Photo by ISIphotos.com
With just two days between Thursday’s 1-0 victory against Japan, and Sunday’s showdown vs. the Netherlands, U.S. Olympic men’s soccer coach Peter Nowak has some tough decisions to make.
With the heat and humidity in China making such a quick turnaround very difficult, Nowak figured to be making several lineup changes from the first to the second game anyway. Now, with several disappointing performances against Japan, Nowak will have even more motivation for the various changes he will likely make.
The Netherlands will be arguably the U.S. team’s toughest opponent in the group and there will be a high price on maintaining composure and limiting turnovers against a Dutch squad that punishes opponents for mistakes.
With that in mind, here is the starting XI I see the U.S. team fielding against the Netherlands:
Projected USA lineup vs. the Netherlands
—————-Altidore——————
Holden———–Adu———–Feilhaber
————Bradley—-Szetela————
Orozco—–Parkhurst–Edu——Wynne
——————Guzan——————-
So why this lineup? Well, McBride can use a rest here, but can also come in during the second half. With McBride not starting there will be less emphasis on service, which will allow Holden to slide over to the left side. He is better equipped than Robbie Rogers to handle the defensive responsibilities on the left flank, particularly if the Dutch deploy either Ryan Babel or Jonathan DeGuzman on that side. You could also see Adu floating out to the left wing more often as well.
If Feilhaber is fit enough, he should get the nod, either centrally or wide right. His inclusion helps give the team a player capable of making good decisions in the final third. You also don’t worry as much about his defensive contributions with Marvell Wynne camped at right back. Now, if Feilhaber can’t start then you could see Kljestan back in the line-up, though his penchant for turning the ball over could prove costly against a Dutch team that feasts on turnovers.
The defense stays the same because, well, because there are no other options. The foursome did well against Japan although Orozco struggled against Japan’s Uchida. He’ll have a very tough assignment against the Dutch, which is why I don’t see Nowak using Rogers on the left this match.
Now it’s your turn. What U.S. Olympic lineup do you want to see against the Netherlands? Share your thoughts below.
I’d just switch in Altidore for Rogers and move Adu to the left side.
sorry about the earlier comment…I just thought he was being stupid….hehe….my bad………yea….
actually i didnt see the smiley face….maybe my comp is messing up….
well i was bout the funny alliteration but everything else no. Kljestan isnt a defending player and everyone knows that. Put him under pressure and of course hell make bad passes. put him in open space and he’ll run to where he’ll make good passes. all im saying is i think he deserves a second chance. then again maybe not. feilhaber is an obvious choice at right midfield so who knows. Like ives said Feilhaber’s execution in the final third is great. whether its his passing or shooting. but i think we should put Kljestan out wide and put Feilhaber in the central midfield spot right behind him. like i said Adu has great passes and kljestan runs into great areas off the ball and Feilhaber can get him into those areas. You expect him to attack at the central midfield role? with the speed Japan has? hell no…But, hey, to each his own…
Isaac, that was a joke, you know, irony. Didn’t you notice the smiley face next to the comment??
I like Ives’ lineup, except I’d switch Benny and Szetela. Benny is much more effective in the center of the field where he can win balls and distribute, while I haven’t noticed Szetela showing center-mid qualities.
Re: Bradley, I wonder whether he is at a disadvantage b/c the Dutch are so familiar with him, or if he’s actually has an upper hand because he knows the Dutch style of play so well and he has been so successful in beating Dutch defenses?
@ Isaac. Please tell me you were joking…
Re: Ianni & McCarty, if the U.S. can clinch the second round after Sunday’s match, then it would make sens eto give the bench playres some time and rest the normal starters. Otherwise, keep playing the guys who, you know, won the game that put us in first place in our group.
Agree with Ives, just switch Feilhaber and Szetela.
Ives, I agree we’ll see several changes, but I’d like to see as many as 4 new guys, with more of a 4-3-3 style attack:
—–Altidore—–
Davies——-Adu–
Benny——-Szetela
—–Bradley——-
Fitness is huge here, and I don’t see much dropoff (if any) in this lineup, while bringing on fresh legs and allowing the four replaced guys to rest for Nigeria.
If I recall, in qualifying Nowak made many such changes from game to game. I see him using his bench here, and I would agree with the move.
