OT: USMNT - F Johnson goal from ridiculous Bradley chip...

[intlzncster]

...against Turkey in warm up friendly. Good to see.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11016772

 

[Kitaman]

He just kicked the ball, am I missing something?

 

[Pudge]

More a smooth give & go than spectacular. A number of difficult touch plays all done well by F Johnson to Bradley to Johnson. I guess we'd prefer a ridiculous bicycle goal. But ... This one was well done.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Nice ball by Bradley and a solid finish.

I don't watch a ton of the USMNT but I was impressed with Zusi. That back line is porous though. Ronaldo was probably giddy with excitement as he hit the tanning salon / waxing spot.

 

[UChusky916]

Back line is an issue going into WC play

 

[SubbaBub]

To chip that ball over the defender right onto Johnson's foot, is an amazing piece of skill. Johnson's trap finish was also quite good, but the pass was world class.

 

[sdhusky]

He just kicked the ball, am I missing something?

If you had been forced to watch soccer, any break from the monotony is spectacular.

 

[intlzncster]

Back line is an issue going into WC play

Chandler.

 

[UConnDan97]

He just kicked the ball, am I missing something?

He "just kicked" the ball much in the same way that Taliek "just threw" the ball when he hit the 3-pointer against Pitt in the Big East Tourney. It is ridiculously hard to pinpoint a ball that has just bounced off the turf a millisecond prior without controlling it first. It was a very nice finish...

 

[intlzncster]

More a smooth give & go than spectacular. A number of difficult touch plays all done well by F Johnson to Bradley to Johnson. I guess we'd prefer a ridiculous bicycle goal. But ... This one was well done.

I just liked Bradley's quick two touch w perfect placement (on a nice run by Johnson), followed by a one time finish in the corner.

It was kind of like an FIFA Sports goal.

 

[intlzncster]

Nice ball by Bradley and a solid finish.

I don't watch a ton of the USMNT but I was impressed with Zusi. That back line is porous though. Ronaldo was probably giddy with excitement as he hit the tanning salon / waxing spot.

Ronaldo does not deem to grow body hair.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

If you had been forced to watch soccer, any break from the monotony is spectacular.

Very, very original.

 

[otp85]

I was there. Fantastic pass from Bradley and a clinical finish from Johnson

 

[otp85]

Chandler. [/QUOTE

Despite Chandler's terrible performance there were a few really good things to take out of what we saw from the back line.

For starters, Fabian Johnson continues to impress on both ends, locked himself into the starting 11. Also, in the 2nd half the youngsters came in and looked as good as they ever have before on a national level. Yedlin CONTROLLED half the pitch and Brooks muscled the in the middle clearing countless crosses with his giant head.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I'd be happier with Fabian on the left side, since Chandler is a much better player on the right. I don't think Yedlin has ever played on the left, and I want to see as little of Beasley as possible, since I'm not sure he could defend me 1v1. Klinsmann has finally gotten around to putting his four best defenders on the backline, and a quartet of Chandler, Besler, Cameron, and Johnson has the potential to be solid. I'd feel a lot better about the diamond midfield if Donovan was the false 9 with Bedoya and Bradley flanking him and Jones behind, but Bradley is a heady player and a very good passer, so he should be able to handle the top.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

He "just kicked" the ball much in the same way that Taliek "just threw" the ball when he hit the 3-pointer against Pitt in the Big East Tourney. It is ridiculously hard to pinpoint a ball that has just bounced off the turf a millisecond prior without controlling it first. It was a very nice finish...

I like to think as a decent high school defensive midfield, I may have been able to mimic Bradley’s pass to Johnson albeit against far less talent and environment. That said, I was a defensive midfield known for tackling (I hated slide talking on the old turf field at West Haven HS and the 5 layers of skin I would lose), using a booming leg to clear balls with authority, and an overall nuisance to strikers. I was not known for offense. I maybe took a shot a game to keep the other team honest and maybe got a goal a season. If I tried the shot that Johnson made, some poor guy in the stands about 15 rows up and behind the left corner post would have had a heck of a black eye.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I like to think as a decent high school defensive midfield, I may have been able to mimic Bradley’s pass to Johnson albeit against far less talent and environment. That said, I was a defensive midfield known for tackling (I hated slide talking on the old turf field at West Haven HS and the 5 layers of skin I would lose), using a booming leg to clear balls with authority, and an overall nuisance to strikers. I was not known for offense. I maybe took a shot a game to keep the other team honest and maybe got a goal a season. If I tried the shot that Johnson made, some poor guy in the stands about 15 rows up and behind the left corner post would have had a heck of a black eye.

