There was plenty of ugliness, but some promising moments for the U.S. national team in its 2-1 loss to the Netherlands.
The Dutch midfield dominated, its wingers showed up great speed and moves and the Americans struggled to find many of their own chances in the first half.
Why was any of this a surprise?
Did people forget who the United States was playing? Did people think it would be a team of imposters posing as the same Dutch team that finished unbeaten in World Cup qualifying and is currently No. 3 in the world?
There was nothing surprising about the Netherlands' control of most of the match. What was surprising was how certainly American players responded, both positively and negatively. You may have already seen my rundown of the winners and losers from Wednesday's night match. Here are some more observations from Wednesday night.
————–
Maurice Edu looked very steady in the second half playing as a deep-lying midfielder. He played with confidence on the ball and is going to make Bob Bradley's decision a tough one when Bradley picks his central midfielders for South Africa. You basically have four players vying for three spots, with Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jose Torres and Benny Feilhaber all battling.
—————–
I noticed some comments critical of Jozy Altidore. I realize he didn't score on Wednesday but if people can't see the improvements he has made I'm not sure what else to say. He went up against a strong pair of centerbacks and won some dangerous free kicks, made some nice moves, dished off some quality passes and hit one nice shot late in the match that forced a top save. Is he Wayne Rooney? No, but Altidore is maturing as a player and the goals will come if the midfield gets sorted out by the summer.
Altidore's had some good battles with Dutch centerback Johnny Heitinga in what was Part One of a two-part battle this week between the two. Altidore's Hull travels to Heitinga's Everton on Sunday so they should clash again (assuming Phil Brown doesn't have another brain cramp and chooses to bench Altidore).
—————–
Call it one game but I can definitely see DaMarcus Beasley regaining his starting left wing role and being in the lineup when the USA faces England. He's got his confidence back and just needs to stay healthy and find some consistent minutes against Rangers (yes, I know, easier said than done for Beasley).
—————–
Best longshot pick to make the World Cup team has to be Alejandro Bedoya after his impressive performance in just his second national team appearance. Bedoya can play on either flank and provides quickness and good movement away from the ball. He's still young, but given the underwhelming wing options after Donovan, Dempsey and Stuart Holden (when he returns, Bedoya could very well be Bob Bradley's surprise pick, especially if Donovan or Dempsey has to be used at forward.
—————–
I know I listed Jose Torres among the losers in my Winners & Losers, but it should be noted that he did manage to settle down a bit after a rough first 20-25 minutes. He spent a bit too much time chasing the ball rather than reading the flow of the game, which is why he had so few interceptions while Michael Bradley thwarted several Dutch attacks with interventions. I still like Torres as a prospect but he's gotten off to shaky starts in his two big opportunities to start, at Costa Rica in June and Wednesday vs. the Netherlands.
—————–
Heath Pearce didn't look bad as a late sub at left back, but it should also be noted that he didn't have to deal with the scary wing tandem of Arjen Roben and Eljero Elia.
If you didn't know about Elia before Wednesday, you had better learn. He's one of the best young wingers in Europe and could be a breakout star at the World Cup.
—————–
As bad a night as Jonathan Bornstein had, his performance probably doesn't mean Pearce is a front-runner to start now. If anything, it makes it even more likely that we'll see Carlos Bocanegra moved to left back once Oguchi Onyewu returns to give the Americans the same back four they used to reach the Confederations Cup final (and beat Spain in the semifinal).
—————–
From the "Shooting aside, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?" department, here's a question. Take away the penalty tug on Wesley Sneijder, and his unlucky deflection on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (okay, and his ball-plays-the-hand handball no call), and tell me how you think Bornstein did against the Dutch team's wingers? He didn't instill confidence but we also didn't see much in the way of dangerous service coming from his side, though Elia did sneak in behind the defense a few times. I don't think Bornstein will be off the World Cup squad, but I think the chances are more remote that he'll be starting come June.
——————
Jonathan Spector's service wasn't as sharp as usual, but he held his own against some difficult assignments at right back. He's still ahead of Steve Cherundolo as far as I'm concerned and I don't see him moving to left back come June.
