So United States coach Bob Bradley went into his laboratory, he went to his chalk board, he rattled his Princeton educated noggin and he came up with ... this? Against mighty Brasil?
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton, England), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, England), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgium), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Bobby Convey (Reading, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (Derby, England), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)
Forwards: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich, Germany)
What in the wide world of Frank Clopas is going on here?
Nothing against him, but Davy Fuckin' Arnaud gets a nod and Jozy Altidore doesn't?
Am I am got dang crazy pills...again?!!!
Look Arnaud was actually money paired with Josh Wolff (another roster includee) in my first step on the coaching ladder in 'Fifa 05' with the KC Wizards. Nothing personal.
Simply look at the numbers, for whatever they are worth from MLS this season:
Alitdore: 17 games, 8 goals, 4 assists.
Arnaud: 23 games, 4 goals, 6 assists.
For their careers, Arnaud is 25 goals in 137 MLS games. Altidore is 11 goals from 24 career league games. The numbers speak for themselves.
Oh, here's the most important number -- 17.
As in how old Altidore is, the same age Wayne Rooney debuted for England four years ago. Seriously, are the powers that be at the USSF trying to make his first full senior-level cap special, like Johnny Drama's grand visions of love on the French Riviera at Cannes?
Christ, is Bradley trying to do Bruce Arena a favor to limit Altidore's exposure to European clubs and somehow keep him with the Red Bulls in the offseason?
Theres' no other explanation.
Well, maybe Landon Donovan is upset Jozy knocked him off the North American covers of the next FIFA game.
You're playing the world's best, most pedigreed team and you're opting for a 26-year-old MLS journeyman instead of by all accounts will be the next big thing? If that's not a defeatist attitude, what is? (It's not like Altidore didn't score against Brasil at the U-20 World Cup.)
The USSF (and Nike) are billing this as the "Clash of the Champions." Brasil is bringing a full team.
Goalkeepers: Doni (Roma), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)
Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Alex Silva (São Paulo), Lúcio (Bayern Munich), Juan (Roma), Alex (Chelsea), Kleber (Santos), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin),
Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Mineiro (Hertha Berlin), Josué (VfL Wolfsburg), Fernando (Bordeaux), Elano (Manchester City), Kaká (AC Milan), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid), Diego (Werder Bremen)
Forwards: Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Robinho (Real Madrid), Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow), Afonso (SC Heerenveen)
Dunga isn't sitting Ronaldinho, Robinho etc for guys like Fred. And that's not even an apt comparison since anyone associated with the Brasil team is pretty damned good. Yes a case could be made for Adriano over Afonso, but it's not like Brasil has trouble scoring goals.
This would be like Brasil recalling some guy, say, Rogério Márcio Botelho Gaúcho, toiling for Slavia Prague over Robinho.
In the words of Mike Tyson, "I'm so mad, what."
It just doesn't make sense. None.
What harm could bringing the kid Alitdore up to glorified exhibition be? Especially on home soil? If there's a burning desire to see what Wolff has left, use him vs. Catalonia or Switzerland. Not here.
As evidenced at the Copa, the game against Sweden and beyond the No. 1 problem for the USMNT is scoring goals. In just a short time in MLS and at the Under-21 level Altidore has shown a knack for it.
Let's not even get into Freddy Adu continuing to be looked over. I don't want to blow a gasket. (Petr Nowak has to have a hand in this.)
At the very least Jon Bornstein isn't on the team.
Every cloud has some silver linings, no?
In the end, this game is at 4 p.m. on the opening weekend of NFL games. Who's going to even notice.
I just hope I'm not the only person that's upset.
ALSO -- Sevilla got past AEK 4-1 today to qualify in the main draw of the Champions League. Good for them.
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton, England), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, England), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgium), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Bobby Convey (Reading, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (Derby, England), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)
Forwards: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich, Germany)
What in the wide world of Frank Clopas is going on here?
Nothing against him, but Davy Fuckin' Arnaud gets a nod and Jozy Altidore doesn't?
Am I am got dang crazy pills...again?!!!
Look Arnaud was actually money paired with Josh Wolff (another roster includee) in my first step on the coaching ladder in 'Fifa 05' with the KC Wizards. Nothing personal.
Simply look at the numbers, for whatever they are worth from MLS this season:
Alitdore: 17 games, 8 goals, 4 assists.
Arnaud: 23 games, 4 goals, 6 assists.
For their careers, Arnaud is 25 goals in 137 MLS games. Altidore is 11 goals from 24 career league games. The numbers speak for themselves.
Oh, here's the most important number -- 17.
