It wasn't a game USA fans will be re-watching for entertainment purposes, or one American players will want to remember, but the U.S. national team's 1-0 loss to France still offered up plenty of information, if not attacking soccer.
France was always going to be favored and expected to be the better side, even with a young lineup, but the U.S. team's total lack of attacking punch, and one of the worst midfield performances in recent memory, make the France loss a particularly disappointing and discouraging one.
In case you had not seen them yet, here is my Fox Soccer column on the match, which focused on the poor play in midfield. Also, here are my player grades.
Here are some more thoughts on the match:
Clarence Goodson was beaten for the goal, but he had played very well before that, making several key defensive plays. Anybody who thinks he played poorly must have not been paying attention until Loic Remy's goal.
the Beckerman-Edu central midfielder partnership does NOT need to be seen again. It just doesn't work. Some will blame Beckerman, some will blame Edu. Whatever the case, the tandem just isn't one that works. Either one or both needs to go, and there are plenty of candidates to turn to.
Of the two, Beckerman has been the better of the two, but Klinsmann needs to start taking a look at the other options. Beckerman can hold his own against CONCACAF competition, but I'm not sold on him doing well against elite teams. He had some moments against France, but the French central midfield dominated, and Beckerman was beaten a few times and didn't get nearly enough of the ball.
Just how badly did France dominate the midfield? Yann M'Vila possession stats were comparable to Beckerman and Edu COMBINED. Beckerman and Edu completed 57 of 70 passes. M'Vila? He completed 45 of 50. Now, M'Vila is a beast and one of the more highly-sought-after midfield prospects in Europe, but those stats suggest Klinsmann might consider other options, like the ones who actually play in top European leagues.
Neither Tim Chandler or Brek Shea had a good game, but they are STILL the best options on the left flank.
Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra aren't getting any younger, but they are still the best options and should stay as starters for a while. Can't see either of them not starting when World Cup qualifying starts for the USA next summer.
Jozy Altidore looks sharp and is miles ahead of all other forwards in the US pool. It would be nice to see him partnered with a striker in a 4-4-2, but he's developed his hold-up game to the point that he can handle himself as a lone forward. The problem is if people aren't moving off the ball or getting him the ball he's not going to have many chances to score.
Fabian Johnson showed some glimpses, but his cameo wasn't long enough to show what he can really do. He needs to get a start to show what he brings to the table.
Speaking of attack-minded midfielders, given the fact that Klinsmann has been reduced to playing a defensive midfielder on the right wing, why is he ignoring attack-minded midfielders who could actually play the position, unlike Danny Williams? Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber all would make more sense, but none can get a sniff from Klinsmann.
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What did you think of the USA-France match? What players impressed you? Which players did you consider just flat awful? What midfielder would you take out of the lineup if you had your choice? Better question, besides Danny Williams, which midfielder would you take out of the USA lineup?
Share your thoughts below.
Frankly, biff, I think you are simply wrong about MB. If you recall in the game against Argentina, he was pretty much given the job of stopping Messi. Messi did not have a good game, largely because MB steered him into traffic, or mad it difficult for teammates to find Messi. Messi did get loose in a scramble and was a contributer to Argentina’s goal, but, hey he is Messi!
I do not think Beckerman can cut it against better teams and I did not think he played particularly well against France who owned the midfield . OTOH, he did not do as poorly as I thought he would. He actually made one good forward pass, but most of his passes put teammates in worse situations than he was in before he passed. Not the sort of thing you want for a team that is supposed to be striving for more possession.
+100
Overall I like KLinsmann’s attitude on pressing the other team regardles of who they are, but he is just picking the wrong players. (ie.. Beckerman, and Edu)He has to be willing to try different players!
Your mom blows
I agree. Altidore captures the ball enough, but then what? I only remember one creative pass from him the whole game. At this level, just holding the ball isn’t enough.
An England fan from the Telegraph website commenting on the England performance against Spain:
“What is lacking in the English team are not so much special creative players, but players with enough basic skills to ping 4-5 quick passes together to break through Spain’s pressing game and move play in a quick and controlled way into the opposition half.
