photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
If he hasn't already, Clarence Goodson appears to be cementing a starting spot for Brondby IF.
Goodson started his second game of the season for Brondby on Monday, and he helped the club shutout Randers FC, 4-0, with a 90-minute performance. The cleansheet was Brondby's second consecutive, having defeated Esbjerg, 3-0, last Thursday.
Robbie Findley continued his recovery from a major hamstring injury, playing 25 minutes just two days after making his Nottingham Forest debut. Forest won yet again, beating Bristol City, 3-2.
It wasn't all good news for Americans Abroad on Monday. Eddie Johnson failed to dress for Preston North End, and Zak Whibread was subbed off due to injury in Norwich City's 3-2 win against Derby County.
Here is how the Americans Abroad who played on Monday fared:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Jermaine Jones started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Blackburn Rovers' 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
CHAMPIONSHIP
- Conor Doyle dressed but did not play in Derby County's 3-2 loss vs. Norwich City.
- Zak Whitbread started and played 57 minutes in Norwich City's 3-2 win vs. Derby County.
- Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Leeds United's 1-0 loss vs. Crystal Palace.
- Mike Grella did not dress for Leeds United.
- Robbie Findley came off the bench and played 25 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 3-2 win vs. Bristol City.
- Eddie Johnson did not dress in Preston North End's 1-0 loss vs. Cardiff City.
LEAGUE ONE
- Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle United's 1-0 loss vs. Leyton Orient.
- Anton Peterlin came off the bench and played 32 minutes in Plymouth Argyle's 1-0 win vs. Milton Keynes Dons.
Germany
BUNDESLIGA 2
- David Yelldell started, played 90 minutes and made 2 saves in MSV Duisburg's 1-0 loss vs. Hertha Berlin.
- Alfredo Morales did not dress in Hertha Berlin's 1-0 win vs. MSV Duisburg.
Denmark
- Clarence Goodson started and played 90 minutes in Brondby IF's 4-0 win vs. Randers FC.
Sweden
- Alejandro Bedoya started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Orebro SK's 1-1 draw vs. Helsingborg.
Norway
- Mixx Diskerud started and played 90 minutes in Stabaek IF's 3-1 win vs. Fredrikstad.
- Josh Gatt came off the bench and played 26 minutes in Molde FK's 3-1 win vs. Brann.
- Sean Cunningham dressed but did not play for Molde FK.
——–
Expecting Goodson to make the Gold Cup roster? Should Eddie Johnson return to MLS? Wondering if Whitbread is more fragile than china dolls?
Share your thoughts below.
So if BB gives Edu and Jones the kind of love he gave MB they will return it by performing better than MB?
I get your point but it won’t happen.
Michael started making his mark with the USMNT in 2007 thru 2008 and by 2009 was a fixture and a vital part.
His competition for PT during that period included guys like Pablo, Olsen, Clark, Benny, Gaven, Carroll, Mullan, Beckerman, Zavagnin.
Pablo and Ben got old, Benny went through some time fighting with his management and without a club, Clark kept getting hurt or carded and I don’t have to explain the reasons for why MB beat out the others.
This culminated in the Confed Cup team. That team got ravaged by injury and BB had to patch it up for the World Cup.
Edu was at TFC. He transferred to Rangers at the end of 2008, blew out his knee and missed all of 2009 and some of 2010. Inmy view he has already missed his best chance to take MB’s job.
Torres showed up in 2009 but took some time to get integrated and still hasn’t really done that. He will be the first to tell you he still has trouble with the speed difference between international football and Mexican football.
Holden’s and Jones’ injury stories everyone knows.
So if nothing else, MB was the last man standing during this cycle. And as they say, whatever your talent level, a large part of life is just showing up. He did, they did not.
Now BB is faced with winning the Gold Cup and rebuilding a team for 2014, in that order. Well MB,the least talented of the bunch has just spent 4 years making his case and frankly BB doesn’t have the minutes to hand out to Edu and Jones like he had in 2007, 2008. Edu over Brian Carroll? Sure. Jermaine Jones over Pablo Mastroeni or Ben Olsen? Absolutely.
