By FRANCO PANIZO
From an aesthetic point of view, the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team’s showing vs. Colombia was far from pretty.
From a results point of view, it was nothing short of beautiful.
The U.S. U-20s advanced from the Round of 16 to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2007 on Wednesday, doing just enough to outlast Colombia, 1-0, at Wellington Regional Stadium. The Americans finished the match with 10 men after left back Kellyn Acosta was sent off with his second yellow card in the 81st minute, but an opportunistic finish from Rubio Rubin and late penalty kick stop from Zack Steffen proved to be enough.
As sweet as it was to come out on top, not everything was peachy for Tab Ramos’ side. Not only did the U.S. get outplayed for large stretches of the match, but it also lost forward Bradford Jamieson to an unspecified injury that changed the initial gameplan.
Still, the Americans made do. Rubin scored a well-taken goal, Steffen came up in the clutch, and the team as a whole fought hard to keep its World Cup dreams alive.
Here is what is SBI is taking away from the U.S.’s 2-0 win over Colombia in the Round of 16:
STEFFENÂ SHINES IN GOAL
There were clamors from some, SBI included, after last week’s 3-0 loss to Ukraine for Zack Steffen to make the type of big-time saves that can rescue a result.
He did just that on Wednesday.
On a play that was reminiscent of his clutch penalty kick save in World Cup qualifying back in January, Steffen came up huge for the Americans in the 83rd minute by bailing out teammate Kellyn Acosta and keeping the Americans’ 1-0 lead in tact. The U.S. goalkeeper dove low and to his right to deny a spot kick from Jarlan Barrera with a one-handed save that was Steffen’s best of the tournament.
Steffen’s contributions were not just limited to that timely stop. The SC Freiburg prospect also thwarted two dangerous chances early in the second half, helping the Americans stay in a game in which they were getting outplayed until they created a goal seemingly out of nothing in the 58th minute.
Up until this match vs. Colombia, Steffen had not delivered those type of key saves. He had not been bad by any stretch of the imagination, but his most noteworthy play in the tournament prior to Wednesday had been his blunder that led to Myanmar’s goal in the group stage opener.
That is no longer the case, however. Steffen’s penalty kick save is now his biggest and most impressive contribution, and he will have a chance to build on it in the next round.
DEFENSE SHOWSÂ WELL AGAIN
While Steffen came through in the clutch to keep the Colombians off the scoreboard, the U.S. defense also played a big part in recording its second cleansheet of the tournament.
With Matt Miazga back in the fold, the U.S. back line once again played well for the most part. Acosta had his troubles at left back, but Miazga, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Desevio Payne stymied Colombia’s attackers more often than not despite facing waves of pressure, particularly in the first half.
Miazga and Carter-Vickers were especially good. The centerback partners continued to demonstrate their good understanding with one another, something that was evident even in World Cup qualifying but has been reemphasized in New Zealand. The two of them put out fire after fire against the Colombians, blocking shots, heading crosses away, and coming up with other timely interventions to limit the quality looks that the U.S. gave up.
Payne also raised his stock in this one. He returned to the right back spot and held his own defensively while also jumping into the attack on occasion. Acosta was not as good as his three defensive teammates – he was beaten on the dribble on a few instances – but he was far from terrible. Still, head coach Tab Ramos will have to replace Acosta for the next match after the FC Dallas prospect was sent off with a dubious second yellow card.
ALTERED 4-1-4-1 FORMATION NOT BEST FIT
The U.S.’s gameplan figured to change when Bradford Jamieson sustained a scary injury in the third minute of the match, but how Ramos responded tactically left a lot to be desired.
Jordan Allen was seen warming up on the sidelines while Jamieson was being tended to on the field, and many observers believed that the Real Salt Lake attacker would simply fill in for Jamieson up top next to Rubio Rubin. But that was not the case, as Ramos went away from his preferred 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation and switched to a 4-1-4-1 setup.