Until we can do that we will just see the likes of Rooney isolated and frustrated and probably getting sent off for clattering into a Spanish player in a desperate attempt to get a touch of the ball.”
Change a few names and it pretty much could be us. Went for a run today and was thinking about Michael Bradley and Adu in the middle as an experiment. What’s the worst that could happen? We lose another friendly. I really didn’t think much of Adu until his performance against Mexico….but after.. Maybe that was a fluke. Well, let’s give him a run out and see. I understand that he doesn’t start in MLS,etc, but lets just see to put it to rest. As for Michael Bradley, come back Michael all is forgiven.
For the last ten years I have watched the US and said “if only we could get it out of back”. Well…now we can get it out of the back and I’m constantly watching the games and saying “if only we could get it up front”.
I am yearning for a 4-4-2. Lets experiment with one more guy in the box and see if you we can find someone who can consistently get the ball in. If we try it for 3-4 game before WC qualifying and it fails what have we lost?
Do comments get deleted for no reason? I had made a point earlier today about not using 2 defensive mids at once (if any) and now it’s gone. Just trying to figure out how this site works. I give a fake email, is that why?
I feel that the coach sees potential in some players that didn’t get the opportunity before. I’ll reserve my judgement until WCQ begins. If Jurgen had the job after the end of the world cup, then maybe at this point, we would see a better product on the field or get a better understanding that it may not work out. It’s going to take quite a while for USA to get used to this style of play physically as well as mentally.
Again, Why don’t we accept that we do not have a current player in the US system that is dangerous attacking threat as a forward. I think we need to eliminate the terms ‘forward’, striker’ etc from our American team. Furthermore, we do not have a defensive player who can transition into the attack. We need to keep a back 3 or 2, and play with a mix of midfielders. In other words an attack of two offensive midfielders, 3 true midfielders, 2 defensive midfielders, and 3 defensive players who will not go forward. A 0-2-3-2-3 or 0-3-2-3-2 if you will. Accept(embrace) reality and call it the new American System.
How can you miss someone who was never there?
Other than his B team 2009 Gold Cup games, name me a game where Holden has put in an outstanding 90 minues?
His best games were for Bolton not the US.
Brian Ching still > Out the door
we tried pass-back bradley, he isn’t that good
Preparing for the most important game in his life….Ching and Costly are no joke
Goodson is a stick figure….Where is Omar?
Bradley blows
I would much rather see Brad Davis than any one of those guys.
The Euro-softies are not impact players….We need to continue to look at and develop our domestic league.
Without Beckerman, this game is 2-0, 3-0….There has to be more offense from the midfield though. Donovan was sorely missed.
Appreciate your points, Spencer, but I think we have the options to try. Klejstan, Torres, Feilhaber, Adu, etc. all have potential as better distributors than what we put on the field Friday. For a coach who claims to want to attack, Klinsmann is making inexplicable choices.
And Bradley sits on the bench why? And Klejstan, Feilhaber, Adu and Bedoya, talented players from the United States, are not called in, why?
Amen. We have American players who can do the job he’s bringing in Germans for. Only one, Chandler, has shown signs of being something special. The rest are redundant, so let them compete for the German team!
The Germerican experiment was fun and intriguing till Friday. Now I’m just pissed that Klinsmann won’t give playing time to actual Americans such as Bradley, Klejstan, Feilhaber and Bedoya. It’s f’ing ridiculous in my book. These are proven players. It would be one thing if he were playing just one German or two, but we’re talking about 4 players, only one of which (Chandler) has shown signs of being something we don’t already have.
Don’t get me wrong… I agree with you. He gets at least as much time as Alfredo Morales, even though I think the latter was only included to try and sway him toward choosing the U.S. over Peru or Germany.
I’m just saying, in Klinsmann’s eyes, Adu isn’t getting the PT to get noticed.
Beckerman’s biggest issue is his size and pace. Sometimes he just can’t keep up. He was well positioned and made a number of nice passes against France. Earlier on in the year he kept getting caught in possession. He seems to have learned from that, Edu on the other hand…
The whole 2 DMid’s complaint is true. Somebody has to link with Dempsey and Altidore up front… When your mids are only Beckerman, Jones, Edu… I don’t know how you do that.
