If the starting lineup the U.S. team fielded in Saturday's loss to Slovakia didn't look far enough away from Bob Bradley's first-choice squad, wait until you see the team we are likely to have take the field in Denmark on Wednesday.
The departures of Clint Dempsey and Steve Cherundolo from U.S. camp means two more veterans who won't be in the lineup Wednesday. They join Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit, as well as seriously-injured Charlie Davies, who isn't going to be back any time soon. That means two more chances for younger players to step up and stake their claims to prime spots on the U.S. depth chart.
So just what will the squad look like that takes on Denmark in Aarhus? Here's one potential starting lineup:
PROJECTED USA LINEUP vs. DENMARK
—————–Altidore——–Johnson——————
Feilhaber——–Bradley——-Clark————-Holden
Bornstein—-Bocanegra——–Conrad———Spector
—————————-Guzan————————–
A few notes to consider:
With the game being in Aarhus, I can't help but get the feeling that Benny Feilhaber will get the start. That said, the U.S. team will need some extra bite in central midfield to deal with Denmark's midfield weapons. That means we could see Benny Feilhaber on the left (where he plays for his club) and Ricardo Clark paired with Michael Bradley in central midfield. This is contingent on Clark being completely healthy. He had been nursing a sore knee during the playoffs, but looked healthy in his last playoff game (late-game mistakes notwithstanding). If Clark can't go, then look for Feilhaber in central midfield, with Robbie Rogers playing on the wing.
Conor Casey was abysmal in the Slovakia match while Eddie Johnson showed some good movement and confidence. Jozy Altidore wasn't great against Slovakia either, but having a speedy Johnson alongside him from the start against Denmark could help.
As good as Jonathan Spector looked in central defense vs. Slovakia, he should return to right back for the Denmark match. That would clear the way for veteran Jimmy Conrad to make his first national team start in Europe since the 2006 World Cup.
Left back remains an interesting situation because you have regular starter Jonathan Bornstein, former starter Heath Pearce and newcomer Edgar Castillo, who fans are dying to see play for the U.S. team. I have Bornstein penciled in here, but don't be surprised to see Castillo or Pearce get the start.
What do you think of this lineup? Which lineup would you like to see vs. Denmark? Hoping to see Castillo get some playing time?
Share your thoughts below.
How? He got plenty of the ball, and was one of the few players to actually try something unexpected. Hell, he was more exciting than Jozy and Conor.
I’d go with the obvious players, as Ives has here, and simply substitute castillo for bornstein.
The goal he scored against Costa Rica should not be the reason he stays in this lineup. He is terribly mistake prone.
hey why not starting sacha kjestian left mid?i mean he plays left mid for chivas usa.
but my lineup is gunna be:
——-altidore-johnson——
-kjestian-clark-bradley-holden-
castillo-goodson-conrad-spector-
———hannehman———-
i feel like cherundolo and boca are already in the roster for south africa,so he’s going to look for other people.if castillo plays well and he plays against the dutch march 3 and plays well,he’s got himself a spot on that roster for south africa
Eddie Johnson showed good movement? Ives, thats a stretch..
(SBI-You’re entitled to your opinion. I thought he moved well. Didn’t say he looked like Eto’o.)
Cooper and Tracy have started to get consistent playing time for their clubs and Bradley doesn’t want to interrupt that for meaningless friendlies, when they could ply their trade in practice.
Johnson didn’t even look bad yesterday. He got a shot off, passed well, used his pace like he’s supposed to, and looked confident all around. You say Cunningham didn’t get time to do well, but how do you know he’ll do better given time? We’re basing this off of precedent and that would be that Johnson looked decent against Slovakia when given time. Besides, Cunningham and Johnson will probably get around the same time.
Cunningham needs at least a half to evaluate
his international potential as a speed
replacement for Charlie Davis.
For me the final straw.. on top of final and final straw was early in this game when Bradley sprayed him a nice ball on the left. It seemed to be angling a yard away from Casey, but he had neither the anticipation or quickness to catch up to it. He was simply lost on it. A Landon or a Davies latches on and is off for at least a half chance. The question is what does Johnson or Cunningham do with it.
