Category Archives: USMNT

U.S. Player Ratings Against Antigua and Barbuda

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On the scale from 0 to 10, a 3 would signify scoring two own goals and 9 would be a hat-trick.

Tim Howard – 6
Howard made an important save and was left high & dry on the goal against.  He could have done more to organize his defense and mobilize the rest of the team.

Carlos Bocanegra – 4
Bocanegra was out of his element playing on the left side against pacy forwards.  He couldn’t keep up with his marks and didn’t provide support up the wing.

Geoff Cameron – 5
Cameron got burned by Peter Byers by horribly mistiming his tackle on Antigua’s goal.  Despite struggling to adjust his positioning, Cameron did have a few surging runs through the center.

Clarence Goodson – 3.5
Goodson looked like a boy among men on the field Friday night.  His toothpick build was cast aside several times by Antigua’s forwards, including by goal-scorer Dexter Blackstock on that play.

Steve Cherundolo – 6
Cherundolo was solid enough defensively but didn’t push up as high as he normally does.  Because of the defensive line of Antigua and the narrow layout of the field, Cherundolo wasn’t able to make overlapping runs.

Eddie Johnson – 7.5
Johnson scored two goals for the United States.  While those contributions cannot be ignored, the Seattle forward was ineffective and unable to contribute to the play for the rest of the game.  Klinsmann skewed the assymetrical formation and tactics toward Johnson’s headers but the team didn’t score from the run of play.  The first goal was a broken short corner cross and the second was a throw in to Kljestan who laid the ball off to Gordon who crossed for Johnson; two passes in four seconds.

Danny Williams – 5
Williams was charged with the single-handed duty of marshaling the midfield for the Yanks.  His role as defensive midfielder was unable to contain Antigua’s counter attacks and when he did break up the play his teammates didn’t offer many outlets.

Michael Bradley – 5.5
Bradley did not have the space to operate his game in the middle of the field.  Antigua’s defense and Klinsmann’s lineup meant that Bradley’s passes was predictable whether played to the right or forced through the center.

Graham Zusi – 6
Zusi played three brilliant balls into the box, including the assist on Johnson’s first goal.  However, Zusi was marked out of the game for stretches and lost control of a few of his crosses over the goal.

Clint Dempsey – 5
Dempsey was absent from the game for long periods.  Antigua’s defense was so compact within the small field, the Texan could not find holes through which to make runs.  He did make a couple of incisive diagonal passes towards Gomez.

Herculez Gomez – 5
Gomez looked frustrated almost from the kickoff.  He could not find a rhythm on the field and was forced into the right corner several times.  Gomez was played through the back four on multiple occasions but his first touch sent the ball straight to an onrushing Molvin James.

A Few Thoughts About the U.S. Win in Antigua

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Jurgen Klinsmann made some mistakes with regard to his call-up decisions, bringing in both Landon Donovan and Brek Shea despite injury concerns.  He also made some confounding choices in his game-day selection against Antigua, especially on the left side.

Injuries to both Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo gave Klinsmann the option of playing either Michael Parkhurst, a versatile defender but primarily a right back, and Carlos Bocanegra, a central defender who has only started 5 competitive matches for the U.S. on the outside in 5 years, as a make-shift left back.  Parkhurst is a natural full back who is used to to overlapping down the flank and providing support for the attack.  Even though Bocanegra play extensively on the left side for his club Saint Etienne, he doesn’t offer much going forward.  Klinsmann selected Bocanegra.

Clarence Goodson is a toothpick and showed on numerous occasions tonight that he cannot handle the physicality of international play.  Jurgen Klinsmann seems to like Geoff Cameron and if he gets the start against Guatemala on Tuesday we will know that the German has patience for Cameron’s development with an eye towards Brazil 2014.  If the former Houston Dynamo man is the heir apparent at central defense, his partner shouldn’t be Goodson.  Cameron likes to step up to the attacker and once he wins the ball Cameron carries possession into midfield.  A defender like Cameron requires a stay at home central defense partner that can handle counter attacks and deal with the physicality of opposition.  Goodson does not fill that bill, while Bocanegra has the experience and strength to contend with CONCACAF forwards.

