The U.S. men's national team kicks off its Gold Cup on Tuesday against Canada, and with the painful memory of Saturday's 4-0 friendly loss to Spain still fresh, there is plenty of speculation about just which 11 players Bob Bradley will turn to in the Gold Cup opener on Tuesday night in Detroit.
Top veterans such as Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo are locks to start, but there are other positions which still raise questions. Will it be Jermaine Jones or Maurice Edu in central midfield? Will Bob Bradley go with a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, and if it's a 4-4-2 will Bradley turn to teen striker Juan Agudelo? Will Oguchi Onyewu get the nod in central defense, or will Bradley go with a Goodson-Bocanegra pairing in the middle?
Here's a look at a lineup we could see the USA field against Canada:
Some quick thoughts:
Just as a reminder, this is the lineup I can see Bob Bradley starting, not necessarily the lineup I would use. Would my lineup be different? Probably not, though I might be tempted to give Eric Lichaj the start at left back, with Carlos Bocanegra pairing with Clarence Goodson in central defense.
Onyewu looked shaky against Spain, so a Bocanegra-Goodson central defense with Jonathan Bornstein at left back isn't out of the realm of possibility. Tim Ream and Eric Lichaj seem like long shots to play vs. Canada. Bradley rates Ream highly, but the fact he went 90 minutes makes it seem unlikely the Red Bulls defender gets the start.
The toughest toss-up is between Maurice Edu and Jermaine Jones, and we go with Jones because he looked better overall in the three most recent friendlies, though it can be argued that Edu looked better against Spain than Jones did.
For those asking why Clint Dempsey doesn't get moved up top, he is needed on the flank more than up top, because the reality is the roster just doesn't have quality wing options.
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What do you think of this lineup? Which lineup would you like to see take on Canada?
Share your thoughts below.
I think the USA should start like this…
jozy—Dempsey
Bedoya—Donovan—Adu
—-Jones—-
Lichaj—Boca-Ream—Dolo
———Howard———-
+3.14
I could really care less about who they throw out there until the final. I think our entire roster has the class enough to beat any of the CONCACAF “minnows” but when it comes to the final (we’re the US so we should be taking it for granted that we’re going right?) we obviously need to have our top lineup out there. I would probably use start Freddy though in place of Edu… I think that given our roster and the players that we have available he might be the perfect player for our CAM spot in the midfield which should make Bradley-Jones function more efficiently on the field because when Edu is on the field, they all play like the same player more or less. We need an A+ midfield out there if we have any hope of getting Jozy or Juan any service up top. If we can do that well then I think Mexico will be quite shocked (given the fact that they wholeheartedly think this generation of players is going to lead them into the promised land or something).
Yeah, he is very over rated. I do not think he id ready either. I also agree with others he is not even a top defender in MLS.
Yeah he did get burned against Spain no denying that man.
If we don’t win the Gold Cup, Bradley needs to be fired! Sorry, there is just no progression for the US National Team. Sure we have a lot of talent but what good is it if we can never play to our strengths and just keep playing Bad football. no offense. no defense. its just not working while our players do work in their own teams. We need to progress and we are not doing it with him. Let’s just get him out!
Yeah I watched it. Did you?????
He got beat by Torres. Happens to better and worse players than Dolo.
You sure have a lot of names “Dolo hater”. Who would you rather have at RB?
And Bradley showed that he still clearly our best CM. He would start even if BB wasn’t coach. He’s arguably our 4th most important and 4th best best player.
Onyewu, probably. Definitely against Mexico. Cherundolo is the least likely person on our defense to be a liability.
What?? After Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley, I’d say Cherundolo was the next best player for us at the World Cup. He was certainly our best defensive player. He had an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC game against England where he completely owned James Milner so bad that he got him yellow carded and subbed out all before the 30th min. Also had a key kick save in front of the goal, if he had missed the ball would have gone to the back post and England would have scored. Only negative was he got a yellow for taking down SWP.
He also had a pretty good game against Slovenia. He assisted Donovan on his goal against Slovenia with a good lobbed pass on the right flank. Might have been partially responsible for Slovenia’s 2nd goal, as he was a little far up the field, but DeMerit was even higher up on the field and Torres and Bradley were nowhere to be seen on the play (they weren’t tracking back).
