heath Pearce, and maybe even Eddie Lewis, and the team almost picks itself. There are only two other players to eliminate to get your team.
I will say that Jay DeMerit really needs to start getting some playing time.
heres the line up id like to see:
johnson ching
lewis/donovan – donovan/benny – bradley – dempsey
pearce – spector – gooch/boca – dolo
what happened to the idea of donovan at center mid? remember the 3-0 against ecuador. donovan plays great defense and is good at possession – put him in there and let him possess the ball and dictate our offense. that being said, benny is the best pure central midfielder prospect we have, so if he looks good, id throw him in there and put donovan out left – WE CAN’T HAVE TWO DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS IN THERE – no other country runs that type of line up (the only ones that do have some incredible attacking talent, something the US is lacking) bradley and clark are both destroyers, play one of them only.
id also be interested in having dempsey play an attacking mid role where there are 2 definite other forwards.
ching – johnson
dempsey
lewis – bradley – donovan
pearce – gooch/boca – spector – dolo
the us always gets beat because we cant hold possession – we need to start using line ups that can get possession – we’ll never get any further than we’ve already gotten if we rely on set pieces to score goals. nuff said
monkeyboy makes a good point…
Bradley and Feilhaber do work well together… Bradley and Clark were terrible combo against mexico…. however i wouldnt be surprised to see Clark start….
but lets be frank, mexico is one of the top notch control teams around… they possess the ball better then ALOT of teams (Failing to put it in the net tho)… just b/c bradley and clark did poorly against them doesnt mean they’ll do poorly against Poland…
Good 2nd point monkeyboy, but personally, I’d rather see MB distributing into the attacking third than Benny. Last few times I saw Benny play for the nats, he gave away possession far too easily many times. That isn’t helped by not playing games in a few months. Hopefully he gets his situation sorted at a new team, but I think he’s far from a composed midfielder that can dictate a game.
Erik – The points you are missing on Benny is that he is still a rare player for the US. There are few midfielders who are good at possessing the ball in the middle and distributing into the attack. Yes, his hasn’t done well at Derby, but his presence almost always is positive when on the field for the US.
Another point is that he’s one of the only central mids who’s done well pairing with Bradley. Bradley’s earned a starting spot, and Clark was absolutely terrible in the middle with him last time.
———-Johnson——–Dempsey———
Donovan——Bradley—–Feilhaber—–Wolff
Pearce—–Onyewu—Spector—-Cherundolo
——————-Howard——————
Donovan actually looked effective in the one match I saw him rotated to LM. He’d definitely be better there than Lewis IMHO.
Wolff has good speed and skill to play out right, especially with Dolo supporting him.
I’d like to see how Spector could do pairing with Gooch, although he needs to work on distribution to the midfield rather than booming over the top.
Benny has been the best compliment to Bradley in the middle. With this roster, I think he’s needed to create good possession and combination play though the midfield.
ahelms, from Fulham FC site, Q&A session with Clint Dempsey…just one of the recent comments that he has reiterated about his preferred role…
“Your role at Fulham seems to have changed dramatically from flashy winger, able to show a few tricks and jinks, to typical hard-nosed target man. Where on the pitch, given the choice, would you like to play? ” David Dray
Clint’s answer: “I guess my ideal position is an attacking midfield role. I prefer to be facing the defenders than having my back to them.”
Why do people list Feilhaber as an option, he just aint ready. Yeah, he had a good Gold cup, but aside of that, what else? I like him, i think he has promise. He needs to play regularly to be even consider thou. I just dont get it. You think people reading this blog will know enuff about soccer to make that evaluation. Ives, any reason why Bob continues to go with Feilhaber, other than he has potential, just alot of players that were not called. Any other reason u might think, am I missing something? Thanks
(1) To place too much importance on qualifying results for one tournament is silly. England’s failure to qualify had as much to do with the depth and quality of its qualifying group as its inability to get results. England’s failed qualification turned on one goal in the final game. If England had gotten the draw against Croatia, would they suddenly be a “major power” again? Similarly, I dont think anyone should have been bemoaning the future of American soccer after our inability to qualify for the ’04 Olympics. Sometimes, the best teams in a region do not qualify for the major tournaments. This can happen because of a bad draw or 1 or 2 poor performances, but does not necessarily mean that that particular team is not one of the better teams in the region.
(2) The English press thinks the national team is rubbish? I’m shocked. England could win the WC final 2-1, and there would be a spate of columns trashing the keeper and the back line for the failure to keep a clean sheet.