Ok first off who ever said The USA National team coach doesnt know Michael Bradley well obviously doesnt know the USA National team couch very well. Bob BRADLEY is Michael BRADLEY’s father. so of course Bob Bradley is going to keep an eye on which position Michael does. any ways im gonna side with Kljestan and say that he deserves a start at right midfield. he was playing central midfield and his passing from that position is horrendous. while at right midfield he’ll be much more capable of making good passes with the space he’ll have out wide. His movement off the ball is dangerous and thats the kind of thing we needed against Japan. with his great movement and Adu’s great service he’ll be able to get behind the Dutch D(hehe…funny alliteration).other than that i think Ives line up could work and it’ll be interesting to see how Szetela does in the central midfield
The Dynamo have had Stuart Holden playing an attacking midfield role when DeRosario is out.
Sticking with the 4-2-3-1 formation, I’d put Jozy up top, with Rogers, Holden, and Szetela behind. The two holding midfielders are Bradley and Feilhaber.
Same defensive back four as yesterday — but if Feilhaber isn’t working out, put Ianni in central defense and move Edu up to holding midfield.
Adu comes off the bench, just like with Benfica.
You worry about your own team Foppe
It doesn’t matter who starts for the US team. They’re all on the same level, remember?
I would definitely prefer Szetela over Sacha for this game and I think Bradley will be the most important player by calming our style of play down a little. If Holden sits a little more it will give Freddy even more freedom
@ timpramas
I agree about Rogers. He has more value coming in during the last 15-20 and having an impact like Babel does off the bench for Liverpool.
—————————————————–
We need to rest McBride Sunday. The Nigeria game will undoubtedly be a must win so let’s keep him fresh for that.
What about just switching Wynne and Orozco? Or are we equally worried about BOTH flanks?
My preference:
———–Altidore——Davies————
——————–Adu——————–
Holden——————————Szetela
——————Bradley——————
Wynne——Parkhurst——-Edu——-Orozco
—————–Guzanvilla—————-
Betinho – definitely not but the pace in the Nigeria/Holland game was impressive. I think our backline will struggle a little when they have players run at them especially with Edu and Parkhurst not being natural/prototypical centre backs. Jozy and McBride will flourish in a tighter more physical game and Adu can play on anything.
I have coaching/motivation concerns
Juande – do you want Nigeria to win?
There are a few pitches that are in bad shape, where Brazil played was really poor but the Australia vs. Serbia one was nice. Hopefully we play Nigeria on a sandy one
this is no excuse but did anyone notice the field? it didn’t look good to me, lots of divots…
Jamie, not going to be able to overcome the injury? That is good news then
Juande, Makaay won’t be playing.
The big question I think will be if Parkhurst and Edu can handle Makaay/Sibon’s size and experience. The Japanese were technical but did not pose the physical threat Holland and Nigeria will. I question Parkhurst’s strength at the international level and Edu’s reading of the game
I think they will have to be very careful with Royston Drenthe drifting to the right to run at Orozco because he will struggle to stay with him. It will be a great test of Wynne to see if he can match wits as well as speed and strength with him.
@cj
Ianni is good in possession, but has a habit of misjudging crosses and watching as they go over his head. Save him for the more physical play of Nigeria, where his strength will be more of a factor.
Ianni = not fast = not good.
I’m not convinced there will be a lot changes for US. Other than trying to find a place for Altidore in the starting lineup. I bet they keep him on the bench though. First thing to do is to keep things under control versus a superior opponent. A tie does wonders for the US in this game. The Dutch have to win so if the US can hold them off for a half, the US will get some counter attacking opportunities themselves in the game. McBridge holding up the ball to help maintain possession will be invaluable.
Andrew – did you see Edu against Japan. He might have been our most consistant player in that game. I thought he was excellent back there. Before the game I felt the same as you. I DEFINITELY prefer him to Ianni.
Ives’ lineup is good, except I would swap Szetela and Feilhaber as far as positions. In appearances with the USMNT, Feilhaber didn’t look good out wide. He plays well in the middle of the field.
If we need goals, I like the idea of bringing Rogers off the bench later in the game to face a tired Dutch defense. Davies might be another good substitution for that purpose.
Ianni is not an international level defender. He will be exposed if you put him up against the speed and skill of the Netherlands. He is exactly what his choice indicates, 4th pick behind Parkhurst, Sturgis and Spector. He is lucky to wear the shirt and to collect his Ralph Lauren getup for the martching ceremony. Again, I can remeber the day when our roster was 0 spots deep, so the fact that we’re discussing it is a good thing.
thanks ives, brett, and northzax. i forgot he missed the toulan tourney. my memory is starting to go….
