The race to fill the remaining roster spots at forward for the U.S. World Cup team is about as wide open as you could imagine and with Brian Ching suffering a hamstring injury, and Robbie Findley starting out on the bench for Real Salt Lake last night, you have to wonder just who is leading this race to fill the final forward spots.
Herculez Gomez is scoring goals in bunches in Mexico, while Edson Buddle has started off the 2010 MLS season in style with three goals in two matches. It's still just week two in MLS so other candidates, such as Conor Casey and Jeff Cunningham have yet to really get rolling. There are still six weeks to go before invites to the Pre-World Cup training camp are handed out, so there is still time for players to impress, or fall out of the picture.
Here is our question for you. If Brian Ching can't go, and assuming there is one forward spot available for the following forwards, which would you take between Edson Buddle, Conor Casey, Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley, Eddie Johnson and Jeff Cunningham?
Cast your vote (Please note, if you vote before 1:20pm, you can vote again. the ballot was reset to include Eddie Johnson):
Who would I take? I'd probably go Herculez Gomez the way he's playing right now. As for who Bob Bradley would take, if Ching is out, then Bradley would probably take Conor Casey to give the squad a target forward option.
Who did you vote for?
Share your thoughts below.
True enough but if you watch EJ’s performance at Aris, he is basically playing as a faster version of Brian Ching. His manager, Hector Cuper is well regarded in Europe and he is taking advanatge of what the dynamic duo do best.
In Adu’s case it seems to be as a part time offensive generator type, in small doses.
In EJ’s case, Cuper is using his EJ’s strength, speed and size to wear opponents down. The goal scoring part is almost a bonus. Cuper has made EJ into a poor man’s Heskey ( or a middle class version of Ching, if you prefer).
I find your reasoning tailored so it reaches the conclusion you want rather than reaching a logical conclusion.
Sports is a “what have you done for me lately business”. You are saying, when evaluating Gomez, what he did NOT do in his first couple of years is more important than what he has been doing lately. You don’t think it’s perfectly reasonable to assume it takes some people a while to figure things out and get comfortable?
Gee, I always thought your current performance was more important.
Let’s just say Gomez had been a big time goal scorer in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Then let’s say he hadn’t scored a goal in any games since then(remind you of EJ?). Would you now feel better taking a guy with a good history who was stone cold rather than a guy with a spotty history who was now red hot?
Mexico is not a no-defense league; they just play with a different style from the MLS and the USMNT.
Here are some of the top scorers the last five years and where they went after they left Mexico :
Sebastian Abreu – River Plate (Argentina)
Kleber Boas – Santos (Brazil)
Claudio Lopez – KC Wizards (USA)
Cuauhtemoc Blanco – Chicago Fire (USA)
Guillermo Franco – Villareal (Spain)
Emmanuel Villa – Derby County (England)
I’m not suggesting Gomez is as good as them but that is not a bad list of players.
I get the idea behind that but if the US is in that situation, needing a big aerial presence in the last 10 minutes or so, then the logical guy to use is Clarence Goodson or which ever center back is not starting.
Goodson is lethal in the air and already has a number of goals. This is hardly a new idea as the USMNT used to have Lalas or Balboa do the same thing. Gooch did it for Milan in their exhibition game in Baltimore last year and did not look out of place.
The best part is it saves you a roster spot.
He does use his size, only not in the way you think. Everyone thinks if you are tall you are supposed to be good in the air. From what I’ve seen of Cooper he isn’t horrible in the air. But he seems to use prefer to play on the floor.
In other words, I used to play a lot of center back and I always hated LONG guys like him especially if they had good ball control because they would use that long body to shield the ball from you.
Watch Cooper sometime and you will see he uses his length to shield the ball for an extra second, just long enough to get off shots that maybe a smaller guy couldn’t.
You can’t judge a book by it’s cover or is that too cliche?
I vote Jeff Cunningham
Herculez does get this irrational self-belief at times that turns out to be self-fulfilling. It’s downright Charlie Rodgers-esque.