That look may have helped slow down Colombia’s attack a bit, but it was still clear that it was not a great fit for the Americans. Rubin was far too isolated too often, left up top to scrap on his own, and Allen was largely invisible in the attack as a left midfielder. Gedion Zelalem, Emerson Hyndman and Paul Arriola also had trouble moving the ball well in the face of strong pressure, at least until the second half, and it all allowed for Colombia to be in control of the ball for long spells at a time.
The Americans could have tried to play calmer and not so direct, but they continuously tried to get forward with hopeful long balls or individual dribbling runs. That led to them losing the possession battle, 60-40, and a repeat of that will likely lead to a loss against Serbia in the quarterfinals.
If Jamieson is out for that game on Sunday, Ramos has to find a different formation. One that better suits these U.S. players and allows them to create more from the run of play.
ZELALEM’S RELUCTANCE TO USE HIS LEFT IS TROUBLESOME
It has been clear watching Zelalem throughout the tournament that he tries his best to avoid using his left foot, but that does not make it any less concerning.
Zelalem wasted a few of the U.S.’s more promising attacking sequences because of his refusal to play with his left. On one occasion in the first half, Zelalem had space to cross a ball with his less-preferred foot, but instead opted to cut it back to his right and play a pass that took the sting out of the play.
There is no denying that Zelalem is as smooth a player on the ball as the U.S. has in the pipeline. He demonstrated that in spurts vs. the Colombians, but also showed that he has plenty of work to do to become a more well-rounded player that is at least somewhat comfortable playing with his left foot.
Yes, some players like Arjen Robben and Angel Di Maria might thrive despite being so predominantly one-footed, but they are a rare breed. Zelalem needs to work at being able to use both feet so that he can both offset his physical limitations and improve his chances of finding playing time at the club level in the near future.
SUBPAR SET PIECES CONTINUE
The U.S. has not been overly impressive in several areas in its last two matches, and one of them is attacking set pieces.
The Americans have struggled to be much of a threat from dead-ball situations as of late, and the win over Colombia further stressed that point. The U.S. had a number of free kicks and corner kicks in good spots on Wednesday, but failed to capitalize on any of them due to poor delivery from Hyndman and a failure from the intended targets to attack the ball.
It is true that this U.S. bunch is not the most physically-gifted, but still the Americans need to be better on set pieces, especially in matches where little is coming from the run of play. Ramos may want to opt to start playing them shorter or quicker, but something has to change as failing to capitalize on dead-ball situations could prove quite costly as the games become even tighter.
ugly win, but a win is a win. But US is short on forwards now. Also US never does well against European teams like Serbia (ex. Ukraine).
Hope I’m proven wrong. US needs more possession.
This team seems to have a midfield that is not particularly physical and it showed in the number of 50-50s lost by the US mids. It is hard to fautl the players for not growing, but the coaches should have tried to have a couple players with more more bite in their game. There was a time when that was about all the US youth teams had in their midfield and i am not suggesting going back to that, but a bit more balance to deal with the more physical teams would not hurt.
Anyone know how physical Serbia is? With Acosta out, there is not choice of moving him into the midfield (I thought the D-mid was the weakest link in that while he was a bit more willing to make a hard challenge for the bsll, he was also clearly not as skilled so that when he won the ball, he too often gave it right back.)
This is my breakdown: We beat Colombia on a lucky bounce and spectacular pk save; it’s time to focus on Serbia, another beatable team.
Serbia were really lucky against Hungary. The tied the game in overtime (90+1) and lucked into an Hungary own goal at the end of extra time to advance. So we got too “lucky” teams in the quarters. Although I would say that getting a bounce go your way is a lot less lucky than what the Serbs had, a winning own goal at the end of a game, you were outplayed in
It looks like the US will be without Jameison Bradford. for the Serbian Game. His twitter pix shows him in a neck brace. However, I have not seen ANY official report on his injury. If he was seriously hurt, he would be on a plane home, so ‘Im thinking the brace nmay be a precaution and he may be able to play again if the US reached the semi’s/finals. Anybody have a link to an official injury report?
