Toronto FC v Vancouver (1-0) - Toronto Get Much Needed Win in Lackluster Canadian Derby

Toronto's Strategy
     Under fire manager Aron Winter set out his Toronto team in a 4-3-3. Martina was used as a central striker, a position he is not accustomed to. Joao Plata and Nick Soolsma were the left and right wingers respectively. Plata was supported well on the left by left back Danleigh Borman and was the most dangerous Toronto player on the pitch. The central midfield players were Mikael Yourassowsky and Gianluca Zavarise. Yourassowsky was more involved than Zavarise who astonishingly only made 13 successful passes in 73 minutes on the pitch.  Sturgis sat deep in a holding midfield role.
    Toronto's defense relied way too heavily on kicking the ball long. Thus, they were not able to maintain possession. Ty Harden and Richard Eckerseley often played it long to a wide area and Vancouver controlled these passes.
Vancouver's Strategy
     Tom Soehn opted for a 4-2-3-1, similarly to the style that earned the whitecaps a point in Seattle. However, this lineup had many changes as Soehn rested players for the Canadian Championship Final on Saturday, where the winner will earn a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, first choice defenders Jay Demerit and Alan Rochat were injured giving way to an iffy back line.
    Youngster and 2011 number one pick Omar Salgado started as the lone striker. Jeb Brovsky played behind Salgado in the playmaker role. The wide players were Shea Salinas and Russell Teibert. The key players in the side for Vancouver were Gershon Koffie and Peter Vagenas. The two holding midfielders were the focal point to the Whitecaps side. They combined to make 20 ball recoveries and 111 completed passes.
Vancouver Dominate but cannot create
    With Koffie and Vagenas controlling the match, Vancouver was dominating possession. The Whitecaps ended the match with 66% of the overall possession. However, they were unable to create chances. Omar Salgado was effective at getting the ball back to goal and holding up the ball by finding a pass. He did not get the ball facing goal or a through ball with a chance to run at a defender. He also got very few crosses to get a head to. They tried to catch Plata up field by  releasing Wes Knight down the right flank, but this strategy failed as most of the long passes were too long for Knight and rolled out of play.

     Toronto’s best chance of the match came in the 14^th minute. Wes Knight made a blind back pass that was intercepted by the Reds. Plata was then free down the left side and squared a pass that was knocked away from Soolsma. The ball rolled to the top of the box and sat up well for Yourassowsky but he struck well wide of Nolly’s net.

Whitecaps Halftime Switch

     Tied nil-nil at halftime, Soehn attempted to capitalize on his side’s domination of the match by making an attacking substitution. Eric Hassli was brought on to replace Jeb Brovsky. Brovsky looked out of sorts in the playmaker role. Looking at the chalkboards (via mlssoccer.com) his passes were either sideways or backwards. This lack of creativity from him made Vancouver’s attack predictable and easy to quash. In turn, Soehn went with a 4-4-2 with two big strikers, Hassli and Salgado up top. Even with the changes, Vancouver still struggled. They only put in eleven crosses in the second half, and only two of those were successful or decent balls in. One would have thought the Whitecaps strategy would have shifted to supplying high balls for Hassli and Salgado to win in the air. Hassli was not the spark Soehn had hoped for as he had zero shots and was only able to hold up play and not provide a killer pass to free up Salgado or a wide player. Nevertheless, give credit to the Whitecaps manager to for attempting to liven up the match as Aron Winter’s side came out with the same 4-3-3 setup.
Soft Penalty leads to Win

     The lone goal of the match came out of nothing in the 52^nd minute. Nick Soolsma picked up the ball on the right edge of the box and was making his way toward the end line. The defender Greg Janicki was in a good position to defend, but he gambled on the ball and lunged to knock it away. Janicki made little, if any, contact with the ball and Soolsma was tripped, falling to the grass. Referee Mark Geiger pointed to the spot and Soolsma buried it, only after re taking it because Plata encroached on the first attempt.

Toronto Comfortably Holds onto the Lead

     After the goal, the match took on a surprisingly similar trajectory. Vancouver controlled possession but could not threaten Toronto. Vancouver’s lone chance came from Salgado. He was fed a pass from the substitute Camilo on the left edge of the box. Salgado was able to turn onto his left foot as the marking from Eckersley was loose. However, the youngster’s left footed strike was just wide of the target.

     Toronto’s lone outlet of play was Joao Plata. The small speedy winger did well to pick up the ball and challenge defenders. He was dispossessed 26 times in the match by Vancouver. Though he may not have had a successful night creating chances, Plata was the only Red who scared the Whitecaps defense.
Conclusion
     BMO Field is known for a boisterous atmosphere but last night the crowd seemed subdued. Also, this being a Canadian Derby, I expected a hostile environment. The fans came out to watch (over 19,000) but they were quiet and understandably so considering how little the Reds created.

