By FRANCO PANIZO
If you are a U.S. national team fan who still isn't convinced that Clint Dempsey can fill in at forward in this summer's World Cup, you might want to see his latest goal.
Playing up top in Fulham's 3-2 win against West Ham United, Dempsey scored the opener, chesting down a long ball to teammate Simon Davies, who returned a pass that Dempsey slotted to the near post. The goal marked the American international's seventh of the Premiership campaign, tying his career best from last season.
DaMarcus Beasley didn't score this weekend, but he did make his first appearance for Rangers since March 24. Beasley came off the bench in the 28th minute and helped Rangers to a 2-1 victory over Dundee United.
Beasley wasn't the only player making an appearance after a long spell on the bench. Luis Robles started in his first match of the season for the already-promoted Kaiserslautern in a 2-2 draw against TUS Koblenz. Robles made two saves in the tie.
Here is how the Americans Abroad fared this weekend:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Everton's 0-0 draw vs. Stoke City on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey started, played 86 minutes and scored a GOAL in Fulham's 3-2 win vs. West Ham United on Sunday.
- Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in West Ham United's 3-2 loss vs. Fulham on Sunday.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Aston Villa's 3-1 loss vs. Manchester City on Saturday.
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Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 3-1 loss vs. Manchester City on Saturday.
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Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 3-1 loss vs. Portsmouth on Saturday.
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Stuart Holden did not dress in Bolton Wanderers' 1-0 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
- Jay DeMerit did not dress in Watford's 4-0 win vs. Coventry City on Sunday. He is recovering from a stomache injury.
- Frank Simek did not dress in Sheffield Wednesday's 2-2 draw vs. Crystal Palace on Sunday.
- Kenny Cooper did not dress in Plymouth Argyle's 2-1 loss vs. Peterborough United on Sunday.
LEAGUE ONE
- Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Leyton Orient's 2-0 win vs. Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
- Jemal Johnson did not dress in Stockport County's 2-1 loss vs. Southend United on Saturday.
- Jon-Paul Pittman started and played 70 minutes in Wycombe Wanderers' 2-0 loss vs. Leyton Orient on Saturday.
- Mike Grella came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Leeds United's 1-0 loss vs. Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
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Zak Whitbread did not dress in Norwich City's 3-0 win vs. Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Scotland
- Maurice Edu started and played 90 minutes in Rangers' 2-1 win vs. Dundee United on Saturday.
- DaMarcus Beasley came off the bench and played 62 minutes in Rangers' 2-1 win vs. Dundee United on Saturday.
- Dominic Cervi did not dress in Celtic's 4-0 win vs. Motherwell on Saturday.
Italy
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in AC Milan's 1-0 win vs. Fiorentina on Saturday.
Germany
BUNDESLIGA
- Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 6-1 loss to Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96's 6-1 win vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
- Sal Zizzo did not dress in Hannover 96's 6-1 win vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jermaine Jones did not dress in Schalke 04's 2-0 loss vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday. He is recovering from a leg injury.
- Ricardo Clark started and played 90 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-1 loss vs. TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday.
- Daniel Williams did not dress in SC Freiburg's 2-2 draw vs. FC Cologne on Saturday.
- Jared Jeffrey did not dress in Mainz 05's 2-2 draw vs. VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Luis Robles started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Kaiserslautern's 2-2 draw vs. TUS Koblenz on Sunday.
- Matt Taylor did not dress in FSV Frankfurt's 0-0 draw vs. Ahlen on Sunday.
- David Yeldell did not dress in TUS Koblenz's 2-2 draw vs. Kaiserslautern on Sunday. He is recovering from an ankle injury.
France
- Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes in Stade Rennes' 2-1 loss vs. Sochaux on Sunday.
- Charlie Davies did not dress in Sochaux's 2-1 win vs. Stade Rennes on Sunday.
Portugal
- Gale Agbossoumonde did not dress in Sporting Braga's 1-0 win vs. Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday.
Greece
- Freddy Adu started and played 67 minutes in Aris Salonika's 2-0 loss vs. PAOK Salonika in the Greek play-offs on Saturday.
- Eddie Johnson started and played 90 minutes in Aris Salonika's 2-0 loss vs. PAOK Salonika in the Greek play-offs on Saturday.
Denmark
- Benny Feilhaber started and played 71 minutes in AGF Aarhus' 4-1 win vs. Silkeborg IF on Saturday.
- Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 1-1 draw vs. Randers FC on Sunday.
- Marcus Tracy did not dress in Aalborg BK's 3-2 win vs. FC Midtjylland on Sunday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Chris Rolfe did not dress in Aalborg BK's 3-2 win vs. FC Midtjylland on Sunday.
Sweden
- Alejandro Bedoya did not dress in Orebro BK's 2-0 win vs. Hacken on Sunday. He was serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.
