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Donovan, Ibarra, Altidore headline USMNT roster for friendly with Ecuador

Landon Donovan USMNT 1

Photo by David Richard/USA TODAY Sports

 By RYAN TOLMICH

For months, the U.S. Men’s National Team’s friendly with Ecuador has been circled as a farewell to the retiring Landon Donovan. With the matchup just days away, U.S. Soccer has officially confirmed the players that will join Donovan for the star’s final international game.

U.S. Soccer announced the team’s full roster Monday, headlined by the inclusion of Donovan. The LA Galaxy forward will be joined five other MLS stars including teammate Omar Gonzalez, Seattle Sounders defender DeAndre Yedlin, D.C. United’s Bill Hamid, and RSL’s Nick Rimando and Luis Gil.

In addition to the MLS-based call-ups, the long-rumored inclusion of Minnesota United’s Miguel Ibarra was confirmed by the roster, as the NASL star becomes the first player to join the national team from a non-MLS domestic league since 2005.

Finally, the roster features plenty of European stars due to the ongoing MLS playoff race, including Jozy Altidore, John Brooks and Julian Green.

A number of changes are expected to be made to the squad for the second friendly of this camp against Honduras in Boca Raton, Florida, on Oct. 14.

Here is a closer look at the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for their upcoming friendly against Ecuador:


GOALKEEPERS:
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS: John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)

MIDFIELDERS: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Joe Corona (Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Julian Green (Hamburg), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Joe Gyau (Borussia Dortmund), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)

What do you think of the U.S. roster for Friday’s friendly? Who are you most excited to see? Any notable snubs?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. JK was in a no-win situation with Donovan and other veterans on the USMNT. He was hired to get to the next level but the team had a fair number of players who were established first-teamers who more or less dictated the terms of their participation, not wholly unlike what happens on the USWNT. JK would never be able to run the team as long as there were people on it who were whispering to reporters about how bad things were as happened in the Sporting News article and taking breaks during qualifiers with the full expectation that they’d be in the starting 11 come WC time. When Bocanegra got the hook and that article came out, LDs continued refusal to play sure began to look like a full on rebellion designed to damage JK. One reason to think so is that LD could have just retired from international soccer but chose not to. Instead, he lurked out there, not willing to play, yet not withdrawing either. Bradley and Dempsey stepped up on and off the field but LD was conspicuous for his absence and his noncommittal commentary. If the team had continued to struggle LD was set up perfectly to ride in on his white horse, but since the opposite happened and team succeeded without, his best use for JK was as an object lesson; everybody can be replaced.

    Reply
    • Recovered amishman, your recitation has nothing to do with objective reality. I have not seen any evidence of the prima donna you describe. What I’ve seen, instead, is that at the end of the Galaxy’s last season, Donovan was physically and mentally exhausted as a result of playing year-in and year-out for more than a decade with hardly any down time. He decided he needed substantial time away from soccer to regain his strength and spirit. Hence, what is referred to as his sabbatical. Bruce Arena wasn’t happy that one of his stars would get a late start to the next Galaxy season. But he recognized that Donovan was entitled to make his own decisions regarding his health and wellbeing. Confronting a similar issue regarding the MNT, Klinsmann acted like a petulant four-year-old who throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. In any event, Donovan was rejuvenated by his sabbatical. He was far and away the best player at the Gold Cup, his playmaking skills making several of his teammates look good — Wondolowski, for example. Klinsmann, however, couldn’t accept that Donovan refused to be bullied. He insisted on playing mind games with Donovan, undermining Donovan’s self-confidence. (For me, that’s why I think Donovan did not seem to be himself at the start of the Galaxy season.) And without regard for the team’s obvious interest, Klinsmann ultimately cut from the team a guy capable of creating more than twice as many goal-scoring opportunities as anyone Klinsmann took to Brazil. As a result, except for Dempsey, the USMNT had no significant offensive capability once Altidore went down. (For that reason, as far as I’m concerned, the USMT got out of the group despite Klinsmann, not because of him.) The Galaxy, in contrast, have reaped the benefit of Arena’s approach. Since he put Klinsmann’s nonsense behind him, Donovan has been playing as well has he ever has, creating twice as many goal-scoring opportunities as any other Galaxy player and fully one quarter of those created by the entire team.

      Reply
      • Advocate: you wrote, “I have not seen any evidence of the prima donna you describe.”

        Then you go on to present a damning case against Klinsmann…with the same lack of evidence.

        Don’t get me wrong: what you present is surely plausible, but you can’t prove a lick of it, so don’t get after others when they likewise hang their arguments on speculation.

      • KGE: Sometimes you have direct unequivocal evidence, most of the time, however, you just have to draw reasonable inferences from whatever evidence you have. I’ll admit that there is no unequivocal evidence. Klinsmann never stood up and said at a press conference: “I don’t care of Donovan returned from his sabbatical rejuvenated and playing at the top of his game, I don’t care if he excelled at the Gold Cup, setting up teammates and making them all look good and I don’t care if he showed that he can still produce more goal-scoring opportunities than any other two players I could pick for the team, I’m still going to toy with him, undermine his confidence and then, at the very last minute, claim that others are better and cut him from the team — and there’s not a thing he can do about it.” No, he never said that. But based on what Klinsmann said and did during the months leading up to the world cup selection (and the depression into which Donovan seemed to sink notwithstanding his great Gold Cup performance) I find it reasonable to infer that that is very close to what Klinsmann though and precisely what Klinsmann did. You heard and saw the same things I did. Do you really think I’m very wide of the mark?

      • Advocate, “You heard and saw the same things I did. Do you really think I’m very wide of the mark?”

        I think I have almost no idea. I think I (and you) have about 5% of the story—but even then I don’t know, because I don’t even know how much “story” there is. You and I see the tip of a tail and we’re supposed to know whether it’s a cat or a lemur?

        I would be quite surprised if Klinsmann premeditated stringing Donovan along like you suggest. Is Donovan really that important to Klinsmann? I don’t think so. I also doubt that the sabbatical irked Klinsmann as much as people suggest—more likely it was the circumstances of the sabbatical (i.e., conversations had…or not had).

        Has Donovan ever shown himself to be a prima donna? Other than with Beckham—and over the last four months, you mean. For me, it’s more that he’s shown himself to be highly passive aggressive. Did any of that come out during or after the Gold Cup? During camp? Did Donovan work as hard as others in camp, or hold back and passively announce that his effort level was his decision, not the coach’s? Was he put on the 30-man roster by Gulati, just like he was picked for this friendly by Gulati? Did he strut around like the untouchable Golden Boy?

        I think all of that is also plausible (though I purposefully made it less expected as I went along). We could riff on this story for pages and come up with all sorts of ideas and never know which to believe. For me, I choose to believe that both of them made mistakes, but none of those mistakes were catastrophic character flaws.

