The U.S. men's national team had plenty of bright spots and highlights in 2009, but the final game of the year had few moments worth remembering.
With most of the team's top stars unavailable, Bob Bradley handed opportunities to several players to show that they deserve more playing time. Not many stepped up to that challenge. Instead, what we were treated to on Wednesday was a reminder of just how shallow the U.S. national team pool really is.
The result itself didn't matter, and never was going to matter. What mattered was how the players responded to facing a tough opponent. Most didn't respond, turning the match into a forgettable finale to a memorable 2009.
What were some of the more forgettable developments?
Frankie Hejduk's meltdown. Anyone who watched Hejduk's awful performance in the Columbus Crew's series-losing match against Real Salt Lake probably knew that things wouldn't go well as soon as Hejduk was announced as the starting right back on Wednesday. Hejduk was just lost, reacting late to plays and putting his defense into tough spots repeatedly.
The decision to start Hejduk was predictable, but Bob Bradley should have considered that Crew-RSL match, and realized he was about to play a player who isn't on form. Bradley was put in a tough spot coming into this match, what with three of the national team's top four centerbacks all injured, and with Steve Cherundolo needing to leave early to attend the funeral for, and recover from the death of club teammate Robert Enke. All that said, Bradley decided to have a second look at Jonathan Spector at centerback rather than playing him at right back and starting Jimmy Conrad. That decision gave U.S. fans the treat of watching Hejduk deliver one of his worst national team performances ever.
Now I'm not going to write Hejduk off completely as a national team option. He's battled back far too many times for me to ever totally write him off, but he shouldn't have started against Denmark.
The Clark-Bradley tandem struggled. Remember when Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark played so well together in helping the Americans shut down mighty Spain? That performance was miles away from the tandem's showing against Denmark. Clark and Bradley never found a good rhythm and lost the possession battle to the Danes. Bradley's passing was below his usual standard and Clark spent more time chasing than breaking up attacks. The reality is that this combo hasn't had a solid game in a while together, leaving us to wonder what combination Bob Bradley will wind up turning to down the road. One thing is clear. Jermaine Jones should step in and provide an upgrade once he is healthy.
Altidore and Johnson were just plain flat. The midfield didn't provide much service to the forwards, but Jeff Cunningham's effort and quickness magnified the poor efforts of Altidore and Johnson, who played more like poster children for what a lack of playing time will do to your form. Altidore has the talent to be the team's top striker, but he needs to find more consistency or the U.S. team can't rely on him to be a starter.
Castillo didn't get to do much. Edgar Castillo came in as a second-half sub and played on the left wing. He didn't have much of a chance to make an impact since it was already 3-1 Denmark and the U.S. team had pretty much stopped playing effectively. As much as I would have liked to see him play more, it was probably unrealistic to think Castillo would start when he had just been in his first U.S. camp for a few days. You can see the quickness and the touch, but we're going to have to wait until early next year to get a chance to see what he can really do.
BRIGHT SPOTS
Jeff Cunningham deserves more looks. Yes, he was a bit fortunate to have the Danish defense slip up, but Cunningham created the play that led to a turnover, and finished a great shot. He showed speed and certainly played well enough to leave you wondering how he would do playing alongside Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.
Benny Feilhaber is a good option on the left. Feilhaber was one of the few bright spots for the U.S. team, and particularly in midfield. If he can develop into a viable option on the left flank, it could free up Landon Donovan to start up top, which may be necessary if the current crop of American forwards doesn't step up.
SOME OTHER THOUGHTS
Jonathan Spector didn't have as good a second game at centerback as he had in the first game, but he still showed some promise. The first goal wasn't his fault, and the second goal came courtesy of his clearance attempt that appeared to hit a Danish player's arm. Having a shaky Hejduk alongside him was a major handicap, but Spector still looks capable of being a good centerback option.
