It was essentially the worst possible performance in the biggest possible moment. Facing an Argentina team that is among the world’s best at punishing mistakes, the U.S. Men’s National Team made a multitude of them in a match billed as a potential game-changer.
A 4-0 beating soon followed, sending the USMNT crashing out of Copa America contention with a thud. It was a setback of a performance on a setback of a night, as the USMNT failed to grasp an opportunity rarely presented to them. There would be no fairy tale victory and on a night in which the USMNT was thoroughly outclassed. In truth, it never even looked possible.
Tuesday’s match served as a lesson, a humbling, another step on Jurgen Klinsmann’s famous learning curve, if you will. The U.S. and its players still have a ways to go to catch the likes of Argentina. While that reminder was served on a platter on Tuesday, it should also be used to remember that the U.S. was never truly favored to succeed in the first place, even if the outcome was much worse than many expected
A loss to Argentina is neither an indictment of the USMNT nor a performance excusable by the gulf in talent. Rather, it served to show that the U.S. has work to do if they hope to truly contend in major tournaments going forward.
Here’s a look at some takeaways from Tuesday’s match:
USMNT SET TO FAIL TACTICALLY
The USMNT was shorthanded heading into Tuesday’s match. Shuffling was required and new pieces needed to be added to replace those that would sit high above the field serving suspensions on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the USMNT, the changes and decisions made prove incorrect on Tuesday.
Emerging in a 4-4-2, the U.S. opted to introduce Chris Wondolowski, Kyle Beckerman and Graham Zusi to the fray to replace the suspended Bobby Wood, Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya. The introductions provided mixed results at best in a game where the USMNT needed to be nearly faultless to have a chance.
Starting with the formation choice, the U.S. was going to struggle mightily against Argentina when deployed in a 4-4-2. There’s a reason the 4-4-2 was all but extinct before Leicester City’s resurrection this season. It leaves the midfield unit overmatched and strikers too isolated. With players like Ever Banega and Javier Mascherano controlling the play, the U.S. was never going to get any sort of time on the ball.
The only way to make a 4-4-2 work, much like Leicester did, is to press the opposition into oblivion. You have to come intelligently and in waves, giving the opposing midfield no time on the ball before darting forward with pace and power. The U.S. had no press. They had no pace. They had no power. What they had was an obligation to defend against the world’s best team, a frightening proposition at best.
Against teams like Costa Rica or Paraguay, the U.S. could deploy a 4-4-2 and thrive. The presence of players like Wood, Jones and Bedoya aided their pressing system, making it a logical choice against teams without the firepower of Argentina. But with Wondolowski and Beckerman in the lineup, the USMNT lost their athleticism and pressing ability, and it was obvious from very early on that the U.S. would need a miracle to survive.
The miracle wasn’t to be, and the U.S. waspunished with a 4-0 loss that they were never set up to win in the first place.
MICHAEL BRADLEYÂ STRUGGLES AGAIN ON BIG STAGE
Heading into Tuesday’s match, the USMNT knew Michael Bradley would need to be virtually perfect if they were to have a chance at winning. He wasn’t. Far from it.
Once again, Bradley was far from his best when it came to leading his team on the biggest of stages. Against a dominant Argentina side, Bradley provided give-away after give-away while becoming a detriment to the USMNT attack. It was a bad, bad night for the USMNT captain in a game where he needed to be spot-on for the USMNT to even muster a shot on goal.
Bradley’s inability to perform at his best on the big stage is troubling. Dating back to the 2014 World Cup, Bradley has seemingly saved his worst moments for the times when his team needs him most. In matches like Tuesday’s and the tournament opener against Colombia, Bradley doesn’t just disappear; he appears all too often with mistake after mistake as he attempts to battle his way into the game. No one can question Bradley’s heart or desire, but his play in big-time moments has become a worrying trend dating back several years.
It’s not as easy as to flip a switch that makes one suddenly step up to the moment. Bradley is the USMNT captain, and the man is as passionate about the national team as anyone in a jersey. For all of the frustration, Bradley is likely the most disappointed of anyone after yet another squandered chance to prove his mettle on the world’s stage.
Whether you attribute it to a lack of sharpness from the club level or a mental hump that must be overcome, Bradley’s performances are a worrying trend. The USMNT goes as far as Bradley can take them more often than not, and bad Bradley games always seem to coincide with even worse USMNT performances.
Bradley’s performance wasn’t the only poor one, just the most obvious and worrying. Brad Guzan should have done better on the game’s opening goal, while John Brooks played as poorly as we’ve seen since last year’s Gold Cup. In truth, only Gyasi Zardes, Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin truly had any moments of positivity on a night where you really do need to grasp at straws to find something to praise.