And some game long tenacity and excellent team defense which allowed those **”2 Things” and “luck” to hold up in spite of being down a man. US straight up deserved to win period.
** 2 Things: including an outstanding strike to take advantage of the bounce and… well… excellent goaltending does count in a team’s performance- often quite a bit)
It surely beats Mexico’s performance in this tournament, considering that El Tri finished dead last in its group and is out.
Zelalem must be quicker in his decision; was a little too patient in crucial moments. However, his quality on the ball is better than most in our full national pool.
Allen was subpar in possession, and I’d be surprised to see him start in the quarters.
Our CB pool is very strong. Miazga is superior in the air and with his positioning. He must improve his distribution. CCV will start in the World Cup in 2022. With Brooks, Alvarado and EPB also in the CB pool, we have to feel comfortable long term at that position.
I’ve been impressed with Desevio in the 2 matches we’ve seen him. Definite bright future as an outside back. Between he, Yedlin and Okwuonu (who I thought was solid in Toulon), the RB spot is promising as well.
Hyndman and Zelalem are the long term CM for the full national teams.
Zack Steffen makes your feel comfortable about GK. I hope he can continue to develop in Germany. He has all the makings of a top notch keeper.
LB is still worrisome. Acosta was just ok.
Delgado had his best performance of the tournament, but still disappointed as a #6. This team really misses Canouse.
Rubin had one good chance and buried it, nothing more you can ask of your Stryker. FWD is another deep, strong pool moving forward. Rubin, Tall, Novakovich, and Jordan Morris; surely we can develop a good attacking Stryker from that group.
Wide midfield play is sorely lacking from the u20s to the u23s to the national team. Green showed glimpses in Toulon. His development is of the utmost importance. The health of Gyau is vital as well. I don’t see the answer coming from the current u20s. Arriola has a chance.
All in all, you have to be pumped about 3 wins and a quarters appearance with the potential for more. Combined with 3rd in Toulon and the sweep in Europe, it’s been a fun couple weeks as an American.
Although mentioned, I think Desevio Payne’s addition to the backline was huge.
Acosta didn’t play bad and Payne was great. His addition helps the Center backs.
I don’t really understand why Allen was selected for the tournament. He’s a true wide player, really a kind of traditional winger and doesn’t really fit in a narrow diamond.
I’m with you on Miazga and Carter-Vickers. They could be quite good.
Steffen has tools, but can get nervous and make errors. Hope that he gets good coaching in Germany.
I wasn’t sold on Canouse until his second match of qualifying where he really improved. This team does indeed miss him.
I fear that Acosta and Delgado have topped out as players.
How can 19 year old players be topped out as players? Excuse me, one is 19 and the other turned 20yrs old 3 weeks ago. Utterly ridiculous!
Not ridiculous in the least.
There are plenty of players who make little to no progress after age 20 and it happens for a variety of reasons. Look at the list of U-20 National team players who’ve done nothing beyond that level. Does the name Danny Szetela ring a bell? There are players who don’t even get this far. Look at the U-17 team with Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley. Most of that team did nothing.
Delgado has been a pro for over 2 years, yet his game has gone almost no where. He’s had a enough quality matches to develop the ability to read the game, yet he struggles with decision making.
Acosta has never impressed me and I think that he’s been overhyped. I don’t think that he’s good even at this level.
This month there will be players released all over Europe as they hit age 20 who many thought would become stars. Not developing into a higher level pro is more common than uncommon.
Agreed on all! Looking forward to who from this group progresses into the senior team. But always gotta rimind myself about the countless Zizzos, Adus and Steznla’s out there.
“It’s been a fun couple weeks as an American” — its been a record awesome few weeks!
