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End To End: Taking Stock Of The Qualifiers
Who is on the ups and who is on the outs with U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley? Goal.com's Noah Davis has the answers.
Jun 9, 2009 11:59:59 PM
By Noah Davis
Goal.com's weekly look at the fortunes of players on the United States Men's National Team looks back at the last two World Cup 2010 qualifiers to see which footballers helped their standing and which took a step backwards.
Rising
Ricardo Clark
Lost in between the storylines about the comeback win in Honduras and the comeback of Benny Feilhaber was the stellar play of the Houston Dynamo midfielder. He disrupted Honduras' offensive efforts throughout the match and kept the game level by clearing a ball off the line in the second half. "It’s all about reacting in those situations, especially in that part of the field," he said of his goal-saving boot. "You want to be sharp when the ball pops out to you and that’s what I did, just doing my job." It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, but it will gain Clark time on the pitch during the Confederations Cup. There are plenty of options to fill the role often handled by Pablo Mastroeni, but Bob Bradley should take a hard look at the athletic, 26-year-old Georgian as a serious possibility.
Conor Casey
Yes, the big Colorado Rapids target man should have done better with the chances he had on Saturday night, but for a man who was an afterthought on the U.S. team before his recent run of strong form in Major League Soccer thrust him back onto the radar, his start against Honduras was nothing short of miraculous. Also, let's not forget that he had less than two days to train with the National Team before taking the pitch in Chicago. Given a little more time to get used to each other -- say during a two-week trip to South Africa -- Casey and Jozy Altidore could develop into a formidable strike pair.
Jay DeMerit
After coming on for an injured Carlos Bocanegra in the 71st minute, the Watford center back helped hold down the American fort and get the U.S. out of Chicago with an important three points. More importantly, DeMerit has supplanted Danny Califf as the go-to replacement for the two stalwarts at the heart of the American backline. It's been a rocky, up and down road for the former pub player, but the South African sun will shine on DeMerit as he wears red, white, and blue on the pitch.
Falling
Jose Francisco Torres
Many thought Torres was one of the lone bright spots during the debacle in Costa Rica. Bradley, however, clearly didn't agree, taking the young Pachuca midfielder off at the half and leaving him completely out of the squad for the match against Honduras. With the ball at his feet, Torres is one of the more creative attackers in the American pool, but he might not be physical enough to survive in a system that requires central midfielders to check back on defense. With Feilhaber's return (admittedly only a game old), the Longview, Texas native will almost certainly be relegated to the bench in South Africa. He will see time, however.
Frankie Hejduk
The guard changed at right back in the past week. With Hejduk injured for the two qualifiers -- and ruled out of the Confed Cup as well -- Marvell Wynne started in Costa Rica and Jonathan Spector got the nod on Saturday. While the former player struggled with his positioning and marking, the West Ham fullback was one of the team's better players against the Catrachos. With a solid performance in South Africa, Spector could easily win the right back spot outright (assuming he can stay healthy, always a big if). With Wynne's athleticism waiting in the wings, the days of Frankie patrolling the American backline with his passion and patented sliding tackles are, it would seem, regrettably over. (Of course, many thought this was the case four years ago, so it's always a bad idea to bet against Hejduk's unstoppable spirit.)
American fans
The U.S. supporters -- a handful of whom gamely traveled to Costa Rica and were heard, albeit briefly, on the world feed telecast during the match -- were heartily outnumbered, outsung, and outchanted on Saturday. Solider Field was a sea of Honduran blue and white. The American players openly discussed how they enjoy playing in an intense stadium filled to the brim, but wouldn't it be nice if those cheering were wearing red, white, and blue? You can blame the United States Soccer Federation for picking the venue, but the fact remains that U.S. deserves more from its 12th man.
Noah Davis covers the United States National Team for Goal.com.
Goal.com's weekly look at the fortunes of players on the United States Men's National Team looks back at the last two World Cup 2010 qualifiers to see which footballers helped their standing and which took a step backwards.
Rising
Ricardo Clark
Lost in between the storylines about the comeback win in Honduras and the comeback of Benny Feilhaber was the stellar play of the Houston Dynamo midfielder. He disrupted Honduras' offensive efforts throughout the match and kept the game level by clearing a ball off the line in the second half. "It’s all about reacting in those situations, especially in that part of the field," he said of his goal-saving boot. "You want to be sharp when the ball pops out to you and that’s what I did, just doing my job." It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, but it will gain Clark time on the pitch during the Confederations Cup. There are plenty of options to fill the role often handled by Pablo Mastroeni, but Bob Bradley should take a hard look at the athletic, 26-year-old Georgian as a serious possibility.
Conor Casey
Yes, the big Colorado Rapids target man should have done better with the chances he had on Saturday night, but for a man who was an afterthought on the U.S. team before his recent run of strong form in Major League Soccer thrust him back onto the radar, his start against Honduras was nothing short of miraculous. Also, let's not forget that he had less than two days to train with the National Team before taking the pitch in Chicago. Given a little more time to get used to each other -- say during a two-week trip to South Africa -- Casey and Jozy Altidore could develop into a formidable strike pair.
Jay DeMerit
After coming on for an injured Carlos Bocanegra in the 71st minute, the Watford center back helped hold down the American fort and get the U.S. out of Chicago with an important three points. More importantly, DeMerit has supplanted Danny Califf as the go-to replacement for the two stalwarts at the heart of the American backline. It's been a rocky, up and down road for the former pub player, but the South African sun will shine on DeMerit as he wears red, white, and blue on the pitch.
Falling
Jose Francisco Torres
Many thought Torres was one of the lone bright spots during the debacle in Costa Rica. Bradley, however, clearly didn't agree, taking the young Pachuca midfielder off at the half and leaving him completely out of the squad for the match against Honduras. With the ball at his feet, Torres is one of the more creative attackers in the American pool, but he might not be physical enough to survive in a system that requires central midfielders to check back on defense. With Feilhaber's return (admittedly only a game old), the Longview, Texas native will almost certainly be relegated to the bench in South Africa. He will see time, however.
Frankie Hejduk
The guard changed at right back in the past week. With Hejduk injured for the two qualifiers -- and ruled out of the Confed Cup as well -- Marvell Wynne started in Costa Rica and Jonathan Spector got the nod on Saturday. While the former player struggled with his positioning and marking, the West Ham fullback was one of the team's better players against the Catrachos. With a solid performance in South Africa, Spector could easily win the right back spot outright (assuming he can stay healthy, always a big if). With Wynne's athleticism waiting in the wings, the days of Frankie patrolling the American backline with his passion and patented sliding tackles are, it would seem, regrettably over. (Of course, many thought this was the case four years ago, so it's always a bad idea to bet against Hejduk's unstoppable spirit.)
American fans
The U.S. supporters -- a handful of whom gamely traveled to Costa Rica and were heard, albeit briefly, on the world feed telecast during the match -- were heartily outnumbered, outsung, and outchanted on Saturday. Solider Field was a sea of Honduran blue and white. The American players openly discussed how they enjoy playing in an intense stadium filled to the brim, but wouldn't it be nice if those cheering were wearing red, white, and blue? You can blame the United States Soccer Federation for picking the venue, but the fact remains that U.S. deserves more from its 12th man.
Noah Davis covers the United States National Team for Goal.com.
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