Colorado Rapids forward Conor Casey is coming off being named MLS Player of the Month of May and he his great form has resulted in a look from the U.S. men's national team.
Casey has been called up by U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley for Saturday's World Cup qualifier vs. Honduras. Casey will provide cover for the U.S. team if Houston striker Brian Ching is unable to overcome the hamstring injury that kept him out of Wednesday night's World Cup qualifying loss to Costa Rica.
What do you think of this news? Hoping he gets some playing time on Saturday? Did Wednesday night's result give you a new appreciation for Brian Ching? Worried about Honduras?
Share your thoughts below.
cool
Conor Casey is in good form right now, great, whatever. Maybe I know nothing about soccer, but when I saw Jozy get the ball passed to him last night I thought he did a good job holding up the ball. I don’t think we missed Ching at all last night.
We’re supposed to need him to do dirty work and hold the ball up but i thought Jozy did well getting fouled in dangerous situations and holding the ball. (Am I the only one that feels this way?)
The reason we lost last night was not because of the lack of ching. It was Beasley, Mastroeni, no grit or determination, a porous defense, and the bringing off of our best player in the game at halftime. (Torres)
Connor is the logical choice though it’s a week late! He and or Kenny Cooper should have been in that game vs Costa Rica. Casey should get the start over Ching regardless of Ching’s health. Connor should have been in the camps long ago but I’m happy Bradley has started to pull his head out.
I find it absolutely ridiculous that Bradley continued to call in Eddie Johnson when Kenny Cooper was fantastic all of last year. My only hope now is that Bradley has learned to call in players who are in form and match fit, even if they are playing in the MLS. All things considered equal, 90 minutes in the MLS > not making the bench for European club.
FINALLY! a striker who will invade the box with reckless abandon! good god i was so sick of watching our girls up front–on second thought…our strikers on the USWNT are a helluva lot better than landycakes…so i take that back. donovan wishes he could play like our girls.
conner’s looked great. and he doesn’t need pk’s to pad his goal tally. maybe bradley isn’t a total moron.
Kenny Cooper may now have to finally give up on playing more with the national team, at least as long as Bradley is the coach. Cooper has been playing well for longer than both Davies and Casey, but they’re both getting called up more than him.
I guess we have to wait at least 14 months before seeing if Cooper can become a major player for the nats.
BB needs to take another look around MLS…there are plenty of guys that could do loads better than DeMarcus Beasley – what a waste of space this guy is.
Call up Kyle Beckerman – he is on a red card this weekend…Pablo looked weak.
i’m quite please being an RSL supporter…this guy has our number
congrats Casey!
Ives saves my fantasy team again.
Ives,
This new FIFA ruling about having no age for dual nationals to choose a country, should we expect the USA to contact Myhill, Johnson, Jones, or Castillo? It is my understanding that due to the fact 3 of the 4 played in friendlies that are not “FIFA sanctioned”. Johnson has never played for the German NT.
Johnson is playing for the Germany u21’s in the Euros. There have been rumomrs around BigSoccer that he doesn’t want to play for the USA. Apparently his dad was a US soldier and left the family to return to the states.
Altidore was fine. His ability to win fouls created our only chances last night.
Casey deserves the call up – more so than Cooper. He is more physical and versatile. He can create more than Cooper. But he is a substantially similar player and I don’t know that he will be the answer internationally, either.
Beautiful!! Good for casey he deserves it! Some posters here are so deppressing, always complaining and suggesting players like whitbread cmon people stop whining and asking for the palyers that aren’t there cause when they get called you later complain if they don’t do well… Like with M Wynne and beasley at LB. Some posters here are a bunch whiners who are never happy with anything
Good for him.
Bad for SLU State, my fantasy team. I just bought him today and set him as my captain. Now I need to regroup!
TIM: you might be right, but Ching scoring goals in the MLS does not make him a star striker. now granted, I don tthink we have a STAR striker on our team. why the US, with so many millions of people cant develop just 2 world class strikers is beyond me!
God please!!!
Altidore and davies up top.
Connor on the bench if you must.