Bob Bradley didn't make subs until after the score was 3-1, but I'm not about to get on him for the timing. This was a friendly and Bradley clearly came into the match intending to give his first unit 60 minutes of playing time together. I still think he could have yanked Hejduk at halftime, but it looks like he wanted to see more of Spector in central defense, which meant keeping Hejduk on the field. Unfortunately for Bradley, Hejduk's poor play wound up affecting Spector's play in central defense
————
What did you think of Wednesday's match? What were you most frustrated with? What were you happy about, if anything?
Share your thoughts below.
I hope you’re right about Altidore.
It just seems to me that he should be a much better player after 21 starts for the USMNT.
Right now, to me , Altidore =
terrible traps,
bad ball handling,
slow feet,
no soccer awareness,
many missed opportunities to score.
He’s the only player on this team that consistently has me screaming at the TV.
Brazil and the US have the same problem position ahead of South Africa: Left Back.
The difference is that Brazil can fill the remaining 10 positions with superstar players culled from the starting 11s of Juventus, Inter and AC Milan alone. Then they can fill out the squad with players from Real Madrid, Barca, Liverpool etc.
Team USA, on the other hand, has been dealt a huge blow by the injuries of just two players – Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu – who are far from stardom. Davies starts for Sochaux, a mid-table French team, while Onyewu wasn’t likely to feature for Milan much at all this season.
Coach Bob Bradley has had dozens of games, competitive and friendly, high profile and humble, in which to come up with a side that can contest a World Cup match against a side like Brazil. Unfortunately, this Denmark match shows us that lessons are lost on Bradley.
His selection for the match against the Danes is baffling. If he plays the backline from this game in the World Cup we’ll get destroyed. It wouldn’t matter if Jozy Altidore turned into Didier Drogba and Donovan turned into Kaka’, our defense would be permeable.
Hejduk, at right back: Way out of form for Columbus. No longer likely to go the full 90 for the national team, Hejduk is USA’s Gary Neville. Bradley should have realized this. Hejduk starting means Bradley either doesn’t watch Crew games or doesn’t care.
Spector, at center back: Out of position. Spector has got to be starting at right back for the US come June. He’s a fullback and always has been. His performance against Spain put him ahead of his [extremely meager] competition for me.
Bocanegra, at center back: Out of position. One of the biggest mistakes of Bradley’s tenure at the helm of Team USA is putting this much responsibility on Boca in a position he can’t play. Boca has got to be starting at left back, where he plays for Rennes. His performance there against Spain supports this. Also the qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras, where he got faced by opposing strikers in the box, support this.
Bornstein, at left back: No. Just, no. The idea of the World Cup is that you go and represent your country and try to win. Bornstein = fail.
Two center backs acting as anchors for fleet-footed attacking fullbacks may seem like a good idea, but it’s not a route the US should go. If we had a Fabio Grosso and a Dani Alves to work with, maybe. I say flat back four and leave the attacking to the midfielders.
Michael Bradley, at center mid: Just based on his man-of-the-match performance against Mexico in the qualifiers, he’s definitely earned a place in the starting 11. But we can’t expect him to survive for long at the World Cup if Donovan and Dempsey are also in the midfield. Bradley attacks too much, gets caught out of position and then gets booked when he tackles back. If he’s suspended, Coach Bradley will have to adopt Plan B, which will destabilize the team. Coach Bradley needs to make him one of two attacking midfielders, play him in a 4-5-1 or install a more defense-minded midfielder in his place.
Rico Clark, at center [defensive] mid: Again, no. Can you honestly see Clark getting anything done in a World Cup match where Diego is on the field? Kaka’? Ronaldinho? Bradley should have found a better option by now.
Holden, Feilhaber, as wide midfielders: They’ll be hoping to factor in as squad players at the World Cup, as will perhaps half a dozen more players in the USA pool. Whether they get playing time will be up to Donovan and Dempsey.
Overall, I’d say the midfield is too attack-minded. With Bradley getting involved in attacks we’ll be exposed to counters. Anyone researching USA will no precisely where to go to score goal 1: Absorb the attack by pressuring Dempsey and Donovan, counter through the middle and take on the slow center-backs.