As in how old Altidore is, the same age Wayne Rooney debuted for England four years ago. Seriously, are the powers that be at the USSF trying to make his first full senior-level cap special, like Johnny Drama's grand visions of love on the French Riviera at Cannes?
Christ, is Bradley trying to do Bruce Arena a favor to limit Altidore's exposure to European clubs and somehow keep him with the Red Bulls in the offseason?
Theres' no other explanation.
Well, maybe Landon Donovan is upset Jozy knocked him off the North American covers of the next FIFA game.
You're playing the world's best, most pedigreed team and you're opting for a 26-year-old MLS journeyman instead of by all accounts will be the next big thing? If that's not a defeatist attitude, what is? (It's not like Altidore didn't score against Brasil at the U-20 World Cup.)
The USSF (and Nike) are billing this as the "Clash of the Champions." Brasil is bringing a full team.
Goalkeepers: Doni (Roma), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)
Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Alex Silva (São Paulo), Lúcio (Bayern Munich), Juan (Roma), Alex (Chelsea), Kleber (Santos), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin),
Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Mineiro (Hertha Berlin), Josué (VfL Wolfsburg), Fernando (Bordeaux), Elano (Manchester City), Kaká (AC Milan), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid), Diego (Werder Bremen)
Forwards: Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Robinho (Real Madrid), Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow), Afonso (SC Heerenveen)
Dunga isn't sitting Ronaldinho, Robinho etc for guys like Fred. And that's not even an apt comparison since anyone associated with the Brasil team is pretty damned good. Yes a case could be made for Adriano over Afonso, but it's not like Brasil has trouble scoring goals.
This would be like Brasil recalling some guy, say, Rogério Márcio Botelho Gaúcho, toiling for Slavia Prague over Robinho.
In the words of Mike Tyson, "I'm so mad, what."
It just doesn't make sense. None.
What harm could bringing the kid Alitdore up to glorified exhibition be? Especially on home soil? If there's a burning desire to see what Wolff has left, use him vs. Catalonia or Switzerland. Not here.
As evidenced at the Copa, the game against Sweden and beyond the No. 1 problem for the USMNT is scoring goals. In just a short time in MLS and at the Under-21 level Altidore has shown a knack for it.
Let's not even get into Freddy Adu continuing to be looked over. I don't want to blow a gasket. (Petr Nowak has to have a hand in this.)
At the very least Jon Bornstein isn't on the team.
Every cloud has some silver linings, no?
In the end, this game is at 4 p.m. on the opening weekend of NFL games. Who's going to even notice.
I just hope I'm not the only person that's upset.
ALSO -- Sevilla got past AEK 4-1 today to qualify in the main draw of the Champions League. Good for them.
I'm with ya. I don't get why Altidore is called up. I don't mind Arnoud getting a look. Just why not some of the other names? The same with Seitz. Why? Why? Why? It's an international date. Why isn't someone like Marcus H. or Adin Brown getting a call-up?
I voted for you as USMNT manager over GW Bush, but... it apparently didn't work. But seriously, Bob Bradley, why are you so stupid? I will bet anyone here $500 seriously that Arnaud will not score a goal in this game.
Curious as to anyone's thoughts on Bobby Convey. I don't watch him regularly, though anytime I see him on the pitch I immediately feel like vomiting.
The more I think about this, the less sense it makes. I'm actually less upset about the inclusion of Arnaud than the inclusion of Wolff. I mean, if Altidore were injured and Adu were locked in the Benfica basement, that would be one thing. But Altidore is a short plane flight from Chicago, and he's in form. He at least deserves fifteen minutes as a sub. We already know what we're going to get from Josh Wolff, and I can't imagine why Bob Bradley is making him fly 5,000 miles to show it to us.
I can't shake the feeling over and over again that Bradley is in WAY over his head at this level of football. I can't stress enough how badly the US federation screwed up last year when they failed to get Klinsmann or Pekerman.
I still think Pekerman would have been a PERFECT fit for a young team that I think is moving toward playing more Latin opponents (Copa America, friendlies, etc.) and a more diverse player pool (Feilhaber, Adu, Altidore, etc.).
I just heard that Zavagnin has been called up to replace Mastro who is out of the squad. Bradley really couldn't think of a better central midfielder than Zavagnin? Does Bradley not want his son to look bad compared to Ricardo Clark or something? Bradley has not impressed me lately with his decisions.
Yeah. Zavags is on the team. Good question on Clark. Who the hell knows what Bradley is thinking. Why can't my man Cletus get another look.
Aargh. I was willing to let Ricardo Clark's absence slide, but with Mastroeni out he should be there. To be generous, I could say, "Well, Bradley just wants to get a look at new players and he already had a look at Clark during the Copa America." But that still wouldn't explain Altidore's absence (or Wolff's inclusion).