The goal against the U.S. showed exactly why Cameron and Goodson can’t partner each other.  Cameron ran out to pressure the ball and made a poorly timed challenge on Peter Byers.  Byers easily evaded the rash tackle of an immature Cameron and played a ball into Dexter Blackstock.  By the time the ball got to him, Blackstone had already put Goodson on his back and faced no challenge on his tap-in from 6 yards.  Neither player can excel while playing with the other.

The midfield and forwards were to be expected with one glaring exception.  Danny Williams was the defensive midfielder which freed Michael Bradley to always look forward.  Graham Zusi provided width on the right side and played several remarkable balls into the box.  Clint Dempsey lined up as a forward playing behind Herculez Gomez, which is a partnership I’m excited to see grow in the future.  The left midfield position was never going to be a perfect fit with Donovan, Shea, and Torres injured and if Dempsey plays up top.  However, I was completely taken by surprise when Klinsmann gave Eddie Johnson the midfield role.

Johnson has never started at left midfield in a competitive league fixture in his professional career.  But the decision at left back just acted to confound the problem of Johnson in midfield.  Carlos Bocanegra is not a forward thinking full back so he didn’t move up into the space on the left side as support for Eddie Johnson.  This meant that Eddie Johnson had two choices, either to drop deep to play the ball or to stay forward isolated on the wing.  In the first half Johnson was forced to come back deep to play retrieve the ball in order to maintain possession for the team.  A majority of those passes in the first half, however, were backwards to the defense or laterally to Danny Williams.  On several occasions, Johnson was actually defending alongside or behind Williams.

At halftime Klinsmann must have told Johnson to stop dropping deep, because in the second half the Seattle forward stayed up more often.  Johnson was camped out just outside the Antigua penalty area for large periods of time after the break.  Because Carlos Bocanegra is a stay at home defender (opposed to the dynamic style played by Geoff Cameron or the ball-carrying type of defender like Jan Vertonghen or Gerard Pique) so he is not as comfortable as a natural full-back supporting the play up the field.  Michael Parkhurst would have been much more able to provide width on the overlap or close down the gap of space behind Eddie Johnson.

Aside from the 10 seconds leading up to each goal, Eddie Johnson was largely ineffective going forward.  Klinsmann must have noticed this, but all three substitutions were of a like-for-like nature.  Jermaine Jones came on for Williams, Gomez made way for Alan Gordon, and Sacha Kljestan replaced Zusi.  This shows to me that Klinsmann liked the tactics being played in the game and didn’t want to switch them.  Not addressing a monstrous gap between a high winger and a deep fullback shows a one-dimensional approach from the German head coach.  By employing both capable wide players on the right side, Zusi and Cherundolo on the overlap, Klinsmann’s main plan was to send service to the far post for a ghosting-in Eddie Johnson.  While that blueprint worked on the second goal, playing Eddie Johnson as a left midfielder/auxiliary left forward was a waste of space and potential for the 89 minutes beforehand.

Clint Dempsey could not find space to operate in and around the congested Antigua penalty area.  Dempsey has many talents on the soccer field, one of them is to serve balls into the box or to cut in from wide positions to take shots from the edge of the box.  If Klinsmann moved Dempsey out to the left side of midfield, the team could have attacked from either side and still played service into Johnson.

Instead, everyone on the field and everyone watching the game knew the U.S. was going to play the ball down the right side of the field.  Every time the U.S. tried to switch to the left side Johnson either couldn’t run to retrieve the pass or couldn’t keep possession if he controlled the ball.  Playing a capable left midfielder like Dempsey or Kljestan would have forced Antigua to cover both sides of the field and move players out of the middle.  This would have made the U.S. more dangerous with balls crossed into the area and also freed up space for Bradley to play his game behind the forwards.