There you go again, GW, expertly yanking a discussion that had gone crazy back to reality. I think Klinsmann’s second biggest mistake against France (biggest was playing Williams on the right wing), was not starting Michael Bradley as the lone holding midfielder, leaving Beckerman on the bench. I don’t think it would have been a pleasant experience for MB–or his supporters–and the carnage would have put a stop to those touting MB as better than Beckerman (as a lone holding midfielder). I gotta laugh when people touting MB, who is not known for speed, complain about Beckerman being too slow. Beckerman has generally played the lone holding mid role expertly under Klinsmann. No way in hell does MB have the defensive skills to play that hot spot as well as Becklerman. Chievo tried him there against Inter Milan a few weeks ago and MB did not have a good game.
I think without question Beckerman, Edu and Jones are better defenders than MB. Beckerman is a better passer, always looking to move the ball forward while MB tends to take the easy back pass. And Edu and Jones are much faster, as evidenced by Jones outstanding play when he sped into the penalty box late in the game to clear the ball.
I agree that Edu is purely a defensive mid and does not have the skills to be a good offensive midfielder. I am in total agreement with the Klinsmann haters that Edu should not be put up in front of Beckerman as an offensive midfielder. I suppose, though, Klinsmann has a reason for doing it. (Can’t someone in the soccer sports press pose this question to Jurg? Maybe there is a logical explanation.) In any case, Edu is a classic Number Six defensive midfielder and he should either be playing the position now being played by Beckerman as a starter or a sub. Or he should be one of two DMs in a 4-2-3-1 formation if Klinsmann ever reverts back to that, say late in a game to hold a lead (Yeah, I know, if we ever get a lead).
Playing as a lone DM, I would rate Beckerman first, followed by Jones and Edu, with MB in fourth place. I am not sure yet about Williams, but it appears Williams has the skills and the fire to potentiallly grow and be better than any of his older USMNT DMs. And I don’t think any of the older DMs (Beckerman, Edu, Jones or MB) are capable of doing a satisfactory job as an offensive midfielder.
I know a lot of people hate Kilnsy for putting Williams on the wing but he kept Ribery in his place….
Almost like that was a game plan or something…..
You’re the man Tim. Many a day passed in the Bradley era when 1 or even two goals were shipped in the first 20 minutes.
The defense looked good, and under consistent pressure.
Start from the back, and develop the team forward.
Geeps, I think you just described Didier Drogba.
USMNT needs a big body up front because there is not reliable service from the mid to allow players to get creative and have time on the ball.
There is a lot of young talent coming into the USMNT right now. These next couple years are going to be rough, but I have the faith that we’re going to shine in 2014.
I agree with the SBI assessment….it appears that unless you play in the Bundesliga you are not an option….Bradley is a better central midfielder and how long does it take to develop anyone that can play a set of defensive pairings — we have all been talking about this for atleast 6 years
There at least two times in this match where jozy beat his defenders and one was in the box where he was fouled. Jozy needs help from a creative offensive minded midfield. He has grown tremendously.
Klinsmann is going to learn that the US can’t play with a single striker. Altidore keeps looking for a strike partner up top and there isn’t one.
Stuart Holden……
Intertesting discussion. Klinsmann is receiving the same type of negative feedback he did in Germany leading up to the 2006 World Cup. By the end of the World Cup, the country was singing his praises.
The fact is the US has little speed and/or agility in most of its attacking options at the this time. Landon being out because he needs more than a week to recover from a match did not help against France.
We need some speed with technical ability playing out wide (Shea and Landon) and someone with some speed to help stretch the defense and play with Altidore up top. Remember we had a healthy Davies to do this before.
Dempsey can play as the 2nd striker, out left or as an attacking mid depending on who you have to pair with him. Hopefully, some of the young guys that show promise can be ready after they get through the Olympic cycle but we need more options.
