It must feel good to be Benny Feilhaber right now.
After an impressive performance for the U.S. national team in the Confederations Cup, and after a solid showing as a substitute in a 2-0 Gold Cup victory over Honduras last week, Feilhaber scored twice in his first summer appearance for AGF Aarhus in a friendly on Monday. Feilhaber's brace, along with compatriot Jeremiah White's goal, helped Aarhus defeat second division club Skive IK, 4-2.
Feilhaber and Aarhus begin their season on July 20th against Aalborg.
What do you think of Feilhaber's brace? Is he ready for a big season in Denmark? Do you see him getting called into the Aug. 12 match against Mexico? Should he start?
Share your thoughts below.
Do you guys think Bradley-Feilhaber is our best midfield pairing? Or is it Bradley-Edu, with Benny bringing the 2nd half attacking jolt as a sub? Either way, I’d love to see all three play a big role in South Africa.
Great discussion here. Agree totally with dvm. Not saying we couldn’t do well with 2 midfield destroyers but we lack possession skills which a Benny (or Torres but I prefer Benny because he is more of a 2 way player with some defensive bite) would help greatly. Benny, more than Torres or indeed anyone on the men’s team seems to have the potential to unlock the other team. Not saying he’s the “savior” just has a potential gift of importance making the overall team better. Not a big Bob Bradley fan (another discussion)but give him credit for bringing Benny back when his career seems to have taken as many pitfalls as it did (still can’t understand how he couldn’t see the field at Derby).
“””we would benefit from a set up with a central midfielder who can orchestrate the offense and maintain possession in ways that Michael Bradley currently does not”””
and never will, imho. Lil Mikey does not have these 2 qualities and they are absolutely essential for a midfielder, all who are selected, at the national level. I still struggle to see any qualities that Lil Mikey has that are beyond any that you will routinely see at any D-1 college midfielder.
Lil Mikey will be quietly dropped when Dad is canned after 2010, wherever that competition ends up taking place (here, USA?).
—– Davies Altidore ——
Donovan Dempsey
Bradley — Jones
Spector Demerit
Boca – — – — Gooch
—Howard—
Bench:
Feilhaber
Torres
Clark
Frankie
Cherundulo
Adu
Guzan
Edu
Ching
Beasley?
Holden?
Rogers?
Marshall?
Pablo M?
dvm2971,
By the way, you say Bradley should have given Torres and Bradley ,et. al. more serious playing time.
The problem with that thesis is that National teams have very little time to experiment. And when they do, like in the Haiti game, everyone whines about what a disgrace it is that we can only tie them in a meaningless game. You can’t win. It is up to the players to get regular playing time with their clubs and then come into camp ready to go. It’s not Bradley’s fault, for example, if Adu comes to camp with his butt full of splinters.
So if Bradley is playing well at CM and the team is doing well in the middle of a tournament, Torres sits. We don’t know what goes on behind the scenes but all things considered Bradley has done a good job at balancing getting a look at new people and winning games.
dvm2971,
I don’t disagree with you.
The US has what could be termed a limited style of play; it’s all about making the most out of what you have. And what we have the most of is strength, power, athleticism and commitment. This is basically best exemplified by MBradley. And I can tell you that no one wants the US in their group in South Africa next year.
It is too late to change this style for the 2010 WC. BBradley would be a fool to try. However it does work. Greece won Euro 2004 with a dour team that I’m not sure was a whole lot more talented than this US team and I think the Euro championships are probably more competitive than the World Cup. Still, I enjoy watching the US though because, I’m a fan, but also because they just don’t play as cynically. And I believe the US would beat that 2004 Greek team.
Nevertheless, this US team is not as talented as the 2002 edition featuring Reyna and JOB as the creative fulcrums, McBride, Stewart, a younger Beasley and Donovan as the attackers, with Clint Mathis as the wild card. Do Benny, Torres, Holden, Cooper, et al., have a shot at emulating that side? Yes, but they have a ways to go. Until the Egypt game, Benny was trying to salvage a career that was threatening to go off the rails.
