StartingEleven Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Sorry but I have to challenge your and Sean assessment of Dunfield first half performance. I did the same exercice I did for the game against Greece. I look at our midfield trio (DeRo, Dunfield and Atiba) and counted the times they lost possession and when they won it. I also took a special look at Dunfield pass. Here's the breakdown: Dunfield won the ball for us 5 times (add to that a goal) and had 1.5 giveaways. One was a pass to an offside position Jackson (that's a .5 because it's Jackson responsability to be onside and TBH I can live with that sort of loss of possession) and the other one was a bad pass to an injure Jakovic (almost resulted in a breakaway chance but Mckenna was there). All others pass he made (22) went on target (no ball out of the lines or for goal kicks). Atiba won the ball once and lost it 4 times. I could've add a really bad play when he was acting as our last defender after a Canada CK and he went challenging in the midfield leaving a huge gap behind. DeRo won it once and loss the ball twice. I really don't know what game some of you watch wednesday but before he made that bad giveaway around the 37th min, Dunfield was excellent. His short passing game was superb and he help move the ball quickly around the midfield. No crazy long balls. I'll complete the exercice by looking at the second half. I have to agree, yeah Dunfield has been stinking it up with Caps lately but I thought he played exceptionally well versus Ecuador, there's a reason most pundits gave him MOM. All I know is when Dunfield and Simpson came off the game broke down a bit and left us short in the middle... Jakovic's injury didn't help either and don't even get me started on giving Rob Friend anymore time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yeah I had the same impression of Dunfield's play, I thought he was very good in the passing game, patient and making good passes that left his teammate in a good situation to continue the build up. Atiba's stats are probably a result of trying to create, I thought he was excellent and I can remember at least a couple times where his defensive takeaway set up a chance for Canada. Technically you would except DeRo, who was playing offensive mid, to be theone with most giveaways as he's the one who asked to create. Atiba wasn't bad in that first half, he was pretty good but had some easy turnovers too. TBH, nothing to worried about for Atiba. Also, looking at the first half, Johnson really struggled but made one of the most important defensive play when he cames back to stop and Ecuadorian attack in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 -------------------------Borjan Ledgerwood----McKenna---Hainault----deJong --------------deGuz--------------Dunfield Jackson----------------Atiba-------------Simpson ---------------------Friend/Gerba Atiba can attack. He can be that guy for us. DeRo is going to be a great option off the bench, his presence and reputation will totally throw teams in the second half. Dunfield is great and we need his passion and strength back there. He is a perfect dm partner for Julian who will either bring his A game for this tournament or lose his starting spot for qualifiers completely. With these two dm's I think we don't lose a lot by putting hutch at the top of that triangle. I see Johnson and Julian being really similar at this point, but I'd stick with Julian for now. All 3 are excellent actually, we are lucky. Wingers are fine. Striker we are screwed no matter what, unless we slot Johnson on the right and put Jackson up top. Johnson can start anywhere in the midfield and not look out of place, but he stays on the bench for me due to his lack of creativity going forward. And that is such a disappointment given the role he played at the U20 level. I hate deRo playing in the hole. But that's what i think Hart will do. And I think Hart will start Johnson as well. And friend due to gerba being late joining camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 ----------------------------Borjan Ledgerwood----McKenna---Klukowski----DeJong --------------------Dunfield---Hutchinson ----Johnson---------DeGuzman---------Simpson ----------------------------Jackson Depending on what is needed, there's options to sub in DeRosario either behind Jackson or on the right flank. Or you can drop someone like Gerba or Friend up front and push Jackson wide and sub out Johnson or DeGuzman. It's on the defensive side, but there's a lot of ball winners who can hopefully disrupt the U.S. while still maintaining possession. I know DeGuzman isn't anywhere near his top form, but I also don't think he was anywhere near as poor as his detractors are making out. His first touch are still as good as there is on the team. I don't think he's as slow as some are making out. I think he offers more work than DeRosario against Jones and Bradley. I could live with DeRo in that spot too. This was my biggest toss-up in the 11. I think Dunfield deserves a start and can help protect the McKenna-Klukowski pairing. He's going to need to learn to ride the line when it comes to heavy tackles in CONCACAF, but I think we've missed a kind of true ball-winner going almost back to Dasovic. I think he brings enthusiasm and still has just enough quality to play at this level. He'll get by on his effort, but he still has flashes of true class. He's going to have to move the ball quicker against the U.S. though. I don't think Ledgerwood offers much going forward and would like to see someone better at RB, but I was very impressed with his defensive work in his last two outings and he did a nice job in Arroyo which is no small feat. I don't think we can afford to play McKenna and Hainault in the middle