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The SBI View: USMNT needs Beckerman to start vs. Colombia

Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

In the build-up to the Copa America, Michael Bradley all but asserted himself as the U.S. Men’s National Team’s premier No. 6. The midfielder’s play seemingly put to rest a positional debate that has spanned years while effectively locking down a spot as a more deep-lying midfielder.

However, the USMNT will require a different type of player if they hope to secure a tournament-opening result against Colombia on Friday night.

Given the attacking threat provided by James Rodriguez and Colombia, Kyle Beckerman provides an ideal stopper in the No. 6 position. The insertion of Beckerman would require some shuffling of Jurgen Klinsmann’s pre-tournament lineup, but would help provide the USMNT with the cover necessary to have a chance against Colombia’s attack.

Beckerman enters the tournament as a bit of a forgotten man after failing to find the field in the USMNT’s final friendly against Bolivia. Given a pair of matches in a deep-lying midfield position, Bradley emerged as a natural fit while freeing players like Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya to roam forward.

Throughout his career, Bradley has proven to be a competent defender, but Rodriguez and Colombia are much more than a competent attacking team. They are a team that required the opposition to be wary at all times, and Beckerman provides the defensive presence needed to lock things down in front of the backline.

If Rodriguez is given room to create, he will be the death of the USMNT. Even with his issues at Real Madrid, the Colombian star is an elite playmaker that requires attention at all times. A split second could see Rodriguez unlock a defense or, like in the World Cup, uncork a shot from distance that nets Colombia a goal from nothing.

Placing Beckerman on Rodriguez will help limit the Colombian star. It will be impossible to take him out of the game completely, but allowing the RSL midfielder to keep two eyes on him will, at worst, make him a bit uncomfortable and, at best, fluster the Colombian attack at its focal point.

The negatives of Beckerman’s inclusion are a bit obvious. The USMNT looked so free-flowing against both Ecuador and Bolivia, swarming with possession while looking dangerous in the attack. After a year of lackluster results, it appears that Klinsmann has found a formula that works for his team as assembled.

However, Klinsmann himself has said the U.S. doesn’t have the luxury of just merely sticking to their game against teams with the talent of Colombia. What worked last week may not work now, and Klinsmann himself is aware of becoming too locked in to one set of ideals.

“I think the major point that we as Michael to do with us is receive the ball higher up, not coming back and picking up the ball from the centerbacks,” Klinsmann said last week. “This is huge because otherwise we lose one passing option in midfield. When he receives the ball behind the opponents strikers or midfield, then we can start the game, really. This is a point that we discuss many many times. If he can always stagger higher up and receive the ball there out of the center in a No. 6 role, I think it can work really well.

“Sometimes, it depends on the opponents. If the opponents come with a 10, a real playmaker that needs to be tightly marked, then you have an option with Kyle Beckerman where Kyle is going at that guy. It really depends on every game situation, but it’s a good option to have.”

For Friday at least, Beckerman proves the best option. Against Colombia, the USMNT will be on the back-foot, and will almost certainly be relying on the counter attack. Colombia is not Ecuador or Bolivia, and the USMNT has to enter the game remembering as much.

That makes Beckerman all the more vital, especially if the USMNT hopes to escape their opener with points to show for their efforts.

Comments

  1. The US is much better at possession than it used to be. Anyone see Mexico vs. Chile? Chile outplayed Mexico most of the game and lost on a header by Chicharito after missing about half a dozen chances. l think we have become good enough to hang with Chile and everybody else but Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina. It would be suicide to not play defensively against any of those 3. Do people really think we can out possess Colombia? Look at the U23 game. It would be something similar to that.

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    • I did not watch the game last night, I find it very hard to watch El Tri when we are not playing them, but I do think we have made huge strides in our possession game. That is why I think putting Beckerman out there sends the wrong message to the team. That message would be “be careful, do not make a mistake”, instead of “go out and play”.

      I think you have fallen into a classic modern day trap, which is to say that something needs to be all or nothing in this day and age. We can play possession soccer without having the majority of the ball. It is the difference between the back line clearing balls long to alleviate pressure and playing out of the back to give the defenders a few moments of relief. We also are no longer a counter attack team. If Dempsey is our target and Jones and Bedoya are our playmakers, we need possession to get them the ball in the correct positions. We do not have Donovan and Beasley any more.

