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Who should start?


derofan

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Hey Guys

So I watched the match yesterday against Ecuador here is who i think played well and deserves to start

Starting

Dero- if used correctly will provide a good attacking option

Mckenna- Very solid at the back

Simpson- Very dangerous on the wing

Jackson- I am not convinced he should be used as a striker we should keep him on the wing

Hutch- Very solid and crisp passing

Deguzman- He looks like he is back in form

Dejong looked very confident and solid

Who I believe should not start

Rob Friend has no ball control technique what so ever he is just a cold body up front get him out plus he always misses headers!!!

Nik Ledgerwood- He looked very shaky at the back lacked

Will Johnson- I like will but I dont believe he is starting quality right now plus he missed that open net which could of given us the victory

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My surefire starters are Hutchinson, Simpson, and Jackson. Simeon could be played either wide right or up top. Unfortunately, he is the best option for both positions. McKenna, of course, and Jakovic if healthy.

Nobody else can really make an airtight case that they deserve to start. De Jong left McKenna exposed too often yesterday. I think Ledgerwood did well, and I favour him over Peters but it is my no means clear cut. I liked Dunfield's play better than Julian's, even if you ignore the scoring plays each player was involved in. Will Johnson is a good player, but his talents are somewhat wasted in the role he played yesterday. De Ro floated in and out of the game.

At this point Borjan is probably a better keeper than Hirschfeld, but I also like Hirsch's experience.

If I had to choose, and we are stuck with Hart's 4-2-3-1, this is my lineup:

Borjan

Ledgerwood - Jakovic - McKenna - Klukowski

Hutchinson - Dunfield

Jackson - De Ro - Simpson

Friend

I wouldn't mind seeing De Guzman or Hutchinson in that De Ro spot, although Hutch offers so much right where he was played yesterday.

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Hutch and Simpson are sure starter, Dunfield and Milan had good games and deserve the start. Jackson should be back on the wing, he his great as a stricker but not in our system. In the center of defense I would like to see Jakovic and Mkenna again but will Dejan be in shape? if not Hainault will get the nod mostly because we won't have other options. Unless we can call Edgar as injury cover? Up front Hart will probably start Friend but I think Gerba fits better in that system.

So many options, it won't be easy for Hart

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Hey Guys

So I watched the match yesterday against Ecuador here is who i think played well and deserves to start

Starting

Dero- if used correctly will provide a good attacking option

Mckenna- Very solid at the back

Simpson- Very dangerous on the wing

Jackson- I am not convinced he should be used as a striker we should keep him on the wing

Hutch- Very solid and crisp passing

Deguzman- He looks like he is back in form

Dejong looked very confident and solid

Who I believe should not start

Rob Friend has no ball control technique what so ever he is just a cold body up front get him out plus he always misses headers!!!

Nik Ledgerwood- He looked very shaky at the back lacked

Will Johnson- I like will but I dont believe he is starting quality right now plus he missed that open net which could of given us the victory

What GAME were you watching? Ledgerwood basically played an error-free game. All the Ecuador attack was coming up the middlle or on their right wing (on our LEFT BACK, de Jong). De Guzman did very little except for a moment of brilliance in the 94th minute. And I hardly noticed deRo until later in the 2nd half.

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Guys, stop looking past the 25-yard screaming from Dunfield and watch the game, he was actually REALLY bad in the centre of the park. A few really bad give aways, bad passes, he doesn't deserve the start.

I agree DeGuz has been poor as of late, and has done nothing to win the job, but he is a better option than Dunfield.

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First XI is pretty much selected in my opinion;

GK-TOSS UP (Borjan did great though except on the corner kick goal)

LB-De Jong

CB-McKenna

CB-Jakovic (if fit)

RB-Peters or Kluka

DM-Dunfield (ahead of JDG!)

CM-Hutch

CM-Johnson

AM/W-De Ro

CF-Jackson (or Gerba if 'in the mood')

LW-Simpson

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First XI is pretty much selected in my opinion;

GK-TOSS UP (Borjan did great though except on the corner kick goal)

LB-De Jong

CB-McKenna

CB-Jakovic (if fit)

RB-Peters or Kluka

DM-Dunfield (ahead of JDG!)

CM-Hutch

CM-Johnson

AM/W-De Ro

CF-Jackson (or Gerba if 'in the mood')

LW-Simpson

Yes he could have done better but the CB's had to mark their man and unfortunately they did not in that circumstance

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Funny how everyones interpretation is a bit different.

For me, Simpson is the player for us that can create something out of nothing. DeRosario, Jackson, and Hutchinson offer us some of that as well but everyone else just helps the team keep the ball.

