Since there aren't really any VT happenings right now (and no, I'm not going to comment on the fact that a recruit lifted 350 lbs or anything minor and boring like that), I thought I would talk more about the US Men's National Soccer Team. Specifically, I wanted to run a little bio and talk about what's going on with the different players on the team.
Landon Donovan - Left Midfield/Forward - He's the most heralded player for the US both here in the States and abroad (at least he's the most heralded non-goalkeeper), and that's mostly because he holds the record for the most career goals scored for the USMNT. Personally, I think that statistic is a little misleading because the vast majority of those goals came from penalty kicks, and most of the time he was not the one who earned the penalty in the box. But I also feel like Donovan takes way too much criticism from most of the avid USMNT fans. They expect him to be this high-octane goal-scorer like he is in MLS for the LA Galaxy, but the fact is that in the international game where players are taller and faster, Landon is a much better playmaker and distributor. Of all the players on the team, Landon has the best short passing skills, the best ability to cross the ball, and he has excellent vision and speed. I'm happy to see that coach Bob Bradley has realized that Landon is not a target forward in the international game and has largely been using Landon on the left wing, where he can run at players and use his speed and crossing as a huge advantage.
Jozy Altidore - Forward - Altidore is the closest thing the US has to a target striker, a role that he has accepted and excelled at in limited appearances. The best thing about Altidore, though, is that as good as he is... he's only 19 years old, and he'll continue to get better. When Jozy is in-form, he has the ability to dribble past opponents and take shots from tight angles, and he's got the speed, size, and ability to hold the ball up that you want in a target forward. The only problem is that right now, Jozy is not in great form. He was injured for a little while, but mostly his mediocre form is due to the fact that he isn't receiving ANY playing time with his club team. He started the Fall playing for Villareal in La Liga, the Spanish Premier League, and even scored a goal for them in a substitute appearance. However, during the Spring as Villareal's injured forwards became healthy again, there was no room for Altidore and he was loaned out to Xeres in the second division, where the coach refused to even assign Altidore a number, let alone let him into the game-day roster. So right now Jozy is having a difficult time running hard for the whole 90 minutes, and his decision-making, let alone his shot, seems very rusty.
Clint Dempsey - Right Midfield/Forward - Dempsey is the resident badass on the USMNT, mostly by his own admission, and has even put out a rap album in the past. Dempsey is extremely cocky, but if anyone has earned that right, it's Clint. He had an extremely good season starting for Fulham in the English Premier League where he tied for the co-lead in goals with 7. That'd be a pretty crappy number if he were Fulham's main striker, but as a midfielder that tally is very good. Typically, Clint shows more of a nose for the goal than any other player on the USMNT, but currently he has lost his edge. Clint's intelligent runs have ended with poor finishing on his part, and in the midfield he has been somewhat of a disaster, trying to juke other players and dribble past them rather than looking for the smart pass. Granted, Dempsey is the best dribbler on the team, and 1 v 1 is a great time to try some fancy dribbling around a player. 1 v 3 gets the ball stolen from you with a legit counter-attack headed towards your own goal. For whatever reason, Clint's recent demeanor with the national team has been grumpy and disinterested, and the only way I can reason that would be if he's just tired from a long season. I sure hope he comes around against Brazil tomorrow.
Michael Bradley - Central Midfielder - As that coach's son, you might think that Bradley would just slack off and realize that he doesn't need to do much to earn his spot on the team, but contrary to that belief, the 21-year-old has shown that he wants to legitimately claim that spot. Michael is a decent option as an attacking central mid, but his best position is as a holding/defensive central mid which is where his precise/electric tackling ability comes into play. Bradley is fast enough to run just about any player down, and once he gets there, he's hard to get the ball around. He does a very good job of linking up the defense with the offense. His only negative that I can think of is a slight penchant for picking up yellow cards with late tackles, but I can live with that. Like Altidore, he will only get better as he gets older and more experienced. Bradley plays for Borussia Monchengladbach in the German Bundesliga (Germany's premier league), and helped his team to narrowly escape being relegated to the second division. I wouldn't be surprised to see a better team snatch Bradley up for next season.
Ricardo Clark - Central Midfielder - Ricardo is another central midfielder who is better in a holding/defensive role. He plays for the Houston Dynamo in the MLS where he is a decent attacking player, but on the international scene, his abilities only seem to translate against the smaller but quicker CONCACAF opponents. Personally, I'd like to see Bob Bradley use Clark against CONCACAF opponents only... against European teams, Clark gets pushed around he can't seem to find enough space to dribble. He's not a great passer, so European teams will play the passing lanes and pick him off. What you do get from Clark is hustle, tackling, and flat-out speed, but he should be left on the bench for the Confederations Cup.
Benny Feilhaber - Central Midfielder - Feilhaber is currently the best option for the US as an attacking central mid. He has the technical proficiency and footwork to make plays for the forwards/wings. He also has a wicked shot from distance. Defensively, you get a mixed bag from Feilhaber as he's inclined to give up on a play once he's been dispossessed, and he is not particularly apt at getting into the passing lanes as a defender. He's sort of a Clint Dempsey Lite, except that Dempsey has improved his defense over the last 2 years. Feilhaber could turn himself into a similar player except with better playmaking ability than Dempsey. Right now Feilhaber is playing for AGF Aarhus in the overrated Danish Premier League. Feilhaber's attitude has gotten him into trouble in the past, and I'm hoping he has a handle on that now because as far as pure talent, he's got it in spades. At 24 years old, he just hasn't quite put it together yet.
More to come...
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