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Beasley added to USA roster vs. Guatemala

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                                                          Photo by ISIphotos.com

Glasgow Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley has been added to the U.S. national team roster for the USA’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Guatamala in Guatamala City on Wednesday. Beasley is the 18th player on the roster.

Beasley’s availability was in question as he is working his way back from a hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined for a month with Rangers. He has recovered and will be available for the Guatemala match.

Wednesday’s qualifier is the first in the second round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, and will arguably be the toughest the Americans will play in a group that includes Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba.

Comments

  1. sean- and since you like using other sports as an example ill take american football

    Marvin Harrison- not a flashy receiver… most of his catches are quite routine and nothing spectacular (altho he’s had some amazing receptions)… he doesnt always get the long bombs, and most of the time he makes 10-15 yard cuts for easy first downs…. nothing we’d note of a Owens or Moss who are receiving long passes and rediculous celebrations… HOWEVER, Harrison has been one of the most consistent receivers for quite some time and is highly underrated by the casual fan…. yet id rather have a Harrison on my team then someone who is only for show (celebrations or the occasional spectacular catch)…

    not exactly the same, but its proving a point

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  2. sean- goals do not make it “the beautiful game”…. its the soccer thats played throughout the game….

    all said n’ done, id rather have players who are capable of scoring….whether its a tap in off a rebound, heading it into the corners or even a bicycle…. i will take a player who can notch 20 goals throughout the season over a player who will score a handful at most but they are spectacular goals…. and id like you to find anyone who would say otherwise….

    again, its not the goals that make it the beautiful game, but rather the style of playing throughout the game….

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  3. Sean, I see your point. Beautiful goals are always apreciated. Much like Benny’s volley against Mexico. But if I’m correct, (as Brett is trying to point out) the guy has 2 goals to his name for the nats. I agree, that was a memorable goal, but tell me you wouldn’t much rather have him in the squad if he had 18 more since the Gold Cup. A goal is a goal, sure we want them to be pretty, but when 5 amazing goals have the potential to win 5 games and 20 clean up goals have the potential to win 20 games, I’ll take the 20 wins. This is the US national team we are talking about. Winning is winning…

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  4. Oh, not to say that there’s impending doom for soccer. I’m just saying this type of thinking would eventually lead to it.

    And, it would also cement soccer never being popular in the US. Take away what is beautiful about the game and what do you have left? A game where for 90 minutes, you can’t take a break without maybe missing something and where nothing really happens anyway.

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  5. And, Brett, you would be one of the reasons for the demise of The Beautiful Game.

    I would compare it to basketball, with the emergence of the dunk, it lost much of it’s beauty when new players stopped caring about three-point shooting, etc. I would also compare it to the short-term thinking that goes on in Hollywood and television. Where they spend all their time giving away everything about a movie in movie trailers, or where there are no original ideas so they re-make old movies, very badly. They see profit. They see quick solution. They see re-making a once popular movie as a coup, knowing that legions of fans of the original will come just to see the new version.

    They don’t care if the product is bad because they still have the money. And, why do you think there’s so much garbage in Hollywood? Do you really think that movies can cost $12 per person, or $15 or $20 per person and Hollywood will remain intact?

    No way.

    Point is, poaching and crappy goals are detrimental to the sport and to our national team. Young players won’t learn how to compete with the best if they keep thinking these touch-ins, rebounds, and ugly goals are enough. We’ll keep on producing second and third-tier talent.

    So, I would take 5 spectacular goals over 20 touch-in/rebound/ugly goals any day of the week. In fact, I’d pay more.

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  6. Sean – your arguement about MB’s goals is dumb….

    let it be known, i would take 20 touch-in/rebound/ugly goals over 5 spectacular goals any day

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  7. My guess is that Bradley wanted Convey who has played all preseason and first 3 games at left wing but Coppell didn’t want him to go as he played the full 90 last Sunday folled by cup play full 90 on Tuesday and is now probably playing full 90 today. In addition, his other option for left wing is Stephen Hunt who is now playing left back since Shorey left and they don’t have any other options at left back. Beasley is on the bench today again and I can’t imagine how he is going to hit form enough to play on Tuesday.

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  8. Steve, come on. Have you SEEN Michael Bradley play and where he plays and the goals he’s scored?? Most of them are nothing to write home about. And, Bradley has been terrible with the national teams thus far.

    No, I’m pretty much dismal about the program right now. How many more big tournaments are we going to bounce out of early?

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  9. My god. What kind of soccer program do we have when the best we can do is call up Damarcus Beasley. And, injured, nonetheless.

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  10. why hate on sacha? he may have the occasional brain fart that is customary for a younger player, but he also brings a flair of creativity that our national team so desperately needs. you can coach mental mistakes, but not football personality.

    i’d love to see eddie buddle get a call. people argue that he’s just getting great service at LA, but if LA gives better service than our national team then we’re in trouble. he’s certainly an improvement over EJ, whose only discernable talent is scoring goals against CONCACAF minnows. but maybe thats why EJ got the call against guatemala?

