photo by Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
By FRANCO PANIZO
The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy is starting to come into focus, but the U.S. Men’s National Team has a stiff opponent standing in its way.
After a walk in the park in Saturday’s 6-0 rout of Cuba, the U.S. will take on Jamaica in the semifinals of the competition on Wednesday (6 pm ET, Fox Sports 1, UniMas). The Americans enter the match in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome with an undefeated 3-0-1 record, but so too do the talented Jamaicans.
Jamaica reached the final four of the Gold Cup by beating Haiti via its third straight shutout win on Tuesday, and its solid defending combined with the attack’s athleticism and opportunistic finishing could make for the Americans’ biggest challenge to date in this tournament.
U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will have to figure out which offensive weapons he can piece together to test a Reggae Boyz defense that has not conceded a goal since the tournament opener. Klinsmann will also have to weigh whether he wants to continue to go with younger players like Ventura Alvarado and Timmy Chander at the back or field more seasoned veterans like Omar Gonzalez and DaMarcus Beasley.
Which lineup will Klinsmann go with? This is the one SBI thinks will take the field:
Some thoughts:
The U.S. back line is sure to see one change with the return of John Brooks, but Jurgen Klinsmann could be tempted to make even more given the type of challenges Jamaica poses. If DaMarcus Beasley is recovered from the injury he sustained last week, Klinsmann inserts the grizzled veteran at left back. What that means for Fabian Johnson, who has been playing there throughout the tournament, is a shift to the opposite flank. The oft-criticized Timmy Chandler gets dropped here.
At the heart of the defense, Brooks, who just served a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation, is likely to again be paired up with Ventura Alvarado. Omar Gonzalez might make more sense for some, but Klinsmann seems to be all in, at least for this tournament, on the younger pairing of Brooks and Alvarado. Throw in the fact that Gonzalez and Brooks are both tall centerbacks, and Klinsmann may opt to go with two players who better complement one another.
The U.S. has struggled with possession throughout the Gold Cup, which could open the door for the insertion of Joe Corona. With Kyle Beckerman doing the dirty work in the No. 6 role, Corona could be tasked with helping move the ball and finding Michael Bradley in the hole.
On the left flank, Klinsmann has an interesting decision to make. Gyasi Zardes started there vs. Cuba, but even in that one he showed he still has to grow from a tactical perspective. With Jamaica being a team that is capable of punishing mistakes, Zardes could be pushed further up the field while making room for the blue-collared and defensively-solid Alejandro Bedoya.
That midfield quartet means that Zardes could start up top next to Clint Dempsey because of his speed, which is something the Americans might need against Jamaica’s defense. Aron Johannsson has indeed shown well as Dempsey’s partner and could get the start again up top, but Zardes might be the preferred option after showing in the tournament that he can find different ways to make an impact.
Back in goal, the reliable Brad Guzan continues to get the nod.
—–
What do you think about this USMNT lineup? Would you like to see other players start or a different formation? What will be the key for the Americans to top Jamaica?
Share your thoughts below.
all of your lineups suck as to the loss
regardless of whom we start, I’m just happy we’re getting to a point where there are logical, tactical options for our lineup rather than it just trying to be “here’s the best we got, pretty much…”. I’m speaking in terms of the last 20 years or so.
True, but the flip side to that is not enough guys have separated themselves from the pack.
I asked a hypocritical question the other day:
Ask everyone to submit their best starting lineup, now, 6 months ago, and 6 months from now, and I’d bet the only two guys on everyone’s list would be Bradley and Fabian, and they’d be at 3-4 different positions.
The article about Alvarado was all over the place who should start in the back.
One thing nobody talked about was until Bedoya returned, our midfield had poor shape, including both fullbacks, and the number of terrible giveaways was hi.
Leaving KB to cover 50 yards of space-not exactly the fastest dude on the field.
And putting both CBs in tough spots. It’s not always about is X better than Y.
+1. Our player pool lacks parity. To hear that so-and-so is the best at his position is beyond ridiculous. Of course I have my favorites outside of MB and FJ, but everyone else is a mistake or two away from next man up.
“True, but the flip side to that is not enough guys have separated themselves from the pack……Ask everyone to submit their best starting lineup, now, 6 months ago, and 6 months from now, and I’d bet the only two guys on everyone’s list would be Bradley and Fabian, and they’d be at 3-4 different positions.”
