Photo by ISIphotos.com
FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty has replaced Real Salt Lake midfielder/defender Nathan Sturgis on the U.S. Olympic team after Sturgis suffered a right hamstring injury during training.
The loss of Sturgis leaves the U.S. team with four natural defenders on its roster (Parkhurst, Wynne, Orozco and Ianni) and a fifth in converted midfielder Maurice Edu.
What do you think of McCarty replacing Sturgis? Is the U.S. team’s lack of defenders a cause for concern? Should U.S. coach Peter Nowak have called in another defender?
Share your thoughts below.
Brett, I disagree Guzan should have been left with Villa. He hasn’t even received his work permit yet. That and the signing of Friedel makes it perfect for him to be on this squad. When he does get his permit, there aren’t any reserve games for Aston Villa until September. The Olympics will give him time with quality competition – better than training don’t you think?
Onionsack – Which overage defenders would you rather have with the Olympic team than the MNT for qualifying? Which of these do you think would be released from their club team – which is not “mandatory” according to FIFA?
onionsack – i agree our defense is suspect, and will probably be a problem in the olympics, but our offense was our problem in quals, and that’s what we are basing it around… if we have difficulty scoring against CONCACAF U-23’s shouldnt we take a different approach against better quality??
BMB is the right choice for a forward Overage player… he doesnt have a club, he’s more then capable of competeting even if it is a youth tourny, and he’s more likely to put in goals then many of our other U23 forwards (altidore and adu obviously are up to the task, but davies?? barrett?? Ferrari??
i would agree that Guzan shouldve stayed at Villa and we shouldve brought in Westberg (sp??)… his game against Italy was something id label as amazing…. leaving us an option at another over age defender… but we’d have to be careful with selection with WCQ’s around the corner…
I wanted to comment but Brett and Fumar are making every point I would make.
Dax is the right choice.
Yossarian – I agree with brett entirely. I was a huge Feilhaber fan. I was at the Gold Cup with that ridiculous volley to win the game. But he simply hasn’t played! I can’t imagine he’s fit or even in the right frame of mind to go against some of the worlds best. I’d much rather have any of the lineups brett suggests than Benny trying to catch his breath. I love the guy, but he hasn’t played in a competitve match for a while.
Toulon teams were better than Olympic? I think that’s an overstatement. If I remember correctly, we played at least one U-21 team…The teams obviously weren’t pushover and they took it more seriously than we did, but let’s not get carried away.
Posted by:Mike Caramba | July 24, 2008 at 01:10 PM
Tell me what squads we faced in Olympic qualifying were better than the ones we faced in the Toulon tourny. I’ll take Italy and the Ivory Coast’s Olympic teams over Cuba, Panama, Canada or Honduras any day.
By the way, U-21 in Europe is U-23. To be eligible, you have to be U-21 when qualification starts, which means all players will be under 23 when the competition takes place.
i have always said our attacking players are fine for this. I always said we just need overage defnders. Especially when our best U-23 defender is injured (Spector).
BMB is a dumb choice IMO and not needed.
Parkhurst was ok, but we needed to see national team quality centerbacks here.
Guzan..seriously we dont need an over age keeper either, it should have been 3 overage defenders.
Yossarian – and we are basing our opinion of this where?? Benny hasnt played in nearly a year (well he’s played, but very limited minutes)…. if he were to continue his form from 07′ USMN into the club then i would agree… but the guy has played VERY little since Copa… id much rather have a midfield such as this:
Holden–Adu–Kljestan
Bradley
OR
Rogers–Adu–Kljestan
Bradley
OR EVEN (assuming adu gets pushed to forward)
Rogers–Bradley–Kljestan
Dax
if feilhaber was in form then i would possibly agree (depending on quality of form)… but without playing much more then 10 min here and 15 min there, i cant say i have that much confidence in the guy…and ive been a fan of feilhaber since his 07′ emergance….