against the US. I'm not sure they have enough pace to deal with Altidore and Donovan running at them. Againt Panama or Guadeloupe, sure try them together. This is assuming Jakovic can't go. Though Hainault (and Edgar) do play right back for their clubs at times, I don't think either are well suited to that role internationally. In this game I'm not sure I want to see Hainault dealing with Dempsey 1v1 a whole lot. It's going to be a big test for Ledgerwood, but I think his quickness and the defensive side of his game is a strength. I wouldn't mind seeing DeJong get a look on that side once Klukowski gets back into form. I prefer Klukowski on the left, esp. if he's playing weekly with Simpson. Jakovic and McKenna are growing on me, but if Jakovic gets hurt I'm not crazy about the options to fill in for him. Hopefully Attakora gets his game back together and gets some chances with Cann out. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hodgkiss Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 i like: -----------------------Borjan----------------------- --------------Jakovic---------Mckenna------------ Peters-----------------------------------Klukowski -------------Hutchinson---DeGuzman------------- Johnson-----------------------------------Simpson ----------------------Jackson----------------------- -----------------------Gerba------------------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleA Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 All signs point to Jakovic being out. A CSA official told Molinaro that it's doubtful. With that said they should announce this as soon as possible and get his replacement in to start playing with the team. It's between Edgar and Straith and given their lack of playng time this season it's a bit up in the air. As for Edgar, about a month ago he said this in an article, "I’ve got a tournament for Canada so it’s not going to be a leisurely summer, I’m going to be playing football and staying fit,” said the 23-year-old, who will hope to be involved in games against host nation the USA, Guadeloupe and Panama next month. I’ll go home and see some family and enjoy playing for my country.” http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/9016374.Edgar_impresses_in_rare_Burnley_start/ So I'm assuming he's already in the country? He impressed people when he last played for Burnley so maybe he'll do the same for us who knows. With the roster we have I like this: Borjan Ledgerwood-Hainault-McKenna-De Jong De Guzman-Hutchinson Jackson-De Rosario-Simpson Friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I know DeGuzman isn't anywhere near his top form, but I also don't think he was anywhere near as poor as his detractors are making out. His first touch are still as good as there is on the team. I don't think he's as slow as some are making out. I think he offers more work than DeRosario against Jones and Bradley. You're right, DeGuzman isn't near top form, but I found it disconcerting that he had trouble tracking the quicker Ecuadorian mids in 1 v 1 match ups on a number of occasions: he obviously be better than DeRo against the US mids you mentioned, but frankly that isn't saying much. Dunfield's good positionally in front of the back four but that doesn't translate into better ball winning capabilities, either: he got "outquicked" on a couple of 50/50s and the rash challenge factor is something to be aware of (that was a needless yellow he took in the match). As loyola pointed, Dunfield had one really poor giveaway but DeGuzman also had a similar giveaway in the second half but the back line were better positioned to snuff it out. Overall, I'm actually quite happy with the quickness of his passing, using a lot of shorter first time and second touch passes and some quick lateral switches. After watching this match again on tape I still feel we lack a dominant ball winning horse in the middle of the park (though I was pleased to see Hutchinson bundle his opponent off the ball in the first half to create the chance for Jackson's quality crack from the edge of the box). One play in particular had me chuckling when I froze the frame around 79:00 of the match, where both DeRo and Hutchinson were marking the Ecuadorian player on our left yet weren't really closing him down, instead both taking turns weakly have one leg in the air "tai chi" style trying to block a potential pass. Fortunately, the opponent didn't dribble the ball between them with a quick burst (there was plenty of room and two off balance defenders). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 You're right, DeGuzman isn't near top form, but I found it disconcerting that he had trouble tracking the quicker Ecuadorian mids in 1 v 1 match ups on a number of occasions: he obviously be better than DeRo against the US mids you mentioned, but frankly that isn't saying much. Dunfield's good positionally in front of the back four but that doesn't translate into better ball winning capabilities, either: he got "outquicked" on a couple of 50/50s and the rash challenge factor is something to be aware of (that was a needless yellow he took in the match). As loyola pointed, Dunfield had one really poor giveaway but DeGuzman also had a similar giveaway in the second half but the back line were better positioned to snuff it out. Overall, I'm actually quite happy with the quickness of the passing, using a lot of shorter first time and second touch passes and some quick lateral switches. After watching this match again on tape I still feel we lack a dominant ball winning horse in the middle of the park (though I was pleased to see Hutchinson bundle his opponent off the ball in the first half to create the chance for Jackson's quality crack from the edge of the box). One play in particular