Photo by ISIphotos.com
by GIANFRANCO PANIZO
Brian Ching has been ruled out of the U.S. national team's World Cup qualifier against Honduras on Saturday.
Ching, who missed Wednesday's 3-1 World Cup qualifying loss to Costa Rica, is still trying to recover from from a hamstring injury he picked up earlier in the week.
Ching's injury led to the team's call-up of Colorado Rapids striker Conor Casey on Thursday.
What do you think of Ching's injury? Is him being out detrimental to the team's chances of a win vs. Honduras? Is this an opportunity for a guy like Charlie Davies or Conor Casey to make a case for himself?
Share your thoughts below.
without the Ching/donovan combo i’m a little fearful of USA attack
Ching? More like chingadera.
Losing Ching was big. So far he has proved at a few different points this past year that the team is not the same without him…
I hope this recent injury is not serious…
With that said, what the hell, give Conor Casey the start…Let Conor wear em down, and then bring on Davies to knock em out…
these two games may serve as a reminder to some how important ching can be to our team. also its good for some new blood to get into camp.
Casey does NOT have that many games in the Bundesliga. You guys are retarded. He was loaned out in the 2.Bundesliga (you know THE SECOND DIVISION) for almost the entirety of his stay there.
Casey is worse than Ching, Ching at least knows how to pass the ball.
Sorry I meant Rennes FC
Good call on Dempsey everyone – what I saw the other day was a bit pathetic. Always trying some little cute move only to have the ball taken off his feet and a counter attack ensues.
At Fulham he does well because of the players around him. It’s all about team talent, not the individual player, and it isn’t Marvell Wynne behind him at Fulham.
I would put in the following line-up for the Honduras game:
Forwards – Jozy and Davies
Midfield – Donovan, Clark, Torres, Dempsey
Defense – Boca, DeMerit, Gooch, Spector
Goal – Howard
Subs – Casey, Pablo, DMB
I personally agree with both Tony and Erik, we need to place people were they truly belong and Dempsey does need a wake up call, he sleeps through the entire game, waht the freak???, why is he playing better at fulham than at the USMNT??.
Donovan needs to wake the f up, he should be the backbone of the team and players do not rely on him as they should rely on a player wearing the number 10.
4now:
Donovan needs a wake up call and Dempsey doesn’t? How many USMNT matches does Dempsey have to sleep walk through before some discontent is thrown his way?
Plus, you ask for speed on the flanks and you start a slower player (Dempsey) over Donovan? (And Brdaley is on suspension for Saturday.)
Agree about Santino, however. He has worked his way back – and is in fact better than he’s ever been.
Erik: I felt we were not too far apart in our thinking. I think I agreed with your overall thought, but disagreed with a couple of your examples. Thanks for elaborating in your response
We need true fullbacks who have cover.
We need speed on the flanks.
We need an in-form target forward, so we can play over the midfield, if need be.
Donovan needs a wake-up call.
I wish we could see a McBride/Rolfe call up, though.
I also think a Santino Q. call up is long, long overdue.
_________Casey___Altidore________
_Beaz___Torres__Bradley__Dempsey___
_Pearce__Boca__Gooch___Spector____
____________Howard_________________
———Altidore———-
Dempsey—–Adu—–Donovan
—–Bradley—–Torres—–
Bornstein-Boca-Gooch-Spector
———–Howard———–
TONY in QUAKELAND
I think we are in some agreement actually, although I thought Boca played left back for the Fire as well as started there for Fulham? Can’t remember back that far in MLS days now.
You are right on having the best person for each position fight it out and who wins, wins. DMB needs to be off the field at this point, late sub at best. Never heard that comment from Arena though.
The problem I think we really have with the team is the US mentality. No creativity is really allowed (who was the women’s national teamer who said this BEFORE the debacle on the world cup for the women?)
At all levels I hear complaints about coaching being too rigid, too boring. Everytime I am playing a pick up game in the park with Brazilians, Mexicans, etc we see the youth teams running around cones and doing laps. I learned how to play the game on a dirt field – short passes, movement, space. I never had a coach except the friends I made on the field over 10 years.
We need more creativity in our system – Adu’s, Torres’s, etc. Maybe not RIGHT this second as I don’t think Adu is anywhere near ready, but Torres is a good start.
@ Barry U
I agree with you 100% If you reward a benchwarmer with a MNT start or appearance then they know that by just going to a “european” club even as a benchwarmer they will get called into the MNT and perhaps don’t work extra hard. a lot of MLS players could step up to the plate for the NATS, a lot of player for the ALL-STAR game are from the USA and we’ve beat the likes of West Ham and Chelsea..