While Klinsmann’s gamble paid off in the 90th minute, he must learn to adapt his tactics if the team is going to make advance from the Hexagonal.  The team still has to get a result against Guatemala to ensure they make the next round in the first place.  Not calling in replacement players for Donovan, Shea, and Castillo could blow up in Klinsmann’s first on Tuesday.  Guatemala are a much better team than the semi-professional players the U.S. squeaked by on Friday night.  Simply put, the manager has to do better.

Projecting the USMNT Lineup Against Antigua & Barbuda

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4 of the 24 players Jurgen Klinsmann called into the national team camp have been scratched for the game against Antigua and Barbuda.  Landon Donovan and Brek Shea both joined the squad with injuries, which begs the question why they were included in the first place.  Left back Edgar Castillo picked up a knock on his foot during training that has ruled him out for the last two qualifying matches of the group stage.  Fabian Johnson, the first choice left back, has come down with a bad case of the flu and Klinsmann removed him from contention for Friday’s game in Antigua to allow him to recover better for the tougher match at home against Guatemala on Tuesday.  Where do these absences leave the team’s lineup for the match in Antigua?

The loss of both natural left backs leaves a considerable gap in the team’s defense.  Steve Cherundolo will start in right side of the back four, while Geoff Cameron will partner with either Carlos Bocanegra or Clarence Goodson.  Bocanegra could play as a left back, like he did in the second half of the first game against Antigua, but I’d rather see Michael Parkhurst get the nod there.  For the United States’ first World Cup Qualifier against Antigua and Barbuda in June, both Castillo and Johnson were unfit.  In their place, midfielder Jose Francisco Torres played in defense.  This time around, Torres is recovering from a foot injury and wasn’t called into the squad.

Though he is naturally a right back, Parkhurst has filled in across the back line in his career.  This season in Denmark, the American has played 9 times as a right back and once as a center back.  Last Danish Superliga season Parkhurst played right back 17 times with two assists and a goal, center back 10 times with one assist, and left back 3 times with one assist.  That year, Parkhurst was most offensively productive as a left sided defender and has shown the ability to get up the outside throughout his career in MLS and the Danish Superliga.

Klinsmann cited Eddie Johnson and Alan Gordon‘s ability to win balls out of the air as the reason for their inclusion in the national team squad.  This points to the manager wanting wide players to serve balls into two forwards in the penalty box.  Johnson is on red-hot form for Seattle Sounders this season after finally turning his career around.  He will have to beat out Herculez Gomez for a starting spot as the advanced forward for the Nats.  Clint Dempsey is settling into the central attacking midfield role with Tottenham Hotspur, but he should start up top for the national team as a slightly withdrawn forward.  Alan Gordon could make a late appearance if the team needs a late goal, as the San Jose forward has a penchant for stoppage time goals.

The midfield has a few more options available for the match against Antigua.  Although the team doesn’t have any natural wide players with injuries to both Shea and Donovan, Klinsmann will look for midfielders playing balls into the box from wide areas.  Graham Zusi started at right midfield against Jamaica in Columbus, a game the U.S. won, and played an attacking midfield role against Mexico during that historic win at Estadio Azteca. It seems fairly certain Zusi will start on the right side of midfield in Antigua.

The left side of midfield is a bit trickier.  Torres, Shea, and Donovan have all played on the left for the national team recently and are all unavailable for the upcoming games.  Dempsey could play on the left side but that removes his deft touches and lethal shots from the penalty area.  Another option on that side is fringe player Sacha Kljestan.  Kljestan is capable on the outside as he has split his career with Chivas USA and Anderlecht between central midfield and the left side.

Defensive midfield is a crowded position in this U.S. squad.  Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, Kyle Beckerman, and Danny Williams are all naturally defensive midfield players.  Edu was listed on the official roster as a defender and could be seen as more of a back-up central defender in Klinsmann’s eyes.  Kyle Beckerman is an MLS All-Star and has flashes for the national team, but he seems out of his playing depth at the international level.  Jermaine Jones could start against Antigua but his weak performances in recent games point to Danny Williams getting the nod.