Impressed is a strong word. I think we’re pleased that we saw few negatives. The central midfield sometimes needs someone that is simply solid. No giveaways, moves the ball along and hustles on D to effect build ups as much as break them up.
Contrast that to Sascha who is prone to a hurried bad pass (worse when its a first touch) and ball chasing on D.
No way should Bornstein play CB at this level.
What dimension will Jozy be forced to add? What is it about speed that means you are no longer disciplined?
“we have seen him play there and we know he isn’t the answer for us.”
Then why did BB call him back? So players don’t ever improve? If Castillo has a bad game or two then what are you going to do?
EJ has looked far worse playing for the US than Pearce ever did, yet you have no problem bringing him back.
2-4 are true, but how has Eddie proven more in MLS than Cunningham? EJ only had two good seasons: 2004 at Dallas (12 goals) and 2007 at KC (15 goals). In the other three seasons when he got lot of minutes (his first two seasons he got under 600 total minutes) he only managed five goals once and 10 goals total. His average was about one goal every 218 minutes and .32 goals per game (.43 in games started). Also, Eddie’s assist rate was about 1 assist every 9.8 games (7.4 in games started).
Cunningham, meanwhile, is second all-time with 121 goals in MLS. He has two MLS golden boots and has scored 10 or more goals in a season six times and at least five goals in a season 11 times (in 12 seasons). Goal rate for Cunningham: about 1 goal per 171 minutes and .38 goals per game (.56 in games started). Assist rate for Cunningham: about 1 assist every 4.7 games (3.18 in games started).
Doesn’t invalidate the overall point of course, but Eddie has definitely not proven more in MLS than Cunningham.
Ives,
Yeah–you’re right that it is largely out of his control. Personally, I like the squad with or without the availability of our starters. I think that these friendlies are a great opportunity to narrow down our player pool and round out the field of 23. I think the window for experimentation is still open, but closing fast.
Thanks for responding.
I would LOVE to see that. If nothing else it would force Jozy to add a different dimension to his game in order to be able to play fast like that. Oh… please, please, please.
But it won’t happen. Bob’s style is too disciplined for that.
thats why i would like to see what he has to offer… besides the away costa rica game where everyone played bad.
Why? What has he brought to the table that it is so important to have him?
Please be specific. SPECIFICALLY, which games has he cost us.
Bornstein has the speed but not the technical savvy or passing skills to be effective on the national level at LM. At least not in my opinion.
Oh, and i forgot to mention that it would mean a lot to me if Bob left Borstein on the bench to think about his performance last match (Weiss just tore him up! But to be fair Weiss caused plenty of trouble for Stevie on the left side too). I think kids like him a jozy need reality checks every once in a while. It’ll serve them and everyone one else well in the long run.
uhhh, I watch enough Tigres matches to know that if your gonna place either Bornstein or Castillo at LM, it should probably be Castillo.
That back line with ives’ choice at mids and forwards would be pretty cool to see.
Its a friendly, so im always welcome to a little experimentation.
If it were up to me id go with a back line of
Castillo-Bocanegra-Spector-Pearce
Given the fact that Pearce has been playing RB for FC Dallas, i wouldn’t mind testing him there. Not saying him playing there on the MLS level qualifys him at the national level, but hey, why not? In the end though, this is probably a little too radical for Bob.
iono, rather have Cunny start over EJ.
But not under Bradley!
Well, considering who we have I am really hoping Castillo is ready to start, minimum 45 minutes. Secondly, give Cunningham a real chance. I haven’t gotten to see the Slovakia game yet, but it can’t hurt too badly to give the man a real chance can it? EJ can fill in the second 45 if JC flounders. I was really hoping to see Torres start, but now am unsure if we can try both Rogers & Holden w/ Bennie & MB or if we’ll need Clark for his bite. At least I’ll be able to see this game.
Ives,
I have a question about this bit from your last Q&A:
————
DAVID- For our friendly against Denmark, do you think it is best to give our locked-in players a rest and try out some players on the fringe? Which fringe players would you like to see?
