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Feilhaber’s return to Brazil, USMNT

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  1. He will be underappreciated as long as he plays in MLS. I like him more than a lot of our other midfielders. High quality player.

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  2. Feilhaber has been my personal favorite player for years now, hope he makes the roster. He has a calmness with the ball at his feet that is unusual among American players (Jose Torres is the only other guy I would compare with BF in that respect), and he could definitely contribute off the bench.

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  3. A current member of the USMNT said the most skilled player in the USMNT team is Feilhaber. Bradley played Feilhaber in the World Cup and the Mexican announcers gave him praise for his skill. If Feilhaber wasn’t lazy, with his skill he could play anywhere.

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  4. I think Feilhaber has a unique skill set as a central midfielder. He has quick feet, good vision and can pick a pass! I’d love to see him at the WC. But he’s gotta stay fit and healthy. I’m a USMNT fan here in South Africa and the Ghana game just ended. They’ve finished group play with 7 points and they totally bossed the midfield in their 3 games. Their guys are helluva strong on their feet and their off-the-ball running is scary. Feilhaber can’t revert to the player of 2012, because our midfield will get overrun and be overmatched physically. No doubt Bradley and Jones will control and settle things but hell, even their defensive mids were bombing forward at pace.

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    • Weird isn’t how I would describe that happening. Terrifying, Horrible, Devastating, would be more along the lines of what I would be thinking.

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  5. watching that Feilhaber golazo off a deflected corner in 2007 Gold Cup from the opposite end zone was the best USMNT goal I’ve ever seen and it remains Feilhaber’s career peak (unfortunately)… at least in terms of expectations… after that a failed EPL stint at a horrendous Derby County, scandinavian leagues, MLS and off the USMNT radar…

    now he has Mixx and Corona and even Dempsey/Donovan to compete with in that CAM role… if he had developed along the 2007 trajectory he’d be starting along MB instead of scrapping to be an emergency reserve for the WC roster

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  6. Remember years ago when it looked like Bradley/Feilhaber would be the central midfield of the future? I’m sorry that hasn’t played out, because Benny at his best is really quite good and brings unpredictability to the attack. After injuries and setbacks, it’s taken him a long time to get back to his best though.

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  7. There were a few years when Benny has struggled, some due to injury, some due to ?. It does seem that with KC he has been able to put those struggles behind him. He and Mixx play in leagues that are pretty similar talent-wise, so I don’t really see one being ahead of the other on that front. Benny has had more experience in big games (winning goal in 2007 Gold Cup final, 2009 confed win against Spain and loss to Brazil, 3 appearances as a sub in the 2010 WC). Mixx has done well enough, but most of his good games have come against lesser teams or in friendlies. I do not know how much Mixx’s team depends upon him, but KC looked to depend on Benny’s success for the team to do well.

    Which, both or neither will be on the 2014 WC squad will come down to JK’s assessment regarding their ability to help the team in tough games. I think in that regard, Mixx might have a higher hill to climb.

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    • I would say Feilhaber has the higher hill to climb because none of those games you listed actually happened under Klinsmann. Not saying he can’t win the spot but I don’t think something he did 7 years ago is going to play into Klinsmann choice.

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  8. Of all the MLS players I have seen live, Benny was definitely the most impressive to me. Speed, control, hustle off the ball was insane. More so than Donovan, Dempsey, Beasley, Zusi, EJ. Too bad his position is sooo stacked. I hope he makes the roster (and not at the expense of Mix!)

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    • Dc,

      I’m not so sure Benny’s ability/talent has been called into question. Word around town is that he has a bit of an attitude and has struggled on the defensive side of the ball,…that is what has been holding him back. That said,…he seems to have made great strides in KC. Personally, I enjoy watching him play and think he brings something ‘a little extra’ when the ball is at his feet.

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  9. I feel the same way.
    I wonder if it’s because a lot of the good stuff and effort also goes into the podcast, which I know a lot of people love but I rarely listen to.

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  10. It’s either him or Diskerud, and Diskerud has the advantage of having been with the team longer, and on top of that, he’s going to be a legit contender for starter next cycle. Plus, for that role off the bench, I think Diskerud provides more in the way of x-factor.

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    • +1. Watching Diskerud’s skill as he glided through the box against Mexico and slotted that pass to Donovan for goal number 2 sold me. I like Benny, always have, but hoping Jurgen decides to Mixx it up.

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      • Dude1 hit the nail on the head…its Benny vs Mix for the last (only?) central playmaker role. Currently, they are about even with their skills, but I would definitely want Mix to go for all the intangibles: Benny is a whiner, Mix never drops his head after a bad play, and Mix seems to be more consistent. Plus, yes, then there is the fact that Mix will definitely be in the mix (?) for 2018, so might as well build for the future as well.