For the next several years at least, Bradley will remain a focal point of the USMNT; he’s too talented and too valuable not to be. His spot in the lineup is not up for debate as of yet, as Bradley still remains the USMNT’s top midfield option in several spots.
If the USMNT is to take a step prior to the 2018 World Cup, Bradley will be at the helm of it, for better or for worse. With that in mind, performances like Tuesday’s provided a worrying glimpse into a trend that needs remedying from both the USMNT and Bradley himself.
USMNT PUNISHED FOR MISTAKES
Venezuela was punished for making mistake after mistake against Argentina, culminating in a 4-1 Copa America quarterfinal loss. One would think the USMNT would take that lesson to heart, while doing whatever they could to avoid risky plays and mental breakdowns against a team known for punishing them.
They didn’t.
The USMNT was careless and sloppy on Tuesday night, earning a 4-0 drubbing that was much more one-sided than Argentina’s prior victory. It was a match that featured plenty of individual brilliance from the Argentines, but just as much individual ineptitude from a USMNT side that had been so resolute throughout the opening four games.
Just three minutes in, the first bit of indecisiveness killed the USMNT. After failing to close down Lionel Messi of all people, the USMNT was opened up with a majestic ball over the top. Caught in two minds over whether to come out or stay rooted, Brad Guzan was then stranded in no-mans land, leaving Ezequiel Lavezzi with a header all too simple just three minutes into the game.
It was far from the only mistake. John Brooks had his first off game of the tournament, and, by off, I mean very off. Steve Birnbaum’s giveaway produced Argentina’s fourth, a simple chance considering the fact that it saw Messi and Gonzalo Higuain driving in on goal. Aside from Messi’s moment of magic on a first half free kick, each USMNT goal was easily preventable.
Against Argentina, mistakes will kill you, and they did. After a series of disciplined performance throughout the Copa America, the U.S. unraveled at the worst possible time, and was punished for it with a blowout loss.
LOSS NOT AN INDICTMENT OF PROGRAM AFTER COPA AMERICA SUCCESS
Tuesday’s loss was a damning one. A 4-0 beatdown, in any scenario, is a setback, regardless of the opposition that provided it. However, the USMNT’s semifinal drubbing is just that: a drubbing, not an indictment on the program as a whole.
Prior to the Copa America, the USMNT set out to win a knockout game. They did it, just days after finishing top of their group with a gutsy win over Paraguay. The win over Ecuador in the quarterfinal served as a legitimate achievement, even if it looks a bit diminished in the wake of Tuesday’s loss.
At the end of the day, Argentina was, and is, better than the USMNT. There is no debate, and there never really was. The two sides could line up against one another 100 times, and Argentina would win nearly all of them given the talent and discipline they possess. They’re one of the world’s best for a reason, and they showed it on Tuesday night.
The USMNT, meanwhile, still has a ways to go. A win on Tuesday wouldn’t have truly changed that, and a loss shouldn’t either. Even if they would have emerged victorious, no one would say the USMNT has reached the level of elite quite yet, and a loss to a team that has shouldn’t diminish what came in the two weeks prior. The USMNT isn’t great. The USMNT isn’t terrible. Rather, they’re somewhere in the middle with a ways to truly go.
All things considered, the USMNT is in a far better place than it was just a month or two ago. The U.S. went up against the best and took their lumps, for sure, but the performances prior showed growth. The U.S. is still far behind Argentina in terms of talent, prospect development and overall depth, but it’s hard not to see that progress hasn’t been made.
On a night that showed the worst of the USMNT, it’s easy to forget how, just days ago, the team seemed at their best. Like always, they sit somewhere in the middle, and it’s a fact that must be remembered when facing both the good and the bad.
Why is Bradley untouchable? He hasn’t been good for a few years now. Giving him a free pass impedes the growth and possibilities of other midfielders.
And people have to get over the “we’ve been good in big game before” and take it with a grain of salt. 2002 was an anomaly, 1-1-1 in group play and lucky to advance and draw Mexico. 98 and 2006, let’s not go there. 2010, 1-1-1 and needs the miracle against Algeria to advance. 2014 vs Belgium we were lucky to not be blown out because Howard was great. Confed 2010? Yeah, we beat Spain but we were lucky to advance out of group and the second half against Brazil we were put in our place.
Face it, we’re just mediocre at men’s soccer. Who is responsible? A lot people and reasons why. Klinsmann? Not really in the broader scope, issues pre-exist him. Garber and Gulati don’t get free passes, either.
