Thread: 2011-2012 Soccer Thread

Originally Posted by ASUcruz

It will be fun to see Crouch play for Stoke if there was a player tailor made for what they try and do it is Crouch. He was probably worth the money just to get him on the end of Delap's throws!

QPR had nowhere to go but up, nice to see some investment in their team and now they at least have a fighting chance to stay up. I am interested to see if Shaun Wright-Phillips can regain some form if he gets a consistent run of games. If not we might see him in the MLS soon.

Seriously, Crouch is gunna fit like a tailor made glove in Stoke. They aren't a run and gun style and a lot of times I felt teams were trying to either A) make Crouch play that way or B) using him situationally. I just think of how it went with Liverpool....I mean they paired the poor bastard up front with Fernando Torres and expected him to keep pace?

He and Kenwyne Jones are going to work much better.





PS: the real reason I came here to post, what did you guys think of the Costa Rica game? Even though we didn't get the result....much more impressed with the possession style we are trying to play instead of the garbage AYSO kick and chase crap we have been watching for the last 10 years and helped promote players like Demarcus Beasley....

Originally Posted by Jaygokings!

PS: the real reason I came here to post, what did you guys think of the Costa Rica game? Even though we didn't get the result....much more impressed with the possession style we are trying to play instead of the garbage AYSO kick and chase crap we have been watching for the last 10 years and helped promote players like Demarcus Beasley....

I'm with you, the first 30 minutes was some of the best soccer I've seen the USMNT play in many years....this despite the fact that Landon Donovan had a terrible game. The problem is that after that, they played flat and uninspired.

A few thoughts on some of the players...

Timmy Chandler looks like the real deal Right Back. We need to lock this kid up as a USA player the first chance we get.

Edgar Castillo is not ready for prime time at left back. Too many turnovers, too small, gets muscled off the ball way too easily.

Michael Orozco Fiscal is a waste at Center Back. Omar Gonzalez would have been a far better choice in that slot.

Robbie Rogers was a disaster on the right wing. Horrible first touch cost him again and again. Good news is that when the full side is together, no way he sees the pitch.

I am intregued by Brek Shea. He offers a tough match-up because of his size, but he needs to play better positionally and to make better decisions

Originally Posted by KHenry14

I'm with you, the first 30 minutes was some of the best soccer I've seen the USMNT play in many years....this despite the fact that Landon Donovan had a terrible game. The problem is that after that, they played flat and uninspired.

A few thoughts on some of the players...

Timmy Chandler looks like the real deal Right Back. We need to lock this kid up as a USA player the first chance we get.

Edgar Castillo is not ready for prime time at left back. Too many turnovers, too small, gets muscled off the ball way too easily.

Michael Orozco Fiscal is a waste at Center Back. Omar Gonzalez would have been a far better choice in that slot.

Robbie Rogers was a disaster on the right wing. Horrible first touch cost him again and again. Good news is that when the full side is together, no way he sees the pitch.

I am intregued by Brek Shea. He offers a tough match-up because of his size, but he needs to play better positionally and to make better decisions

I agree with everything you said here. Brek Shea also has a real nice touch to him. He needs to get used to the pressure of the international level....as usual it would do this kid wonders to go play in Europe. Good size, good first touch...his decision making would be heightened so much if he went to EPL or La Liga. I know this sounds kind of forward but Shea reminds me a lot of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Big guy, strong on the ball, and if you remember right back when Bastian (well i remember following him when he started with Bayern) he had awful decision making and tried to force the play far too often.

Edit: Didn't know this but Shea trained with Bolton back in 07. Go back young man! Go back! MLS is a black hole!

AND from an interview he did here http://theshinguardian.com/2011/03/2...ith-brek-shea/

TSG: What are your long-term plans? Do you have plans to try and make it in Europe? What’s a good destination league or team for you?
Brek Shea: Well as a soccer player my goals are to play in Europe, but as of right now I’m focused on this season. Hopefully in the future when the time is right, I will play in Europe, but who knows when that will be. I would like to play in one of the big leagues and hopefully I can focus on doing and improving on what I do every day so that I can get there eventually.