It would help if USA’s strikers could take some pressure off the midfield. Why Bradley chose Altidore and Eddie Johnson, two of the most out-of-form strikers in the pool, for this match is beyond me.
Jeff Cunningham, at striker: Bradley has 0 intentions of using him in the summer. But thanks for putting pressure on Altidore, and thanks for not using Brian Ching.
I guess we’ll see in the next friendly whether the lessons from this game have found their way into Bradley’s planning. Picking a mishmash squad like the one above for a valuable friendly against Denmark, a versatile European side that we could face in the World Cup, represents a blown opportuniy on Bradley’s part.
Everything you say is more or less true. That does not change the fact that in 21 games for the US Jozy has 8 goals, many important ones.
For much of that time, Jozy was not playing regularly at his club. So the theory is that if he gets more PT then should he not get even better?
The US does not score so regularly that they can afford to ignore Jozy. Sad but true.
Pearce has had a lot of shots 28 caps and the regular starter at left back for most of 2008) and never proved entirely convincing. He hasn’t played very much (for club or country) for a while now and he was playing right back for Dallas.
What makes you think he is a perferable option to Boca,Bornstein or even Castillo?
Very well put.
We can go in circles of who should have played and when. The big problem and I think this has always been the problem is that our first team can be strong, but a second team is virtually nonexistent.
You could run DNA tests to determine which players in the US team have legitimate Mexican ancestry and then start them on that basis.
Bornstein is Jewish/Mexican. Why isn’t he part of your Mexican Contingent? He has more Mexican blood than Jonathan Spector.
Buck,
Frankie played 203 games for his various clubs and 85 games for the US. He has had some great games for the US and he has had some stinkers. However, his skill set was developed at his clubs not by the national team.
There seems to be this great misconception that a national team can develop players, i.e. Bradley “failed to develop a midfield general”. This is bogus. Like all national team coaches Bradley has to play with the hand he is dealt.
There isn’t enough time for players to develop their skills when they are on national team duty. That happens at the clubs or not at all. People want to know why Bradley doesn’t deploy Torres as his midfield general but does Torres do that for Pahucha? Does he even play fulltime for Pachucha?
National team players are temporary employees. The US hires them to fill a specific gap in the work force for a specific period of time. Unfortunately for the US, the Temp Agency they use currently has a shortage of right and left backs, center backs, midfield generals, and speedy goal scoring forwards. And, unfortunately for the US, they are contractually obligated to use only that one Temp Agency.
It seems odd that fitness is still an issue with Feilhaber at this point. However, he does seem to be better as a sub.
Good post. Bradley’s priorites should be:
Centerback
Working in Jones
Working in Castillo
This would help settle the defense , whihc has been inconsistent. After that he can work on figuring out the Davies replacement
I’ve been following the USMNT since 1990, and I don’t
remember any time throughout the years that I have
seriously though of not supporting this team, but a
after watching their last two games, the thought crossed my mind.
But then I realised that they need me now, more than ever, as a USMNT fan.
It’s just that I feel that this team should be farther along towards being a consistent top team in the soccer world, but they seem to have regressed of late.
Yes, I know that we have had some big injuries and Coach Bradley is looking at some newer players, and that the outcome of this game wasn’t a priority, but the fans still want to see our team, win or lose, play with more soccer savy, more soccer awareness, more soccer knowledge than they have been showing us lately.
I hate to be so negative, so here are some positives:
1. Overall, Coach Bradley has done a very good job this year.
2. We can count on our best players:
Donovan, Dempsey, Howard ,Bocs, M.Bradley.
3. We have some new young prospects:
Holden, Torres, Castillo, Goodson, Rogers.
4. We have an older (new) prospect:
Cunningham.
5. We will someday have
Davies, Gooch and Demerit back.
I still can’t understand what some fans see in Altidore.
His first touch is atrocious, he never pressures opposing defenders (like Cunningham did to earn a scoring chance that in turn he finished for a great goal).
He looks lethargic on the field, even though he runs less than all his teamates, save the keeper.