had me chuckling when I froze the frame around 79:00 of the match, where both DeRo and Hutchinson were marking the Ecuadorian player on our left yet weren't really closing him down, instead both taking turns weakly have one leg in the air "tai chi" style trying to block a potential pass. Fortunately, the opponent didn't dribble the ball between them with a quick burst (there was plenty of room and two off balance defenders). I have a theory on the Dunfield yellow. I think he did it because he knew Jakovic was injured (no one played the ball out at the time) and he probably knew he was going to get substitute at halftime. I agree about the lack of ball winner in the middle. I think Johnson would be our best bet at doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 We have some decent options and Hart has some tough decisions to make! I kind of like the lineup others have posted with Dunfield and JDG in front of the back 4, this would probably take Johson off the field though! I wasn't real happy with Jackson being left on an island as the lone striker, it just doesn't suit him but I'm glad Hart tried it because I think we all were wondering how it would work, it didn't! For me it would be hard not to have Dunfield involved after the half he played at BMO and the enthusiasm he brings but not at the expense of JDG who must be given a shot to return to form! Loyola I think is right about that yellow Dunfield got, he reacted to the injury and the ball not being played out we need some of that in the lineup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theaub Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 -------------------------Borjan Ledgerwood----McKenna---Hainault----deJong --------------deGuz--------------Dunfield Jackson----------------Atiba-------------Simpson ---------------------Friend/Gerba Atiba can attack. He can be that guy for us. DeRo is going to be a great option off the bench, his presence and reputation will totally throw teams in the second half. Dunfield is great and we need his passion and strength back there. He is a perfect dm partner for Julian who will either bring his A game for this tournament or lose his starting spot for qualifiers completely. With these two dm's I think we don't lose a lot by putting hutch at the top of that triangle. I see Johnson and Julian being really similar at this point, but I'd stick with Julian for now. All 3 are excellent actually, we are lucky. Wingers are fine. Striker we are screwed no matter what, unless we slot Johnson on the right and put Jackson up top. Johnson can start anywhere in the midfield and not look out of place, but he stays on the bench for me due to his lack of creativity going forward. And that is such a disappointment given the role he played at the U20 level. I hate deRo playing in the hole. But that's what i think Hart will do. And I think Hart will start Johnson as well. And friend due to gerba being late joining camp. Agreed with this 100%. Won't happen though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I'd be very surprised if Johnson doesn't start. Hart has started him almost every game since he's taken over the head coaching role. I'd start Johnson over De Guzman at this point without question really. Johnson plays a very important role on the best team in the MLS right no with Real Salt Lake. De Guzman is having a poor season with one of the worst in MLS. I wouldn't be suprised to see a midfield of Hutchinson, Johnson and De Rosario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I'd be very surprised if Johnson doesn't start. Hart has started him almost every game since he's taken over the head coaching role. I'd start Johnson over De Guzman at this point without question really. Johnson plays a very important role on the best team in the MLS right no with Real Salt Lake. De Guzman is having a poor season with one of the worst in MLS. I wouldn't be suprised to see a midfield of Hutchinson, Johnson and De Rosario. Absolutelly agree with this and I'm a bit confused as to why Johnson was started out right, other than to give Dunfield some time and still have Johnson on the pitch. I'd still like to see: ------------------Gerba------------------------- Simpson---------DeRo--------------Jackson -----------Hutchinson--Johnson--------------- De Jong---McKenna----Hainault----Klukowski ----------------Borjan----------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Absolutelly agree with this and I'm a bit confused as to why Johnson was started out right, other than to give Dunfield some time and still have Johnson on the pitch. Johnson doesn't give you anywhere near the offensive threat that Simpson does on the right but he is positionally solid defensively, especially in support of the RB, and that was in evidence on several occasions vs Ecuador. Based on what I have seen in matches over the year I would prefer Johnson in the central three, with Hutchinson. DeRo would complete the group, but things may change after the first match. Unfortunately Pacheco, the third member of the midfield in the victory over Belarus, hasn't been brought up in discussion here (however I haven't really checked the other threads). As an aside, I think Hart's made somewhat of a gaffe with his statement that he's not bringing guys from MLS to sit on the bench at the GC (or pretty much words to that effect, I can't find the exact quote right now). That's one reason why I think the idea of DeRo being on the subs' bench just isn't going to fly, and perhaps the same for JDG. The former, in particular, has the potential to pull a Vic Hadfield and jet his way back to his club if he is dropped or not starting. I'm going on the record here to say that based on the present and the recent past that this group has played together, the midfield three of DeRo, JDG, and Hutchinson isn't going to work for us in this tournament. I've got a feeling they'll be starting in the first match, but I don't think they'll be finishing the tourney (i.e., Hutchinson will have new partners). Hopefully I'm proven wrong (yet again) and things turn out well for us with these three in the middle of the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