Bac,
It is worth noting that many on SBI still look at the USMNT as if it were a fantasy league all star team i.e pick the 11 “best” players throw them together and expect that they will play their absolute very best whenever they pull on “the shirt”.
So when a player has a bad half there are immediate calls for pulling their passports and banning them from ever playing for the US again. If JK tries to give players a game or two to work out their issues, there are cries of “incomprehensible” or “favoritism”.
This is short sighted and unrealistic on many levels.
A player’s first priority is to be fit and in peak form for his club, the people who pay his bills. The timing of this fitness and sharpness may or may not match up with the needs of the national team.
A player may or may not play with the same players and “system” on the national team as he does with his club. Therefore, there is a good chance that his national team performance will be very different , either better or worse, from his club performance. This is why a team like Spain has been so good while in more or less the same time period Argentina has been comparatively mediocre.
Depending on the league and how well their team does in various cup competitions, a player who is a regular for his club team can play anywhere from 30- 50 + games a season.
Therefore it is reasonable to assume that a player and a team lineup need a number of games before they get into what we all call mid-season form. 10 to 15 sounds about ideal to me. Yet getting that many games with more or less the same lineup in a given year is a real challenge for the USMNT regular.
Number of games played under JK:
2011 6
2012 13
2013 22
2014 15
2015 11
In 2015 I believe the only player to start and play in all 11 games is Mikey.
For a wide variety of reasons starting with a player pool that plays in leagues with varying schedules, spread widely over Europe, North America and Mexico the USMNT staff cannot always get a given player on the field when the conditions are at their best for that particular individual to succeed.
You also have to factor in the wide variety of styles that the USMNT have to adapt to.
JK seems to be approaching the challenge of developing an adaptable yet cohesive lineup in a variety of ways not all of which are intuitively obvious.
One thing is clear, while there will always be a spot for useful older veteran players, his core, base lineup is steadily getting younger.
He has stated that the aim is to get to the semis in the 2018 World Cup. I think he actually aiming to get into the final.
+1
“So when a player has a bad half there are immediate calls for pulling their passports and banning them from ever playing for the US again”
A bad “half”?
You’re way too generous…
You’re right that should have read “one bad play”.
Good points, GW. In response to the last part – our goal of getting to the semis in 2018 – a team needs lofty goals. Is that realistic? It’s impossible to say, because we won’t know how hard or easy the path will be until (if) we get out of group.
We arguably could have gotten into the semis that one year when we played Germany pretty evenly in the quarters (2002 I think?). Beckenbauer even said the U.S. outplayed his German team, but the Germans won and advanced.
We’re maybe at a point where we can say advancing out of group should be an expectation – maybe. To say we should expect to be in the top eight in the world, or top four, seems a little beyond reality right now and for the next few years. Could happen, and teams need lofty goals, but…
Not unrealistic since in soccer, as in many sports, it is not the team with the best players that wins, but it is the team that plays the best.
Sure the teams with the best players have a leg up, but they do not always perform together the way some might think they would based upon their individual merit.
Paul and Dennis,
Unless you can field most of Barca disguised as your national team and send them out there, the draw and quality depth are the variables I consider the most when thinking about the World Cup.
Sometimes I think the World Cup is won or lost when the draws are made. With a good draw anything is possible. If you can get out of the group and win that knockout game then you can build up momentum from there.
The other important factor is quality depth.
The big boy teams, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain, France and so on have historically had better players and more of them than most other teams.
That kind of quality depth matters because:
Few teams show up at the World Cup with everyone at 100% from health and sharpness standpoint.
Few teams get through the 7 games you need to play to win the cup without losing players via injuries or card issues.
Therefore, if your 23 guys are overall better than the other guy’s 23, you will have a better chance to play well in the later stages than him.
It’s the old cliche ,the World Cup is a marathon not a sprint and you realy need to develop not just a starting 11 but rather a complete 23 man roster.
I think JK recognizes that and is practicing it here in the Gold Cup.
The US hasn’t had that luxury in the past but hopefully it can do so 2018.
Tim Ream needs to start.
agreed!!! His the only CB to have played in just one game and in that one game hgalas excellent so i would really like to know why he hasn’t gotten more run in the team this tourney??? Alvarado hasn’t impressed at all and if the excuse is we’re bleeding in the young talent well, Ream is only 27 which is hardly old for a defender and he seems to be playing at a high level since his move abroad. Who knows, maybe JK starts him alongside JAB which would give us 2 lefties and arguably our 2 best passers out of the back!