I find this whole argument a bit silly anyway. Ultimately, your position is going to depend on what you consider to be a “major power”. No matter how one answers that question, I think your view of England is likely to be quite similar. I dont think anyone would say that England is one of the 5 best teams in the world. But I think even Fly the Coop would agree that there are not 20 teams in the world that are better than England.
England is a team with the talent and depth to qualify for and progress in the World Cup. An away match in England is a difficult and high-quality test for any team.
—————————-Howard———————–
Cherundolo——–Bocanegra—-Onyewu—————Spector
Donovan——————-Bradley——————————Lewis
—————————–Dempsey——————————–
——————Johnson ———Wolff——————————–
I would like to see Demerit get his chance in place of Boca, i think he deserves it, on the other hand, like the old saying goes “if it aint broken, don’t fix it”. You can also put Spector in the middle and Pearce on the left. Donovan on the right, because 1.) he needs to be on the field, 2.) so does bradley and demsey, 3.) we need 2 fowards up front, enuff w donovan and dempsey playing up front, they are not true fowards. Its good that we have that option, but We need them providing service up top.
That is a HUGE reason for our lack of goals. Just take a look at Ives piece last week on US lack of goals. Yes i know we did’nt much of an option before, but hey i think it is time EJ top step it up, give him the nod and for Wolf to show what he got, hes been playing in Germany pretty consistant. Lets see what he got. Its a friendly, so lets see what EJ and Wolf can do together with the service they can get from a midfield like what i have listed.
And lastly, Lewis on the left, aside fromt the fact that he is a true left footer, also because of his service, he’s playing week in week out in the EPL. Its not like we have another choice, we dont have much options with DMB and Convey unavailable.
Dano, feel to read any British publication – Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, etc – and you would soon learn that even the Brits think that their team is not up to par with the major talents of Europe. The reasons differ in these publications – a lack of quality coaching, an absence of dynamic attackers, few players that can carry a team – but conclusion is always the same…England isn’t a major power in world soccer any longer.
Now, as to where that puts the US…I’d say we’re a Division II program or NAIA Division I. We’re kinda of like Chaminade circa 1982 – able to knock of a major talent on the right day, at the right time.
Ching doesn’t get called in unless they plan on starting him. Same goes for Donovan, but not Clarke since he is suspended.
Ching up top makes me think LD will be his other strike partner, but withdrawn and the US playing closer to a 4-5-1 since we are away against a good team. That would mean Dempsey goes on the right, Lewis on the left, Bradley in the middle, and someone else with him (I like the Bocanegra suggestion, since it gets our best players on the field). If Boca goes in at midfield we could then play Spector at CB. I guess Spector could switch with Boca and be the dmid instead. I don’t like Clarke in there and think he would not have been included if he had not been suspended. Benny F. could also go in their, but I would hold him off as a sub in case we go down a goal and need more offense.
They fail to qualify for one major tournament, and you’re writing them off? They still made it out of group play at the last world cup, something 16 of the top 32 teams in the world (including the USA) didn’t do. If anything, they’d be more like Duke. Tons of talent and history, just don’t back it up by winning championships.
They have more depth and quality at every position compared to many national teams. They’re still a top20 team in the world, and we’re playing them on the road. If you consider them a mid major, what are we? Division III?
Line up and explanations:
they have a good chance to win this game and i hope they don’t blow it by going with josh wolff. He was non-existent in the brazil game and can’t hold up the ball.
My lineup:
————Howard—————-
Dolo—–Boca—–Gooch——-Pearce
Donovan—Bradley—Feilhaber—-Lewis
——–Ching——Dempsey——–
feilhaber looked good in his brief spell against mexico and Clark was to say it kindly, poor. Pearce plays LB for rostock, although he is able to move across the back line, similar to spector. Since cherundolo is on the right side and bocanegra and Gooch have the middle sown up. I see Pearce on the left, the same place he played against south africa. Spector could break in at LB if he has a good camp but he doesn’t play LB for West Ham, although he is capable of it. Look for Johnson, feilhaber, spector, demerit, and hanheman to get significant time as sub’s and gibbs and wolff little if any.
Haha just signed up for the mls fantasy, not sure if I am loving or hating my team, but whoever named their team “Blanco likes men” just killed me!
Carl Setterlund,hopefully there aren’t too many England fans reading this website because they aren’t going to like what I have to say.
No, England is not a high-level talent.
They must definitely be considered mid-major a la Gonzaga, Creighton, or Southern Illinois – sometimes they flirt with the limelight but, lets be honest, they couldn’t qualify for Euro 2008. There is no way then that we can consider them to be a major team.