closetboostie Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 So after thinking (dreaming) about this upcoming match for a few days after Ecuador, here is what I would like to see. ------------------------Friend------------------------ -Simpson-----------Hutchinson------------Jackson- --------De Guzman---------Johnson---------------- De Jong---Klukowski----Mckenna---Ledgerwood ---------------------Hirschfeld----------------------- subs- Dunfield for Deguzman, Peters for Ledgerwood, Gerba or De Ro for Friend I put forward this lineup on the assumption that Klukowski is comfortable at Center Back, and that's purely on the conjecture I've seen on this board, I don't remember seeing him play there. If he can though, we all know his quality, it would be nice to have him on the field and also with Canada being thin at CB it might settle things down for us back there. I'd tell De Guzman to run his balls off for 60 minutes and then send Dunfield on for the last 30. Hopefully then we get the best destructive performance out of both of them. I like moving Johnson back to the middle as he's such a hard worker and maybe if he's fading thats' who you sub out. Especially in this first match our DMs need to be active and take away time from the Americans. I'm not sold on Ledgerwood and whether he can help us keep possession. If Jackson is going to be on the right we need our RB to further the build up and not just make backpasses for the GK to boot up the field. That being said he was fairly safe defensively and maybe that's what we need in this match. Peters could come on and give us a different dimension late. I think you have a couple options with the 3rd substitution. Give Gerba a chance in Friend's spot or bring De Ro on the right side and push Jackson up. Like a few have said, would be interesting to see how De Ro handled not starting but he can still add something dynamic off the bench. Obviously the subs would depend on the situation but we have a few different options and the urgency of some competition could help our players raise their level of performance. For me the GK position is a tossup and they will both play and have their chance to stake a claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Nothing we didn't already know, but Jakovic officially out of the tournament: http://www.dcunited.com/news/2011/06/gold-cup-canadas-jakovic-ruled-out-of-tournament Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Giving it some thought and i'm convinced we'll see Johnson out on the right again tomorrow night to help cover Landon Donovan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
closetboostie Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Giving it some thought and i'm convinced we'll see Johnson out on the right again tomorrow night to help cover Landon Donovan. So do you think Jackson starts up top then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Apparently Johnson is fighting injury. I'm not writing him in in pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Apparently Johnson is fighting injury. I'm not writing him in in pen. http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2011/06/06/canada_injuries/ No mention of Johnson here but DeGuzman missed a training session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdude Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 http://blogs.thescore.com/footyblog/2011/06/06/de-guzman-set-to-miss-usa-match/ Looks like de Guzman is doubtful to startas he was playing with the reserve team Al-Shabaini and Nakajima-Farran are staying home and won't travel with the team. As you can only dress 18 per match. It looks like Gerba will start on the point with Simpson on the left Johnson on the right. Dero as a attacking mifielder and Hutchinson and Dunfield as holding midfielders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleA Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Wow Gerba to start and Jackson on the bench? Wasn't even thinking that against Guadeloupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThiKu Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Doubt it re: Gerba. Having seen Jackson up top v. Ecuador and Gerba not having played, Gerba needed an opportunity to play with the first team. Jackson will start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshieScores Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 wouldn't be surprised if Gerba starts at the top... He can hold up the ball well against physical side like US and can also score like the Der Cucumber Bomber! However I would be surprised if Johnson starts on the right wing instead of Jackson. We need pace on both side of flanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 This sounds a little like an 8-1-1 to me. I think Hart might be trying secure the back as much as possible. If were gonna bunker then I think Johnson makes the most sense out on the right instead of Jackson. With the large goal differences last night a tight game could make a big difference if we slip to 3rd in the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killgod Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 How many goals did Jackson score as a sub for Norwich? Let Gerba grind them down and Jackson to torch them late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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