      Again, I am not saying we will be dominant in possession or that we will win if we play positively. What I am saying is go out and play, going into a game trying to minimize damage is a recipe for disaster.

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      • right……there is no better match than this one to see if this 4-3-3 we’ve trotted out the last 3 friendlies with a more possession oriented lineup can pay dividends.Minus Beckermans inclusion, there is still a ton of steel in the lineup if we go with a midfield trio of Bedoya, JJ and Bradley. I think Bradley has proven not just in the last friendly but over the course of his career that he can play the no.6 role very effectively. He can do everything Kyle can and better, i don’t really see the issue with leaving him there. If you play him further up the field you lose his tenacity and athleticism pressuring the ball in the center of midfield and near our box. Not only that but his unquestioned ability to turn the ball over and get the offense started with incisive passes to players in attacking positions from our own half. Kyle has his gifts, but if we’re being honest his limited foot speed, penchant for passing backwards and staying on the ball too long disrupts flow and is a turnover waiting to happen. Lastly, we are playing at home and will have the crowd behind us so we need to go at Colombia from jump street, put them on their heels and see what happens. If we lose, so what, we’ll still have 2 more games to qualify for the knockout rounds and against lesser opponents.

  2. No Beckerman

    No Dempsey

    It is time to move on from this. It has not worked since JK took over.

    Would the world end if we lined up our best?

    Pulisic-Wood-Bedoya
    —–Jones—Nagbe—-
    ——RoboBradley—–
    FJ-Brooks-Cameron-Yedlin
    ——–PolarBear—–

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  3. YASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

    Doods Kyle has ben underated way to long. time for Jergun 2 let Kyle shine. put him in advnced roll and watch em ball!!!

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  4. Bradley is better than Beckerman in everything that Beckerman is being tasked to do – wtvr that is just my/a lot of US fan’s opinion…

    pretty clear that Jurgen is giving Beckerman the James Rodriguez marking specialist job – KB better attach himself to him Friday night and go Gary Payton/Richard Sherman/John Stockton on him for as long as he on the field – one slip up and his roster inclusion is proven to be mistake – might be his last minutes in a USA uniform.

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  5. you have got to be kidding me. what is with the beckerman obsession, you and JK are drinking the same Koolaid. Bradley just proved he can fill that role so what do we need KB on the field. Phase out these guys and give some other people shots.

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  6. No, we don’t need him to start. Benching him has a defensive drawback, but it gives us the opportunity to be more offensive. We have to be sharp in this game and cannot afford excessive give-aways.

    I’d say let Nagbe have the go at a real #10 role, let Jones and Bradley sit behind him, and bench Beckerman.

    ——–Wood——-Dempsey—–Zardes
    ————————Nagbe
    —————-Bradley—–Jones
    Johnson—–Brooks——Cameron—-Yedlin
    ————————Guzan

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  7. Beckerman and Bradley are still with the team because JK plays players he likes. Bot are getting older and slower and JK SHOULD be looking for replacements. He isn’t

    There are several he should be looking at. The one Im the most familiar with is Scott Caldwell. Younger, faster, good passer and tough. Jones lobbied for him for a NAT call up when he was with the Revs. He knew what Caldwell brought. Klinsmann on the other hand will never call him unless he went to Europe to play. Then he might have a chance

    JK is digging us a deep hole and we will see just how deep Friday night

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  8. – We need Bradley in the 4-3-3 to maintain possession:

    ——–Wood————Dempsey——–Zardes———

    Which seems to produce goals up top (Guatemala rematch, Boliva)

    ——-Nagbe————-Bradley———-Bedoya——-

    – To attack and not sit back

    ——-Wood————Dempsey———-Zardes——–

    ——Nagbe————Jones————-Bedoya———

    To bunker in and repel

    ——————–Dempsey——————-

    Johnson———–Jones—————–Zusi

    ————Bradley——-Beckerman——–

    Bradley + Jones (and/or) + Beckerman is too much DM in the Mix for an effect attack against Columbia.

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  9. Absolutely disagree with the operating assumptions in this piece. Yes, Colombia poses an offensive threat that has the potential to overwhelm defenses.