The best gauge of the US team was their performance against Colombia. Hopefully they can duplicate it on Saturday without the mistakes. I thought we actually played close to even with Colombia. If we can play consistently well enough to hang with a team like Colombia, we really should have no complaints about the USMNT progress. We need to look at the totality. Last time we played Costa Rica we lost 1-0. This was our worst beat down of them ever. I don’t think we are 4-0 better than CR, but this is another sign of progress.
As a non US resident all I can say is this US team shows its still very far from being a candidate to anything FIFA……as long as Soccer continues to be 4th or 5th sport in the country…sorry but thats just the way it is, you either do something about it or you just keep on participating…
I think it’s time to bring in the youth. Starting XI under the age of 26?
Soooooooo:
Zardes wood Jozy
Pulisic
Williams kitchen
Shea Brooks Miazga yedlin
???
I could live with it
Still at least 2 generations of player development and building mis/usl etc academies away from going toe to toe with Argentina. A new coach or new tactics were never going to level the playing field at NRG Tuesday night (even though JK did roll out a chicken-shit line up and then complained that the players were scared). Look how long it took Spain to become world champs and they had Barcelona and Real Madrid driving soccer culture in their country. We will live to see the day fellow Outlaws, but don’t hold your breath.
That said, the way they played against Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay made me optimistic for world cup qualifying and the Russia 2018 group stage. Find the right chemistry and maybe pull an upset in the round of 16.
In the meantime go support your local club team whether its the Seattle Sounders or San Antonio Scorpions and do your part to keep building the game. Cheer when they score, cry when they lose and boo JK relentlessly whenever he refuses to shoulder any of the blame. When your drinking beer number 3… or 13….. remember to keep perspective, the US national team was in the Copa America Semi-Finals and its going to be a long time before you see that again,………..and the Dutch are watching the Euros.
We’ve stood toe to toe with the powers of the day in years past. I typed out of all our performances from 1994-2014 and then deleted it as the it was tl;dr. We should have done better. We did play scared, and a lot of that came from our captain and our keeper – Bradley and Guzan.
All that said, I went back and rewatched it. Argentina would have beaten anyone on that night. Not only were we poor, but they were at another level until they stopped caring at about minute 60. If that team showed up in 2014, they would have beaten Germany.
With MB90, I think it’s time to ask if he’s capable of being the leader and the best player at the same time. It’s no shame in not being able to fulfill both roles. Donovan couldn’t do it for the US and the list of players internationally who couldn’t provide leadership while being the best player is miles long. It may be time to replace him as captain, although I’m not sure who would replace him (Brooks?, FJ?)
No they have not gone toe to toe with an elite team in a major tournament ever. They just don’t yet have the players to dictate the game to a top5 team for more than a few minutes. They have had amazing moments of defend and counter…. spain and brazil 2009 ConFed cup, germany in the 2014 WC and 2002 WC, england 2010 WC, portugal in 2014/2002…… but thats it.
ghana, costa rica, mexico, ecuador, paragauy….. really really good, but not elite
((((((((if u consider defend and counter to perfection like atletico madrid going toe to toe then i totally agree with you)))))) ……………and i would like to see more of it until there are 100 professional franchises in the United states all with a quality academy
Argentina spain brazil germany… etc… the elite teams in the world are just at another level than the US national team. If they play their best game the US loses, fear has nothing to do with it.
I said it before and I’ll say it again… We are decades away from producing a player that might be good enough to be the backup to another backup for a team like Argentina.
Bad team selection yes, but that also shows our dearth of talent. They had the best striker in the premier league sitting on the bench and we trot out wondo. Nothing personal against the guy. All said and done we ran into a super talented team playing at the top of their game and we were poor. But I am still positive about the future. We have some talent coming thru. Hopefully the program can nurture them and successfully bring them into the fold.
Bradley has lost his way since he moved back to MLS. In this competition he was just awful. How many passes did he make directly to the opposition? How many turnovers? And more enraging how many wasted corners and free kicks? I’m not saying he should be out of USMNT picture since we lack depth, but he needs to be challenged by another. Maybe it would light that fire so we’d have the Bradley of old.
If people keep blaming JK that’s problem number 1,
We don’t have the talent thats problem number 2 and the media’s expectations is the third problem. Be realistic people, I expected better but shit happens
+1. Full credit to Argentina, who are playing really well as a team and as individuals right now. The final against Chile should be a thrilling match.
