This is an experimental team.
Beasley seems more dangerous from the LB spot than FJ, so he gets the nod. Besler is the glue to hold the backline together. Brooks showed me enough I want to see if he is ready to step up now and claim his spot. Cherundolo is the only RB in the current US pool who has proven to be a capable international RB. In his absense, the auditions continue.
Mix/Bradley is the riskiest part of this lineup, but has a potential reward that justifies it. Rather than having one creator (if Bradley pushes forward) or none (if JJ does), you potentially have two creators--Bradley deep-lying and Mix further forward. It could fail spectacularly, but this pairing has the most potential of the possible defensive mid pairs and now is the time to find out if it will work.
For the attacking mids, Dempsey and Donovan are givens, the only question is where exactly they play. This lineup envisions Beasley overlapping along the left, Dempsey running to the inside (as he did so effectively for Fulham), Johanssen operating out wide right and LD pulling strings in the middle or pairing up top with Altidore depending on situation. Zusi would be the safe pick on the right and his limited skills fit the job description perfectly. However, Johanssen is more dynamic. His debut was exciting enough I want to see how he works with better creators around him.
Up top, Altidore is another given. He has shown speed, strength on the ball, vision, touch and deadly finishing recently. He's not going to take on the defense alone, but other than that he brings everything you could ask for from a striker.
Tactically, this team is meant to keep constant pressure on the opposition. Any time the US has the ball, they should be a real threat. And with this team's IQ, vision and dribbling skills bunkering should be suicide. Of course, creating chances sometimes means taking chances, something that could come back to burn this team. It should make for exciting football, though.
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Jasontammyrobert Poole
over 10 years
This is an experimental team. Beasley seems more dangerous from the LB spot than FJ, so he gets the nod. Besler is the glue to hold the backline together. Brooks showed me enough I want to see if he is ready to step up now and claim his spot. Cherundolo is the only RB in the current US pool who has proven to be a capable international RB. In his absense, the auditions continue. Mix/Bradley is the riskiest part of this lineup, but has a potential reward that justifies it. Rather than having one creator (if Bradley pushes forward) or none (if JJ does), you potentially have two creators--Bradley deep-lying and Mix further forward. It could fail spectacularly, but this pairing has the most potential of the possible defensive mid pairs and now is the time to find out if it will work. For the attacking mids, Dempsey and Donovan are givens, the only question is where exactly they play. This lineup envisions Beasley overlapping along the left, Dempsey running to the inside (as he did so effectively for Fulham), Johanssen operating out wide right and LD pulling strings in the middle or pairing up top with Altidore depending on situation. Zusi would be the safe pick on the right and his limited skills fit the job description perfectly. However, Johanssen is more dynamic. His debut was exciting enough I want to see how he works with better creators around him. Up top, Altidore is another given. He has shown speed, strength on the ball, vision, touch and deadly finishing recently. He's not going to take on the defense alone, but other than that he brings everything you could ask for from a striker. Tactically, this team is meant to keep constant pressure on the opposition. Any time the US has the ball, they should be a real threat. And with this team's IQ, vision and dribbling skills bunkering should be suicide. Of course, creating chances sometimes means taking chances, something that could come back to burn this team. It should make for exciting football, though.