So yes, it's Landon v Clint in about two hours. Press pass sets the scene, but let's not forget Tim Howard also exists. Deuce has only hit off him once and that was consolation in a losing cause.
- Greg Seltzer
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Money, it's gotta be the hair!
When it comes to Shea, here's the full Brek: Dinamo Kyiv did in fact make an offer to FC Dallas a couple of months ago. It may even have been before I found out they'd been monitoring him closely back around the time of the France friendly.
Long story short, the offer was quickly rejected (no word if they made a sour face when doing so) and Dinamo returned from whence they came. Then, today, FC Dallas answered a question over this tidbit in the literal present, saying there was no offer in for him. Well, no, not now. That's technically correct.
So basically, we had a good reporter still picking up the scent of a dead trail and a club massaging context to give an answer they prefer to the question. As such, I had no choice but to set it straight. It's not quite fair to make him look bad that way, as he surely would have "found the body" soon enough.
- Greg Seltzer
Long story short, the offer was quickly rejected (no word if they made a sour face when doing so) and Dinamo returned from whence they came. Then, today, FC Dallas answered a question over this tidbit in the literal present, saying there was no offer in for him. Well, no, not now. That's technically correct.
So basically, we had a good reporter still picking up the scent of a dead trail and a club massaging context to give an answer they prefer to the question. As such, I had no choice but to set it straight. It's not quite fair to make him look bad that way, as he surely would have "found the body" soon enough.
- Greg Seltzer
Reality checkpoint
I'm not sure where this started, but the reports that Edson Buddle is now training with Belgian side Westerlo are flat false. He's back in Germany.
And from what I've been told, he remains an option for Everton, though I am not precisely sure how much of one.
- Greg Seltzer
And from what I've been told, he remains an option for Everton, though I am not precisely sure how much of one.
- Greg Seltzer
A fitting end: Post-Panama thoughts
- Klinsmann wanted a game in Central America for the expressed purpose of exposing some of his more untested young guns to the rigors of international play in the wilderness. Mission accomplished. Klinsmann wants, more than anything else, to establish the US as an attractive draw, but even he recognizes gritting out wins on the road is preferable to a beauty show that gets you beat. Not that results matter from a practical standpoint right now, but it does give validation to his proclamation that there is a timeline and that this is what progression looks like. At least among this group, I can't see how you could make a compelling argument against that. I don't take for granted that there is a proving ground in our own backyard made of broken glass, airborne batteries and bare knuckles.
- Something I noticed about Jermaine Jones that I'd like to explain through an analogy. Roughly from the ages of 8-13, I'd spend time each summer at Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It is world renowned as a molder of some of the best tennis talent around, but for whatever reason (probably because I criminally underachieved), I was typically in lower to mid-level classes. This meant that I was typically the best player in the class, and sometimes it wasn't close. I say this not to flaunt my own talent by as part of my point. This not only wildly inflated my ego, but it caused me to attempt to alter my own game out of my own boredom and conflated sense of worth as a tennis player. Pete Sampras being my favorite athlete, I developed this bizarre chicken wing forehand that was so technically unsound that it took me years to iron it out of my game. All essentially because I was bored. I get the sense that Jones, in his own headspace, is somewhere in this neighborhood. These friendlies offer him a chance to be, most of the time, the best player on the field. So he needlessly complicates his game by booming cross-field switches that don't work, attempting to shoehorn elegant passes into pinholes when a simple touch would do, and posing silly challenges that inevitably draw cards. We've seen this elsewhere in more exaggerated forms. As I touched on against Venezuela, his motor is an endearing quality about him. But he's fully aware when he's the best player on the field. And that's not always a positive. Even still, I thought he had more positive passages Wednesday than negative ones.
- Zach Loyd, A.J. DeLaGarza and Graham Zusi were all out of position. Loyd is a right back, DeLaGarza is a center back, and Zusi is a central midfielder. On Wednesday, Loyd started on the left, DeLaGarza slotted in on the right side again and Zusi sat in front of DeLaGarza. That was the idea, anyway. Much like against Venezuela, Zusi naturally drifted inside to leave DeLaGarza unprotected with unfortunate consequences. Some disagreed, but I thought DeLaGarza had a mostly productive outing against Venezuela, but he was rarely challenged. That changed against Panama. He's not a natural fullback and when you run at him he has a tendency to overcalulate and either freeze or do something silly. His positioning was pretty bland and as a result, Panama more or less lived in the open pocket behind him. As for Loyd, sometimes I get the sense that he'd rather be a midfielder. I've seen him play with FCD plenty, and he's always appeared more confident once he strides beyond the midfield stripe. Not that he's a terrible defender, but it seems that, as with his feed on Zusi's goal, he'd prefer be running at someone rather than it be the other way around. Whatever his preferences, he shouldn't be at left back again, and I suspect the only reason he was there at all was as a counterpoint to Heath Pearce at a position that hasn't enjoyed stability since the Roosevelt administration. Zusi had an okay game and was a mild improvement over Saturday, but for the love-a pete, Jurgi, get him off the wing. He's so terribly uncomfortable out there. He could have very easily started in place of Rico in the middle.
