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Counterattack: Is Edgar Castillo The Future For The USA?
The first USA player to join the team via the recent FIFA rule change played most of the second half in the 3-1 loss to Denmark. Goal.com Chief Editor Andrea Canales and Mexico Editor Luis Bueno debate the merits of the new addition.
Nov 19, 2009 1:45:24 AM
Question: Edgar Castillo has now been capped for the USA - is he a player for the team's future?
Luis Bueno: The United States closed out the year with a wretched performance against Denmark, but the 3-1 loss did yield one major positive. Edgar Castillo made his U.S. debut and now he's not one that got away, but rather one that returned home. The U.S. has another quality talent to help build their depth, a player who could contend for a World Cup roster spot.
Andrea Canales: Yes, it was amazing to watch Castillo show how he's an upgrade at the left back spot - oh wait - he didn't actually play in that position for the USA. So much for being the answer there. As a left midfielder, Castillo didn't make much of an impression at all.
Bueno: Granted, he came in under strange circumstances but I don't think you can read too much into his performance. Others in this game perhaps can be put under the microscope but the important thing about Castillo's performance today is that he wore the US colors and now can fight for the left back spot ahead of the United States' next game, whenever that may be.
Canales: The truth is, it wasn't too shocking that Bob Bradley didn't want to put Castillo in on defense. That's not Castillo's strong suit. He's small and rather unimposing as a defender and he lacks some grit in the position as well. He's good at getting forward, but that doesn't seem to be the ideal requirement of the USA. Their defenders are more workhorses than is Castillo's style.
Bueno: I suppose that will ultimately decide Castillo's future, if there is a place on the team for him. But imagine a left side with players such as Edgar Castillo, Jose Francisco Torres and Jonathan Bornstein available. Not to mention Landon Donovan, who spent time out there on the left this year. The left side went from a giant question mark to now one that has quite a bit of potential, and speed and attacking prowess. And Castillo is a part of that.
Canales: I'm sure that lineup is very effective and influential in the fantasy soccer game in your head, but that doesn't correspond to the reality we saw against Denmark. We don't know if Castillo will mesh well with Donovan, because Donovan wasn't there. There's precious little time left for players to impress Bob Bradley before 2010. Other than Frankie Hejduk possibly playing his way out of getting another call-up, I'm not sure anyone, including Castillo, made a case for themselves as a potential lock. Even Jeff Cunningham - great goal and all, but why not make the simple pass that had a better chance of scoring a goal? Anyway, back to Castillo, you're simply far more optimistic about what he brings to the table.
Bueno: It's because I've seen him control that left side many times with Santos. He struggled with America, but he's been on his game with Tigres this season, even though the club struggled as a whole, not too bad but missed out on the playoffs. Castillo is a weapon, a tireless and versatile athlete. And I'm not buying that there's not a lot of time left. There were teams in this last World Cup who featured a player who played little or no role in qualifying. Mexico's Andres Guardado comes to mind.
Canales: I thought Castillo was the best player on Mexico's ill-fated Olympic squad that couldn't get out of CONCACAF qualifying. Maybe it's not his fault that he couldn't make an impact with the USA - the blame might lie in the rather rigid game play structure. It lacks fluidity, and a player like Castillo needs the pass to hit him on the run so he can use his speed to his benefit. Obviously, he's cast his lot with the Americans, so he's sort of stuck, but I question whether it's a good fit for his talents.
Bueno: Even if he doesn't make the World Cup squad - and honestly right now it's too early to tell with a lot of guys how strong of a chance they stand - I think Castillo adds a lot to the U.S. depth pool for beyond 2010. He's young, talented, has pace and can score. I'll take guys like that any day. And the best part is he's part of that wealth of untapped talent known as Mexican-Americans. Orozco, Torres, Castillo... I like that composition.
Canales: The vast pool of Nicaraguan-Americans that has yet to be tapped is really what's holding the USA back. I don't care if the players are Algerian-Americans or Zimbabwean-Americans. If they're citizens and can play well, we can probably use them. It's easy, though, to build up players before we've actually seen them - as long as they don't play, we can imagine they're so much better than what we already have. In some cases, they're simply not. Castillo might be perfect for the USA's future, but the Denmark game didn't verify that. It did, however, captie him to the United States, so that saga has at least concluded.
