Wanted: 2 Center Backs
By Doug Smith
After the match against Brazil the recurring question of the back line for the United States Men’s National Team reared its ugly head again. Most have stated that the 4-1 outcome was more harsh than it should have been alluding to the offensive chances. What we’re are not reading is that Oguchi Onyewu had a good game. It was a horrendous showing for “Gooch” in his first start with the national team off of injury. However, I say it is time to replace the fearless captain Carlos Bocanegra as well.
The latter statement is going to be more controversial and I will address that later in this piece. The criticism of Onyewu is widespread. He is a fan favorite dating back to 2005 and it may have to do with his size or the way he plays. When he is confident, he can play with most. However, he lost his starting job during the 2010 World Cup and just was not in top form. This is when he began to deal with injuries.
He bounced back last October and was in the line up against Ecuador. At the time Steve Davis of SI.com had this to say,
"His timing has never been better, as he was unimpeachable in the tackle and in aerial challenges. And Onyewu demonstrated a steady and heady sense of just how to employ all that muscle in his first start under Jurgen Klinsmann. One nitpick: he did get drawn out of position a time or two in the first half, which has always been an Onyewu bugaboo. But his overall body of defensive work and steely determination to get forward late (above and beyond in a friendly) more than made amends. All things considered, his impressive and memorable 90 minutes at Red Bull Arena might be the most significant take-away from Tuesday’s loss. Michael Orozco Fiscal, we barely knew ya."
He was injured again and returned in time for a championship match with his club team. Unfortunately, what we saw Wednesday night is a repeat performance. He was called for a penalty in the box. He shanked a clearance that led to a corner in which he lost his mark resulting in the second goal. He gave up another corner before halftime that left may scratching his or her head. He was late to come off a line later leading to the 4th goal.
Now on to Bocanegra. He was the first choice captain under Bob Bradley and continues to wear the armband. He has eclipsed the 100 caps mark and he has a soft spot in the hearts of fans. Bocanegra has earned all the minutes he has received with the national team and with his club Rangers.
However, his attitude has begun to show more often. In March he was sent off against rival Celtic in the 88th minute. He has a tendency to call for an offside flag even if the official is not signaling it. The one game against Brazil showed what we could see more of from the 33 year old.
He gave up a breakaway in the first half. A couple lackluster first touches led to turnovers. He lost out in the air on a few challenges. In one case Demaio basically threw him aside to win the ball. This is a young striker that many see the talent in, but he completely out-muscled the veteran Bocanegra. What is the most unsettling is that he was unable to communicate with Onyewu or Steve Cherundolo.
Maybe Bocanegra and ‘Dolo can split time to help make way for a new regime of center backs. Geoff Cameron has gotten some playing time. Clarence Goodson is a late bloomer that may still have a few good years in him. Michael Parkhurst can be groomed. Tim Ream has a lot of buzz. Omar Gonzalez will return from injury before the end of the year. The Galaxy aren’t very good without him. Zak Whitbread is looking for a home. George John will be getting international experience. Could we even be talking about Andrew Wenger?
I don’t expect Bocanegra to be out of the lineup by 2014. I imagine he will exit the way he would like, as a member of the World Cup squad. Onyewu may not make it there, either by being outplayed or by injury. I am ready to see a change.