I’m pretty sure Jozy had a full season at Hull (minus the final month), and not a half season.
Looking forward to watching our boys from the stands on Tuesday!
Altidore had no help, and still almost earned a penalty kick, made a sweet back heel flick that led to a break and eventual yellow card, and looked pretty good overall. He did enough to earn his spot for Slovenia.
+1 The team is missing Donovan big time.
Boy am I tired of this excuse. He earned additional calls at the Gold cup… the same Gold cup where he was the best player on the field for us.
The fact that the same coach that kept him on the bench during his first stay in MLS is doing it again should not be used to judge his worth. Call him into camp and give him a chance…. We won’t qualify for the WC the way we’re playing now. We need to change
I think that better NOT be the case with JK. Cant seeing him taking any crap from MB. His name would be filed with Bornstein’s if he did
Am I the only one that would rather lose these friendlies 5-3 than 1-0? It’s not like the US has been prolific in scoring, well, ever, and I can only take so much of these moral victories. Score a damn goal. I don’t give a flying f*ck if we “held” France to 1 goal. Sure, great defensive performance, but that’s by playing 8 defensive players and making Shea play more defense than offense as well. It wasn’t quite parking the bus but it was pathetic offense. Bring in someone with a freaking spark of creativity.
jozy is NOT technical. He did seem to take the pass better with his back to goal than usual but thats about it. We need a lot more. JK needs to keep looking
what is the big deal about Sacha? He’s proved time and time again he’s not good enough. Now all of a sudden we need him? NOT he turns the ball over like crazy.
What we need is Benny. Hes way better than Sacha and is a good passer
Bull … we need to stop mining German players and start using our own
Portugal has had a miserable few Euros and World Cup qualifier runs. For all of Ronaldo’s talent, it hasn’t done Portugal much good. Ditto for Messi and Argentina. As far as I recall it’s an eleven man game.
Why don’t you go somewhere else if you hate the US team so much?
I’ve only seen Diskaruud play once. I was impressed. I realize he isn’t playing in the most challenging of leagues. I sure hope to see him for the Olympic tryouts. We need some players that are comfortable holding on to the ball and not merely making square or back passes out of the mid. I guess I’m holding out hope for something more than a defensive mid playing an offensive role.
You are stupid.
JK said that Beckerman plays because Beckerman does what JK asks him to do 100% of the time.
In my mind Michael Bradley is a much better player than Beckerman. But then maybe we have to consider that MB isn’t playing because of MB. Bradley has had a couple run ins with his coaches before.
Did you even watch the game?
What is your definition of technical skills? He delicately laid a ball off to Dempsey that started one of our only breaks. He nutmegged Kosceleny (I know that isn’t spelled right) and was fouled by him in the box. He held the ball up well when he did get it.
I’m really confused by your remarks. Either you have a bias against Jozy or you don’t know what it means to be a “technical” player.
Bingo…. I’ve never understood the love affair with Jozy. Hes our best forward cause hes the only one that gets chance after chance to play and yet rarely produces anything. If you look at his club track record…its usually the same thing. Plays for awhile then falls out of favor and then is looking for a new club.
JK better get his head out soon. His player list isn’t working and no matter how many times he tries to push square blocks into round holes, it isnt going to fit. He needs a backup plan to Torres for starters. None of his current lot can do it…Look further…make a new list… call in Benny of Freddy or both. It’s too early to lock into a group especially when IT DOESNT WORK
What the $#$@ is Jozy going to up top alone? Hog air and space? Take maybe 1 shot on goal? I mean, really! This lineup will never make it to group of 16 in 2014. If Ronaldo, Messi and the likes are “A” type players. Donovan and Dempsey are “C”. They aren’t just behind Ronaldo. A few levels down. The rest of USMNT are “D” players. The comic relief of dissecting USMNT performances is too funny. USMNT isn’t good enough. Drink some coffee and wake from the slumber everyone!
Holden has done well for Bolton, and I think he is a ver good player, but it is hard to remember that he had any outstanding games for the nats. It might just a bit premature to think he will be the savior in the middle of the field. He might be, we still do not know.