Thought's and analysis of the USMNT friendly against Mexico.
Wednesday night’s friendly against Mexico had some very big
ups (the entire first half), combined with some very big lows (the first 30
minutes in the second). It ended up 2-2, but the game was about so much more
than the scoreline. In a World Cup year, everything has to be about the
tournament and looking forward to that. Yes, you want to win every time you
step onto the field, and to give up a 2-0 lead was disappointing for sure. But
Wednesday was not about winning, losing, or drawing. It was about June 16th
against Ghana. It was about identifying players to make the final 23-man
roster, and to begin the process of finalizing the starting XI that will step
onto the field two months from now. Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff learned a
lot last night, and there were many takeaways from that game. Here are mine.
1) Michael Bradley and his midfield partner:
The biggest thing to come out of last night was something
that a lot of US fans have been saying for a while now. The team is at its best
when Michael is set free to roam wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and he
can only do that with a true #6 behind him. Unless Jermaine Jones somehow
completely changes his mindset, that isn’t him.
Mexican coach Miguel Herrera was quoted after Wednesday’s game saying,
“Bradley looked as if he was the best player in the world.” While that might be
a bit of an exaggeration, there is no debate that Bradley was sensational in
every phase of the game.
I’m attributing his success to two things. The formation/tactics
that were deployed by the coaching staff, and Kyle Beckerman. Beckerman
completed 36 of 39 passes in his 70 minutes of play, but this wasn’t his only
contribution. Having a midfielder sitting back helped the defense out immensely
with their breakouts, and the calmness of transitioning from defense to offense
in the first half was a thing of beauty. Beckerman’s caution with the ball and
tendency to stay at home not only helped enormously with possession, but it
gave the best player in North America the freedom to roam box-to-box and impact
every element of the game.
It’s no coincidence that the first half against Mexico and
game against Panama (in Seattle last summer) were the US’ best performances
since the beginning of 2013. In both of those games, Michael Bradley was paired
in central midfield with a defensive minded player (Kyle Beckerman and Geoff
Cameron) and controlled the game. Bradley is the best player in CONCACAF, and
to hamper his skillset is killer to the USMNT. I’m not saying that Kyle
Beckerman should start in Brazil. But I am saying that a player with the same
mindset of Beckerman should start. Whether that is Beckerman, Geoff Cameron,
Maurice Edu, Danny Williams, or a disciplined Jermaine Jones doesn’t matter.
But Bradley has to be free to own the game.
2) Formation experiments
For the vast majority of the past year, Jurgen has played a
4-2-3-1, but on Wednesday, the US lined up in a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.
This put Bradley in a much more advanced role than we are used to seeing, and
also had Clint Dempsey at forward rather than central attacking midfield.
This formation accomplished a lot tactically. As I talked
about earlier, it freed up Bradley to be a true field general and play
box-to-box without worrying about covering for any runs that his holding
midfield partner might make. It also created more space for the midfielders and
forwards to make runs. In the 4-2-3-1, the target forward was tasked with hold
up play and maintaining possession. With two forwards, Dempsey and Wondo were
able to make runs off of each other, which created gaps in the defense that the
midfielders were able to exploit. The second goal is a perfect example of this.
Although it required a world-class flick from Michael Bradley’s head, the
spacing and runs of the players is what made the goal happen. Clint Dempsey
drops back somewhat to retrieve the ball and get it out wide to Tony Beltran.
Wondo is pushing the defensive line back, which opens up space for Bradley to
make a run from the midfield to where Dempsey typically would be (wasn’t there
due to dropping back). Bradley, or anybody, would never be in this position to
push forward if it was a 4-2-3-1, as the only support to the Wondo run would be
Dempsey who had already dropped back. Beltran is able to find Bradley at the
top of the box for the flick on, which ends up on Wondo’s foot and eventually
in the back of the net.
As much praise as I have given the 4-4-2 diamond in the past
few paragraphs, I still don’t think it is the formation that best suits the
USMNT. Rather, I think that a hybrid of the 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 is the way to go.
My preferred formation as of now is a 4-1-3-2.
Dempsey—Altidore
Donovan—Bradley—Zusi
**Beckerman
Johnson—Besler—Cameron—Parkhurst
**Beckerman/Jones/Edu/Williams
This formation could not fit this team’s front six any
better. As I have already discussed, having a true holding midfielder (or #6)
opens up Bradley to control a game. Bradley will always be a defensively
responsible player, he is just too smart and reliable to ever get himself caught
up field with no coverage. This is a big reason why his partnership with the
reckless Jermaine Jones doesn’t work, as Bradley is constantly stuck in a
holding role where he cannot impact the game as much. The 4-1-3-2 means that
not only do you have a player who’s primary role is to link up the defense to
midfield, but you also have an attacking midfielder who will always be there to
help out defensively on counterattacks. You also have a fantastic two way
player on the wing in Zusi who will track back and be defensively responsible
on top of serving beautiful crosses into the box, which now has more targets in
it than in the 4-2-3-1. With Dempsey and Altidore up top, you have a true
target forward (Altidore) paired with a forward who can drop into the midfield
to retrieve the ball when needed (Dempsey). It also gives the players the
ability to play off on one another, something that Altidore has sorely been
missing in his past few appearances for the national team.
