What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

jmh said:
I believe so; word had it that he'd been in good form for his Greek club toward the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Yep, but he picked up a sprain last week, trained today, but not with the full team, if he's hurt, sure makes BB's decision easier, either take all 4 remaining, or have 4 guys fight for 3 spots

I agree, Findlay can rot on the bench as far as I'm concerned.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

WeWantMore said:
I respect Bradley's decision 100%, I think some of this could have been avoided though if he had just said that the first time.

As for the 23, that's a really tight window to make decisions in. Especially when we have 5 forwards who need a look . I'd start Gomez-Altidore, maybe go with Ching-Buddle at halftime, no idea when EJ or Findlay get a look?
Click to expand...

On Davies, I agree - I think Bradley could have publicly hedged a little more, and certainly could have done so privately with Charlie - there was obviously a missed communication there. This seems like Bradley trying to defend his perfectly defensible decision since Davies (also understandably) decided to throw a little fit. It's all about managing expectations.

As for the 23, I don't think it's all that short of a window, as I don't think it's a level playing field - Bradley probably already knows with great certainty who 20 or 21 of his guys are, the real decision is for the last couple of spots.

Also, given the earlier reports that Bradley only took all 30 to camp with a little pestering from the USSF, I'd say that there are a couple of guys there just for fun.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

So since these are the 30 guys in Princeton for the camp, who are the guys that don't have a shot in hell and who are the locks and who is actually on a bubble?

USA's 30-man Provisional World Cup Roster

Goalkeepers - Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

Defenders - Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Bornstein, Clarence Goodson, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall

Midfielders - Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, DaMarcus Beasley, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, Robbie Rogers, Sacha Kljestan

Forwards - Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley

jmh said:
If so then I must've missed that news.
Click to expand...
here you go
 
Last edited:
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

I'd put Beasley on the bubble, it's him vs. Bedoya in my book. DMB is a Bradley guy though, so maybe he is a lock after all.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

What makes you so sure that Kljestan doesn't have a chance of making the final roster? Like DMB and Bornstein, he's one of Bradley's guys.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

jmh said:
What makes you so sure that Kljestan doesn't have a chance of making the final roster? Like DMB and Bornstein, he's one of Bradley's guys.
Click to expand...
If Bradley only wanted to bring 26 guys to camp and was told to bring 30, than why not name some of "his guys" to fill it out? Who do you think were the 4 guys thrown a bone to come to camp that Bradley already ruled out?

What is the likely breakdown anyway?
3,8,8,4/3,8,9,3 depending on where we classify dempsey?
 
Last edited:
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Shirtless Guy said:
So since these are the 30 guys in Princeton for the camp, who are the guys that don't have a shot in hell and who are the locks and who is actually on a bubble?

USA's 30-man Provisional World Cup Roster

Goalkeepers - Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

Defenders - Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Bornstein, Clarence Goodson, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall

Midfielders - Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, DaMarcus Beasley, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, Robbie Rogers, Sacha Kljestan

Forwards - Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley
Click to expand...

Torres is far more of a lock than DMB. I don't see any way, except for injury, that Torres is left off the team.

Rogers is probably with Kljestan. One of DMB and Bedoya would make 8 MF (9 including Dempsey).

For the 5 remaining spots, I'll say Goodson, DMB, Buddle, Johnson, and Gomez.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

I think Robbie Rogers is a no-hoper. He's seductive because he's got a little bit of skill and is fast and two-footed, but he's really got no head for the game. I don't think Beasley or Bornstein are locks, and while Kljestan isn't likely to go, if he's in form, he's a useful guy for backing up both central midfield and a pinched-in right midfield position.
 
Last edited:
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

So who will win the world cup? I'm thinking the Dutch, French, Agrentina, Brazil, and Italy will go pretty deep.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

bearsFan93 said:
So who will win the world cup? I'm thinking the Dutch, French, Agrentina, Brazil, and Italy will go pretty deep.
Click to expand...

I dunno about the French. I mean I hope they discover their form before they play Mexico but it seems like every time you turn around their involved in a scandal. Their coach seems to be pretty mediocre as well and unlike Argentina, the greatest player in the world isn't on the roster.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

My breakdown:

The Netherlands might have an "easy" road to the finals, if the Ivory Coast finds a way past Brazil in the group stages.

I just ran through my little predictions. I think the Netherlands are easily taking group E. They would then face the runner up in group F (Slovakia or Paraguay), who I think they'll do fine against. Their only challenge before the final will be probably either France or England (both of whom I have a hard time seeing NOT winning their groups). France might take them out, but its been noted that this is a team that will be lucky to play to their full potential. And England... well... its the World Cup. England may as well play all their games at Brittania and change the name of their national team to Choke City when it comes to the World Cup.

Honestly, if the Netherlands can get their way past the quarters (where they would likely play Brazil or Ivory Coast barring a huge Honduran upset), I like their chances of getting to the Final.

The way I have the group stage going, the tougher side of the knockout stage is going to determine who plays the Dutch. I've got Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain and Brazil in that side of of the bracket. Messi will need to perform miracles for Argentina to do it... but he is the best player in the world right now, so I wouldn't count them out. Brazil could go either way, they're so young this year. Italy is also in a state of flux. That leaves Spain and Germany as the safest bets. Probably Spain, I guess.

Netherlands v Spain in the final... as much as I'll root for the Dutch, I'd expect the Spaniards to pull it out.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Didn't see this discussed over the weekend, but... so Barcelona repeat in La Liga. Sweet. I think the last match showed the problem with Real Madrid: their defense just isn't as good. You can spend all the money you want on Ronaldo and Benzema and Higuain and Kaka and Van Der Vaart, and you can roll up an incredible number of goals over the course of a season, but if your defenders have no chemistry with one another because you keep switching them around, you're going to do things like concede against Malaga's crappy offense and that screws you in the end. But this summer they'll do what they always do and spend a ton of money on a shiny new attacking player, and score a ton of goals, and it won't fix the problem that they have.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

BoomGoestheDynamite said:
Oh and our chances at the WC have improved:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/05/17/clinton.chair.ap/index.html

Negotiating a hostage release from Kim Jong is probably the best practice run you can get for dealing with the corrupt, ego maniacal snakes in charge of FIFA. That and having a former leader of the free world pay obeisance to him is Sepp Blatter's personal viagra.
Click to expand...

Bill knows: why go overseas for primo foreign cooch when you can get it to come to you! :p
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Red Cloud said:
Bill knows: why go overseas for primo foreign cooch when you can get it to come to you! :p
Click to expand...

You know, despite all the talk, Bill has never really demonstrated an interest in primo cooch. It's more quantity than quality with him. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XGZKoyC7TBo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XGZKoyC7TBo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Nice goal.

Or should that be GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top