Davies certainly shows some fire, but I think he looks too “edgy”. He seems to have a mean streak to go along with his flying elbows. Watch the CR game again. He looks like he’s one retaliation short of getting carded. One place Ching doesn’t get enough credit is his composure to take the incessant little cheap shots without retaliating.
@ TimN and @ Jeff N
I agree with both of you on the need to develop newer, younger talent. I’m just not sure that the appropriate stage to do so is in a WC qualifier that has now reached the status of being a “must win” game. If we lose this one, with the prospect of heading into Azteca next, we are then in full-fledged “panic” mode. That might be why a calmer, more experienced player should be considered.
Of course, this is all an academic exercise, anyway. Purely hypothetical.
Respectfully.
Yes, Casey is a _great_ choice! Bradley needs to call up more players who couldn’t hack it in Europe and limped back to MLS. Wait — what about Nate Jaqua?
Sorry for the sarcasm, but come on.
I was going to say the same thing Gentleman Masher, Inzzo you make it sound like Barca was going up against Blackburn or Bolton, these old and tired stereotypes of English clubs really do not apply to the Big 4…
It’s gonna rain Saturday. We need physical players because it will be sloppy.
Davis looked good in his limited time against CR and Casey deserves a call up. He has been really in form. I’d like to see both get substantial minutes this summer in the gold cup.
@Isaac
Cooper doesn’t play as big as he is, where as Casey is a more physical player. So when you need a target type player, even though Cooper looks the part, he doesn’t really play that role. That’s why I think we’ll see Casey start over Davies.
The US has outscored oppenents something like 34-1 in the past 10-11 home qualifiers, so regardless of who plays, I think we win this game. Even though US stadiums aren’t as imposing to those in central america, those teams rarely travel well.
I’m sick and tired of people knocking on Bradley for not “bringing up the young guys faster” Let’s face it, that bull$!&t. Altidore has been integrated into the team and none of the other younger players DESERVE to get any playing time. The Costa Rica game showed the importance of Ching in the lineup, yet all the Ching haters are keeping their mouth shut about how pathetic the offense was without him. Bradley is a great coach who is doing the best he can with the limited options he has. I was dissapointed by the lineup for Costa Rica, but its to early to start complaining about the coach
ERik – opps, hit submit too soon…
Continuing, Boca has always played CB, except for this year in France and Bradley is not being used as a defensive mid. (That’s why Mastroeni was there.)
But you do have a point. We wind up moving guys around to either mask weakness (what Bradley is doing) or to get favorites on the field (what Arena did in 2006 – a bigger sin in my mind) We should have guys compete at their positions and the guy who wins, plays. This is going to leave Beasley off the field probably, but so be it.
Donovan is a case in point. Arena, a couple years ago announcing a USMNT game after Bradley took over, said the problem with Donovan is that he is the best forward and the best midfielder. He winds up all over the place because he masks the weakness of the team. He is not allowed to play one position and thrive.
Sorry – flip that to put Dempsey on the left, where he plays with Fulham, and Donovan on the right…where he was effective against TnT.
@ Inzzo – I don’t know what CL Final you were watching, but I wouldn’t call Rooney, Ronaldo, and Park “big, slow, forwards”
Barca won because Man U. had no one in the Midfield who could keep up with Iniesta and Xavi.
Interestingly enough – they ran an identical formation to what we did against Costa Rica, and paid the same price!
We need to run a standard 4-4-2:
—-Casey—–Altidore—-
LD—Kljestan—Mastroeni—Demps
Boca—-Gooch—-Demerit—Spector
Well put, TimN.
I’d like to see an Altidore Davies forward combo before we even THINK about putting Casey in. If Casey’s goals in MLS merit him a call-up, Davies’ goals in Sweden merit him a start. Mind you, if Ching wasn’t injured, I don’t think Casey would get a call up. What about Cooper though. I would have rather seen him. He’s done pretty well for Dallas.
Erik: Donovan is not “always” on the left side of the midfield. He’s played there the last two games. He’s usually on the right of withdrawn behind the forward/forwards.
@William the Terror,
I understand why calling in McBride might be inticing, but the MNT, if they are to move forward at the international level, needs to continue to develop new talent, rather than rely on falling back on aging players.
Kenny Cooper might also be somebody that I thought could have gotten another look, but again, I like the choice of a healthy Connor Casey that’s in good form.
@ red card and William the Terror:
I see where you’re coming from, but I’m glad Bradley called Casey and not McBride. My big knock on Bradley (and most people’s knock on Bradley) is that he’s not bringing the young guys in quickly enough. If we resort to calling McBride in now – i.e., hitting the “panic” button – then we’re stunting the development of guys like Jozy and Davies. And guys like Jozy and Davies are going to be the ones who will need to carry us in 2010.
That said, if we lose against Honduras, then get McBride the f in there.
