USA v Belgium (0-1) – Yanks Fail to Score v a more Polished Belgium

Each Sides' Setup
     Juergen Klinsmann made three changes from the side that lost to Costa Rica on Friday. Steve Cherundolo slotted in at right back and Timmy Chandler auditioned at the problem position of left back. Clint Dempsey came in for Landon Donovan in attacking midfield and Clarence Goodson came in centrally to replace Michael Orozco Fiscal.

     The US and Belgium had very similar tactical shapes. They each played a 4-3-3 variation. The only difference was Torres played deeper than his counterpart in midfield, Fellaini. Also, Witsel played as a second striker at times instead of a true attacking midfielder, whilst Dempsey often dropped deep to try and get involved in the run of play.

First Half Notes & Observations
     Fellaini, Witsel and De Camargo harassed USA back line when in possession. This pressure really frustrated and hampered the US going forward. Maurice Edu needed to be more available for the short pass when Bocanegra or Goodson had the ball.
  - Torres’ defensive work was ever present. He won the ball back even in his own box.
- De Camargo operated as the lone striker and was supported centrally by Axel Witsel and Marouane Fellaini. Belgium has a number of impressive names in their squad but struggled to create chances early on in the match. Belgium gives a lot of freedom to Hazard and Mertens out wide to cut inside or link up with the midfield which put the US full backs under pressure.
     Belguim had a flurry of chances around the half hour mark. In the 26th minute the ball came out and Simons rips a shot well saved by Howard. A minute later Mertens cuts inside on Cherundolo and lashed a shot just wide. Hazard had a tricky move on an overlap and Kompany had a header go just wide on a corner. In the 34^th, Mertens’ cross to Fellaini all alone and volleyed straight at Howard.
 - Torres sometimes gets the ball in tight areas but does well to at least win a free kick and not give the ball away.
 - USA needs a slower buildup when the counter attack is not on. This would allow Chandler and Cherundolo to get forward and create width, since Shea likes to cut inside. Chandler should not be the answer to the left back vacancy.

  - Altidore was shut down by Kompany, which was expected given he was matched up against a world class defender.
  - Belgium midfield of Felaini and Witsel doing a great job of putting Edu and Torres under pressure making them play with their backs turned away from goal.
 - Shea and Rogers were ineffective out wide, struggling to get into the match and also did not receive support when they had possession.
 - Other than a couple of set pieces, Mignolet was not tested in the first half. (side note - hopefully Torres takes over from Donavan as the set piece taker as Landon's service has never been effective).

2nd Half Notes & Observations
     Klinsmann brought in Juan Agudelo in place of Altidore to start the second half. Rob Stone said Jozy looked knackered and fatigued coming off the pitch. Maybe the travel from Los Angeles and his lack of full fitness coming off a hamstring affected him. His movement was not as existent when compared to the Costa Rica match. Also, Klinsmann brought on Beckerman for Rogers to try and sure up the midfield, which pushed Dempsey wide right. USA played a 4-2-3-1. This allowed Torres to play higher up the pitch as more of a playmaker.

 - Simons bossed the match from his defensive midfield position.
 - USA did a solid job of last ditch defending around the box, with help defense after the primary defender got beat.
  - 55th minute Nicolas Lombaerts picks up the ball after a poor half clearance off of a long throw (not sure who it was). The shot was laced and skipped off the wet grass coming through a lot of bodies which made it tough for Howard to see.
- 62nd triple substitution for Belgium. Hazard, Felaini and Demacargo came off and Lukaku, Ogunjimi and Hubert came on. Belgium did nothing going forward after this.
- Agudelo doing a good job off dropping deep away from Kompany to try pick up the ball. Kompany is just mauling Agudelo out there when they go head to head. Agudelo shows flashes of what the 18 year old can bring for the future but still looks overmatched.
- Shea needs to learn how to pink up and use the left back to his advantage. He seemed to just run inside, away from Chandler which led to Chandler being isolated.
- 76th - Torres off for Larentowicz. Weird decision to play Edu, Beckerman and Larentowicz at the same time.