If there is one thing I dislike about US soccer fans it’s the tendency to anoint saviors at the slightest glimpse of promise(Adu, Benny) and then condemn them to the farthest reaches of hell when they fall(EJ, Klejstan, DMB). For all the venom thrown at him, BBradley handled Benny just about right; he didn’t freeze him out when Benny was having problems at the club level and he kept in just enough touch with him so Benny knew there was a chance to get back. As inconsistent as the careers of many US players seem to be, this is a good characteristic for the US coach to have.
MBradley has earned legitimate praise(interest from bigger teams). Cut out the hyperbole and allow Benny and Torres and the rest the time to earn theirs.
@jimmygreaves
I hope you see this post before Ives knocks to the old post section. Adressing your points #1 and #2
1. You mentioned the US had it greatest run albeit 2.5 games. Sometimes in these tournaments that’s all you need. You made a good point about the US does not need to change its style of play b/c of the timing of the World Cup. That’s really unforntunate b/c our coach should have seen some things early on in his tenure. So we probably will stay with the two-destroyer midfield.
What I recognize is that BB has been slow to adapt his team or advance his team to a style of play that will consistently beat teams in the top 30. My evaluation period does not come from the minnows of CONCACAF but from a Egypt or Sweden.
Now I want to give our boys all the credit in the world for them beating Egypt, Spain, and putting up 2 on Brazil. But being an objective person, I have to look at the circumstances. Based on the style of play we were thumped in the first two games. We had a major problem with possession and build up. Those weaknesses were exposed. The third game was a let it all hang out and we have nothing to lose. You said aggressive is our strength but we don’t assert ourselves against the big boys consistently. We’re built like a shell we act like a shell. The Spain game was Donovan at it’s best. His play, which we all know is not consistent at the international level, allieved a lot of the midfield pressure by his run of play. The second goal in that game was made by a possession type player making a good decision. If you recall, Benny faked his shot and passed to his right flank (Donovan). A Clark or Bradley would have tried to kick the ball through those three defenders vs. making the extra pass. That second goal changed the game and it partly was due to a field general on the pitch.
Getting to my point, you can always have success with our current style of play. The Brazil game should be a wakeup call that either Benny/possession type player needs to come off the bench a lot sooner and not bring on the likes of Bornstein or he needs to start. We need to learn and adapt.
By the way, Man U has world class players at almost every position. Normally world class players can hold possession and make above average passess. They could probably play any formation and win consistently. We don’t have that luxury.
2. No, I don’t think replacing Benny with Bradley or the other destroyer will make us score more goals. My value is placed on possession. With possession you impose your will on the game. You dictate pace. You ultimately will win more games versus the shell game. If we stuck to that style of play and we took our bumps and bruises early on in BB’s tenure, our team offense would be so different. If Tim Howard is not acting like superman then we lose those games.
Now people are quick to say oh we don’t have those players. Yes we do. They’re just not being played enough. They’re being pulled at halftime, or coming on the pitch with about 30 minutes left, or being played on the wings and not in a more central role. If Bob had penciled in Benny or another midfield possession player to automatically start like he did his son then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I know, I know…Bradley deserves to start b/c of his club play. But he was making these automatic starts even before success in the Dutch league. That’s another convo.
Until Jones is actually available, this is all moot. I would be really surprised if is technically available for the Mexico match that he would start. The camp before that game will likely be short and no matter what, it takes time to get accustomed to teammates so that you know what their tendencies are. If he gets called into the camp, I think it is unlikely he gets a start at a CM spot, no matter what (barring injuries to MB, and Clark and Edu not being ready). Feilhaber will probably come on as a sub. I can see MB and Jones being paired at CMs for the next set of matches. It will come down to what BB thinks about the possible combos of MB, Clark, Edu and Jones with Feilhaber being a wild card. That is something he will likely determine based on the health of the players at that time and on what he sees on the training sessions before those games (the less training time, the less likely he is to make any unforced changes from the team that started against Spain). I do think he will have a much different bench for the upcoming WC qualifiers with Jones, Ching, Cherundalo, Hedjuk and Edu available.