—————–
Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk was asked who he thought the best American player was, and he responded by saying he doesn't focus on such things. After thinking for a moment, he promptly pointed out U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard as being very good.
—————–
Van Marwijk may have done Bob Bradley a bit of a favor by taking out both Nigel DeJong and Mark Van Bommel and failing to replace their defensive bite in the Dutch lineup. The move had probably more to do with the fact that Marwijk wanted to give a run-out to his midfielders, which happened to include attacking stars Rafael Van Der Vaart and Ibrahim Afellay.
Could it have been a sort of birthday present for Bradley (yes, lost in the wake of the match was the fact that Wednesday was Bradley's birthday. Van Marwijk didn't forget, wishing him a happy birthday in the post-match press conference).
——————
I know plenty can happen in the next three months, but I can't see Eddie Johnson or Robbie Findley making the World Cup squad. As it stands, I think Jozy Altidore and Brian Ching could wind up being the only pure forwards taken if Charlie Davies can't recover. If that happens, you can expect Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey to inherit a striker's role. The resurgence of DaMarcus Beasley and promising play from Alejandro Bedoya makes that even more likely.
——————
That's all for now. What do you think of the above observations? Agree? Disagree?
Share your thoughts below (PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE WORLD CUP ROSTERS! Save that for Friday. I'll have a post addressing that).
It seems to me Mexican League players, with a few notable exceptions, such as Hugo Sanchez, and Rafa,have not done well in Europe. This is puzzling when you take into account how skilled and talented they are.
Having watched a lot of Mexican league games recently, it seems they are more attack oriented, more wide open than your average European team. European teams focus more on defense and the physical and tactical aspects involved in that orientation. Torres is a very skilled player but it should not come as a surprise that he struggles against a team like Holland. He doesn’t really fit in to what the Eurocentric (tactically) USMNT does best at the moment. I think Bradley keeps him around because he is so skilled and because the US team is evolving towards a more technical style. You won’t see it for a year or two yet because the new players aren’t quite here yet. In two years I think the USMNT will have a very different style.
Torres has played a few games on the wing for the US but he has never shown much promise there. His natural position is in the middle.
Yeah, we’d be better off with Michael Bradley up top than Eddie Johnson and Robbie Findley. At least he has shown a knack for poaching, and can hold the ball.
Have you ever seen Daniel Willams play?
Everytime someone talks about how Bradley (or any USMNT player ) can’t pass the ball, I’m always reminded that a successful pass is a TWO player deal, the guy passing and the guy taking the pass. Sometimes the passer is mostly responsible and sometimes the receiver, the intended target, goes the wrong way or does not go when he should etc.
I’ve seen games where Feilhaber, for example, had stretches where every pass was on target but I’ve also seen games where everything he did was a give away. The opposition of ocurse has something to do with that as well.
One thing I noticed in the Confed Cup was how the US really hit it’s stride after a few games. This is part of the hazard of having a national team where it is hard to get everyone together for long stretches
Very true.
Apparently he said tried to apologise saying it was a bad tackle. But you have to remember that he is on the bubble and has done this sort of thing before. This is bad for his World Cup aspirations. The manager isn’t happy about it as it definitely gets you red carded in the World Cup.
It would be ironic if DeJong missed the World Cup and Holden made it.
Exactly right. My friend who has only been watching soccer a couple of years said, after watching Barcelona play, ‘why can’t we play the ball on the ground’? I turned to answer her but stopped. There are easy answers I could have given but none would have been by themselves complete.
The USMNT coach seems to have an added burden of correcting what these young lads have been taught from the age of six. We’ll have to progress from the top down. Barcelona as a great example fights like hell to get open and keep the ball, a good first step.
Wow…Are you ever off-base on that one!!!! There’s a reason why a bunch of strikers were taken before Akpan in the MLS draft.
You didn’t discover Altidore. The reason you were even seeing him play at 16 years of age is that much better evaluators of talent than you had already seen how special the kid was. Those self-same better evaluators of talent don’t think so much of Akpan any more.
The internet is never wrong.