And MiamiAl, Emilio is quite possibly the slowest player in the MLS. As a DCU fan, its mindboggling how someone so slow can score so many goals. We are much better off waiting for Jozy than picking up Emilio.
Adam R- while i note Wolff isnt some star sensation who will light up the field, i agree that there is more to him then what people let on… he does well to open the field allowing others to have the space along with the things you’ve mentioned… personally i think he gets a bad rep
@dominghosa
Where did you see Dempsey quoted saying that forward isn’t his best role? Every interview I’ve seen he says he likes playing close to goal whether it be as an attacking midfielder or forward.
Howard
Cherundolo Onyewu Spector Pearce
Feilhaber Bradley Clark
Donovan Dempsey
Ching
Not likely, but what I’d like to see
The lineup Ives posted is really the only logical lineup.
Eddie Lewis is there because there are World Cup Qualifiers coming up soon, and neither Beasley or Convey is healthy. You throw Justin Mapp out there and you don’t know what you’re going to get. With Lewis, you’ve got an experienced, consistent player that still has a great left foot.
Don’t be surprised if Josh Wolff finds a way into this starting XI. He gets ragged on an awful lot, but he’s a quick, creative player, and should be sharp as he’s been in the team at 1860 lately.
I really don’t see who else Bob could have brought in. Cory Gibbs, I imagine, is just coming in to get acclimated with the staff.
Good to see Gibbs back in it and hopefully regaining some confidence and form.
I’d also like to see DeMerit get more playing time, although he likes to send the long ball out of the back I think he’s a better 1-v-1 marker than Bocanegra. I’d be curious how he pairs with Gooch.
Gooch has got to find a team outside of the Belgian leagues, even if he wins the league this season. Good for his confidence though. And of course Benny needs a new team…as well as some Fulham boys seeing that they’re going down soon…
Adu should have gotten a call. I know he was just into it with the U-23’s but he had the weekend off (no Benfica game) and he’s trying to impress a new coach there, an international call-up sure would help and he needs more time getting used to playing with the big kids.
Spector is a VERY solid defender and continues to be very impressive whenever I’ve seen him, very much so with Westham as well.
Lewis is just filling in until Beasley is healthy. Wolff is allowing Altidore to prepare with his MLS team with what remains of preseason. (Sounds like they need him around huh Ives?)
Holden will make a fantastic understudy for Outside Mid. behind Landon DOnovan and Beasley, but again his season starts against NE on Saturday.
Edu’s performance during the U-23’s has shown that he’s stealing the time from Benny during WC qualifiers until Benny finds a place to actally play. League Championship for Derby should see a position open up for him.
So here’s my line-up.
Ching
Dempsey
Lewis – Bradley – Clark – Donovan
Spector – Gooch – Demerit – Cherundolo
Howard
(Ching and Donovan work so well together and Bob only seems to fly players in if he’s going to give them serious minutes.)
Benny might not play but he’s there so that He and Bob can have a ‘sit down’ about his future and what happened with the U-23’s…at least that’s my thought.
ANyone agree? Ives, your thoughts?
Can someone please hurry up and get Luciano Emilio the fast track to becoming an American aka- “David Regis style”…We desperately need one bankable forward. We got nothing right now.
I say let Gibbs get the start. Throw him out there, let’s see what he can do. I bet he is hungry to show everyone that he can still be a possible starter. Why else would Bradley call him in?
Conrad didn’t get called in, as this friendly is in Poland, and MLS starts this week.
Also, DeMerit has been working his way back into his starting spot, so if you’re choosing on form, the CB’s you would pick would be Spector and Gooch.
Zungazan: Conrad’s not in the lineup. But I agree about seeing a new look in back. How about a DeMerit – Spector pairing? Or DeMerit – Boca?
I’d like to see it thusly:
———- Ching — Wolf —————-
Lewis — Feilhaber — Bradley — Dempsey
Pearce — Conrad — DeMerit — Cherundolo
————– Howard ——————-
PS: Real tired of the Onyewu/Bocanegra center back pairing. Let’s see what Conrad/DeMerit can do. Those boys are tough as nails and very solid.
I really hope he does not start Landon Donovan. I am tired of waiting for him to become a sensation. We cannot rely on a player who only shows up half the time.
I’d like to see this:
——-Deuce–EJ———
Lewis–Bradley–Clark–LD
Spector–Gooch–Demerit–Dolo
———Timmay!———–
Lewis with the nod simply because he’s the only option on the left and he’s actually playing. Spector on the left because I think he hasn’t gotten a fair look by Bob there yet. And Boca should continue his run on the bench until he’s a starting…..