If Klinsmann plays two forwards up top, the other central midfielder will need to be less of a ball carrier and more of a passing playmaker.  While Dempsey, Kljestan, Zusi, or Corona could play behind two forwards, Michael Bradley will probably start in central midfield.  Bradley missed the qualifiers against Jamaica with a quad strain in his right leg, but capped his return to fitness with a goal for club side AS Roma recently.  Bradley has played on both the right and left side of midfield on a number of occasions in the past calendar year, but he can serve the team better operating in the center of midfield.


This first formation is what I think Klinsmann should pick because it accentuates the strengths of several players.  Generally the lineup looks like a traditional 4-4-2, but the dynamism of the players on the field will allow Klinsi to shake things up and adjust his tactics during the course of the game.  Kljestan and Zusi man the flanks and will need to play in lots of balls to Dempsey and Gomez, who have both shown a scoring ability with their heads.  Bradley will sit on the edge of the area to take shots from range or recycle possession around.  Williams will marshal the midfield and provide cover when fullbacks push forward.

 

This second formation is another option that has a lot of similarities to the first.  A 4-2-3-1 gives Jermaine Jones another chance to prove himself for the U.S. and gets Bradley more involved in and around the penalty area.  Clint Dempsey will drift inside and look to have the ball on his foot so both Danny Williams and the left back (in this instance Bocanegra) will have to be aware of the space behind Demps.  Cherundolo will be important getting forward on the right side and Bocanegra may have to play inside to allow Parkhurst to get up the left.  Williams and Bradley will be crucial to any success the U.S. finds in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.

Whatever the formation and lineup Jurgen Klinsmann chooses on Friday, or the weather in the Caribbean, or the condition of the pitch in Antigua, there is no way to escape the fact that the United States needs to win this match.  Antigua and Barbuda are truly minnows in comparison with the perennial World Cup Qualifiers.  With national pride on the line and needing 3 points to continue their chance of advancing to the Hexagonal Round of Qualification (but still mathematically possible), Antigua may be forced to play a more open style of game.  No matter which players walk out on the field on Friday night, the U.S. needs to attack Antigua early and set a quick tempo to the game.  Anything less than a win for the Yanks is a failure.

El Tri Stutters Against the United States

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I was lucky enough to be a part of something special on Wednesday night.  Not only was I with a group of other American Outlaws watching the United States Men’s National Team make history with their 1-0 victory at Estadio Azteca, but we were part of a dual fan base effort at a Rochester area Mexican restaurant.  I said in an earlier post about the U.S.-Mexico rivalry that the two footballing nations are intrinsically intertwined and this came to light on Wednesday as well.  Here are the conclusions I reached about the Mexican national team after two car ride discussions Thursday afternoon with my girlfriend, a lifelong Mexico supporter.

By most accounts, Mexico should have done better than they did against their biggest rivals.  El Tri was missing two players from their first choice XI, Carlos Salcido and Giovani dos Santos, but Mexico still trotted out a much more experienced starting lineup than the United States.  Mexico dominated in all statistics but one; the score.  Mexico had 19 attempts on goal to 7 for the United States, 13 total shots to 7, 10 corner kicks to 0, 34 crosses to 4, 490 passes to 248, 66.2% possession to 33.8%.  The point is, quite simply, that Mexico could not score.

Jorge Torres Nilo is Mexico’s first choice left back and the pairing of Hector Moreno and Maza (Francisco Javier Rodriguez) is the partnership for the next World Cup cycle.  Hiram Mier, an Olympic breakout player, is one for the future but at age 22 he isn’t better than either center back who started.  Severo Meza is the right back that started the last two World Cup Qualifiers and he is some way better than late game substitute Enrique Perez and Efrain Juarez at the moment.  This means that in each of the four defensive positions, Mexico played their strongest option.