His passes are usually picked off or errant.
What gets me the most is that John Harkes never critisizes him at all. Harkes will, for some reason, point out all the mistakes and deficiencies of other players, but never his fav Altidore.
Harkes, I loved you as a great US player and captain, but please be more honest when you do a game with Altidore up top. It’s so obvious that you love this guy, but I would love to hear you at least constructively critisize him on occasion.
It would be very refreshing.
No hard feelings John.
You will always be in my personal USMNT Hall of Fame, Hands down,no question about it.
Build from the back. Boca is hopeless. I think Gooch can play, we’ll see. Love Frankie’s spirit but his time has passed. It is way overdue to try some new blood in the mix. Goodson, Demerit, Marshall, Parkhurst; if you really want to experiment, Wynne and Alston. But right now, with current (healthy) backline: three and out. Worse: bad soccer.
I don’t think we can go with Demps and LD as our attack partnership. Donovan in particular needs to start a bit deeper. And Dempsey’s definitely not a target forward. He’s not pacy enough and he doesn’t work hard enough. We need a target. Right now, it’s Jozy. But if we gave Demps and Donovan the ability to roam and attack, the goal scoring prowess of the forward is significantly less important. We could go with a simple hold up player, which Ching (again, hate to admit it) does quite well, and perhaps better than anybody in our player pool. Of course, you’d rather have a striker that can score goals, but right now we don’t. If Jermaine Jones emerges, then maybe Bradley/Feilhaber play a more attacking central mid. I know many will disagree, but on most days, other than perhaps LD, I think Bradley is our most consistent player. Right now, I think he needs to be in the line-up. And he’s shown decent attacking instincts, so maybe if JJ makes an impact, we give Bradley less defensive responsibilities and more license to go forward. The problem is senior Bradley’s insistence on playing two defensive central midfielders (not too much different than Liverpool’s current problems). I agree that Feilhaber is an option on the left, but I really like him as a 60/75th mid sub in the center of the park. We need an out and out winger there.
As much as i hate to say it, Rossi and Subotic would have eased these depth problems fairly easily. Rongen really messed up with subotic, who is clearly one of the best if not the best center back in germany.
Much as I hate to say it — he has long been one of my favorite MNT players — I think Hejduk is done, Ives. And if Jonathan Bornstein is still starting at left back at the World Cup, I will conclude that the entire coaching staff is either unable to develop a decent LB from among their many options or too blind to recognize a major liability.
I can see Dolo at RB and Spector at LB at WC. Perhaps Westham can help by giving him some more time at LB.
GO HOUSTON! AnD YES BB HAS TO GO!
I think you’re kind of getting at something that hasn’t been brought up much here. Dempsey and Donovan are obviously our best attacking players, and it might not be a bad idea to just leave Jozy out and play those two at forward.
If we had Jermaine Jones, who would you take out to fit him into your lineup? I’d take out Jozy personally.
I do think though that if Onyewu is healthy we have to play him. I agree he’s not great on the ball, but he’s such a dominant physical presence that it’s a mistake to leave him out.
Unfortunately that would leave us with a choice of playing either Dolo or Spector.
Oh, and also Feilhaber or Torres could be options at left wing. I’m not sure though because we haven’t really seen enough of either of them at that position.
lets try and think of a player with a lack of physical stature that did well in Europe…..ummm…..Beasley. The guy was great for PSG and even if he isn’t on good form now, we can’t deny he had his time.
So I don’t see why Bornstein wouldn’t be able to get his. Besides, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Bornstein is a better player than Cameron.
