Photo by John Todd/ISIPhotos.com
The U.S. men's national team began its new year on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Chile, and while the first match of 2011 had some of the sloppiness often associated with January friendlies, there were also the bright spots that come with seeing new faces perform.
No, there weren't any hat-tricks or jaw-dropping revelations, but there were players who stepped up and impressed. Unfortunately there were also those who fell flat in their U.S. national team auditions.
Here is my Fox Soccer column on Sunday's match, a piece that lists the players I thought impressed, and those who I felt hurt their standing in the national team pecking order.
Here are some more thoughts on Saturday's match:
The 4-2-3-1 lost out to the 4-4-2 on Saturday, but that had as much to do with Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury shining as it had to do with the overall teams not being suited to play the 4-2-3-1. Chris Wondolowski was mis-cast as a target striker, but with 4-2-3-1 likely being the formation of choice in 2011, it's tough to argue that he's any more suited to be a speedy flank option. He's a good one-touch player, makes very smart runs, and can finish, but pace isn't one of his strengths.
It would have been nice to see Wondolowski in a 4-4-2, but it's clear that seeing Bunbury and Agudelo together was more of a priority for Bob Bradley and it's tough to argue with that. Personally, I would like to see Wondolowski again, and if he tears up MLS again this season, it would be tough not to give him a look for the Gold Cup team.
———-
So why didn't Agudelo and Bunbury start? Bob Bradley has used games like these in the past to give longer looks to those he's less certain about. He wasn't as concerned about the result as he was about seeing some who perhaps hadn't done enough in camp, or those he wasn't sold on. If the match was a qualifier or actual tournament, it's a safe bet Agudelo and Bunbury would have been in the starting lineup.
———-
Dax McCarty stood out and only served to make it even more perplexing that FC Dallas gave him away for nothing. Dallas just might see Eric Alexander as his natural replacement, but based on what we saw against Chile, McCarty is a quality talent who just might help D.C. United pull off a dramatic turnaround.
———–
Sean Johnson didn't have a ton to do in his 45 minutes of action, but the fact that he did play bodes well for his standing as the future of the goalkeeping position. Bill Hamid should be a worthy challenger in the coming years, but Johnson clearly showed enough in camp to earn himself some minutes. Not bad at all for a young goalkeeper.
————
Omar Gonzalez is dominant in the air, and a threat on set pieces, but he really needs to work on his passing out of the back to be a truly effective centerback. Being paired with Tim Ream helps take some of the distribution pressure off Gonzalez, but he'll be second choice to Ream on the national team until his passing and footwork improve.
———–
Any criticism of Tim Ream's performance is laughable and mis-guided. Some observers choose to get hung up on one or two passes that don't connect without realizing or acknowledging the sheer number of passes, and smart, effective passes he makes. His ability to find teammates up the field is a valuable tool that gives him an advantage over the other young centerbacks in the national team pool.
————
Brek Shea looked good early on Saturday, but he'll be remembered more for being largely ineffective the rest of the match. He's got the physical tools, but you just have to wonder about his soccer IQ sometimes. Perhaps he can improve on some of his decision-making as he gets older, but I can't help but wonder if he simply doesn't have the soccer brain to be effective on the international level. At least as an attacking player (perhaps a change to centerback could play to his strengths more and hide his deficiencies).
————
—–
Which players surprised you the most on Saturday? Who impressed you? What are you hoping to see in the Egypt friendly?
Share your thoughts below.
I don’t like Brek Shea at all. I feel like he makes constant mistakes on the ball has poor decision making and can sometimes be a bit lazy. Maybe he should develop some more with Dallas before being brought back into the fold. Although I am interested by the idea of having him try CB.
I think it’s a bit silly to say Ream is ahead of Gonzo in the CB pecking order just because Ream is a better passer. Gonzo’s positioning and defending of aerial threats is world class (a considerable step above Ream’s abilities in those departments), qualities which are so important in the international game. Watching Chile’s goal on Saturday, the first thought in my mind was there’s no way they get that goal if Omar was still in the game. That being said, I like Ream and Gonzo together and can see them being the CB pairing in Brazil. We’ll see.