Begs the question though, who’s Landon played more games with — Edson or Herc?
Yeah yeah, we show up with Howard, Friedel, Guzan, Hahnemann, Keller & Perkins and work some 11th hour deal for a player to be named later
They’re the same guy in that regard
Ching out is horrible news. Ching does the little things that most MLS forwards can’t offer in the USMNT.
Gomez has been playing decent recently, but there is something still missing in his game which I can’t figure out. I think the USMNT might be a little to physical for him to keep up, maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.
I say leave all the bums out and bring Adu and let him come in as a sub behind Jozy or Davies. Adu has done more ratio wise than all those bums put together.
Are you guys serious with EJ & Casey??LOL
Hey Im not good enough to play Internationally . Thanks for the love though, Maybe in 2014
I agree that Gomez is probably just on a streak. I like Edson Buddle he really looked good the other night and the fact he plays with Landon on a regular basis may help if they were to get on the field together.
Most sensible thing i’ve ever seen on this site.
I would like to see Cunningham get another shot. He did score against Denmark. Against Honduras the U.S. was a man down, and he did not get any good service. He needs to be seen with the first team again. I think he would be a good late sub with his speed. Hopefully BB picks the right man for the job.
Here’s a question….why hasn’t Bradley called up Buddle sooner or given Gomez more chances before!!?? Answer: B/C he gave Johnson and Altidore sooooo many chances and they have produced sooooo little!
taking Cooper or EJ with the last spot?
I just threw up in my mouth a little …….
He plays well with LD and Becks has spoken favorably about Edsons ability and play
His history says MLS coaches played him out of position.
Compared to the other stiffs, he’s hot now and showing what he can do as a striker.
At least give him shots in the friendlies. If he shows he can hang at international level, then he’s clearly our best options because the rest of them have shown very little at that level. Assuming Ching is out.
Adam, right, that’s the only starting combo which makes sense – unless the miracle man Charlie Davies tears up Ligue 1 for a couple weeks….before season runs out on him.
McBride is the only option. I bet he would return if asked. He played in the Olympics.
I think soccer fans/media focus too much on form. Gomez didn’t suddenly learn how to play striker. I just don’t believe that. He’s in a great system that’s working well for him. I’m happy for him but too late for this World Cup.
cool, im glad to see that gomez and buddle are leading it….i thought by saying they would be my two i would be an idiot and me outruled….lol, i guess not. buddle is excelent and very consistant when hes not injured and gomez is on superb form
Cooper has “size” but he uses it poorly. In Nats’ games he hasn’t been able to play that role. Johnson and Casey are better at using size than Cooper.
Well Bob should start to look what is going on with other striker in other part of the world especially in Argentina, Talk to Micheal Hoyos or maybe find out about the Gabriel Funes (Ricver Plate) his is the winner of Sueño (dream) he was playing for the Youth Dallas FC and now he is playing for River Plate in Argentina (Whats going on letting all this player go to other countries when they could be playing here. WTF)
I think the choice is between EJ and Gomez.
Findley has not look like he belonged on the Nats. Cunningham…ditto. While he is a gritty player, I don’t think Connor Casey’s game will work against Word-class competition. Buddle would have to keep putting up goals in MLS for the next month.
We all know EJ has struggled over the years. However, he is a talented player and I don’t think he would be overwhelmed by the stage/competition…he has played in EPL, the Championship, etc. To be honest I haven’t seen much of Gomez because I don’t follow Mexican futbol that much but scoring at that rate merits consideration.
I think if Gomez keeps scoring he deserves a shot, otherwise send EJ. An unknown factor (for me at least) is what kind of chemistry do EJ or Gomez have with the other attacking players on the Nats. Do LD,Dempsey, etc like playing with EJ? Do they think he is lazy? It may seem trivial but at this point we are picking the best out of a group of bad options.