     The crowd took on the attitude of the match as the play was slow and both teams defended deep. This match reminded me of a Champions League end of the group stage match where neither team had something to play for. The intensity was low and the players seemed content with not trying to score.

     Toronto desperately needs their two new designated player signings, Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans. Unfortunately, they will not be available to play until July 20^th. Frings will play in the holding midfield role and should help Toronto maintain possession and distribute the ball effectively. Koevermans is a big man and a veteran goal scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie. He has scored 136 goals in his career, mostly doing damage with his instincts or in the air; he is 6 ft 3 in.

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Chivas USA at Philadelphia Union (2-3) - Second Half Spark from Mwanga Leads Union to Win

Chivas USA entered Saturday’s away clash with the Philadelphia Union coming off of a thrilling finish in a close loss to FC Dallas AT THE home Depot Center. The Union were trying to get back on track after falling at Vancouver last weekend and drawing with Sporting KC at home midweek.

Chivas USA Setup:

     Chivas USA set up in a 4-4-2. At center back they started with Pearce and the Costa Rican Umana. Umana struggled mightily in the first half and was subbed out at halftime in favor of Boyens, who did not fare much better in the second half. The struggled to employ the offside trap that Chivas used, mostly with a ton of success in this game, and much to the dismay of Carlos Ruiz (more on that later).  Pearce was the calming influence on the back four, as at right back the promising rookie Valentin started. He got forward in the first half and was able to feed the ball to the two strikers with some success. He also had the tough match up of defending both Mapp and Le Toux and did an extremely admirable job in doing so. At left back Jazic started and was not much of a factor.

     Chivas employed two central midfielders, Labrocca and Nagamura. They held firm the center of the pitch well for Chivas, as the majority of the dangerous Union attacks were from wide positions. Labrocca showed some nifty skill with the ball and Nagamura played a very effective game with his aggressive interceptions being turning points to lead the Chivas counter attacks. Wide to the right Zemanski played, and he seemed somewhat out of position as he frequently drifted inside. It was evident that that was where he was more comfortable. Flores played wide to the left and made quite a few nice through balls to the two strikers, especially Braun. 

     Up top promising young USA International Justin Braun partnered with Mondaini. Braun showed off his impressive physical gifts often in this match, however he still needs to continue to develop his foot skills and vision as he too often tried to take on several defenders by himself instead of looking to pass. However, his second half goal showed off his class, as it was an impressive finish that tied the game for Chivas.

Philadelphia Union Setup:

     The Union started out in a 4-4-2 as well. The back four played a very efficient game. Valdes and Califf held down the center of defense. Valdes showed off his nose for the ball and was even willing to bring the ball forward on a few occasions. At right back Williams got up the field into the final third regularly and provided service for Ruiz and Mwanga. At left back Harvey was substituted out at halftime in favor of Daniel, who provided much more energy running up and down the left flank.

     Carroll and Paunovic patrolled the middle of midfield for Philadelphia. Their positioning was open to question as they were often too far forward to provide adequate cover for the back four, and yet they also failed to support the attack on numerous occasions as well. Despite that, they did spray a few wide balls to the two wingers Le Toux and Mapp. They switched sides early in the game and were by far the two most dangerous players in attack for the Union. Well, at least in the first half before Mwanga came on. Mapp especially put in a rather impressive performance and may have been the man of the match, even despite missing an absolute sitter in the second half.

     Carlos Ruiz started up top for the Union with Mcinerney. Danny Mwanga came on at halftime for Mcinerney and proved to be much more impactful on the match. It has to be said that Ruiz put in one of the most frustrating games in recent memory in terms of his positioning. He was offside so many times it was impossible to count. The stats do not truly capture the number either as he was so frequently offside that his teammates were not able to pass him the ball numerous times. Even when they did he was not even able to track it down because the play would have been blown dead for his being in an offside position. With that out of the way Mwanga’s second half entrance into the team was one of the main reasons for the Union’s victory.  His supreme effort and hustle was undeniable, as was his attacking prowess. His goal in the 82’ minute was the game winner. It would have been wonderful to see him start the match, as Philadelphia may have put the game out of reach earlier.

28’ Minute:

     Chivas put in a corner and it appeared as though Mondragon should’ve punched the ball out, but he failed to and Chivas was able to keep the ball alive with three successive headers, with the third one putting the ball into the net to give them a 1-0 lead. The game was very up and down, at a slightly frenetic pace, but seemed to slow down some after this goal until half time. Philadelphia brought on Mwanga and Daniel at halftime, which spiced up their attack dramatically. 

2^nd Half:

     Right out of the gate to start the second half Philadelphia was aggressive and was rewarded in just the 48’ minute when Le Toux was able to switch the field from left to right to an unmarked Mapp who played a cross in to Paunovic. He chested the ball down and delivered a low shot that beat Kennedy. The aggressive start to the second half was rewarded early and sent Chivas on their heels some as the game was now nodded at 1.