      • KGE: I’ve tried to find a plausible explanation for a decision that makes no sense if the usual standards are applied. Donovan was the one and only guy available to Klinsmann who might have provided real bite to our offense because of his proven ability to put the ball in dangerous spots twice as often as anyone else. Regardless of all other considerations (including the sort of behavior on which you speculate), I don’t think even one coach in a hundred would have left a player of his quality behind. It follows, I think, that Klinsmann, having cut Donovan from the team, must either be a knave or a fool. I don’t think he’s a fool (although I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise). Which leads me to the more sinister explanation of the available evidence that I set forth above.

      • Advocate, I was not so much surprised that Donovan was cut as I was that Davis made the team. That was the big surprise for me. Donovan, you will remember, was not looking all that good leading up to the camp—I mean, he was still a very good player, but not anything like he looks today or even in the Gold Cup. He also announced that he couldn’t train like he used to, before the USMNT would head into a tournament that everyone said would be brutal from a fitness perspective. So I thought, “Yeah, he’s vulnerable.” Especially considering that other guys playing that LM/LF/RM/RF role also looked pretty darn good in the Gold Cup.

        As for Klinsmann, he’s made it clear that he wants authority to re-make US soccer—he made that demand all along during the years USSoccer courted him. I can certainly see how he would want to make a point: “No one is above my decision; no one is safe.” So he tells players to jump and they jump. That’s what he expects.

        Landon obviously upset that rule with his sabbatical, so it would make sense for JK to never call him up again. Period—if JK is really unforgiving. On the other hand, it makes sense to call LD up for the Gold Cup and see if LD learned his lesson: do whatever JK demands. And it sure seems like that happened, that JK made—and scored—his point, and sent a message to everyone else: “Now that LD has done as I demanded, he can be considered part of the roster again.”

        Which is why I think it’s perhaps likely that something else happened between Gold Cup and 30-man camp, or at the 30-man camp, that rubbed JK the wrong way. I don’t see any reason for JK to just suddenly be irked by something from the past. The only other explanation is, as you present, a very elaborate scheme to dismantle Donovan mentally that crosses over into JK suffering from obsessive psychosis.

        Was whatever LD might have done grounds enough for dismissal? Depends on what it was. I will say that JK would not be the first coach in history to cut a very talented but disruptive player. Soccer is a team sport, so if someone is messing up your team then you cut him, no matter how great he is individually. Again, JK may have misread the situation—I have no idea.

        Thanks for the conversation.

      • Oh, and is there any evidence of which you are aware that leads you to believe that Donovan has ever behaved like a prima donna (with the arguable exception of his spat with Beckham)?

      • http://worldsoccertalk.com/2009/07/15/landon-donovan-troubling-signs-of-immaturity-reappear/

        Advocate,

        Beckham and others.

        I wanted LD on that team but even before the sabattical was worried that he wasn’t going to make it because I never got the feeling Landon bought into the JK administration. It was as if LD was waiting for JK to get down on his knees and beg him to come back and save the 2014 World Cup effort for the USMNT.

        And while it seemed like he may have had issues with JK’s managerial style I got the feeling that Landon knew the commitment it would take to make a World Cup team and did not know if he wanted to do it again. Even after he came back I got the feeling he never really bought in.

        Remember the old saying that once an athlete starts thinking about retirement they usually get there a lot sooner than they think.

        I don’t really understand why you assume that if you can’t find evidence for what you consider a logical decision by a manager about his employee (is that really so surprising?) that that automatically means there had to be a nefarious motive behind the decision.

        To me it means you don’t have the resources. I assume you have a boss. I don’t know how or why they make their personnel decisions about your workplace. And I see no reason why I should.

        My take is JK told it exactly like it was, that LD was just a little behind the others. Good managers don’t evaluate players just on talent. It is a combination of talent, experience, personality commitment, how they fit into the team, etc. This is what you pay a manager to do for any team. Why should we know more about how the puzzle fits together for that particular team than the manager?

        LD has always been a prima donna of sorts and I’ve seen many USMNT games where he just didn’t seem that into it. But his talent was always way too much to ignore.

        This time around his talent was not what it was and his commitment was suspect. That seems like reason enough.

      • GW: The link you provided is certainly persuasive that I may not have appreciated the extent of some of Donovan’s questionable past behavior. But even if I were to assume, for purposes of discussion, that you and/or others are entirely correct in criticizing his behavior, in questioning his commitment, etc., etc., I still firmly believe that in your detailed examination of those particular trees you fail to see the forest.

        I trust we can all agree, with regard to the 2014 World Cup, that Klinsmann’s primary obligation was to organize and bring to Brazil the best team he could assemble. Some choices were obvious — in the sense that Dempsey and Bradley, for example, are clearly superior in their natural positions than anyone else Klinsmann might have picked. Many if not most members of the squad, however, were not obviously superior to others who might have been chosen instead. Where would Donovan fit in this sort of discussion? I don’t disagree with your enumeration of the factors to be considered. And since I, too, thought at the time that Donovan wasn’t quite himself, I understand why some might have concluded that “[t]his time around his talent was not what it was.”

        The single most important point, however, which seems to elude most of those untroubled by Klinsmann’s exclusion of Donovan, is that Donovan’s talent is unique and quite irreplaceable in the US player pool. Because of his vision, creativity and skill, Donovan makes trouble for opponents in a way and to an extent that no one else in the USMNT player pool comes close to matching. In the eighteen months prior to the World Cup, Donovan (as usual) created goal-scoring opportunities at twice the rate of anyone else. It follows that even if his ability had been diminished by half (which it clearly was not), in that unique and crucial goal-creation respect he would still have been at least as good as anyone Klinsmann picked for the team.

        Since he was not there, we will never know what Donovan might have contributed. But can anyone seriously doubt that Donovan playing in support of Dempsey could have given us the credible offense that, in his absence, was nowhere to be seen? I like Zusi and I like Bedoya, but they were clearly not up to the task. Indeed, with Donovan doing what he alone can do we might well have scored an additional goal or two in the group stage — simplifying our passage through. And is there anyone who would doubts that Donovan’s presence would have improved our chances in the game against Belgium?

        We may also never know for certain whether Donovan’s confidence and form were adversely affected by Klinsmann’s hostile attitude (as I believe), whether Klinsmann excluded Donovan in good faith because he thought “that LD was just a little behind the others” (as you believe), or possibly both. If I’m right, Klinsmann was malicious to the detriment of the team. If you are right, Klinsmann was not malicious — just a fool.

