Discussion: Overage Candidates for 2008 Olympics

This clinches it: we need to discuss the overage options for the U-23 squad this summer.

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McBride on the U-23 squad? Yes, please. He's a great option, and for so many reasons:

1) The national depth pool at forward is seriously lacking; we don't have many quality options. McBride is a gun (best target forward in U.S. history, by most arguments) and is still very capable of scoring with both feet and the top of his head. Christ, even the senior national team would take him back in a heartbeat. Need I say more?

2) As things stand right now, Jozy is our #1 and Freddy our #2 for forward. After that, what with Davies and Findley, the quality up top drops off significantly. McBride would both relieve Jozy Altidore from the responsibility of starting each and every game and share some of the physical pressure during matches should Nowak play them side by side. During the qualifying matches Jozy faced less of the strategic man-marking he's used to in the MLS and more of the hack-and-tackle treatment one usually sees with young defenders being introduced to the international game. He can expect more of the same in China. With McBride distracting the defense, Jozy will have the room to shine, much like Zizzo and Szetela did for Adu in Canada for the U-20's.

3) I'm not questioning Adu's leadership ability, but the fact remains that he's still young and still new. This summer would be McBride's first Olympics too, but there's no doubt in my mind that his presence on the squad would only serve to calm the players and staff. What's more, between McBride and Nowak, the U-23 squad would be spoiled with international experience and guidance. I can only see McBride's inclusion with the U-23 squad as a positive thing.

What's more, Ives makes the point that McBride might be called up for U.S. World Cup Qualifying, which conflicts with the Olympics and obviously takes priority. That would be unfortunate, as I think McBride is the best overage option for the U-23's in the national pool-- but I also think it's unlikely. If McBride weren't an option for the Olympics, I would be making the case for Donovan based on the same logic. I should think that Donovan would be the better candidate for the senior national team and McBride the better for the U-23's. Likewise I wouldn't count on Tim Howard or Bocanegra or EJ or Dempsey. McBride for the U-23 squad, seniors for the senior squad (with a couple exceptions, as we'll see below).

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So we've got two more slots to fill. Who else should we consider? I'll name a few and then make some bold estimations as to their chances of being called up with the U-23's. (I'm assuming here that the current scheduling conflict between the Olympics and World Cup Qualifying can't be resolved. There's a chance it will, in which case this discussion changes.)

- Cory Gibbs. He's just getting back to fitness after a couple of devastating injuries. I'm sure he wants to get back in the MNT fold ASAP and will be looking for minutes wherever they might be. I'm also sure that Premiership-chasing Charlton would like some assistance getting Gibbs back on form. If he's called up to the MNT, he's a sub at best, but on the U-23's I see him playing every match. Could work well with Jonathan Spector and possibly Neven Subotic. 90%

- Frank Simek. If Bob Bradley wants a better look at Simek before more senior call-ups, the Olympics would be a great opportunity. Moreover, Simek would be a fantastic fullback option should Gibbs, Spector and Subotic be in camp. Let's have him. 90%

- Eddie Lewis. We really need relief on the left, both on defense and midfield. Lewis would be the best option for either count, and like McBride, he would be an excellent leader and mentor on and off the pitch. However, because Lewis is such a good option on the left, should Beasley still be injured by WCQ, I would think that Lewis is a likely call-up to the senior national team, moreso than McBride. 70%

- Jonathan Bornstein. I was surprised that he wasn't called up for qualifying. He's 23 right now; does that mean he's overage? He's a good option anyways. Bornstein at left back would free up Sturgis to cover the right, which would relieve a lot of my fears about Kamani Hill and Marvell Wynne. 60%

- Taylor Twellman. He's fizzled with the senior squad, but he should do very well if he were called up. As with McBride, Twellman could provide good cover for Jozy. It's either him or Ching with with the seniors for WCQ. 50%

- Brian Ching. See Twellman. 50%

- Jay Demerit. If he's not with the national squad, the U-23's could definitely use a bruiser like him, but I think it's more likely that he is with the national squad. 40%

- Marcus Hahnemann. Again, I want to challenge the idea that we need a keeper (though there is a slight dropoff between Seitz and Cervi), but if Nowak wants one anyways, Hahnemann is a very good choice. He's seen little minutes with the national squad, very little minutes indeed. I would think that Hahnemann is more likely than Guzan to hook up with the U-23's. 40%

- Brad Guzan. Many people are calling for El Guzano, and I'm surprised: I think Seitz is a quality option at goalkeeper and has the skills necessary to succeed at the Olympics. That said, Guzan is more developed and his presence on the squad would quash a good many fears about the security of the backfield. However, even if Guzan is called up, there's a very good chance he'll be at a new club and would be unavailable to join the team. 30%

- Ramiro Corrales. Like Lewis, Corrales is a good option on the left, but San Jose will be relying on him to kickstart their return to MLS. 30%

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There are a few other MLS-based options (I'm thinking Hejduk, Conrad, Boswell, Olsen, etc.) but if there were a choice between a European-based player in his offseason and an MLS player in mid-season, I think Nowak would want the former.