Dear The Ghost of Josimar and dvm2971,
Jones is obviously a higher rated player than Bradley. How he fits in remains to be seen. However, I doubt Bradley is going to see any reduced playing time. He is simply a better all around football player than either Benny or Torres at this point. This is not unlike a variation on the “Lampard and Gerrard, can they play together?” theme. Capello seems to be making it happen.
The larger question is a change of the US playing style. What you both seem to be suggesting with the development of Feilhaber and Torres is the US should now move to a more traditional offense run by a midfield general. Presumably you feel that Benny and/or Torres can now step in and perform the role of someone like Juan Roman Riquelme.
My problem with your thesis is:
1. The US has just had a run of arguably it’s greatest success in some time playing the current style. So now, on the eve of the World Cup you want to change things completely. The USMNT’s success going back to the Sampson era has always been based on solid team defense and quick, speedy, counters. This took advantage of the US’ players strength, athleticism, aggression and willingness to give their all for the team. The games against Egypt and Spain were examples of the success of this style. This was the result of not having players with a certain skill set of course, but I notice the rest of the world (see Brazil, see Argentina) is also in the same predicament.
The traditional #10 has largely disappeared. Iniesta and Xavi are more well rounded than that. Manchester United hasn’t really had a classic #10 since maybe Cantona and he wasn’t really that. Carrick may be close but United don’t really let him dominate the way a Riquelme does. What offensive creativity the US has usually comes, not from Bradley, but from Donovan and Dempsey. Bradley said as much when he said that Clint was the “something from nothing guy”. What Bradley appears to be doing is maximizing the strengths of his player pool.
2. It’s a stretch to think the Feilhaber and Torres currently belong in the same conversation as any of the aforementioned #10’s. Maybe one day, but right now their resumes are very thin. They have style but Bradley has substance. I think you are assuming that if you replace Bradley with Benny, the US will suddenly score more goals and I don’t think its as simple as that. I can’t see breaking up a good thing with the notion that either Benny or Torres will be the next incarnation of Gunter Netzer. I don’t think Bradley wants to be the re-incarnation of Steve Sampson.
Is there a link to highlights of the goals?
Definitely think Benny should make the squad for the Mexico match. I think he should continue his role as the super sub.
If Paul Jewell was as smart as me (i.e. start Feilhaber), Derby County would’ve stayed up. Benny is class.
To be honest dvm, not every team needs an extremely creative central midfield presence. It seems like nobody likes the double destroyer central midfield because we’re not constantly producing beautiful goals from it. Donovan and Dempsey are both very creative and skillful with the ball. The deal for me is that when we decided to play two defensive midfielders(Clark/Bradley) against Spain and Egypt it worked. When we played a defensive midfielder and a more attack-minded midfielder(Clark/Feilhaber) against Brazil, it didn’t work. We can’t try and change our team into a creative force because when we tried that we got our asses handed to us 3-1 against Costa Rica. We CAN integrate them into the game that we play and put players like Feilhaber and Torres in positions where they can be who they are without really changing the style the team plays. Like this:
After some subs….
————–Altidore—-Donovan———-
—Feilhaber———————-Torres—
————–Bradley—-Jones————-
Bocanegra—-Onyewu—DeMerit—-Cherundolo
——————Howard——————-
Kinda see where I’m going? I understand what you’re saying though and it makes sense.
@Jimmygreaves
I was feelin’ ya up until the last paragraph.
“…you seem to have a rating systems for goals where if it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it counts less. Perhaps you would like a version of the three point line, where any goal from beyond 30 yards counts double.”
Dang Man! It’s like that?