I think a lot of USA soccer fans have a blind spot where Torres is concerned. Sure, he occasionally makes a nice play on offense, but he’s a huge liability in defense, and he makes too many unforced errors. As for his nice shot on goal last night — his best play — it was more than matched by an closer shot on goal…the wrong goal. He might be OK on the wing, but we’ve got better options there. Torres may be Latino, but unfortunately he’s no Tab Ramos.
As I wrote yesterday — If Davies, Holden and Dempsey are healthy, Bedoya probably stays home. If not, he’s gotta be on the team.
Ives–where did Bedoya come from? did he play in college? i’m just not familiar with this guy’s story. seems like he came out of nowhere.
That player was right.
Who’s Bornstien?
If it is the case that BB has until June 1 to set the roster, then by all means wait until the last minute – if Davies is back playing. Findley isn’t ready, and Johnson honestly shouldn’t be called into any more games until he proves himself at the club level.
If Davies isn’t ready, look for Dempsey to pair at forward. Donovan is better defensively at MF than Dempsey, and Beasley and Holden have shown they can fill the outside midfield slot. Any of the other strikers picked (Ching, Findley, etc.) can ride the pine.
I remember both Davies and Bedoya attended Boston College. They both did well in school, and also shined against tough ACC competition. It’s no surprise Bedoya status has risen in Sweden and with the national team. Like Davies, he chose to stay in school a bit longer instead of turning pro. I’d really like to see another good performance by him against the Czechs. Right now, his verstaility puts him a notch above Torres. If Dempsey is needed at striker, then why not select Bedoya as insurance?
Between Edu, Clark, Feilhaber and Torres, I’d have to concede Torres is the odd man out. Despite his skill, he’s a liability on defense. You’ll want both Edu and Clark as defensive mids for red card/injury insurance. Feilhaber also has very good technical skills like Torres, but is better on defense.
SBI – I disagree with starting Spector over Cherundolo. They’re very comparable, but Cherundolo is better tactically and makes timely runs up the sidelines. I’d give him the nod.
I am a fan of Torres…I think he will be a solid contributor in the next WC cycle, but in 2010 I just don’t see him playing more than a backup role. He is just not quite ready for the speed and physicality of international play.
The injury to Holden is brutal in my eyes. Holden was poised to become a consistent starter in the EPL for the remainder of the season and be the unquestioned starter on the right flank in June, (now that is all up in the air). What was a very deep midfield is now turning into a MASH unit, (Dempsey, Clark, Holden, Feilhaber, Jones)…
Great analysis Ives, but two questions:
Did you notice how inaccurate Bocanegra was with his passes? And, why isn’t Cherundolo/Demerit/Gooch/Spector back line being given more thought?
Benching Bocanegra might affect team morale?
maybe this was mentioned but apparently benny is back in brazil, the status of his injury and return is unknown…i would say benny is in danger of not making it back in time………..
Ives, if you are taking questions, I have one regarding Charlie Davies. If he is unable to play any games for Sochaux, but returns to training before the season ends, will two games with the US be enough to merit him a roster spot at least as a sub.
Right, watch the game again, who is jogging and ball watching and not playing d before the shot that makes Bornstein a deflected joke?
That would be your guy MB.
Overall Michael played well.
But Michael made his mistakes too, and it’s not bashing to point them out. Even if it was admittedly easy for everyone to blame Bornstein alone for one MB error since we all want Bornstein out of the starting lineup asap.
Completely agree with both dfreezy and cairo here, and thought both made respectable arguments. Also a fair point by Ives. It’s obviously too late now to experiment much with the center midfield, but I would like to add a quick point. And that is – what may have been if some of the other center mids were given the opportunities with the nats that Bradley Jr. has received over the last 4 yrs? Would one of them have become the best center midfielder? Maybe Bradley Jr. still comes out ahead, but it can’t be denied that he has received more playing time than any other player in his position.
Dude… watch… actually WATCH the games. Bradley gets his head up faster than any of our other midfielders when he gains possession, even your coveted Torres. His release passes have been better and more consistent than anyone else. He’s the smartest passer out there and he reads the game better than any player we have on the field except maybe Howard or one of the CBs.