      • Mix is a good skilled player but he becomes lost against physical teams. He is not strong enough for the international game. Mexico was not a good guage considering how poor their play has been. I take benny with experience and being more physical of a player.

      • I love Benny and would like to see him in Brazil but he is no slouch when it comes to getting lost in a game.

        He can be world class when it comes to disappearing from a game.

        If he has an advantage over Mix it is he has proven he can play well in the World Cup. Benny did well againt Ghana. This is no small deal either; this team could be pretty thin in WC experience.

        As for this 2018 argument for MIx, the concern is 2014 not 2018. If I were the manager I’d have to consider that Mix might not be in the mix for 2018. If Benny is a better option in June of 2014 then he should go over Mix.

    • It’s not necessarily Benny or Mix. First of all, you have to take into account the high likelihood of injuries.

      Second, Benny played out wide several times under Bradley, so he’s got some versatility.

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      • and he’s a proven commodity off the bench, knows how to enter a game and change the dynamic in our favor as the supersub. Not everyone is good at that

      • I would not call him a supersub. During 2010 SA, he was someone who changed the style of the US- and it was effective because the US actually went out with the intent of creating possession rather than the very stringent bucket formation.

        This US team is actually pretty damn good in the possession department- there’s more fluidity than under Bradley, for sure.

        So saying that Feilhaber replacing Deuce, Zusi, Donovan, or F. Johnson would be a game changer, it just doesn’t make sense. Mix is different, because his play is less predictable and can create dangerous plays quickly. For me, Feilhaber is a very solid possession player, but isn’t superior to any of the starting midfield options, and wouldn’t provide as much of a change off the bench as you seem to think.

      • Other than the fact that they were both on the 2010 team, as central midfielders. We would have been better off with Benny in the middle than Ricardo against Ghana, IMHO

      • Bradley would never have paired Mikey and Feilhaber together against Ghana to start with, so the “we would have been better off” argument is moot from the beginning. There were only 3 starting pairings that were ever viable that WC: Bradley+Clark, Bradley+Edu, Bradley+Torres. Even when Feilhaber was put in, it was typically in a free role “in the hole,” never along side Bradley.

      • We had to use two FIRST HALF subs to get Mo and Benny on the field against Ghana in 2010, and we dominated the second half. We got mauled in OT because we didn’t have any fresh legs. If Mo and Benny start in place of Clark and Findley, we win that game.

        I hope Benny shows in Brazil. Very few others have shown they can hang in a high level international game.

      • One is an attacking central midfielder and the other is defensive. Feilhaber is competing with guys like Zusi, Diskerud, Kljestan. Clark isn’t competing with anyone anymore thankfully, but if he was it would be Bradley, Jones, Beckerman, Edu.

      • Although Klinsmann has put Kljestan in an attacking role sometimes thats not where he actually plays for his club.

    • Given his being born in Brazil, together with the number of Germanicans we have on the squad, I have to ask the obvious question:

      Can we open an Army base in Brazil?

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      • That’s a good point. The boys at Aviano AFB have not been earning their keep. They are in Italy…maybe the AirForce can sign them up for flirting lessons? Help them out a little? But if we don’t get any good Afro-Italican prospects in the next 17-years, I’m calling for their funding to shut down.

        Maybe this is just a sign that Army gets laid more than Air Force??

      • This is the best comment I have ever read on Ives website. Yes, we need to build a new generation of Brazilian-Americans! Maybe if we promise to stop spying on President Dilma, they will let us build an army base.

      • It would be kind of funny with all of Klinsmann talk of wanting his players in Europe and the Champions league. For him to then leave off the only US player this year with a goal and/or an assist in the competition for another MLS player in Feilhaber.

      • Who cares what Klinsmann says, wait five minutes and he’ll contradict himself.

        I’ll take guys who play well (Diskerud, Feilhaber) over ones who have never done anything with the national team like Kljestan, no matter how many Champions League goals he’s scoring. At the end of the day we will not be judged by number of Champions League players on the roster.

      • They fill different roles anyway. Kljestan is more in competition with Beckerman while if Feilhaber goes it’ll be in place of Diskerud.

      • Actually, Zusi is doing the things for the USMNT that Benny used to do.

        Benny has the talent to be arguably the most versatile midfielder the USMNT has.

        He replaced Mikey in the 2009 Confederations Cup final which Mikey missed due to card disease.

        With Benny it’s always been a question of his consistency.

      • Every single day………..

        Ever since Bobby Bradley generously let him fly in on the same flight as Bornstein to USMNT camp he has yet to pay dividends…..

        stupid Chivas

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