Is it 6 subs at a friendly? How many can be on a roster?
IVES- I don’t think you can afford to rest too many key players. That sort of defeats the purpose of having a friendly like that. Aside from players who are playing in MLS Cup, I’m pretty sure we’ll see as close to a full-strength squad of Americans facing a tough Denmark team.
———–
I’m just wondering if you’ve changed your stance or if you believe Bradley is mishandling this friendly. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what our fringe players can do.
(SBI-Ultimately as a coach you need to do what’s best for your players so if guys need rest you probably to have to consider their long-term well-being. Tim Howard is hurt, Donovan is in MLS Cup,Onyewu and DeMerit are both hurt and Cherundolo was dealing with the death of a close friend and teammate. So in the end you’re talking about Clint Dempsey as the one starter Bradley let leave. Not sure him letting one player go is him “mishandling” the friendlies. In an ideal world the U.S. team would have been as close to full-strength as possible, but circumstances well beyond Bradley’s control have prevented that.)
“I can’t believe Bornstein is even being considered for this game” 3 responses 1) what’s it like having an extra chromosome 2)remember that Costa Rica game? No? I didn’t think so 3) Who else you fool… Castillo couldn’t be there and he really isn’t like the messiah some are suggesting
“guess that’s why I’m a fan and not a coach” HAHA I couldn’t have said it better….
I say we keep Bradley and Feilhaber in central midfield, but put Clark in there with them. This way we have the complete trio in central midfield: A pure defensive midfielder, a two-way player, and a skilled, talented attacking midfielder. We could also work Holden in the Lampard role behind Altidore and Johnson.
Something like this:
——————Altidore—-Johnson—————–
————————-Holden———————–
——————-Bradley—–Clark——————
————————Feilhaber———————
Castillo—————————————-Hejduk
——————Bocanegra—Spector—————–
————————–Guzan———————–
Feilhaber looked a bit more comfortable in a deep role against Slovakia than he did against Costa Rica. Presumably, this is because the Slovak’s decided to drop deep into their own area, giving Feilhaber more space and time to dribble and pass. However, Denmark will be a better test as to whether he can operate in a deep role. He has the skill and vision, he just needs to get comfortable in the role. Bradley will most likely be making the runs forward, While Clark and Feilhaber will sit back; the two have worked well together previously.
Jozy needs to play as many games as possible. Benching him actually hurts him. Ask Bruce “I don’t know how to handle youth” Arena.
On Ives lineup
——–Altidore——–Johnson—-
Feilhaber–Bradley–Clark—Holden
Bornstein–Bocanegra–Conrad–Spector
——————Guzan————————–
While I think this is most likely it, I really hope that Dax starts over Clark. If he doesn’t, we’ll have no attack. Also, I wonder if BB saw Clark give LA a PK in the MLS playoffs? He’s the next Pablo M.
Also, Sit Altadore and Bornstein. Altadore for mailing it in and Bornstein for being stupid … again. I would like to see Castillo get a long look, not 10 minutes like he gave Cunningham last time out. I want to see Cunningham start this game and play at least 60 minutes. Then we’ll know if there’s anything there
You’re dreaming. Bad News Bob loves the kid, no matter how many games he costs us
D’oh.
I thought Kljestan was great against Slovakia,
Stevie Wonder
I like that one.
If I see Casey, Bornstein, or Pearce on the field at the beginning of the match, I will be a very cranky fellow.
—————–Altidore—-Johnson——————
Rogers——–Bradley——-Feilhaber——-Holden
Castillo—-Bocanegra——–Spector——–Hejduk
———————Guzan————————–
Gotta keep Feilhaber and Bradley together. Chemistry is everything and moving guys around will not help build chemistry.
What we’ll probably see…
Altidore Johnson
Feilhaber Bradley Clark Holden
Bornstein Boca Goodson Spector
What I want to see…
Altidore Johnson
Rogers Bradley Feilhaber Holden
Castillo Boca Conrad Spector
Both sides with Guzan in net.