    In the past, Klinsmann has shown a consistent tendency to play scared and overtweak the defense. Instead of trying to contain each and every Colombian threat, how about generating more US threat?

    This game more than the others in Group A calls for more US possession–more US attack. That will only happen if Klinsmann forgoes his 3-destroyers in midfield (MB, JJ & KB), rather opting for more minutes with Ngabe, Pulisic and Wood.

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  10. Not exactly inventing fire here. Whether we like it or not we’re going to end up defending 95% of the time. Beckerman is the logical choice here.

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    • Rob, I think If Beckerman starts that is absolutely what happens. If not maybe it is closer to 50/50? I think we have the depth and quality to start getting away from that style. Or at least the drastic version of it without assuming we will be beat every time against a quality opponent. Generating a little confidence with solid skill players who can possess and find space would do wonders I believe. That doesn’t mean bomb forward recklessly. Its the first game in a group stage, BUT we are on home soil and have some really solid players that can hold on to the ball and make things happen. Throwing everyone out there with a “good luck go play D for 90 minutes” gives us no confidence and IMO we are just as likely to have a 1-0 result bunkering as a 3-2 result going for it. Win or lose.

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      • “I think we have the depth and quality to start getting away from that style”
        We don’t. At least not against Colombia. Not even close. Few teams around the world do.

        “Generating a little confidence with solid skill players who can possess and find space would do wonders I believe”
        I believe so to. Any idea where we can find some solid skill players? And by solid I mean Colombia-level solid.
        About the only chance we have of getting any points out of this game is to bunch up in the back and hope for a miracle. That’s all we can ask for from our current talent.

      • Rob “to start getting away from that (bunkering) style” in the context of my post it has zero to do with the opponent, rather our mentality. I am not comparing us and our quality to Colombia, I am saying If we want to continue to act like the bolivias of the world I won’t be optimistic. To say we don’t have the quality to try and really play with better teams just sounds like another slight to the US (which isn’t a shocker to read). You combine what quality we do have with heart effort and a punch them in the mouth mentality things can happen even against the Colombias of the world, or we can just sit back and assume the position like always. Bunkering and countering are fine in the right situation, but it shouldn’t be plan A. You are saying there is zero skill on the US team? I think It just appears that way to you when 3 CDMS start the game. So negative.

      • The one thing we need to get away from is this “if we want it bad enough” mentality. it’s ignoiant. We need to face the fact that we don’t produce players good enough to start for the best teams in the word like Colombia. “Punch in the mouth mentality” only takes you so far. At some point you need to have at least matching skills and we just don have them against the Colombias of the world. Simple as that.

      • To say you need “matching” skills is pretty ridiculous, if that was the case why would we watch sports? You absolutely need some skill, which we have. Not in your mind, but in mine we do, playing for a 0-0 draw won’t show that. The key phrase in that last post was COMBINED with.
        We have tinkered with players and line ups, now we should start putting our best foot forward.
        We aren’t trying to produce players that start for Colombia, rather players with confidence to take the field against anyone and play and by play I don’t mean see how many balls we can clear. Just curious, do you see anything positive about the US team or is it just pure misery for you?

      • … Also, if the idea of wanting it bad enough is ignoiant then consider me super ignoiant. I don’t care if you, on paper, are the best team in the world if you don’t want it there is a good chance you’ll get beat when it matters.

      • Just out of curiosity, according to you, what happens when the other team wants to win as much as you do but has more skillful players? I’m trying to figure out what goes on inside your little head.

      • I guess you are just going to ask me questions and not answer any of mine? Seems like one might do that when they don’t have an answer… Also, not sure why someone with such a negative perspective and outlook on US soccer would even read a US blog, let alone comment on it. You are saying the more skilled team wins every time, effort and desire don’t matter at all. I never once said we were as good as Colombia, but you are saying we have no shot against them unless we bunker because we have ZERO skill and ability.
        I wonder if Spain thought the same in 2009 at the confederations cup? Figo and Portugal in 2002, #4 in the world at the time I believe?