- Ryan Miller started and played 90 minutes in Halmstads BK's 1-0 loss vs. Brommapojkarna on Sunday.
- Michael Thomas came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Halmstads BK's 1-0 loss vs. Brommapojkarna on Sunday.
Norway
Norway
- Clarence Goodson and IK Start play Aalesunds on Monday.
- Hunter Freeman and IK Start play Aalesunds on Monday.
- Mikkel Diskerud started and played 90 minutes in Stabaek's 0-0 draw vs. Haugesund on Sunday.
- Steve Clark dressed but did not play in Honefoss BK's 1-1 draw vs. Molde on Sunday.
Mexico
- Jose Francisco Torres started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-0 win vs. Monterrey in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Clausura on Saturday.
Argentina
- Michael Hoyos did not dress in Estudiantes La Plata's 2-1 win vs. Chacarita Juniors on Sunday.
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What do you think of these performances? Impressed by Dempsey's goal? Think he should play along side Jozy Altidore in the World Cup? Does Beasley have a shot to make the U.S. World Cup team? Think Robles should come to MLS?
Share your thoughts below.
If you look at the Italy game, Jozy got a pretty good amount of service, including one chance he flubbed. Part of it was that Feilhaber was their to help the USA move the ball through the midfield and it showed on his ball to Altidore on the penalty. Against Brazil, Kljestan and Beasley didn’t give Altidore any kind of service through the midfield, so he was starved.
Although, I do agree that next to a striker that is with him for the whole game and not from time to time he seems more dangerous, but if we were to leave him alone, so long as we have a midfield that supplies him and defends competently, he won’t fair too badly.
Beasley wasn’t “playing” when he came on against the Dutch and still impressed.
People, I totally concede that Bedoya is getting more time and is more likely to be in form based on that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Ian challenged my assertion that Beasley brings more actual demonstrable skills to the table than Bedoya. I think it’s fair to argue that Bedoya deserves to go based on having more playing time, but I think it’s also fair to consider what we know each player is capable of doing – and we know Beasley is capable of performing at levels that Bedoya simply has not demonstrated yet. That is how I build a case for Beasley. At the end of the day, the chance of capturing lightning in a bottle with that spot on the roster is worth more to me than carrying a steady but most likely unspectacular performer. If your preference is different, fine. But this is my argument for Beasley, and it’s not a specious one.
I think Bradley is a little too much of a ‘hothead’ to be captain.
it doesnt have to do with what skills bedoya can bring that beasley cannot. it has to do with the fact that bedoya is getting consistent playing time and has scored 3 goals and assisted on a few others. yes, it is sweden, but i dont think the SPL is THAT much better.
beasley needs playing time, in my opinion. with this injury to his teammate, that could happen. but until i see consistency from DMB, i would not start him.
to be fair, i dont think bedoya will get the start either. i have a feeling bob will leave him and beasley on the bench. i could see feilhaber or torres getting the nod too. it really just depends on the strikers.
Yes, I like Beasley. No, I’m not expecting BB to look at my comments.
Can you explain to me what it is that Bedoya brings to the table that Beasley doesn’t? I know Bedoya is playing a lot more now and more likely to be in form. But I want to know what actual demonstrable skills Bedoya brings to the table that Beasley doesn’t.
We get it. You like Beasley. Bob Bradley isn’t going to look at your comments and have a revelation.
Bedoya is bringing more to the table than Beasley and if you can’t see that then, well, that sucks.
Since when do we play with a true winger at LM? Those are Arena’s tactics. We haven’t played like that since the glory days of Mr. Beasley.
Dempsey is not a winger, he plays more narrowly as a traditional wide midfielder. Donovan is an inverted winger when starting from left midfield.
This is a nice idea but we’ve seen him used solo for the Nats and the midfield just isn’t as effective as having an actual second striker that the defense is keying on. When Jozy is alone up top, the midfield just boots the ball to him and he has to try to hold off defenders until they catch up and he can lay it off. Can you honestly think of one good performance that Jozy has had in the target role in the past couple of years? He REALLY suffers in that role. It’s just not his game. We like to think that he’s a tank but he gets positively beaten up when playing target striker and never ends up being dangerous. He needs to have another striker receiving the ball sometimes so that he can make runs off of him and actually face the goal in dangerous positions. Yes, the players around him have a big effect on him – and at Hull, he played well ONLY when JVoH was up top next to him.
And as Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez have shown, you can be a nothing for about a year and then a couple of good weeks and your in consideration.
He was ABOUT to until the MLS set his price too high.
Which is why I said he needs a midfield that supplies him and supports him. Alright, so I didn’t remember the support part, but you get what I mean. As long as we have a quick midfield that either positions itself well or moves in and out of the attack quickly Altidore will have plenty of support. Of course, a constant support like Davies is fine too. I just don’t think Jozy is as bad at the target role as many say. It seems like the players around him have an effect on him i.e., Hull.