First of all .USA team is very weak the only credible wins are friendly games Germany and Holland big deal team is average ,than beats CUBA (baseball )team ##!! Lol. Than the average player Michael Bradley with big ego try to score twice from corner kicks when is team is winning 6 to 0 no class is a big Jerk USA UNDER JURG IS RATED 34 WORSE RATING IN PAST 5 YEARS THE HIGHEST WAS 17 UNDER BRADLEY TEAM IS A JOKE
Hey, lookit! Another MexiTroll!
Shouldn’t you be getting your bags of urine and laser pointer ready? Big game tomorrow.
And loosening up the vocal chords for the ageless classic, “Pooootoh” goal kick chant. It’s taken years of practice to achieve the tonality, depth, and timbre that we have all come to appreciate and love.
Dos a cero amigo. If Mexico gets to the final, expect it again.
Stay on topic troll. We don’t mention our complete dominance of Mexico in basketball, track, swimming, or other Olympic sports. This is only about futbol and the fans of El Tri are a bunch of urine bag throwing hooligans.
All of Mexicos best runners, jumpers and swimmers made it across the border my friend…
————-Johannsson———–Dempsey————-
——————-———Bradley—————-—
—Zardes———————-—————-Bedoya—
————————–Beckerman————————–
Johnson——-Brooks———–Gonzales——Yedlin
—————————Guzan—————————-
my bad forgot to put KB in at the number 6. but still sub him off in the second half
———-AJ————-Deuce
FJ————MB—————AB
DMB———JB——-VA——–DY
————–BG——————
Bring zardes on as a sub mid way in second half and put him on the left wing and push yedlin up to the right wing with Fabian going to right back and bedoya coming off because he probably isn’t 100% fit yet. and bring in corona or mix for Beckerman around the same time.
————-Johannsson———–Dempsey————-
—Zardes—————Bradley—————-Bedoya—
————————–Diskerud————————–
Johnson——-Brooks———–Gonzales——Chandler
—————————Guzan—————————-
Try to sub on Yedlin, Beasley, and Beckerman to close out the game.
I would put in Alvarada instead of Brooks….Other than that, great lineup
Thats my same exact line up
I concur sir!
Yedlon, Ream & Johansson need to be in the starting XI. I like DMB if he’s fit. Yedlon would be my choice at right FB, using his pace to get forward and provide service toward goal. Fabian on the left if DMB is not healthy.
———-ZARDES——————-DEMPSEY————–
———————–BRADLEY———————————-
FABIAN J.———————————————BEDOYA
————————-BECKERMAN—————————-
BEASLEY——BROOKS—ALVARADO——YEDLIN
————————–GUZAN————————————
Speed on the wings, as Jamaica is going to hit us hard with the counters……..Johannsson should be in the line-up but with the physicality of Jamaica he’s better off coming on in the second half
—–AJ——Dempsey— -> best two strikers/work well together
-Bedoya-MB-Zardes— -> solid midfield group that is gelling together
——–Beckerman——–
-DMB———-Johnson- -> if DMB is nogo move FJ over and start Yedlin at RB he has earned it!
—-Brooks-Gonzalez— -> Jamaica likes to play the aerial game, and its time to get our best two CB together. if its Panama in the final we go with these two, if Mexico; Alvarado gets the call for his speed.
subs:
Gordon – this is his game!
Corona – speed, control, possession in the second half after everyone is gassed
Yedlin/Evans – same as Corona.
Evans gives us speed?… lol
I would rather have Joe Corona in the line up then Mix, who has not played great in the center of the pitch and even worse when pushed out wide.
I wouldn’t mind seeing AJ paired up top with Clint and Zardes pushed out wide.
Corona is really really poor outwide. I’d prefer he not be on the field, but if disaster strikes and we have to use him, it should only be in the middle.
Not much love for Corona here. If you ever see him for his club team, he is very dynamic going forward and causes problems for defenses with his runs, passes and shots. I think he’s wasted as a defensive mid and probably on the wing, too. He really hasn’t been put in the right positions while playing internationally.
yea he’s more a CM/CAM but unfortunately for him he’s not likely to get that spot; unless eventually JK goes with a 433 with MB and Corona sitting in front of the #6
Nope, sorry Franco. I cannot see Ice Man on the bench. Nor do I see Corona starting. Nor do I see Zardes up top.
