What im finding hilarious is the prospect of Dodd playing in front of the defence.
It would be way better for McKain to fill that spot (as it is his specialist position and Dodd is a centre back)
I think Gao will also definetely be a starter!
Phoenix have great depth this year and we prob have 18 players who are realisiticly fighting for 11 spots.
Great for the club
Gah,it really annoys me when people say this.
1) McKain is a specialist CB who has played DM a little bit.
2)McKain is taller than Dodd
3) McKain is faster than Dodd
4) McKain is better than Dodd ( has international caps)
5) Dodd also has experience at DM (I believe from his time in Scotland)
6) Ricki has been playing Dodd at DM frequently in the preseason games while McKain and Durante have clearly been his first choice starting CB pairing
Now, height and pace are far more important attributes for a CB then they are for a defensive midfielder. At DM the most important qualities are the ability to read the game well, being physically strong (basically so you can push players off the ball, the dark arts as it were) and to be solid at marking and tackling, aerial ability is not as important.
Also, if you think back to last season there were a few instances where Dodd brought the ball out of central defense and looked quite effective when he moved into a midfield position. He seems to have fairly good distribution and he is probably one of the most physically strong players in the squad. You want a bruiser in the midfield, and Dodd strikes me as the ideal candidate to batter some of the less physically tough players (Zullo, Cruse etc) with less risk of giving up a penalty as he will be further away from the box. So long as he can demonstrate an ability to read the game well and break up attacks he should prove to be an ideal candidate for the DM position. In short, Dodd will add some (in my view) much needed mongrel to our midfield, and should give Ferrante some good protection to orchestrate our attacking moves.
As for McKain, he has the perfect attributes for a CB, and with all due respect to Dodd, his lack of pace and height were exposed several times last season. McKain and Durante have the potential to be THE best CB pairing in the league, why you would waste that possibility by playing McKain at DM is just completely beyond me!
However, I do share your optimism, and agree that Gao should be a starter. My XI would be:
Moss
Lia McKain Durante Lochhead
Dodd Ferrante
Bertos Daniel Gao
Smeltz