     Play began to get frenetic again not too muchg after the Union goal. Both teams were able to get up and down and take advantage of the space between the central midfielders and the back four. This made for an extremely exciting final 35 minutes to the match that featured three goals. Philadelphia may have scored even more had the Chivas offside trap not been as effective as it was in denying Carlos Ruiz many of his usual dangerous runs.

     Finally Ruiz’s patience, or lack thereof was rewarded in the 69’ minute when he was played a long ball by Paunovic that he was able to control with his chest and fire past Kennedy. Based on the way the game had been going to this point it seemed as though the Union would take control of the game here and settle it, but they were not able to hold off the Chivas attack.

     In the 77’ minute Braun, who had not been involved as much as he has been in the first half, was given a wonderful chip pass by Flores that he was able to just flick by the charging Mondragon to tie the match at 2.

     Up until this time, Philadelphia was the more dangerous team in attack and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would score the go ahead goal. Despite their wonderful team build up play that they had been displaying the entire match, the game winner came in the 82’ minute in the form of a ridiculously impressive show of individual skill from the 2010 #1 overall pick Danny Mwanga. He turned hard into his right foot after receiving a pass and violently struck the ball into the left side of the goal past Kennedy that sent the Sons of Ben into an absolute frenzy and gave the Union the match.

     

Conclusion:

     The Union were able to keep their unbeaten streak at home alive in rather dramatic fashion and keep their place atop the Eastern Conference ahead of New York. The Union were also able to finally put some goals on the score sheet, as coming into Saturday night they had been struggling to put up goals on the scoreboard. It would seem that the obvious solution to this problem would be to play Danny Mwanga from the start, but we will have top see what Peter Nowak decides to do going forward.

     Despite the loss, Chivas played a fluid game that showed good positioning and off the ball runs. Here at Keeping a Clean Sheet, we would like to see Zemanksi move into the middle and Gavin start on the right now that he has returned from his injury. It would give Chivas a little more defensive minded central midfielder to pair with Labrocca or Nagamura and give them more speed on the wing in Gavin. It would make them more dangerous and less predictable going forward. 

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Gold Cup Final Mexico v US (4-2) – El Tri Rally Down the Right Wing to Win Gold Cup

US’s Strategy
    Once again in the tournament, Bob Bradley made surprising lineup and formation changes. Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu replaced Sasha Kljestan and Juan Agudelo. Donovan and Adu played as left and right striker respectively as Bradley reverted to a 4-4-2. Throughout the match, Dempsey and Donovan swapped places.  
Mexico's Strategy
    Jose Manuel de la Torre chose the same lineup that defeated Honduras in the semifinals. His side played the familiar 4-4-1-1, giving Gio Dos Santos a free role.
    Mexico's defensive pressure gave the Americans fits all night. They were able to quickly get the ball back and therefore dominated possession.
Yanks Take Early 2-0 Lead Against the Run of Play
    Mexico came flying out of the gates dominating possession and looking a threat to score. However, the Yanks capitalized on their first opportunity to score in the 8^th minute. The Americans won a corner after Adu and Cherundolo combined down the right but a cross was blocked out of play by Salcido. Adu swung in the corner perfectly and found Michael Bradley's bald head. He flicked it on and beat Talavera. Bradley made a nice near post run beating Israel Castro, whose marking was slack. Talavera could have done better to save but the sun possibly played a factor in the keeper's vision.
    The match took a similar trajectory even after the 1-nil US lead. The Mexicans continued to dominate play. The Yanks struck again though in the 23^rd minute. Jermaine Jones won back possession at midfield and started a six pass move down the right side. The final pass went from Dempsey to Donovan who made a diagonal run to the left. He received the ball, took a touch with his left and finished with his left past Talavera. The US was in dream land and the pro-Mexican crowd was stunned.
Mexico Exploits US Defense after Cherundolo Injury
    Steve Cherundolo was forced to exit with an ankle injury in the 11^th minute. Bradley elected to bring on Jonathan Bornstein to play left back and move Eric Lichaj to the right. Even though the Yanks scored their second after the substitution, El Tri was always going to score once they kept their composure in front of goal.

     Just 6 minutes later, Pablo Barrera halved the Americans lead. Jonathan Bornstein was caught napping and Chicharito played a beautiful through ball to Barrera down the right channel. Barrera finished with aplomb to the left of Tim Howard who had no chance.

     In the 36^th minute, El Tri was able to level the match. Donovan had his shot blocked and Castro launched a counter by springing Dos Santos free down the right side. Bornstein was slow getting back and Dos Santos was able to cut inside. He unleashed a left footed shot that should have been cleared by Lichaj. However, his inexperience at right back showed and Guardado pounced on the poor clearance and toe poked it past Howard.