Couple of points. Yes, Bradley scored 19 goals. I give much props to him and am very glad that we have a midfielder who has that knack for scoring goals (ugly or beautiful). In fact, I was talking about how people over value a midfielder who tends to score over a midfielder who acts as a field general. For example, take little Iniesta and Xavi. IMHO they are both in the top 10 right now for best players in the world…hands down! Why? They don’t score 30 goals every year like Eto or Rooney. But they serve to hold possession, switch the point of attack, and create goals by delivery of through balls to thier forwards or to the flanks. These below 5’5″ guys can put thier will on the game by creating chance after chance from constant pressure created by, yes, possession. Now they are not going to win every game, but they had a 35 win unbeaten streak to prove their style of play is worth something.
Now we don’t have anyone in our pool even remotely close to those two. But we do have people who can at least hold possession and provide some attack that can change a game an put us in a better position to hold a lead and actually win games. Of course we’ll win some games with our current lineup and play. But until we get out of our defensive two-destroyer shell we will never put our will on the better playing teams. We’ll always be a counterattacking team that goes into a shell once we score our one goal.
And of course the Dutch have good goal scorers. That what total futbol (sexy futbol) is all about.
Who care abour Farthus anyway?
Dempsey Ching
Donovan Bradley Jones Feilhaber
Bocanegra Demerit Onyewu Specter
Howard
Benny looks like he’s in the Matrix
Afterthought:
Not at all saying Torres or Feilhaber should go in place of Bradley; am saying we’d benefit if they get extended looks. The way Torres has been buried is quite strange. Kljestan against Brasil? Crazy.
Dear Jimmygreaves,
I voiced my skepticism about a midfield pairing of Bradley and Jones and indicated that Jones is the better of the two.
You suggest I “apparently…haven’t seen Mbradley play.”
It turns out I have seen Michael Bradley play a few of times. On the television and live in the Bundesliga.
So what to say? Obviously, Michael Bradley is very good. There is no question that he has deserved his spot in the team. I never suggested he is playing just because of his father.
But, with all due respect, it is quite clear that Michael Bradley is not currently as good as Jermaine Jones.
And I am of the opinion that we would benefit from a set up with a central midfielder who can orchestrate the offense and maintain possession in ways that Michael Bradley currently does not.
I think this poses a dilemma for the coach.
Bradley vs. Torres? Obviously Mikey Bradley is goalscorer in ways Torres is not. But when you watch Torres play for Pachuca, it becomes clear that he could be a very special player for us.
Since we have only gotten glimpses of Torres on the national team, my assessment is based principally on what I have seen of him in the Mexican league.
Cheers.
Dvm2971,
Just for reference great scorers coming out of the Dutch league include, Ronaldo, Romario, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Denis Bergkamp, Marco Van Basten, and so on. Maybe it’s something in the air.
I also saw a lot goals being poached in and a lot of mismarking…a lot. The Dutch Eredivisie is not known for thier defensive prowess. Not hating, just what I observed mind you. …The one thing that we tend to fall in love with is the number of goals some one scores.
Dvm2971
_____________________________________
Mr. 2971,
That’s because goals are tangible evidence of productivity and, no small matter, it is hard to win without them.
Perhaps I should make myself clearer. This team has a system that, for better or worse, has produced some success. The key to any successful system is to adapt it to the strengths of your players. I like both Torres and Benny but they have to prove they can reproduce their strengths for the benefit of the team under duress and over time. Bradley has already proven he can do that.
Benny looked like a high school player against Italy and then was great as a sub against Egypt and Spain. I didn’t notice him much when he started against Brazil. Two halves of great play against tough opposition and two halves of mediocre to bad play against tough opposition. Nevertheless, the Confed Cup was great boost and I hope he builds on it. But it’s going to be a while before he challenges Bradley for “best US midfielder” title. Torres is just starting out.
You know why Bradley plays so much? Because you know what you are going to get from him and you know it is usually good. Benny and Torres may be able to do things Bradley can’t but how do you that they will? It takes time to work a player in. On a national team it’s a lot harder to wait for a player to come around. You need players who will produce, right now. That is why Adu and Torres did not see a minute at the Confed Cup. It was a very tight tournament. At least Beasely and Klejstan had done it before for the US; a shame they let us down. In the 1994 World Cup, the winners Brazil brought Ronaldo to the World Cup and he saw little or no minutes.
