2010 HWCI World Cup Pool - Pando! or Gordo? |
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PANDO! or GORDO? 2010 FIFA World Cup |
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P.B.P. ARRIVES ON FANTASY ISLAND!
Everyone > Just think on this > What if defensive midfielder
JERMAINE JONES was healthy and fully-integrated into the National Side? A
classy warrior in the middle .. ..
I believe that we would still be playing and would have beaten
URUGUAY to make it into the Semi-Finals .. .. Like I said, FANTASY ISLAND .. ..
And, here is our starting lineup for our first group match in
Brazil 2014:
GK: Tim Howard
D: Jonathan Spector – Omar Gonzalez – Oguchi Onyewu –
Eric Lichaj
DM: Michael Bradley
AM: Landon Donovan – Benny Feilhaber – Stuart Holden
F: Joseph Claude Gyau – Clint Dempsey
Like I said, FANTASY ISLAND .. ..
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> Did a very good job in putting
together a piecemeal club that was shattered when OGUCHI & CHARLIE went down ..
.. May need to be mindful of picking ‘lunchpail’ players over the more-talented
side members .. ..
And, as ENG taught us, the ‘old
school’ camp will get old after a while .. .. Hope USA G.M. Pam Perkins takes a
good long look at how the ENG Camp got real old, real fast .. ..
Brazil 2014: Fine by me, as long as he
keeps things fresh, we should be okay
TIM
HOWARD
– Magnificent shot-stopper who is nearing 100 Premiership shutouts .. .. His
defense of crosses and reading of the game can get a little iffy .. ..
> Just barely average for me;
Wished he came up with a few more big saves and allowing the first GHA goal was
soft .. .. His positioning has always been questioned and you can raise a
question that every single GA could have been stopped .. ..
Brazil 2014: I wouldn’t mind one bit if
we found a more complete GK .. ..
DEFENDERS
CARLOS
BOCANEGRA
– Classy
defender would love to be in the center and may be forced to play on the left
after the nauseous showing by Pearce v. CZE .. ..
> Terrific all Festival long –
Knew he couldn’t keep up with the speedier wingers, so he tucked in and
double-teamed the middle .. ..
Brazil 2014: PLEASE YES > USA doesn’t
have a more complete defender
JONATHAN
BORNSTEIN
– Thought
he got cut, wished he got cut .. .. Just hasn’t proved he can play against INT
competition and hold his own for a long stretch of time .. ..
> Maybe it was indicative of the
US defence that he played as many minutes as he did .. .. Didn’t do too badly
and didn’t hurt the team .. .. Added some hustle .. ..
Brazil 2014: We’ll see > Needs to
polish his game and perhaps go overseas
STEVE
CHERUNDOLO
– Still a
little short for me, but faces top-flight competition every week and it looks
like Coach Bradley wants him to come forward more often!
> Top-rate Festival performance;
Finally saw the Cherundolo that everyone has raced about!
Brazil 2014: see Carlos Bocanegra
JAY
DEMERIT
– You
wouldn’t think a guy who played at Watford would be suck a key, but he is .. ..
Vet of the Confed Cup run still having some vision problems .. ..
> Lunch-pail warrior did a good
job for us .. .. Might not be a world-class defender but he contested every
ball, was strong in the air and is the best-passing central defender that the
USA ever had .. ..
Brazil 2014: No complaints here
OGUCHI
ONYEWU
– Will
always get picked on when in INT competition because of his size .. .. Wish he
were healthy, but whatever his health, he’s got to play .. ..
> Wish he didn’t get hurt in 2009
otherwise it could have been a different story; His rustiness showed in how he
was reading the game .. ..
Brazil 2014: Needs to polish his game
more and get lots of minutes against top-rate rivals .. .. Needs to up his game
for the USA to move forward .. ..
MICHAEL
BRADLEY
–
Everyone loves him and I hope we still love him in July .. .. Hasn’t bowled me
over yet with his passing but he’s another who plays A+ foes weekly!
> I LOVE HIM NOW! Great Festival
performance and did everything out of the midfield – He’d be even better if he
didn’t have to do all the work .. ..
Brazil 2014: Should be the heart &
pulse of USA by then
RICARDO
CLARK
– For me,
he’s always been my guy @ D-Mid because he’s a terrific defender and doesn’t
give the ball away .. .. But MO is starting to grow on me .. ..
> Sad; Directly responsible for
the Gerrard (ENG) goal and gave the ball away v. GHA for their goal .. .. Hope
his game speeds up in Germany and adds some polish
Brazil 2014: Sure – I think he’ll be
fine
MAURICE
EDU
– Showed
v. CZE he can play in the back as well .. .. Midfield destroyer is strong in the
air with a wee bit of a scoring touch now .. ..
> Kind wish now he started every
match; Has leaped Rico Clark in my mind .. ..
Brazil 2014: We will need him
BENNY
FEILHABER
–
Cultured player in the center might be a starter, might not see a minute .. ..
Good first touch and ability to hold the ball got him his WC spot .. ..
> USA came alive whenever he was
on the pitch; Massively-talented and is the only other player other than LANDON
& CLINT that has a touch of brilliance
Brazil 2014: SURE STARTER
JOSE
TORRES
– Could
be the ‘secret’ that surprises the world .. .. Doubt nobody else know much about
him and he may have the best pitch vision and passing range of anyone on the
side .. .. Can be used in the middle, or left, or just to hold the ball and kill
the game!
> I still like him; Will need to
move on from MEX and get more minutes someplace playing in the middle and
recognizing his responsibilities going forward and defending … ..
Brazil 2014: Could be a key for the USA
in years to come; Could be a starter by 2014
JOZY
ALTIDORE
– Bags of
skill and can inherit the power-forward role that CHING would have supplied ..
.. May open a lot eyes worldwide – at least one hopes so .. ..
> Saw 50% Jozy this month; Still
a bit bothered by injury, personal issues and a lack of minutes @ Hull City ..
..
Brazil 2014: SURE STARTER if he gets
club goals & minutes
EDSON
BUDDLE
–
Mercurial finisher who has the best technical skills of any forward .. ..
Probably best as a starter and may not get many minutes unless a starter goes
down .. ..
> Probably should have started
instead of ROBBIE – just more skillful and talented than him .. .. Under-used
this past month .. ..
Brazil 2014: If he keeps it up > Sure
CLINT
DEMPSEY
– I hope
he plays up top with JOZY and was deadly there with Fulham this past season ..
.. And, I think USA is better with him up top & Holden on the right .. ..
> Probably the only US player
capable of starring on a top European club! Has all the technical abilities,
size and drive to make it .. .. And he’s unpredictable!
Brazil 2014: SURE STARTER
LANDON
DONOVAN
– Now is
the time! Bianca is banging someone else and all the drama with his estranged
dad if finally over! TIME FOR TAKEOFF!
> Well, I guess he was banging
someone, other than Bianca – Brazil will be his FOURTH World Cup already! Still,
can’t see an US team without him
Brazil 2014: SURE STARTER
ROBBIE
FINDLEY
– Part
one of the Ex-LA shock force! Will use his speed late in the match if the USA
needs it .. ..
> Speed – YES; Skill – NO .. ..
Just a bit player who is lucky he made it to South Africa!
Brazil 2014: Lucky if he’s in the PDL
by 2014
HERCULEZ
GOMEZ
– Gritty
finisher who finally gets his reward! Good two-way player who will track back
and harass others .. .. Will hurl himself into the penalty box late!
> Maybe he should have been used
more than Robbie .. ..
Brazil 2014: You never know, but I doubt it