     El Tri took the lead for good four minutes after halftime. Carlos Bocanegra attempted a clearing header but he sent it straight to a charging Guardado who found Barrera just inside of the right edge of the 18. Barrera curled a ball first time with the outside of his right foot past a diving Tim Howard. Barrera found space where Bornstein failed to track back to and Bocanegra was not close enough to Pablo.

     Providing cushion to the one goal lead, Dos Santos added a fabulous fourth in the 76^th minute. Chicharito held the ball up in the right corner defended by Bocanegra. Bocanegra won the ball but made an awful clearance directly to Torrado. Torrado played a through ball to Dos Santos which forced Tim Howard off his line. Dos Santos dribbled away from Howard and curled a left footed shot into the top left corner over the head of Eric Lichaj.

     The Americans attempted a rally and had a few chances, from Dempsey off the crossbar and Bradley from 25 yards on an open net. But after Mexico took the 3-2 lead, they were always going to hoist the Gold Cup.
Coaching Factor

     Not only was the US outplayed, but they were also out coached.
     Bradley must have reverted to the 4-4-2 to make sure Dempsey and Bedoya provided help in defending the wings. But by doing that, he surrendered the Americans ability to dominate the center of the pitch. This change combining with the sluggish play of Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones, the Yanks were overrun in the center. Jones and Bradley were unable to get the ball and distribute and they also failed to provide protection for the back four. All in all, a possible strength for the Americans coming into the match turned out to be a weakness.

     Also, not only was Bornstein shocking at left back, but Lichaj was uncomfortable on the right. He kept players onside several times. For example, in the 46th minute Lichaj was 5 yards behind the offside trap which kept Dos Santos onside. He was then through on goal but missed the target.

     One side note, credit to Bradley for his willingness to change tactics and insert new faces into the US lineup. Bradley went to the 4-2-3-1 after the US struggled in the group stages. He then inserted Adu in the final, who was the best American player on the pitch. It is easy to acknowledge his faults and turn a blind eye to his successes.

     Jose Manuel de la Torre deserves credit for his in game tactical changes. After halftime, he deployed Gio Dos Santos almost exclusively down the right side. ‘Chepo’ as he is called, knew Bornstein was the weak point of his opposition and used Dos Santos and Barrera to abuse him. As a result, either of these two Mexican players could have been named man of the match as they were the two best players on the pitch.
Conclusion
    The almost 94,000 at the Rose Bowl were treated to a fabulous final full of attacking football. Both sides left themselves open after wanting to attack.
    There is no doubt Mexico deserved the win. El Tri dominated the match and created tons of chances. However, the US will have a sour taste in their mouths after taking a 2-nil lead and conceding 4 consecutive goals.

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New York Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders: Super Sub “The Scuba Diver” Leads Seattle Past New York 4-2

New York’s Setup:

     Coach Hans Backe was lacking in options up top with Thierry Henry suspended after earning a controversial red card in their tie at Portland last weekend, Luke Rodgers out injured battling Plantar Fascitis, and Juan Agudelo still with the US Men’s National Team as they prepare for their Gold Cup Final Match Saturday night. Backe elected to put Dane Richards up top fresh off his return from the Gold Cup. Richards’ first touch let him down throughout the night, and he struggled up top on his own, often having to fight off two Seattle defenders to acquire possession. He was rarely in the middle, as he patrolled either channel off the shoulder of either Seattle center back. Just behind Richards, De Rosario roamed in the playmaker role for the Red Bulls, where he drifted to either flank, deep and even up top at times. He was a key distributor for New York, and he got the ball wide to the two wings Ballouchy on the right and Da Luz on the left, who were able to send in some dangerous balls into the box. Ballouchy was often found drifting into a very narrow spot when New York had possession, but he defended on the right almost exclusively.

     Lindpere and Tainio played in the central of midfield. Lindpere got forward quite a bit more than Tainio, who played just in front of the back four. Tainio was the main outlet for the Red Bull defense to begin to advance the ball upfield. At times he even dropped between the two center backs to allow the two outside backs for New York to get up the field, leaving New York with a modified back three. Solli at left back and was much more attacking minded than right back Miller. Other than that the back four did not make a major impact on the match.

Seattle’s Setup:

     Sigi Schmid set up Seattle in a familiar 4-4-2 with Fucito up top and Montero just a little deeper. Fucito did his best to play with his back to goal but he lacks pace and is not a player that is able to go by people with the ball. Montero displayed his silky first touch throughout the match and was able to play a number of threatening balls, most especially to Rosales on the right. Montero has begun to show his form of last year more as of late (he had a strike of a goal on the road in Toronto last weekend to give Seattle a 1-0 win), where he was a candidate for the league MVP award. Rosales has been a wonderful pickup for Sigi and Seattle, and continued to display his willingness to make dangerous runs off the ball, especially in the first half. Fernandez seemed out of position wide on the right and was eventually subbed out for the rookie Carrasco.