Decent game against Algeria. Nearly got beaten for a goal, but the guy he was marking was just barely offside and he pushed it wide anyway. Great delivery on cross from the left flank and that Jozy or Buddle should have put in.
And for the Ghana match, I remember him having a so-so game. Picked up another yellow card. Didn’t really get beat badly that I recall. Wasn’t at fault for any of the goals
I back up what I say. What about you?
I’ve been thinking that I’d like to see what Spector can do as a RM with the UMNT, maybe in a sub role when, and/or if Dempsey get’s moved up top late in the game. I think he could bring something there with his ability to whip in crosses and get forward. I haven’t ever seen him line up as a RM, but his game seems very well suited for the position.
Hahaha funny
Well put.
He was great in the World Cup because he played great in the World Cup. A**hat.
Jozy reminds me of old Heskey. Yuck. If it was young Heskey, it would be a compliment. That said, he’s still young.
Take out Altidore and put in Wondo!
I was thinking of getting foxsoccer.tv for the month to watch this since I don’t have cable. Does anyone have any experience with the streams there? 15 bucks to watch the tournament doesn’t seem all that bad
altidore–agudelo
dempsey–spector–edu/bradley/jones–donovan
lichaj–boca–goodson–dolo
Spector played pretty well as a midfield player during west ham’s campaign, including an unbelievable game against Manchester United. He’s offensive minded, but due to his usual defensive positioning, he will certainly be good at tracking back and tackling, which will give one of the DM’s extra cover. Especially against Canada, we need to open up our offense a little bit. Why not give Spector a shot as our creative mid?
Lichaj has great speed and skill, he’s still young so prone to a few mistakes, but with boca being his cover, he’ll be good. There was some lack of communication between him and Ream against Spain. That won’t happen with a veteran like Boca. Ream has a bit to go, but he’ll be solid in the future, just not enough experience to anchor the defense.
The biggest question is who to start as the defensive mid. Honestly, it’s a toss up. Jr hasn’t played much, but still a great player. Jones has been doing very well for Blackburn, including assisting them in staying out of the relegation zone of the premier league. Edu, as usual, was instrumental for Rangers and this years double. I’d honestly go with Jones, especially if we use a creative mid and not another defensive mid. I really don’t think Jones is that great being with another DM, but if he has more space and another mid in front of him, he’ll be a lot better.
Ives needs to write a piece about the potential pressure on Bob Bradley if the US doesn’t do well in this competition (ie win it).
Poor results in friendlies is one thing but there has to be accountability if there are poor results in Gold Cup.
Disagree completely about our backs not being able to contain Hernandez.But I do agree with you that Chandler and Holden would have made the U.S. much better. USA 2-0.
I hope this is not the line up… I see mediocre forwards and mediocre defenders (on a good day).
1-10 ratings(10 being the best)
forwards: 3-4
midfield: 7-8
defense: 4-5( that has to be the slowest defense in the Gold Cup)
Goalkeeper: 7-8
Exact same lineup I would use. It won’t happen.
that was a ridiculous refereeing decision. not even a foul, much less a second yellow
Roja…Honduras gains upper hand
This Jamaica would beat USA…and they are w/o Cummings
No, Casey has scoring ability Lazy lacks. Heck, I would take an injured Brian Ching over Out the door.
who was, then???
Really? So now is the time to experiment at forward correct you two ( Darren and Stephen )? Brilliant diagnoses of the problem with those two during the Spain game. I mean, Altidore totally should have scored at least one goal against Spain considering he had proper distribution from all his offensive middies right? And Agudelo!! That son-of-a-bitch is not even 20 and we should give him Altidore’s job after 5 international games and 2 goals!!!. You heard him BB, the forward jobs for the first game of a huge tournament should be turned over to a convincing 18 year old, and his 29 year old compatriot!!!! These two guys with the excellent recommendation should stand next to BB during the trophy presentation in Pasadena because their advice will ultimately win the USA this Gold CUP. Jack-Asses
I agree with all this except the juan and jozy comparison. The difference (whether it be role or not) is that juan comes back for the ball and does apply more pressure than jozy.
Jozy only seems to be effective when the game is brought to him and/or if he can be paired up one v one in strength scenarios. Against Canada this *should* be the case.