Otherwise Connor casery will be the Marvell Wynne on Sat.
first, I apologize because I am not a regular poster, but here’s my take on things. OK, our offense was non-existence, but we held the ball in the middle at times but apparently not long enough to move forward. our back didn’t know where each other was and paid for that. their overlapping on offense was on the positive but who did they link up with? the only stand out was Torres But other than him, Just desperate passes. because it took too long for our middle to link forward it left us vulnerable for counter attacks. we paid that price and sloppy coverage and communication was part of that. the field was (crap) the atmosphere was evil, but hey, that’s how it is. We should of stepped up, but we stepped aside. Now my main concern. the back four. I’ll leave the rest of you to cover that. Go to espn360 and watch it again and you judge. We’ll make it to 2010 and I hope to be there but, damn it, we got some talent and we need to figure this (stuff) out. sorry now I’m venting.
Listen to all these self proclaimed soccer pundits.
Casey didnt score more goals than Ching last year in MLS, he has 4 more now in more games played and he is even more unproven at the national level.
Nobody in their right mind can say that Casey is better than Ching, at any level. You are all just drinking the kool aid.
ID LIKE TO START A POLL…and have people answer with just AGREE or DISAGREE.. no explanations.. i want to count this up!!
Here is the statement:
IF THE US HAS A POOR SHOWING AT THE CONFEDERATIONS CUP, THAN USSF SHOULD REPLACE BOB BRADLEY IMMEDIATELY
Ill start: I agree!
great call. we need to be starting and playing MATCH FIT mls guys rather than players who HAVEN’T EVEN DRESSED for their respective teams in Europe.
I don’t think it is likely that Casey will start. If Ching is not healthy enough to start I think we will see Altidore and Davies paired up with Casey on the bench as a sub who could bring a spark if needed.
P.S. Just reading some of your posts makes me laugh.
P.P.S. To some of you that should come as an insult to others a compliment.
Altidore did fine. Could have done better. Could have done Ching–I mean worse.
Go back and look through the tape and answer this: how many quality crosses got into the box?
I count one free kick from Torres and one late in the second half from the right wing (forget who..)
Calling up an in-form player? What a novel idea.
One question, is he a target forward? I haven’t seen him enough to say.
Conor should start
Glad to see players get rewarded for playing good, probably won’t suddenly open the flood gates to other players that also deserve a look but it’s a start. I’m also guessing that he’ll get some kind of playing time even if it’s just as a sub, in this situation why would he get pulled away from his club team which he is a key player for, just to be another face in the crowd.
Yossarian- by chance do you or anybody else for that matter have a link or know where I could find where the Netherlands U-20 coach said that. Thanks
Hes a stronger Ching that can actually score, has good foot skills and isnt slow… Hopefully we go back to the 4-4-2 with Casey and Jozy or Davies up top….
“We’re missing three defenders right now. Onyewu is the only bright spot. I think Bocanegra is only on the field cause he’s pretty in a uniform. Let’s call up another real center back.”
Amen Big Z. Boca was horrid and me thinkest that Demerit needed to go last night with Boca moving to the left, less dynamic, but wow what terrible back play last night.
Torres was struggling to understand the formation, and moving Bradley to the right hand side in a 4-3-3 was a tactical error. If your playing the4-3-3 Bradley has to be in the middle, and I would have gone with Sacha on the right. Pablo was not very good last night…of course the same can be said for just about all of them.
Beasley’s first touch…what first touch, he was not comfortable and a liability on both O and D. Wynn left such huge gaps that Gooch had to cover. wow. really pitiful, clearly they were not comfortable in that formation.
MLS Starters should get priority over guys who don’t make the game day squad in Europe. Period.
good. starters need to know they’re easily replaceable if they play like crap
casey as a holding striker and altidore running off him would be fine with me. How in the world, i ask again, can altidore play at a WC level without playing in regular games at a club level. it drives me NUTS! Maybe until he does, as much as i hate to say it, we should try casey/davies. Coonor casey ahs significantly more to offer than ching. not taking anything away from ching, i just dont see the skill level there.
Torres DEFINITELY needs to be starting, and Adu should be getting more playin gtime. I see the same problem with adu though as Altidore (no club playing time)!
Yes! ABout time we do what other good national teams do…..CALL UP PLAYERS THAT ARE PLAYING WELL AND IN FORM. Altidore was one of the few bright spots yesterday (barely) but you can tell he wasnt match fit for 90 minutes.