I agree, certainly an interesting duo. It seems like they have great chemistry together.
LB
“I think the biggest difference was bringing on one of them for Shea”
Your post would have been 100 % accurate, had you stopped immediately after that sentence.
Break Shea
Thanks for the obvious and expected rebuttal. It’s easy to find exceptions. You could also have asked me why Freddy Adu has flopped since he didn’t go the college route. But let’s not quibble over the vast minority of exceptions…it is an absolute FACT that we will not win a World Cup with college developed players anchoring our national team. Again, simple as that.
The Colorado Rapids would say different.
1) I’d sure like to see what Juan+Teal would do in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 with a starting midfield. These two might be better together than they are (currently) alone.
2) Tim Ream will be the best centerback the US has ever had. He will start for a Big Time European club in the next three years barring injury. (but he should gain about 10 lbs in muscle first). Write it down and mail it to yourself.
3) There are a bunch of players who are good MLS players and have no hope for any significant first team international playing time in the near term. We saw many of them against Chile.
Same here. George John deserves a look. Apparently he had some sort of injury of off season surgery which ruled him out, but otherwise he should of definitely been there instead of Aj DeLeGarza
I think the biggest difference was bringing on one of them for Shea and switching to 4-4-2. If BB had done that from the start using Wondo in a 4-4-2 I think it would’ve been just as successful. I like Shea but he needs to develop some more.
lol She. *Shea
She isn’t a true winger, at this point in his life, being 21, he isn’t going to get much better on the ball to make him a winger.
He’s technically inept, which makes him weak going forward. he relies on his physical attributes way too much. Hes like the Marvyle Wynne as a winger.
If he has so much promise as a CB, I don’t see why LB would be the obvious choice for him going forward. He’s used to defending on the wing, and he’s a good defender.
I just don’t see why more people want to see it.
Shea at LB!
Ask Laurent Blanc.
I thought loyd showed lots of promise. I hope he gets called back. I was surprise that Gonzalez hasn’t improved technically. He kicks it down field at the slightest pressure. Mixx had a so so game, could be because of the formation. Juan and Teal are the real deal in my book, but to have them together it would mean going back to the 4-4-2 formation which I don’t think we are going that route.
yo ives can we get a chat sometime soon geared around both the most recent senior game and also some of your thoughts for the U-20 side now that we’re getting close to “go” time?
Any idea why Eugene Starikov didn’t make his debut? From what we read all week, it sounded as if he might get a run out, albeit a brief one. Ives, or anyone, know why he wasn’t even on the bench?
The better question may be who suits up for the Olympic team next year (assuming the US qualifies)?
6 players who played Saturday would be eligible:
Johnson, Wallace, Diskerud, Shea, Agudelo, and Bunbury
Jozy (and gulp…. Adu…) would technically still be eligible too.
Gonzalez and Lichaj just miss by a few months.
Add to them whatever U-20’s develop, a few overage players, and that’s a pretty decent team.
Please see Drogba, Didier.
At age 22 he is a marginal prospect at a Ligue 2 team in France.
I completely agree. Mix showed very well and was impressive to see play in person. He was solid and composed and I hope to see a lot more of him as he develops in the future. Dax also seemed to have a lot of confidence, as well.
It will be interesting to see how these guys play with the A team. All in all, I took a lot more positives than negatives from this. There is some talent in the pipeline.
From what I’ve read from Ives is that Shea doesn’t like playing CB. Sometimes you have to take advantage of your height and skill.
Collin,
don’t you know that to most fans it only takes one game. Look at Agudelo one great game against SA he is anointed the second coming, Omar has a bad game, well we might as well take him out to pasture.
Plus we all know tht one game against Chile is the ultimate deciding factor.