The above doesn’t look right. One more try
Dolo-Spector-DeMerit-Bornstein/Castillo/Boca
Bradley
Holden Rogers/Castillo/
Dempsey LD
Jozy
Here’s how I would do it:
Dolo — Spector — DeMerit — Castillo/Bornstein/Boca
Bradley
Holden Rogers/Castillo/Feilhaber
Dempsey Donovan
Jozy
It’s basically a 4-5-1 (or 4-3-2-1). It gets Dempsey and Donovan in more atack-minded positions, and gets them into the middle of the field to play make a bit. It also allows the two of them to run off Jozy. To keep his spot, though, Jozy has to learn to hold the ball up better. Otherwise, I’d be fine slotting any other big body up top just for the sake of holding the ball up. Scary to say, but my next choice would probably be Ching. I honestly think he’s the best hold up forward we have. I guess Casey also would have to be in the mix. It’s Jozy’s position to lose, but he has not been very good lately, and he’s been very lazy. I totally think we need Holden out wide. He’s the closest to a winger we have. The left is much more difficult. I think Rogers could develop into a legitimate left winger — he’s got the speed and good service from his left. I fear he won’t be ready in time though. So that position is pretty much up for grabs (assuming you put LD further forward like I do). The back is also tricky. I think Dolo is too strong right now to be on the bench, but I hate to lose Spector’s presence. He wasn’t great against the Danes but I think his distribution and poise on the ball is better than any of the other options (that’s always been my problem with Onyewu). I’ve always felt that we need better distribution from the back. Assuming he regains Confed Cup form, DeMerit has to be paired in the middle. To me, Boca has lost a step. Maybe he slots on the left, but I’d rather have more speed there. We might be stuck with Bornstein, unless Castillo shows he’s got what it takes. Bradley is currently our best distributor and his defensive work rate is usually fantastic. Until someone else comes into camp and sets the world on fire, I think he owns that position. At any rate, this is my first time posting my ideal line-up. I’ve been sitting on the message board sidelines up until now. Let me know your thoughts.
We already know bunker bob’s mentality….. i think he would prefer to have and uber defensive team that can counter really quickly…
If Jones and Edu fully recover from injuries( and jones actually gels with the team) Bob will be more inclined to start the following lineup…
————-Jozy————-
——————-Dempsey—-
——-Landon—————–
——————————
—–Jones—-Edu—Bradley—
Castillo——————Dolo
———-Boca—-Specs——-
————Howard————
if demeritt comes back he will start instead of spector….. gooch probably wont be ready.
Castillo and Dolo are really good going forward…… and they will provide the service from out wide
Jones Edu and Bradley can provide good cover for the backline….. as well as pushing forward when the wingbacks are not pushing up
I agree. I think that the DeMerit/Boca tandem in the center is solid, but neither is especially dominant in the air. Marshall did well against El Salvador in his start there. But I don’t know how he will do against many better teams. Also, Goodson is a good option, and maybe Omar Gonzalez although he is really young. But DeMerit definitely needs to be in the mix.
And I think Boca is a good LB option because he wouldn’t play there in a European League if he wasn’t solid at the position. He may not have the speed of Bornstein and Castillo but he did well there in the Confed Cup. He makes up for it in athletic ability. Spector and Cherundolo are definitely the best RB options. I honestly think that Cherundolo is the best defender on the team right now. Onyewu is the best when he is playing regularly (but at this point I don’t think we should count on him being back).
I know Holden and Clark, who’s the third?
It’s not far-fetched to argue that Spector is the best player who is fit right now at any position on the back line – except MAYBE Boca (on a good day). So why not put him in the middle where most action will come?
When Gooch and DeMerit come back, then yeah that will make things easier for BB w/ centerback decisions, but at the moment there aren’t many good options.
USA Depth Chart (People playing natural positions as form right now)
Striker 2nd Striker
Ching Altidore
Casey Cooper
Mcbride Cunningham
Left Wing Right Wing
Donovan Dempsey
Rogers Holden
Beasley
Left Center Mid Right Center Midfield
Bradley Clark
Beckerman Jones
Edu
Can Play Anywhere in Midfield
Torres
Feilhaber
Kjlestan
Adu
Left Back Right Back Spector can play
Bocanegra Cherundolo anywhere due to
Bornstein Wynne injury and should
Castillo Pearce switch w/cherundolo
Pearce depending on team
Left Center Right Center
Marshall Demerit
Onweyu Goodson
Conrad Califf/Parkhurst
Goalkeeper
Howard
Guzan
Robles/Perkins/Hahnemann/Friedel
we are so funny here on SBI. i’d say that by putting donovan, cherundolo, and dempsey in the match, that’d be a pretty incredible difference. using your grade analogy, when you take donovan out the lineup, you drop our level to the B or C team automatically.