     Friberg and Alonso patrolled the middle for the Sounders. Both players were willing to push forward in attack, and Alonso continually displayed his unquenchable thirst for breaking up the Red Bulls attack by intercepting numerous passes and dispossessing Lindpere and De Rosario especially. The back four for Seattle stayed fairly defensive, as Scott and Riley on the left and right respectively, were unable to support the Seattle attack on numerous occasions. Scott at left center back particularly struggled in possession and had numerous giveaways, especially in the first half.

Side Note:

     The first 10 minutes or so of the match was not shown on ESPN as they were showing the end of a baseball game.

10^th Minute:

     Rosales’ corner was headed out of the box to an un-marked Friberg. He then made a nifty turn to elude Richards who was closing hard, and then he let fly a nifty bender with his right foot into the right hand side of the goal. It was an exquisite finish for the Swede for his first goal of the season and it gave Seattle a 1-0 lead.

12^th Minute:

     Another Rosales’ corner was headed out, and yet again no one was at the top of the box to close out on Ossie Alonso, who lined up a one-timed low line drive perfectly that was deflected into the back of the net to give Seattle a 2-0 lead just twelve minutes into the match. Sutton, the Red Bull keeper was seen berating the referee after the goal as he felt he had been fouled on his initial attempt to punch the ball out of the air. This would be the first scene of frustration from Sutton, but certainly not the last. (In the 24^th minute Sutton was seen jumping over the back of Fucito, and even though he drew a foul, Sutton seemed shaken up. Yet another sign of the poor night from the keeper, with the worst being yet to come)

31^st Minute:

     Fucito gave the ball away (on the Red Bull right wing) to Solli who pinged a pass to Lindpere in the middle of the field. Lindpere advanced the ball towards the top of the Seattle box and then laid off a pass to his right to Dane Richards. Richards created just enough space from the defending Scott, and let off a floating shot into the top left corner past Keller. It seemed as though Keller should have done better, as it appeared the shot caught him slightly off guard.

58^th Minute:

     Just over ten minutes into the second half, Lindpere played a pass to Ballouchy on the right, who laid off to De Rosario. He then drove a pass down the right flank to Solli who caught Seattle right back Gonzalez too far inside. Gonzalez recovered in just enough time to be exposed on a nutmeg by Solli, who then drove a ball into the box that was deflected past Keller by Scott, his fellow defender. Solli’s run was excellent , and he was rewarded by a pass from De Rosario that showed off the Canadian’s vision and gave the Red Bull a 2-2 tie.

The Impact of Roger “The Scuba Diver” Levesque:

     Levesque came on for the ineffective Fucito in the 59^th minute. It took only nine minutes for the Portland Native to flick a near post header past Sutton to give the Sounders a 3-2 lead. Tainio and De Rosario should have done better in defense on Levesque. They lacked aggression, which let Levesque beat them to the ball in the air. 

     Just ten minutes later Solli played a back pass to Sutton, who had a horrid first touch after Levesque shaded to the keepers left, preventing him from passing to his left back Miller, his preferred target. Levesque quickly stole the ball and gently passed the ball into the back of the net to give a Seattle a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish.

Conclusion:

     It was a shame that New York, who was already missing three key players to Gold Cup duty, was not able to have Thierry Henry reinstated for the match, as they sorely missed his playmaking ability. Despite owning more than 60% of the possession, New York was not able to create enough significant chances on goal. Sutton had a shaky night, which only added to the raucous Seattle crowds’ delight.

     Seattle was willing to sit back and defend for the majority of the game. Three of their goals were on corners and the fourth on a giveaway from Sutton. Seattle continues to struggle to score from open play, and one has to wonder how much longer Sigi will continue to start Fucito up top, especially after the scintillating performance that Levesque displayed.

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Preview - US v Mexico - Gold Cup Final

In front of a sold out Rose Bowl and a largely pro Mexican crowd, the Gold Cup Trophy will be handed out Saturday night. This is the final everyone wanted from the start. Not only a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup is at stake, but also bragging rights between the rivals is on the line. The Mexicans are out to avenge the Gold Cup final loss in 2007; The Americans (although it was a b squad) are out to hit back after a 5-0 humiliation in the 2009 Gold Cup final.
    Watching both semifinals, the matches had a similar trajectory. Mexico and the US struggled to create chances against Honduras and Panama, who defended deep. However, each team eventually broke through the defensive barrier and drive themselves into the final.
US Road to the Final and Tactical Prediction
    The Yanks struggled out of the gates in a tournament where they were expected to cruise to the finals. After a comfortable 2-0 win v Canada, Panama rushed out of the gates to a 2-0  lead and held on 2-1. Then, the US won a must win match v Guadeloupe 1-0 in a lackadaisical effort. In the quarters, the US put in their best performance winning emphatically 2-0 over a surging Jamaica. The semifinals allowed for revenge as they struggled to break down Panama but eked out a 1-0 win.
    Bob Bradley is expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 system he debuted against Jamaica and kept v Panama. (for more info on this system check out our reviews of those matches found on the USMNT menu bar). This has led to a possession style game. Bradley is expected to maintain 10 of the starting XI from the past two matches. The only question mark is Landon Donovan. Will Bradley use him as a super sub, which worked the past two matches, or will he start the match? Sasha Kljestan put in a poor display v Panama and was withdrawn at halftime. For this reason, I expect Bradley to start Donovan in the playmaker role.