I agree with Brooklyn. Spector may have been known for his offensive work in the Confederations Cup, but he works well as more of a planted right back that picks and chooses times to get forward. Spector can deal with more physical guys as well. If possible, the two could switch back and forth.
Anyone know what happened to Dempsey’s hand?
Fair point, BFC.
However, I know you’re correct and am simply being silly in my sarcastic post.
With that said, it has crossed my mind a time or two, I can’t lie.
The last spot is for Daniel De Rossi, who is out hurt or something. Rossi has no shot…
Second City, you should write an email to Ives and volunteer to be the Chicago area beat writer for the site….. than you can post 4 articles a day about the fire….
It just so happens that the people that have approached Ives have mostly been from the NY Metro Area
Did anybody peep the “you can’t see me” dance from Deuce after the goal??!!! haha. Gotta love Clint bringin the street flavor to the pitch! I hate 50 Cent with a passion, but I thought he was gonna do the rest of the “I Get Money” cee-lo craps dance.
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Edu was injured last year against Celtic and I want him as far away from those animals as possible
Bradley has gotten red carded when he has had to be the D-Mid, with Edu or Clark next to him he will much less defensive responsibility and thus will not need to come in late for a game saving tackle
I could see Mike Bradley getting the Captain’s Arm Band after the World Cup…. he plays in the most important position, CenterMid
He would be able to communicate with everyone on the field
Preach Brother
I for one would not mind seeing Dolo at Right Mid if Holden can not get healthy…..
It would give the right side lots of Defense, it would allow for coverage when Spector makes overlapping runs and Dolo does have a wicked shot
there were only 29 call ups, he might be the 30th. Hard to leave for the games when you’re the only member of that squad not in Italy. It’d be a shame if he lost that spot to Amauri now. chuckle.
there were only 29 call ups, he might be the 30th. Hard to leave for the games when you’re the only member of that squad not in Italy. It’d be a shame if he lost that spot to Amauri now. chuckle.
Agree. At left back, his crossing is taken away which is a major part of his game. He’s a good defender, but his confidence must be really low right now. If he were asked to play LB for the US i’m sure he’d do much better than what he’s doing at West Ham.
Did Dempsey break his thumb?
Bedoya is playing well for Obero. I will agree we have no idea how he will integrate with the team, but he looked good for the brief time he had against the netherlands. sure, beasley FINALLY got minutes (last time was march!), but bedoya crushes him in that regard.
with that said, i do still agree that beasley should start before bedoya IF he continues to get PT with rangers. if not, i (maybe not against england) would start bedoya and keep a close eye on him. again, assuming holden can’t.
either way, i definitely agree with your final statement. in that neither will make a MASSIVE difference in our play. they could, but we cannot assume that.
@freddy – i would bet on both going.
Well, that is what I’ve read – that Rangers are likely to continue giving time to players who can develop and contribute down the road rather than play Beasley now. I doubt “getting your money’s worth” is something that enters the minds of most people running sports teams. “Sunk cost” is more appropriate to this situation.
I think you’re right, his career would probably be in better shape had he been elsewhere for the past year or so. But hey, the guy likes Rangers, and he seems to be well liked by his teammates.
Oops…I forgot that Lennon is out…well whoever is starting for England on the left wing would be causing damage against Bornstein.
How do you know Beasley can still do it? Simple. Just a few months ago he was playing for Rangers, and doing things that Bedoya has never shown that he’s capable of. Or are you suggesting that Beasley has fallen off a cliff in the time since then?
IF Bedoya is playing really well for Obrero, and IF he’s fitting in very well with the MNT and IF Beasley doesn’t play any more, then you’re right, there’s still a good case to be made for Bedoya. However, Beasley got 60 minutes and by all accounts played well, so I don’t think he can be counted out yet. Again, my justification of taking Beasley is quite simple: he has done things that Bedoya has not yet shown he’s capable of, and he’s done them as recently as December. If you need a game-changer off the bench, you’re much better off taking Beasley.
I don’t think this is really a huge deal because I don’t think either is going to make a huge difference, and if BB takes Bedoya over Beasley I’m not going to scream about it. But at the moment, I’d be more inclined to take Beasley.
Well if Onyewu doesn’t start, what does our backline look like? There is a good chance you would be looking at Spector, Boca, Demeritt, Bornstein. I know, I know Spector can play on the left, but the Nats have rarely used him in that role. If the options are Onyewu in the center or Bornstein on the left trying to stop Lennon or Wright-Phillips, I will take on unfit Onyewu.
A Dolo/Demeritt/Boca/Spector backline is the only way we don’t see Onyewu starting all the games.