Not to mention that we are talking about rebuilding so guess which of these players is the youngest? Thats right MB and Torres are about the same age. Holden and Edu are only a little bit older but both have suffered significant injuries (Holden had two) and how much wear and tear is there on those knees? Jones has an age issue.
So for me if Edu and Jones, in particular, want to play significant roles in the Gold Cup and maybe the World Cup it is up to them to turn on the afterburners and produce with whatever role BB gives them because, frankly, it ain’t 2007 anymore.
I like your arguement a lot GW. The first person to admit that Jones, Edu, Mix and even Torres has more talent than MB. Michael plays better for the nats because he is very comfortable (dad is coach.). In BB’s team/set-up they are finding and evaluating players in midfield to play and link up with him, in other words his position is set. Good or bad MB plays for 90 mins. Do you know what that does to the confidence of a player?? “They are more talented than MB so their skill should just shine through when given the chance right?” Not necessarily!! I’ll give you an example, Villa debut staring MB….horrible, so much so he doesn’t even make the bench (the bench!!!) because he was fighting for a spot not automatically given. More pressure…second guessing yourself….wondering how the coaching staff are evaluating you etc. Does that mean Little bob is a bad player?? Can anyone on this forum really tell me MB doesn’t have what it takes to play for Villa, when he effectively plays on a national level? Don’t think so.
As far as Adu that was just a reference, but since his name is on floor, when setting all these records and scoring all these goals he was on the same team with bradley, who was non-existent on the global scale. if teams believed in Adu and suck with him he’ll be doing it big right now. But they wanted him to just show up and produce without the patience letting him grow. You need someone to believe in you for you to shine. In Europe for US players there is no second chances (and mikey is experiencing that now!!!), you need to hit the deck plates running.
But with that said, and the strong belief the BB favors MB, he did play better than Jones and Edu in the last 2 matches hands down
For the sake of accuracy:
Current UEFA rankings
The ranking at the end of the 2010–11 season determines the allocation in 2012–13 competitions. The rankings are as follows:
2011 2010 League
1 1 England
2 2 Spain
3 4 Germany
4 3 Italy
5 5 France
6 9 Portugal
7 6 Russia
8 7 Ukraine
9 10 Netherlands
10 11 Turkey
11 12 Greece
12 15 Denmark
13 14 Belgium
14 8 Romania
15 16 Scotland
16 13 Switzerland
17 20 Israel
18 18 Czech Republic
19 19 Austria
20 21 Cyprus
21 17 Bulgaria
22 27 Croatia
23 28 Belarus
24 26 Poland
25 23 Slovakia
26 22 Norway
27 25 Serbia
28 24 Sweden
29 31 Bosnia and Herzegovina
30 30 Finland
31 29 Republic of Ireland
32 36 Hungary
33 34 Moldova
34 32 Lithuania
35 33 Latvia
36 37 Georgia
37 38 Azerbaijan
38 35 Slovenia
39 40 Macedonia
40 39 Iceland
41 42 Kazakhstan
42 41 Liechtenstein1
43 47 Montenegro
44 44 Albania
45 43 Estonia
46 46 Wales
47 45 Armenia
48 52 Malta
49 49 Northern Ireland
50 48 Faroe Islands
51 50 Luxembourg
52 51 Andorra
53 53 San Marino
These are for the top divisions. It’s not clear how the lower divisions, such as the Championship and League One in England relate to lower divisions in other countries.
Once you get past the dominant teams in these leagues, there is almost a second division within the division. For example,outside of Rangers and Celtic the SPL is pretty bad. Once Rangers are out of Europe it’s not clear that the teams, besides Celtic, that Edu faces are much better than what he would see in MLS.
Edu,Jones, Holden, Mix and Torres are more skilled or talented than MB but that does not mean they play better for the US than he does. It’s not just about the talent and skill. Beckerman has comparatively little if any the traditional skills and talents but he may well be the most important player for RSL.
In fact, MB played better in these last two games than Edu and Jones and they were both match fit while he was not. He therefore has earned his probable start against Spain (besides he needs the practice).
What matters is what you actually do when you put on a US shirt not what someone thinks you might do or what the numbers suggest you might do potentially. You are talking about fantasy football not real international games.