I also tore my skin off on that field! My knees were disgusting scabs for like 10 days.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I also tore my skin off on that field! My knees were disgusting scabs for like 10 days.

Knees? What are those? Personal barometers, things with missing cartilage and Swiss cheese looking ligaments, large deductions against my HSA health insurance account because I keep trying to play soccer at 40+, yes. Knees, no.

 

[otp85]

I'd be happier with Fabian on the left side, since Chandler is a much better player on the right. I don't think Yedlin has ever played on the left, and I want to see as little of Beasley as possible, since I'm not sure he could defend me 1v1. Klinsmann has finally gotten around to putting his four best defenders on the backline, and a quartet of Chandler, Besler, Cameron, and Johnson has the potential to be solid. I'd feel a lot better about the diamond midfield if Donovan was the false 9 with Bedoya and Bradley flanking him and Jones behind, but Bradley is a heady player and a very good passer, so he should be able to handle the top.

Nice assessment. I do want to see Johnson moved to the left as well. But for me I'd like to see as little of Chandler as possible even though it won't be the case. I like Cameron or even just going with Yedlin out wide with Besler and Omar in the middle. I don't share your feelings on Beasley, I think his speed is something we'll need against Portugal along with Yedlin's. Bradley NEEDS to be in the central midfield, pushing him wide erases our best creator. Donovan flanking may have been nice but I think him not being with this team is helping every other player, especially Bradley, and was the right move. Watch out for Brad Davis; he has looked great since the 30 man cut and is building steam heading into the WC. Wouldn't be surprised if got in the starting 11.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Nice assessment. I do want to see Johnson moved to the left as well. But for me I'd like to see as little of Chandler as possible even though it won't be the case. I like Cameron or even just going with Yedlin out wide with Besler and Omar in the middle. I don't share your feelings on Beasley, I think his speed is something we'll need against Portugal along with Yedlin's. Bradley NEEDS to be in the central midfield, pushing him wide erases our best creator. Donovan flanking may have been nice but I think him not being with this team is helping every other player, especially Bradley, and was the right move. Watch out for Brad Davis; he has looked great since the 30 man cut and is building steam heading into the WC. Wouldn't be surprised if got in the starting 11.

I don't exactly love Chandler, but he played too well in too good a league to not start on this team. If we had someone quicker than Omar to put at CB, I'd be fine with Cameron at RB, but as it is, he needs to play in the middle, so Chandler should be at RB. Beasley still has a lot of speed, but his defensive positioning is poor, and he's simply not very strong. He gets pushed around badly, and he doesn't attack very well from the FB spot. He wasn't good enough to be playing as much as he did in the 2010 WC, so he really shouldn't still be around now. As far as Bradley in the middle goes, in the diamond, even the wings aren't usually that wide. Bradley would be playing essentially the same part of the field he played at Roma. I don't believe that removing Donovan, who remains the best player in the pool at creating scoring chances, makes the other players better. Davis is far, far too slow to start at midfield at the WC, or even play any significant minutes. The only thing he can do at this level is take free kicks. That's the spot that should have gone to Donovan.

 

[otp85]

I don't exactly love Chandler, but he played too well in too good a league to not start on this team. If we had someone quicker than Omar to put at CB, I'd be fine with Cameron at RB, but as it is, he needs to play in the middle, so Chandler should be at RB. Beasley still has a lot of speed, but his defensive positioning is poor, and he's simply not very strong. He gets pushed around badly, and he doesn't attack very well from the FB spot. He wasn't good enough to be playing as much as he did in the 2010 WC, so he really shouldn't still be around now. As far as Bradley in the middle goes, in the diamond, even the wings aren't usually that wide. Bradley would be playing essentially the same part of the field he played at Roma. I don't believe that removing Donovan, who remains the best player in the pool at creating scoring chances, makes the other players better. Davis is far, far too slow to start at midfield at the WC, or even play any significant minutes. The only thing he can do at this level is take free kicks. That's the spot that should have gone to Donovan.