Mexico Attack

Mexico Attack - CM drops to form back 3

Mexico Tactical Prediction
    Mexico cruised through the group stages scoring 14 and conceding 1 v El Salvador, Cuba and Costa Rica. Surprisingly, they fell a goal behind in the quarters v Guatemala but rallied to win 2-1. Continuing their struggles in the knockout rounds, Honduras took El Tri into extra time only to fall 2-0.
    Throughout the Gold Cup, Jose de la Torre has used a variation of the 4-4-2. Chicharito is paired with Gio Dos Santos up top. Chicharito functions as the central striker playing in the channels off the shoulder of an opposing center back. Dos Santos has more of a free role, often times drifting wide to play one-twos with Barrera or Guardado.
    Torrado and Castro play as central midfielders. They rarely push forward, often one of the two dropping as a center back when Mexico attack (see diagram). Salcido and Juarez are influential in pushing up high to offer a numerical advantage on the flanks. This system results in Mexico's reliance on attacking from out wide.

Mexico 4-4-2 Defense with Pressure

     Defensively, Mexico wants to pressure the ball. Chicharito and Dos Santos put in a ton of work harassing the back four. One of Torrado or Castro will run at the ball in a ‘destroyer tactic’ (like Pepe for Real Madrid v Barca).
Keys to the Match
- Who dominates the center of midfield – If Mexico stays with the 4-4-2, the US should have the edge in the middle, especially when Dempsey plays in his preferred narrow left position. To exploit this advantage, the Yanks must be calm on the ball and pass through the defensive pressure, instead of hitting long balls. If the Americans are sloppy with the ball, the Mexicans have the speed to recover possession and launch a lethal counter attack.
- Physicality – Although small, Chicharito is a physical striker who can do damage in the air. To combat this, Carlos Bocanegra should be the center back to deal with him. He lacks pace, but Bocanegra should win most of the headers and has experience in dealing with quick players, as he plays in France’s League 1. If Chicharito can play off the shoulder of Goodson, he could wreak havoc. Goodson lacks physicality and struggles to defend in one v one situations.
- Tim Howard – Mexico should be able to get shots on the Yanks goal and will swing in crosses all night. Howard will be needed to be aggressive and collect crosses in the air and also make splendid saves to keep the US in the match.
- Dominance on the Wings – Mexico primarily attacks down the flanks, with Dos Santos floating to the wing, and a fullback overlapping. To contest this, the Americans need Bedoya and Dempsey to track back. Cherundolo and Lichaj may be pinned back worried about defending. This would result in a lack of width in the American’s attack.
- US on the Counter – Most likely, Mexico will have the larger share of possession. Thus, the US needs Landon Donovan to start the match so he can combine with Dempsey and Agudelo to create chances on the counter. To start the counter, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones need to collect the ball and distribute effectively.
- The Crowd – Every player on the pitch (except Juan Agudelo) has experienced intense atmospheres. However, if the match is deadlocked, the pro-Mexican crowd could give El Tri the belief to go on and win the match.

Prediction
    Being die hard US supporters, we would be lying if we said there was no bias in our prediction. Our heart is saying a US 2-1 win with Tim Howard making saves to keep the Yanks in the match and a late counter attacking goal (similar to Dempsey's strike v Panama link) stealing the win.
    However, our head says Mexico will be too strong. Let's face it, El Tri has the better starting XI and, more importantly, have a lethal finisher in Chicharito. As a result, our brain says Mexico will lift the cup after a 3-1 win. (We hope this prediction is a jinx).
     We hope the atmosphere in Pasadena is festive and not hostile between the fans. Also, we hope the match lives up to the hype.