So there you have it: McBride, Gibbs, and either Simek or Lewis. Nowak has some deciding to do.

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Finally, I want to petition for Neven Subotic to be welcomed into the national side. I hope we offer him a spot on the squad, and if we do, I hope he accepts. He would be a great addition.

What's more, I think Nowak will bring back Alvarez for the Olympics this summer. He would be foolish not to. I think Alvarez' exclusion from the qualifying tournament has less to do with his skill and more to do with his attitude. Hopefully he's made the necessary adjustment.

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Anyone I missed? Get at me with some comments.

Enjoy.

U-23 Olympic Qualifying: US 1-0 Panama

I'm going to stop calling these 'recaps' because honestly, I don't recap what happened in the game. I'm just posting what I think about it. And here's what I think about this one:

A clean sheet is just what Seitz and the US defense deserve. The Panamanian offense isn't the strongest of the group (by the numbers it's the weakest, actually) but it's to the US' credit that there were a scant few chances on goal.

On the other side of the field, our offense could use a little work, namely with finishing. Shots, boys; let's have more of them. I think ultimately what will lead to more shots is better service, and in that case, here's what needs to happen:

- Get rid of Gaven. I didn't see any creativity from him this game. He advanced the ball only to pass it laterally or backwards. I'd even be willing to experiment with Zizzo in his place.
- Centralize Freddy. He's the best finisher of the squad (which explains why he was up top), but he's also the most creative. He contributes more as a #10 in the hole than as a forward up top, or, ideally, as a CAM with the freedom to get forward. We saw a central Freddy in the U-20 tournament; let's see it again.
- Put Kljestan in the middle third. For this to happen he needs to be relieved of the bulk of his defensive duties, and for that to happen we need Edu playing as DM instead of McCarty. (I said it yesterday and I'll repeat it again today: the kid has the motor, but not the brain.) Problem is, there are only two ways Edu gets to play midfield: Ianni steps up in training and inspires some confidence in Nowak, or West Ham releases Spector. The latter is more likely, I think.

If we want more goals, this is what I think the lineup needs to look like:

------------------Altidore-----------------

-------------------Adu--------------------

Zizzo------------Kljestan------------Holden

-------------------Edu----------------------

Wynne----Spector----Orozco-------Sturgis

-----------------Seitz-----------------------

Otherwise, if one-nil victories are satisfactory, then what we saw tonight should suffice.


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Other notes:

- The Sturgis experiment seems to be working. There weren't many chances from the wing. Then again, there weren't many chances at all, but still, he's better than Freeman. Honduras will be the real test.

- Orozco is a fine addition to the squad. He is excellent on the tackle and works well with Edu. I don't have any complaints.

- Hill's touch and balance are better than Wynne's. Wynne has him beat for pace and stamina, though, and because both have sub-par positioning and awareness, my top choice for left-back would be Wynne. If Hill is an option on the left, why not try him on the wing? (More important question: is Hill injured? He wasn't on the bench.)

- Our set pieces aren't terrible; in fact, a couple of our corners were fearsome indeed. Nowak has obviously been drilling dead-ball plays during practice.

- I want to see more Holden. He was excellent for the first half-hour. His stamina is lacking a bit, which might be why he didn't start v. Cuba, but he's the best winger in the current squad.

- Speaking of wingers, how about the prodigal Salvatore Zizzo? Hannover was reluctant to let him go for the week, but he isn't showing much out wide. He worked very hard for very little. Better than Gaven, but still-- compared to the U-20 tournament, Zizzo is underperforming. Let's get back on form, Z.

- Nowak has picked a very balanced squad for this tournament, IMO. The team is neither overly offensive nor defensive and Nowak has options at almost every position on the pitch, even if some of those options are untested and experimental. If we had won v. Cuba, I would be satisfied. As it is, I wish we had more tried-and-true options up top and out wide. I wonder if Nowak misses Alvarez and Feilhaber going into a make-or-break match v. Honduras.

- This might be tempting the devil, but I'm curious about Cervi. He became very popular very fast. I want to see why.

- At one point the ESPN Deportes commentators mentioned something about DC United. Anyone know what? Also, a paradox: I appreciated the Spanish commentary of this match better than the Miles/Caligiuri abomination of the DC-Harbour View match.




Plato's Republic beckons.

Enjoy.