James Sands compared to legendary United States defender
High praise for James Sands
James Sands has earned some high praise over the past week, the young American defender impressing in his first stint with the United States national team. In doing so, he’s drawing a pretty heady comparison to a legendary national team player.
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
The New York City FC midfielder/defender has certainly seen his stock rise in earning three caps for the United States national team in the group stages of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping his side to advance to the knockout rounds of the tournaments. A 21-year old Homegrown who has 10 appearances in MLS this year, James Sands has taken this opportunity with the national team and shown he belongs.
And on Monday’s ‘Counter Attack’ on Sirius XM, host Brian Dunseth compared Sands to Thomas Dooley, a former mainstay of the United States national team who featured in the 1994 World Cup as well as in 1998.
Meola, who played with Dooley on the national team, said of Sands that “he’s one of the guys who stock has risen about as any as much as anybody in this competition
“But James Sands, you’re right from a defensive position, he will pop into midfield, the difference between Thomas Dooley and him and I played many years with Thomas Dolley and know this because I used to have a heart attack with Tom. Yeah, I mean whether he was playing center back, or is this like a six hybrid eight type player. He always ended up on the end of something in the box, right? And then those long legs it took him like 12 strides to get half the field to get back and that’s the difference.”
Meola and Dunseth co-host ‘Counter Attack’ on Sirius XM, an afternoon show that focuses on American soccer but has a healthy dose of international discussion as well.
James Sands/Thomas Dooley comparison
James Sands certainly has a long ways to go to have the kind of career of Dooley, a naturalized American who was born and grew up in Germany. He played with major clubs in Germany such as Kaiserslautern, Leverkusen and Schalke before moving to MLS to end his career.
Dooley had 81 caps with the national team, including the lone goal in the United States shocking win over England in the 1993 U.S. Cup. He was seen as a key part of the national team and the group’s advancing to the second round of the 1994 World Cup.
Like Sands, Dooley played deep in the midfield as well as centerback. The legendary Dooley was known for his ability to read the game and cover ground, attributes that led to seven goals with the United States national team during his seven seasons with the red, white and blue.
“I don’t know that anyone’s really asked to play that way anymore, right? The whole idea of box-to-box midfielders – that idea is gone in world football,” Meola said on the show. “I mean every team used to have those types of guys, but with the way formations have changed the way roles have changed you don’t see a lot of it.”
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex’ on Twitter @KristianRDyer