I see Ice Man with Deuce up top. Zardes on the left, Bedoya on the right.
For the USMNT, Zardes has been most effective on the wing.
Corona showed nothing last game (grant it, I think he was out of his usual position).
I would very much like to see Beasley in and, more importantly, Fabian at RB. I believe Fabian is more dangerous cutting from right to center to shots on goal. (ex: vs Turkey at Red Bull Arena).
To all those people that think MLS will fail in Atlanta…. the semis are oficially sold out… the lowest ticket on the secondary market in the lower bowl is $200 and up… there is a huge market here just waiting for soccer…
High Quality International Soccer. Can you draw people to see Joe Blow and the MLSers? How’s that hockey team doing?
How about players like Kaka, Keane and Gerrard, Lampard and Villa, Dempsey and Martins, Bradley, Giovinco, and Altidore, to name a few? The MLS isn’t a Joe Blow league anymore.
I don’t doubt they can draw fans when Toronto, NY or LA are in town. What about when it is Phili, DC, Chicago, Vancouver, San Jose and Columbus? The quality of the league is improved. I’m excited every time a new name brand player is bought. My point is – Atlanta is drawing fans for an important event, with name brand players and teams with a passionate following. That is not the same thing as an average MLS team showing up to play in Atlanta.
Another out of touch eurosnob
He may be wrong, time will tell, but to just dismiss the question is putting your head in the sand. Atlanta is a notorious bad sports town. The Braves dont even fill the stadium for playoff games. It would be great if he is wrong, but Its not fair to call him a Eurosnob over it, imo.
I appreciate the name calling. Perfect analytical approach to a reasonable conversation that A doesn’t equal B. I’m rooting for MLS, I’m a former season ticket holder (who is too busy to go to that many games now). I personally think MLS is expanding too quickly. Atlanta is an example of that. I don’t see the great sports or soccer fans. Drawing Mexican’s in too watch the game is not the same thing. They will not come out in mass to watch the Atlanta Blahs. Give them Chicarito and they will, but you need a marketing lure.
You mean the hockey team that was run by owners who were constantly suing each other and only owned the team because they wanted the rights to the arena that the hockey was played in?
Bad example…
How about the EARLIER NHL team that failed in Atlanta? That would be the Flames, who flamed out of the ATL and ended up in Calgary?
Atlanta IS a terrible sports town. The fans are only band wagon fans, and even then they can’t be bothered to go to Braves playoff games.
The Braves are attended very well… espcially with they put winning product on the field… Last year they ranked 15th in attendance… and they were not a good team…
MLS only needs 20K attendance to succeed… AUFC will get that on Tuesday nights…
Where do you get your facts? Atlanta is currently ranked 28th of 30 MLB teams. Please stop making Atlanta look stupid.
The semis also feature a doubleheader with Mexico. The last two times I saw soccer games at Falcon’s stadium, 90% of the crowd was hispanic. So the real question is whether this crowd demo will support an MLS team? Because it currently doesn’t support the Silverbacks.
Johnson, Brooks, Ream, Chandler should all start in the back since they’re our best defenders on the roster. Chandler doesn’t care about America so he isn’t hurt when he gets benched or makes mistakes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of our best options
“Chandler doesn’t care about America so he isn’t hurt when he gets benched or makes mistakes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of our best options..”
LoL! Pure comedy in so many ways.
You’re a good player but you don’t deserve the money Dez and Demaryius got.
*Just in case you are actually T.Y.
Given JK’s new-found penchant for praising players he is about to not start, Alvarado will not start. Gonzo also had some praise from JK, so maybe it will be Ream. No unusual praise for anyone else so fitness to go will matter.
Beasley had a minor injury given the reason he did not start vs Cuba. Chandler picked up a knock vs Cuba. If Beasley is good to go, he and Johnson could start as backs, else it could be Davis and Johnson.
I don’t really see Corona getting the start, but JK has fooled me before.
lol — JK mind games! i wonder if the opponents are as syc’d out as US fans?
Alvarado and Brooks? I can’t imagine. We are at the stage where you start the better players of the group stage. OG has to be in there. Not even a question.
Hopefully JK agrees on the “not even a question” part of this comment.