As for the USA… Until we have players starting regularly at top 3 clubs internationally (read: Champions League level) we should expect to be underdogs against the perennial top 5 teams. It takes more than 1 superstar (wanna lay odds on the current Portugal side winning the Euro even with Ronaldo on the squad?), it takes more than and genius coach, even though great coach and the right tactics can defy expectations any day (look at what Italy has managed to do with a very underwhelming side), but in the end, it’s the players that play the game.
JK’s lineup and formation did not help, but leaving Messi unmarked and having your GK play himself out of the first goal within 5 minutes of the starting whistle did the rest. From that point out that Argentinian side put in a competent night at the office and kept the match handled. It coudl have ended 1-0, but every goal came from a bad decision on the part of a US player (Messi’s free kick was something special, but Wondo gifted him that distance and position with the foul). It was just too easy.
That’s what I think people I know and talk to about this match are frustrated about. Everybody knew this was a moment from USMNT to rise to the occasion and put up a fight, and it really feels like no one did.
All I can say is Nagbe Bedoya Pulisic Hyndman, Kitchen, Cameron, Williams, Brooks, Wood, Zelalem and Guzan better stay healthy and keep climbing the ladder by finding and starting on clubs overseas wherever and however they can. Bradley and Altidore cashed out by coming home far too early, and while I don’t blame them and I am very glad they are helping to build the sport here at home, I don’t see either of them getting any better from here on out on the world stage. I really, really, really hope I’m proved wrong.
The last paragraph was an excellent assessment, fair and square!
I think the real issue here is that the whole reason you bring in a guy like Jurgen in the first place, as he stated when he took over, is to play proactive football and a discernible style against the top teams of the world that isn’t just bunker and counter. Simply put, we’re further away from this than we realize.
I want to give Jurgen credit for things he’s done well. He’s broadened the player pool, proactively engaging with exciting young talents and integrating them into the squad even if just in friendlies. Under his tenure, players like Bobby Wood, John Brooks, Zardes, and others have come into the team because they’ve been given chances in friendlies and other matches to earn their places. He’s stayed connected to young talents like Zelalem, Green, Pulisic, etc. and seems to view his role as a recruiter of sorts as well as a manager. Whether or not we agree with this approach, it certainly benefits the player pool.
What he has failed at counts much higher than where he has succeeded. While we got out of a very tough group in the WC2014, our end result was no better than it was the previous cycle. We’ve played poorly at the Gold Cup and have failed to play proactive and ambitious soccer against the world’s top teams: a breaking of the promise Jurgen made when he came into this job years ago. We were supposed to have a pressing, fast, possession-based style that he was confident he could deliver with the players he had. What we have instead is a lighter, slightly less-organized version of the Bob Bradley and Bruce Arena teams before him: bunkering, counter-attacking teams that can’t hold possession against elite teams – and when we lose pieces that give us speed to counter like Wood, we have a completely toothless attack.
This less-polished version of old teams is due to a lack of continuity. Jurgen endlessly tinkers with lineups, and the players have low chemistry with one another. Likewise, when he has better weapons at his disposal, he continues to ride the old war horses with save, conservative decisions in hopes to minimize the damage we take vs. what we inflict. This was not what he promised. Starting Beckerman alongside a struggling Michael Bradley was spineless, too reliant on the narrative of an inevitable American defeat to a strong Argentina team. The starting XI was a concession before the opening whistle. Why one would keep Nagbe on the bench against a team like Argentina when Jones and Bedoya are both out due to suspension reflects an unwillingness to go for broke. It doesn’t matter if you lose 4-0, 1-0, or 10-0 at the end of the day, and the fact that we didn’t even try for a proactive approach is the most shocking and disappointing thing for me, summing up JK’s failure as our manager.
If we want to play a bunker style, there are better managers to hire for it. Jurgen was supposed to fundamentally change our approach – and before we start talking about realism and player pools, remember that HE was the one who gave this promise. We judge managers by what they deliver vs. what the expectations are, and he set those expectations. He has failed his own metrics. If we want to play proactively, then we need to field players that can play that way. We have some that do, and while we likely would have lost to this Argentina no matter what players we fielded, the concession before the opening to a reactive style stings me as a fan.
Bitterly demoralized me when he chickened out by trotting out that starting XI. Stunningly was not what I’d hoped for and expected all week leading into this exciting matchup opportunity to play the great Argentines in front of the world. He lied and then sold out! Then after he wasted an hour with the wrong players, his effort to try for a miracle fix was also a fail, disrupting the back line then with the Birnbaum/Cameron moves. His 3 subs to hopelessly fix his chaotic starting lineup screw-up, were wasted opportunities. He has tons to answer to, despite the overall poor play of the entire team. Also btw, just wonder why we earned no physicality cautions? We had 10 free yellow card opportunities to improve our physicality and he just ignored that tactic. He made us give up before we even started imho!