- Most of the talk today will be about the inept offensive performance but give credit to Belgium. There defensive performance was very industrious. They pressured relentlessly, torturing the Yanks and winning the ball back well.
- Up next two home games in October, Honduras and an unnamed opponent.
- The disallowed goal from Edu (and the argument of whether it was justified) does not really matter in the long run. We know the USA is capable of scoring from the set piece.
- The final ten minutes were encouraging as the US showed the will to fight for the equalizer to the end.

John Harkes can say the US showed good character until he is blue in the face, but character alone does not mask the Yanks inability to create chances from open play.

Conclusions on US going Forward

     The Yanks failed to score in the past two matches, which alone says that the attack needs some adjusting. Furthermore, they only registered one shot in the first half, and that was from a free kick

     On twitter, many writers and US supporter’s proposed that the US needs to revert back to a two striker formation to try and help the attack. In theory this makes sense, but why start two strikers when the US has a plethora of quality midfielders and a dearth in quality strikers.

     Instead of playing two strikers, we need to look across the pitch to how Belgium set up their team. The US has the players to duplicate the roles that Fellaini and Witsel played for Belgium on Tuesday night. They provided supporting runs into the box to try and put home a cross and also linked up with de Camargo when the striker was holding up play. At the same time, they had the defensive duties to harass Edu and Torres. This made the defensive midfielder Simons’ job easier to control the middle of the pitch.

     In the Fellaini role, Stuart Holden or Michael Bradley could provide the same qualities for the Yanks in the future. They both are known for their combativeness in the center of the park and also have the knack to get forward and score a goal. With a box to box midfielder in front of him, Torres could create play from deeper in midfield while still having a defensive midfielder (Beckerman or Edu) behind him.

     Out wide, Dempsey and Donovan should be utilized. They are more tactically experienced and would have helped Chandler and Cherundolo deal with Mertens and Hazard.

     If the US had to play a competitive match, I would use Shea and Aguedlo as impact substitutes instead of starting players. It is good that they are getting the experience in these friendlies and at times show flashes of what they will bring in the future. But, too often they out of their depth and are caught in possession and just look a little over matched.

     Another problem for the US attack was a lack of width. The full backs did not get forward as often as they did under Bob Bradley. Chalk this up to the Yanks inability to build up play. Instead, they were attacking quickly, which did not give the full backs time to advance up the pitch after defending the tricky Belgian wingers. Contrary to what many believe, Shea is not a winger. He likes to play as a withdrawn forward on the left. With FC Dallas, Shea has this freedom to cut inside and crash into the box, a freedom that he has not had with the US. Also, Shea needs to learn how to link up with a fullback. Chandler hardly got forward, but when he did Shea opted to just run inside and abandon the left back instead of linking up with him and using the overlap to his advantage.

Conclusions on the US Defense

     Conceding three goals in three matches under Klinsmann is not a terrible record, and the performances were more encouraging than this goal scoring record. Torres and Edu did yeoman’s work tracking back and providing a lot of last ditch defending when Hazard or Mertens beat their primary defender one v one. The central partnership of Bocanegra and Goodson dealt with all the aerial threats and neutralized de Camargo’s impact on the match. Under Klinsmann, the US has proven that they do not need to play with two holding midfield players because Torres can provide assistance defensively and the lone holding player (Edu or Beckerman) can shield the back four well on their own.

     On the contrary, the full back position remains unsolved. It would be wishful thinking to rely on a 35 year old Steve Cherundolo to play right back in 2014. However, Klinsmann faces quite a dilemma because Cherundolo deserves a place in the squad and is still putting in solid performances. Hazard and Mertens did show that Cherundolo has lost a half step, beating him one v one a few times. Klinsmann must decide if it is time to install Timmy Chandler as the starting right back and imbed him for the future or stick with the veteran leadership of Cherundolo.

