Seattle Sounders 2015 Season Thread

[Smurf]

Clint Dempsey being suspended for the Gold Cup would end up being beneficial for the Nats. His inclusion forces the team into a shape which I feel isn't the best with the pool of players.


Don't get me wrong, Clint Dempsey is an incredible player...but I feel the collective group is better tactically without him, than it is with him.

Based on what comparison?


The issue comes when Jurgen shoe horns Clint, Jozy and Bradley into the lineup, sliding Bradley into the deeper lying role. The recent tour should have proven he has far better value closer to the striker and linking the final 3rd attack rather than the middle zone possession. This was still relatively strong enough to bow out to a very strong Belgium team in the World Cup.

Ideally, I'd like him there for his leadership. Plus, he gives the team an option out wide and is far and away their best technical attacker.

Dempsey and Bradley on the pitch at the same time means that one of them isn't playing in their best position. At this point in the game I think Bradley is an overall more influential player for our team.

I would disagree that it means that one of them isn't playing their best position. To that, what's Dempsey's best position? It's not CAM, not at the national team level. Klinsmann plays them both out of their best positions. Ideally, he has realized how much more of an impact Bradley is in the 10 role and is willing to move Dempsey out wide, as he did with Ghana.

Also, with the added speed from the use of Yedlin as an outside mid, it would not surprise me to see the US move to a 4 diamond 2. Dempsey would be a good complimentary striker to Jozy with Bradley pulling the strings.

Clint Dempsey's best position is, and always has been, as a CF behind a Striker. 4411. In front of the midfield, behind the main striker. Thats his spot.

 

[Uncle Si]

Always been?

He was quite instrumental at Fulham and under Bradley playing out wide in either a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or the 4-4-2/4-1-3-2, and lets not forget he scored early against Ghana as a left striker next to Altidore. He was the high striker under Bradley against Portugal, easily the USMNT's best performance (in attack) of the World Cup.

As the #10 he tends to drift far too deep and leaves the striker isolated. He also isn't great in possession and struggles to find passes. He was painfully inadequate at the role in his time with Spurs, and that was being bracketed by Adibayor and Bale were he would have freedom to take up spots in the channels those two left. When I've watched him with Seattle, he is solidly under the striker for the majority of the match, but seems to struggle linking with Obami's pace even though it appears he has another CAM near him (is this the formation? A triangle of center striker and two CF/CAMs?)

The fact he can manage it better in the MLS is probably more supportive of the pace of the game than anything else. It still does not seem ideal.

So, yes, i'd like to see Dempsey and Bradley paired together, but not Dempsey where Bradley should be.

 

[Smurf]

Seattle plays a 442 but is very free with their attacking positioning. Oba and Clint both drop deep. Pappa and Neagle both drift from their wide positions (neagle more up top, Pappa more centrally). Alonso holds the center, and his partner (whoever it is that match) usually plays the more attacking of the holding pair.


Sounders attack is incredibly free form tactically that most teams in the league.

 

[knownone]

Dempsey is still the best attacking option we have. It's hard to argue against having him in the squad honestly.

He's not quite the best attacking option the US has anymore. However, he does deserve to be in the squad.

Who do you like better? Johannsson is the only guy on the Gold Cup roster that is in the conversation for me, and honestly it's really not that close.

I suppose some of is what you deem an "attacker". I certainly think the team needs less of Chris Wondolowski and more of Jordan Morris (and hopefully Bobby Wood)

For me, our best forward moving player is Bradley, if deployed higher up the field as he was in the Netherlands and Germany. After that, I still think the likes of Jozy and even Yedlin from the wing bring more to the overall attack than Dempsey does at the moment. I'd love to see Clint out wide with a fast wing back overlapping him, then remove him for Yedlin.

Put Zardes on the other and you can run pace from high on one end, and build pace on the other.

That's fair, I'd agree that Bradley has had a bigger impact recently in the attack. However, the thought of Yedlin and Zardes bringing more to the attack is ludicrous, what they have in pace they lack in tactical and technical ability.

Only Clint Dempsey scores the goal against Ghana. Only Clint Dempsey does a 360 nutmeg to create a chance out of nothing against Turkey. He's currently the most technical and tactically aware attacker on this team and arguably the best player on the team. Lets not over react to 2 good showings in friendlies and assume that we are stronger without Dempsey.

 

[Uncle Si]

Ok coach

Not sure I said either were better than Dempsey. We are going apples to oranges at the moment. I said Bradley is and should be in the 10.. Not Dempsey. Did say Dempsey on one side with a streaky right back to play over him. Zardes on the other. Yedlin off the bench.

As for "bringing more"... well, both Zardes and Yedlin do, at the moment, offer more going forward "from the wide position." The goals you speak of by Dempsey were as a striker.

Point is, Dempsey's not the team's best #10, which means another role needs to be found (either striker in a 4-4-2 or wide player in some variation of a 433) or he should not be included.

 

[SeatownJay]

Martins is out 3-6 weeks with a groin injury.