Hey,
Anyone know Altidore’s number for the US Mens National team?
I have seen #9 and #14.
Thanks,
-Mike
Ives, what is the story with Bocanegra at Fulham these days? What have you heard about why he isn’t playing these days?
Nick, Lewis is the best crosser on this roster.
Your guess, is what I would go with Ives, except maybe for Lewis. But I really can’t think of anyone else that would fill that position.
I don’t mind that Wolff has made the roster.
Kind of not happy that Adu and/or Altidore didn’t get called up. Is this because they are currently with the U-23 squad.
One thing I think the USA has to get solved is their striker situation. We have looked like lost puppies up front ever since McBride left, and I was hoping that the Dempsey-Altidore combination would bring us back on the right path.
But not over Dolo. Dolo is the best at the back for the U.S.
Definitely would have liked to see Adu and Altidore play along with a healthy Convey and DMB, but I understand the need to rest the U-23 players. This lineup seems solid to me with what we have, but with the exception of maybe Bradley I don’t see many playmakers in there getting the ball up to the strikers.
Also wouldn’t mind seeing Spector play. I just hope Bob tells the kid to play the ball to the midfield and not boom it down the field.
————E.J.————–
Lewis——Landon——–Clint
——Bradley——Clark——
Pearce—Demerit—Los—Spector
———–Timmy————–
For the love of sweet baby jesus, clint is not a striker, let’s stop playing him there!
For the love of chuck norris, let Landon pull the strings from the middle of the field! Also, NOT a STRIKER.
And Hey Bob, friendlies are a great time to experiment, so lets try something other than Carlos/Gooch in the middle. We know it works pretty well, but why limit your choices?
In the same thought, why not give Spector a nod over Cherundolo. I like Steve, he’s a gamer, but he seems to get burnt a little more than i’m comfortable with.
Feilhaber would be the super sub here.
It’s too bad Dempsey is being played at forward for his club and country. That just isn’t his best role — taken straight from the guy’s mouth.
If he does start with EJ, hopefully it’s in a bit of a withdrawn position where he can create something with the dribble and his vision. If he’s playing as a target like he has with Fulham, he won’t be very effective — with all the pass-back-and-run-forward-then-pray-for-service plays he does with the Whites.
The USMNT has terrible depth at forward in the national and Olympic level.
Here’s hoping Stefan Jerome and MF/F Charles Renken accelerate their talent in the next year or two.
Safe to say derek that that is indeed good advice for any eddie but in this instance there’s really no chance to mistake whom you’re speaking to!
re: mikeK
Although it’s just a friendly, I think the result, or at least holding our own, is important. I wouldn’t take offense to Spector starting, but I disagree that this is about the players getting the most out of this. This is about raising US morale and showing that we can compete against mid-level (or in England and Spain’s case high-level) European competition.
I don’t get your argument to bring and start Lewis. I mean its just an exhibition not a qualifier where we need expierence etc. Why not give Mapp some playing time? Mapp will be in the national team pool for atleast the next 5 years. Will he be our best option on the left in that time? Maybe or maybe not. Atleast let him get some expierence Lewis an old hand, and I can can’t imagine him playing too much in qualifying barring a major injury crisis like present. This crisis is just another reason to deepen the pool with youth.
Haha, I’d like to see Adu and Altidore in the starting XI but what are you gonna do about it. Your starters seem the most reasonable choices but who knows if Bradley has a surprise in store. The roster was a relative surprise to me. EJ has been playing more than Dempsey for some reason even though he doesn’t seem particularly on form. I wouldn’t mind seeing Wolff out there at least at some point.
Eddie Johnson I was referring to.
But good advice I s’pose for any Eddie’s out there…
I like your thinking, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Benny get the nod, perhaps to give a vote of confidence and to jumpstart his club opportunities.
Please, Eddie, go get the ball. Don’t jog at the same speed throughout the game. From my limited knowledge, your skill set works when you change speeds and move to spaces aggressively. Shield that ball. No pass backs allowed for you! Go to goal!
Side note- having watched the energy of the U23’s recently, I’ll be interested to see if these guys look listless by comparison. Seems to happen to a lot of players, they lose the urgency at the full nat team level. Is it deliberate? coaching?
I’d like to see Spector in there. It’s just a friendly, after all, so we should be not nessesarily out for the best 11 but for the 11 that will take the most out of this match. Let’s see what Johnny can do.
Otherwise, I guess that’s about right. I wish we had better options at the wing other than Lewis and Donovan. Like, people who actually play wing like it’s their job. But you cant put in what’s not there.