2009 Dynamo & USMNT Soccer Thread

[Keith]

Okay, Donovan out left is good so long as he stays aggressive and stays wide. And I was ready to pile on Dempsey again until his goal. Actually, f- it, I'll do it anyway. If Dempsey isn't good enough to play forward, then he should sit on the bench. He is just not going to play defense. That limitation can be covered if he plays forward, but not at right mid.

btw, anyone really miss Bocanegra? Can't say as though I am. I guess he's still the worthy starter when healthy (plus he seems to have a knack on corners), but he's still overrated in my book. Onyewu is playing better though. Or maybe he isn't having to cover up for his teammates as much.

lil' Bradley has his good and bad moments, but I can't help but imagine what Adu would look like in his spot. Yes, Freddy needs to develop (and I wish he would play on a club that started him), but if he can't get the minutes in WCQ's and Cups like these, then when? Hopefully in the Gold Cup, but I'm not sure if they've officially announced the rosters yet. Hopefully Adu will get his chance then, but with Holden on the roster, I'm guessing it will have to be at forward. Hopefully Adu can show some improvement defensively from there. Just seeing Adu on the bench when Davies, Casey, etc. get their names called is a little frustrating. Altidore is there to win balls in the air (and Dempsey if Big Bradley keeps putting him at RM), so let little Freddy squeeze on in there.

And Rico ought to be a lock from now on. This squad is a different monster when Rico is in the middle. I'll be curious to see how he pairs with Stuart Holden in the Gold Cup.

Speaking of, Dynamo will be losing Andrew Hainault to the Canadian team. I guess I shouldn't complain too much given half of the Dynamo squad should be considered for call-ups, but Hainault is becoming a very effective player for the Dynamo. I think it's taken him a bit to get comfortable out wide and moving forward, but he's definitely upgraded the backline. It seems like Wade Barrett is a good guy and a great team leader and all, but it was rough watching him try to play against RSL on Saturday.

[Joel]

i like bradley. the player, i mean. i had high hopes for his dad, but he does seem to be getting into ruts with his plater selection.

altidore may have a bright future, but i think he pays immature, and slacks a lot. i agree that dempsey is a liability at any position that has defensive obligations. are we missing some mls strikers because of availability? twellman (& ching), for instance. whatever happened to eddie johnson?

beasley needs to be put down. that guy was always about potential, and now he's too old for that.

[papabear]

-I was literally opening the laptop to bitch to anyone who would listen about Dempsey. I couldn't believe they pulled Altidore and left Dempsey on the field....I can handle having poor games, but I can't handle someone being that lazy defensively. I don't know if he's worn out from his season in England, but it looks like he's just being lazy. After one of his ten+ completely pointless turnovers Egypt went racing down the field. He just walked/slow jogged back while his teamates had to cover for him. It didn't even look like he was paying attention to the game anymore.

-I'm not a Donovan fan, but there's no reason for him to not be out wide after the Egypt game.

-Rico is a beast. I don't think he has, but he should have the defensive mid-fielder role locked up.

-I think Altidore is coming along nicely. He still has his mistakes, and he can linger on them a little too long sometimes, but for the most part he works hard and does what the team ask of him. Hopefully he has been picking Chings brain when he has the chance because they seem to want to use him in a similar role. Praying he gets more minutes with his Club though.


-I was astonished that the cards fell right yesterday. Now we get the privilege of likely being embarassed by Spain. The crazy part is even though we won by three yesterday, we were still too sloppy with the ball (mostly Dempsey) for my taste. There have been times in the past where I thought the US national team was really ready to compete with the big dogs...and then I watch them get embarassed and remind me of how far away they are. I don't think we have a chance against Spain, but maybe I'm wrong again. I'm hoping they at least put up a solid game against them

I'm just not happy with where this team is. I was proud of the fact they came out and fought hard yesterday, which is more than you can say about some of their recent matches.

[Joel]

oh, and i'm really bummed i'll be out of town for the upcoming aztex/dynamo open cup match up.

why do they send the dynamo on the road for this? anyone? i notice that the winner of this game will go on the road again in the next round, no matter what - even if it's dynamo against another usl team (could happen). what up with that?

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Joel

altidore may have a bright future, but i think he pays immature, and slacks a lot.

Originally Posted by papabear

-I think Altidore is coming along nicely. He still has his mistakes, and he can linger on them a little too long sometimes, but for the most part he works hard and does what the team ask of him. Hopefully he has been picking Chings brain when he has the chance because they seem to want to use him in a similar role. Praying he gets more minutes with his Club though.

Yeah, I think this about sums it up. Ching would be playing in this tournament and starting if he hadn't of injured his hammy. Jozy will overtake Ching someday, maybe even next year, but not yet. Almost there. More club minutes would be really nice for Jozy.

Originally Posted by papabear

Now we get the privilege of likely being embarassed by Spain. The crazy part is even though we won by three yesterday, we were still too sloppy with the ball (mostly Dempsey) for my taste. There have been times in the past where I thought the US national team was really ready to compete with the big dogs...and then I watch them get embarassed and remind me of how far away they are. I don't think we have a chance against Spain, but maybe I'm wrong again. I'm hoping they at least put up a solid game against them

Spain will totally boss possession, so either the U.S. needs to bench guys who can't keep possession (Dempsey), or they need to just play for the counters.

btw, the U.S. played decent in Spain in a pre-Euro friendly last year, and guess who stood out when given a half to play in that match... yep, Freddy Adu. Some YouTubes of the match starring Adu.

I really looking forward to watching it... as a Liverpool fan, it's almost like watching the Reds play the USMNT since Spain has quite a few on their roster. And until last year's Euro, Spain had something of a reputation of choking in quarter/semifinal matches like this one in spite of sometimes being the favored team.

Originally Posted by Joel

oh, and i'm really bummed i'll be out of town for the upcoming aztex/dynamo open cup match up.

why do they send the dynamo on the road for this? anyone? i notice that the winner of this game will go on the road again in the next round, no matter what - even if it's dynamo against another usl team (could happen). what up with that?

Beats me. I only like watching these games to see some Dynamo reserves get a run anyway.

btw... Dom is going to coach the MLS All-Stars given the Dynamo have the best point/gm average in the league right now. I'll be interested to see how many orange (and former Dynamo like De Rosario) he picks for the roster. Another match I'll enjoy watching.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Keith

Spain will totally boss possession, so either the U.S. needs to bench guys who can't keep possession (Dempsey), or they need to just play for the counters.

btw, the U.S. played decent in Spain in a pre-Euro friendly last year, and guess who stood out when given a half to play in that match... yep, Freddy Adu. Some YouTubes of the match starring Adu.

Yes, but if I remember correctly the US was coming off a couple of bad losses in their previous friendlies before redeeming themselves against Spain. We could be listening to minutes of "ole's" from the Spanish fans in this game. I would love for them to do well, but I am mentally prepared to get embarrassed. IF they can get on the board early and NOT make sloppy mistakes with possession (Dempsey) they could hold on as long as we don't just lay back and let Spain pick us apart...because eventually they will. I think we've been playing pretty good defense. The goals we give up or mostly from a sloppy clearance or a quick strike after a dumb turnover.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by papabear

The goals we give up or mostly from a sloppy clearance or a quick strike after a dumb turnover.

(dempsey)

the guy is a liability when (a) he has the ball or (b) the other team has the ball. he is only good when he gets a ball that he can put directly on net.

makes me miss clint mathis & josh wolff.