The way we play against dominant possession teams like the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil and in a couple months, England, will be in a counter attacking style. When he makes that interception at midfield, he’s looking to release the ball quickly, playing up to a forward or hitting a through ball for a wing. These are risky passes, but counter attack necessitates risk taking in the build up.
He doesn’t get subbed because dude is in –ridiculous– shape. WATCH.. he actually starts to dominate the middle of the field more in the last 15 minutes or so of almost EVERY match. Why? because he’s not tired. Start keeping track of the offensive and defensive runs he makes. In the last 15, he covers more ground than anyone on the field, going endline to endline.
This guy will wear a NT and Club armband before he’s done. You heard it here.
Right.
Aside from scoring 3 goals for the Netherlands – darn ref only credited him for 2, not giving him that rare own goal/pk hat-trick – Bornstein was not horrible.
Hopefully BB will give him the chance to pull it off in South Africa – or not.
jeez green…usualy Hulk Hogan saved The Leg Drop as his finishing move, but you’re just busting it out on your 1st post against the ‘Beas.
Harsh!
Left back options:
Pearce > Bornstein
Cherundolo > Bornstein
Spector > Bornstein
Bocanegra > Bornstein
i think that it would be a mistake not to have a pacey forward option on the roster. donovan and beasley can both run, but they’re not out and out forwards like davies and johnson and tend to get manhandled by international centerbacks when playing up front. eddie is no davies, and i hope we are not so depleted by injury that he ends up starting in SA, but his stature and athleticism distinguish him from the players who are locks for the roster. bob knows this. he would not have auditioned findley, cunningham and ej if he didn’t. honestly, assuming dempsey, donovan, beasley and holden are healthy, what would bedoya add that’s different? he doesn’t look exceptionally fast or shifty to me. in my opinion, if davies can’t make it back in time, johnson has to be on the roster (findley and cunningham have done next to nothing on the national team level). it would be stupid for sven (i mean bob) to bring an inexperienced, extra winger like walcott (bedoya), who is unlikely to play (given the depth at that position), when a speedy striker like defoe (johnson) could prove useful if owen (dempsey) were to be injured, which could well happen since he will just be coming back from rehab on his knee.
I thought the team played like a warm turd.
No passing, no movement, no technical skill shown when it counted. Impotent is what I said before.
You know it’s bad when everybody’s praising DMB.
For me the most encouraging part of the game was DeMarcus Beasley. He is still the best defending outside midfielder the USMNT has ever seen, and possibly the best defender at his position since Eddie Pope. I don’t think starting Beasley depends on his current form. For me its all speed. Beasley’s game has always been a quick footed pest of a defender and his offense has never relied on skill but on bursts of speed into open space. If he is fit and has his speed he should start. No one else brings his defense, his savvy or his clever attacking runs going forward. When he and Donovan run that full field fast break together it is a thing of beauty.
Which US left back hasn’t had trouble dealing with speedy wingers? Bornstein had one good half against Messi in the 2007 Copa America, other than that when has he dealt with speedy wingers any better than Bocanegra did in his two-game stint at LB at the Confed Cup?
well, i just have to insist that i have no doubt that if their was any reason he would have struggled with the dutch defensively, it would be because of his unfamiliarity with our defense, our team as a whole, and bob’s tactics. Still, Edgar Castillo is a better one on one defender and if he had even a handfull of the chances both pearce and borstein have recieved (which you could argue is his fault), he’d of showed bob this, that i am very confidant of.
I don’t think any of the MLS players like Klejstan or Beckerman are moving ahead of Torres on the depth chart but I was surprised by all the negative comments his peformance got after the Dutch game. After he settled down I thought he was one of more composed players on the ball, able to dribble out of trouble. I’d like to have seen him start the second half, with Edu coming in for Bradley instead of him.
I don’t think anyone can legitimately say Bradley is on the team or starts because of nepotism, but there’s no reason why Bradley Sr. can substitute hm on occasion to see how other midfielders combine with eachother. His distribution still doesn’t impress me, with a long ball often seeming to be his first option instead of working the ball through the midfield.