————-Altidore——–Johnson————–
Feilhaber——Bradley——Clark———–Holden
Castillo—-Bocanegra——-Goodson——–Spector
————————Guzan———————
Conrad clearly looks like he’s on the downside, and he was never that great anyway. At least Goodson has some upside, so let’s give him every chance to show something.
Bornstein looked impotent against Slovakia. He was give monstrous amounts of space yet failed to make the key pass, cross or shot time after time after time. For a guy whose chief value is supposed to be as an offensive force, he’s not impressing in the final third at all. Let’s see what Castillo can do.
The only other thing I’d kind of like to see from this lineup is Clark on defense. We have a plethora of d-mids and a paucity of defenders, so I can’t help wondering if Clark can play back there, though I suspect it’s Edu that will be moved to center back once he gets healthy as it’s a spot he’s played before with the Nats.
Please…no more Johnson. He got another look in Slovakia and showed that he still cannot play at this level. It was like having ten men on the field. Give Cunningham his chance…see if he is worth anything (didn’t show much in Slovakia either but he didn’t get a lot of minutes). I doubt he will show us much either but EJ has had his chance(s). This would have been a good game to have a look at Tracy or even bring in Cooper. Not sure why those things didn’t happen.
One crazy Wild Card here, if only he can get over his minor injuries issues and get serious steady PT is Marcus Tracy. He’s another big holding striker in our pool, though very green, it’s a longshot.
Cooper aslo comes to mind, though, despite his size, he’s a totally different type of player than Ching or Casey. Anyhow, all these players should be subs. Come WC time, it’ll be Altidore + speed guy (EJ? Findley? anyone?) hopefully. If we can’t find that guy, then Dempsey should move up top.
Not every player needs to be creative out on the field.
For every piano player, you need a couple piano movers.
Enough of Bornstein let’s see Castillo. Also, Spector proved Saturday that he can play in the middle, which proves he pretty versatile. At some point this spring, Bradley better try him at left back. As someone posted above, Bornstein is a good MLS player, but not as good as Bradley thinks he is. Our five best defenders are Spector, Boca, Onyewu, DeMerit, and Cherundolo. Barring injury, we should find a way to get four of them on the field at the same time.
I think you may be right about MLS fostering a style of play that sets players back. I also think this subject may be moot in the long run. As Mathieu says, Ching > Casey. But I’ll go one better: if we don’t find a good alternative at forward, Dempsey will be up there with Altidore and Holden will be at wing. Holden at wing > Casey or Ching at forward.
Nice one.
If Jozy can somehow channel the passion with which he played in the game against Costa Rica (and not lose his nerves) he could potentially carry our team and Hull on his back.
Jozy has shown he can create opportunities for himself. And although I can’t believe I’m saying this… right now I think he’s the team’s best dribbler.
That can’t be right.
I have a feeling that if his forward partner starts out lively, Jozy will have a great game. If not, he’ll put in another forgettable performance.
Quite simply Rogers has plateaued, unfortunately. He has some skills but needs better – Coaching? Training? Competition? – take your pick, but right now he’s not at a European level.
Agree with the majority of the posters that Castillo should get nod over Bornstein. If BB can’t give Castillo time now, when would it be then considering we’ve seen enough of Bornstein already? I don’t expect BB to give playing time to 2nd choices next year if now is not the time to experiment. Even Pearce would not be bad just so we can evaluate and take him off the radar if he can’t reproduce the form he once had.
No love for Josh Wolff?
Nice one… but a bit unfair. I bet if he managed to lose about 20 pounds he could be decent. I attribute that to MLS. Look around MLS. All around the league you see these big, lumbering guys who wouldn’t be found anywhere in a European league. But they can take their knocks and take advantage of the horrible defending– and they get on the score sheet. But they all know… if Twellman couldn’t get out of his contract… how the heck can I… so I think it takes away their motivation to improve.
As bad as Casey looks, he has proven to be good enough for MLS.
Also, Cunnigham is prob more technical than EJ.
Indeed, I’d actually would have liked Jeremiah White (sp?) to get called up, considering he plays for the team in the town in which the game will take place.