Photo by ISI Photos
Good morning everybody. If you are still talking about or thinking about the USA-Mexico game, don’t fret. You are not alone.
There is so much to talk about from that game but one thing I wanted to say is that while there are some issues raised from that game I really don’t think there is reason to be in panic mode about any particular aspect of the U.S. team because of that match.
Here are some issues I would like to touch on from the match after having watched it again:
Yes, the fullbacks were horrid but there are at least two better options at each position so there shouldn’t be a need for Ramiro Corrales or Drew Moor to see time in any World Cup qualifier this year.
Yes, the central midfield struggled but to say either Michael Bradley or Ricardo Clark was really bad is a stretch. Bradley was one of the U.S. team’s better players in the first half, but his second half wasn’t nearly as bad as some on this board suggested. He did have a couple of unforced turnovers but he also won tackles, made crucial challenges and covered well for the inept left flank tandem of Bobby Convey and Corrales. I wasn’t overly impressed with Clark but it is easy to forget that it was just his second competitive match in three months.
Bradley, Clark, Benny Feilhaber and Maurice Edu will all have chances to play in tough matches these coming months and concerns about whether this group will produce an effective central midfield tandem are a bit premature. They are certainly good enough to get the Americans through the next two rounds of qualifying and Bob Bradley is piling up the tough friendlies to get these players the experience they need.
What is the biggest cause for concern in my book? I would say the left wing position. DaMarcus Beasley isn’t likely to be around this summer as he continues recovering from major knee surgery so the onus was supposed to fall on Bobby Convey to pick up the slack. He was largely invisible on Wednesday night against Mexico, which was a bit disappointing considering he’s had some good efforts for Reading this season. Is he ready to be the guy come World Cup qualifying or will Bob Bradley have to call on veteran Eddie Lewis or an untested youngster like Brad Davis, Justin Mapp or Arturo Alvarez? Either way, this certainly makes you appreciate Beasley a LOT more.
Ultimately, we must always put things on context. If the ultimate goal is success in the World Cup then this period of time needs to be seen as a point during which quality prospects are developed. If there are growing pains then this is the time to have them. This year the U.S. team has World Cup qualifying against opponents that shouldn’t be a problem. Bob Bradley and US Soccer is balancing that out with a series of very tough friendlies this summer. The process should go a long way in helping the U.S. team identify which players will be major factors in 2009 and 2010.
As much as results are important, development is even more important, which is why I think some people lost the point of Wednesday night’s match. Yes, the rivalry means plenty to both teams, but the match meant just as much to Bradley’s evaluation of his roster. From that stand point, it was mission accomplished. Anyone complaining too loudly about the result is missing the ultimate point, which is to test his players and prepare them for when there is plenty more on the line.
Here is a question for you. What one development from Wednesday night’s match, either good or bad, stood out for you? Share your thoughts below.
The one development that I was pleased with was the fact that Onyewu and Blackmouth can actually work well in the middle. I thought both had a great game which is nice when those performances have been lacking in the past.
one more thing…HOW AWESOME WAS CLINT DEMPSEY”S GOAL THAT WAS TAKEN AWAY????
WHAT ABOUT ALTIDORE’S FIRST USMNT GOAL EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!-props to Moor on this assist.
AND 3 CHEERS TO ONYEWU FOR A BRILLIANT HEADER!!!!!!!!!!!
Moor assisted Altidore for the 2nd go ahead goal, that should not be fogotten in any assessment of his performance. Also, was it his first USMNT appearance? If so, maybe it was just growing pains.
Does anyone think we will see Beckerman at central mid again?
I thought convey did well, but I enjoy watching Justin Mapp as well, so I am not concerned about that position….Also Beas should be healed by 2009….more than a year before the actual world cup tournament.
The biggest problem of the game was the central midfield (aside from the outside backs who are not regulars with the team). We MUST stop playing to defensive center midfielders. Bradley and Clark were great at hacking down players at midfield, but not so good at coming away with the ball and maintaining possesion. If we can’t keep the ball, we will never take the next step in becomming a world power. Things did turn around once Benny came in. If he’s not fit enough to go, we need to put in some one who can hold the ball and create (Adu, maybe Dempsey).