Ted – thanks for the correction ted… i was way to lazy to look it up :-/
um Fumar, did you actually SEE the qualifiers??? This isn’t about resurrecting careers, it’s about putting the best players on the field. An out of form Benny is twice as good as most of the guys on the field in the qualifiers.
Toulon teams were better than Olympic? I think that’s an overstatement. If I remember correctly, we played at least one U-21 team…The teams obviously weren’t pushover and they took it more seriously than we did, but let’s not get carried away.
Yeah…it would be nice to have at least one true defender on the bench. If one of them decides to play like Tim Ward at the U-20 World Cup, we’re stuck putting a defensive mid back there.
That said, I guess this shows some attacking intent which is nice…maybe we’ll even see two strikers on the field at the same time…
1) Lee plays with Randers in Denmark, not Beligum or Norway.
2) I’d argue the talent we faced in Toulon was of a much higher caliber than Olympic qualifying. Just because we brought an U-23 B/C squad doesn’t mean the talent wasn’t there for the other teams. Nuri Sahin, Sebastian Giovinco etc.
3) For a team lacking natural defenders already, this is a strange replacement. I know we all wondered if Sturgis would be ready, especially because the alternate defender was an overage player. I thought Hill would be the natural choice, or even Harrington or Freeman or Beltran.
4) Dax has had injury problems this season too.
5) I don’t think this team can succeed in a 3-5-2. Wynne, a mistake prone defender anyway, will be completely exposed if he plays in a 3-man backline.
6) I kind of hope someone gets injured and Harrington called in so we can have a left-sided defender.
1) Lee plays with Randers in Denmark, not Beligum or Norway.
2) I’d argue the talent we faced in Toulon was of a much higher caliber than Olympic qualifying. Just because we brought an U-23 B/C squad doesn’t mean the talent wasn’t there for the other teams. Nuri Sahin, Sebastian Giovinco etc.
3) For a team lacking natural defenders already, this is a strange replacement. I know we all wondered if Sturgis would be ready, especially because the alternate defender was an overage player. I thought Hill would be the natural choice, or even Harrington or Freeman or Beltran.
4) Dax has had injury problems this season too.
5) I don’t think this team can succeed in a 3-5-2. Wynne, a mistake prone defender anyway, will be completely exposed if he plays in a 3-man backline.
6) I kind of hope someone gets injured and Harrington called in so we can have a left-sided defender.
Hmmm, I said before I thought Nowak mostly got the squad correct, but that I wouldn’t have gone with Ianni over some other backs b/c I’ve watched him get toasted for goals on mlsnet highlights all season. But I also said he probably would barely play. I was assuming Nowak knew that Sturgis was recovered. Now he has to replace Sturgis with Dax b/c he placed Hejduk as his alternate back. We’re officially thinned out that Ianni will play some significant minutes now. I officially question Nowak’s decisions on this one.
I agree with the others that we lack a left back, Orozco being the closest to that (a Bocanegra type, left footed but more suited to the middle). This tells me he’s going 3-5-2 all the way.
Steve- i think the quals were fine up until the top….
when Jozy played a lone forward, he was stretched out too much and became tired too quickly…. honestly thats not his best position (lone forward)….
Barrett, Davies and Finley were poor choices… Davies picked it up at the end but we could nt find the net at all…
our midfield was perfectly fine… the defense was suspect, but pulled through… our weakness in quals was up top…
“but the lack of team work and unity showed…” is refering to the US team not Hill…
hill has talent, i was pointing at his athleticism as another benefit… he’s quick to adapt to any situation and has a mind for the game… but like i said, he isnt anything stellar… hopefully he proves that wrong and breaks out in the next season or 2… personally i think he should come back to the MLS and get PT and rebuild his career… i dont even know what his current status is…
you think there was lesser talent in Toulon?? or are you refering to our team?? he did well in Toulon, but the lack of team work and unity showed…
nguyen is in belgium… from what i gather he’s doing well, not completely starting, mainly getting 20-30 mins here and there…. but he’s making an impact and i wouldnt be surprised to see his PT increase… just like HIll i thought he did well in france too
+1 vote for Hill or Harrington. Dax looked useless in the qualifiers, IMHO. Is it just me, or should Nowak get the boot if his personnel decisions get us knocked out at the group stage? I haven’t seen a single U-23 game where the team had any cohesion.