For this reason they all have to be starting, along with:

Mckenna (experience and solid)

Johnson (work ethic and helps keep the ball)

The rest are really up in the air at this point. I am not convince Dunfield is a better option than Julian even though he had a good game and Julian was beat too easy too often. That being said I think Dunfield works harder and since both can distribute I would give the nod to Julian, maybe that will wake him up. I agree he does not look motivated, but I don't think he has a bad character. Personally I just think he has to get back into Europe in order to rediscover his passion.

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This game was just a friendly. You can check out stars all over the globe and you would be hard pressed to see a star player playing hard in a friendly. Julian will be solid in the Gold Cup. He has always been clutch in big games and I expect nothing less when it matters. His place is safe also. Maybe if he had something to gain like a Dunfield, perhaps we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

DeRo has to start on reputation alone. I know he isn't always consistent but it's hard to deny his passion.

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At this point JDG has to win the spot back during the GC itself. Dunfield starts the first game, I'm sure, and JDG replaces him at some point during that first match. He'll have to take advantage of that opportunity.

The loss of Jako is very concerning....

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Funny how everyones interpretation is a bit different.

For me, Simpson is the player for us that can create something out of nothing. DeRosario, Jackson, and Hutchinson offer us some of that as well but everyone else just helps the team keep the ball.

For this reason they all have to be starting, along with:

Mckenna (experience and solid)

Johnson (work ethic and helps keep the ball)

The rest are really up in the air at this point. I am not convince Dunfield is a better option than Julian even though he had a good game and Julian was beat too easy too often. That being said I think Dunfield works harder and since both can distribute I would give the nod to Julian, maybe that will wake him up. I agree he does not look motivated, but I don't think he has a bad character. Personally I just think he has to get back into Europe in order to rediscover his passion.

So, let me get this straight, Dunfield plays a great half of football, including scoring his first MNT goal in only his third game, the kind of striker from midfield sorely needed and yet virtually unseen in decades in a Canada shirt, has been solid for his club all season in his first season in a new league, and yet you think Julian should get the nod based on his poor half of the same match and presumably the fact that he used to be really quite a good footballer four or five years ago?!? WTF?

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So, let me get this straight, Dunfield plays a great half of football, including scoring his first MNT goal in only his third game, the kind of striker from midfield sorely needed and yet virtually unseen in decades in a Canada shirt, has been solid for his club all season in his first season in a new league, and yet you think Julian should get the nod based on his poor half of the same match and presumably the fact that he used to be really quite a good footballer four or five years ago?!? WTF?

Not only that, JDG is arguably the worst starting defensive midfielder in MLS right now and Dunfield has been consistently strong in the same position...

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Guys, stop looking past the 25-yard screaming from Dunfield and watch the game, he was actually REALLY bad in the centre of the park. A few really bad give aways, bad passes, he doesn't deserve the start.

I agree DeGuz has been poor as of late, and has done nothing to win the job, but he is a better option than Dunfield.

I think most people who said Dunfield played well mentionned his quick passing game (which is usually quite good despite one bad giveaway yesterday, Atiba also had a few of those) and his work ethic defensively.

I've seen Dunfield quite a few time since last year and I liked his positionnal sense in midfield. He's patient and rarely let the middle "unguarded" and those a good job at pressuring his opponents. He also makes some really nice passes and runs (last week against NYRB he got clear on a breakaway after a very nice run, his goal against TFC, etc.). He isn't the greatest athlete you've seen and sometimes makes bad plays (giveaways or bad fouls) but so far this year, I think he's playing at a better level than Julian and he looks more like a warrior than JDG. Character has been an issue for our team in the past, I don't think we can question Terry heart....

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Chalk me up as another one on the Dunfield bandwagon. The guy just works so hard and is so passionate to play for canada. Here's my starting 11:

Borjan

Klukowski-McKenna-Hainault-De Jong

Johnson-Dunfield

DeRo-Hutch-Simpson

Jackson

First of all, I dropped Johnson back to his natural DM role, which I think we can all agree is a better fit for the type of player he is than the offensive role he played last night. The other starting DM spot is Dunfield's to lose right now. I pushed Hutch up because he is our best player on the ball (other than Simpson, who is locked into that left wing) and I think he would be really effective creating our attacks, like he did in the Ukraine match. Keep Jackson up top because I think the triangle of Hutch-Jackson-Simpson would be a deadly asset on the attack. They're all so confident on the ball (compared to the rest of our players) and I'm sure could create some oppurtunities through creative runs and passing. DeRo on the right wing, but have Ricketts ready to sub in for some speed later in the game.

Oh yeah, and Klukowski at RB. Not that Ledgerwood did any less than an admirable job there last night, but it would be nice to have someone who can really support the attack and deliver a cross, which Ledgerwood doesn't offer (or didn't last night, I seem to recall a couple of weak, off target crosses from his position).

Attack minded football!