BB’s job and his duty is to play the players who play the best for the US and so far MB has made the most of his opportunities while Edu,Jones,Torres have been underwhelming in theirs. Holden has of course not been able to show up but even when he did he was far from the player you see at Bolton.
By the way, what does being a dominant Under -20, or Under 17 player have to do with the Senior team? Again you are talking about potential, not what anyone has actually done for the senior team. Adu’s senior team appearances are overall, pretty underwhelming. Baseball reference; lots of great AAA players will never play a minute in the major leagues. They usually have the talent, but they lack what in Europe they call “the mentality”.
You may say these guys did not get the same chances Bradley had. Well, if that were true, and if there is nepotism, they certainly would know the score.
So they should know to take advantage of what chances they do have to make it hard on BB to deny them. They are more talented than MB so their skill should just shine through when given the chance right? But it’s clear that hasn’t happened. So how much better than MB can they really be.
So maybe BB is sabotaging them so his son can shine? Do you really believe BB is that professionally suicidal?
“Bradley plays 90 every USMNT game because he is so superior to Jones now, and Holden previously.”
You want obvious?
What is obviously true is that MB’s USMNT record is vastly superior to Jones, Edu’s and Holden’s.
MB outplayed Jones and Edu in the last two games even though they were game sharp and he wasn’t. Which is why he should start against Spain.
And much as we all love Holden he can’t stay healthy. Until he proves he can, he is just a mirage for USMNT fans.
Would Edu and Jones play better if they got the same love from BB?
Aw.. poor babies; if there is nepotism going on they surely know it far better than you ever will. So they must realize that every single minute they get they must show why they are a better choice than BB; and so far they haven’t made a real convincing case.
And isn’t the whole idea of the best pros is that they produce when it matters? If Edu and Jones hope to supplant MB they aren’t producing when it matters. And if they can’t do that,these big time pros,then maybe they aren’t that much better in a US shirt are they?
Better at Blackburn and better at Rangers but who cares? It’s what they do in a US shirt that matters.
Jones, Holden and Edu may well be more talented and potentially more productive but
so far all it is potential, not reality.
This is not fantasy football, it’s international soccer. Managers stick with proven players sometimes even if there are “more talented” but less trustworthy, options.
And MB is younger than all those guys so, in theory he can get better while they are probably near or, at or past their peaks, obviously.
Tom,
I did say Lampard wsa more talented than Bradley.
Do you know anything about soccer or are you just defending MB??
How long ago did he play in the Eredevisie?? 2006-2008?? Do you know how long ago that was? Adu was making history by being the first player (in the world) to ever score a hat trick in both the U-20 and U-17 World Cups!! Eredevisie is 9th in the UEFA league rankings (Turkish league 10th) and his team Heerenveen is currently 11th so not exactly a top team.
Jones, Edu and MB are all defensive minded midfielders. Jones and MB are not even in the same class. One is on loan, has established himself in the EPL, goes full 90min without being substituted, was a regular starter (despite multiple injures) on a team thats now in the championship title race and 10th in the bundesliga while the other came from a team in the relegation zone, doesn’t have what in takes to start for Villa and hasn’t made the bench since his debut. Edu is a regular starter in the SPL so his level is always being questioned but he is stronger, faster, more skilled in the air than MB.
As far as Torres, Mix, Bedoya and Benny are concern read and understand what I’m trying to say……if the are given the same time on the team as MB they’ll do well too, not if they were playing in the place of bradley.
So now that you comprehend (or should acknowledge)that Jones is currently a better midfielder than MB and if holden is healthy he’ll be one of the guys in the midfield with donovan on the left and deuce (or maybe chandler on the right) where does that leave bradley? On the bench
Lets see how lack of play time has affected him vs spain? He shouldn’t start against spain because no other player will start on the team if they couldnt even make the bench for their club (unless their dad is coach) hence my point of favoritism.
I’m guessing CONCACAF.com doesn’t work over there?
@isaac and ben, you do realize that goodson and ream have yet to play professionally at the level of onyewu, demerit and boca, right? goods and ream should be getting looks, as they currently are… but goodson is not the answer as long as those three are healthy. im not yet sold on ream. if ream gets time against a spainish “a” squad in june, that will be a better basis for evaluation than paraguay.