brett: Not sure we need more “athletes” w/out skill. Hill can run around, but even in Toulon, against lesser competition, he failed to make a real impact.
What has happened to Lee Nguyen? Is he making an impact abroad (Norway?)?
JRhode – hill is talented… but not stellar… he’s a very versitile player.. ive seen him play defense, midfield and forward better then quite a number of our player pool… at the defense role, he’s played more as a winger then a defender… moving up in the attack he has the technical ability to cause loads of problems… then has the speed to get back and defend, a position he’s not used to and his lack of experience shows from time to time, but he’s atheletic enough to make the impact….
QUOTE: So…The team was already without a left-sided defender. But maybe since Sturgis played there in qualifying, Novak thought he could do the job. Now what? I don’t know see anybody on the roster who can play left back. (Does anyone else?) As has been suggested here, maybe Novak has a 3-5-2 in mind. Even then, I think it’s really, really foolish to go to the Olympics without a left back and thus the flexibility to go 4-4-2. Ives?
–Josh
———————-
The Wizards Michael Harrington has been called in as an alternate for this squad today. Harrington is a left back and is very good/almost better as a left mid. One of the best draft picks KC has ever gotten. I hope he can find a way in. KC’s dismal road game stretch in early season probably dropped him off the radar but he has been close to spectacular all season long. This guys’ a pro and should’ve been evaluated more especially since he’s played on the left most of his days and that appears to be a weak spot with this pool.
What do people see in Kamani Hill? I have no reason to hate, but come on. He is learning a new position, a process that has me wondering how he could have ever been a attacking player with the skill/touch he has demonstrated.
While I am at it, I think Franklin, Igwe, and Beltran (Even Anthony Wallace) have shown me more than Ianni.
SeaOtter – as others have mentioned, we’ll probably see the likes of Dax move back to defense… i mean he played a defensive mid position during the Quals, i dont see why he couldnt play it if the time comes
Fumar – ill agree with you on this…. both hill and dax looked very nice in quals… Hill even brought some spark to France… i agree they would have been a better options to bring
What I find really “funny” is that Nowak had until yesterday to change his roster before it became final.
We know he knew before that final moment that Sturgis wasn’t likely to go. Why did he not augment the final roster, even the alternates, before making it final? Why is it better to go into the tourney with 22 rather than 23 players to choose from? What happens if he has a defender get hurt in Hong Kong?
Barksdale – edu is probably going to be pushed back to central defense…. or expect Jozy or BMB not to be starting the same games….. i dont see us playing with 3 defense…. and isnt Orozco a Central Defender?? can he play outside??
I love Dax AND Hill, both looked great in qulifying. I don’t see how both of them aren’t on the roster. Patrick Ianni and Feilhaber have no business being on this team. We need to stop using our national teams as a means of resurrecting players careers. Pick the best guys right now not the ones you hope will be the best!
pedro- and who would you have brought??
with Rogers, Kljestan, Adu, Bradley and Dax all very technical and fast running the middle, i would like to see who else you would have brought in… keeping in mind he has to select knowing BB is picking for the WCQ which is MORE impt…
Looking like…
—McBride—–Jozy—–
———-Adu———–
Holden————-Kljestan
——Bradley—Edu——-
—Orozco———Wynne—
———Parkhurst——–
———-Guzan———–
So…The team was already without a left-sided defender. But maybe since Sturgis played there in qualifying, Novak thought he could do the job. Now what? I don’t know see anybody on the roster who can play left back. (Does anyone else?) As has been suggested here, maybe Novak has a 3-5-2 in mind. Even then, I think it’s really, really foolish to go to the Olympics without a left back and thus the flexibility to go 4-4-2. Ives?
