US v Antigua & Barbuda (3-1) v Guatemala (1-1)

The Yanks make a solid start with four points from their first two World Cup Qualifying matches.

US v Antigua & Barbuda

     The USMNT began a two year road to Brazil 2014 with a Friday night affair against Antigua & Barbuda. The tiny island side was clearly over matched but had continuity with most of the side playing for the Antigua Barracudas who are coached by the national team manager.

     Thus, the away side played a very organized and disciplined match for the first 43 minutes. They pressed early on but then dropped off after ten minutes. The Yanks controlled the ball early even though the conditions were wet. Carlos Bocanegra got the US off to a great start in the seventh minute after bundling home a rebound at the back post after Herculez Gomez’s header was saved from a corner kick.

     The American were at their best when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey were close enough to link up with each other. They were able to combine and use pace to setup chances as seen in the 15^th minute which led to a shot that was blocked. Also, Michael Bradley was instrumental at starting the Yanks attacks from deep in midfield after winning possession. Antigua & Barbuda were playing long balls in behind which were dealt with well by Bocanegra and Goodson and quickly played forward to Bradley who would propel the US forward.

     Herculez Gomez played the lone striker role well in Klinsmann’s 4-3-3 system. He made clever runs in behind all night. His movement caused confusion for the back four which opened up pockets of space for Dempsey and Donovan. Two minutes before halftime, Bradley won the ball back and quickly played a pass up to Donovan. Down the left channel, Donovan and Dempsey combined opening up Donovan in behind the defense. He was taken down from behind with the referee awarding a penalty which was converted by Clint Dempsey. The positioning of Gomez on the right side was instrumental in occupying a defender which opened up the pitch for Dempsey and Donovan.

     With a two goal advantage, the Yanks continued to create chances in the second half but the intensity winning the ball back allowed Antigua & Barbuda more space. After Jose Torres went off injured, Bocanegra and Donovan combined excellently down the left wing to set up Gomez to rattle the cross bar.

     With the islanders losing their defensive shape as the match wore on, the US was creating chances through balls over the top or pockets between the fullbacks and center backs. Yet, the Americans failed to add a third and were pegged back in the 65^th minute. Cherundolo was slow to get back and allowed Ledgerwood in behind. He played Byers in who skipped past an unnecessary Onyewu lunge and was through on goal and finished over Tim Howard. The hulking central defender was off the pace of the game but he is still returning from injury and had just come onto the pitch.

     The goal from the islanders woke up the American attack up with Dempsey, Bradley and Gomez testing the keeper. Finally, the Yanks added a third when Gomez pounced off a fortuitous deflection and finished into an empty net. In the end, three points was the goal but the Yanks were far from emphatic in their performance.

US v Guatemala

     A much stiffer test was awaiting the USMNT in Guatemala City. The home side was keen on disrupting the flow of the match and making the game ugly. Constantly, the match was stopped due to consistent fouling and from the ball going out of play. Guatemala attacked by launching long balls to the two forwards, Carlos Ruiz and Mario Rodriguez. This strategy was as effective as trying to get rich through winning the lottery as Goodson and Bocanegra were solid in the air.

     The Yanks were very disappointing going forward. Since I refused to shell out $30 to line the pockets of the greedy Traffic Sports executives, I watched the match on a dodgy internet stream. Thus it was hard to make out the Guatemalan formation.

     Regardless of the defense, the Americans passing and movement in midfield was poor. They often lost patience and resorted to hopeful long balls which were not effective. It was almost as if they adopted Guatemala’s tactics themselves, like in youth soccer when one team keeps kicking long and the other team gets frustrated and does the same.

     Guatemala nearly opened the scoring before halftime with a through ball down the right. Fabian Johnson got turned around and Guatemala was free but the shot came from a narrow angle and was saved by Howard instead of squaring the ball to Mario Rodriguez who was all alone. One minute later, Fabian Johnson stormed down the left and cut inside and found Dempsey at the top of the box. Dempsey who skipped past two defenders (leaving one on his backside) and shot with his right foot into the left corner.

     The halftime lead forced Guatemala coach Hugo Almeida into making three changes. He went out to  attack with Marco Pappa, Manuel Leon and Dwight Pezzarossi to try and level the match. Wisely, Klinsmann did not allow a possible incompetent CONCACAF refereeing decision reduce his side to ten and he brought on Geoff Cameron for Clarence Goodson, who was carrying a yellow card.

     Guatemala was much improved in the second half. Pappa was drifting into wide areas to create an overload and get crosses into the two strikers. However, the Yanks continued to defend well and after Carlos Ruiz blasted a rebound over the bar, it looked like they could pick up three points. But, Marco Pappa leveled the match with seven minutes to go by expertly bending a free kick over the wall. The US failed to kill the match off by adding a second goal and controlling possession (the ref did not play advantage when Altidore had a clear chance called back for a Guatemala foul).

Three Points to Contemplate as We Move Towards the Summer of 2014.        

1. The talent pool is deeper than ever and more players will emerge as they stand out for their respective clubs. After looking up the team sheets from 2010 World Cup qualifying, various players were selected 1.5 to 2 years before the tournament that did not make the trip to South Africa. Players like Davy Arnaud, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Pablo Mastroeni, Kenny Cooper, John Thorrington, Danny Califf, Heath Pearce and Marvell Wynne helped the US qualify but were not even considered to be in the World Cup squad.

          This summer’s squad should look much different than the squad in two years. Injuries, aging and rising young players will change the landscape of the team. Hopefully Klinsmann will have a hard time picking a 23 man squad because of how much player pool depth there is.  

2. The US needs to pick XI players to fit in a cohesive formation and setup instead of just picking the best XI players available. I think Jose Torres and Jermaine Jones are excellent players. However, it is hard to fit so many central midfield players into one team. Playing a 4-3-3 with two narrow wide players congests the field too much and the US needs to develop at least one winger to open up the center of the pitch for Dempsey, Bradley and Donovan to make runs. Dempsey is at his best when he plays in the center which allows him to best link up with Donovan. Whether that true winger is Josh Gatt, Joe Corona, Brek Shea or some else remains to be seen.

3. Even after five matches, most of the positions are wide open. At striker, Herculez Gomez impressed with his movement and energy. At times he was physically out matched and his finishing was average. Jozy Altidore had a great season in Holland but after suffering a late season injury, he did not see much time in any of the matches. Terrance Boyd’s move to Rapid Vienna should help his development as he looks raw but talented. With these three not cementing places in the squad, the position remains open for players like Teal Bunbury or CJ Sapong to make their way into the team in the future.

     In defense, the US needs some more young depth. Geoff Cameron played well and should continue to improve after moving to the position later in his career. However, there is a lack of quality center backs in the pool. Fabian Johnson has seemed to lock down a spot at left back after great performances. At right back, the position should be wide open. Steve Cherundolo is aging and looked vulnerable against Brazil and did not get forward as much as he did in South Africa. His place in the starting XI looks fairly secure since Eric Lichaj has barely played at Aston Villa and Michael Parkhurst looking more suitable as a central defender.

Which young players will emerge? Do the older players need to be phased out? What formation and system should Klinsmann play?

I would love to hear your thoughts either in the comments, via twitter @kpngacleansheet or on the KaCSFacebook page.

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