Bah! LOL…If the mountain won’t come to Ives, Ives must go to the mountain.
Seriously though i think we’ll get a chance to see some options if bradley holds off a final roster announcement before the friendlies.
SBI – thoughts on bringing in a nucleus of 28 players with final roster decisions after the last 2 friendlies?
All I got to say is, please less long balling…For the love of God, now I know why many other countries hate US soccer just for that alone and it reminds people of really bad jr. high futbol….Even the Dutch guy I watched the game with said that we did it alot…….Please Bob, take Benny and Paco just for the sake of not having to see a long ball fest from our CM’s all day…….
I don’t understand the Michael Bradley hatin’. I think he is the most consistent player the USMNT has. He is also only 22! I am also not a fan of Bornstein, I like Ives’ idea of having Bocanegra out there at LB. I think for the most part, the team looked shaky because they hadn’t played together in awhile.
Ives, one more question on top of the two others, if you are still responding to readers’ posts:
In your opinion, do you think the Holden injury is a red card offense if the team’s and players are reversed?
I have studied psychology, and no one is unbiased. The Dutch have much more prominence in the soccer world than the US and everyone including the refs no this. Therefore that knowlege plays into their calls subconsciously. They don’t wan to offend a great player of the game or the soccer fanatic country more than they don’t want to offend the lowly Americans.
(SBI-If that was Michael Bradley slide-tackling and breaking Wesley Sneijder’s leg it’s absolutely a red card.)
ME TOO!!!
It may happen this year : )
We did bounce Mexico a few years ago right? Sweet!
And Dave, then you gotta ask yourself: Have I been burned by Ives lately? If not, you should give it another shot!
i think johnson and findley shouldnt go and that that gives room for more midfielders to have like a torres or a feilhaber.
Ives when bob took out findley and put in bedoya did he put landon behind jozy?
well said brother ives, or should i say godfather?
-SBI Mafia
yeah, and i heard dfreezy’s mom liked Bradley last night too!
I think Harks said that BB would announce his 23 in early May. I hope BB waits until June 1, which is the last day. There are still two friendly, so I think he should wait. I would like to see Cunningham and Ching get some time against Turkey or the Czech Republic. This way BB can be sure who really deserves to go to the World Cup.
If an American player threw that tackle, I GUARANTEE you, that’s an instant red.
*at least he can use
In my opinion, if people wanna keep considering Spector as our starting Lb option then we should just play Boca their instead. Athletically he’s no different then Specs but at least he use his left foot. I wonder how many of you watch FMF (Ives and those who compare him to bornstein, lol)? Castillo happens to play his Lb or LWB role very well for Tigres against top notch strikers and wingers.
(SBI- I think Castillo is good going forward but is a bit of a liability defensively. I have no doubt that he would have struggled against Robben and Elia, but the “we want the guy who hasn’t played” people will insist that Castillo would have used his speed to shut down those two.
I think he’ll still make it to South Africa…hopefully he’ll get some playing time…I’m praying with the lack of strikers, we switch to a 4-2-3-1…I think that could work with Edu and Bradley at the CDM spot and Paco in the middle.
i am PRAYING that Davies makes it and is fit, but if not…
I’m going to move away from the defensive discussion because in the grand scheme of things…it isn’t the most pressing concern.
WE MUST get some better attacking play – specifically a 2nd forward.
Johnson, Casey, Cunningham, Findley…haven’t impressed. I’d like to keep Donovan on the left which means Deuce up top and bringing an additional M/F.
We’re pressed for creativity and just creating chances.
In limited action Bedoya impressed. Beasley seems back in form. I say bring more midfielders who can adapt and play at a high level than other players who are not ready.
If its hard to figure out whether to leave a torres or feilhaber home…how about torres versus findley? That isn’t a hard decision in my mind.
HAHAHA
Ives, I have to say that most of those “accomplishments” by coach Bradley happened in spite of him being the coach. Playing against big teams, any coach would work to do set that up. Even during Arena’s era we played against Germany and Argentina. In the Confederations cup we would never have seen Davies play if Ching had been healthy.
Certainly it is not all bad from coach Bradley, he is trying, but he is limited.