        It’s not rocket science. Say what anyone will about the sabbatical, about issues, about attitude or about other irrelevancies, Klinsmann had to know that the team would be much stronger if even a fraction of the historical Donovan showed up. If it turned out that Donovan’s heart really wasn’t in it, as you suggest, Klinsmann could and presumably would have benched Donovan. In that case the team would have been no worse off than it in fact was when Donovan was left behind. On the other hand, by deciding to leave Donovan behind, Klinsmann made absolutely certain that the team could not possibly benefit even if Donovan was fully fit and focused and ready to contribute. In these circumstances, Klinsmann’s decision to cut Donovan from the team does not make the slightest sense to me except as a despicable personal attack on Donovan for which Klinsmann will be remembered long after his exploits on the field have been forgotten.

      • Advocate,

        “The single most important point, however, which seems to elude most of those untroubled by Klinsmann’s exclusion of Donovan, is that Donovan’s talent is unique and quite irreplaceable in the US player pool. Because of his vision, creativity and skill, Donovan makes trouble for opponents in a way and to an extent that no one else in the USMNT player pool comes close to matching. In the eighteen months prior to the World Cup, Donovan (as usual) created goal-scoring opportunities at twice the rate of anyone else. It follows that even if his ability had been diminished by half (which it clearly was not), in that unique and crucial goal-creation respect he would still have been at least as good as anyone Klinsmann picked”

        True. I did not think the USMNT was capable of being competitive in a “Big game” unless LD was on the field. However, that changed after the end of the 2011 Gold Cup final, a pathetic and abysmal loss.

        I did not and still don’t find his play for the Galaxy relevant as I have noted many instances where club play did not necessarily relate to national team play. I saw every US game LD was in after that Final and for the most part he is looked retired to me. I have often written that my problem with the sabbatical was that he should have taken it earlier and it should have been longer, a lot longer.

        I was dismayed when he was cut but hardly surprised. What would have been surprising was if Donovan had been on the team and actually been able to get it up enough to make any kind of contribution, let alone pull a rabbit out of the hat and beat Belgium. Rafa Marquez wasn’t overly worried about Donovan and I doubt the Belgians would have been either.

        The game changer you refer to, that guy stopped showing up for the US after the 2011 Gold Cup. And I for one am not a great believer in players being able to turn greatness off and on like a radio, especially for a manager you do not like. LD played his entire US career for Arena and BB, two guys who basically built the team around him and let him have his way.

        Playing under JK was always going to be a great culture shock for LD and if there is one constant about LD it is that he needs to be comfortable with his environment That means it has to be “his” team and it wasn’t his team anymore under JK. Think about his success at Everton about how they laid out the welcome mat for him and put on the love fest and how well LD responded.

        Of course, four or five years ago, at Everton he was twice the player then that he is today.

        JK, who could see as well as I could that LD did not really buy into his tenure, made a great show of inviting Stu Holden to the 2013 Gold Cup.

        Why did JK so clearly love Stuey? Because one, at his best Stuey is a very special player, a true difference maker and two Stuey so clearly and courageously wanted so badly to play for the USMNT and was killing himself to try and get fit.

        I think JK wanted his players to see the kind of desire he (JK) so clearly prizes in a player. Next to Stuey, LD definitely looked disinterested in the USMNT.

        Could LD have made a difference vs Belgium? Sure, but so could Benny Feilhaber or Herc Gomez or Alan Gordon. It is called the backup QB syndrome. The guy who does not play makes no mistakes and COULD be unbelievable if only you played him.

        In the end, LD has mostly himself to blame since it seems he really did not want to be on JK’s team badly enough to do what we all have done, humble yourself a little to get something you really want.

        Because if LD is the magic man you say he still is and if he really wanted to be on that WC team, there would have been no way even JK could have stopped him.

  2. Donovan took a break from all-football? No he took a break during the MLS off-season. But during that time he missed the USMNT training camp and the Galaxy pre-season training camp. Contrary to popular belief, he was available for WCQ games, but was not chosen or asked, because of his missing the camp, even though he informed USSOCCER and the USMNT as early as the end of the previous MLS season of his inten tio to take a break.. He missed the Galaxy pre-season and was available for the CCL games but was not match fit. I believe, due to Donovan’s sabbatical, Klinsmann determined that Donovan would not be a part of the US Team going forward. But announcing his intention that time, would have put JK in a bad position of trying to defend his choice. Instead he allowed LD back into a limited amount of time with the USMNT before announcing his cut at the last minute.

    JK, despite his label of a “new-look” coach by the German press during his tenure of the German National team, he still comes from the old-style mentality that the coach is absolute in his decisions and his desires. In German football, the coach has absolute power over the daily life decisions of the players. In fact, certain German coaches have been known to discipline players when it was revealed that their wife would be giving birth. DURING THE FOOTBALL SEASON!!
    of course, we all know what happens when you get a large tattoo, without the coaches approval.
    Unfortunately for Donovan, the USMNT and US soccer fans, Donovan fell afoul of that philosophy, and was purposely left of the team.
    I think though, that Donovan will have the last laugh. I do think there are those in the USSF that may rethink Klinsmann tenure if he does not deliver a BIG result in the Copa America in 2016. It will be a benchmark for the US team.

    I also do think that Altidore should look for a transfer away from the EPL. It dos not suit his style, and the god-awful teams he has been playing for, cannot give him consistent delivery of the ball in the places he is most dangerous at. If he does not I think his future time on the USMNT will be reduced Luckily for Altidore, playing for the US team and their superior ability over his club team, gives him ample scoring opportunities. On the horizon, player like Zardes, the leading US-born scorer in the MLS, can play equally good with his back to the goal, as a lone center-forward, and paired with another striker or two. His movement off the ball, his first touch and his scoring ability, look now, to be superior to those of Altidore.

    Reply
    • “On the horizon, player like Zardes, the leading US-born scorer in the MLS, can play equally good with his back to the goal, as a lone center-forward, and paired with another striker or two. His movement off the ball, his first touch and his scoring ability, look now, to be superior to those of Altidore.”

      What makes you say that?

      Reply
  3. I don’t get Woods over Wooten. Woods is having a mediocre season so far.

    We need a centrelforward, badly, both Kevin Bacon and Boyd are injuried, Altidore ruined his career with Sunderland, and Wondo isn’t good enough.

    Reply
      • When is the cutoff for U23 next Olympics? He’d be 23 that summer, 24 only in the fall. I don’t think we can force a U23 callup, so you bring him in with the senior team — which can’t be dodged — but really looking at him for the other team?

        Cause on senior merits, Wooten looks a lot better on stats in the same league, but maybe it’s disguised scouting for the Olympic team, in which case only Wood would be the right age.

      • i believe the cutoff is ’93s.

        yeah, i certainly get what you’re saying. i’d like to see Wooten given the injuries to Boyd/AJ and with Agudelo idling. i’m just throwing out that age may play into JK going with Wood instead.