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remember when we would debate whether or not JDG was the best midfielder in concacaf?.....he was the best player on the team by a mile....he was feared by the opposition....he was always the face of the nats and centre of media attention.

that was only 2 years ago....since he moved to toronto he has become a take him or leave him kind of player....how did this happen?

he was MVP for his team in the top flight of spanish football!....is MLS a wile e. coyote anvil?

what a disaster that move has been.

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You might want to change 'screaming' to 'screamer'.

Although he did run 25+ yards screaming to the fans :o

Based just on last night only 2 get a double thumbs up from me and that is Simpson & Hutch

Single thumb up to Dero, Mckenna, Jackson.

I hope Ali Gerba can bring his A game because Friend isn't cutting it and we need some goals.

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The following line-up is probably too far from the standard one to try in the Gold Cup but I think it might be a very successful one. It does move some players from their usual positions but it puts our most skilled players on the field.

Borjan

Ledgerwood-McKenna- Klukowski-De Jong

Hutch - Dunfield

Jackson - Simpson - DeRo

Gerba

Obviously the big change is moving Simpson to central attacking mid. Hutch is an excellent player but is still missing something in his offensive game to really be dominant in this position. To put it simply, he is just not dangerous enough. Simpson may not play this position at his club but he has all the skills to do it, speed, excellent passing, good one on one and constantly dangerous. The defenders will not be sure whether they have to mark him closely because he is going to run at them or watch out on the sides because he is going to pass it off. To some extent I think he is wasted on the left side right now, not so much in Turkey because he has equally skilled players in the centre and right side but for us he is the only one with this level of offensive ability. Think of what a dangerous passing attack we could have with the ball going between DeRo, Simpson and Jackson with Gerba waiting to poach what they give him.

Klukowski has played CB for us before and done well in that position. We have no CBs currently who are above a mediocre level, along with RB it is our weakest position. Jakovic has the skills but needs to be playing in a better league to develop them. He is error prone but recovers well especially with his speed except that as we saw yesterday, international strikers are much harder to recover against than MLS strikers. Jakovic needs to play against better players to reach his potential. McKenna has a veterans sense of positioning which compensates for his lack of speed but still at best an adequate CB. I like Hainault but he is also slow and a pairing with McKenna is not optimal. We need at least one quality CB and the only one I can see in that role until Edgar or Straith develop is Klukowski.

Not too happy with Ledgerwood at RB. He did well enough yesterday and was solid defensively but still not much better than adequate. Peters probably offers more going forward but might be scary defensively. I might even be tempted to try JDG here. As I have said before, even though he doesn't like the position, Straith is a better RB than CB and I would like to see him play here. Ledgerwood is at the moment the safest choice and his lack of skill going forward could be compensated for by playing Hutch as the right side defensive mid. Hutch would also come back a lot more to allow Ledgerwood to have a better passing option.

I think with this line-up we would effective passing the ball up the wings on both sides instead of only the left like yesterday. The middle would also be a good option with Hutch and Dunfield both being good distributers and Simpson creating havoc.

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Tough decisions for the gaffer, that's for sure. The biggest one is whether JDG keeps his starting job. I still feel that Hart will make DeRo a starter, probably in the central attacking mid role.

I like Johnson, but I just don't think he's best used in the wide right position (like he was also used in the last GC); I like him in a more central d-mid role. Through his club's long CCL's run, the guy has "endured" more questionable CONCACAF reffing in recent times than anyone else on the roster so I'm seeing the argument that he is somewhat of a higher risk for a sending off (the younger Euro guys on our roster have a higher likelihood of running into problems). Dunfield, on the other hand, might be a different story in that regard. However, I thought the two had good chemistry vs Honduras in Montreal and I wouldn't be against seeing them reunited in that role in the tourney, with Hutchinson in front of them. Simpson is our best attacking threat, no doubt, and I liked what I saw of Jackson up top (he'd give the Americans a different look); still, Hart might opt to move Jackson to the right and hope that Gerba can deliver the goods up top.

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Guys, stop looking past the 25-yard screaming from Dunfield and watch the game, he was actually REALLY bad in the centre of the park. A few really bad give aways, bad passes, he doesn't deserve the start.

I agree DeGuz has been poor as of late, and has done nothing to win the job, but he is a better option than Dunfield.

I haven't seen the match yet but I agree with your assessment of Dunfield based on recent MLS action. A lot of Caps fans think TD should be on the bench. Having said this, for all his blunders, he makes some great plays that result in goals for his side. You have to take the good with the bad.

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Also for the record Will works very hard he has a lot of heart and endurance but he lacks goal scoring and attcking quality. Ledgerwood was solid at the back but his crosses were awful!! if he wins the LB position he should stay in defense and not move up the wing let hutch take the ball in. Also I hope Hart reads our posts because Friend should not!!!! get the start put Gerba in BTW Dobson mentioned that Gerba was in Montreal still getting medical clearence has he joined the team now???

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