From an old DailyMail article:
“The trouble is that Ronaldo’s body is just too perfect. He is said to do 3,000 sit-ups a day. That must take at least an hour, and that’s before he moves on to work out all the other bits of his physique. Add to that the time that’s required to wax off every strand of body hair, and then he still has to factor in sessions at the tanning salon.”
No. He said “you can’t see me,” which is more “that was a great finish” than a “you should be playing me.”
I would argue the opposite. If he is good enough why not get your money’s worth rather than letting it rot on the bench?
Now if you are talking about DMB taking time away from developing players who will be around next year, that is another story. Rangers ahve no momney and will need to focus more on developing players.
It seems as if DMB is an insurance policy for Rangers at the moment. He should have left earlier but not back to the MLS where he would probably have to take a very, very steep pay cut.
I really hope Dempsey doesn’t like wrestling…he’ll go down a notch in my book. Sorry wrestling fans.
” Might ” is a pretty big word. Neither Bedoya nor Beasley should start but I don’t think both are going to SA.
Bedoya obviously can’t make up the experience difference between him and Beasley but how do you know Beasley can stil do it?
If Bedoya is playing really well where he is and fitting in very well with the USMNT and Beasley gets maybe 20 minutes of PT between now and the start of camp how can you justify taking Beasely, bearing in mind there is no way he is in game shape?
Tell that to Mexico’s Pablo Barrera
He does the “You can’t see me” gesture after every goal he scores because John Cena is his favorite wrestler.
that is true, davies was on a tear when he finally got called in. and im not saying i wouldn start bedoya with a fit holden or a beasley who is actually playing. but neither is true. so i feel like using a natural winger in bedoya, who is playing well week in and week out, would be the better choice.
Different coach, different player, different team, but ,of course, you absolutely must be right.
Even though Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge and Dani Alves, and Michael Essien and Darren Fletcher were all midfielders who have played fullback and did well ( some stayed, there some moved back) you absolutely, postively must be 100% right.
Let’s put some kind of GPS tracking device on all our midfielders to insure they don’t go into that position. It could work like those electrical dog shock collars.
Why you aren’t coaching the USMNT is a great mystery.
I agree with you, FIFA and bookies everywhere that Brazil are favorites. Though Spain is awfully good too.
Beasley has looked better compared to his disastrous ‘form’ of last summer, but he just doesn’t have an edge over the younger guys like he once did. Bedoya or Beasley? Bedoya.
Even if you’re right that Davies is a definite no-show – Adu’s time is 2014 or never, Beasley’s time at top has come and gone.
Michael seems to have gotten over his red card waiting to happen phase this season in Germany, coincidentally after his club coach sat him for several games. The kid is growing up. Clark I’m still worried about for cards, but playing/practicing in Germany should also help Rico learn where to draw the line between hard challenge and getting tossed from a game.
Remember that Rob Green. Dempsey is going to give you Deja Vu.
Beas assisted Demps for the only goal we scored in 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5OPPW4z_ng&feature=related
Let’s hope both can get some form in now and in camp.
HAHAHA wow:
http://twitpic.com/1kne73
Don’t have a problem with Dempsey / Altidore up top. I think it would work well – they obviously know each other and have complimentary strengths. However, they’d HAVE to get significant time paired together in the warm-up friendlies. Such a plan would also tend open a spot for Davies to play the role of the fast “super-sub” to attack tired defenders (remember the US’ group games are all at a decent amount of altitude).
Two things:
1. Davies had to actually show something for the Nats before justifiably being put into the lineup. Just because there once was a player who people didn’t think much of who became an important player doesn’t justify inserting any random player who people don’t think much of into lineups. So that isn’t a very good argument.
2. In terms of how they compare, Davies was a star in Sweden. Bedoya is not (yet, at least).
Not only is Clint the most logical player to be paired with Jozy, he is, without doubt, our best striker, even if Charlie were healthy. He has shown the ability to score goals in the top flight of English football, European competitions and at the international level, and they’re of great variety. In the US system, he’s not a proper fit in the midfield, and his attacking instincts are diminished by his defensive duties. Let a healthy Holden go box to box on the right and put Clint up top. It’s a no brainer.
And just to stir the pot, I might consider pairing Clint with a healthy Ching over Jozy on an occasion, and let Jozy play super sub. The key to success in SA is going to be a target striker capable of holding the ball and putting Dempsey and Donovan in good positions.
which is why i think you start someone like Bedoya (if Holden can’t) who has played a ton this year. Beasley as the sub.
i can…i remember the same thing being said about Davies.
Who are these new dudes in Sweden and Norway (Miller, Thomas, Clark)?
They sound like randomly-generated American players from the MLS simulator game I used to play.
I’d bet that Gomez could pull that off. I’d like to see Gomez up top, just to keep Dempsey in midfield.