Jesus Zavala is a starting XI player for Mexico in central midfield.  The other starter in Chepo de la Torre’s 4-2-3-1 is Carlos Salcido.  The former Fulham left back now plays one of the two holding midfield roles for Mexico and he was missed against the United States  In his place, 24 year old Manuel Viniegra made his debut for El Tri as Salcido recovered from his participation in the Olympic Games.

In the Olympic Final, Mexico was solid for many of the same reasons the U.S. was strong against Mexico Wednesday night.  All of the pressure was on Mexico to beat the United States because El Tri has never lost to the Yanks on home soil.  Similarly, in the Olympics there was an overwhelming pressure on Brazil to win gold.  In the gold medal match, Mexico had already surpassed expectations by guaranteeing themselves at least a silver medal.  In the same way, the U.S. had already met expectations by holding off Mexico for so long and even controlling play for stretches in the first half.  Mexico was forced to press harder in the second half and left themselves vulnerable to a U.S. counterattack.  The Mexican players were almost solely focused on pushing up the field to support the attack, that’s why Severo Meza was embarrassingly swept aside by Brek Shea, Maza was dragged out of position to the byline by the FC Dallas winger, nobody stepped in front of the passing lane to Terrence Boyd, and no Mexican player was able to put a body on Michael Orozco Fiscal.

Missing Giovani dos Santos hurt Mexico a great deal against the United States.  Everything going forward for Mexico runs through Gio.  The two holding midfielders consistently using Gio as their outlet from the back.  Gio can dependably spread the play wide with accurate passes to Guardado and Barrera in the channels.  When the cross isn’t available for the wingers, Gio is usually open at the top of the box to lay the ball off to after cutting inside.  Gio has the composure on the ball and foot skills to open up a yard of space to get his shot off or play a ball into the stride of Chicharito.  During the Olympics, Marco Fabian announced himself to Mexico fans as the heir apparent to Giovani’s role playing in the hole.  If ever Gio is hurt for a major fixture in the future, Fabian should be able to slot into the trequarista position for Mexico rather seamlessly.

Instead of either of those players, who both participated in the Olympics along with Salcido, Mexico had a few choices for that position.  In the World Cup Qualifier against Guyana, Mexico played Chicharito in the hole behind Aldo de Nigris.  This experiment wasn’t very successful but it would have still been an option.  Angel Reyna beat out Edgar Gerardo Lugo and Elias Hernandez for the start behind Chicharito.  Reyna is a decent attacking midfielder who has excelled at the highest levels in Mexican domestic football with América and Monterrey, but that isn’t his natural position or role on the field.

The other three attacking positions are Mexico’s star players; recent Valencia signing Andres Guardado, recent Cruz Azul signing Pablo Barrera, and still Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.  These three players were Mexico’s starters in their triumphant Gold Cup run and look to be very important on the road to Brazil 2014.  There were a couple notes to take away from the front three against the United States though.

Barrera wasn’t altogether poor, but he did not have a great game against the U.S. and was subbed out at halftime.  His replacement Elias Hernandez was explosive down the right side and almost instinctively attacked directly at American left back Edgar Castillo.  Mexico’s right flank was much more dangerous in the second half than it was in the first.

And then there’s Chicharito.  The hopes and dreams of an entire nation of football fans rest on the striker’s diminutive shoulders.  There’s certainly an argument to be made for saying Chicharito is out of form.  He didn’t really play consistently for Manchester United last season due to concussion symptoms and the meteoric rise of Danny Welbeck.  Perhaps Chicharito just never showed up for the match mentally.  But then there’s also a lot to be said for the job Geoff Cameron did on Mexico’s forward.  Cameron made his presence known to Chicharito often and early by putting a body on him.

Chicharito is not a big guy so when he gets pushed around by guys half a foot taller than him and maybe 60 pounds heavier than him… he’s going to feel it.  A player only has to get hit three or four times like that before he decides maybe not to go for a header or not to drive at defenders with the ball at his foot.  When Chicharito plays in England, all the defenders are bigger and stronger than him but he’s as good as anyone in the world at making darting runs in the box to open up yards of space for himself.  Perhaps he just didn’t feel the same hunger on Wednesday night that he has in the past for big club games against the likes of Chelsea.

