Outside Midfield

We're pretty sparse at outside midfield so this will be short:

DeMarcus Beasley: Beasley (or DMB to the Nats faithful) was one of the big revelations of the '02 Cup. He went on to have a great next couple of years but some niggling injuries brought him back to the human level and he has looked decidedly average for the last year. Gone is the blistering pace... He's just really fast now. Gone is the assuredness to take people on. 18 months ago you would have thought he'd be a shoe in for a starting position... Now it's looking more and more like the only time he'll see will be on the right side of midfield.

Bobby Convey: Where Beasley has been on the downward trail, Convey has been going up, up and away! After a tough first year in England, Convey really settled into the rampant winger role for Reading. Arena has tried him out at left back and he could probably play on the right if we needed to, but why waste him there when he's been our most consistent performer for the past 5 games. He was the only thing good about the Germany game, he's looked great against other opposition and even the bigger teams haven't been able to intimidate him the way that they can Beasley. Let's not forget... Convey and Arena go wayyy back... When Convey was the youngest MLS player in the league's short history, he stayed with Arena and his family in Washington. Convey's got a bit of a meanstreak but I think it's the under control, tough type... not the Vinnie Jones type.

Clint Dempsey: Which brings us to Clint Dempsey. Dempsey is one of the most talented young players that the Nats have. Unfortunately he's stuck at a position that we have quite a bit of talent at. He can play anywhere in central midfield and one day, I expect, he'll take the reigns from Mastroeni as a central defensive midfielder. Until that day though, it's looking more and more like Arena is going to play him wide right. I feel pretty strongly that this creates a bit of a problem for us on that side. It puts a BIG burden on Cherundulo to get forward and provide width and crosses from the right because that is NOT what Dempsey is good at... On the other hand, Clint's ability to cut inside and be dangerous reminds me ALOT of Preki's early years with Kansas City... and you could do alot worse then emulate Preki in the early years.

Others:
Landon Donovan: Donovan has, at times, played everywhere in midfield. He can play outside right, which is what might happen if O'Brien, Reyna and Johnson are all healthy and firing on all cylinders. In a pinch he can play wide left, but we've got sufficient depth there that that seems unlikely.

John O'Brien: O'Brien can fill in wide left. Unless his health improves dramatically, I think that's where we'll see him as a late game substitute to shore up the defense and hold onto a lead. He has alot of creativity and attacking verve to go with the defensive skills but, given his health, it's tough to tell if he'll be able to use them.

Ben Olsen: The late addition to the squad and the player that surprised alot of people. He played out wide right at the begining of his career but his ankle injury slowed him down ALOT. He's still pretty dangerous from a technical standpoint and it wouldn't shock me to see him play out wide against slower ( i.e. Ghana) competition.

Chris Albright: Probably the most likely person to supplant Dempsey out wide. If Arena feels that he needs a true winger there then Albright is one of only two real choices (the other being Wolff). Albright's defensive skills and tireless work rate guaranty that the right flank won't be exposed either.

Eddie Lewis: Played wide left for most of his career. Has only now begun to make the transition back to left back. If we're in need of a goal, I would expect to see him move up to a true wing position while Convey takes a more interior position. If Arena feels the need to play a 3-5-2 then Lewis is virtually a shoe in for the left wing position.

Josh Wolff: His ability to drop back and play the role of winger is one of the reasons he's on the team. He has looked dangerous, quick and creative when playing wide for the Nats lately. Given his scoring drought (or dry season, to be fair), this is a position he could see a reasonable amount at. If the team is behind and Arena switches to a 3-4-3 then Wolff is really the only option out on that wing.

Alternates:
Chris Klein: A player that has showed alot of technical skill but never really gotten to play against the big time opponents. I like him and think he would have done well if he'd just had a little more experience.

Pat Noonan: One of the "surprise" drops from the team. "Screech" (I don't know if Revs fans call him that... but they should) has looked good for the Nats and the Revs. If Arena thinks he needs some more wide options then Noonan could get a call up if there's an injury.

Steve Ralston: Ralston is more of a traditional right winger. He's very Beckham like (though clearly not as talented) in that he supplies crosses and passes while hugging the touchline. His injury problems and natural lack of speed probably cost him a roster spot. I feel like he's best suited to playing CONCACAF qualifiers rather then playing in the big games.

The Unit as a Whole: We have two fairly solid and relatively experienced people at left midfield and a transplant at right midfield. This is the position I feel most insecure about and I worry that teams may be able to exploit our lack of width by clogging the midfield with two defensive midfielders (which is virtually certain to happen against Italy). Hopefully Cherundulo and Dempsey will create some chemistry and prove me wrong. B- (and without Convey it would likely have been lower.