Its been an up and down past week or so for the US Men’s National team. The team opened up its string of friendlies in stunning fashion with a 5-1 victory over Scotland. Not only was the score line impressive, the manner about which the US played the game and the opening, attacking soccer they showcased saw one of best performances by the US squad in a few years. With that, the US moved onto Brazil where they were defeated 4-1, although the score did not necessarily reflect how the match was played. After starting slow, the US, particularly in the second half, got after Brazil more, playing with more urgency and energy and created some chances that were unlucky not to be put away.
Their last game, another friendly against Canada, was a disappointing 0-0 draw. Despite having many of the regulars starting, the team seemed flat, uninspired and disconnected. The biggest talking point in this game was the shift to a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation by Klinsmann. After playing out of a 4-3-3 in the first two games and having relative success, the change in formation against Canada seemed to confuse or disrupt the rhythm of the US. With Jones and Bradley as the two center midfielders, who both like the play deeper in front on the back four, the US struggled to effectively maintain possession in position higher up the field. While Dempsey, playing up top, tried to come back deeper to fill this hole, and Torres did the same by drifting inside, often they were outnumbered by Canada’s three center midfielders. Despite some personal changes, the US couldn’t quite solve this problem.
While it was disappointing and frustrating to watch, in some ways the game against Canada could be very beneficial for the US. They say that you can most from your defeats. While Canada didn’t defeat the US (although it sort of felt like a loss), Klinsmann now knows going into the qualifying matches what system seems to work the best. Just imagine if the US had played with a 4-4-2 against Antigua and Barbuda and had similar problems like they did against Canada. That would have been really frustrating, knowing the result actually mattered. Compared to the 4-4-2, the US seemed much more comfortable and fluid in the 4-3-3 system. One of the three central midfielders, in particular Michael Bradley, is able to push forward more freely and move the ball about higher up the field, not just collecting the ball deeper, essentially having to play through the entire opposition’s defense.
Of course, all we can do is speculate and we never actually what will happen until its the game itself kicks off, but expect Klinsmann to line up with a 4-3-3 tonight. As described, it seems like the most logical choice for the team at this point. Then again, we have not seen Altidore and Gomez play up together as two true forwards, so that is also a possibility. After the two formations resulted in such a stark contrast, it will be interesting to see how Klinsmann approaches the game tonight. All the debate will be decided tonight as the US will kick off against Antigua and Barbuda at 7 PM Eastern time. Be sure to tune in on ESPN.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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