You set up a strawman argument and then did a very weak job of laying it out, your post is full of inaccuracies and half-truths.
MB has started nearly every game when he was in The Netherlands and Germany and healthy. He scored more goals in one season (16) in the Eredevisie than any other american has in any good european league. It was the only season he was asked to play a role that called for getting forward, mostly his role is to be a destroyer and sit back. He made a poor choice by going to a team that apparently did not want or need him.
On balance, he gets more time than Torres does at Pachuca, or Adu anywhere. Mix and Bedoya do not play the same role on their team as MB is asked to play.
Edu, Spector are simply not as good as MB, Chandler is a different sort of player. Holden is injured.
Echoing someone else, MB plays an important role in the USA’s present style, one only Jones and Holden look like they could fill. You are guilty of trying to compare apples to oranges. For example, it would be silly to replace MB’s role with Donavon, or they are simply very different parts of the team.
Right now playing at Villa or not, MB fits the role better than anyone else. We will see how the lack of p.t. has affected him vs Spain and BB and staff will have an opportunity in the preceding camp.
try http://www.myp2p.eu
always worked for me in Germany.
Why is there even an argument about MB starting for the USMNT or BB showing favoritism? How many players do you know get more play time on the National team than their club team? How many players are on the national teams that don’t make the bench for their clubs? How many players are on the national team that are selected base on passed accomplishments (that is nothing more than average)? How many USMNT players, not necessarily starters, have gone on loan and not even made the bench after their debut?
MB is a good player. He’s technically sound, can play at a fast pace and defends pretty well but right now his resume does not make him a national team starter with the midfield depth we have. If you play full 90 mins and never substituted regardless of your performance you are bound to build confidence and do well. Torres, Bedoya, Mix, Adu or Benny would do wonders if they are given the same slack as MB. With Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Jones, Edu, Chandler and Spector (if you can start in Midfield against Chelsea in the EPL you can start for the USMNT) there is no reason or justification for MB to start. He is a USP abroad, so we still need to root for him and all our players to do well
Hey . . . Robbie Findley rises!
I agree, with the possible exception of Boca. I haven’t seen him much at St. Etienne, but he is consistently starting for an upper-mid table French club. He should be our first option for LB imo though, so I wouldn’t put him into the CB discussion except in emergencies.
Off topic, but does anyone know if the CCL Final Live Stream will be made available to people living in Europe?
Come home Eddie Johnson!
Frank Lampard– modestly talented?
You don’t score double digits from the midfield in a single season by being modestly talented.
But I think most of us are aware of the fact that English players tend to perform under their capabilities the moment the put on the three lions.
Did you even read what I wrote? At what point did I say that I thought Bradley was superior to Holden or Jones? In fact, I explicitly said the opposite. I did say I think Bradley is better then Edu and I stand by that. One can say that Edu plays for a perennial CL team, etc. However, the SPL is not as good as some people believe. I believe it is UEFA ranked 15th where the Turkish and Danish leagues people tend to put down are ranked 10th and 12th. Point being there is a large gap between EPL or the Bundesliga and the SPL. I guess the larger point I am trying to make is that I will take the back class of Bradley over half season of decent form of Edu.
I really wouldn’t be against seeing that at least once. Onyewu, DeMerit, and Bocanegra are out other options and none are playing exceptional football/soccer at the moment.
There’s no probably about Lampard being more talented than Bradley. Come on…
Let’s see 90 minutes every week versus no minutes every week.
Bradley plays 90 every USMNT game because he is so superior to Jones now, and Holden previously. Yeah right.
Here’s an idea soe may have heard before: sit Bradley, and let Jones and Edu take central mid duties.
Why is that not obviously what you do, when you have 3 quality healthy cm’s, 2 of which are in game shape, and 1 – not.
I am not slighting Bradley. As I stated, I am a big fan of his and think he has played well at every level of his career sans this little spell at Villa. I just think that Jones do everything Bradley can do just better. Personally, I don’t think a Bradley v Jones debate is particularly relevant given that both will probably start. I think given the current midfield options, that is the best line-up. You are putting words in my mouth by bringing up Edu….personally, I don’t rate him. Just as I said that Jones is superior to Bradley in virtually every facet of the game, I think Bradley is superior to Edu most facets of the game. Finally, like I said, I am a big MB fan…I am not one of these nepotism people. MB earned his spot.
nepotism is the act of favoring ones family members. what you meant to say is, the references to nepotism never end.