Chicharito’s dramatics after missing his headers late in the game, laying face down on the field, aptly displayed the frustration that all of the Mexican players must have felt internally.  After the U.S. scored Mexico went into full panic mode and everyone was sprinting up the field like chickens with their heads cut off.

I had the game going down as a 2-1 victory to Mexico.  I thought Mexico would control more of the ball and have a lot more chances and corner kicks than their rivals; which came true.  I thought the U.S. would be able to battle back through grit and determination to snatch a goal on the counterattack; which also came true.  However Mexico just couldn’t figure out a way to get past the back four and Tim Howard.

While El Tricolor is still very much a stronger team than the United States, especially looking at future national team prospects, this loss will hurt Mexico.  Despite all of the recent successes of Mexico at the u-17, u-20, u-23 and senior level, there is still the feeling among Mexico fans that they could falter.  How typical of the old Mexico national team to hit their ceiling just as they approach the pinnacle of global football, to fumble as they are nearing favorites status for the 2014 World Cup.

This Mexico squad was very much a first choice team at the kickoff against a United States lineup that was purposely weakened by Jurgen Klinsmann.  Losing to the U.S. B-team hurts even more than the obvious shock of losing in the Azteca for just the ninth time since 1966.  Not only was it the first loss to the United States in their football cathedral, their national cauldron, but the U.S. was missing players at right back, both center backs, central midfield and forward.  I feel a bit sorry for Costa Rica who have to brace themselves for the full wrath of Mexico when they play two World Cup Qualifiers against El Tri in September.  Mexico will be champing at the bit to get back on the field and show the clinical finishing and desire to win that was lacking against the United States on Wednesday night.

Sober Reactions to the Historic U.S. Mexico Match

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My initial reaction Wednesday night and most of Thursday was jumping up and down yelling U-S-A! U-S-A!  Now that it’s Friday I feel as though I should post my thoughts about the game from the American perspective.

First and foremost: Geoff Cameron, where have you been all my life?  The recent Stoke City signing was a star of the game for the U.S. along with goalkeeper Tim Howard.  Cameron was dominant in the air and made a point to put a body on Chicharito early and often.  Cameron’s constant reminders to the forward were one of the reasons why Chicharito was unable to put his mark on the contest.  

Tim Howard had his best game for the national team in a calendar year, perhaps with the exception of the match against Italy in Genoa.  Howard was absolutely fantastic in goal on Wednesday night and made two of the biggest saves of recent memory late in the game to preserve the U.S. lead.

Maurice Edu did not earn similar plaudits.  He sometimes looked lost playing in defense instead of his normal midfield role but was physically strong enough to adapt quickly.

Fabian Johnson has proved in the past that he is Klinsmann’s first choice left back.  Klinsmann trusted him so much that he played Johnson on the right side and employed Castillo on the left side.  Edgar Castillo played well in the first half but once Mexico opened the game up in the second period, the Tijuana left back appeared to struggle with the pace and intensity of the match.

Jermaine Jones was solid defensively but lacked quality going forward.  Kyle Beckerman played a strong game and wasn’t intimidated by the atmosphere in the Azteca.  Danny Williams made a couple of quality runs in the first half but didn’t do much else to impress while playing in an unusual formation.  The 4-3-1-2 also failed to get the best out of Jose Francisco Torres.  Pachuca’s talismanic attacking midfielder was largely absent from the game and he was subbed out at halftime. Continue reading →

Breakdown of Rosters Ahead of U.S.-Mexico Friendly

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The main things to say about these rosters is that José Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre has chosen a much more experienced squad than his counterpart Jurgen Klinsmann.  This is by far the most experimental roster named by the German, whereas Chepo couldn’t select any of the players who just won gold in the London Olympics.