 

[Uncle Si]

Kieran Trippier bought by Spurs from Burnley.

Where does that leave Yedlin? Either 3rd on the depth chart as a RB... or he's moved to winger/mid.

 

[knownone]

Ok coach

Not sure I said either were better than Dempsey. We are going apples to oranges at the moment. I said Bradley is and should be in the 10.. Not Dempsey. Did say Dempsey on one side with a streaky right back to play over him. Zardes on the other. Yedlin off the bench.

As for "bringing more"... well, both Zardes and Yedlin do, at the moment, offer more going forward "from the wide position." The goals you speak of by Dempsey were as a striker.

Point is, Dempsey's not the team's best #10, which means another role needs to be found (either striker in a 4-4-2 or wide player in some variation of a 433) or he should not be included.

I misread your first post, 100% on me.

 

[Uncle Si]

Ok coach

Not sure I said either were better than Dempsey. We are going apples to oranges at the moment. I said Bradley is and should be in the 10.. Not Dempsey. Did say Dempsey on one side with a streaky right back to play over him. Zardes on the other. Yedlin off the bench.

As for "bringing more"... well, both Zardes and Yedlin do, at the moment, offer more going forward "from the wide position." The goals you speak of by Dempsey were as a striker.

Point is, Dempsey's not the team's best #10, which means another role needs to be found (either striker in a 4-4-2 or wide player in some variation of a 433) or he should not be included.

I misread your first post, 100% on me.

Didn't explain it well upon further read.

We both agree, Dempsey is class enough to deserve a spot on the Gold Cup roster.

 

[Smurf]

Kieran Trippier bought by Spurs from Burnley.

Where does that leave Yedlin? Either 3rd on the depth chart as a RB... or he's moved to winger/mid.

On loan to Norwich City is the rumor.

 

[Uncle Si]

Kieran Trippier bought by Spurs from Burnley.

Where does that leave Yedlin? Either 3rd on the depth chart as a RB... or he's moved to winger/mid.

On loan to Norwich City is the rumor.

Yedlin?

 

[Smurf]

Kieran Trippier bought by Spurs from Burnley.

Where does that leave Yedlin? Either 3rd on the depth chart as a RB... or he's moved to winger/mid.

On loan to Norwich City is the rumor.

Yedlin?

Yes.

 

[Uncle Si]

Kieran Trippier bought by Spurs from Burnley.

Where does that leave Yedlin? Either 3rd on the depth chart as a RB... or he's moved to winger/mid.

On loan to Norwich City is the rumor.

Yedlin?

Yes.

Interesting..

Not getting ahead of Whittaker.. so its another move to the bench for him.. if he's a RB.

 

[Smurf]

Interesting..

Not getting ahead of Whittaker.. so its another move to the bench for him.. if he's a RB.

As long as he plays, it doesn't matter where on the pitch it is. Kid needs game time.

 

[Uncle Si]

Interesting..

Not getting ahead of Whittaker.. so its another move to the bench for him.. if he's a RB.

As long as he plays, it doesn't matter where on the pitch it is. Kid needs game time.

Can get plenty of games at Spurs between FA, Cap one, Europa matches and the U21s.

I'd be shocked if they loaned him, unless he's struggling more than some are letting on.

 

[Smurf]

Dempsey suspended 3 games in MLS for the US Open Cup incident.

Potentially further punishment will come from the USSF. They are meeting next week to discuss the incidents.


No oba or Duece for a little while. The time is now for the young guys....sure would be great if Jordan Morris signed...

 

[Seabhac]

How convenient!

Dempsey misses our next 3 games but I bet you USSF will only ban him from future USOC games - leaving him free to play in the Gold Cup.

So it looks like the Sounders will be without him for SEVEN games if he is not banned from USMT.

This is total BS....

Hopefully Dempsey will tell USMT he has to play for Sounders in July to try and level the uneven playing field the USSF has created by allowing absolute muppets to referee huge games.

 

[Seabhac]

Dempsey suspended 3 games in MLS for the US Open Cup incident.

Potentially further punishment will come from the USSF. They are meeting next week to discuss the incidents.


No oba or Duece for a little while. The time is now for the young guys....sure would be great if Jordan Morris signed...

Agreed - this absolutely has to happen ASAP.

 

[Uncle Si]

How convenient!

Dempsey misses our next 3 games but I bet you USSF will only ban him from future USOC games - leaving him free to play in the Gold Cup.

So it looks like the Sounders will be without him for SEVEN games if he is not banned from USMT.

This is total BS....

Hopefully Dempsey will tell USMT he has to play for Sounders in July to try and level the uneven playing field the USSF has created by allowing absolute muppets to referee huge games.

He could also just not rip up a ref's notebook like a petulant child.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

...sure would be great if Jordan Morris signed...

Didn't Morris pretty much say he's staying at Stanford for the time being in April after he scored for the USMNT?

I think if he was anywhere but Stanford, he would have already left.