When I told everyone that klinsmans would start wandolowski, Beckerman, and Zusi I was ridiculed but klinsman is always predictable in these big games. When I saw Wando in the lineup I knew we were doomed. Sure enough his poor quality led to the turn over that led to the fatal second goal. Wando never has and never will score against a quality international opponent he simply isn’t good enough to even be on the team.you would be better off putting in an extra midfielder cause the extra midfielder would still have a better chance to score than him. Same for Zusi …to slow for this level.
It is amazing how so many fans and writers comment as if we never faced a top tier team on a big stage before yesterday. The US has done so many times during the last 25 years, and generally with a hell of a lot more grit. I seriously would have rather seen our 1994 World Cup team in there last night. At least I wouldn’t be left questioning their courage.
Perhaps past confidence was a product of dumb American bravery, but I’ll take that any day over the timid, reverential, fearful teams of the Klinsmann era. Worse than making no progress under Klinsmann, we have regressed, and are paying him a steep price for the privilege.
It’s true, beginning with our 1-0 loss to Brazil in 1994 we managed to stay within one goal of Brazil, Germany, Ghana, Belgium, etc. when we were knocked out of knockout rounds. And we beat Spain in the Confederations Cup.
Watched all those games and I must say we are so much better now. Had enough of amateur play and doing well just because the opposition is left scratching their head because our play has no technique and hence they don’t know what to expect!
Alright, Ryan. Your first (“USMNT Set to Fail Tactically”) and your fourth (“Loss Not an Indictment…”) points contradict each other. They both can’t be true at one and the same time.
No USMNT fan realistically supposed the US would beat an exceptionally talented and pedigreed team in the Argentine selection. That said, as fans, we don’t expect the US to roll over and give up the ghost within the first 10 minutes of the match.
That the USMNT lost is understandable. That they didn’t offer any resistance, didn’t compete in any significant metric, nor even generate one shot (much less SOG) is unforgivable.
It is indeed an indictment. Same lack of tactics, same formation deficiencies, same lack of motivation/ fight/ belief that we’ve seen from Klinsmann’s time against top 10 teams in meaningful (not friendlies) matches.
The section about Bradley sums up the mainstream media’s view. After a long paragraph of (completely justified) criticism, it then goes on to say that Bradley still should be an unquestioned starter and that the USMNT is still so dependent on him that the team will only go far in Russia if Bradley plays better. Give me a break. I’ve been saying this for years now, it is time to quit building the team around Bradley! Bradley may wear the armband but Jones is the real leader of this team, and regardless both are past their prime. The central midfield needs a makeover with younger players and yes there will be growing pains there, but now is the time to start. If Bradley recovers his form, then use him as another piece in the puzzle, but no longer the centerpiece. It’s time to move on.
Exactly. If Bradley had been red-carded and Jones had started we would have been much better off.
Agree completely. I’ve supported Klinsmann for quite a while but if he won’t move Bradley out of the lineup after this tournament, I’d rather have someone else as coach.
Sites like this add to the delusional thinking of most US football supporters. I do not understand what matches people were watching leading up to this game to think that the USMNT stood a chance. The only times the US players can control passes and string a combination longer than three is against the weaker CONCACAF competition. I keep reading references to the first half against Ecuador. Ecuador? 45 minutes? One half does not point to progress. What happened in the last Gold Cup? What happened against Colombia? Away friendlies against European competition do not count. The accumulation of foreign born wanna-be starlets does not count. The play for this team continues to be disjointed and lacking ideas and creativity. Hype up lackluster results at your own peril. All that does it skew your perception of this team leading up to matches against quality opponents.
The phrase “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game” comes to mind. Of course it DOES matter if you win or lose, but moreover, the USA played scared, reactively, and just plain poorly by their own standard. We played better matches against Germany, Ghana, and Portugal at the WC2014. We played better vs Spain and Brazil in the ’09 Confederations Cup knock out stages. We’ve played against big teams before, and yes it was always going to be tough against a great Argentina team, but if we lose let it be only because we were outclassed, not because we helped them plunge the knife in deep.
I recall us out possessing Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay. Lost to Colombia on set pieces but definitely created the more dangerous chances. You mention that people were hyping up only a good 45 minutes vs Ecuador without considering everything surrounding that particular game. We went down a man and had the same 10 of 11 players on the field for a 4th straight game without making subs before the 70th minute in probably every match, so players were always going to struggle with fatigue and thus mental and physical mistakes(holding on to the ball and fouling being one of them). Don’t cherry pick arguments, learn the game and the circumstances surrounding it.