I do not believe that anyone primarily bench warming, either domestic of foreign, should warrant a spot on WC team, unless of course, they are are indispensable or are a goalkeeper :-). That said, it should rule out Beasley, Cooper,Adu and Johnson. Although you could make a case for Johnson finally getting some field time. And of course, with all things considered, those injured should be evaluated differently. Davies, Holden, Onyewu, J Jones, should all at least be given a few games after recovering to state their case.
I picked Buddle for consideration in this forum several times, He is big, strong, fast and has a nose for the ball. If you watched last night you’ll have seen a Chivas defender literally BOUNCE off of Buddle on his first goal.
The fact that he has a good understanding with Donovan is a BIG PLUS. You ALWAYS want a winger/midfielder or strike partner on the same page with you!! He is healthy now and I expect him to pass or come close to Gomez for goals scored before Bradley’s decision.
If Davies cannot make it back to fitness enough to impress Bradley I would go with (in order) Buddle, then Conner Casey, who has several years of Bundesliga experience, followed by Eddie Johnson. Dempsey up top is an options but only if the US can dig up a pretty decent offensive midfielder. It would have been awesome to have Jermain Jones healthy and move M. Bradley to an offensive midfielder. Edu would be my choice as a replacement midfielder if Dempsey moves up top.
Dougs I don’t think anyone is suggesting that we shouldn’t bring extra forwards. However, I do believe we need Altidore to receive the ball and hold it in the enemy 3rd, allowing Dempsey and Donovan to run off him as aggressive attacking mids. Are ability (or inability) to do this will dictate how many goals we score and how many games we win this summer. I think that our choice in substitute forwards is of secondary/lesser importance. Personally, I say bring we bring whoever scores the most goals in the next 6 weeks.
Definitely Brian Ching. He has 9 weeks to get healthy before the US’ first match – that should be enough time. Frankly I don’t trust any of the options in the poll.
bring him in now bobby. how depressed will we all be when we see hoyos paired with messi in 2014?
Honestly, my 2nd choice target man after Jozy, would be Lenhart.
Casey was there last year during the Confed Cup. Granted he didn’t do much but I think he played better during qualifying. I still want Ching and Charlie back.
Gomez because Hercules is a way more intimidating name than Edson.
PLEASE STOP WITH THE KENNY “DADDY PLEASE HELP ME” COOPER TALK!!!!!!….HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…THATS A CLASSIC…I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING!!!!!
Here is how I see it. Ching>Casey as the target man spot. I know you may not like it but Bob is going to bring one of them unless they are both hurt. Jozy and Davies(if healthy) are locks. That leaves one other spot at forward. I think its between EJ and Buddle. EJ is quick while Buddle has more size but also some speed. I really think that Buddle can be a pleasant surprise for the nats. He has the connection with donovan and I know its the MLS, but he likes to take players one on one. He does have talent and I think he deserves a look.
Casey ain’t great, but he’s been in big international games — and not done that badly. Gomez hasn’t My guess is Bradley does give Gomez a shot in the friendlies. If he shows well, I’ll reconsider.
Totally, fight to the death….starting now. Whoever in question scores the most goals in the next 6 weeks gets the spot.
You’re right about Bradley I think. He definately values a guy who can be a big target and hold it up top while the midfield transisitions into attack. For that, I say Buddle is the guy. Plus the dude has the footskills needed to turn to goal and can finish with either foot.
I know it was only against Chivas, but last night I thought Buddle excelled in the 4-5-1 that Bradley favors and scored 2 goals on assists from Donnovan who was out wide, where he’ll likely be in the WC as well.
Cooper’s size gets negated by the fact that he tries to play like he’s a 5’4 Brazilian. He absolutely does not have pace that is a ludicrous statement.
He is however one of our technically better forwards, he has a good strike from distance and is a decent finisher.
Contrary to the belief of some his NT performances have not been very impressive. He hasn’t been terrible by any means, just not impressive. Arguably some of those other options up top haven’t either, but the fact that K Coop gets zero or garbage minutes on a Championship side means he should be nowhere near the World Cup.
