Started watching at about the 15th minute on univision. US is getting alot of chances. Barely missed twice on one cross. Should be 1-0.

Great passing and ball movement in the box

Panama's keeper is playing great. Hes had about five goal saving stops.

Depends what you mean by great...the save on the header was great, everythig else has been shot directly at him, usually weakly. We need to step it up.

Arrghhh, should have scored just now.

"I feel like we have some unfinished business." - Chris Walker
On the bandwagon since birth. Raised in the bleachers of Kyle, Olsen, and G. Rollie White

How can I watch this in CS?

I can't get matchtracker to work on ussoccer.com.

somebody help!!

We should have scored several goals...Beasley had 2 great chances himself.

yea, it should be over right now, oh well. we'll see what happens.

Woo hoo!!!

Phew...

"I feel like we have some unfinished business." - Chris Walker
On the bandwagon since birth. Raised in the bleachers of Kyle, Olsen, and G. Rollie White

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Beasley is way overrated? I know he has a ton of speed...but what else? He has no one-on-one moves except to try and push it wide and out run the defender..and all the defender's know this and just shove his skinny body off the ball. How the heck did he do so good at Eindhoven? Were all his goals just run-ons? He had such a weak attempt on Wolf's assist. I sure wish he would get one-tenth of Robinho's one-on-one skills...Beasley would be awesome if he did.

Everytime I look back on a match, and really think about what beasley has done, its hard for me to pick anything out. He's good at chasing people down if they get by him. I think the problem is, arena plays him out wide a lot, but he has no real outside midfield skills. He's not a good crosser, and as you say, doesn't have any real moves. I think he belongs either up top, or in the center.

quote:

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Everytime I look back on a match, and really think about what beasley has done, its hard for me to pick anything out.

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Was it hard after the Jamaica match or were his two goals and one assist not enough?

I disagree in regards to Beasley. Beasely did have a poor game, but I still think he is one of the best players for the US. His crossing was abysmal before he left for PSV, but he's improved so much that he actually takes some corners for PSV now. He's still no Zidane with the ball, but he has improved tremendously in his techical ability.

Have you had the opportunity to watch Beasley play with PSV? The problem for Beasley is that when he plays for the national team, he is asked to get into the attack, as well as track back and help the left back defend...more than the average winger. Hell, since Hejduk sucks at LB so much (although he didn't play there yesterday) there are times when he's the one tracking the other teams right winger because Hejduk decided to go to ground after predicatably losing the ball on one of his forays into the attacking half. Bottom line is, he's asked to work a ton because our LB situation is so crap and whoever it is, needs help...even against Panama. When he plays for PSV, he doesn't have to worry about that. He's even said himself that he enjoys it more because he can concentrate on attacking and knows that Hiddink doesn't expect him to track back on defense as much because he doesn't need to.

Bottom line is you don't accidentally score 12 goals for a team that should have made the CL Finals without having a lot of talent. It'll be interesting to see what happens this year as he lost a lot of the talent around him to transfers and I imagine Hiddink will ask more of him.

I didnt mean beasley was bad, I just mean on the national team, he really doesn't do much that stands out. Its not like thinking back to what john o'brien does, and you are like "oh yea, everytime he touches the ball something good happens" but like I said, I think he isn't used correctly, which is basically what you said, but with facts.

Fair enough.

Actually, I would love to see his PSV games...does he have one-on-one skills that top flight forward have? And if he does, why doesn't he show them in national games? I have played on many teams with guys who were not really skillful but could put the ball in the back of the net. Yes, I did read where he goes back and helps on d here and not on the PSV team. I watched Zidane do that all game against LA Galaxy. I still don't ever see Beasly getting around defenders unless he shoves the ball wide and outruns them. He also gets shoved off the ball extremely easily.

Again...I have not seen the PSV games..but I am wondering if he is just set up so easily to score in those games or if he had to use some ball handling skills to get his own shot.

Sorry..but two goals and an assist against a Jamaican team is not that impressive.

I hope I am wrong about him and he shows more in future games...but I don't agree with you at all.

How quickly soccer fans forget. Everytime someone doesn't blow you out of the water during a game most soccer fans start talking crap about why is he starting and not someonne else. Beasley has proven himself, yes proven, to be one of the top players on the USMNT and a sure starter and pick for the World Cup. He's never shown true one v one abilities in terms of skill, but he definitely has the ability to sprint past ANYONE he plays against. He's got decent skills and defensive abilities, nothing that blows you away, but it's his speed that makes him so special.

I agree dubag

I'm not basing my misgivings about beasleys superstardom based on one game. Hes a great player no doubt, but far from our best, or most consistent performer. No one was saying he shouldn't start either, way to make stuff up.

[This message has been edited by PatAg (edited 7/26/2005 3:14p).]

OK, let's look at what you wrote. You said you think he belongs up top or in the center, but there are a few things that prevent him from playing those positions. First off, on playing up top, he's too small to win balls in the air and would get easily pushed off the ball if it was played into him and he had to hold it to wait for his teammates to get up the field. Also, Brian McBride and Eddie Johnson are virtually guaranteed to start when both are healthy and will continue to do so through the World Cup. I don't know if you've watched this, but lately Arena has been playing him as a forward in a 3-4-3 system, which is basically the same as being a winger but without the defensive responsibilities. This is the position where he's had the most success in Europe, but if you don't like his offensive abilities as a winger then you probably won't like them in this formation either, b/c it's about the same, maybe he's a little more pinched in. I like him at this position if we have the personnel to back him up.

Secondly, you said that you'd like to see him in the center. One reason for keeping him out this position again is personnel. Landon is in front of him and Beasley isn't going to beat him out for the A-mid position. Also, there's John O'Brien, Claudio Reyna, Pablo Mastroeni, Clint Dempsey, and Kerry Zavagnin that Beasley would have to beat out, but he's not better than these people at their positions. The major reason for not playing him in the center, though, is that his game isn't suited to playing there. As an attacking midfielder or even when playing with duel center midfielders who have the same responsibilities they need to have the ability to spot a player anywhere on the field and send them a decent ball. Beasley has never shown the ability to do this.

Where Beasley excells is when he's using his phenominal speed in space, which is what a winger or forward in the 3-4-3 does. He has his limitations in his crossing ability and in close spaces with a defender, but when you see him on the wing with lots of open space in front of him that's when you sit on the edge of your seat b/c you know something exciting is about to happen.

I think that left wing is a good spot for him, but he's spread too thin trying to cover up on defense. He actually does a pretty decent job at defending when he has to, but it would be nice if that wasn't necessary and he could focus on attacking. I know someone else already said this, but I thought I'd agree.

Also, I think Beasley is one of those players who needs to find a rythm to be most productive. Some guys (think O'Brien) can plug themselves into any situation, play their game, and be successful. Others need to feel out the team dynamic more in order to achieve their full potential, and I think Beasley is one of those guys. I know the Gold Cup is not a good example of this since the last game of the tournament was perhaps his weakest, but in the past I've noticed that when he has several MNT appearances in a relatively short span, he gets more comfortable toward the end of that span. Sometimes he has to almost start over when he hasn't played on the national team for a number of months, especially when players around him have changed.

Hey, dude, up top doesnt mean target player only. You can have him up top making runs off the target player, where he can really use his speed.

Who do you want to take out Brian McBride or Eddie Johnson? Both are better strikers than Beasley and as I've said before they've been playing the 3-4-3 recently where he's been playing a forward, but the forward in that system is more of a hybrid attacking winger. He's been playing at forward, what are you arguing.

Obviously..I just said I think he'd be more effective, not that he would start.