      • wooten turned 25, 10 days ago. so he may be just 3+ years older than Wood. Not much but looks to be enough for JK to bypass him.

    • You are trying to assess this on silly criteria like player performance (Wooten does have more appearances and goals in the same league) and ignoring the obvious rational need to fill a Hawaiian spot on the roster vacant since Brian Ching dropped off. This is all very simple.

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  4. Serrano just confirmed that LD says he will be back to play against Dallas. also, JK saying European players will head back to Europe after the first game and MLS players will replace them for the Honduras game. then went on to specifically name Beckerman, Beasley, Davis, and Wondo as older players who are still in the picture.

    Reply
    • appears Torres is. He is in-form and available and Jurgen is calling Corona and Morales over him consistently. Same goes for Sasha Kljestan. both would fit this roster well if JK wanted them.

      Rogers – likely call up in January
      Spector – probably done, but he is injured currently so not the time to proclaim his national team career over

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  5. oh yeah…Gulati is doing LD a big favor…..fly cross country LA to Boston….then fly back on Saturday just in time for critical playoff game v Dallas with top seeding at stake. And East Hartford has a long standing love for LD. Pleez

    Reply
    • ya would have been nice if this game was on the west coast or LA!

      i’m sure Ecuador would have been okay with that.

      nice scheduling USSF

      Reply
      • In fairness, I think these games were already scheduled before the decision was made to give LD a sendoff. I don’t think realistically there are other options. The only November game is away, in Ireland.

      • Slowleftarm, spot on. These friendlies are done to put butts in the seats. Before the LD announcement, they looked at the highest concentration of Ecuadorian immigrants and where are they? NY Metro area. Had they given LD his last hurrah before this match was announced, no doubt it would have been done in Cali.

  6. I’m sadly hoping Donovan has a poor game so everyone quiets about him and the Wprld Cup. If he does well the Klinsi haters will always point and say, “See he should have gone.”

    Reply
    • Same logic you would have bashed vehemently if someone said, “I hope we fail to make it out of the group stage at WC 2014.”

      To humor you for a second, one friendly will not change anyone’s perception on such a controversial issue.

      Reply
      • Agree that it’s silly to think that one friendly will change anyone’s mind.

        But it’s also funny to wonder if someone said, “I hope we fail to make it out of the group stage at WC 2014,” because that’s exactly what Donovan admitted to 🙂

    • Thank you Josh D for talking about “Klinsi haters” as if they are wrong for pointing out my errors; all while ignoring the fact that you love me and everything I do no matter what. I bet I would still have your support if I slapped you accross your face. I appreciate that blind loyalty.

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  7. our forward pool is pretty dismal. I understand we have some injuries and scheduling conflicts but that group does not inspire confidence. Guess we can waste another game starting Jozy up top and then continue to wonder just what the hell he was doing all game. I acknowledge his scoring ability for the USMNT but he is wildly inconsistent, I can only hear “he needs better service”, “he is to isolated” so many times.

    Reply
    • It’s the same story: Jozy needs minutes to show Sunderland he’s good enough. However that screws over everyone else. Especially when he’s injured and you haven’t played any of your other forwards in meaningful matches.

      I’m fine benching Jozy. After babysitting him on the USMNT last time let him get out of this ditch himself.

      Reply
    • Well, If Juan Agudelo would bother to get a job he could play. Or if Boyd wasn’t hurt he could play. Or if AJ wasn’t hurt he could play. That’s most of our young strikers minus Zardas.(He isn’t getting called because LD is going, I suppose)

      It would be nice to try someone else but its not really an option to bench Jozy.

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  8. Oh one more thing Greg Garza is the man in Tijuana; he has been a starter for the the team and has been playing great He is only 22 .He is the reason the coach got rid of Edgar Castillo. So I won’t be surprised if Klismann chooses him over an aging Beasley

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  9. Don’t understand how bobby woods makes the team barely playing for his club, let alone scoring and Wooten doesn’t get called in while scoring goals and getting consistent playing time.

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  10. I really would have loved to see Run DMB get a call-up to see off his long running partner in crime. Would’ve have a special moment.

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    • Agreed. A true testimonial match with a few of the old crowd would have been fun. This seems a bit of an awkward time for that. I see this as one last “real” run out, but I suspect we might see a true testimonial (fun) match at some point in the future. It just seems like this could be milked for so much more. Maybe it’s not strictly USMNT, but LAG/MLS or some combination.

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    • No goals or assists for Houston and not particularly playing well. I don’t think with his age he is in long term plans, but ironically he may hang around for a little bit, long enough where it’s not time for his goodbye game. And like I said above, one testimonial player is a good compromise, a bunch would be wasting a game.

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  11. Miguel Ibarra will be Klisman new secret weapon. You guys don’t have any idea how good that boy is. He will outshine everybody in the US squad even Donovan.

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  12. Interesting as to *which* MLS guys got the call. Setting aside Donovan and GKs (who presumably can play over the weekend even if they see the field on Friday), Yedline, Gil, and Gonzalez have important club games this weekend.

    O/T, but what are the chances that Tim Cahill ever plays for RBNY again?

    Reply
    • Interesting – it wouldn’t shock me if he never does. Is his suspension for the red card three games? If so, he is out through the end of the regular season. If RBNY makes the playoffs, I would think he’d be on the bench. It’s pretty obvious the best XI at the moment doesn’t include him and after his antics the other night, it appears he’s reaching cancer/Marquez status.

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      • I think the red costs him one game, but the DisComm could change that.

        A year ago, it would have seemed just crazy to mention Cahill and Marquez in the same sentence, but this story keeps getting stranger and stranger. According to some stories, sources at RBNY say that Cahill’s benching have to do with form and fitrness rather than his admitted prioritizing of international duty. Petke said as much after the game. But those “sources” also hint at other issues/disputes involving Cahill. Others point to Cahill’s tendency to self-promotion. This story is not over.

      • The interesting moment will be when he’s again available for RBNY. Will Petke play him? Cahill has made noises about “addressing” the situation if he comes back from the friendlies and still doesn’t see the field.

      • Cahill is rightfully upset because he is being played out of position, in a role for which is isn’t best-suited, and far away from where his unqiue, world class invidiual skill can make a difference. Red Bulls have 3 wins, 8 losses and 7 draws in 18 games in which they have scored 1 or 0 goals. Their offense has been woefully inconsistent, and Cahill’s head remains a world class target unused as such. BWP and some bonehead defensive mistakes have masked the real reason this team has struggled all year.

      • He has no right to be upset. The teams best XI right now does not include Cahill. You’re going to sit BWP to play him? No way. And Cahill hasn’t shown that he’s any better than Alexander, Peguy, Dax, when it comes to playing in midfield. Far from it.

        The biggest weakness on this team is the defense, that’s why they don’t win low scoring games.