One of the things I was trying to point out with the numbers is that Bradley is already quite experienced for his age and he has produced at the club level. One measure of that is the number of goals he has scored.
Like a lot of people on this blog you seem to have a rating systems for goals where if it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it counts less. Perhaps you would like a version of the three point line, where any goal from beyond 30 yards counts double. We could also have a panel of Olympic style judges to award points for sublime passing during the build up; for example, beating two men counts for more than just beating one…but you get my point. Position yourself well in the penalty box, the ball rolls out to you off the mass of players and you tap it in. Simple, and a reward for good positional sense and the vision to see what was developing. Or maybe it was just luck. But if you do it often enough, is it really just luck? Bradley has 21 goals in an 83 game league career. That is a lot anywhere, especially for a midfielder. But you devalue them and belittle him because he does the simple thing. Regardless, even garbage goals count and that is all I care about. By the way, the Dutch league has given the world a long list of great scorers, so scoring there must count for something. Matthew Le Tissier played for Southampton and England and he often scored beautiful goals. The trouble was he really didn’t score enough of them. Gerd Muller played for Bayern and Germany and scored tons of goals, most of them garbage tap-ins. I know who I would put on my team.
Bradley and Jones seem like the same kind of central midfielder. Dynamic and intense going forward, cerebral distribution in the midfield, and can carry a lot of the defensive load. They also both have a penchant for swearing in interviews.
“It doesn’t make any f—ing difference what the Schalke fans think at the end of the day”
“All the f—ing experts in America, everybody who thinks they know about soccer, they can all look at the score tonight and let’s see what they have to say now. Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on on the inside, so let them all talk now.”
I’d like to see the trio of Feilhaber, Jones and Bradley before the end of the Qualifying cycle, not starting, but definitely as substitutes.
——————–Ching——————
Donovan—————————–Dempsey
——————Feilhaber—————-
———–Bradley———Jones———–
Bocanegra—-DeMerit—Onyewu—-Cherundolo
——————-Howard——————
I’m not gonna lie, I feel like doing backflips looking at that.
ya he should get the call vs mexico with jones and edu likely out..start.. maybe.
seriously tho is Aahous better than playing with Seattle or New England? if the MLS raised the salary cap would players like benny be in the states? would that block out young talent? is it about time the mls raises the cap? –Yes
Will write it again. Feilhaber is not a starter. Not yet. Not by Aug. 12. He is a supersub who is almost guaranteed to give you something special for 30-40 minutes.
Feilhaber is a good player, but I’m not sure he is a 90 minute player. His many flashes of brilliance are often accompanied by many lapses in focus that put the team in dangerous situations. I think he is best used as a substitute who could slot in any of our 4 midfield spots (in what seems to be our preferred 4-4-2. Guys like him and Holden may never be breakout starters but both could contribute sooner than later as impact subs.
If J. Jones is serious about playing for this country we can’t turn down his talent and experience. That leaves no less than 4 worthy players to fight for the other spot in the center. Benny would be 3rd or 4th on that list behind Bradley and Edu (and maybe Clark or Torres)
@Danny
My friend, no one is hating on Jr. I too think he is a good player who probably will develop into our best player one day. I also think Benny brings a different skill set than Jr. Jr. is a true defensive mid that tackles very well but has average passing ability (he does have a slight problem w/ giving the ball away). Benny brings vision, poise, and is able to switch the point of attack. Something we lack b/c Sr. is way to conservative unless the game dictates a goal must be scored within a 30 minute time frame.
This goes back to my arguement you try to start your best XI but it doesn’t always work that way. As I previously stated, if Jones pans out to be this stud destroyer in the middle w/ above average passing ability, then you have to start a Benny or Torres. To look at our offense function with two destroyers can be down right ugly. We don’t maintain possession. We will undoubtedly lose games b/c of this fact.
