The USA-England World Cup opener got all the hype, but Friday's match between the United States and Slovenia is as actually more important for the Americans. A win puts them in comfortable shape heading into the last group match against Algeria. A loss would all but eliminate the Americans.
Slovenia comes in off a 1-0 win against Algeria, while the Americans have one point from their 1-1 draw against England. A Slovenia victory secures passage into the second round, while a draw keeps both teams in the hunt (though it will mean the Americans face a must-win against Algeria).
For a primer on Friday's match, here is one of my previews for Fox Soccer, a look at how the sides facing off tomorrow night are very similar.
The big question heading into Friday's match is what, if any, changes will Bob Bradley make to the side that held England last Saturday. Will he go with the same lineup (shown above) or will he make some tweaks?
Here is the lineup we see Bradley fielding on Friday night against Slovenia:
USA Projected Lineup vs. Slovenia
—————Altidore————Findley————–
Donovan————————————-Dempsey
—————–Torres——-Bradley—————–
Bocanegra—-Onyewu—–DeMerit——Cherundolo
———————-Howard—————————
So why this lineup? Jose Torres over Ricardo Clark is the only change from the England match. Why? It doesn't make much sense to have Clark and Bradley in the middle against Slovenia. My money is on Michael Bradley being assigned to stifle Robert Koren, with Jose Torres taking advantage of the space given by a Slovenia midfield that should give him room to operate and circulate passes to the flanks.
Robbie Findley might come as a surprise, and I could see Edson Buddle getting the call, but Slovenia showed some vulnerability to pace against Algeria and Findley could unsettle the defense and make things easier for Altidore, Donovan and Dempsey.
Another option Bradley has is to move Dempsey up top, though this doesn't quite look like the match to do that in. If Dempsey is moved up top, you could see DaMarcus Beasley make his tournament debut.
Either way, I think the Americans will look to get forward more, and while they won't be attacking in waves, they'll show more of their attacking arsenal against the Slovenians than they did against England.
What lineup would you like to see against Slovenia? Hoping for the same lineup that tied England? Hoping the Americans go on the attack? Confident in a victory?
Share your thoughts below.
There was a Gooch-Jozy siting at the Argentina-S.Korea match. Colleague of mine saw them leave just before full time. I missed it. Can’t wait for 4 p.m. CAT Friday. I will be viewing the game from the Santon fan zone. Let me know if anyone else from Ives mafia will be in the nabe.
I can’t wait for this one…USA-England was a big match, but this one is going to be bigger…We must get three points out of this one to give us a shot at making the Round of 16…I fully expect to see a much better display from the Americans here than from our last game…No doubt we will attack and create more…I think Bob Bradley will keep things the same and tell his team the same message…I predit a 2-0 win for the mighty Americans…
LETS GO USA
I think Senior sees him as a winger option much more than a center mid option.
I’m not saying I’m a fan of Clark, but I for one and not going to roast Bradley over a choice I disagree with when we walk away with a draw. there is nothing to say that play would not have happened with Edu or Torres on the pitch, it was a brilliant moment on England’s part and a collective brainfart on the part of the USA–one they hopefully will not replicate again.
That said, I would rather see Edu or Torres or Benny before Clark
for this game. against another opponent we need big tenacious DM to gum up the middle without getting carded or brain farting.
I also thought that missed header was a key play. Jozy is a great player, but Dempsey and Donovan are the offensive creators. The team just needs someone to reliably put the ball in the net, and that’s Buddle.
I’m a DMB fan as well… wished he saw time against England and hope we see him against Algeria, but here I think you keep your LD and Deuce out wide.
UNLESS you do something like a 4-5-1, which I don’t think Senior would do:
_________Altidore_________
Beasely Dempsey Donovan
______Edu______MB_______
Spec__’merit__Gooch__’dolo
now that I think about it, this would actually be a GREAT lineup against fast and furious team like Algeria (or a fast furious and sickly talented team like Argentina or Germany), but not Slovenia. Too Big, too Slow too Bunkered in. The speed of this lineup would have nowhere to go and no one to chase.
Don’t forget that Findley is good at using that speed to track back on defense as well. That is a useful aspect to his game that may help when we are likely playing against a team that will look to counter attack.
Actually I think he showed tremendous confidence in the team he picked. It was clear he wanted to bring Holden on earlier, but read something that told him to ride that out for a little longer.
I was so upset with how the Italy game got away from us last summer for this very reason, but in this case I think he was simply following the “don’t fix what ain’t broke” rule…
I’m with you. I would welcome a match against Germany. We would earn some respect and exact some revenge for ’02 by sending the new tourney darlings home with their tails between their legs. Sure we would be underdogs, but I relish that role anyway. We could lose, but we are also good enough to beat anyone if things go our way.
be honest, duck, it’s the hair you’re a fan of….
Take Findley out, move Landon up top, Dempsey on the left and Holden on the right. As the game goes on Dempsey can swap places with Landon and Buddle comes on for Jozy. Late in the game we can take off a defender or midfielder if necessary and sub in Gomez or Findley. If we get a lead, we can pull Jozy out and bring in Edu or Clark to be an extra holding MF.
