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Counterattack: Should The USA Call Its Stars To Face Brazil?
Jul 28, 2010 9:22:00 PM
By Allen Ramsey and Seth Vertelney
With an upcoming friendly matchup around the courner against a rebuilding Brazil squad, how should the USA approach the match? There's the option of trying to recreate the World Cup roster as much as possible, or looking to the future with a number of untried players. Two Goal.com editors took on the question.
Ramsey: So, the USA gets to kick off the 2014 cycle with a match against mighty Brazil. In normal circumstances this would be cause to bring in all the big guns, but for this particular match I think the USA should call in primarily MLS players and younger guys who didn't seen much first team action in the build to the World Cup.
Vertelney: I agree that there should be a little different flavor to this match, but the USA should consider who they're playing as well. They don't want to throw a bunch of young, unproven MLS guys in the deep end against the Brazilians and watch their confidence get destroyed by the Selecao.
Ramsey: Brazil isn't bringing their first team. In fact, I think there will only be three or four World Cup players on the roster for them, so the idea of facing a depleted Brazil squad with the USA's top team isn't all that appealing to me. Plus, most of the USA's top players have been going non-stop for the last two full years. Bringing in guys like Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit and Jozy Altidore from Europe really doesn't accomplish anything other than putting an extra strain on them before another long season. I would rather see guys like Omar Gonzalez and Kevin Alston on the field, getting their feet wet against top competition. Plus, this would be a good chance to call people like Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies and Alejandro Bedoya to give them another chance against a team that isn't from CONCACAF.
Vertelney: I know a lot of USA fans are clamoring for guys like Alston and Gonzalez to get called in, but they need to be patient. There will likely be friendlies in October and a camp in January where they should get their shot. Bringing established European guys like Dempsey and Bocanegra isn't necessary for me either, but neither is bringing the Gonzalezes, Alstons and Tim Reams of the world. I'd like to see guys like DeMerit and Altidore in there, who are currently looking to prove their worth for perspective bidders in the transfer market.
Ramsey: It's a tricky situation for some of these guys. If Altidore and DeMerit come in and look terrible, which wouldn't be a huge shock considering that they probably are neither match fit nor sharp on the ball after a month off, it could actually be costly to them in their search for a place to play. For the established European pros there really isn't an upside. Honestly, the only guys who will benefit from this type of match are the ones with a lot left to prove. Like how he played, or hate how he played, Jozy Altidore had four World cup matches to show the interested clubs what they were getting. It's time to start building the new group. Call in Jose Torres if he's willing to come. Let Landon Donovan be the big name star of the group, and surround them players that could have a chance to feature in the 2014, but that haven't been part of the setup so far. Honestly, other than Bedoya, Davies, Adu and possibly Eddie Johnson, I'd rather not see players called away from their European clubs for a match that means absolutely nothing. The biggest thing for American players at this point is becoming regular starters for their clubs in Europe, not facing Brazil.
Vertelney: Altidore absolutely has something to prove, and he should look at this match as a chance to do it. Davies needs to stay with Sochaux for now, at least until he starts to get some actual match time in the league. Otherwise, call up the bulk of the World Cup squad with fringe guys like Sacha Kljestan and Bedoya taking the spots of guys like Dempsey and Ricardo Clark. Though they're facing a B-squad, this is no ordinary B-squad. This Brazil side may have done better than the actual Brazil side did in the World Cup. The USA does not want to get embarrassed.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Ramsey: So, the USA gets to kick off the 2014 cycle with a match against mighty Brazil. In normal circumstances this would be cause to bring in all the big guns, but for this particular match I think the USA should call in primarily MLS players and younger guys who didn't seen much first team action in the build to the World Cup.
Vertelney: I agree that there should be a little different flavor to this match, but the USA should consider who they're playing as well. They don't want to throw a bunch of young, unproven MLS guys in the deep end against the Brazilians and watch their confidence get destroyed by the Selecao.
Ramsey: Brazil isn't bringing their first team. In fact, I think there will only be three or four World Cup players on the roster for them, so the idea of facing a depleted Brazil squad with the USA's top team isn't all that appealing to me. Plus, most of the USA's top players have been going non-stop for the last two full years. Bringing in guys like Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit and Jozy Altidore from Europe really doesn't accomplish anything other than putting an extra strain on them before another long season. I would rather see guys like Omar Gonzalez and Kevin Alston on the field, getting their feet wet against top competition. Plus, this would be a good chance to call people like Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies and Alejandro Bedoya to give them another chance against a team that isn't from CONCACAF.
Vertelney: I know a lot of USA fans are clamoring for guys like Alston and Gonzalez to get called in, but they need to be patient. There will likely be friendlies in October and a camp in January where they should get their shot. Bringing established European guys like Dempsey and Bocanegra isn't necessary for me either, but neither is bringing the Gonzalezes, Alstons and Tim Reams of the world. I'd like to see guys like DeMerit and Altidore in there, who are currently looking to prove their worth for perspective bidders in the transfer market.
Ramsey: It's a tricky situation for some of these guys. If Altidore and DeMerit come in and look terrible, which wouldn't be a huge shock considering that they probably are neither match fit nor sharp on the ball after a month off, it could actually be costly to them in their search for a place to play. For the established European pros there really isn't an upside. Honestly, the only guys who will benefit from this type of match are the ones with a lot left to prove. Like how he played, or hate how he played, Jozy Altidore had four World cup matches to show the interested clubs what they were getting. It's time to start building the new group. Call in Jose Torres if he's willing to come. Let Landon Donovan be the big name star of the group, and surround them players that could have a chance to feature in the 2014, but that haven't been part of the setup so far. Honestly, other than Bedoya, Davies, Adu and possibly Eddie Johnson, I'd rather not see players called away from their European clubs for a match that means absolutely nothing. The biggest thing for American players at this point is becoming regular starters for their clubs in Europe, not facing Brazil.
Vertelney: Altidore absolutely has something to prove, and he should look at this match as a chance to do it. Davies needs to stay with Sochaux for now, at least until he starts to get some actual match time in the league. Otherwise, call up the bulk of the World Cup squad with fringe guys like Sacha Kljestan and Bedoya taking the spots of guys like Dempsey and Ricardo Clark. Though they're facing a B-squad, this is no ordinary B-squad. This Brazil side may have done better than the actual Brazil side did in the World Cup. The USA does not want to get embarrassed.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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