@Jimmygreaves
I think we all saw the many goals Bradley scored last season in the Dutch league. I also saw a lot goals being poached in and a lot of mismarking…a lot. The Dutch Eredivisie is not known for thier defensive prowess. Not hating, just what I observed mind you.
The one thing that we tend to fall in love with is the number of goals some one scores. Torres may not be able to score 19 goals in a season, but his ability to hold the ball and find team mates that relieve pressue will win some games in the future (refer to Reyna on the Ghana folly). Also think about the Brazil game. Imagine having that one guy in the middle of the field to outlet to Donovan and Dempsey. To pass back upward to the forwards that’s not considered “hoofing” (refer to Gooch) We went into a defensive shell b/c we didn’t have enough of the “possession” skill set out there. This goes back to not being able to hold possession will undoubtedly lose games for us. But for now, we employ two destroyers which will probably field Jones and Bradley in time for the World Cup. May God bless our sputtering offense.
Just to clarify the claim that playing in Denmark is somehow further away than playing in Germany, France, Spain, or England. Denmark is pretty much Germany’s hat (if you look at a map). The flight from Denmark to the states is pretty much the same length of time as flights taken from the rest of europe (give or take a couple hours). It’s not like he’ll have to spend 8 more hours on a plane to get back and forth to National Team duty.
not going to make any declarative statements regarding benny being the best midfielder america has ever produced . . . . . 🙂
but i will say that this goes to show you what our players can be if they get regular playing time at the international level. coming off these past two tournaments has made him a better player and i feel that this two goal performance is somewhat a culmination of that.
when you play with better players, you begin playing at a higher level, simple as that.
Stop using “brace” to describe every time a player scored two goals. Its lame.
“busier than a one legged man in an asz kicking contest”
Jemal Johnson resigns with MK Dons after they appointed Ince as manager again. JJ played a lot under Ince the first time.
I am Curious about Jeremiah White. Jeremiah White has been an Impressive Starter on this AGF team the last 2-3 years…..
ibby – A ‘brace’ is the term for a player who is sitting on a hat trick, a player who has scored 2 goals.
Stop using “brace” to describe a goal. Its lame.
BTW, Eddie just scored again for Fulham in a friendly versus Melbourne Victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSgENciNgPs
The only question is how Eddie got so open in behind the center defenders. Maybe it’s that speed!
I’m not a big Eddie fan, but I would love for him to show what he can do (once he gets his head on straight). If he keeps playing like this, he’ll be at Fulham this year and not loaned out.
In hindsight, that loan move may have turned out to be the best thing that happened to him. Too bad Xerxes were such jerks and didn’t play Jozy.
All you guys proposing kicking Bradley to the bench for a Jones Feilhaber mid-field — you should watch some soccer on TV. Since the last Mexico game M. Bradley has consistently, in virtually every NATS game, been one of our best players. He has proven himself far and away the best central mid-fielder in our player pool. He’s our only true two way mid-fielder, and he plays with intensity and emotion that lifts the team. I’m glad that under his dad, Michael is the presumptive starter, and Jones, Feilhaber, Edu, etc., will have to earn their spots.
“Benny is the most composed and accurate playmaker in the midfield – bar none on the men’s Nats. He is the closest thing to Reyna we have now, and I think he has more upside than Claudio. …….
Posted by: Will | July 13, 2009 at 05:18 PM ”
Will,
I like Benny but you need to get real here. Claudio was one of America’s greatest ever players, one of the few to captain his European side. In Europe that is a great honor. If he were 10 years younger and healthier, he’d be captain of this team and leading them to SA.
Benny, after success in the Gold Cup, flamed out at Hamburg, Derby County and now is doing well at a Danish club no one ever heard of. He was hurt for part of the time but he also had some serious attitude problems, which Bbradley had to address.
Lets hope he keeps it up because Benny wasn’t in great shape at the beginning of the Confederations cup. He had a bad start with Italy and his start with Brazil was unremarkable. His biggest contributions were when he came on as a sub.