I think this analysis is unfair as regards US. The US couldn’t keep possession because the referee wasn’t calling penalties in the first half. In the second half the US looked better because the ref started calling fouls, which allowed the US players to keep possession and start making plays. However, the Ref tried to give the game to Colombia with the penalty. The replay showed that the Colombian player hooked Acosta to get around him; which means he wasn’t out of position, Acosta was fouled, then Acosta had to grab the Colombian player, and then the Colombian player flopped. It was a terrible call. Ref also gave over 5 minutes of stoppage time when US down a man.
Is Paul Arriola fine for the next game? Wasn’t sure if a second yellow would hold him out against Serbia.
Yes he will be fine it was Ariolla’s first card of the tournament.
Acosta would have been out anyway after the first yellow,
Miazga, Delgado, Payne, Moore, Allen, Ariolla are the players on a card
Zelalem’s touches.
I think you guys underrate him. We have been the beneficiary of terrible refereeing these last two matches. He was pushed around by the Colombians and only got a couple of free kicks and a yellow against one of them as a reward. Hyndman was a ghost in the first half and did nothing defensively so lets cut that narrative right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8jqm1bfpKA
Both Zelamem and Hyndman are slight in stature. I have only been able to watch the first match of the tourney, so I can’t comment on this specific match, but having watched Hyndman in qualifying and a few times with Fulham, I can tell you that he has real mental and technical talent, but may be challenged physically. He needs a strong player next to him to shine. In qualifying he didn’t show much until we switched to a conventional 4-4-2 with Canouse as his central partner.
I do think that Hyndman can be effective in the right situation, but this doesn’t seem to the the case in this tournament.
I disagree about handyman. I saw him out in some good challenges and had a few nice moments where he showed good ball control in tight spaces. Our midfield was over run in the first half so really no one except our back line looked good.
Like I said, I didn’t see the match. I was commenting on a tendency that I’ve seen from Hyndman in the past. Others seem to have a similar view to mine.
You’re right, he does play well in tight spaces. I really admire him as a player and think that England is actually a good place for him because it will teach him to learn to deal with the physicality that is sometimes a part of the game. Put a healthy Canouse next to him in a 4-4-2 and he would look much better than with Zelaman next to him (too similar) and Delgado trying to anchor (not good enough).
I agree the rough play and lack of whistle hurt both. They are both small and with Colombia showed that if you push them around and you’re not getting called, its going to cause problems..
That said, their presence in the MF as inconsistent as it was, was still a key in this game.
The physical play and the formation were the two keys to the ugliness of this game.
I think the referees in the US COL match were European, eastern European (Croatian) which are (historically)not bad referee, they just allow more argy-bargy than Western European, Asian or SA refs. To see BAD refereeing, you need to see the African referees.
The good thing, as the further and further you progress into the WC, the better the refereeing gets. The bad ones a culled. Luckily right around the quarters you start getting the better referees.
Let’s Hope, anyways
Was it me or was Acosta just awful? Hesitant when he should be committed, aggressive when he should have been patient. I hate to bag on a ‘kid’, but please Ramos, no more of this one. (Admittedly I don’t know the player pool well enough to know who might replace him, but for my eyes, most anything would be better.) And while we’re at it – same for Jordan Allen
FWIW, Hyndman was a beast. Rubin was active but needed some help.
Believe Acosta will have to sit out the next match. So look for Payne to play LB and Shaq Moore to Play RB.
Would like to see Tab work Joel Sonaro and Tommy Thompson into the line-up, probably won’t happen but I think these two guys are too good to sit on the bench
Why Moore? Payne has been the much better of the two.
if i’m not mistaken, Acosta usually plays CDM rather than fullback… fwiw
That is correct. Acosta is a good defender but he would be better on the right then the left. his first yellow card was legit but the last one for the PK was ridiculous as he got fouled by the Colombian player before the turn.
He didn’t get the second yellow for the foul. He got it because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The ref even let him vent for a bit and allowed his teammate to try and calm him down, but he couldn’t take the hint, so he got run for dissent.