    • Except the guys you named are all on the top 3 MLS West squads, with two in the playoffs and one relatively safe. They all have something to prove in terms of worthiness, where Dempsey has already earned his spurs, and Bradley, while problematic, will be cut some slack until he screws up some more.

      Reply
      • True enough. I was thinking in terms of Supporters’ Shield and playoff seeding, but on reflection, I realize that Klinsmann probably wouldn’t consider such details in his decision-making.

      • I could see a coach making a distinction between putting teams in or out of the playoffs by their callups versus merely affecting seeding or who takes the shield, which is a more reasonable tradeoff. The shield is overrated except among people who want to imitate European single table competition, because it often enough does not correlate to winning MLS Cup.

      • I don’t see any prestige difference between the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup. Both are major accomplishments and I’m glad that MLS recognizes both. Because they’re both so difficult to obtain, I’m not surprised that they often have different winners.

      • You don’t see a difference between winning the title and attaining first seed in the playoffs? Just because they (plus USOC) are co-equal for CCL doesn’t mean teams seriously value a SS as much as winning the whole thing. It’s like EPL title or FA Cup versus their Mickey Mouse second cup or one of the opening shield games. The silverware is nice but no one seriously treats them as equivalent.

      • IV: I don’t think you’re trying to understand what I’m saying, but that’s uncharacteristic of you so I’m probably just being unclear.

        “You don’t see a difference between winning the title and attaining first seed in the playoffs?”

        1) Supporters Shield is the title. And so is MLS Cup. Both are titles.

        2) Supporters Shield is not just “attaining first seed.” It is the season trophy and very hard to win.

        3) I don’t care what Euros do or don’t do. I’m glad that MLS honors both achievements.

        4) FA Cup is more the equivalent of our Open Cup, no?

        P.S. The MLS Cup is overrated except among people who want to imitate NFL style competition, because it often enough does not correlate to winning Supporters Shield. (See what I did there?) 😉

      • The FA and EPL usually have different winners as well. It has only happened about 10 times in over 130 yrs of English Top Flight

  13. All the more reason that this whole LD based friendly should not occur. He is basically playing with a bunch of guys he doesn’t know. This a young team for the future then him.

    If you are going to do it, it should be an off-schedule testimonial with the players that he knows and played with. Do it in Fed/March with guys who might have retired or are no longer going to get called in that he played with. Call it a USSF LD Testimonial. This just feels weird….

    Reply
    • Makes too much sense, but I’d imagine that JK had to be dragged kicking and screaming into this and just wanted to get it out of the way ASAP.

      Reply
    • So your argument is that we shoudn’t waste one position for one game but if we do so we might as well burn a whole roster? I think this is actually the wise compromise……we don’t burn a whole game worth of nostalgia callups on a testimonial, but he still gets one by himself. Business as usual with an isolated exception for someone who earned it.

      Reply
      • Imperative Voice:

        The problem is: a lot of guys “earned it.” There was no sendoff for Cherundolo, Boca, Keller…well, really has there ever been a USMNT sendoff before? I don’t think so.

        Look, I agree that spending this one spot on Donovan in a relatively meaningless friendly is “no big deal,” but shouldn’t that raise the question of why we’re “honoring” a guy with a meaningless role in a meaningless game?

        Alternative: hold a true testimonial match in the off-season and include all the recent retirees who earned it.

        I’m a Donovan fan, but I’m not watching the match so that I can watch Donovan.

      • I’ve said Boca should get the same treatment. Dolo is a medical retirement who was left off the team for that reason and probably should not be playing.

        Keller is a historic question, and he had 3 World Cups before quietly sliding aside for Howard. FWIW a few like him just quietly stepped aside and weren’t all publicly vocal about their exit like Landon.

        I’m OK with quiet fade outs because this is a fairly professional setup where public bellyaching about the end has been limited. Or maybe give a serious last game callup for players Landon’s level. But I don’t think we mess up by simply moving on. Callups have always been an honorific and the notion they should be handed out for nostalgia purposes would make it more like an All-star team.

      • I dont think there is a serious argument that there are any US players on Landon’s level. Certainly not Boca, Cherundolo or Keller. Keller couldnt even win the spot cleanly over Friedel. Donovan put the US on the map in the 2002 WC by playing in a way unseen for prior US players (and it could be argued since).

      • I don’t think your argument is serious. Donovan “put the US on the map”? That’s a joke and disservice to all the other players—or do you think the US played a 0-0-1 formation in ’02?

        Boca, Dolo, and Keller certainly did as much for the USMNT* as Donovan—fun fact: it really helps attackers if they have someone staying behind so they can push forward and who can provide service. Other USMNT greats—who did not, to my knowledge, get a send-off match—include Agoos, McBride, Jones, Friedel, Reyna, Pope, et al. It’s a list that includes more than just one man.

        _________
        * I think that you, like others, confound Donovan’s contributions to MLS with his contributions to the USMNT.

      • Not to mention the absurdity of the statement. It’s like sniveling over, “K2 couldn’t even win the title cleanly over Everest.” Well, yeah, K2 is really pathetic then.

      • Then it seems contrived and weird. If it were me and my testimonial, I would want my friends and make it a proper send off. Some of which are still playing, some are recently retired. Most don’t have futures on the national team going forward. Have it be an event, and raise money for charity in February/March.

    • An off schedule testimonial would also mean that all of his old teammates who aren’t retired wouldn’t get released to play if it was mid season (Feb/March)

      Reply
      • Most of his friends who are still playing are in the MLS. February/March is preseason to them. They can be there. Sean357, I see your point, but who does he know on the team? It’s like you went to play with you college or high school after everyone you know graduated. It just feels weird. I know I have stated repeatedly that I am not a huge fan of this but do it right, if you are going to do it.

      • thats what i would have done if I was in charge of USSF.

        first January camp game – LD’s send off vs Canada or something.. call in Bocanegra, Beasley, Gooch, invite Bob Bradley, etc.. Jurgen – attendance optional.

        then lead into slightly more meaningful January camp games.

  14. No Fabian Johnson? I guess he is still coming back from injury. I keep thinking that one of these days Shawn Parker is going to show up on one of these rosters.

    Reply
    • played and had an assist for BMG, so he must be fine.

      JK just wants to play Yedlin at RB to get him caps and Chandler at LB to get him comfortable with the position.. rest the vet F. Johnson. — my guess.

      Reply
    • correct. ‘Gladbach actually tweeted today that he pulled out of the call up because of his injury. probably to let it have more time to heal up.

      Reply
  15. John Brooks did not dress in Hertha Berlin’s 3-2 win vs. VfB Stuttgart on Friday.

    Julian Green did not dress in Hamburg SV’s 1-0 win vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

    I guess being German is enough to get on the US team.