      • The answer is out work them, out smart them, punch them in the mouth. If that doesn’t work then the lesser team more than likely loses… What is the difference if you just sit back and let them pound you for 90.. you still lose and you didn’t do everything you could to get a result, you don’t gain any confidence or form and there probably aren’t any positives to take away.

      • Wham, please don’t get yourself caught up in arguing with people that have a one track mind and who can’t explain their reasoning for it. While Rob makes some good points, more specifically the fact that we don’t have players across the board on the level of Colombia, his pessimism regarding the US not standing a chance unless we bunker and that we’ll need a miracle to win, is a trait that has been established by many due to this Jekyll and Hyde of a JK regime. I for one don’t fault him for his outlook considering the last 2 years haven’t given many room for hope but there are still US fans that believe through it all, we can still play with the best of them. We are never going to have position for position talent with Colombia, we’re too behind in scope and interest, but like you said Wham, if we step on the pitch and go at these teams with the mentality that we can win and play to our ability in our backyard, we can win these types of games.

      • Yeah, superior talent always wins, just tell the USA Hockey team, NC STATE and Villanova in the NCAA tournament, Greece in the Euros, etc, etc, etc. Great teams can beat great talent on any given day. The keys are the same for all of the team above, teamwork, belief in the system, acceptance of each person’s role, and egos not getting in the way. With those and a decent team can do great things.

  11. I understand and agree with the concept of having a deep lying midfielder in front of the CBs- think it is a prudent strategy, at least to start off the game. Unfortunately, even though I am a fan- unless we play incredibly disciplined, keep the defense linked to the midfield throughout, I am not so confident Beckerman is up to the task at this late point in his career v elite international talent. Hate to say it but… we get spread out w/ Colombia running at KB, I have visions of multiple take downs/free kicks just outside the box. I hope I am wrong because there is a decent chance this is what JK goes with.

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  12. While I personally hate the idea of using Beckerman as the #6 in this game I am fairly certain that JK is going to do it. I expect that the idea will be to Bunker for the first 50-60 minutes of the game. The concept will be to frustrate and try to grind them down. Then in the last 30 minutes or so introduce Nagbe (and maybe Pulisic) to provide a different look/feel in order to increase possession and add a spark to the attack.

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  13. Gary,

    A thoughtful, rational post as always. I agree that that is the plan with having Beckerman start at the 6. And in theory, it’s a solid plan. The problem with that plan, for me, is twofold: (1) Bradley and Jones will start in front of Beckerman and, as I said above, that pairing is neither complimentary nor cohesive; (2) #1 results in us having little to no possession and constantly defending, which forces the two outside forwards to stay back and play defense, and essentially nullifies getting FabJo or Yedlin forward on the counter because our “counters” become hitting a long ball to an isolated forward who has no support, which in turn nullifies the plan.

    In my opinion, for that plan to work, you’ve got to start Beckerman at the 6 and Bradley/Jones and Bedoya/Nagbe ahead of him. I don’t see Bradley and Jones not starting.

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  14. I kind of predicted this a couple of days ago in a previous post.
    While it may not be popular, it is smart. The plan is this: Beckerman plays the old time sweeper, keeping back at all times with the center backs. That way you can send FJ and Yedlin forward on runs when the opportunity presents itself. With Cameron and Brooks I don’t think we have to worry too much about crosses and they can dominate in the air, so you want to funnel the Colombian attack to the outside and clog up the middle. Latin teams generally want to play through the middle, so you clog that up and force them outside. Colombia is rated #3 in the world for a reason. For the US to have a good chance at advancing, getting a draw in this game is close to vital. That means stifling the Colombia attack. Anything else is foolish. That is how teams beat teams that are better than they are and it is a tried and true method–bunker in and counter attack. There is no shame in that. There is shame in doing something stupid and losing. For CR and Paraguay we can go back to the 4-3-3 and go for the wins. In friendlies the score isn’t as important as how well the team plays. In tournaments, only the score is important.

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    • I both agree and disagree with you. You are correct that this is a tried and true way to advance out of the group stage, and it is our standard fallback plan. Clog the middle, force the play out wide, clear any crosses and hope for a quick counter for the winning goal has worked for us in the past. It is also something that JK likes to do against better teams.