     The left back job remains to be a black hole for the USMNT. Castillo got crushed by the media for his shaky performance v Costa Rica and Chandler looked out of place and ineffective v Belgium. He was not able to get forward and swing in crosses because he always had to cut back to his right foot which made the crossing angle more difficult. Eric Lichaj should be brought back in to the side, but Yanks Abroad just posted he will be out four months with a labral tear, so hopefully he can work his way back and we could see him in the summer. Maybe Jonathan Spector will be trialed here, but he played zero minutes in these two friendlies which might say something. Right now, the only solution is to keep the faith with Castillo because quite frankly, we have no other options.

Thoughts on the US Formation in the future? Who should the US try out at Left back? We would love to discuss this transitional phase because our opinions are not necessarily the correct ones.

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USA Loses 1st Ever match to Costa Rica at Home

USA Setup:

     Jurgen Klinsmann set up the USA in a 4-3-3. Castillo was back at left back, and Timmy Chandler was in at right back, making his second appearance for the USA. Orozco and Bocanegra partnered in the center. Castillo looked better than the Mexico match for sure, but his slight build continues to show a cause for concern, as he was troubled with the bigger and stronger Costa Rica players. However he impressed and figures to continue to be in the plans at left back. Chandler impressed once again, making a lot of runs that cause the Costa Ricans concerns. It did appear that he was very fatigued, and maybe he has not gotten to full fitness this early in the season yet. Bocanegra and Orozco were ok, but when Costa Rica did apply pressure on them they too easily lost possession for the USA, as they did not look completely comfortable.

     Maurice Edu played the holding midfield spot, and sat fairly deep. He was too deep at times as the Costa Rica midfielders had too much space to work, but overall he played well and he Jones, Bradley, and Beckerman will most likely continue to battle for that spot. Torres and Donovan played in front of him and were more central than wide. Torres was a little deeper than Donovan and Donovan drifted inside for the majority of the game, often times playing directly behind Altidore, who started up top for the first time under Klinsmann. Torres played well but at least for me, he did not see enough of the ball. Maybe he needs to be more assertive, and that will come with time and more experience playing with his teammates. The most impressive part of Torres’ performance Friday night was his aggressiveness in winning the ball back when he lost it. One of the knocks on him was his lack of aggressiveness but it was not evident Friday. Donovan played very centrally, and did not look in top form. Besides the goal that he usually scores his touches were a little off on several occasions and so was his delivery on set pieces. He played much better against Mexico but the position he was playing is a good one for him and it will be interesting to see if it changes at all when he and Dempsey get to play together for the first time under Klinsmann.

     Rogers played out wide right and Shea played out wide left. They both lacked width at times, but were responsible for many of the dangerous attacks that the USA created. Rogers played a good game, but he held onto the ball too long at times when he looked to link up with Altidore, causing him to be offside. They were excellent runs by Altidore, and good thoughts from Rogers but his hesitation proved costly. Altidore played very well, looking much better than he did at the Gold Cup. It was impressive to see him play as well as he did with his back to goal. Brek Shea looked off his game as well. He is no doubt still very much in the future plans for the USA going forward, but he likes to cut inside often for FC Dallas, and he tried to do the same Friday night but because he doesn’t have the same rapport with his teammates yet no one covered for him when he did so, and it led to the middle of the field being too congested. His crossing was hit or miss and he was unable to get open for his trademark thunderbolt strikes at goal, but he overall he was ok.

     Tim Howard went the full 90 minutes in goal. Agudelo and Klejstan came in for the last 30 minutes or so in replace of Altidore and Rogers respectively. Klejstan played very central and was too close to Donovan and hurt the width of the side. Agudelo doesn’t hold the ball up as well as Altidore but is much more dangerous in taking on defenders with his dribbling, and his movement and energy were good as well.

