Following yesterday’s hard fought 1-1 draw in Switzerland,
the US men’s national team have won just one of their last eight games.
Brek Shea’s devilish free-kick had given Jurgen Klinsmann’s
side the lead on the stroke of half time but once again the US surrendered the
lead in the final ten minutes.
However, a draw against FIFA’s number 12 ranked side is no
mean feat and the US looked likely to win before Jozy Altidore’s red card in
the 68th minute.
The US were fluid in attack and much more compact in defence
as Klinsmann’s side employed a high-pressing game which was absent against
Denmark last week.
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| Bradley captained the US against Denmark and Switzerland |
Stat Attack:
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The USA have not trailed at half time in their
last 12 games – the last time they did was against Portugal at the 2014 World
Cup.
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The US men’s national team have now conceded
eight goals in the final ten minutes of their last eight games.
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Jurgen Klinsmann’s team have scored first in all
of their last four matches, but only won one of them.
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Michael Bradley is the only player to have
played every minute for the USMNT in 2015.
Back to Basics:
Tinkering with his starting XI has become something of a
habit for Klinsmann.
It didn’t work against Denmark; everything he tried seemed
to fall flat as Gyasi Zardes was stranded on the wing, Alejandro Bedoya was
missing and the defence was unable to deal with Denmark.
Tuesday’s selection saw him go back to basics, playing
players in the same position they play for their clubs, and the results were
instant.
Everyone knew their role; even if they didn’t get the result
they wanted after going down to 10, the US produced one of their best
performances under the German.
Working Well:
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| Shea scored his 4th goal for the USA |
1) Brek Shea
In 18 months at Stoke City the left-winger played just three
times for the Premier League club and made the wise decision to join expansion
side Orlando City SC for MLS’s 2015 season.
Since making that move, Shea has been pushed back to
left-back, and has produced a string of impressive performances in MLS and
latterly for the USMNT on Tuesday.
Shea struggled against Denmark from the left-wing but was
man of the match against Switzerland after Klinsmann decided to play him in
defence.
The former FC Dallas star, was superb in defence and joined
the play well in attack – and we should also mention his 25-yard free-kick
which deserved to win the game for the US.
2) Midfield transformation
Against Denmark the US played a flat midfield four of
Zardes, Bedoya, Michael Bradley and Fabian Johnson – they were overrun in
midfield and disjointed in attack.
Klinsmann switched to a diamond against Switzerland and,
despite the Swiss playing five in midfield, they were able to control the game
(while they had 11 men).
Captain Bradley was given freedom to influence the game in
attack at the point of the diamond while Bedoya, anonymous against the Danes,
had a much bigger impact.
Meanwhile, Zardes, in his preferred forward role, was
excellent alongside Altidore even if he couldn’t get the goal that his
performance deserved.
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| Altidore saw red on his 80th appearance |
Must do better:
1) Jozy Altidore
Altidore is one of the USMNT’s most experienced players, but
on the occasion of his 80th cap he let his team down, as a petulant
foul-mouthed outburst at the referee led to his dismissal.
The Toronto striker was rightly praised for his performance
against Denmark but the US cannot afford to play with ten against the world’s
top sides.
Along with Bradley, Altidore has a responsibility within
this team to set the example for the younger members of the squad.
Victory over Switzerland would have been a huge boost for
the US after a poor run of results and one can’t help but feel Altidore robbed
his side of that opportunity.
2) Game management
Despite going down to ten men, the US will again be
disappointed with the manner that they surrendered the lead against
Switzerland.
Besides the fact that one of DeAndre Yedlin or Bedoya should
have cleared the ball, the US are consistently conceding late goals because they
have a problem with game management.
The top sides in international football are able to control
the pace of games so that when they are ahead their opposition don’t get a
chance to get back into the match.
The US have consistently failed to do so and have, as a
result, consistently failed to win games from winning positions.
Looking ahead:
Next up for Klinsmann’s team is the clash with Mexico in
Texas on April 16 where they will hope to have a fit again Clint Dempsey back
in the side.
Only a fool tries to predict what Klinsmann will do, but after
their impressive display in Switzerland, it would be a surprise if they didn’t
stick with the 4-1-2-1-2 formation that match.
Nick Rimando is likely to start in goal, but it is difficult
to know whether he will be playing come the 2018 World Cup when he will be 39.
After Mexico they face the Netherlands and Germany before
mounting their defence of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July as they attempt to win
the tournament for a record-equalling 6th time.
Images courtesy of Amil Delic, Noelle Noble and Bongarts, with thanks.
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