GOOD.

Originally Posted by hyearch22

i think chelsea did a good job filling up the position they are weakest, which is midfield. There was absolutely no creativity/stability/consistency whatsoever in that position. but now you add Mata and Meireles they can finally bring the ball up to the attack. i hope they take away all of malouda's and kalou's playing time (most overated players imo). cant stand those guys.

Mata brings a much needed injection of creativity to the Chelsea attack. If they are intent on playing a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 to accomodate Torres, Mata is essential. I would give him a free role similar to what City do with Silva where he starts the game at LW but has liscense to roam the field and create. As I have reiniterated before, Torres was/is at his best with a creative force behind him in the hole. For Liverpool that was Gerrard and Mata should be able to play that role for Chelsea.

As fa as Malouda and Kalou, I have never been impressed by Kalou he is too much of a tweener for me. Never know whether he is trying to be a striker or winger and he ends up being mediocre at both. Malouda though, after a slow start I think he's been a really solid player for Chelsea. In 2009-10 I thought he was one of Chelsea's top players and he played well in a lot of big games.

Originally Posted by ASUcruz

It will be fun to see Crouch play for Stoke if there was a player tailor made for what they try and do it is Crouch. He was probably worth the money just to get him on the end of Delap's throws!

Great news for Stoke after their FA Cup run last year, they also signed his former teammates Palacios and Woodgate from Spurs and Jerome from Birmingham.
I grew up watching Stoke in the first division with Stanley Matthews and later Gordon Banks.

Originally Posted by Jaygokings!

PS: the real reason I came here to post, what did you guys think of the Costa Rica game? Even though we didn't get the result....much more impressed with the possession style we are trying to play instead of the garbage AYSO kick and chase crap we have been watching for the last 10 years and helped promote players like Demarcus Beasley....

It was nice to see the United States play with fluidity and speed. The attack has looked promising in two games and should only get better when Dempsey and Holden are back in the mix. The problem right now is the defense. We had better start developing some centerbacks and soon. Bocanegra is still useful for now but come the next World Cup he will be well past his prime. Tim Ream, Omar Gonzalez, and George John need to get looks ASAP. Orozco Fiscal was pretty bad last night after an average performance against Mexico. I don't think it is his best position and his form has been average at best at CB, but it might not be a bad option to try Edu at CB again. With the depth we have at CM it might be his best chance to play for the national team.

Originally Posted by KHenry14

I'm with you, the first 30 minutes was some of the best soccer I've seen the USMNT play in many years....this despite the fact that Landon Donovan had a terrible game. The problem is that after that, they played flat and uninspired.

Agreed, some fine attacking soccer in the first half, unfortunately the finish was poor. Donovan was not very good against Costa Rica and he is miscast as a central attacking midfielder. Donovan has the tendency to drift in and out of games, something you simply cannot afford to do when you play in the middle of the park. When he doesn't recieve service he doesn't drop deep to retrieve the ball and disappears. To get the best out of him we need him playing wide right or wide left where he can use his pace to to beat defenders and where one of his strengths (quick intelligent runs off the ball) are highlighted.

The US got complacent in the second half and Shea probably our main attacking outlet ran out of gas. Rogers provided nothing on the right and Donovan disappeared. At least it was promising for awhile and like I mentioned before things will only get better when Holden and Dempsey are back in the 11.

Originally Posted by KHenry14

Timmy Chandler looks like the real deal Right Back. We need to lock this kid up as a USA player the first chance we get.

I think we'll be alright with Chandler, he's stated that his goal is to make the US Team's World Cup roster and it doens't look like Germany is pursuing him. Anyways, I don't think he is on the fringe of the Germany National Team either.