Costa Rica Setup:

     Costa Rica set up in a 4-4-2 with Johnson at right back and Miller from the New York Red Bulls at left back. Umana of Chivas USA and Acosta partnered at center defense. Barrantes and Azofeifa played in the center of midfield with Barrantes playing deeper than Azofeifa. Martinez played out wide right and Sanchez played wide to the left. Brenes partnered with Saborio up top, and the RSL player was the best player on the pitch for Costa Rica, and created their only goal.  Rodney Wallace of the Portland Timbers came on in the second half and looked bright, scoring the only goal of the match.

1^st Half:

     The USA opened the first 6 minutes or so with a ton of energy and confidence, creating a few scoring chances, most notably one that Donovan should have scored. It began with Torres playing a pass out wide to the left to Shea, who then found Altidore, who had run down the left sideline. Altidore then worked a give and go with Shea after Shea began a run down the center of the field. Shea had excellent patience as he took the ball all the way to the top of the box, and waited for Rogers to make a clearing run in front of him. Donovan then came from behind Rogers completely unmarked, Shea laid off a perfect pass across the box from left to right, and Donovan missed his shot wide to the right. It was a play that Donovan has finished numerous times in his career, and if he had buried that opportunity perhaps the match would have gone much differently, whic Klinsmann noted in his post match interview.

     The USA looked unlike they had at any time under Bradley in the first 30 minutes of the match. They were confident on the ball and with possession, they worked the ball from one side of the field to the other, and they worked well in combination with each other. It was the style of play the Klinsmann had promised he would get them to play when he was hired and it looked like his message had begun to take hold. The fact that Costa Rica was very content to sit back and defend in their own half while applying little pressure definitely aided this, but it was still a promising spell of play for the USA.

     The end of the first half saw the USA get a little impatient, as they had all of the possession but nothing to show for it, so they began to force passes that led to Costa Rica getting back into the game. Costa Rica was looking to get Saborio in behind the USA defense for most of the match, but forced it too much in the first half and were unable to do so.

2nd Half:

     The USA did not look as strong in the second half. They did not put as much pressure on the ball when they lost it as they did in the first half, and this led to Costa Rica claiming more of the possession. In the 65’ minute, Costa Rica scored the only goal of the match. Agudelo failed to hold the ball up and Costa Rica gained possession. Shea was caught too far inside and up field and was unable to track back to help in defense. Edu was sitting too deep and gave too much space for Costa Rica to make the pass in behind the defense to Saborio, who made an excellent off ball run. Orozco looked to try and pass Saborio off to Bocanegra, but Bocanegra didn’t see him and that miscommunication led to Saborio getting behind them both. Both Bocanegra and Orozco chased Saborio down, and neither looked for anyone trailing behind them. Saborio crossed the ball to the top of the box, and Chandler was unable to get back in time to break up the pass. Howard saved the first shot, but Wallace headed in the rebound to give Costa Rica the lead. It was a miscommunication in the back, and as the two center backs grow more comfortable plays like these will hopefully cease to work against them.

     Costa Rica packed it in for the rest of the half and the USA began to get frustrated and settled for too many long shots. They also tried to play cross into the box, but Agudelo did not have enough size to trouble the Costa Rica defense in that area. The USA was unable to trouble Costa Rica anymore and had to settle for a 1-0 loss at home.

Conclusion:

     It was an encouraging performance overall for the USA as they continue to work on the more possession based Latin style of play the Klinsmann is implementing. They failed to score but controlled the game for the majority of it and if Donovan had scored their early chance, which he usually scores the majority of the time, and then it would have no doubt been a different outcome. This will continue to be a process with growing pains as Klinsmann calls in different players and tries to implement his system, and it will be interesting to see the lineup that Klinsmann starts Tuesday against Belguim.

Thoughts on the Match? Player Performances? Klinsmann's Stye?

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