I don’t understand people saying that it’s ridiculous to think we had a chance. Every team has a chance. Just ask Portugal, Hungary, and Austria if Iceland (pop 330,000) had a chance.
Iceland wouldn’t have a chance against Argentina.That turned out to be a pretty weak group they were in.
Surprised the author gave little or no critique to JK Fail game plan. Fail lineup, Fail by conceding before the opening whistle by giving far too much respect. We came in ‘not to lose’ instead of playing to win. His post game news conference made me want to vomit. Klinnsman totally blew a chance to gain by this opportunity last night! I don’t support his future in our national program!
“USMNT SET TO FAIL TACTICALLY”- You mean that entire section of the article?
No one going to mention Guzan’s bad night? Beaten near post high in no man’s land goal one, caught leaning towards the wall side on goal two, etc.
Agree completely. Guzman inspired zero confidence between the sticks. Very poor decision making and he seemed to lack confidence. For the first time, our GK spot is looking shaky.
@ Ryan Tolmich
There’s no sense in being so delicate about it. You should just speak frankly about which we all already know; Michael Bradley has digressed as a player since he’s moved to MLS and as a result so has our national team. It was a bad move and despite all the of the positive publicity has proved pretty disastrous.
He should go back to Germany. He was at his best there and chievo in Italy. By his second year at Roma he stopped getting playing time and that’s really when his play started to slip. He needs to find a mid table club in a great league. And play the next 6 years there. Then come back to mls.
Bradley was poor and I would like to have some competition for his spot. That said he should only be played at #6 and not 10. He is just not suited for it. But if jk wants him he’ll do it of course. Time to give that spot to Nagbe and others heading into the WC.
It’s time to move on from Klinsman. He’s done a good/decent job. But we should only let him go when and if we have a better replacement in mind. I think his player development is better than his tactical in-game managing. Maybe keep him on at talent director. I assume that is the plan after the 2018wc anyway. Time to actively start finding a replacement.
Seriously, who would you get as the Coach that could change the direction of the USMNT? The only person I can think of is Caleb Porter but I don’t mean to say that he’s the savior.
It’s a combination of players, lineup/formation and tactics.
I think the real issue here is that the whole reason you bring in a guy like Jurgen in the first place, as he stated when he took over, is to play proactive football and a discernible style against the top teams of the world that isn’t just bunker and counter. Simply put, we’re further away from this than we realize.
I want to give Jurgen credit for things he’s done well. He’s broadened the player pool, proactively engaging with exciting young talents and integrating them into the squad even if just in friendlies. Under his tenure, players like Bobby Wood, John Brooks, Zardes, and others have come into the team because they’ve been given chances in friendlies and other matches to earn their places. He’s stayed connected to young talents like Zelalem, Green, Pulisic, etc. and seems to view his role as a recruiter of sorts as well as a manager. Whether or not we agree with this approach, it certainly benefits the player pool.
What he has failed at counts much higher than where he has succeeded. While we got out of a very tough group in the WC2014, our end result was no better than it was the previous cycle. We’ve played poorly at the Gold Cup and have failed to play proactive and ambitious soccer against the world’s top teams: a breaking of the promise Jurgen made when he came into this job years ago. We were supposed to have a pressing, fast, possession-based style that he was confident he could deliver with the players he had. What we have instead is a lighter, slightly less-organized version of the Bob Bradley and Bruce Arena teams before him: bunkering, counter-attacking teams that can’t hold possession against elite teams – and when we lose pieces that give us speed to counter like Wood, we have a completely toothless attack.
This less-polished version of old teams is due to a lack of continuity. Jurgen endlessly tinkers with lineups, and the players have low chemistry with one another. Likewise, when he has better weapons at his disposal, he continues to ride the old war horses with save, conservative decisions in hopes to minimize the damage we take vs. what we inflict. This was not what he promised. Starting Beckerman alongside a struggling Michael Bradley was spineless, too reliant on the narrative of an inevitable American defeat to a strong Argentina team. The starting XI was a concession before the opening whistle. Why one would keep Nagbe on the bench against a team like Argentina when Jones and Bedoya are both out due to suspension reflects an unwillingness to go for broke. It doesn’t matter if you lose 4-0, 1-0, or 10-0 at the end of the day, and the fact that we didn’t even try for a proactive approach is the most shocking and disappointing thing for me, summing up JK’s failure as our manager.