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  11. The experience issue with Cooper is centered more around his inexperience playing in the current USMNT system with the current pool, not his lack of experience playing in Latin America.

    A longer camp (like the early-September) FIFA dates should see the breakthrough.

    …Though Adu and Altidore may stay over in Western Europe.

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  12. Just stirring the pot here…

    Does anyone else know that there’s one player on the US MNT that scored 15 goals for his club last season, has experience playing in Europe and has had no injury problems to speak of?

    Do you know who that is?

    MICHEAL BRADLEY.

    Why do we keep using one of our best attackers as a holding midfielder?

    I’m not really sure that Dempsey is better used in that role. Ching and Johnson… they haven’t performed thus far.

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  13. I agree with the comments that say Beasley was the more appropriate call-up (over Cooper) at this time. Was Eddie Lewis going to play on the left flank for 90 minutes?

    Also, if I am not mistaken, Beasley played (and played well) for the USMNT early in his return from his last injury.

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  14. I cannot understand how people say that cooper doesnt have the experience to deal with the hostile latin environments…There is only one way to gain that type of experience….be on the team.

    BB needs to call up Cooper and until he does, he is leaving out a great talent in the US system.

    That aside…im happy Beasley is being given a chance to regain his form.

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  15. I don’t buy this experience argument, particularly at the forward position. I think that experience is more important defensively rather than at the forward spot.

    Secondly, Eddie Johnson has a ton of experience but hasn’t gotten any better. He is not in form and was not even dressed for the last preseason game for Fulham.

    I would rather play someone in form that has promise than someone who has proven time and again that he can not do the job.

    For me I think that we should have brought Cooper and Buddle rather that Ching and Johnson.

    Also Sasha gives the ball away way too much to be on the national team. It seems that the sequence that led to the Dutch free kick that tied the game was started by a foolish give away by Sasha at midfield.

    In addition, if Cooper and Buddle don’t have experience the person to fault would be Bradley.

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  16. my brother and i were in scotland 2 weeks ago and acutally ran into beasley in glasgow. he told us he would definitely be ready for the guatemala game. i am expecting him to be in the starting XI.

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  17. boring selction? yeah. but, expirence is key, which is the reason none of these field players, were called to overage duty for the olympics. WCQs have to be the priority.

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  18. Why would we bring Beaz in when he’s just rehabbing from yet another injury? Worse yet, to face a hacking, fouling team like Guatemala? That’s a recipe for subjecting Beasley to another injury.

    And yes, Cooper deserves a callup. 🙂

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  19. Good points Raghu. Experience is crucial in the Latin American hostile environments. Cooper’s time will come. Our forwards suck. He’ll get his chance. Just not right now.

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  20. If Beas is healthy – he’s an automatic call-up. He’s a critical component and one of the few players we have that can compete against anyone at any level.I’m hoping this means he’s on the road to fitness which means big minutes for Rangers as well! Best 2 way player the US has. I’m really excited that Edu is getting a shot overseas – I think he’s the next Eddie Pope.

    Hopefully, Kenny Cooper will get a shot soon – but BB shouldn’t take this much heat for not including him here. Playing Guatemal on the road is not a time for experimentation. US Nats has a good track record in Concacaf for a reason. This is top priority.

    Let him play Cooper during the next set of friendlies.

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  21. I am just as upset as everyone else about Kenny Cooper not being named to this squad. But I also understand where he is coming from for all the other selections except That ball losing bad decision making Sasha K. Unbelieveable selection. No way he deserves a call up now or anytime in the immediate future. How many times in the Olympics did he give the ball away during decent build up situations?????? Too many to count is how many!!!!! I can’t see him getting on the field but if he is one of our top choices for the senior team WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!!!!! There is no way BB would bringa team that was not the most experienced too start the game off. Guatemala can bunker down and they will try to steal a victory that way by Diving,falling taunting the Refs etc….. and BB needs players that can handle that situation because they have been there before. Cooper has not been there and done that!!! He will get his chance because BB knows his striker situation sucks and he must find somebody. Davies was not a choice nor was Altidore and Feilhaber because of Club issues. I certainly would have had BB call in Stu Holden any day instead of SK. Not Brain surgery who he was going to pick to start but I can’t believe he has SK on the team. Line up WILL BE!!

    HOWARD

    DOLO,GOOCH,BOCA,PEARCE

    MASTRO.DEMPSEY,BRADLEY LEWIS

    CHING DONOVAN.

    If BB decides to get Freaky he will have Beasley instead of Lewis. Donovan at RM and Mastro on the bench with Bradley as DM.

    Again it is NOT Brain Surgery. It just defies logic of any sort to SK on this team…..

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  22. Always happy to see DMB.

    Can someone tell me what has Kenny Cooper done to treated by Mr. Bradley this way?

    Is Kenny not talented enough to get a sniff from the 31st ranked team in the world?

    Are we so chock full of talent with Johnson and Ching?

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  23. I’m happy he is back, I really am…BUT, he is pretty injury prone so I really would like to see one of our younger players get a shot eventually (maybe in an easier qualifier against say T+T or Cuba). What about Torres the LM from Pachuca?

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