Something to remember about these national team roster announcements is that the position a player is listed under means little.  For instance, Adrian Aldrete is listed as a midfielder but he plays primarily as a defender.  On the U.S. side, DaMarcus Beasley is listed as a midfielder but he will play as a winger in Klinsmann’s 4-3-3 system.

It will be interesting to see if Mexico line up in their now trademark 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders, advanced wingers, and an attacking midfielder that pops up in open spaces all over the field.  Without Gio dos Santos or Marco Fabian to play that trequarista role, it is anybody’s guess who plays in the hole for this game.  Chicharito did play there against Guyana in the most recent set of World Cup Qualifiers, but to little success.  In the last year, Angel Reyna has started centrally almost as many time as he’s started on the wings.  Reyna could fill in that role, but so could Edgar Lugo.

Zavala will start as one of the holding midfielders but his partner Carlos Salcido played in the Olympics.  Guardado and Barrera should start as the wingers for Mexico and look to constantly apply pressure to an inexperienced American back four.  As for Mexico’s defense, it should be the same players who started their recent qualifying matches.

Mexico’s 18 man roster includes 13 domestically based players.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Alfredo Talavera (Toluca) [is 29 years old, has 9 senior caps], Guillermo Ochoa (AC Ajaccio, France) [27 year old, 49 senior caps] =58 caps total

DEFENDERS (6): Francisco Javier Rodriguez (VfB Stuttgart, Germany) [30, 70], Hector Moreno (RCD Espanyol, Spain) [24, 34], Severo Meza (Monterrey) [26, 5], Hugo Ayala (Tigres UANL) [25, 6], Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres UANL) [24, 23], Enrique Perez (Morelia) [23, 1] =139 caps (69 without Maza)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Jesus Zavala (Monterrey) [25, 13], Manuel Viniegra (Tigres UANL) [24, 0], Edgar Lugo (Santos Laguna) [27, 3], Adrian Aldrete (Club America) [24, 8], Pablo Barrera (Cruz Azul) [25, 49], Andres Guardado (Valencia C.F., Spain) [25, 82], Angel Reyna (Monterrey) [27, 13] =168 caps (86 without Guardado)

FORWARDS (3): Aldo de Nigris (Monterrey) [29, 18], Javier Hernandez (Manchester United) [24, 38], Elias Hernandez (Tigres UANL) [23, 7] =63 caps (25 without Chicharito)

Mexico’s starting 11 could look a lot like this:

The U.S. team is more of a tryout than anything else.  Only three players in the squad have more than 37 caps for the senior national team (Howard, Donovan and Beasley).  If Klinsmann sticks with his 4-3-3 formation, look for Donovan and Beasley to start as the wide forwards.  Donovan is the main threat for the U.S. with the exclusion of Clint Dempsey and Beasley, when healthy, has been a man on fire playing club football down in Mexico.  It’s a toss up as to who will start up top among Wondolowski, Gomez and Terrence Boyd.

San Jose defender Steven Beitashour should get the nod at right back.  Orozco Fiscal can play, and has played this calendar year, as a center back, left back, right back, and sweeper.  Because of this versatility, Klinsmann may keep him on the bench as a utility substitute for the defense.  Besler could then partner recent Stoke City signing Geoff Cameron in central defense while Johnson battles Castillo for the starting spot at left back.

Klinsmann has shown that he likes to play at least two defensive minded midfielders.  With Michael Bradley left in Rome to settle into his new club, any two of Beckerman, Edu and Jones should start.  That leaves one midfield slot left for a creative attacking player.  Based on experience, I’d say Jose Francisco Torres starts and Joe Corona is a replacement option off the bench.