His pace and energy are exciting. One on one defending he is pretty good he is still just a bit naive positionally defensively. Something that is only fixed with experience and coaching. He should be fine going forward but in a must win game I would still expect Cherendolo to start at RB.

Originally Posted by KHenry14

Edgar Castillo is not ready for prime time at left back. Too many turnovers, too small, gets muscled off the ball way too easily.

Castillo is just flat out terrible. These last two games are enough for me to say that he isn't good enough at the international level. His crossing was piss poor and his giveaways at the back were just terrible. I don't neccesairly mind a giveaways from a defender if he is trying ambitious balls forward to spring an attack but all of Castillo's giveaways are just careless.

Originally Posted by KHenry14

Robbie Rogers was a disaster on the right wing. Horrible first touch cost him again and again. Good news is that when the full side is together, no way he sees the pitch.

Rogers is a serial underachiever for all his skills he has never put all of them together. I feel the only reason he started was because he scored against Mexico when he really didn't do much for the goal.

Originally Posted by KHenry14

I am intregued by Brek Shea. He offers a tough match-up because of his size, but he needs to play better positionally and to make better decisions

Shea has been a revelation, he is having a breakout year for FC Dallas and that form is transitioning to the National Team. It is a bit ironic that the only reason he was able to breakout as an attacking player was due to an injury to David Ferreira. He started the year playing CB!

I don't know if his size is a main attribute of his since he doesn't really play big. He is hard to knock off the ball but his pace and dribbling make him dangerous.

Originally Posted by Jaygokings!

I agree with everything you said here. Brek Shea also has a real nice touch to him. He needs to get used to the pressure of the international level....as usual it would do this kid wonders to go play in Europe. Good size, good first touch...his decision making would be heightened so much if he went to EPL or La Liga.

Going to Europe always seems like a great idea it doens't Shea or the National Team any good if he leaves and sits on a bench. You say the MLS is a blackhole, so is Europe when US players leave and languish on the bench. Adu left MLS and his career was put on hold for quite some time. MLS is getting a bad rap around this thread. Obviously it isn't a top tier league but I don't think it's that far off from the Championship or SPL and it is certainly better than these Scandinavian teams some of our players are at. The main advantage the Championship and SPL has over the MLS is the amount of games they play and occasionally the chance to play in Europe which is irrelevant this year since Rangers (Edu, Bocanegra, and Bedoya) were knocked out of Europa.

Was it really beneficial for Bedoya to play in Sweden? Probably for his bank account but not for his soccer career. You say Shea should go to England or La Liga to further his career. I agree that would be a great thing but it's obviously not that easy. First off he's basically had one good season in the MLS and is barely breaking into the national team picture now. Don't think first division teams in England and Spain will be knocking at the door to get him. Secondly he'd have to get a work permit to play in England (hard to get, must play in 75% of your national team's internationals in the past year). Shea would undoubtedly get rejected for a work permit, he could win on appeal but it would be unlikely. In La Liga teams have a limited amount of non EU slots on a matchday roster. Again is Shea worth using one of those slots for? As of now probably not. As it stands the most realistic options for Shea are the smaller teams in Europe which aren't neccesarily superior to MLS.

Originally Posted by Jaygokings

I know this sounds kind of forward but Shea reminds me a lot of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Big guy, strong on the ball, and if you remember right back when Bastian (well i remember following him when he started with Bayern) he had awful decision making and tried to force the play far too often

.

Don't really see it, first off Schweinsteiger isn't all that big. Schweinsteiger was two footed from the start, starting his career on the left wing despite being right footed while Shea almost exclusively a left sided player. Schweinsteiger has always possessed an outstanding shot while Shea scores most of his goals on the end of through balls or after runs with the ball. I really don't see the comparison although it would be nice if Shea develops into that type of player, but it seems unlikely.

The US laid a massive egg today. i was very disappointed.

It was cool to Lukaku get in the game. he looks like hes going to develop into a solid player.