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US V Panama - Late Dempsey Goal sets up Dream final with Mexico

US’s Strategy
    Bob Bradley elected to keep the same 4-2-3-1 formation that worked well v Jamaica on Sunday. Surprisingly, Landon Donovan started on the bench once again. The only change was Juan Agudelo in for the injured Jozy Altidore as the central striker.
Panama’s Strategy
    The Red Tide came into the match without their striker Blas Perez, who was sent off v El Salvador. Quintero replaced Perez and Panama played a 4-4-1-1. Luis Tejada played as the lone striker and saw very little of the ball. Although he did well to bother the US center backs when they had possession. Barahona played behind Tejada as a withdrawn striker.
     Panama's strategy was to sit back and allow the US to keep possession in non-dangerous areas. However, they wanted to play on the counter attack but were unable to transition from defense to offense quickly to create a chance.
Dull First 60 minutes
    With Panama playing a deep defensive brand of soccer, the onus was on the US to create chances and take them out of their shell.
   The pace of the game was slow, possibly because the pitch looked patchy and soft. It seemed like the ball would bobble constantly on the bumpy pitch, making it hard to control. Also contributing to the slow pace of the game was referee Enrico Wijngaarde, who whistled for a tremendous number of fouls on each side.
    The best chance in the opening half for either side came for the US in the 25th minute. Steve Cherundolo found space on the right side after overlapping past Bedoya. He swung in an inch perfect cross to Juan Agudelo. Agudelo's run gave him enough separation to get his head on the cross but his effort came off the near post and Panama cleared.
    Bob Bradley must have gone into the locker room pleased with the defense but frustrated that his side could only create one chance. The US lacked creativity and movement off the ball. Also, the ball moved very slowly around the pitch, often times Goodson or Bocanegra taking far too many touches instead of passing the ball quickly. Also, the American players lacked the confidence to take on a defender in the dribble one v one.
    Panama should be commended for their ability to execute their defensive game plan and were hardly troubled by the Yanks attack. They would have been happy to keep the match nil-nil as long as possible.
    To breathe life into the match, Bradley made a substitution at the intermission. Landon Donovan was brought in for Sasha Kljestan. Kljestan was finding room in the center but his first touch was poor and some of his passes were misplaced. Bradley put on Donovan to try and pick up the pace of the US attack.
Game comes to life with each team needing to score
    Even with the substitution of Donovan; the Americans could not find space at the start of the half.
    In the 61st minute, Panama nearly tested Tim Howard. Henriquez skinned Cherundolo on the left side and swung in a low cross that Quintero nearly poked on target. The half chance was the first time Panama threatened the American goal.

     Bob Bradley further surprised US supporters with the introduction of Freddy Adu for Juan Agudelo in the 66^th minute. One caveat, the Keeping a Clean Sheet team cheered when they showed Freddy entering the pitch. Adu was able to provide the spark the US needed. He went over on the right, with an occasional position swap with Landon in the middle. Dempsey went up top and Bedoya shifted to the left wing.

     Freddy’s first touch on the right side displayed his ability and willingness to take on a defender and try and beat him. This confidence and attempt at skill was missing for the Americans.

     In the 76^th minute, the Americans finally broke the Red Tide. Panama pushed up on a corner. The ball was cleared and eventually Bedoya and Bradley combined, with Adu receiving the ball in the center circle. Adu looked up and launched a left footed through ball down the right side hitting Donovan in stride. Landon took the ball down the right side and sent in a hard, low cross in front of goal. Dempsey was there at the back post and did well to get a foot in before Machado could clear. It should be noted that the replays indicated Dempsey was in an offside position, which should have canceled out the goal.

     Panama then switched to a 4-3-3 to try and level the match. However, they failed to threaten Tim Howard’s clean sheet.

     Buoyed by the goal, the Yanks were confident in possession. In the 87^th minute Freddy went past two defenders down the right side and squared the ball to Michael Bradley who tried to pick out Dempsey instead of testing Penedo’s goal. In the 89^th minute, rarely seen by the US side, the team pinged the ball around the pitch for over 20 passes, even drawing a few ole’s from the supporters.
Conclusion
    The Americans struggled in the first 60 minutes to trouble Penedo's goal but deserved to go through to the final. Panama hardly tested Tim Howard and looked fatigued by the end of the match.
    The Panamanian performance in this tournament deserves praise. They won the group over the Americans and fell in the semifinal where it seemed like they ran out of gas.
    With Mexico ousting Honduras in extra time, the dream final is set for Saturday night at the already sold out Rose Bowl.

     Look out for our preview of the final v Mexico tomorrow. Follow us on twitter @kpngacleansheet. Also, Like us on Facebook.

Portland v New York – Red Bulls Salvage a Point on the Road

New York’s Strategy
     With Luke Rodgers unable to pass a fitness test and Juan Agudelo representing the US at the Gold Cup, Hans Backe was forced to put Dwayne De Rosario as a lone striker. Thierry Henry operated as the playmaker in the 4-4-1-1 formation. Henry was willing to drop deep into midfield to collect the ball. He also made two brilliant runs from this deep lying position, one allowing him to score the second New York goal.