Also, If Cherondulo is out, Simek should be playing at right back (he played well at the Gold Cup, I thought better than Spector). At left back, it should be Pearce, Spector or Randolph in front of Corrales and yes, even Bornstein.
I think more credit should be going to Mexico than bashing the USMNT. They have a seriously talented team and were missing their two best players in Castillo and Guardado. Altidore is going to be good but needs to improve with his feet. I was not very impressed with Bradley Jr, when is running around like a headless chicken kicking balls all over the place and losing possession so much considered good. Mexico’s mid hardly ever lost the ball and it seemed they always had someone to pass it to.
We just need to accept that the USMNT has some serious issues it it were to play a good international team outside of US soil
dwbpnm – I agree completely that the coronation of Altidore needs to wait. He did good, not great.
Rob C – Ball control/possesion was the single biggest thing missing from the game.
Tails – I disagree that defense is not a problem. As a group, we foul too much, are prone to one-on-one failures, and are slow footed when faced with quick play. I do think we make up for a lot of these problems with good organization and coverage for each other.
Altidore is getting all the looks and the time, and clearly blossoming. When will Kenny Cooper get another look? The guy has a lot of upsides and is a big presence forward. He trained at ManU, I think he has some idea of the intensity of the global game.
Couple of things.
Altidore – Needs to be on the team sheet every time!!! Kid will be the truth soon.
Corrales/Moor – Should not be on the team sheet ever again!!!
Adu – needs to be in team espescially when DMB is not playing!!! He brings creativity that was missing a bit on Wednesday.
Spector/Simek/Dolo/Pearce/JBorne – are the backs of the future!!!
Defensive worries should be not existent. We’re set with Gooch, Boca, DeMerit, Parkhurst, Dolo, Spector, Pearce, and Bornstein.
Center Midfield is nice with Bradley, Edu, Clark, and Feilhaber.
Forward is pretty good with Altidore, Dempsey, Donovan, Adu, and maybe a revitalized Johnson.
The problem comes at the wings where we have Beasley, Convey, and a slew of younger players we are crossing our fingers to develop into a consistent presence. While we wait, we pull people out of position like LD, Adu, and occasionally Deuce. Although they do fine, unless someone like Holden, Alvarez, Rogers or Zizzo really picks it up, we’ll be relying on Lewis and out of position forwards to cover our tails, esp. at right wing.
I keep looking for this to be mentioned but haven’t seen it in either thread.
So here goes, Don’t underestimate how exhausted both Dempsey and Bradley may have been coming into the team. Both have seen an awful lot of minutes this year. Dempsey particularly under at times, duress. The go-to guy which was not his position in a struggling and frustrated team.
I don’t know if anyone saw the Studio 90 video that Beuthy and US Soccer put out on the official web site. They did a video with him called 24 hours with Clint, where they met him at the airport and followed him around to all the commercials and interviews he had to do as well as training. The poor boy was absolutely knackered. He played Sunday, got in sometime on Monday so really had one day to practice with the team.
Not a chance in hell that he or Bradley were going to be at their top for this game.
Mexico seems to have changed tactics on Wednesday. I think it is something we will need to deal with. For the first time in a very long time Mexico directed the pace of the game and upped the pressure all over the midfield.
The US has to figure out how to get better wing play. convey did not have a good game, but he wasl also fairly effectivly chut down by Mexico, but Donovan didn’t have any room on his side either. Immediate pressue on both those players seem to effectivly shut them down.
i don’t get why some want to move LD from right wing. his pace and work/rate are perfect for the wing; he ate Salcido for breakfast. Donovan tracks back and covers as well. He’s by far our best RW option.
Absolutely love this formation.