If Jozy had hit that shot in the second half (that was only stopped by Thumbs Green making the save of his career) we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
Come on you yanks. I really hope Torres is out there; he’ll distribute like no body’s business. And throw Buddle in there With Josmer, for the love of God BB.
Dempsey on the bench? Wow.
+1
“we got something for their a**”
LOVE IT!
Reminds me of home!
COME ON YOU YANKS!!!!
I would go with Ives’ line-up too but sub in Buddle for Findely early if Slovenia is playing bunkered down. Findley’s speed would therefore useless and I think Buddle plays better in cramped areas.
I can’t wait!
At this point, I don’t care what line-up it is, but I do care that we have the right mentality going in to it.
Yes, we could draw and still advance with a win against Algeria. However, if we can’t get three points against Slovenia, we don’t deserve to advance.
Period.
——————-Howard————-
Dolo——–Gooch———JD—-Boca–
——–Bradley———–Edu———-
——–Duece————-Beasley——
—————-Donovan—————-
—————-Josimer—————-
In addition to that…RedCardo sets a fine example of turning the ball over in his own midfield.
If the Slovenians bunker ball is what’s in store for us then we have something for thier a**. Contingent on the starting lineups,Torres will nickel and dime them with possession just outside their own box. That’s Par for the course when he plays for Pachuca in the attacking role. It’s certainly not our strength, however, it will serve a purpose taking into consideration that you need the ball to score. Truth be told, I don’t think they can beat us at our own game.
Every time I see Jozy in one of these team pictures, it looks like he’s unable to bend his knees. In each one, everyone else in the front row is crouching, but Jozy looks like he’s stuck about a third of the way down.
Love this idea. It’s a way to get Holden on the pitch and eliminate a weak spot for the US. Holden is too good to ride pine on this squad. I mean, is there any doubt who the better footballer is between Holden and Findley? Put Edu or Torres next to Bradley, keep the 4-4-2 and you got an excellent attacking lineup.
If we tie with slovenia (perish the though) then Gomez and Buddle aint seeing much of the pich in the third and final match.
FUHGETUHBOUTIT..
Ok. Now tell us how you really feel. And Don’t hold back!
I saw the need for Findlay against England. It was a simple defensive measure. Findley brings NO offensive punch to the US team. He was merely a “decoy” to stretch the English defense and allow Dempsey and Donovan more room and kept the English defensive backs honest by avoiding them pushing up on offense.
But Slovenia IS NOT England. They should be respected, yes, they are in the WC and defeated some good teams to get there, but the US needs firepower, not defensive cover. You need to sit Findlay and bring in Buddle who while not as speedy as Findlay, is nonetheless, probably faster than Altidore. If Altidore has not produced any difficult goals. The time for WAITING for potential is over. Fish or cut bait. If Altidore does not produce, bring in Gomez and pair him with Buddle. Remember Donovan has played with Findlay, Gomez and Buddle when, at one time or another, they played with the Galaxy. He knows their moves!. Altidore wiffed on at least one cross he should have nailed and Findlay, well, he can run fast, but so can a lot of other players, but now is the time to be dangerous by scoring A LOT against an inferior team.
England will be anxious to mop the floor with ALgeria, score some goals, no, a lot of goals, and have the inside track to be Group winner.
If the US blows it’s chance to score a lot of goals against Slovenia, by playing conservative or defensive to INSURE they will win, then it will be a Pyrrhic victory. The US will finish second in the group, face Germany and most likely go out in the round of 16. If they win Group C, they face Ghana and if Mexico wins their group and wins its round of 16, THEY will face the US. a much better road to the semi’s.
Yea, but I think we are strong on the flanks with Donovan, Dempsey and even Holden. If you play torres, that adds some extra creativity in the middle and helps reset the team much better than clark does. If our backline plays mistake free then I don’t see how we loose this game unless Slovenia get alot of luck.
Spains problem was, I believe, they played too close and didn’t spread the field. They changed it in the 2nd half somewhat but then didn’t come with much variety. Spain was too tight and played to a strong defensive side and when you miss all your opportunities you are not gonna win many games.
Truth is I’m a little Findleyed out. But will live with him as tong as Torres is in the mid. As an offensive quarterback, he’s the best we have.
You got it. But I don’t care about avoiding Germany. As long as we make it to the next round. We’ll see how good Germany is when they play Serbia. Australia was horrible!!!
I think just about anyone else would have attacked that header more than what Jozy did.
But that doens’t mean we should bench him for that.
Jozy, in my opinion is rusty, he doesn’t get much playing time outside of the national team. He needs to find a team where he plays 90 all the time.
I mostly agree with Ives’ picks, but I’d go with Buddle instead of Findley. Both have pace, albeit Findley a little more, but Buddle is a cleaner finisher.