Ives – Your top 5 yanks Abroad missed Matthew Taylor who scored and is 3rd in 3.BL scoring (15 goals in 26 matches) Give the man some credit.
Rolfe? Isn’t this his first match back from injury? I like his talent/potential (always have) Great goal! But come on after one or two games back.
Gomez? He deserved the hype in the lead up to the WC b/c he was on fire; whereas now he is only just catching fire, but I can only sense why you chose him.
Jones by any measure is the most talented central midfielder available to the US. His record in the Bundesliga proves that.
But what has he done in a US shirt? Not very much and I’m disappointed by how he has looked for the USMNT.
MB, on the other hand has the produced more for the US than any of the other candidates in question, including the last two, most recent games, when he outperformed Jones and Edu even though he is not playing for Villa.
So the question for you, DMA, is,what do you value more, Jones and Edu’s potentially greater production or MB’s actual production, which he has shown he can provide even when not playing for his club team?
I think people forget that talent, which MB has in modest amounts, is only one part of what players can contribute on the field. Sometimes,players just fit in very well with a particular team for whatever reason.
Frank Lampard, who is also modestly talented though probably more so than MB, has been a great Chelsea player because his particular talents and personality fit right into what they do. Yet as often as he has played for England, he has never had one truly dominant game for them and I would submit, has been pretty much a spare part.
People really get caught up in thinking that the USMNT has to be the best 11 players available instead of the 11 who play together the best.
Bradley:
Started, played 90 minutes on the edge of his couch; ate 90 minutes worth of fish & chips, thinking darn do I miss a wurst mit kruatern und senf”
@ mbw – Bradley’s line should read like tso on a weekly basis:
Started on the couch while eating fish & chips for 90 minutes and saying “why did I make this dumb move?”
If Chivas passed on Fielhaber and were to grab EJ, there would need to be an investigation.
I’d take the first two and leave the thrid and fourth in that list. Mostly though, I just don’t want Sascha.
im gonna go out on a limb and say that EJ will be returning to MLS soon…. Chivas or Philly get first dibbs
Sacha*
Benny, Mix, Sascha, Torres
Which two you got in and which two are out of the GC????
The sun rose in the east and set in the west, and in between Jermaine Jones received a yellow card.
The nepotism never ends, does it? Did you even bother watching how our midfielders played during the Argentina and Paraguay matches. Based on those performances, Bradley>Jones>Edu. I think Ives agrees.
Bradley is still the number one option in the midfield for daddy.
In all likelihood, any chance he had at the Gold Cup roster…
Simply, yes he is worth the risk. He is by far the best central midfielder available to BB right now. I am a big MB fan, but Jones is better than him at all aspects of the game. Furthermore, if you look at their career numbers, Jones and MB pick up cards at a similar rate. Also, I would be more concerned about yellow card accumulation than a straight red. He doesn’t really go for brash challenges more in the line of professional fouls.
well put, very good point… imo he is our best center mid atm with bradley not getting playing time & stu injured
people argue Edu, but thats certainly overrating the Rangers player. I do think Edu should start over Bradley though if Bradley continues not to play. I dont know if BB would bench MB. There are still questions to that. Im sure BB will be looking to see if his son is rusty come the Spain game. So, we can worry about how rough JJ can be, but I dont see any other players being quite as effective for the time being.
what exactly did whitbread injure ives?
Good to see Goodson doing well, in an ideal dream world think he and Ream would be my Gold Cup CB pairing…
Is he worth the risk in a tournament for the USMNT with the way the refs like us so much? I can just see the FIFA refs licking their chops to stick one to the US and send him off early. I don’t doubt he is a good player, but the officiating in past US games does make me worry about his contribution to the team in the Gold Cup.
He had 1 game in the Bundesliga this fall with 7 fouls-no cards. Did the ref not see a pattern there?
+1 Matt
I get the feeling reading these things that the default template for this feature already has “started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Blackburn Rovers'” next to Jermaine Jones’ name and all you need to do is fill in the score and who he played against.