————–Jozy————–
Donovan——-Adu———–Dempsey
———Bradley—-Feilhaber———
Spector—-Bocanegra–Gooch—–Dolo
————-Howard—————
If we will ever see it……..
The one thing that really stood out, and has already been mentioned, is just how poorly Drew Moor defended.
It’s too bad, the guy really has a nice cross. But to be beat the same exact way on two set plays is mind-numbing. He doesn’t deserve another call.
Also, I’ll join with the folks thinking Alvarez at least deserves a call up and try in some of the friendlies. He can’t be less effective than Convey was, can he?
Finally, I think the right answer formation-wise is eventually to get LD back into the center of the pitch. How about a 4-4-1-1 with Jozy up top and LD a little behind and ready to charge toward the goal. He’s not great with his back to the goal. Dempsey could move back to right-mid.
i’m glad to see a nuanced recap post from ives. i don’t read the blog comments anymore after games b/c most of it is over-critical, joyless nitpicking.
my one development: gooch was man of the match. won all kinds of balls in the air (of course), but also had some clutch clearances in the area. i didn’t see any mistakes from him really. his goal was sweet, what a huge header.
IMHO the midfield stunk up the place. Rico Clark was lost. Bradley made many stupid errors.
Drew Moor learned a lesson and I think he has the skills to recover and get minutes in the qualifiers. Not as a starter, but as a reserve.
what about J. Specter at outside back. I feel he’s got great potential. We have lots of quality in center backs also. COnrad, Demerit Parkhurst…I’d start retraining some of those guys…
Donovan gets lost outside. he needs to play centrally so he can roam.
New US lineup:
————–Jozy————–
Donovan——-Adu———–Dempsey
———Bradley—-Feilhaber———
Spector—-Bocanegra–Gooch—–Dolo
————-Howard—————
This will allow us to attack more fluidly and puts six technically skilled players (who can pass well) ahead of four capable defenders. Dolo and Spector will not get smoked like Corrales and Moor.
No more long-ball BS necessary with this lineup, but Adu, Donovan, and Dempsey will have to commit to playing a little more defense.
Can’t wait to see it in action Bobby B!
It’s easy to point out Jozy as the one development that stood out. At 18, in that situation, he did a great job. There are things he could have done better, i.e. passing, hustling a bit more, putting more pressure on Mexico’s defense when they had the ball in the back, and holding the ball a little better. But he did very well for his third senior national team appearance, his first start, and his first match against the U.S.’s biggest rival.
But the thing that stood out to me is what Bradley’s going to do with Dempsey, Donovan , Adu and the central midfield.
He must find better spots for Dempsey, Donovan and Adu.
Should he leave Donovan on the right? And keep Dempsey up top? And grow them there so they feel more comfortable at those positions? Or switch them around and see if that works the best and see if Donovan works better with Jozy up top?
And what of Adu? Is he just going to be a super sub? Is he going to see time as a starter and see if he can make an impact while seeing more than 25 minutes on the field?
Then there’s the central midfield. What’s the best pairing? The best formation for that pairing?
It’ll be interesting to see, indeed, as time goes on toward qualifying.
On a side note, I agree with the post above who mentioned Robbie Rogers as an option on the left wing.
The most frustrating thing for me was the lack of possession in midfield. We need players who can hold the ball and find other players in space. Benny Feilhaber seems best suited for this role, and he needs to go somewhere where he can play first-team football. I wish Derby would have loaned him out so he doesn’t just rot on the bench.
I think Bradley could allow his more skilled players to float around a little more. Donovan should be free to roam from the right side to the middle. Dempsey should be able to go wherever he pleases. Ditto for Freddy Adu.
Also, the left side is a mess without DaMarcus Beasley.
does anyone else see the incongruity of have 6 ex-Metrostars/Red Bull players on the team for the nationals and still having lousy MLS seasons? Count em: Howard, Baby Bradley, Rico, Corrales (okay, not so great), Altidore and Davis on the bench. maybe if we had some coaching consistency we could be a top team too!
Thanks Ives. Luv these postings!