      My problem with this game plan is that it has never worked past the group stages except the 2009 confed cup, and if we want to progress as a nation, part of that is figuring out our style and playing it no matter the opponent. Not that you cannot change personnel to match an opponents’ strengths, but if we are a possession team now lets not play one game out of style because of fear of the other teams’ best player.

      I believe that playing Beckerman from the start sends a message to the team that JK is worried about losing more than excited about playing well and beating a powerhouse. That trickles down and players play tentatively instead of the more free flowing play he wants and we have seen recently. Go out swinging is my mindset!

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    • The issue I have here is the article assumes Bradley can’t play this #6 role as Beckerman can. We all understand the value of having a string holding player in the lineup. The difference seems to be whether or not you believe Bradley can assume this role. Furthermore, including Beckerman has a knock on effect on the entire team. Most of us here seem to think a Bradley, Bedoya, Jones midfield would function better than a Beckerman, Bradley Jones midfield. I understand both points of view, but in my opinion, we a are a stronger overall team without Beckerman in the 11.

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    • This is that defeatist attitude I was referring to in my earlier post and it’s contagious apparently from manager down to the fans. I do t see the point in running out a 4-3-3 in all 3 friendlies to just drop back to a 4-5-1 where we are defending for 80% of the game. We are playing at home in stadiums we are familiar with and with the fans behind us and we need to be going at these teams, pressing the issue. We should stick with what has looked progressive and effective attacking wise, not reverting back to bunkering. What’s the worst that can happen?? We lose, oh well, we’d still have 2 group games left to get out of the group vs lesser opponents. If JK thinks bunkering is going to save this team and his job he crazy, in fact what’s going to happen is we will be going home early and he will be fired(hopefully).

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  15. I love Beckerman and think he was arguably our best player (outside of Jones) at the ’14 World Cup. The main problem with starting Beckerman in the current three-man midfield configuration, however, is that it forces Bradley and Jones to play side by side. That pairing has never looked comfortable or complimentary. Bradley likes to drop back to receive the ball and then make late runs into the box. Jones, does whatever he wants, which I think is an asset when he’s not paired with Bradley. The end result is that there’s little cohesion and our midfield seems to disappear offensively. The forwards are either forced to drop too deep to receive the ball or are left all alone up top. The result being that we aren’t dangerous going forward and just get pounded defensively. The first half of the Ecuador game provided a good example of these problems.

    Bradley, right now, is not the true holding midfielder Beckerman is and he may not be able to handle James like Beckerman can. But Jones and Bedoya compliment each other so well as the 8’s. Jones goes and does his search and destroy thing while making the occasional dangerous incisive pass while Bedoya links the midfield with underrated passing and poise and always offers something defensively. The team just seemed more cohesive and comfortable the last three halves. Granted, Bolivia isn’t Colombia. But I’d rather take my chances with Bradley at the 6 and be a threat going forward than concede the field from about our 30 onwards. Plus, (1) it seems to me that Bradley’s best spot going forward is that deep lying midfielder so you might as well “throw him in the deep end” and (2) it’s not like you’re throwing an inexperienced guy into a completely new role.

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  16. Maybe the best way to counter a high powered offense is to keep the ball away from them as much as possible? Playing scared of what may happen when you lose the ball all but ensures 90 minutes of desperate defending. Why not go out and try to put your stamp on the game, no matter who we are playing?

    This means playing with Jr. as the 6 with Jones and Bedoya/Nagbe in front of him. If we lose, okay, but at least we will be trying to win playing our game. What is the point of playing all those games working on our passing/possession game just to revert to our old ways when it really counts? Be confident in your style JK, or find one you can be confident with all the time.

    The more he talks, the more I think JK is really worried about what happens if he does not get this team through the group stages, and he seems to be trying anything he can to get us there instead of instilling the team with confidence that our game can beat anyone when we play it the right way.

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    • My thought exactly JG….I don’t see the point in playing a destroyer type that can’t destroy what he can’t catch and besides KB passes backwards and holds on to possession too much, we need someone who can connect the defense to the midfield and attacking areas of the field from deep pretty quickly which “baby” Bradley is adept at. Kyle will and should play this tourney but just not this game in my opinion!