    Reply
      • The only thing more tiresome than this Germerican phase is the fanboys who think a USMNT with 6 Germans in it is the greatest thing ever. Luckily, once Klinsmann leaves in 2018, this will end.

      • The only reason this “Germerican phase”, as you like to call it, will end is because the best players eligible for the US are no longer duel German/AMERICAN citizens. You really think Klinsmann’s successor isn’t going to call in Fabian Johnson? Your act is so tiresome…

      • No, guys already in the pool will continue to be called in by the next coach but future Germericans will be less likely to commit without JK there and a full-court recruiting effort by him and his staff.

      • you’re exactly right. had pele been our coach somehow im sure he’d find brazilians that could logistically play for us. his status would attract the player, the pitch would win him over and the lack of top talent would allow him a solid chance at playing time. pretty simple why there were “germericans” playing. lol

      • Except that we didn’t have thousands of servicemen stationed in Brazil for decades so there aren’t large numbers of Brazilians with U.S. ties eligible to play for us.

      • I also should note that, if there were lots of Brazilians eligible to play for us then, yes, having Pele as our coach would make a big difference, don’t you think? Just like having a German world cup winner like JK in charge of the USMNT affected the decisions of some Germericans.

      • Maybe…but if it does, it will be at least as much because the major US military presence in Europe started to roll back in the late 1990’s, as any coaching change. We will start the see the Germerican pipe line dry up not because Kilinsi is no longer managing, but because there are just plain fewer dual-eligible players to grab. Any good coach will continue to look at those who are dual eligible.

      • Don’t be mad at JK for picking the best players. Be mad at MLS clubs for not developing better players here.

    • “David M says:
      October 4, 2014 at 10:06 AM
      Jozy on the bench again. Naturally. After all, Sunderland scored the whopping 1 goal in the last 3 matches, and that goal was scored by Altidore, so why have him on the field?”

      Is Altidore German, too?

      Reply
    • They only both scored in Brazil, but I assume you have some point.

      The fair analysis is they are “tweeners” who have graduated from their II teams to the first team roster (kinda) but not broken into the XI. Is B.1 roster filler better than a MLS starter? Hmmmm.

      I think it’s ideal for people to be playing on their respective teams, but when Green came in this spring he wasn’t playing much for Munich after tearing it up for Munich II. And yet he was the one who scored a solid goal on Belgium while the rest of the offense stuttered.

      Reply
      • The better player is better.

        Sometimes that will be the euro roster filler (brooks vs parkhurst). Sometimes it’s the mls starter (beckerman vs dwilliams).

      • I would make distinctions among Europeans, Green is a talented player on a B.1 first team who may have a future in that league as he ages, and will likely be a success someplace. Brooks has played unevenly and it’s going to be a question if he levels out better or worse. But Parkhurst and some others are really MLS+ types who were over their heads abroad.

        It also may matter if a player is at a position making high fitness demands. Jozy spot playing for Sunderland then trying to be a starter for us, keeps breaking down. He was trending up playing for AZ but is now sliding back down sitting for Sunderland. Sometimes it matters.

      • The whole “distinctions” approach is exactly my point. No sweeping generalizations can or should be made.

        As for jozy’s “trends” with the usmnt I think people see patterns that aren’t there. Jozy had plenty of usmnt success when he couldn’t get a game at villarreal. He also had long dry spells in the national shirt even when he was scoring in bunches for AZ.

      • He bounces around, his performance is uneven (including 2010), he finds a home at AZ, he goes on a tear for country and starts to finally earn universal respect, tries to cash in at Sunderland, ends up sitting and not scoring much, pulls a hammy at Brazil and doesn’t do much before it.

        I thought he was well suited to Holland, it was benefitting us, and it was a mistake to ever leave.

      • How was it a mistake for Jozy to challenge himself at a higher level? Also, it’s easy for you to say he should stay because it benefits the USMNT but playing soccer is his job and careers aren’t long so you can hardly blame players for “cashing in.” Let me guess? You wouldn’t do the same thing?

      • slowthefarm:
        Probably not. I stayed with the same club team for years even when our rival recruited me. I might be able to earn more at another job but like my home life balance. Sometimes there are other factors than the $ on the paycheck or ambitiously chasing the top rung.

      • Imperative Voice,

        So Jozy should run his career and life the way you would have if it were your life?

        Why would he want to do that?

      • Nothing unsubstantiated about this one, if you can’t see the big picture then that’s on you pal. I’m sure Ibarra is a great talent, but no way he gets called in if MLS takes the international break. Common sense > Conspiracy Theories

      • Two-way street:

        1. We know that NASL has solid pros in their league capable of making it into MLS. This guy is one of them.

        2. Klinsi is showing all the talent in America that he’s looking for them. He’s showing the MLS higher ups that if they’re being difficult, he’s fine dipping into a lower league to spotlight someone who’s able to make the jump.

      • He’s good and should definitely be in MLS. I’ve seen him several times. That said, I also think this is a mind game, but not just to the MLS, to all the players out there as well. He’s not going to outshine these players, but I think he can hang with them. Frankly, I think it’s cool as hell. Go Loons!

      • I expect him to get a few minutes in one of the two games, cap-tied and rewarded for his efforts, but not much more. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a combination of sincere interest in a player he knows from California, as well as a shot across the bow to MLS and its players that he will look at other options if they make callups difficult.

        I’d be more interested in the long term Ibarra arc, if this gets him a MLS job or equivalent, which then maybe develops into longer term potential relevance. But I take this to be, I’m rewarding your play and giving you a leg up, and if MLS is going to mess me around in October every year this may not be the last time I show them up.

      • They cap-tie a player but then that player can apply for an exception, which is not guaranteed. That’s not the same as not being tied at all.

      • If a player is eligible to play for two countries before his first appearance in a friendly he can file a one time switch, no waiver needed. If he becomes eligible after his first friendly, a waiver is needed.

      • Then that’s not really a cap-tie. A friendly appearance doesn’t even require a one-time switch to play with another NT in a friendly or competition. Only a competitive cap in a youth competition requires a one-time switch.

        Players can (but don’t) bounce back and forth between NTs playing friendlies.

      • Jermaine was the first player to file for a one-time switch under the new rules when they were put into place. He did play for the German U21s, but I’m not sure if he ever played a competitive match. It’s quite possible that this was a period of everyone understanding the new rules.

        As a counter, I give you AJ DeLaGarza. He has played friendlies for the US, but did not file a one-time switch to play for Guam. Diego Costa switched to Spain without a one-time switch (though Spain did confirm with FIFA that it was allowable).

      • I don’t believe you, but I’m definitely rooting for him to do well. I think it’s great JK even pays attention to NASL.

      • I haven’t seen Ibarra play, and he might deserve the call up. But, rating him above Donovan is absurd, and takes all credibility out of your statement.