What stood out for me is that Bradley still commits dumb fouls. It looks more and more like this team is going to need him on the pitch as much as possible.
Plowing a guy from behind and earning a yellow card 8 seconds before half time is plain ridiculous. Like I said Wednesday, it literally prevented him from making any emergency “professional” fouls after that incident. When you are a guy who is relied on to win the ball, you can’t underestimte just how big NOT having a yellow later in the match can be. It was so dumb.
Off topic. Ives, I feel like you never revisited how the heck Matt Pickens got a work permit in England.
I’m sorry if you did and I just missed it, but I feel like I would have seen it if it was mentioned.
I agree completely with Ives. I was reading some articles after the match analyzing the American performance, and it seemed most of them were expecting unrealistic performances from the Americans. I think some writers still think we’re the team from 2002 World Cup that lost to Germany in the quarter finals. People forget that it takes time to develop a strong and consistently competitive team. Its going to take some more disappointing performances and probably some losses before our team is ready for that kind of expectation. I can see us getting a lot more competitive by 2010. With more of our players being recruited by top flight European clubs I think we’ll get that thick skin needed to play on the international level. Think of all the players over in (or will be going to) Europe Jozy, Dempsey, Beasley , Bradley, DeMerit , Eddie Johnson, Convey, Bocanegra, Onyewu etc. And another thing, why aren’t we calling up Jay DeMerit for the national team? He’s wearing the captain band for Watford (second in the LC table).
Believe it not i took a lot positive things from Wednesday game. First…… Dempsey and Altidore on top can be a lethal combination. Second Landon is good on the right wing cause of his passing skills and centering the ball. Feilhaber needs to go to Spain and polish his kills when he came into the game he made a difference. I can see him and Bradley pair up. I thought Bradley and Clark where to defensive to play together. Carlos and Gooch are the best defenders we can have right now. I love how Bocanegra plays that role and pressures when is needed, and Gooch is the strong man holding that line. Our flank…….. yes our right and left defenders where bad, but now we know where wee need help. I think Adu is going to be great but he is not ready. He will be in a couple of years but he just looked like he didn’t belong in that game. But either way he is not the future of the right midfield. I think Coach Bradley is going to bring someone young to fill this place up.
But what i love the most is seeing so many players and not being able to put them to play at the same time. That means the United States soccer team has a good depth in their system, which is great news. By this time next year if everyone is healthy we should have a nice team. I also love how Mexico when back home Happy cause they tie to the US national team. That means a lot. It means that we are so good that they thought they where going to loose and are happy they didn’t loose. They have a lot of respect for us. I see good things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
biggest postive development:
1) has to be Jozy – this guy is the real deal. Reminds me of when Randy Moss first came into the NFL and stunned defensive backs with the physical skills.
2) Howard cementing his no. 1 position with an outstanding performance is a close second
biggest negative development:
well – given the perspective of some time, and considering all the youth on the pitch and the fact that those particular midfield and backline combinations had NEVER started together before, I dont have a particularly outstanding negative one. I’m feeling pretty good about USMNT
The Gooch and Bocanegra pairing causes me stress. I am probably one of the only people who thinks that, but I am so frustrated with their lack of skill. While they both are threats on dead balls, their poor passing and control on the ball is disconcerting. Many of the plays they are breaking up are caused in no small part to their inability to help keep possession of the ball. Gooch continues to foul too much and both are a bit slow on their feet. I would like to see Parkhurst and DeMerit get more time, although I realize neither is the answer at this point.
I dont think Bornstein has that spot solidified yet. And beside him, and maybe Dunivant, nobody else can really play there unless you move Bocanegra over.
It’s a real problem. It would be nice to have a left sided Cherundolo like player…
I think the praise for Altidore’s performance is getting out of hand. He played OK, he took his chance but there were times he struggled to get the ball and when it came to him he struggled to hold it. He didnt look out of his element but he also didn’t look like a world-class player either. We need to temper our comments on him, he is still young and has a ways to go and don’t forget EJ scored more than this when he started out on the national team. At this point he is not a player we should rely on for goals. Can he be that guy eventually? Yes, he has the tools necessary but he still needs to put it all together.