Portland’s Strategy

     John Spencer set up his side in a traditional 4-4-2. Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlaza were the two strikers, supported by Kalif Alhassan and Darlington Nagbe on the flanks. Diego Chara and Jack Jewsbury operated as the central midfielders, with Jewsbury pushing higher up the pitch than the more defensive minded Chara.

Early Goal
     New York struck quickly with a 5th min goal from Austin Da Luz. The assist was provided by Dwayne De Rosario who was sprung down the left side by a first tine through ball from Henry. Center back Eric Brunner lost track of De Rosario who made a wide run into space. Da Luz finished calmly after a nice left foot touch to get past Chara.

First Half: Portland Control but Create no Chances
     Portland dominated possession for the rest of the first half with New York content on sitting back and getting to the locker room with the one goal lead. The Timbers were unable to craft any chances even though they dominated the ball.

Timber’s strike quickly out of halftime

     Down a goal, Portland was forced to make a change at the back at the intermission. David Horst went off injured late in the first half. As a result, John Spencer brought on Goldthwaite in a like for like replacement.

     Portland started the second half on fire. The Timbers had a 2-1 lead by the 50^th minute. The equalizing goal came in the 47^th minute from a Rodney Wallace throw in into the Red Bull’s box. The ball was headed out directly to ‘Captain’ Jack Jewsbury who buried a low right footed shot into the left corner. Two minutes later, Jewsbury swung in a free kick to the back post from the left side. The ball was headed back in front of goal by Brunner where it was back heeled in by Goldthwaite. It was a brilliant goal, especially for a defender, reminiscent of Chicharito’s winner for Mexico in their Gold Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.

     Timber Joey and the Timbers Army were going absolutely mental after the early second half surge. Portland nearly added a third, but Teemu Tainio made a bicycle clearance off the goal line to preserve the one goal deficit for New York. Portland added a third goal in the 67^th minute. Jorge Perlaza made a run past Stephen Keel down the right channel and did well to control the long ball. He sent in a low hard cross which Keel slid to clear, but ended up putting it into the back of his own net.

Red Bull’s Rally

     With the home crowd, the momentum, and a two goal lead, the Timbers seemed to be cruising for three points. However, the Red Bulls put fear into the home crowd’s hearts by pulling a goal back. Henry received the ball deep in midfield and squared his pass to Lindpere. Henry made a forward run and got the ball back. He then played a one-two with DaLuz, with his forward run freeing him up with space in the left channel. His strike beat Perkins who had come out to intercept the Da Luz pass.

     Still a goal ahead, Portland had a golden opportunity to finish the game off for good in the 76th minute. New York gave the ball away in midfield. Keel was out of position in his left center back spot and Perlaza glided by him and latched on to a through ball. Perlaza was free to the right of goal with only Sutton to beat. Instead of squaring the ball to Cooper at the top of the 18 (for a simple finish) he got selfish and tried to round Sutton to the right. Sutton’s challenge was late and he took down Perlaza with the referee pointing to the spot. Jewsbury stepped up to seal the match but his low penalty attempt struck the right post, leaving the door open for the visitors.

     Into stoppage time, the Red Bulls were scrambling for an equalizer, even bringing on John Rooney in a hopeful attempt to drum up some of his brother’s skill. Further complicating the comeback, Henry was sent off for an altercation with Adam Moffat (more on this later). Finally, in the 95^th minute, a poor clearance from Goldthwaite gave DeRosario the ball in space on the right side. He sent in a cross which Rodney Wallace inexplicably reached out his right arm and batted it down. DeRosario then stepped up and buried the penalty.

Jewsbury brilliant set pieces

     Ricardo Salazar whistled 25 fouls against the Red Bulls. This high number heightened the influence of set pieces in the Timber’s attacks. Jack Jewsbury took all of the set pieces and swung in dangerous balls all night. The only other means of attack came from Perlaza testing Keel’s positioning and getting service in space down the right channel. Kenny Cooper and the wide players added little to the Timber’s attack.  

Henry’s Red Card and Soler’s Reaction

     Red Bulls GM and Sporting Director Erik Soler had reasons to gripe after the poorly officiated contest by Ricardo Salazar. New York was whistled for 20 more fouls than Portland. Also, replays indicated that Thierry Henry did not display violent towards Moffat.

     Many media members will criticize Soler’s letter but I think the MLS needs to take the legitimate gripes made by clubs to heart over referee performances and need to upgrade the standard of refereeing. Instead, Garber will probably slap Soler with a fine and paper over the cracks. Also, the league should rescind the Henry red card so he will be eligible for Thursday matchup v Seattle.

Conclusion

     One interesting factor to the game was the size of the pitch at Jeld-Wen field. The pitch is very narrow which prevented the Portland wingers from running at players in space.

     With that said Portland dominated possession throughout the match and deserved all three points. New York will be ecstatic with the road point.