      • Love the enthusiasm fantz but most of us won’t be persuaded until ibarra dazzles in a usmnt shirt.

        Anybody can look good in a highlight reel since there’s no context for the quality of opponent. And “only 24” could just as easily be “already 24.”

        Still, love that he’s getting a shot. Amazing story for him and his supporters.

      • any knowledgable soccer fan knows the prime of a player is generally 24-28/29. so the “only 24” statement is correct.

        <19 is "young prospect with potential".

        19-24 is "player begins gaining first time minutes and continues developing strength and skill."

        24-28 is "a matured player in his stride".

        29< is "a player's decline due to age"

      • Okay. So the guy is in his prime and he’s playing for the minnesota thundering herd. That’s my point.

      • “any knowledgable soccer fan knows the prime of a player is generally 24-28/29”

        That depends. Theoretically a player’s prime is when his skills and his brains match up. For some, it never happens.

        And of course it all depends on whether the player can find himself a good team situation in which to express himself fully..
        Again, for many that never happens either.

      • Ok I have to see what this kid Ibarra is all about, the same thing all this hype was made for Morris and I think he didn’t even played on the last friendly against Rep. Chec.. Why he was not call back for this friendly against Ecuador and Honduras? I understand that is nice to bring new blood younger players to the USNMT. I’m for one been calling to give this kids a chances but lets not get carrier away. I just hope that Ibarra is good as some people are making him to be. GO USA. Just my opinion not to get anyone bad side ok.

  16. Looking forward to seeing Gyau, Gil and Ibarra. Hopefully they all get some good minutes (as I’ve yet to see Ibarra play).

    Reply
  17. The MLS schedule really affected this roster. It’s a shame more young MLS guys couldn’t get a look. The funny thing is only the usmnt players have to respect MLS games. Other national teams call their guys in regardless of what MLS has going on.

    Reply
    • I think the NT/U23 games are getting many people a look, and I expect us to be experimental off and on through (and maybe including) Gold Cup.

      Maybe an America-based coach is more cognizant of how MLS might be affecting players than some foreign coach who might watch games on tape but doesn’t think, oh, this is the stretch run and postseason for people who have been playing for months and maybe don’t need a weekend league game followed by international duty followed by another weekend game, particularly this early in a cycle. “I already know what Cahill can do”?

      Reply
      • I was saying JK as a domestically based coach might have more of a sense of his player’s form, fitness, and health than some foreign coach watching tape. He can watch games in person, keep up with happenings in real time, scout them cheaply.

        Some Australian coach just wants to call up Cahill, maybe watched some tape games. He doesn’t have some scout saying he looked tired or struggling, or JK personally watching the game and making an assessment.

      • If I’m the manager of Australia, I’m calling in Cahill every chance I get since they are in transition and Cahill is just the kind of guy you want the new guys to play and train with.

        Same with Keane and the manager of Ireland.

      • He just meant that the national manager was in the same country as the player when he said “domestically based.”

  18. Hope to see Morales get a start. The few times I’ve seen him play more than 10 minutes, he’s been dominant in defensive midfield. Could be an heir apparent to Jones (despite our overabundance of DMs). With the MLS guys left out and a couple other players injured, now could be a good time to make a statement.

    Reply
  19. Disappointed in all the Euro’s or Euro playing people but understand with the MLS playoffs. Cant claim a Lee snub when none of the names got called in either.

    I still thing Green is totally overrated and Corona… forget about it

    Reply
  20. Pace, Pace and more Pace.
    Glad to see Joe Gyau get another call. Understand why not too many MLS guys were called. Would have liked to have seen Zyardes & Nguyen.

    Reply
      • idk man. JK, when he mentioned how some players will leave/come in for the Honduras game, specifically said Beckerman, Beasley, Davis, and Wondo as guys who are still a part of the picture. wouldn’t shock me to see some of them.

    • I understand that calling in Trapp, Bradley or Edu would impact the PHI-CLB or NY-TFC games and allowing Zardes, but not Gonzalez? to say and face Dallas on Sunday but are Jones or Nguyen really that important to the NE-MTL game? would like to Nguyen get a shot at the national team again – i guess JK is going to wait until January to bring any new MLS players in.

      also, Houston & Chicago are done. I would have liked to see Beasley & Shipp called in. I’m sure Donovan would have liked to share the moment with Beas and I would like to see Shipp, similar mold to LD, in camp.

      Reply
      • Houston’s not mathimatically “done,” but they might as well be since they are facing 4 must win matches and will be missing Boniek and Garrido for at least 2 of them.

    • Just too bad Nguyen couldn’t have played in Connecticut in front of Revs fans. It would be cool to see him and Jones called in.

      Reply
  21. Looks like we could see another 4-3-3.

    Guzan
    Yedlin, Brooks, Gonzalez, Chandler
    Bedoya, Mix, Corona
    Gyau, Altidore, Green

    I’d also like to see how Gil looks in this lineup.

    Reply
    • Gyau is not starting over Donovan, he’ll be in that lineup, no way Gulati schedules this game for Landon and then allows him to sit on the bench.

      Reply
      • Ok, so you start Donovan, but how long do you play him? I know US Soccer wants to give him a proper send-off, but this conflicts with the coach’s job. Does Donovan get 30 minutes? 45? Certainly no more than that.

      • Donovan gets 60 minutes and then Landy and Klinsy do the fake handshake as he walks off.

        Gulati will then run out onto the field and stop play to present him with some sort of weird plaque.

        Just my guess…

      • I expect him to play in/into the second half to provide a fitting send off and punctuation mark for the match. He will be subbed out in the run of play to get him an ovation. If you quietly yanked him at the interval or just let the match expire, without a chance for the fans to say goodbye, you’d be replicating the ending you’re trying to remedy.

        It’s one spot on the field, and you can use the rest of Ecuador plus Honduras evaluating.

      • Are you kidding me? This is a sendoff game for the greatest player in US history. “Conflicts with the coach’s job?” Too bad, he’ll have to figure things out somehow in the next 70 games between now and Russia. And here’s a hint for him: next time pick the best players, even if you don’t like them personally. Thanks!

      • Hopefully none of our best players will have a mental breakdown during qualifications this cycle like some did in the last one.

      • Agreed. I hope one of our best players doesn’t go on a hiatus after we drop points in our first WCQ and have to go to play Costa Rica at home and Mexico at the Azteca. :/ That said, Donovan before the hiatus was a great servant to the nats.

      • LD quit ALL football w/o really discussing it with JK when the team was in need. TH discussed it with JK and agreed to take time off from the USMNT only during a slow time. LD was mentally fatigued and his heart was not in it. I get it, but that does change the result. It’s different.

        At the end of the day what and I think doesn’t matter to JK because, like a lot of accomplished pros, he is very confident in his decisions and ability.