__________________________________________
“@ dvm2971
Spot on. Jones is currently far better than Michael Bradley. Under any reasonable scenario, Jones has to be in the first XI.
This leaves Bob Bradley with a dilemma. Does he bench Michael? Does he play Michael and Jones as his center midfield pairing? Or does he reshuffle the formation to get the best players on the field?
I am of the opinion that a Bradley-Jones pairing does not offer enough going forwards. Of course, if you are satisfied with a Bradley-Clark midfield you will be more than happy to swap Jones for Clark.
But don’t we aim to do more than play balls-to-the-wall defense against top sides?
If we want to maintain possession, we need players with poise and vision in the center of the pitch. That means either Benny Feilhaber or Jose Francisco Torres on the field. I am very pleased to see Benny back in the mix. But Torres should also be given some extended opportunities.
Posted by: The Ghost of Josimar | July 13, 2009 at 05:38 PM”
Dear Mr. Ghost,
Jones may be a better player than Bradley but I’ll reserve judgment until he plays a few games with the USMNT. As for Bbradley having a dilemma, apparently you haven’t seen Mbradley play. He is without question, America’s best true midfielder (Dempsey and Donovan are really hybrids forwards/midfielders). If you think he is playing just because of his dad then how do you explain those coaches in Germany and Holland who play him all the time as well as the people in the EPL who want to sign him? As far as I know they are not related to him, so they must really be stupid. You’d better contact them and inform them that Mbradley is a fraud without his dad around.
Just to leave Bbradley’s bias out of the picture:
1. Since 2005 Bradley has played 83 league games in Holland and Germany and scored 21 goals. All of them without his dad being anywhere near the pitch.
2. Since 2005 Benny has played 29 league games with 0 goals, all these in leagues inferior to those the Holland and Germany.
3. Since 2006 Torres has played 48 league games for Pachuca with 2 goals. I can’t get the assists stats so goals will have to do.
4. Since 2005 Jermaine Jones has played 84 league games (one more than Bradley) and scored 6 goals.
Now tell me again what evidence you have to suggest that Benny and/or Torres + Jones offer better options “going forward” than Bradley and Jones?
@Isaac: in other words, slump-buster!
Great job Benny! Keep it up!
Altidore-Donovan
Dempsey-Benny
Bradley Jones
Boca-Gooch-DeMerit-Spector
I like Davies, but Donovan is more complete and can do anything that Davies can do just as well and that leaves room for Benny to control/create. Bottom line is that what he brings has to be on the field.
dvm2971, are you at all familiar with Bradley’s time at Heerenveen? His goals, 17 goals I think in one season, don’t indicate some attacking prowess?
Benny in the pic kinda looks like he’s doing the soccer version of the “Heisman pose”.
“Look at me… I’m a pretty little princess”
or, my personal fav
“David Blane, put me and the ball down, RIGHT NOW!”
In case it wasn’t obvious, Charlie Davies is probably gone any day now.
http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=4911
Which I can understand, but it just further depletes our Gold Cup roster. Maybe Clark will get called in. I serviously doubt any of the remaining 7 extras will get called in. The rest of the Gold Cup is going to be a wild ride IMO for the USMNT.
Who cares about Aarhus…He should be playing in the States to improve his game.
Benny isn’t better than Bradley. Come on. When will you haters just stop? Bradley is one of the best players in the pool for club AND country. Bench Bradley for Benny? Please. Benny off the bench to spark the team with Jones/Bradley starting. Duh!
meaningless, new seattle sounders design – http://store.objectivo.com/home/seattle-sounders-x-ac-dc-soccer-t-shirt.html
I know people are saying it’s just a second division side but scoring against any team really does help your confidence and that can help you in the long run. A lot of scoring spree’s start with lowly teams.
I’m a little teapot …
Good times for the US NATS, I hope every player develops as expected, keep it up Benny, I hope to see you around for a long time…