Getting open is half an art and half hustle. Wondo and Juan are better at it than Jozy.
altidore
dempsey
bedoya bradley edu lando
boca goodson gooch dolo
howard
Let’s not get crazy guys. Cherendolo had a solid WC. A good season with Hannover, got sliced and diced a little v Spain but so did everyone else. He starts because in the Bundesliga this year he saw everything that a Canadian might bring.
On the left I liked Lichaj’s athleticism and strength but 2x he caught as the last man a huge no no for an outside back.. Given lesser concacaf opposition and maybe need for boca in the middle I’d be tempted for that switch.
For the first time I am very worried about Mexico. I am not worried about the group games, even with our weaknesses. But Mexico has too much firepower, and guys like Chandler and González would have helped against the speed of Barrera, Juárez, Guardado on the wings and the power of DiNigris. As for Chicharito, I doubt any of our backs are at the level to contain him. I also pray that Donovan continues to be or saviour, but without guys like Holden, Gómez, or someone like the 2002 Beasley, we are in trouble.
Edu is a terrific player and more importantly, a former Terp just like De La Garza, Goodson, and Gonzo.
He went to Rangers and is improved from what he was at Toronto. But he is not being pushed to get any better for the reasons I stated before.
And from what I’ve seen of him lately he has regressed from his World Cup form where he played well.
It’s not about positions, Edu is a talented football player and is versatile. Bradley has been playing him up a bit and said he was doing that because that is exactly where he is doing well for Rangers.
“Bogus…A team or league doesn’t make a player.”
If that were true then why did he move to Rangers?
Besides the money wasn’t the idea to get better as a player? And didn’t he get better?
Ironically enough, Edu’s experience proves you wrong.
If he wants to take the next step, he’s going to have to do it again and find a more challenging situation because Rangers and the SPL are dead in the water.
Excellent points.
I think BB is going to give different looks depending on the on the teams we face but that is not really rocket science. BB already has an idea. Some people might not like BB, but I think he has a good plan for the final. The plan for Mexico is “Plan Dos A Cero.” I wonder if Mexico will blame the ground crew again for their loss. If Mexico plays Jamaica, I would like to see Jamaica flatten little Peewee.
I hope your blog is better than your comments.
Dude, even though you are changing your name your picture thing stays the same. And you keep spelling Cherundolo’s name wrong. Just stop.
Yawn!!!!!!!!!!
Lahm got burned by Torres and Germany lost to Spain 1-0 in the Euro final. I doubt Germany’s supporters were screaming to bench him like some people have been doing with Dolo.
Yeah, let’s replace them with our better attacking and RB options. OH WAIT.
Can you use it in a sentence please?
Hahahaha
Being in the right place at the right time is important. Just ask Chicharito.
That was more skilled than any goal scored by the United States in… I can’t even recall how long. That was incredible teamwork and a golazo finish.
OMG Jamaica with the goal of the tournament already.
For some reason USMNT fans are really harsh on our own players, I cant figure it out. MB plays some bad passes and everyone says he has to sit, Jozy at 17 shows a lot of potential and by the time he’s 20 everyone hates on him because he’s not the best striker to ever wear a US jersey. And now DOLO, who I dont think Ive seen have an off game in a USA kit in the past 5 years, who has had consecutive great seasons in the Bundesliga, ONE realllllly good player makes a run past him for a goal in a game that doesnt matter and everyone says he is too old to play…..Little ridiculous USMNT fans…little ridiculous…
Jamaica up 3-0 now. I guess They are the team to beat now. Not!! USA will win all their games by one or two goals including Mexico
I agree with Ives’ line-up except I think it will be Ream starting over Goodson. I will say that the USA wins 3-0 over Canada. Also if we dont see our strikers scoring in the group stage, look to see Dempsey and Donovan move up front with Bedoya, and maybe Adu out wide.
Jamaica is running rampant, they look really confident on the ball.
I love Jay but he was horribly slow to close and displayed poor judgement on the so-called Rico goal in the Ghana game.
At this point, based on what I saw in the Argentina game he still has the bulldog in him but he seems rusty, no big surprise given his lengthy inactivity.
You may be more familar with him but from what I’ve seen of him Gonzalez needs more polish.
He has a lot of that “Kung Fu Panda quality”(before he realised he was the Dragon Warrior).
I used to see in the younger Gooch. That can occasionally be a good thing but against really good teams, it will get you killed.
Get your logic out of my thread.