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      • Thanks, I can see Beckerman as a late game sub if we are tied or up late. He has high energy and can bother tired players later in a game. I like him, just not as a starter in game one. Bad message to send to the team and the fans in my opinion.

  17. I understand the thought behind being realistic, meaning we will more than likely be out possessed, but this mentality that we need an ageing and slew footed destroyer to mark one of thee premiere attacking players in the game today to have a chance is a defeatist attitude and business as usual. We have the personnel to play a possession oriented game while at the same time are able to play gritty and be sound defensively with Bradley and JJ in the lineup. Beckerman couldn’t keep up with Ecuador and there was a reason he didn’t see the field against Belgium in Brazil. I love Beckerman and think he has a part to play in this tourney, more so against the likes of Costa Rica and Paraguay, but we cannot afford to be behind the ball all game against Los Cafeteros and plugging in Kyle will almost certainly mean we are on the back foot the majority of the game.

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  18. This article (as well as JK’s comments) suggests that Bradley is still considered to be a trequartista, when recent experience shows that he is best positioned as a deep-lying midfielder. So playing Bradley and Beckerman together means one of two things, neither of them very encouraging: both of them sit deep in a classic defensive set because (yikes!) that’s a really good opponent over there; or ask Bradley to play somewhere other than his best position. The US might as well just throw out the last several months (or several years), play a 4-5-1 with three defensive mids, and hold on for dear life — again.

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  19. I’m admitted beckerman homer and RSL fan. He’s not only very smart and physical he’s also has deceptively quick feet and good ball skills. He frustrated opponents in the last wc and I can still remember him clamping down on a few Portuguese players who looked bewildered by the dreaded fly fisherman. That said its a few years on and he’s that much slower. Even I agree now that he shouldn’t be starting games but rather used to preserve leads.

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  20. Beckerman is too slow and doesn’t help with “possession for a purpose.” Inserting Beckerman is admitting that we are going to bunker and completely cede the battle for possession.

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  21. It would be great to see what the result of a game against a top team would be if we didn’t play scared. I know it isn’t very pragmatic, but I’m all for fielding the same starting line-up we had against Bolivia out there and see how they hang.

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  22. Not what I would prefer, but I get i get the reasoning. Beckerman has proven he will get “schwetty” sitting back trying to shut people down, He relies on hard work and his brain more than anything but he moves like molasses. That always makes me nervous when you are going up against skilled players WITH speed and quickness. I know James isn’t lightning but I can see him having a fit helping with Cuadrado or if Cuadrado cuts inside… Maybe thats just me. Obviously a draw will suffice here, I just don’t want it to come via bunkering. With Beckerman and Bradley together it is almost inevitable that is what will happen. Numbers behind the ball, bend but don’t break for 90 and hope one of the balls over the top work out. Errr. I really hope not.

    Would like to see this

    Wood
    Dempsey
    nagbe bedoya/zusi

    Jones Bradley

    FJ Brooks Cameron Yedlin
    Guzan

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  23. Beckerman has been very good for the NATs. There are fine arguments for not including him, or at least phasing him out if there is a more athletic, quicker option for his role (cough, cough Perry Kitchen). But no need to diss him Beckerman. There will be times when the NATs will want more defense cover in the middle than what Bradley holding by himself could provide.

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    • I think including Beckerman in the starting lineup would be a tactical shift from what we are seeing work best over the last few games.
      In the center of midfield, Bradley, Jones and Bedoya have a great balance of positional integrity and hard work to squeeze the game on an opposing midfield. Including Beckerman likely means shifting Bedoya to the right, which has a knock on effect. Our midfield has a drop in athleticism and technical quality. Also, Bedoya’s shift to the right means Zardes to the bench. This may be good news to some people, but Zardes does have a role out wide if he is included.
      Our front 3 is spearheaded by Dempsey. He lacks the pace to get in behind and often drops deep to collect the ball. This movement opens up space for our wide forwards (Wood and Zardes in this case) to fill that space and threaten in behind. This movement centrally also creates lanes for Yedlin and Johnson to attack down the wings. Shifting Bedoya wide would change this formula, which has looked promising, a bit.
      I can understand the logic of including Beckerman, but I believe the knock on effects are an overall negative on the team. I do, however, still believe he still has a role to play on the team. Just not from the starting lineup.

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