Why is the left back position such a worry?
you can put bornstein back there no problem.
I would have liked to see parkhurst and Gooch paired together in the middle as Gooch would have been the physical one and parkhurst the guy to deal with the quick, direction chaning, threats.
1. Altidore will far and away be the best forward in US Soccer history.
2. Drew Moor does not deserve to ever be called up again
3. Howard is better than Keller and Freidel ever were.
4. Bradley needs to find Donavan a better position.
5. Dempsey needs to be a more consistant player.
6. Baby Bradley is going to be twice the player Reyna ever was.
7. Benny, Rico, Baby B, and Edu are going to be great central midfielders for this team for the next ten years.
8. Bradley has to find Adu a better spot on the field
According to Reading newspapers, Convey has stayed in US for “knee injections”. The guy that played Thursday was not the guy who clearly beat out Beasley for the starting left wing in the world cup. Having been out for a year, and just coming back, it remains to be seen whether and when he can get himself back to his former self. He hasn’t played like this for Reading the last couple of months so it would appear, there is another injury. If he can play consistently for Reading this spring and get back to where is was before the injury, he is clearly our best bet.
if we are going to play w/two d-mids then we need to have a playmaker in front of them and think adu needs to be given more consideration for that role. or atleast move adu out to the left because convey has continued to disappoint in that role. we also need to get jozy and duece as many opportunities to play together as possible because if they are able to develop some chemistry then they could be very lethal.
Brad Davis is a ‘young’ player now? He’s just a bit past 26, I think just calling him a player is fine. This is the proper timeframe for him to be at his peak.
I wonder if Convey’s less than impressive performance was in any part due to the ineffectiveness of the outside backs.
While Adu’s tendency to take players on 1v1 may be frustrating at times, it’s nice to know that SOMEBODY is willing to try and beat someone on the dribble. That potential should open up more passing lanes as the opposition must respect that.
I would really like to see Arturo Alvarez get a chance to play on the left wing. He came on very strong at the end of last year. He has very good on ball skills and can finish when he is around the box. He was FC Dallas’ best player in the SuperLiga last year and I feel he would thrive playing against Latin competition.
Also I think Dempsey should play out wide with Donovan and Altidore up top.
”
————–Jozy————–
Donovan——————Dempsey
Edu———Bradley—-Feilhaber
TBD—-Bocanegra–Gooch—–Dolo
————Howard————–”
I’ve been playing Schalke on FIFA 08 on the 360, they run this type of formation. Lots of fun, and makes me want to get off work and load up the national team to give it a whirl:)
Great comments overall. I do think Adu is the real deal and should get a legitimate shot to get more playing time for the USMNT.
He’s one of the few players on team that can draw more than one defender at him opening up other players for a pass. Yes, he’s passing wasn’t great Wednesday night but give him time, he is only 18 after all.
Bottom line, I like what see in regards to the future of the USMNT. Go USA!
I agree with Robert and Lee the solution to the wings is someone like EJ coming into form up top allowing us to have Dempsey and Donovan in the midfield. Maybe a 4-4-2 with a box midfield of Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley and Benny/Clark/Edu. Donovan and Dempsey both do best when they’re able to float between the wing and the middle and this would given them that flexibility. Also it would free up a lot of space for outside backs like Cherundolo, Simek, and Spector to get forward.
Altidore.
I don’t think we’re putting too much pressure on him because he has made strides at every step and been successful. When has he ever looked out of his element. He has virtually no Aduish ‘he’s young but you can really see the potential.” If you told someone he’s 25 and they didn’t get a good look at him, they’d likely believe you.
His presence means so much for who he is – a pure goal scorer – but his presence is just as important as it allows Adu to play off him, it allows EJ to perhaps find his groove as the speed option up front, it allows LD to sink in the background a bit where he is clearly more comfortable. Let Jozy take the press onslaught. I believe he has proven he can handle it. When I watched him against Mexico, it seemed like he had always been there. It seemed as if the bigsoccer flameouts were just a distant memory. Okay, I need a moment.