If we want to play a bunker style, there are better managers to hire for it. Jurgen was supposed to fundamentally change our approach – and before we start talking about realism and player pools, remember that HE was the one who gave this promise. We judge managers by what they deliver vs. what the expectations are, and he set those expectations. He has failed his own metrics. If we want to play proactively, then we need to field players that can play that way. We have some that do, and while we likely would have lost to this Argentina no matter what players we fielded, the concession before the opening to a reactive style stings me as a fan.
agree wholeheartedly on all of your points Gabe. I’ve never seen a coach in any sport talk up a good game as much as he does but does just the opposite with his decision making and then has the nerve to call out his players(which he was right about, they were timid), when he should be taking the blame. This constant propensity to throw his players under the bus has to be uncomfortable and wearing on the players but at the end of the day he put them in that situation.
@ GABE: Beautiful piece. I wish I’d have written that! Thanks..
Caleb Porter, really? Last I checked, Porter failed to lead our U-23 MNT qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics!
You do realize you’re bring up his short comings from 5 years ago. The guy has done wonders since. His undoing back then was he didn’t have a grasp of substitutions at the pro level. The guy has improved tremendously since.
I imagine the pregame talk as something like this:
Klinsmann: “Let’s take the fight to them. Let’s put them on their heels!!”
Coaching staff: “Yay!!! Let’s go for it! So, how do we do that?”
Klinsmann: “two words: Chris Wondolowski!”
Coaching staff: ….
The most important takeaway from this is that this was a lesson of how to play futbol. You could never win unless you know how to lose. If I were Klinsmann I’d show this tape over and over again to show the US players on how an elite soccer team plays. Humbling? yes, but what would be worse is to chuck it up to “Oh, but they’re the best in the world.” or “if we had all our players things would be different.” or “we reached our goal (semifinal) so we are successful”.
The US could lie to itself and mislead its fans, like Mexico does or it could build something better after this experience. Overall, I’m optimistic.
Wondo was not the reason the US lost. (Messi was.)
But, Wondo’s inclusion in a game where the US needed a speedy forward to at least occasionally threaten a successful counter-attack was not well-thought out. Wondo is probably the best option available if the situation was one where the US would have possession in the attacking third, but who really thought that would be the case?
The other brain-scratcher was: Who thought Beckerman’s quickness would be enough to protect the US back line from Messi?
Argentina could have played a host of dangerous attackers. Aguero, Di Maria and Pastore didn’t even see the pitch and those guy s are all best XI player for them.
One piece of analysis missing: Given JK’s comments about proactive, pressing, possession-based soccer, did he field a team that could play that? With Wondo and Beckerman, the answer is no. They are more suited to hold a lead, not to play the type of soccer that JK has advocated (which I agree with).
Also, Bradley’s bad game has as much to do with the role he was asked to play (more offensive-minded, versus Beckerman who was to stay home and protect the back 4). If you look back at his games from the WC to now, when you look at his games, he’s done poor when he’s asked to play more like a #10. When he’s asked to play as a #6 (D.Mid, protecting the back line), he’s done fine.
So many bad lineup decisions from JK. Frustrating and shaking my head.
Can someone explain the Birnbaum Substitute? Why bring on a central defender after we are down 3-0? The lineup choices were very negative and this substitute left me really confused. It broke up the positive relationship between cameron and brooks, and provided nothing in attack.
Birnbaum came in to replace Beckerman and move Cameron into CDM. This would make the midfield more athletic. Since Cameron is a pretty slick passer of direct balls, it would also help us maybe score quickly. But it broke up the CB pairing and was far too little, too late. The better choice would have been to have put Kitchen in from the start (or play MB there like he had been all tournament) or have brought a faster CDM than Beckerman to the Copa….
The changes Klinsmann made in the lineup really lacked any creativity. It was a very very tough call to figure out how to replace 3 of the most important players who dictate the way we had been playing, but he got it all wrong. He tried to directly replace 3 players with three much worse players at the same position and play the same way. The result speaks for itself. Wondo, Beckerman and Zusi were never going to be able to replicate what Wood, Jones and Bedoya brought to the team and it was stupid to ask them to.
For me, Besler at left back and FJ in the midfield would provide us with a solid stay at home defender and a player who can press defensively and carry the ball forward to relieve pressure. Instead we keep FJ at left back and arguably our most talented player is stuck inside our defensive third all game.
Failure 2 was Wondo up top instead of Zardes. Bobby Wood’s pace and intelligent running has been key to our team. He provides a great outlet to dump the ball into and he keeps the defense honest because of that threat behind them. It creates an extra 5 yards in front of the defense that Has allowed our other most talented player (Dempsey) to thrive this tournament. Zardes could have filled this role much more effectively.