McCarty is better technical player. I have no confidence in Novak as a coach and as a selector of talent. He picks speed and size over skill. Considering the competition, I foresee maybe one tie and the rest losses.
The problem with the 3-5-2 is that you essentially lose out on Wynne’s ability to get forward.
Given his crossing abilities, that may not be a bit loss though.
Just bring in the alternate defender!!! Frankie’s ready to roll! Ohhhh… he’s THIRTY-three, not twenty-three? That was good planning…
To be fair, the pool is thin, but I just never understood the thinking behind naming an overage player as an alternate.
I just have no idea who we are going to play on the left. I mean at this point we are pretty much forced to play a 3-5-2. Though a 3-4-3 with McBride, Altidore and Adu up top would be a lot of fun and at least create some exciting high scoring games
Oh they should have called in Subotic? You mean the guy who has stated he doesn’t want to make a decision on what team he wants to play for yet? Good choice. Franklin? LA has the worst defense, just because he plays(ed) next to Xavier he looked better than he is, he is not ready for national team duty. I think this just exposes the weakness of this age groups defensive options. But don’t forget, Dax played right back in a pinch last go round, so you got that going for you. Which is nice.
Yes dax was great in qualifying, but I think Hill played well too and would be a much more versatile addition. I think he even looked pretty good in the center of the midfield in Toulon.
As much as I love dax (that wasn’t sarcasm) we would have been better off calling up sean franklin. Although I understand it would be risky to call up a guy who isn’t sure if he would be 100% by the olympics.
ummm, pretty sure dax is just as versatile as hill. He can play centrally, out wide and in the back as he showed during his heroic performance against Uruguay in the U-20’s.
Anyone who is upset with this clearly has never seen the kid play, he should have been included from the start. I for one would be happy to see him in the center of the park from the opening whistle.
Mr. Nowak should’ve placed a call to Germany. “Mr. Subotic, your time has come.”
One can dream, right?
Yeah, Subotic would work too 🙂
Four natural defenders but I don’t think anyone is eager to see Ianni. I certainly would have been glad to see Subotic join the squad but I’ll be happy as long as he eventually decides on the US. Sean Franklin would have been a nice addition to the team but he is coming back from an injury as well. Spector can play LB but suffered an injury also. Maybe Igwe or Beltran could have helped. Maybe Nowak will play 3 in the back.
Looks like we could see a replay of the U-20s. Good keeper, good offense, scary defense.
I agree. Beltran, Hill or Franklin are all better choices than Dax. He looks decent at Dallas but every time i’ve seen him with the U-20s and U-23s he just doesn’t seem to have the physical presence or spark needed to contribute at the international level.
How can we possibly be relying on Edu to play CD at this level? If we try to play 3-5-2 against Holland or Nigeria they will carve us up down the flanks like a Thanksgiving turkey.
NEVEN SUBOTIC!!!
altho Hill would have been a smarter choice, just b/c he can play any and all positions (im sure he’d be a pretty decent keeper :P)
YES!!!! dax was the heart and soul of our qualifiers… im glad hes getting the callup….
as for our defenders… they can stand to play that amount of games, our midfield will eventually get tired….
This must be indication that we’re for sure going 3-5-2.
Don’t replace someone that could potentially start with someone that is going to be on the bench the whole time. Should have brought another defender, maybe even Beltran.
Defenders? We don’t need no stinking Defenders!!!! Not with MCGOD and ALTIDOITALL!!!
I believe that Nowak left his brain someplace and can’t find it!! WHAT IS HE THINKING?????
Why was Sturgis named in the first place? He hadn’t played a game since April with the same hamstring injury.