It is a question, that’s why it’s up in the air
Since Alvarado is smaller, I’m assuming he is faster than Gonzo. The main concern with Jamaica is their speed on the counter attack. You have Brooks in there for crosses, so you have Alvarado for his greater speed. I’m a Gonzo fan, but that’s why it makes sense to me to start Alvarado.
They haven’t been playing a very fast lineup. The traditionally speedy guys like Mattocks have been on the bench. Just because Usian Bolt is from that country doesn’t make them all fast.
They still ain’t slow. No Mattocks or Dane Richards warp-speed types, but when they counter, they come at you in a mighty big hurry and they mean it.
Counters are about players that aren’t supposed to attack coming from angles that the defending team doesn’t expect. Sometimes it’s less about raw speed than it is about intent. When a team like JAM senses that they have a numerical advantage (ie.. even or better) in attack, they’ll jump in, and if you’re not tactically aware and quick enough to pick them up, then you’ll regret it.
Soccer is not a track meet. If it were maybe Jamaica and Haiti beat the US every time.
Defending a team with counter attacking threat is about keeping possession and disciplined, intelligent positioning and anticipation by all the defenders particularly when your team is attacking.
I don’t know if Alvarado beats Gonzo in a foot race but if even if he does that alone is no reason to start him over Omar.
To paraphrase Cruyff, the faster player is the one who starts running first.
Johannsson’s movement and athleticism allows Dempsey more freedom up top. No way he sits.
You don’t know JK. The obvious is never that obvious.
They should field their best players.
——– Aron —- Dempsey —–
———— Bradley ————–
Beasley —————– Bedoya
———- Beckerman ————
Fabian – JAB – Alvarado – Evans
————- Guzan —————
That’d be a good lineup. I’d simply swap Beasley and FabJo.
I don’t see us sitting Zardes, but this lineup would be pretty good too.
Let’s just hope we don’t need a 92′ winner from Evans again!
i like this but why not start Zardes?
put him at RM, move Bedoya over, Beasley to LB and Fabian to RB. done.
i like Evans and Yedlin in this game too, maybe off the bench again.
Starting Zardes is good for his development. He needs to get used to playing 90 + minutes for the US.
However, tactically, right now he is more effective and productive coming on as a sub.
Is Demarcus Beasley really “grizzled”? Certainly he is a veteran, but is he “grizzled”?
Definitely not grizzled
He has a beard and likely some gray hairs in it, so by that definition yes. By a metaphorical definition, I don’t think there is a single player in the pool right now that can even compete with him for that title. He’s played at the highest level in 6 countries with great club teams, has over 120 caps, is one of 3 US players to be on 4 World Cup rosters and the only one to play in 4. Not sure if your comment was sarcasm, but assuming it wasn’t, Beasley is arguably the most grizzled player the US has ever had.
I had a game back in college and our ref really screwed us with a hand ball call. It was in the MidWest so I’m asking if it was you.
I’d called him grizzled. He’s as old as I am, and frankly: he’s older than a lot of the Cs that have called the USA’s matches this tournament. When you’re older than the refs, you’re grizzled.
Ri-MAN-do deserves an opportunity
Agreed
Save the third sub for Rimando in the event of PKs.
…Or just start him in case of PKs.
What? Rimando is a witch between the pipes but why throw him in now?
He is an excellent reaction GK but is not long and his weakness is from shots around the 18 yard box.
Even allowing for the fact that Cuba wasn’t much of an opponent, I think that was the strongest attacking unit–Dempsey and Johannsson up top, Zardes as left wing and Bedoya on the right wing. I see no reason to change that. If Bedoya hasn’t gained full match fitness, bring in Corona on the right at around the 70th minute. I think he’s best in a semi-attacking role. I agree with the other projections by SBI.
I was with you until you said bring in Corona. Bring in Yedlin as your super sub on the wing, not Corona.
I[‘m okay with that; I was responding to the article that had Corona starting. Yedlin has more speed, but Corona is more of a finished product.
If you need to hold the ball in midfield with possession and dribble Corona(Nagbe will eventually fill this role)
If need to make the field long and wide put Yedlin on the wing. He can exploit a ball kicked into space.
Sitting Johannsson would be a huge error IMHO
Wholeheartedly agree.
Heartwholetedly agree
Why would Corona start? He wasn’t the worst player vs. Cuba, but he did nothing I can remember to distinguish himself. Not even close. I really hope you are wrong.