      • Dude he did it in THE MIDDLE OF WC QUALIFYING. Timmeh waited until AFTER the WC to take a break — just from the MNT and not a sabbatical. #Failed analogy.

      • But if any of them are mentally exhausted I hope they make the decision to do what’s best for them.

        And if that means taking a break then if they’re able to come back afterward and play at a high level all the better.

      • Ok, except why did JK pick LD after he returned from his break? Why did he pick him in the 30 man preliminary roster? You Landon haters can’t rely on that as the basis for his world cup exclusion.

      • “”Ok, except why did JK pick LD after he returned from his break? ”
        To see how he looked with the team

        “Why did he pick him in the 30 man preliminary roster?”

        Because LD was one of the 30 players in contention for a spot on the roster.

      • This “discussion” is evolving every day. But may I suggest we save time and resources by asking users to limit comments to a simple “Marco!” or “Polo!”?

      • Whatever one thinks of Donovan’s sabbatical, it should be obvious that Klinsmann’s omission of Donovan from the team that went to Brazil was far more detrimental to the men’s national team than anything Donovan did or failed to do. Yes, Donovan took time off at a supposedly critical time, missing several world cup qualifiers. As it turns out, he wasn’t really needed. But even if that were not so, how the damage done to the team by Donovan’s actions possibly compare to Klinsmann’s absurd exclusion of Donovan from the team when it confronted the most critical test of all — the actual world cup tournament? The harm done by Klinsmann’s decision became glaringly obvious when Altidore went down and, other than Dempsey, we had no attack to speak of. Yes, we can all take satisfaction from the fact that the team got out of the group. But I can’t help but wonder how much easier that might have been and what might have happened against Belgium if the guy capable of creating more goal-scoring opportunities than any two other USMNT players had been playing behind Dempsey instead of sitting at home in Los Angeles. Indeed, we can at least get a glimpse of what was lost in Brazil when we look at Donovan’s recent play for the Galaxy. Even without the speed he once had, he is at the top of his game, providing the kind of support for Robbie Keane that, in Brazil, he might have provided for Dempsey.

      • agreed. one thing missing from this lineup.

        not worrying about it, as we have plenty in the pool and friendlies vs Ecuador & Honduras are not that big of a deal.

        eventually i see our team lining up in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 with a solid #6, single striker and four attackers between them.

      • i wouldn’t mind putting Morales in there with Bedoya and Mix playing in front of him. i really like Corona too, so i’d want to see him in the 2nd half. this is assuming he does a 4-3-3.

    • I love the Idea of the 4-3-3 being our formation moving forward

      but would like to see it played as follows.

      Overlapping RB – Tall CB- Technical CB – Overlapping LB

      RightWide Holding Mid – Holding Mid – Left Wide Holding Mid

      Right Wing Forward – Holding Forward – Left Wing Forward

      for the next world cup this could work as follows

      Yedlin – Omar/Cam – Besler – Robbie Rogers????

      Chandler/Williams – MB90 – Fab Johnson

      Gyau/Zelalem – Jozy – Green/Aron

      the RWHM and LWHM can stay back and defend when the OLRB and OLLB get forward

      When RWHM and LWHM get forward their corresponding WF can pinch in to play second striker in the box.

      If both WHM stay back and one OLBack pushes forward HM can make the late darting run for a cross.

      Reply
      • Maybe he has a dual strategy — USNT and EU — but I understood he was trying to get Latvian citizenship in which case a permit is unnecessary. But maybe you’re right and he’s trying to accumulate caps as a backup plan while he waits on Latvia.

      • If Klinsman cared about MLS playoffs, he wouldn’t have called in Omar or Landon either. Galaxy and Seattle are tied on points at the top of the table right now. Seattle will have both their best goal scorers this weekend, Dempsey and Martins. Galaxy will have all three of their DP’s gone to international duty (Keane is gone to Ireland).

      • i think the better statement is:

        “If MLS cared about the MLS playoffs, they wouldn’t have scheduled games on FIFA dates.”

        and have you already forgot it was Sunil and USSF that decided on the LD thing, specifically choosing this game? further, LD has already said he will be back and will play against Dallas.

      • and Seattle and LA don’t play until the 19th. and everyone will be back for that game (Honduras is the 14th). so you’re complaining about nothing.

      • bryan, there’s no way that Donovan and Gonzales are 100% for their match against Dallas (in TX) on Sunday after playing against Ecuador (in CT) on Friday. I think that’s the concern Soccerhorn has for LA. Yeah, LD will play, but he’ll be somewhat tired—if not from playing, then from the travel. It’s not catastrophic like flying in from Vietnam the night before, but it will affect his game and Dallas will already be tough at home.

        Yeah, this friendly hurts Yedlin against Vancouver more (because he will miss the match entirely). So the question is: Does losing Yedlin for a home match against Vancouver hurt Seattle more than having a slightly tired Donovan and Gonzales hurts LA in an away match against Dallas.

        0.3V/(1.8S-Y) – 1.8D/(0.5A-0.85(L+G)) = ?

    • TFC is in dire straits right now…they can’t spare him. Despite Klinsi’s bluster, it looks like he’s decided not to ruffle feathers.

      Reply
      • Klinsi said after the World Cup that he would use these friendlies to find out about new guys and that he would not cap the old guys for a while.

        Hence no Bradley, Dempsey, Jones, DMB, Fabian or Beckerman.

        He then said he would put together the strongest squad possible.the key word being “possible”.

    • Toronto play Wednesday and Saturday, and are 3 points out of a playoff spot. Klinsmann can leave Bradley there, and still add him to the roster for the Honduras match next Tuesday.

      Reply
      • I could see him being left out (a) because of TFC’s situation but also (b) because he’s being playing pro since he was a teen, will be 31 for the next tournament (almost Landon’s age), and underperformed in Brazil. The former is not only a reason in and of itself, but also an excuse to explore alternatives in light of the age issue, without having to admit as much……kind of like a well-timed Howard hiatus lets us play around with keeping options.

      • There were some players that age who made it, some that didn’t, but Bradley has been a pro a long time and did not look good this summer. In theory he could overcome it, or maybe he’s already going downhill.

        Suffice to say the smart play would be lining up alternatives, something which Landon’s hiatus allowed to happen.

      • Don’t see it. Saw a guy who we wanted to be a #10, who we tried to make a #10, but who ultimately wasn’t a #10. I think Bradley’s a holding mid, a guy who can cover an immense amount of ground and make some really nice long-distance passes and intelligent chips over the top…but I think he needs a Lee Nguyen or somebody similar ahead of him to really be at his best. Problem was, we had Beckerman and especially Jermaine Jones, who are similar players as well.

        I think Beckerman/Jones will age out, though…and Bradley’s pretty much the deeper mid for the next cycle.

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