To all them Ching haters: Our forwards excel when someone is able to hold the ball off long enough for them to join the fray. This was nonexistent in Costa Rica. Hopefully Casey can do the same and maybe more than Ching.
They should call up WHITBREAD! COME ON BOB GET IT TOGETHER!
We should have seen Casey earlier in this campaign. He’s faster, stronger and more creative than Ching. Also, he has been successful in Germany in the past and that is definitely showing in his weekly performance at Colorado. I’d like to see Casey and Altidore out there together.
We’re missing three defenders right now. Onyewu is the only bright spot. I think Bocanegra is only on the field cause he’s pretty in a uniform. Let’s call up another real center back.
this is almost entirely off-topic… but check out this article about denilson moving to vietnam: http://football.uk.reuters.com/world/news/SP501137.php
there’s even a lee ngyuen reference in there!
If there is one thing we can all see last night, is the team performs much worse when Ching in not in…But if he is hurt, we need someone else. Casey is playing great right now…Good callup…
Davies/Altidore would be fun to watch. Then we should put Torres and Adu in the center midfield with Donovan and Dempsey on the wings. Now that would be fun.
I think a Davies and altidore combination up front would be nice to see!
I have to say as a season ticket holder for the rapids that he has looked damn good this season!
I still think Altidore will become a world class striker, but would not hurt if he got on a club where he plays. Does ANYONE understand or have a reason why Villareal lent him out to a team where he never even made the bench? You would think Villareal would have interest in developing their $10 million investment, wouldn’t they? If he was gonna sit on the bench, he could have stayed at villareal and stayed on the bench. makes no sense!
I would be shocked if he is anything but a sub in Saturday’s game.
Good news for Salt Lake, though.
Good move, he is going to head the attack in the Gold Cup anyway.
Ives,
This new FIFA ruling about having no age for dual nationals to choose a country, should we expect the USA to contact Myhill, Johnson, Jones, or Castillo? It is my understanding that due to the fact 3 of the 4 played in friendlies that are not “FIFA sanctioned”. Johnson has never played for the German NT.
I always liked Ching, I’m just depressed to think that Netherlands U-20 coach was right when he said that the U.S. was just a system. None of our players are special, we just play a certain system that allows us a decent amount of success. I hate that that might actually be the case. Take us out of that defensive 4-4-2 with a target and we look completely shambolic. It was a pretty sad statement of the state of U.S. soccer, which I thought might be more advanced.
What did we miss with Ching out? Other than a striker that has absolutely no imagination and is no threat at all to score? He is a d-mid who plays a bit further up the park. He is NOT a solution up top. Even calling him into camp is frankly insulting to some of the other strikers who are actually playing well for their clubs.
Cooper or Casey should be paired with Jozy and Adu needs to start. He is the only one who ever really connects with Altidore and they are always dangerous when they are on at the same time. Jozy had nothing all night until Adu came in. They ‘get’ each other and Bradley needs to capitalize on that.
Looking forward to this, since Casey is probably going to start next to Jozy.
crap! i started him in my fantasy league.
but, you know, whatever… good for casey and all.
@Fred
I think Altidore did alright for the lack of help and decent balls played to him. Every pass at him was very hopeful 50-50 balls and someone can’t play up top alone with crappy service like that. I think Bob will go with 2 strikers up top with Altidore and Casey, and we also might see Ricardo Clark and Adu get a start.
Altidore was not the issue. Service and link up play with LD/CD and 0 service was the issue. How many times did you see a cross from Wynne or DMB or anybody last night? Ching would have helped becuase of his hold up play and Jozy probably has a better game. Casey is in the McBride/Ching mold so he would be able to help. Don’t forget that he is in form and healthy. We need a win on Saturday so call in whoever the hell you think will give us chance to win Bob.
I think it is good, he is playing well. I’d like to see him get on the field. He is a handful.
Good. I bet he’ll score.
so its obvious that the nats need a proven striker opposite of jozy, and the also need some leadership in the lockeroom. therefore i think mcbride should come back the the national team and prove the he is half man half god.
I guess that tells you how Altidore looked vs. Costa Rica.