- Brek Shea needs a goal soon if for no other reason than for his own confidence. He's so technically gifted but he can lose himself in the flow of the game sometimes. It's been a while since he bagged one on the national level, and while that isn't necessarily a terrible thing, he's come close a few times this week and came up short. And everybody gets down on themselves to some degree when the goals aren't coming. Last week in my rec league, I scooped in a boomer from 18 yards for my first goal in like three months. I think my teammates were slightly perturbed when I ripped off my uni to reveal my WHY ALWAYS ME? t-shirt underneath. I'd only had to wear it for a dozen games before it came into use. No big deal.
- Michael Parkhurst is rapidly becoming one of my favorites to watch. He's innately decisive, quick with clearances and, more than anything else, is developing in a severe position of need. I'm not saying he's ready to be a clear-cut favorite to start in Brazil, but the first-team pickings are slim at CB and he's in fine form. As for his partner, it wasn't a performance to remember from Geoff Cameron. Even without the red.
- It's sick how stocked this player pool is with keeper talent. He may not have the prototypical stature of a world class net minder, but Nick Rimando is nails. That he was the second option this week in Camp Cupcake is absurd. Especially considering how well he played Wednesday and how thin this team is at other positions *cough*left back*cough*. If only...
- Rico's best is still blasé. I understand these roster spots need to be filled by somebody, but he isn't offering up any surprises. He got more of a run-out on Wednesday than he did in a poor sub spell against Venezuela and still didn't offer up anything we didn't expect. Still formulaic at best, still tentative and lost at worst. I wasn't one of those wanting Rico roasted on a spit after Ghana, but I've also never understood his appeal. I'm on board with most of what Klinsmann does, but some of his roster selections are still beyond my comprehension. And no, we will not be terming this team Rico's Roughnecks any time soon. Unfortunately.
- This was my first extended experience with ESPN3. It's a neat little service -- finally something Time Warner didn't rip from the hands of its subscribers -- and it sure beats watching on Galavision. As for the commentary, it's comical that it's taking this long for me to warm up to an American. I'm sure Taylor Twellman is a nice guy, but he always sounds drunk. Just what it is.
- As for the two-forward look… meh. Twellman made a really bizarre point about the 4-3-3 that I didn't entirely follow. He noted that you needed a "Drogba type" who can stand alone as a forward to make it work, which the US obviously doesn't have. But the 4-3-3 isn't a one-size-fits-all formation, one that does not require a world class striker to function properly (ask TFC fans how they feel about Danny Koevermans). And it certainly doesn't mean the two-forward look is the better alternative. It is simply an alternative. It was obvious that Twellman is firmly in the 4-4-2 camp in the emerging Democrat-Republican split developing among the fan base between the two formations. Even if I tend to trend toward the 4-3-3, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily for one and against the other. But the 4-3-3 is so fluid that it's hard to peg the Nats' lack of a "Drogba type" (scare quotes intentional) as the defining reason it should be scrapped. That's almost a joke. And lets be honest, Teal Bunbury wasn't very good in either formation this week, so let's not act like the success or failure of either rides on his shoulders. After watching his form for SKC peak in the playoffs, I figured Klinsmann's decision to call him up for Camp Cupcake was a wise one. I still don't blame him, but Bunbury didn't bring his full toolkit.
- This is where the grand pronouncement from the two games would typically come, but I honestly don't think there's one to be made. If I'm honest, I think they're best viewed as M&M's rather than an entire King-Sized Butterfinger, better to pick at individuals who served their cause rather than rip at what Klinstastic did as an overarching whole. There are positives to take out of the overall improvement in fluid team movement among others, but would Klinsmann really have switched between formations if he was more worried about the whole rather than getting a better peek at the sum of its parts? It's still about puzzle pieces at this point and not necessarily the polished product. I view Klinsmann's project as time spent in the darkroom rather than on a digital camera. It may be antiquated, but slow-cooked barbecue always tasted better than flash-fried anything.
- Will Parchman
- Michael Parkhurst is rapidly becoming one of my favorites to watch. He's innately decisive, quick with clearances and, more than anything else, is developing in a severe position of need. I'm not saying he's ready to be a clear-cut favorite to start in Brazil, but the first-team pickings are slim at CB and he's in fine form. As for his partner, it wasn't a performance to remember from Geoff Cameron. Even without the red.
- It's sick how stocked this player pool is with keeper talent. He may not have the prototypical stature of a world class net minder, but Nick Rimando is nails. That he was the second option this week in Camp Cupcake is absurd. Especially considering how well he played Wednesday and how thin this team is at other positions *cough*left back*cough*. If only...
