On Friday, the USMNT team needed late game heroics from Eddie Johnson to defeat a national team that has seven starters from the club team, Antigua Barracudas FC, which finished in last place in the United Soccer Leagues Pro Division. Let that set in. The United States National team, composed of players from the top leagues in Europe, along with players from MLS, was an injury time goal away from losing to a team that is primarily made up of players from the worst team in the 2nd division of soccer in America. That is a problem. The field was awful. The field was narrow. The conditions were less than ideal. Legitimate excuses, but the opposition was made up of minor league soccer players.
Klinsmann’s year-plus reign has not gone as smoothly as many have hoped. When hired, he came with the promises of better possession, improved technique, and a higher tempo approach to matches. Besides 45 minutes in a home world cup qualifier against Jamaica, have any of those objectives been seen? Will tonight against Guatemala be any different? Let’s hope so.
The United States has hardly played their best soccer during the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying matches, but entering tonight’s match they are still on pace to qualify for the final round of qualification. Though some want to judge Klinsmann for the product on the field, ultimately it’s results that matter most.
Klinsmann’s year-plus reign has not gone as smoothly as many have hoped. When hired, he came with the promises of better possession, improved technique, and a higher tempo approach to matches. Besides 45 minutes in a home world cup qualifier against Jamaica, have any of those objectives been seen? Will tonight against Guatemala be any different? Let’s hope so.
The United States has hardly played their best soccer during the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying matches, but entering tonight’s match they are still on pace to qualify for the final round of qualification. Though some want to judge Klinsmann for the product on the field, ultimately it’s results that matter most.
The last two matches Klinsmann chose an offshoot of a 4-4-2 formation which has led to two wins. Though Johnson scored two goals, he seemed out of place at outside mid and would be better suited playing alongside Herculez Gomez up top. Also, I believe Clint Dempsey would be better served dribbling at players in the midfield while make late-arriving runs into the box to get on the end of crosses. On the defensive side of the ball, I’m still not sold on Clarence Goodson at the international level, and prefer Bocanegra at center-back.
Proposed lineup for match v Guatemala:
Proposed lineup for match v Guatemala:
Howard
Cherundolo – Cameron – Bocanegra – Parkhurst
Williams
Dempsey Zusi
Bradley
Gomez - Johnson
Tonight in Kansas City is another opportunity for the United States to play the style of soccer that Jurgen Klinmann has promised for over a year. A win, a tie, or even a loss could be enough of a result to advance to the next stage of qualifying, but at some point the style and manner in which the team plays needs to be addressed or Brazil 2014 might be the first World Cup since 1986 that the United States isn't represented.
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