Welcome to the world of international football, sir. If you are 22 and the jury is still out, unfortunately your case is already closed. This is what seperates the Spain’s and the Germany’s from the US. If we are to progress beyond the Round of 16 anytime soon, we have to stop relying on college soccer to develop our top players. Gonzo is a good player for MLS. But not good enough for what we expect from the US National Team.
Ives, I agree on Brek Shea. He has talent but just seemed lost at times on the field almost running into his own players or not running to where he should have been, which attributes to soccer IQ. Too many times I saw him not move into space to receive passes or he ran into the path of where his teammate was running. As you stated, he might be better suited as a defender.
Dax’ performance highlights what I believe was a huge blunder by Timbers management in trading him to DCU. He, to me, is a perfect cornerstone to start to build a new team with. What is perplexing is that they traded Dax for a left back prospect (Wallace) when they had already picked up a good left back prospect in the expansion draft, Anthony Wallace from Colorado, who got his cap on Saturday, that they then ended up trading back to Colorado.
Sorry “MB” holding (Michael Bradley)
LOl how does that settle the debate??? We all know Gonzo is physically dominant yet slightly clumsy. Ream is composed on the ball and is an efficient passer & player but (right now at least) he lacks physicality/aggressiveness to be a International starter
They are TWO different players..Comparing them is apples/orange debate…
Now only if you had a player who combines both skill sets.
Enter George John
I was prepared to NOT like Dax’s game, but i have to agree, that generally he played fairly well. Yes, there were some bad give-aways but that’s going to happen in that position when you see the ball a lot. Unfortunately for Dax (as has been noted), we need another DM/Holding Mid like NYC needs snow.
He should shave his head though…go with the MD holding Mid look. Notice how Spector’s gone with the crew-cut. ….and he’s scoring.
I agree Dax will help out DC a bunch. If for nothing else, he’ll add spirit.
Well said +1
Shea’s problem was giving the ball away and bad decision making….not two attributes I want to see in a CB.
Give him some time…in the 4-2-3-1 I think he can play outside in the 3.
One awful game doesn’t end a career.
not sure why ream is getting reamed (harhar get it?) by some either. he was his usual self, calm and composed and committed to passing from the back. looking at his last season with the red bulls and saturdays game he is getting better and better with his passing. not perfect but better.
zach loyd was the bright spot for me. honestly had no idea who that guy was until last night haha! the others: agudelo, boonbooree, mixx, and ream are improving as expected.
I agree about all your grades. McCarty reminds me a lot of Jose Torres. They are both small, technical players who keep the ball moving.
Overall, I am expecting a big year for Tim Ream, Teal Bunbury, and Juan Agudelo. Agudelo and Bunbury seemed to be arguing (probably too harsh a word but I can’t think of another)about taking the penalty. And Ream is very confident with the ball at his feet. All three of these players show a confidence and willingness to make a direct impact on the game.
The big question is WHERE IS OUR FUTURE LEFT BACK!?
“He didn’t have any errant passes like Ream did.”
??
I *guess* that clearing the ball 78 yards out of bounds when there’s an available outlet pass and little discernable pressure may not *technically* qualify as an “errant pass.”
Though I’m not certain it qualifies as a “pass,” either.
easy. no problem being new ’round these parts.
le toux can’t become a citizen for another 4-5 year i believe. by then he’ll be to old to be a serious contender for a usmnt spot.
You’re absolutely right. As soon as they took off their warmups and walked to the 4th official, you could feel the buzz in the stadium. I think Chile was a bit surprised when they immediately made an impact, as if we’d been holding out on our best players this whole time. I told my friend that if we had an extra 5 minutes in the game, we’d score.
That said, I think Bunbury looked better than Agudelo did. Maybe it was just Bunbury’s size that was causing problems for Chile, but it was good to see.
Are you new?