- Rico's best is still blasé. I understand these roster spots need to be filled by somebody, but he isn't offering up any surprises. He got more of a run-out on Wednesday than he did in a poor sub spell against Venezuela and still didn't offer up anything we didn't expect. Still formulaic at best, still tentative and lost at worst. I wasn't one of those wanting Rico roasted on a spit after Ghana, but I've also never understood his appeal. I'm on board with most of what Klinsmann does, but some of his roster selections are still beyond my comprehension. And no, we will not be terming this team Rico's Roughnecks any time soon. Unfortunately.
- This was my first extended experience with ESPN3. It's a neat little service -- finally something Time Warner didn't rip from the hands of its subscribers -- and it sure beats watching on Galavision. As for the commentary, it's comical that it's taking this long for me to warm up to an American. I'm sure Taylor Twellman is a nice guy, but he always sounds drunk. Just what it is.
- As for the two-forward look… meh. Twellman made a really bizarre point about the 4-3-3 that I didn't entirely follow. He noted that you needed a "Drogba type" who can stand alone as a forward to make it work, which the US obviously doesn't have. But the 4-3-3 isn't a one-size-fits-all formation, one that does not require a world class striker to function properly (ask TFC fans how they feel about Danny Koevermans). And it certainly doesn't mean the two-forward look is the better alternative. It is simply an alternative. It was obvious that Twellman is firmly in the 4-4-2 camp in the emerging Democrat-Republican split developing among the fan base between the two formations. Even if I tend to trend toward the 4-3-3, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily for one and against the other. But the 4-3-3 is so fluid that it's hard to peg the Nats' lack of a "Drogba type" (scare quotes intentional) as the defining reason it should be scrapped. That's almost a joke. And lets be honest, Teal Bunbury wasn't very good in either formation this week, so let's not act like the success or failure of either rides on his shoulders. After watching his form for SKC peak in the playoffs, I figured Klinsmann's decision to call him up for Camp Cupcake was a wise one. I still don't blame him, but Bunbury didn't bring his full toolkit.
- This is where the grand pronouncement from the two games would typically come, but I honestly don't think there's one to be made. If I'm honest, I think they're best viewed as M&M's rather than an entire King-Sized Butterfinger, better to pick at individuals who served their cause rather than rip at what Klinstastic did as an overarching whole. There are positives to take out of the overall improvement in fluid team movement among others, but would Klinsmann really have switched between formations if he was more worried about the whole rather than getting a better peek at the sum of its parts? It's still about puzzle pieces at this point and not necessarily the polished product. I view Klinsmann's project as time spent in the darkroom rather than on a digital camera. It may be antiquated, but slow-cooked barbecue always tasted better than flash-fried anything.
- Will Parchman
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Canal Derby
Hmm. Looks like a 4-4-2 diamond for the USMNT tonight. Not especially feelin' it, still don't understand why this camp roster wasn't larger. Oh well.. enjoy the game, player ratings after at MLSS and Will plans to drop some thoughts tomorrow morning.
Rimando; DeLaGarza, Parkhurst, Cameron, Loyd, Zusi, Clark, Jones, Shea, Wondolowski, Bunbury
- Greg Seltzer
Rimando; DeLaGarza, Parkhurst, Cameron, Loyd, Zusi, Clark, Jones, Shea, Wondolowski, Bunbury
- Greg Seltzer
Taking out the trash
You all know how much I hate fake "reports" about transfers, so let's just bat one down for good. I have fully confirmed that AGF Aarhus is not the SAS Liga team interested in Charlie Davies, something I've been trying to do almost since whatever Danish tabloid that started the rumour first aired it. I believed that was wrong the whole time, but couldn't prove it.
Though not in the habit of sharing unconfirmed hunches and tips, I will this time because it's one that kinda smacks you in the face seeming correct. From what I do know, it feels fairly safe to assume the Danish club interested in borrowing Davies from Sochaux is Brøndby - who you may recall were linked to him last summer and have to some degree checked out US forwards Teal Bunbury, Robbie Findley and Eddie Johnson in recent years.
Of course, the first question is to whether he will even leave Sochaux for the back half of the season. The indications I'm getting so far is that the new boss likes what he sees from Davies, and boy do they need help. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few days.
- Greg Seltzer
Though not in the habit of sharing unconfirmed hunches and tips, I will this time because it's one that kinda smacks you in the face seeming correct. From what I do know, it feels fairly safe to assume the Danish club interested in borrowing Davies from Sochaux is Brøndby - who you may recall were linked to him last summer and have to some degree checked out US forwards Teal Bunbury, Robbie Findley and Eddie Johnson in recent years.
Of course, the first question is to whether he will even leave Sochaux for the back half of the season. The indications I'm getting so far is that the new boss likes what he sees from Davies, and boy do they need help. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few days.
- Greg Seltzer
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