Completely agree. He showed a lot of poise and recognition to take is time and bury the shot, especially for such a young player.

Yep - would love to see Williams in place of Edu, just to see if that works any differently. Not sure who goes out to the right in that scenario though - perhaps Sacha?

Solid observations and points. Sounds like this really boils down to philosophy, or even an aspirational POV. I agree that he has been something of a work in progress when we don't have the ball (though prior to the injury, he appeared to be improving). I do think we need to have somebody in there that has the vision, presence, and touch to effectively transition to a more offensive posture. Too many times I see rushed or outright dumb passes from that position that just put the recipient in a bad position, leading to loss of possession. Torres in that slot full-time is probably an ambitious thought, but I'd like to see how it works.

I agree and disagree. I agree with your assessment of where JT tends to play, but would argue he would wear the 8 shirt in this setup, and thus have a number 6 handling the majority of the DM stuff. He would be more of a swingman. Seems JK has been waffling a bit on how to man the 8 roles - sometimes it is Edu, who seems too defensive and our attack lacks smoothness. Where I really disagree a situation with a lot of pressure in the midfield. This is where Torres excels and are more defensive-minded midfielders suffer and squander possession. JT's ability on the ball and ability to pass out of danger alleviate this pressure. Just my thoughts - I'm excited he's back in that he provides a defter touch than we have had in that slot and contributes to possession (if not incisive passes).

Small Bar in Chicago. Covered in beer after that. Phenomenal.

Thats a valid point Papi - competition is good. I happen to think it's possible he can be a better central defender than the ones we have, particularly in situations where the US is playing inferior opponents who are intent on parking the bus. My opinion has nothing to do with where he plays professionally, but rather how he plays and what he could add to the back line from a passing perspective. Defensively, he seems to have the ability to hold up, particularly if the majority of the work would be against counters. I am not too familiar with how Goodson is in terms of passing, but understand he is a solid defender and good in set pieces. If he is a better solution, so be it. I guess what I am looking for is less hoofing the ball up the field, and more connections between our back line and mid/attackers. Apologies for the dupe - originally put this in the wrong spot.

Thats a valid point Papi - competition is good. I happen to think it's possible he can be a better central defender than the ones we have, particularly in situations where the US is playing inferior opponents who are intent on parking the bus. My opinion has nothing to do with where he plays professionally, but rather how he plays and what he could add to the back line from a passing perspective. Defensively, he seems to have the ability to hold up, particularly if the majority of the work would be against counters. I am not too familiar with how Goodson is in terms of passing, but understand he is a solid defender and good in set pieces. If he is a better solution, so be it. I guess what I am looking for is less hoofing the ball up the field, and more connections between our back line and mid/attackers.

I'm not watching a lot of Ranger's games, but Edu has not been excellent or even good in recent USMNT games in the midfield, particularly in the 3-man CM setup, and more specifically in the final third. That being said, he has played some CB and is a better passer than Gooch or Demerit. If he doesn't have the skills to play CB, then so be it, but in situations where the US has to carry the play to the opposition I'd rather have somebody more capable of unlocking a defense in the mid, and somebody who helps sustain possession in the back (Edu). I don't have a problem with Edu in the midfield, just willing to explore some other options of getting our best on the field.

Is Mo Edu still an option for CB? Haven't heard much of this in awhile, but I still like the idea of it. Partnering him with Ream, particularly in games where we can expect a lot possession seems appropriate.

Was completely fooled -nice work.

at a certain point (and hopefully we are close), having the bashers is good. any publicity is good publicity at this point. nobody takes jim rome seriously anyway. if he wants to bash soccer, let him.

Dear Rico Clark, Thanks for your efforts, turn in your kit. We can never see you again. Dear Robbie Finley, Thanks for being fast, learn to finish. Dear Bob Bradley, Thanks for a wonderful run, but see the above. Those two are not ready for this stage and it showed today. The world cup requires world class players. Clark has always been a disaster on the ball and it was only a matter of time. All that being said, it was a fun tournament - thanks!

back to small bar division st. in chicago - there is a rally starting at 8:30 - should be great

i went to division st. for the first two games (per tradition) - was completely packed by 6:30am (more so for the saturday game). that being said, if you are a US fan (and I expect you are), there is no better place to watch a game in the city. great bar, great fans, great beer. espn was filming there for the slovenia match. my understanding is that the fullerton location has been pretty busy as well. go early if you can!

need to switch it up - moving from small bar division to small bar fullerton - in chicago

small bar, chicago

the technical explanation is that there are no line breaks in the posted link and the entire comment width is expanded to the maximum line length (in this case, the link). if it mattered you could use a bit.ly type link shortener to prevent this.

you could probably subtract 1.5 from each of these numbers and get a better look at what the team played like. nobody was really worth even a seven (maybe howard).

yep - this team did not look dangerous until it didn't matter

Agreed. I think everybody is. I am wondering how the staff will adapt to this concern and what will happen tactically to help relieve the back 4. Hopefully this does not result in more hoofing it down the field. Would like to see JFT in there to provide a patient outlet for the back 4. We will need to slow down the game and at least try and hold the ball a bit.

There was no dig at BB intended. Historically he has chosen to use more defensive-minded central midfielders and most of the attack is generated down the flanks. I wondered if Ives had this in mind when choosing a striker over playmaking midfielder. Both are positions of need, though the latter less so if it doesn't make sense in our style of play. Hard to argue with Rooney in any situation though. The EA nomenclature is really an argument in semantics. I do agree that some of the terms in there seem redundant (and frankly annoying when trying to build your team or switch formations on the fly).

Whoah - sorry to strike your nerve there. Yes, playmaker was the point. As to your other point, do think that video games represent a significant entry point for younger people into the game (at least from an analysis perspective) and that the vernacular is going to catch on one way or the other - or at least be accommodated? How many copies of FIFA 10 have sold?

Ives, Would you have chosen more of a CAM over Rooney if you though BB would use one? (SBI-I personally hate any and all references to the phrase "CAM" since it's based in video game lingo and you won't find a professional soccer coach anywhere who would use it (or at most, a VERY small few). As I've said before, until there's a LAM and RAM, I think CAM is silly. Say playmaker, attacking midfielder, but when you say CAM you lose a bit of credibility with me. That's just a pet peeve of mine. As for the idea of adding a playmaker, which was your point, I think the U.S. midfield can be strong enough to make the most out of having a cold-blooded striker who will finish almost all his chances like Rooney will.)

Perhaps he is referring to moguls which has both speed and flips.

and apologies for the length of that post