I think the issue of our flank play was the most troublesome development from the Mexico game.
Unlike a very vocal contingent on this site, I think Donovan has been fine on the wing, although I’d rather see him inside more. Obviously if we had Beasley the flanks wouldn’t be much of an issue, but he’ll be out for a while and we need to do something about it.
I’ve been advocating a switch to some variation of a 4-3-3, where I think we can get by without great two-way flank players.
I’m thinking something like this might work:
————–Jozy————–
Donovan——————Dempsey
Edu———Bradley—-Feilhaber
TBD—-Bocanegra–Gooch—–Dolo
————Howard————–
I think you could plug in Convey and Freddy at the winger spots, or maybe bring Convey in at Edu’s spot on the left mid. EJ and Ching could sub in for Jozy up top(Dempsey could also slide up there). Guys like Clark, Szetela, & Kljestan could come in to those midfield spots, and the back line would pretty much stay the same.
Considering the season he is having in Europe, Bradley is the clear stand out from the game (due to his average at best performance).
Jozy. Let’s get him quality company up top. I like LD and Dempsey in the midfield.
Adu was a little dissappointing, because he was doing the same thing that he with us in Salt Lake. And that is try to one-on-one too much. However, the foul he got at the corner of the box was because there was a lack of other players moving. So, I don’t know who you want to blame. But, when Adu was on the ball he did not look to make a pass. Hopefully, BB will work out players moving more and Adu passing more.
I am hoping EJ improves, gets consistent, while over in Europe. Would like to see him and Jozy pared together up top.
Ives-
Good perspective on the current goals for the USMNT. Right now is the time to test new combinations, identify problem areas (the left side of the field) and work out solutions. Playing the best, most experienced team isn’t necessarily best for the long term progress.
What do you think about playing either Dempsey or Adu on the left wing, or alternately, using a 4-3-3 formation to keep folks like Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore and Feilhaber all involved (and not relegated to a few touches on the flanks) at the same time? Is Bradley married to a tradtional 4-4-2 with two holding mids?
As somebody who’s watched Convey play since he was 16, he really looked like he was missing some speed Wednesday night. Totally missing that little burst to get by defenders.
Fatigue? Not fully recovered? Never be fully recovered? Don’t know, but hopefully he’ll get it back or he’ll be, a la Ralston, a player that can do well against CONCACAF’s lesser lights but be hampered in his ability to compete against the likes of Mexico solely due to athleticism.
i’d like to see robbie rogers get a call up at some stage. he looked great on the left side in the WC. bobby had an off night, but he was on fire for us in the lead up to germany. let’s not condemn him after one or two off matches.
my how things change…everyone was SO angry that the bruce was giving minutes to DMB over convey in germany. look back at some of the posts about beasley from BS back during the world cup – he was practically public enemy no 1! now we clamoring for him. my, we are a fickle bunch.
I think its clear they need a better way to set up walls in loud stadiums. Why didnt one of the guys on the wall turn around and look at howard while they did rather then trying to look over thier shoulder
I think the need for Benny Feilhaber to get some regular first team soccer has become apparent. The US looked a bit better in the middle when he came on, but if he is not playing for his club, then he will not be able to go 90 minutes. I would like to see Benny and Bradley in the middle, with Clark coming off the bench to protect a late lead…
Also, I prefer to see Dempsey on the right. I think he brings some danger to the flanks that was missing on Wed…with him on the right and LD on the left (til DMB comes back) it may be the way to go…plus, Bob should have a few more strikers to choose from next time, so finding a partner for Jozy should be a bit easier…
Altidore can get it done no matter who he plays against and at only 18. I know people go on and on about him being the second coming, but it’s true for the most part. Losing McBride to retirement sucks, but getting Jozy in his place definitely softens the blow.