Twellman Left Out

[lvrpoolfan11]

Taylor Twellman was left out of the US squad which was just plain dumb. He is better than Brian Ching and Josh Wolf. He is better than them on the ground, and much better than them in the air. Just because Ching scores 4 goals in one MLS game against a poor team he gets on the team. Josh Wolf is not a bad chocie, but Twellman is better. He can finish better, has better instincts, and is more athletic. I guarantee that Ching and Wolff will not score at the world cup because they will not be allowed the space they see in the MLS, and will have better marking. Twellman is a harder worker, and could make an impact. Bruce Arena, who sometimes bewilders me, makes another poor decision. If I were him this is how I would rank the Forwards.


McBride
Johnson
Twellman
Wolff
Cunningham
Ching

[coachray40]

I dont agree. Twellman has been dismal this spring in MLS. Ching has been an impact player, while Twellman has been floundering. Ching shows better ability in the air in my opinion than Twellman, and with the recent "cross and header style" the US National team has exhibited, Ching might be a better fit.

Cunningham has been straight shiznit this spring--he doent even belong on that list.

[Coolruners Stink arsenal rules]

I was really disapointed when I found out that Twellman wasn't on the list.

[d1d5fan]

I hope Twellman gets a good laugh at the WC this year and Arena realizes the injustice he has brought to me, and many US mens national team fans around our country...

[deridderforward#23]

well i dont really know much about the usa team only the players that play in england but i have watched ching and twellman and they are both really good players you never know arena might have made a good decision come june

[lvrpoolfan11]

I dont know what Coachray is talking about, no ofense, Twellmen is much better in the air. He can head better, can jump higher, and has better timing. If Ching didn't score those 4 goals against the worst defense in the MLS, he wouldn't be going. Also, look at the players who are helping him score at club level, like Dwayne Derasario, Mulan, and Brad Davis. They do all the work, and create all his easy chances. At international level, especially against teams like Italy and Czech Republic, forwards HAVE TO create the teams oppurtunities.

[pompey]

I've always rated Josh Wolff highly. I think he wil lsurprise some with his speed, though do not know of his current form as of late.

Taylor Twellman.........world class player? Not really.

[Deridderisanidiot]

I think Arena picked Ching over Twelman because he knows his opponents and feels that Ching is a better option.

Wolff, although a forward, is more of a setup assist kind of guy. He was effective in this department at Japorea 2002.

Ching or Twellman makes no difference to me. They both seem lacking in what team USA needs at the forward position.

It really doesn't matter anyway, because most of the attack from the USA is going to come from Landon and Beasley.

[deridderforward#23]

why are you callin me an idiot. i bet i know a ton more about football than you mate. i dont know much about the usa but im getting there and if you dont agree with my opinion just tell me dont call me an idiot.

[madmid3]

BRUCE ARENA IS OUT IF HIS MIND.... i mean twellman is one of the strongest players that the us has ever seen.. and he wont even be with the us squad this year...Ching does not deserve this..definately doesnt

[deridderforward#23]

would you change your mind if ching scores the vital goal against italy or the czechs whcih i guarentee wont happen but if it does lol

[lvrpoolfan11]

I wouldnt because like you said it wont ahppen, but if it did it would probably be lucky, and he wont score the goals in the knockout stage that twellman might be able to.

[deridderforward#23]

thats very true. i like twellman and he has what it takes to be a prolific goalscorer, but who knows, arena might have something up his sleeve

[d1d5fan]

deridderforward said:

would you change your mind if ching scores the vital goal against italy or the czechs whcih i guarentee wont happen but if it does lol

I doubt it. Ching can dominate our MLS defenses in the air, congrats to him. He isnt gonna beat those Maldini's and other 10-15 year experienced defenders, AT ANYTHING. Everyone gets lucky some days, and I personally wouldnt change my mind if he scored the winner against the Czechs or I-Ti's. Now if he puts his name on the score sheet consistantly, I would have a slight change at heart, because his last few internationals before the training camp have been HORRID.

Twellman on the other hand brings that spark of energy that can change games. He can dribble, shoot, and even beat people in the air despite his size. I personally need that energy from a player to get into them and believe in waht they can do, and Twellman just does that for me. Ching doesnt. He is too laid back and careless during games, while Twellman is upbeat and usually always has a smile on his face. That is the kind of player I would trust in the box, with 30 secs left in injury time.

It's simple...
Twellman > Ching

[shanksta13]

thank you d1d5fan!

[d1d5fan]

hah no problem

[usasoccerboy]

Picking 2 of the 3 players, Ching, Twellman, and Wolff is not going to make a whole lot of difference in terms of who is left out hampering the team. Either one you leave out, the difference from the other players being left out is minimal.

Donovan will play up top as well at times, so with Johnson and McBride gettting the majority of the minutes, the contribution of any of those 3 is going to be minimal anyway.

I believe Arena had to make a tough decision and in the end he picked Wolff because of his experience and the fact that Wolff is more of a set up player, and then picked Ching over Twellman because Ching has more of the physical tools to deal with the Czech Republic and Italian defenses which consist of tall players. Twellman, like Ching, has long stretches of unproductiveness, so Arena felt that they are both picks for the bench, not the starting lineup and more than likey, if all goes well, they will not be used anyway.

Arena picked Ching for some reason, but we will probably never know why. But, if you hear Arena speak about this team, he chose players that he felt meshed together. Maybe Twellman in the locker room was more of a distraction than say Ching.

I know from my experiences with USSF staff, they seem to like the All American good ole boy kind of character. Maybe Twellman was too much of a rogue player. I don't know. It is only speculation on my part, but if you had to ask me why, I would say that Ching being equal in Arena's eyes with Twellman, picked Ching because he was a better fit in the locker room. Maybe he knew that either Ching or Twellman were not going to get a lot of playing time, so he didn't want a player who was going to go behind his back and gripe to the press and create a locker room tension because that player didn't think they were getting the playing time they deserved.

[d1d5fan]

The locker room means nothing at this level. If one guy can be distracting enough to get into their teammates heads in the locker room, then those guys shouldnt be playing at this level. They are professionals who play every day and who know how to prepare despite all distractions. If a loud player on their own team can get in their heads, how do you think they will react to a screaming, hostile crowd of 100,000? Locker room antics should not be brought into consideration in picking a roster.

Would you rather have a player who is quiet in the locker room and has better personal relationships with his teammates, than a player who is way better than him and is loud and obnoxious in the locker room? This is the world cup squad, the best players in the USA, not the who has the best personality competition.

Still...
TWELLMAN > Ching

[deridderforward#23]

usasoccerboy if all goes well you said. Mate no offence but i dont think any club can go well normally with the czechs and italy. all goes well when your beating ghana 2-1 probably