think for a moment about cunningham running onto donovan or dempsey service, and not holden/nonexistent service. give me a break dude.
i also think that the problems in the central defence were directly attributable to the nonexistent defence being played down the entire right side of the US team. the problems in defence are more unsettling than anything else.
No way Bornstein goes to Europe before Geoff Cameron.. Bornsteins physical presense will not bold well in Europe
I think I know what people are going to say, but I still think that Clark is going to be on the WC squad. I think that if Edu/Jones or both are healthy he will not be a starter. But he is still a good defender. I don’t think he played bad in that game I just think he had an off day. He made some good defensive decisions and seems to have kept his head a lot more in that past several games. Aided Bornstein a few times when JB got beat. Sure, his passing was errant, but Bradley didn’t help that much.
Also I think Ives is right, it was the tandem that didn’t work. But individually I think he played alright. Not good, not great but adequate. This is why I think he will be a good defensive option off the bench when we need a defensive sub in the midfield. I especially think so if he is going overseas he will polish himself a little.
Like I said, I know people aren’t going to like that. I just like Clark more than most.
I agree. I don’t see why Holden wasn’t mentioned in this article. He did a good job finding people in space and keeping plays alive and working back for the ball. Torres or Holden should be the starter.
I agree, but Feilhaber could be a good attacking option if need be. Seriously though, are we going to start Feilhaber? Who would come off the bench and provide a spark?
In fairness to castillo, bornstein and boca nobody has been or will be the answer at left back, its always going to be the spot the other team attacks. An in form Beasley on the left would be great because he can fly back and help. If Donovan has to be the one tracking back he’s gonna be gassed if we make it out of the group stages, I don’t care how good of shape he’s in. We just have a lot of injured and out of form guys right now.
There is only one pot seeded teams. We’ll only get one seeded team
Other options would be Adu, Cunningham, White, Rolfe?
Unless you don’t think a left footed midfielder or speedy striker is a pre-requisite, in which case I guess you could include a third defensive midfielder in the form of Clark.
What would you do instead?
well you also have to take into account that those games where he was invisible were pre-confederation cup form. But you do have a point. I want to see how he does now that he is in GREAT form in the center attacking midfield role
? is Hey dude getting caps when Wynne has similar abilities and is much better in speed and recovery?
Right, which brings up the question:
Is Bornstein going to Europe?
I think Bornstein is still our best NATURAL left back option, but he still does get beaten by players on that side that possess excellent skill. If he plays in Europe, not only does he play against tougher competition, but he improves his skills, he provides better service, and a more composed player out of the back.
Still, it’s nice to know we have choices. Bornstein, Castillo, Bocanegra, even Pearce are all decent options to be playing at left back. Which reminds me, when is Pearce going to get a shot?
lack of depth
I think you’re right about Boca at LB in SA.
I haven’t seen much of Castillo but the comparison to Beasley at LB has some merit. Castillo may be smaller than both Beasley and Bornstein. LB at the WC may be a bridge too far, as Bradley will need tough defending.
Why would Beasley and EJ be on the squad?
You raise good points. He’s still our Achilles heel. But I’m not saying he’s entirely without talent. He just lacks the experience of playing against great players on a routine basis. Bob is playing it relatively smart by not throwing him under the bus, because we may need him. To jettison him completely would be to strip away all of his confidence.
Well said.
Can’t argue with any of it.
On a more positive note, teams usually underestimate us, and the experience we gathered at the Confed Cup gives us another bonus. It ain’t much, but I still like our chances of getting out of the group stage. If we can do that, the American world beater mentality might just kick in and we start really punching above our weight class like we saw against Spain.