3) Defense: One question answered, many more created
In my opinion, Michael Parkhurst locked up a spot in Brazil
with his performance Wednesday night. He didn’t do anything flashy or
particularly well, but he was playing left back, which just so happens to be
his fourth best position. His stability and flexibility adds so much to a
backline that has three spots up in the air.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum was Omar
Gonzalez’s performance. He had a very solid first half, but looked lost and was
at fault for both of Mexico’s goals in the second. To me, Wednesday’s game
opened up a starting spot in the backline that had been locked up for the past
year. Jurgen has always said that he sees Geoff Cameron as a central player,
and his incredibly strong season for Stoke City combined with Omar’s
inconsistency could lead to a change in the central pairing.
This is another way that Parkhurst’s stability comes into
the picture. With him in the fold at right back, it isn’t so scary to move
Cameron to center back. I’ll also talk about DeAndre Yedlin later, who is
another reason that Cameron might end up where he was a year ago—center back.
4) The battle for the final striker spot
Depending on where you place Clint Dempsey, the US will take
a maximum of four forwards to Brazil. Jozy Altidore and Aron Johannsson have
two spots locked up, with Depmsey also having one (if he is considered a
forward rather than a midfielder). This leaves one spot, with Eddie Johnson,
and Chris Wondolowski battling for it. Wondo scored in the first half, which
was his first international goal against legitimate competition. He was a pest
all over the field and brought great energy in tracking back and making the
Mexican defense uncomfortable. He did everything that he needed to do to make
the team. Then came on Eddie Johnson in 65th minute to try to match
Wondo’s performance. He made an absolutely beautiful run, had a perfect first
touch, and finished it off beautifully with a goal that was wrongly disallowed
by an offside call.
Both forwards did everything that they needed to do to keep
their chances of going to Brazil as high as they could. Wondo is a much better
locker room guy, and brings a lot more to the defensive side than Eddie does.
However, Eddie provides more flexibility as he can play in the midfield on
either wing in addition to his strongest position at forward. Neither player
pulled ahead of the other, and this is a battle that will continue until June 2nd.
They have a short camp and two friendlies to prove themselves before the final
roster is named.
5) Youngsters earn another look
Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin both kept their hopes of
making a World Cup roster before their 21st birthday alive with
their performances. Green was under enormous pressure in his first appearance
with the United States, and did exactly what I expected of him. He looked rusty
and nervous, but it was also very clear that he possesses immense talent.
Although it wasn’t called (a much worse blunder by the ref than the Eddie
Johnson non goal), Green earned a free kick in a very dangerous spot, just
outside of the box. He showed that he certainly isn’t afraid to take on a
defender and has a phenomenal first touch.
As for Yedlin, he was helped greatly by Gonzalez’s poor
game. As I said earlier, there is now a good chance that Geoff Cameron gets a
long look at center back, opening up an additional roster spot at right back
(which was already a huge question mark for the USMNT). Yedlin wasn’t anything
special on Wednesday, but he showed flashes of what makes him such an exciting
prospect for the national team in his 20 minutes of playtime. He has more
ability going forward than any American fullback besides Fabian Johnson and
that was certainly on display against Mexico. He does a fantastic job
overlapping with the right midfielder, and is always looking to create. The
other thing that jumps out at you about his game is the one thing that you
cannot teach. Speed. Watching him track back is mesmerizing, as he can make up
ten yards of a deficit in the snap of the fingers. This is huge for Yedlin’s
chances, because Ghana and Portugal both have tremendous speed on the outside.
Although Yedlin isn’t fully polished defensively, his speed could be a huge
asset come June.
The 18-year-old Green and 20-year-old Yedlin will both play
huge roles in the USMNT’s future. But on Wednesday, both earned themself
another look before the final 23-man World Cup roster is announced. Expect both
of them to be in the initial 30-man camp and to get looks during the Azerbaijan
and Turkey friendlies.
6) Making history
Yes, it was a friendly and there were a lot of things much
more important than the result. But Wednesday night marked the fifth straight
game in which the USMNT got a result against Mexico. They went 2-0-3 over those
five games, and it is the first time in the national team’s history that they
have gone unbeaten in five straight against Mexico. Jurgen wants to own
CONCACAF and our longest ever unbeaten streak against Mexico, combined with a
Gold Cup championship, is a fantastic start to that.
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