I was tempted to think that too…maybe.
I think the main reason would be, Corona is slick in tight spaces, a good passer, combines well, and can penetrate on the dribble and make his own shot. Keep in mind our other choices are Mix Diskerud (another strong possibility, and one I’d frankly expect over Corona), Zusi (no), and Yedlin (yes, but most likely in late off the bench, which seems to be how Klinsmann regards him.)
The Jamaicans tend to park the bus, and then counter at warp speed. They don’t care about having the ball. They’ll concede 75% possession and it doesn’t bother them in the slightest. So we’ll be in and around the area the whole day, and we’ll have the lion’s share of possession…they’ll just try to make it very, very hard for us to score. (Hence the reason for Alan Gordon’s inclusion.)
So this lineup could well be right. The only spot I think is up for grabs is whether or not we run a essentially a 4-3-3 with Zardes, Dempsey, and Johanssen up top (which is essentially what we did against Cuba), or a 4-4-2 with Corona or Mix replacing Johanssen.
Defensively, these are the guys. Klinsmann will be well-aware of Jamaica’s pace and he’ll have our most athletic defenders on to counter.
Corona really struggles on the wing. He doesn’t have pace to take on outside backs nor the quick moves to open up space for the cross. Putting him on the outside really exposes his weaknesses. Bedoya on the outside please. I’m indifferent to the Beckerman, Mix or Corona as the #6 discussion. Beckerman looks slow and his touch has not been very good. We really miss Jermaine Jones right now. I’d gladly take Edu or Danny Williams at the #6 as well if only they were an option.
Edu is a “turn over” (the ball) waiting to happem.
I agree. Corona did nothing to earn a starting spot, not to say he necessarily hurt himself either. I could see him starting if Klinsmann is either shifting tactics to incorporate him for whatever reason or he is there to play for other players with heavy legs.
I am also not a fan of keeping Bacon off of the starting lineup. He has shown well so far this tournament with his movement and overall clinical play in the final third.
Jamaica will certainly test us to some degree, but they shouldn’t be much of a problem if we play remotely well.
My lineup, as usual, is more offensive minded. The likelihood is that this lineup, for JK’s purposes, will switch Bedoya for Yedlin, Beckerman for Mix, and Ventura for Gonzo. Lastly, DMB may be sitting out yet again so that FJ takes the LB spot and Chandler can keep his RB spot. Never know with JK. In any case, I would like to see the following:
————————-Bacon————————–
—————Dempsey——————————–
Zardes—————Bradley—————-Yedlin
————————–Mix——————————
DMB———–Brooks——–Gonzo————FJ
————————-Guzan—————————-
There’s no way Bedoya doesn’t start. Not that I hate your lineup, but JK will have him on the field.
I think Bedoya starts instead of Yedlin, keeping Yedlin in the super sub role he is so dangerous at. I like this lineup. I do think Franco is right though and JK sticks with Alvarado not Omar.
I’ll echo this. We need a slightly more technical guy on one side of the diamond rather than 2 speed guys. Zardes has provided more than Yedlin this Gold cup, so he should start opposite Bedoya. Yedlin as super sub should continue until he refines his game a bit.
Yedlin’s game has diminished since he left Sounders.
How so? Certainly has not gotten many games with Tottenham to show his decline?
Yedlin has however become an attacking player with USMNT. Moving up to the wing and going for broke in space has improved and added to overall skill. If anything his play on wing has challenged Yedlin more than ever. Demanding improvements with ball movements and getting the ball into the box
My comment about Bedoya is below, and while I agree that Alvarado is played over OG, I’m not necessarily a fan of the choice. Maybe I’m misguided or biased (Galaxy fan), but the last couple games OG has played, defense has been solid and the passing out of the back has been quite good. I know OG takes a lot of flack for not having the passing game, but I saw passing that wasn’t just back and forth with Ream/Alvarado, but also included quite a bit of good attacking movements through MB, fullbacks, and occasionally wings with a cross field pass. Whenever you hear JK yelling “Goot! Goot!”, you are probably doing the right thing.
Yup. That’s what I am assuming. I like Bedoya’s work ethic and everything, but he never really sparked my interest. I am glad he is doing well in France and expect him to be a USMNT contributor for a while, but I see more potential from the likes of Yedlin and others. Either way, I am good with him on the field.
Please do not call me a pig, my name is Aron.