True Pete, his passing is a bit inconsistent, but when it’s on, the United States normally contains the ball brilliantly. I think his balls not being on the ground isn’t TOO much of a difference but it would help. I think he’s just trying to get the conviction behind the pass in order to get it to reach his target. Look at the ball he plays to LAndon in the leadup to the second goal against Costa Rica, his ball to Chuck-D( Get well soon, CD9) in the leadup to the 1st goal against Spain, and his ball to Spector in the lead up to the third goal against Egypt. They’re all major goals and he finds them by playing them through the air and they’re with the perfect weight it seems as well. Plus, Paul Scholes, a good central/attacking/defending midfielder, plays plenty of passes through the air, although he knows how to knock them along the deck as well. Xabi Alonso is known for his RIDICULOUS long ball ability and Steven Gerrard has been known to pick out players with those kinds of passes as well. I think Bradley has a little bit of all these players in him.
Now, it’s easy to pick out the good spots in Bradley’s game and not find any bad spots when typically YouTube video’s show highlights and not lowlights( if that’s even a word).
When the time comes that Jones is around and available for selection, I’d like to see both coupled with Torres in a central midfield trio.
The strength of the US defense has always been its group effort as opposed to individual skill (which completely contrasts our offensive game plan). Watch the Egypt, Spain, first half of Brazil game, and watch when we have been successful in the past against CONCACAF teams as well. When you defend as a group, starting with the chasing by the forwards, the solid shape in the midfield combined with tracking back to protect the back 4, and the solid communication and conservative (no nonsense) defending by the defenders, you have a recipe for a strong defense. The problem seems to be personnel, as injuries (Gooch, Demerit) have tampered with chemistry, coupled with a lack of reserve quality (Hejduk, Goodson, Califf), a lack of interior quickness (Bocanegra) and a lack of experience (Bornstein, Spector) can make for some nightmarish moments (qualifying, denmark).
Offensively, and I know I’ve been on about this before, the USA seems to lack any sort of sophisticated tactical plan. On their best days, they rely on the speed and creativity of Donovan, the timed tackling of the CMs, and the opportunistic finishing of Dempsey and Altidore to get them bye. On their worst days when Donovan is closed down and given no space, when Rico is a step off and fouling everyone in plain sight, then Junior is giving away the ball every touch, when altidore looks like he’s eaten a steak dinner before the match, and when dempsey is trying bunny hops and going down too easily…our lack of tactics prevents us from falling back on organized team attacking play. We have very little style beyond counter, opportunism and grit. Don’t get me wrong, these work at times and can be great qualities. However, rule #1 in any sport is if you’re not the physical best skill wise (which we’re not), you have the be the sharpest in every other way and organized beyond compare. We’re not either, and until we are, I don’t see us advancing very far in WC2010.
It will be really interesting to see whom Bradley calls in when the national team reconvenes in early 2010. If we see likes of Hejduk again, then that would be a joke and a half. I wish he would try Spector at LB with Cherundolo at RB, with either Goodson or Conrad in the middle with Bocanegra. Also would like to see Castillo get a run out at LB because we learned absolutely nothing about him against Denmark.
Odd, because that strategy didn’t work for coaches in the last three games of qualifying. He might deal better if he gets Landon back as his wing partner, and there wasn’t much problem on that flank once Castillo was inserted so that’s a suggestion that deserves another look.
I think Bradley is hoping that Bornstein will be the answer for 2014. Assuming everyone is healthy, and barring some miraculous run of form by one of the other candidates, I think it’s most likely that Bocanegra will be playing LB in SA.
The US really has no one else who can dominate in a crowded box on set pieces and prolonged attacks like Gooch can. Both Spector and Bocanegra are better at last ditch defending and (fairly obviously) in an outside back capacity (if I am not mistaken that’s where Bocanegra has been playing with Rennes).
Of course that wasn’t really an issue in the Denmark game, but it seems like Goodson could eventually be the sort of physical presence that Gooch is, and I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t get more time when Gooch is injured.