To everyone that says we should just go with another midfielder, what do you expect Bob to do if, when Altidore or Davies (assuming he is fit and can go 90) get either 1) injured, 2) suspended, or 3) exhausted from playing 90 in the two previous games? And if it is alti that goes out the answer is not Dempsey or Donovan because neither is a target/hold-up striker. It is for this reason I expect either EJ or Buddle if he continues to score to get a look in the absence of Ching. Buddle was fantastic yesterday against Chivas and not just in finishing. He held up play well, he dribbled well and made the right passes.
Get creative milan-style.
They used gooch as a forward in desperate circumstances. If we’re talking about the guys on that list being needed, that’s about as desperate as circumstances get…
This poll is a reality check, and it terrifies me. The only guy on that list I would even remotely consider bringing is Jeff Cunningham. This isn’t a friendly agains the D.R., this is the frickin’ world cup!
Gomez? Since when he is he all of sudden WC material?. I remember Cunninghsam going beserk in MLS, only to show nothing. Its just a hot streak, thats all.
I cant believe im saying this, but Eddie Johnson looks like the likely candidate. Plays regularly for a strong team in Greece and does what Ching always does, uses his body to hold the ball up and pass around to the sides or backwards. Something Bob Loves.
Eddie johnson had his chance he is a player you need give the ball to so that he could score any foward can do that. Cooper has not been good hes a player that has more of a mid-fielder ball control and not the striking ability of a foward his height is good, but not a big header like ching, ching on the other hand should be replaced he doesnt do anything and he is too slow, besides holding the ball If i had to pick the fowards it would be Davies, Altidore, Gomez, Edson Buddel : he has great hops and striking ability as well as some dribbling ability and knows donovan well.
mind you this is what I think Senior will do
1. Edson Buddle – a. he is an MLS-ster that plays with LD… inconsistency aside there is probably a chemistry established there already.
2. Casey Connor ’cause Bradley doesn’t give up on guys he believes in, and it’s clear he sees something in Casey that most other don’t.
3. EJ. see #2
4. I hate to say this but I think Gomez gets a call only if the others wash out…
5. Cunningham- see 4.
6. Cooper gave the MLS a very public F.U. before he left. and the last time he was called up to Nats he was a cold fish. At this point I think he’s off the radar.
…when he’s at wide mid I meant to say
I get tired of these ‘Dempsey is lazy because…’ but oh yeah he saved us here and here and here….
I think what you meant to say, is when Dempsey is getting fed passes by Landon in the box, he looks better than when heydude/pablo/sacha or even Clark try to do the same.
I have my browser set up to only display capitalize letters. What can I say? My brain can only process the incontrovertible truth and I enjoy being yelled at.
I wasn’t too familiar with Buddle’s history, but when I was watching the game last night I was wondering why he has never been considered much for the NT. It seems that when he is healthy, he scores a lot. If he continues this, then I don’t see why he shouldn’t be looked at. He did look pretty good last night.
If it’s one of the strikers listed, I’d take Buddle. I don’t think Casey is much better in his hold up play and Buddle is a better finisher and better with the ball at his feet. Gomez has never really impressed me enough to feel like he offers a lot at the international level. His goals have been opportunistic, which is important, but for the most part he’s scoring in a high offense low defense league and I don’t see him doing the same when the defensive clamps of better teams are put on him. You can’t ignore a striker on a streak, but he wasn’t prolific in MLS and I’m not sold, though he’d at least catch my attention.
I’d give Buddle an Gomez a look, but would be more likely to scrap them all in favor of another midfielder.
I should add, Grella is at least getting minutes and scoring.
Cooper is on the bench at a club in the drop zone of the second division in England. If he were good enough to be on the field, he’d be on the field. That’s all we can say. Drawing hypothetical conclusions about entire leagues based on one player’s experience is silly.
I feel pretty confident that Bob Bradley is not disregarding any improvements Kenny Cooper may or may not be making.