Why is Donovan always on the left side of midfield? This is a horrible position for him – he needs to be a forward or an attacking mid.
On a side note, why is Boca always in the middle – he just played a FULL season in France as a left back and did a darn good job at it. No wonder he looked like crap at CB the other night, he’s played it like 3 times all year!
This is what I hate about the US team at the moment. It seems every player isn’t played to his position of strength. DMB isn’t a left back, LD isn’t a left mid, and Boca isn’t a CB. Bradley isn’t a DM, if used correctly he can get forward as more a Stevie G type player. (just nowhere near as good)
The US team is a mess and it’s time for some fresh ideas. I think we go 0-3 at the confed cup and hope this shakes some things up.
One more thing. Alexi Lalas said something last night on the DC/NY halftime show that made think! I know stop laughing…. He said players playing regularly at club level and in good form should be given a look before benchwarmers. Looking back at Costa Rica that means DMB/Jozy/Freddy do not see the filed. Maybe as subs.
After thinking it over I kinda agree with the guy. Jozy is the only one I think did anything with his time on the field at Costa Rica. What you guys think. Are their guys in MLS that are playing well that we should look at. They already took Casey. Guys Like Colin Clarke, Pontius, Stu Holden, Rolfe, Chad Marshall, etc….
@ red card
my thoughts exactly. i mean, i know that mcbride is technically “retired” from the USMNT. but, given the circumstances, i think he would probably be willing to do a “one off” return. wonder whether BB even asked.
Casey’s career has been derailed by injuries. He’s finally been able to stay on the field for the first time for a full season in about 4 years.
I’ve posted this on the site before, but based on how the US prefers to play with a target forward, I always thought he’d be the heir to McBride, but because of injuries he hasn’t been able to show what he’s capable of doing.
I have no idea if he can be consistently successful at the international level, but I think he offers a little bit more than Ching as a target player.
This looks like a good move. Casey is in good form, and has good size up front at 6’1″. I’d like to see a 4-4-2 on Saturday as follows:
—–Altidore–Dempsey
–Donovan–Torres–Mastroeni–Adu
–Spector–Oneywu–Bocanegra–DeMerit
———-Howard———-
Coming off the bench I’d like to see perhaps Casey or Davies up top, and in the midfield Lichaj. Our defense is thin, so hopefully the above four could go the full 90. I think this team sorely missed a steady veteran like Hejduk on Wednesday. For all those who criticize him so often, I’ll ask “How was the Beas??” “Ahhh, happeh now??”
Davies provided a spark during the few minutes he was on the field against Costa Rica. He should get the opportunity to start. He plays like he’s hungry.
Experiment during a WCQ? That’s what the Gold Cup and Confed Cup are for.
The guy (Casey) has been injured on and off for the last 3 or 4 years. That is why. His time in the Bundesliga was cut short becuase of it. And last year in Colorado he only played in a few games cuase he got injured again. But when healthy it seems like the guy can play. Are we doing line ups yet? MB and Sasha are out correct? Everyone except Jozy and Spector(did play in the last 10 games for WH as a starter or sub) is playing regular minutes and not warming the bench.
Casey or Davies/Altidore
Dempsey/Torres/Rico/Landon
Bornstein/Boca/Gooch/Spector
Timmy
So why couldn’t they call in Brian McBride for one game? After all it is in Chicago.
I’m pretty sure there’s a reason Casey has been out of the squad for years. While he may be an imposing force in parity of MLS, he is not downgrade from any other forward option on the NT level.
Anyone notice how Barcelona thoroughly muted the Man U attack? Slow, big forwards are not the wave of the future.
elmatador, couldn’t agree more. They need to get in some fresh players. I am not sure that will solve the problem, but it experiments. The bottom line is that we just aren’t that good. No consisent formation or style of play, no true #10 playmaker, no consistent attacking threat (or defense for that matter). That’s it, on a world stage, we just are not that good. Give me a break, can’t play in Costa Rica? It’s freakin’ Costa Rica, let’s get real. We wonder why we can’t win on European soil? We can’t win in Costa Rica…ever!
casey was capped a few year back.
Casey has 95 games in Bundesliga under his belt between Mainz, Hannover, Borussia Dortmund, Karlsruhe…he’s only 27 and 6’1″ still can help the MNT a lot….don’t understand why he hasn’t been called before.
Beech, the Casey post said Casey was called in IN CASE Ching couldn’t go. Now Ching can’t go. Not that hard, try and keep up.
Isn’t this just the same article that is posted just below about Conor Casey except with a different picture and name swap?
Never mind the forwards. The problem is the defense.
Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Play 4-5-1 (w/ Jozy as the lone striker). This will relieve some of the pressure on the D.
Steve C.: GET HEALTHY!
first post! hoot!