I think we will come out in a 4-4-2 so that is what I am basing my lineup on.

Mcbride - EJ
Convey - Donovan - Reyna - O'Brien(Dempsey to sub b/c I don't think JOB can go 90)
Lewis - Gooch - Pope - Cherundolo
Keller

I agree with all of the players but don't know if I'd put Lewis and Convey on the same side. There is just too much riding on the left side of defense to have two guys that are attacking a whole lot. I would like to see JOB on the left and Convey on the right, even though that's not his natural position, or maybe just leave Beasley on the right even though I cringe at the thought of having someone out there that isn't going to contribute much.

But with Convey on the left, Lewis can play it a little safe and not press forward at every opportunity.

But will he stay back? Or will we see Milan Baros streaking down his preferred right side with the monster-man Koller waiting in the middle. I hope that we can play that alignment with Convey on the left but I just don't know if it is too much of a risk of leaving our defense uncovered by D-M pairings.

[This message has been edited by riley290 (edited 5/30/2006 11:12a).]

True. I guess it will come down to the defensive discipline that the US shows and the maturity to attack from the back only when appropriate. I can't wait to see the Koeller/Gooch matchup.

Yeah, that's gonna be one hell of a wrestling match.

What will the starting lineup look like come June 12th against the Czech Republic? Here's one man's guess:

quote:

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Kasey Keller, Eddie Lewis, Oguchi Onyewu, Eddie Pope, Steve Cherundolo, Bobby Convey, Claudio Reyna, Pablo Mastroeni, DaMarcus Beasley, Brian McBride and Landon Donovan.

What could change? If Johnson shows enough in the next two weeks, he will force his way into the lineup, pushing Donovan to midfield and either Convey or Beasley to the bench.

---

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=369521&root=worldcup&cc=5901

I think beasley may still get the nod over convey because he is a better tackler...i could see convey getting the go if we used pablo, but have guys like convey, lewis, and cherundolo who are excellent at pushing the ball but not our strongest tacklers could leave us exposed. We will definitely need more a defensive mindsent against teams like the czech and italy...

I think the ESPN guy nailed it. For all his offensive struggles, Beasely still has the highest work rate of all our MF and he will bust his ass to help Cherundolo if he starts on the right.