Take a look at Ianni in the back. Great in possession and a smart player.
Edu should not be playing center back.
Adam: it’s not a matter of BennyF being hurt, it’s a matter of match fitness, the man hasn’t played a full match in a long time. No amount of training can substitute for actual playing.
I’d be happy with Ives’ line-up, though possibly with Szetela on the wing and Feilhaber in the middle. It leaves us the option — if Feilhaber or Szetela aren’t effective or fit to go a full 90 — to put Davies in to run off of Altidore up top and drop Freddy back into an attacking midfield role.
Not being familiar with the standard formation used by the Netherlands, it’s difficult to suggest how the U.S. Should line up. Does anyone have any insight?
That having been said, I think the big question comes down to Benny’s fitness and who plays on the left side. Benny was injured in Toulon and hasn’t had that much playing time. Our only natural left-sided player AFAIK is Robbie Rogers.
———-McBride—-Altidore————–
–Rogers——Edu——-Adu———Holden-
Orozco—–Parkhurst—-Ianni——Wynne—
——————Guzan——————-
Adam, Feilhaber was sidelined with a knee injury for a long time (since the Toulon Tournament).
adam b- he’d be unfit b/c he hasnt played a full game since the gold cup (not sure how accurate that is, but my point is its been a long time)
My line up would be the same formation but I think Altidore starts this game with BMB coming in as the sub. Feilhaber starts instead of Sasha(Feilhaber then makes another frightening lipsync video, this time to “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb in honor of his return to starting XI next to MB). I would leave both Rogers and Holden. Who would we replace Orozco with – maybe McCarty? No…leave him there and hope for a better performance.
“If Feilhaber is fit enough”
i dont remember him being hurt, did i completely miss something? his pride could be hurt by releasing his lip-syncing video tho.
Dax was the MVP in qualify for me. i know he hasnt had a good season at FC Dallas, cuz of injury, etc… But i say hey, give it shot.
I’d like to see an attack-minded 4-4-2 – I hate the 4-5-1. You’re basically playing for a draw. I think Rogers’s mistakes could have basically been attributed to jitters and I like that he wasn’t afraid to take defenders on, so he stays on the left. If McBride’s ineffective, he can be subbed out for a mid (Feilhaber, Kljestan) and Adu can move up to second striker.
———Altidore——–McBride——–
——————-Adu——————
-Rogers————————–Holden-
—————–Bradley—————-
Orozco—–Parkhurst——Edu——Wynne
——————Guzan—————–
it seems like Mike Bradley isnt going hard after advancing players anymore.
before he used to always challenge when someone was advancing through his area, but now it seems he is playing more conservatively and not going after the ball as much. hmm.. I’d like to see him really step up his defensive game if hes looking like he is currently, hardly being involved in the offense.
kind of wish we brought zizzo for his charging down the right flank and passing to adu, he even plays defense well.
Jahs, I just don’t think the US Nats coach knows Bradley well enough. 🙂
Watched the game for the first time last night after reading the mostly negative user comments. I must say, that the team didn’t play that badly. I am a Sacha fan, but he did have a horrible game. It seemed like he was hitting all of this passes short and never adjusted. Maybe the muggy conditions threw them off? I dunno.
whats the big deal about rogers not playing much defense…most good wingers don’t anyway.
and can i ask this: why does michael bradley play sucha defensive role (where he really hasn’t been that impressive anyway) with the nats when hes been freescoring playing in a more attacking, wide role for herenveen?
If Feilhaber isn’t fit, then you could see McCarty play next to Bradley in that formation with Szetela moving out right.
Did I mention that in addition to the above that I have made no public statements on my position on Darfur? The Chinese will love me.
Seriously- Just get Altidore on the pitch and Sasha off. At least then we won’t be fielding a weaker version of our already weak squad.
One more thought- put a shocking collar on Adu so when he starts whining to the referee Nowak can press the button. Every time I start to think Adu is starting to grow up he re-punks.
… by getting a second yellow card.
I would go with the same lineup as against Japan unless there is someone playing better than Orozco at left back.
If things get out of hand either way, would pull Adu and Bradley out so don’t miss game against Nigeria.
Me- I’m rested and match fit.