Counterattack runs every Thursday on Goal.com
br>Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more
Luis Bueno: The United States closed out the year with a wretched performance against Denmark, but the 3-1 loss did yield one major positive. Edgar Castillo made his U.S. debut and now he's not one that got away, but rather one that returned home. The U.S. has another quality talent to help build their depth, a player who could contend for a World Cup roster spot.
Andrea Canales: Yes, it was amazing to watch Castillo show how he's an upgrade at the left back spot - oh wait - he didn't actually play in that position for the USA. So much for being the answer there. As a left midfielder, Castillo didn't make much of an impression at all.
Bueno: Granted, he came in under strange circumstances but I don't think you can read too much into his performance. Others in this game perhaps can be put under the microscope but the important thing about Castillo's performance today is that he wore the US colors and now can fight for the left back spot ahead of the United States' next game, whenever that may be.
Canales: The truth is, it wasn't too shocking that Bob Bradley didn't want to put Castillo in on defense. That's not Castillo's strong suit. He's small and rather unimposing as a defender and he lacks some grit in the position as well. He's good at getting forward, but that doesn't seem to be the ideal requirement of the USA. Their defenders are more workhorses than is Castillo's style.
Bueno: I suppose that will ultimately decide Castillo's future, if there is a place on the team for him. But imagine a left side with players such as Edgar Castillo, Jose Francisco Torres and Jonathan Bornstein available. Not to mention Landon Donovan, who spent time out there on the left this year. The left side went from a giant question mark to now one that has quite a bit of potential, and speed and attacking prowess. And Castillo is a part of that.
Canales: I'm sure that lineup is very effective and influential in the fantasy soccer game in your head, but that doesn't correspond to the reality we saw against Denmark. We don't know if Castillo will mesh well with Donovan, because Donovan wasn't there. There's precious little time left for players to impress Bob Bradley before 2010. Other than Frankie Hejduk possibly playing his way out of getting another call-up, I'm not sure anyone, including Castillo, made a case for themselves as a potential lock. Even Jeff Cunningham - great goal and all, but why not make the simple pass that had a better chance of scoring a goal? Anyway, back to Castillo, you're simply far more optimistic about what he brings to the table.
Bueno: It's because I've seen him control that left side many times with Santos. He struggled with America, but he's been on his game with Tigres this season, even though the club struggled as a whole, not too bad but missed out on the playoffs. Castillo is a weapon, a tireless and versatile athlete. And I'm not buying that there's not a lot of time left. There were teams in this last World Cup who featured a player who played little or no role in qualifying. Mexico's Andres Guardado comes to mind.
Canales: I thought Castillo was the best player on Mexico's ill-fated Olympic squad that couldn't get out of CONCACAF qualifying. Maybe it's not his fault that he couldn't make an impact with the USA - the blame might lie in the rather rigid game play structure. It lacks fluidity, and a player like Castillo needs the pass to hit him on the run so he can use his speed to his benefit. Obviously, he's cast his lot with the Americans, so he's sort of stuck, but I question whether it's a good fit for his talents.
Bueno: Even if he doesn't make the World Cup squad - and honestly right now it's too early to tell with a lot of guys how strong of a chance they stand - I think Castillo adds a lot to the U.S. depth pool for beyond 2010. He's young, talented, has pace and can score. I'll take guys like that any day. And the best part is he's part of that wealth of untapped talent known as Mexican-Americans. Orozco, Torres, Castillo... I like that composition.
Canales: The vast pool of Nicaraguan-Americans that has yet to be tapped is really what's holding the USA back. I don't care if the players are Algerian-Americans or Zimbabwean-Americans. If they're citizens and can play well, we can probably use them. It's easy, though, to build up players before we've actually seen them - as long as they don't play, we can imagine they're so much better than what we already have. In some cases, they're simply not. Castillo might be perfect for the USA's future, but the Denmark game didn't verify that. It did, however, captie him to the United States, so that saga has at least concluded.
Counterattack runs every Thursday on Goal.com
br>Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more
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