I just think if Donovan goes then everything is about Donovan. And I think he made his choice when he "questioned" his future for a year instead of busting his ass with the rest of these guys. As for him being our best player I disagree, not anymore, father time always wins.

And I agree with what you said about Beasley; why I think you only see him against Portugal. I think it's the sole reason Klinsmann brought him.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I just think if Donovan goes then everything is about Donovan. And I think he made his choice when he "questioned" his future for a year instead of busting his ass with the rest of these guys. As for him being our best player I disagree, not anymore, father time always wins.

He was out for three months, mostly offseason. He was only unavailable for a single WCQ, and then he came back and dominated the Gold Cup like I've never seen a tournament dominated by a player. He's not the best player overall, but he is the best at creating scoring chances, backed up by the massive gulf between him and anyone in terms of the number of chances they've created over the past 12 months, and that's for club or country. I'm speaking about the actual stats here, and the numbers are striking. I'll see if I can dig them up, but I know specifically that Donovan created something like 36 scoring chances for the US over the past 12 months, more than another other two players combined (Zusi was second at 21, I believe). When a player absolutely dominates an important stat like that, and doesn't make the plane, something has gone awry.

I wasn't thrilled with Donovan's sabbatical, but the fact is that the guy had gone on a Euro loan for multiple offseasons in a row while playing deep into the MLS playoffs every year, in addition to his hefty international commitment. Combine that with the miles he'd put on his body since he went pro at 17 and the stress that goes into being the face of US Soccer for more than a decade, and it's not hard to see why he needed a break. If "commitment to the team" was really that high on Klinsmann's priorities, Tim Chandler wouldn't have even been invited to camp. Donovan's history means that he should get way more slack than someone like Chandler, and it seems like the standards that Donovan failed to meet for Klinsmann were only set for him. In my opinion, Klinsmann wants this team's success to be about Klinsmann, and dumping Donovan makes that a lot easier.

And I agree with what you said about Beasley; why I think you only see him against Portugal. I think it's the sole reason Klinsmann brought him.

We'll see how this goes. I just don't see how he defends anyone on that squad.

 

[Husky25]

Despite Chandler's terrible performance there were a few really good things to take out of what we saw from the back line.

For starters, Fabian Johnson continues to impress on both ends, locked himself into the starting 11. Also, in the 2nd half the youngsters came in and looked as good as they ever have before on a national level. Yedlin CONTROLLED half the pitch and Brooks muscled the in the middle clearing countless crosses with his giant head.

"Gonna cry himself to sleep tonight on his huge pilla."

 

[intlzncster]

Despite Chandler's terrible performance there were a few really good things to take out of what we saw from the back line.

For starters, Fabian Johnson continues to impress on both ends, locked himself into the starting 11. Also, in the 2nd half the youngsters came in and looked as good as they ever have before on a national level. Yedlin CONTROLLED half the pitch and Brooks muscled the in the middle clearing countless crosses with his giant head.

Loved what I saw from Fabian. He started out a bit rough, but then finish very very solid. Yedlin is going to be good. He's not there yet, but you can see it in him.

 

[intlzncster]

Knees? What are those? Personal barometers, things with missing cartilage and Swiss cheese looking ligaments, large deductions against my HSA health insurance account because I keep trying to play soccer at 40+, yes. Knees, no.

Yeah, I'm laid up right now from a pretty severe ankle injury on Friday. In my late thirties, I'm still running (though not this year now) with the D1 college kids in their summer league. And yes, I'm a step or two slow at this stage, but clinging on to the dream! Have all kinds of crafty veteran moves: shirt/short pulling; bumping; the unobtrusive hack, yelling at players who aren't there before I pass the other way... Good stuff.