These two decisions neutralized our two most talented attacking players available and set us up to fail.
It’s funny b/c I believe 90% of the commenters here predicted that JK would use such awkward starters, and then replace them with more attack-oriented options later in the game when it’s too late. The only player that nobody predicted was Wondo. And if you did, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Watching the USMNT starting eleven announcement in televised games is starting to become an infuriating tradition. It’s evolved into a drinking game. Take a shot whenever a starter is shown in the tunnel that makes you shake your head.
Bradley played like the lightweight MLS regular that he has become. The two US players that best combine skill, fire, and athleticism are Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood and they did not play. We needed that combination to take on a powerhouse team such as Argentina. Where are these types of players we need if to compete with top 5 world teams?
Darlington Nagbe should be placed, squarely, in your category of players who possess speed, athleticism, and skill. In fact, look at every touch he had in his garbage minutes: He deftly kept possession, while he had pressure on him constantly (as they all did).
Wood is simply fast. What do you know about him besides this goal total and the fact that he will be playing for Hamburg next season? Jones is always out of control and makes reckless mistakes repeatedly. Until this team can handle the basics like passing and trapping a ball, it should not expect to be anything other than what it is currently.
No. If Woods were simply fast he would not be transfering to a Bundesliga team. He has a great first touch, dribbling skills, decent passing, and makes great runs. He is not Robbie Findley. Jones, like any potential enforcer, has his reckless moments but they are usually tactical. He is a big time player with club pedigree.
we’ll find out on Saturday or whenever they play the 3rd place game
Wood is just a goal scorer? He keeps the opponent’s defense in check. When you just have Dempsey on top, their defense sends one more defender to attack. Dempsey is not going to beat anyone in a foot race.
Those types of players we need are playing football, basketball and baseball.
Right. Because a team like Argentina proves that you need 7ft tall or 280lb muscle heads to play soccer. Get a clue.
Yeah because Edelman, Woodhead and HoneyBadger are 7ft tall muscle heads… There are shorter NFL and NBA players you know. The best Argentina athletes play either Basketball, Soccer or some extreme sports. That’s it.
Right. Because all US football, basketball, and baseball players are 7ft tall or 280lb muscle heads. Get a clue.
Michael Bradley is not the best mid fielder at multiple positions. He is not the best #6, #8, or #10. Far from it. Sorry. That is the type of fluff the press always lauds on these players that does not move our program forward.
No one is even allowed to challenge MB apparently.
Agree that it’s time for Bradley to face some competition for his spot. Even if he shows he deserves it most, I can’t see how the push of competition could hurt. His decision-making has become so sloppy, it’s hard to imagine there isn’t some level of complacency….
Yes, but where can we satiate our thirst for some good old fashioned frottage?
Assuming that no one is allowed to challenge MB is just that. For all we know, he could be getting the nod because he is currently the most consistent performer in practices. that’s the scarier reality.
Who is better in the current player pool at the #6, #8, and #10?
Everyone in the current player pool.
I don’t understand why so many commenters failed to notice how awful Fabian Johnson was, especially in comparison to what we have come to expect of him. He was clearly scared and made many unpressured one-time, long clearances to no one when control and an easier short pass was available. He played as if he were afraid to have the ball anywhere near him.
Bradley under-performed, but Johnson and Brooks did so even more emphatically.
The one player who I thought performed better than expected was Zardes. Other than him and Cameron, the US players uniformly looked less than they have throughout this tournament.
Unlike Bradley…Fabian has been pretty solid in this tournament. Another thing wasn’t Fabian recovering from an injury going into Copa?
Overall, FJ was one of our more consistent players in the tourney. Not his usual, dominant self. But he was tasked with some the harder assignments.
MB always saves his best for friendlies. He may not a very good player in any of those positions but he seems to do better when playing the 6. Why in God’s earth did JK put Beckerman as the 6 it’s just mind boggling. He should have kept MB as a 6 and start Nagbe. I would even move Johnson to LM and have Besler continue to be our LB. The key to that game was to have some of the ball for our team to get a breather.
Has anybody ever noticed that the USNT level of performance is directly proportionate to the quality of the opponent?
Sometimes the other team is better.
Sometimes the other team is that much better.
Credit where credit is due
Hey dude…….. nice… good comment. We totally agree.
Rob 100 percent agree.
Yes and no. We blew chunks against Guatemala in qualifying and that Gold Cup last year was a disaster. Maybe, Jurgen, Sunil, and USSF should worry about dominating our region before we talk about playing with the Big Boys…