I’d also go with Edu instead of Torres next to Bradley. Torres is smaller, and may get muscled around a bit by the Slovenians, whereas Edu can be both defensively and offensively minded, and perhaps stronger on the ball.
Hey !!!!!!!!!!!there is only room for one Micah, lol. 😀
I will start Altidore-Buddle
Beasley-Torres-Bradley-Donovan
Bocanegra-Goodson-Onyewu-Spector
Howard.
I think we should rest some players, for one half. Sub in the second half Holden for Donovan, Dempsey for Beasley,and Gomez for either Buddle or Altidore which ever one is the most tired.
I haven’t seen anyone recommend the pairing of Altidore and Holden up front. BB subbed Holden in up top on a couple of occasions and he did very well there. With his speed and technical skills he can get behind the defense and set up Jozy. I think it could be a deadly combination. He could be much more dangerous than Findley.
Even if Serbia somehow went through, it would be nice to beat Neven Subotic…
Cutting his Santa Clause beard, too.
Lalas is on the moon. He had Spector starting against England.
I agree a bit with this however, a player who is just as good as Torres at passing and even better at attacking is Holden who also knows how to tackle as weve seen at Bolton…..Edu is too similar to Bradley and we need someone who can spring just like Torres but brings more aggresive nature, Holden is perfect, but im not sure if BB will take this into consideration
put buddle in first, then replace him in the 70th with findley when the slovenians are tired….
—————Altidore————Buddle————-
———————-Dempsey———————
Donovan————————————-Holden
——————-Bradley—————–
Bocanegra—-Onyewu—–DeMerit——Cherundolo
———————-Howard—————————
Speed may cause problems for Solvenia, but it does not put the ball in the back of the net. Goal scorers do. We need to score goals. Why bring hot goal scorers if you do not use them.
Slovenia plays a similar style to us and will play back allowing us to attack. We play much better that way. When you look at home games in qualifying that is the way we played and we were much more dangerous. When we played away matches we hung back more and let the opponent come at us. I would argue we were way less effective that way. Like the second half against Brazil in the Confed Cup. We do not need Rico Clark. That lineup has us way to far back and not attacking. I say play more of a diamond and allow Holden to send in crosses to taller players (Findley is not tall, Buddle is).
I would not have a problem with Torres, yet he has really only had the one good half against Turkey, and Holden can shoot well from distance. I could also see Edu in the game as the holding mid, allowing Bradley to move higher up the field, ala his days in Holland.
“Findley’s speed was wasted early on vs King and Terry.”
Did you notice that King didn’t come out for the second half with a pulled groin? You don’t think chasing after Findley might have had something to do with that?
Notice how Jozy burned Carragher down the wing for his “almost” goal?
Normally I’d agree with you but since you can bring on Gomez for a change of pace in the second half, I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
Torres doesn’t do that that much. He is a defensive, holding midfielder. He settles the midfield. If you want offense go for Holden, Benny or DMB and have Bradley sit back.
Mr. Godfrey is over reacting to a missed cross but you are over reacting as well. Buddle has looked really good since camp and while Jozy has more experience at this level, Gomez and Buddle both being “hot” is very important. Jozy may be the future but we need goals NOW not in 2014.
Yes, I prefer ties and watching Ricardo play lost in the midfield the entire game.
What’s the mid-point between possession-oriented but less physical Torres and physical but below-average passer Clark?
Edu
Bradley will start him and then may sub one of the others for either defense, or offense in the second half….
Actually I’m all for Torres over Clark in this game. Just used the analogy for the OP.
I would go with the same line-up as the England match, BESIDES Clark who (like Ives said) wouldnt make sence when you simply need more attacking against Slovenia. Clark and MB are the CM’s we play when we play power houses to stop a formidable attack. We need Holden or Torres with Bradley in the centre. I prefer Holden to Torres IN THIS MATCH just because Holden has great distribution skills like Torres but advances up the field at a faster pace which could stifle the Slovenians. However, i doubt BB will use Holden with Bradley tomarrow. Im fine with Torres though, he will compose our midfield well throughout. Up top is also something i would change. Findley gives an element of pace against big sides that leaves opposing teams open on the counter. That is great, but what you want to look for against Slovenia is a player with good control, vision, physicality, and nose for the goal. Edson and Herculez both have these attributes, but if i were to chose one it would be Gomez. You always want a bit of a mix up top as a manager and Edson is just a bit too similar to Jozy for me(Jozy is faster though(: ). Again, I would not have any problem with a Buddle start. Jozy will again be the striker to hold the ball up and run at defenders with speed and strength. I dont care if Findley and Clark start, we just better win.
The USA has played minnows who just created barricades. The USA would then try a lot of sneaky balls through, which usually didn’t work. If Slovenia tries that, then USA needs guys who can hit the ball from distance to force the midfielders out of that barricade.
The difference is we have seen what Torres and Clark can do. Torres isn’t some back-up QB we haven’t seen play. And Torres is a solid player.
right, and the torrid losing streak we’re on is proof of that….
lololol