By what rationale was Gonzo not good enough? He didn’t have any errant passes like Ream did. Ream twice shanked the ball out of play. True, he sparked an attack — but Gonzalez completely shut down his man. Ream got caught in space a couple times. He has more positives than negatives — but I would trust Gonzo at this point more than Ream for defensive duties.
Gonzo is a bit raw — but he’s huge. Give the kid time. He has not had any egregious errors that have resulted in goals against us.
Ives, my friend keeps mentioning that he thinks Seb Le Toux should get a national team call. Any possibility?
Take it easy guy. Give BB credit for calling in a wide variety of people for this camp. Thats why he does this, to evaluate a gigantic pool of players and see which ones cut it. If you think Wynne is awful, fine, perhaps he is, but dont blame coach bob just for giving the guy a look after a good season. sheesh.
Good thing Omar is only 22. If we based all of our players on their production at the int’l level at age 22, the USMNT roster would be slim pickin’.
Now, if Omar was 28 and played like that, then you could say “not good enough.” Right now? A tad premature.
Funny how one can see a different game on TV than in person. I agree with your article, Ives — but what was sobering was the fact that my friends and I came home from the game thinking Mix, Loyd, and Dax had above par games — only to find them skewered on message boards and comment sections like these.
People were saying Mix and Loyd should never get caps again — but they were doing so much out there. I was impressed. Loyd actually won MOTM honors and Mix got some positive reviews on the US Soccer site. It’s nice to see impressions somewhat validated by articles such as yours and of course, the actual coaches after the fact.
This also makes me temper my own judgements about Michael Bradley. I’ve only seen him play in person at the Gold Cup in ’07, and I may not truly appreciate what he brings to the game while watching him predominantly on the tube. Same goes for every other player.
I’ll defer to those watching in person from now on.
Gonzalez is not good enough. Simple as that.
Marvell Wynne is atrocious. Why is he still getting call ups? Like Gonzalez, he has no skill and relies on his physical presence to get by. “Amazing athlete,” yes. But who cares? If that was the only thing that matters, I say we offer Lance Armstrong or LeBron James a trial. Wynne has NEVER been international caliber and we shouldn’t waste our time or his by having him in camp.
Brek Shea, are you kidding me! That guy should never wear a NT jersey again! Big and dumb is not a winning combination!
Agree with you on Larentowicz, but was not as high as you are on Dax’ performance. Others say he was covering for Jeff L, but it seemed to me that Dax made a lot of self -imposed mistakes, his great shot from distance not withstanding.
Also on the Aguduelo penalty/dive…it was Bedoya who sprung him, I think Bedoya did better than you might give him credit for.
Agree with you on Loyd (really not two “LL”s?); although if we’re going to move a right-footed back to RB we’d have to consider Lichaj first, no? Also I though Wallace as a sub also held up well in replacing Loyd.
(SBI-I wasn’t as down on Bedoya as most people, but he didn’t have nearly the impact expected, which I thought was
the fault of the offense not finding him as anything else.)
Well, that settles the Ream v. Gonzo debate. I’ve always said that Ream is a better passer and more composed on the ball.
Slightly OT, but with the discussion of future center-backs, isn’t it about time for Whitbread to get a call to the senior side? He’s starting on a team that is contending for promotion to the Prem and he’s still on the young side of things…
Interesting idea… didn’t he play CB during the recent generation adidas trip to Spain? If I remember correctly he got good reviews there.
Doubt he would do so well that he could possibly displace another CB in the pool but its worth a shot.
Shea as a striker makes more sense, considering his size, strength, pace, and desire to run at players. His willingness to help with defensive duties would help the team as well.
I don’t think Omar G will cut is as an intl center back. I also do not believe Shea will make it as an intl winger. HOWEVER, Why not check out Shea in the CB spot. His pace will be less of a concern and it seems from the reviews of his past two games that was his biggest problem.
Well, the electricity in the building was evident when Agudelo and Burnbury took the pitch.
There’s no hyperbole about that, at all, in acknowledging they brought an energy that’s exciting and leaves you wanting more looks going forward.