The U.S.’s 23 man roster includes 10 domestically based players.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard (Everton) [is 33 years old, has 78 caps], Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire) [23, 2], Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) [33, 6] =86 caps

DEFENDERS (6): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) [25, 0], Steven Beithashour (San Jose Earthquakes) [25, 0], Geoff Cameron (Stoke City) [27, 5], Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana) [25, 6], Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis) [26, 4], Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim) [24, 6] =21 caps (15 without Castillo or Johnson)

MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla) [30, 96], Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) [30, 21], Joe Corona (Club Tijuana) [22, 1], Maurice Edu (Rangers) [26, 37], Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04) [30, 21], Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca) [24, 18], Brek Shea (FC Dallas) [22, 12], Danny Williams (Hoffenheim) [23, 5], Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) [25, 2] =213 caps (117 without Beasley)

FORWARDS (4): Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna) [21, 4], Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy) [30, 143], Herculez Gomez (Santos) [30, 13], Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) [29, 8] Alan Gordon [30, 0] =168 caps (25 without Donovan)

I think the starting 11 for the U.S. will look like this.

Based solely on the international experience of the players selected, Mexico is a clear favorite for this match being played at Estadio Azteca.  However, the grit and determination of MLS players along with Alan Gordon’s penchant for late game heroics, the match might not be as easy for Mexico as their pundits have been saying.

The U.S.-Mexico Rivalry, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the U.S. National Team

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The United States vs Mexico rivalry has always stirred up strange emotions in me.  When I was younger (circa high school age), I was a U.S. soccer basher.  It is hard to admit, but I hated MLS and heavily criticized the firm defensive style favored by Bob Bradley.  Both the national team and nearly all MLS sides played a direct, predictable and ugly brand of soccer in my young eyes.  The U.S. team did not win games or play particularly exciting soccer, so why bother supporting them?  Instead, the soccer from south of the border pulled my interest.

In my adolescence, I was solely an El Tricolor fan.  This support had nothing to do with the language or culture, as I had not yet learned conversational Spanish and didn’t have many friends in the Mexican-American community in Western New York then.  The Mexican national team appealed to me because of the dynamic style of play they exhibited on the field.  They were just more fun for me to watch than the U.S. team.

I remember in 2009 my friend, a Mexico supporter, was trying to give me flack for the 5-0 drubbing in the Concacaf Gold Cup Final.  I didn’t bite because at that time it didn’t bother me at all at the time that Mexico’s A team routed the U.S. B team.  I had no great sense of national pride and I only mentioned in passing that the U.S. A team would have given a better match if they weren’t preparing for the Confederations Cup.

After I went off to college I had a bit of a revelation; I started watching MLS matches and caring about the U.S. national team.  In 2010, I supported both Mexico and the U.S. at the World Cup in South Africa.  Mexico was definitely more fun to watch as they eased to victory against France and actually traded chances with Argentina.  The U.S. on the other hand somehow topped their group with only five points playing an American style.

More importantly, the U.S. had a tremendous emotional appeal for American sports fans during the World Cup.  Landon Donovan’s near post roofed, blast of a shot was surpassed  only by his now iconic late game rebound goal against Algeria which sent the U.S. into the Round of 16.  By this time, Mexico still played a brand of soccer that was more attractive to me, but I had developed some sense of emotional connection to the U.S. team.

Fast forward to the 2011 Gold Cup and it was largely the same story.  El Tri exhibited a fluid and dynamic style of soccer and won their three group games by a combined score of 14 to 1.  In stark contrast, the U.S. struggled to beat Guadeloupe and was wholly embarrassed by Panama in the group stage.  At some point during the knockout stages, it dawned on me; the U.S. was actually going to play against Mexico in a competitive match with both countries’ strongest squads.

If I was still an independent observer, I would have liked the game for producing 6 goals.  If I was still just a fan of El Tri, I’d have loved the game for the result and manner of comeback.  But I wasn’t either of those things; I was a full-hearted U.S. supporter and that game was the worst kind of pain.  I was shocked when Bradley put us ahead and then overconfident when Donovan nabbed the second.  Watching the U.S. team unravel and ultimately capitulate in the 66 remaining minutes was not only like witnessing a train wreck but rather like sitting on that train.

When I saw Gerrardo Torrado look for Gio’s diagonal run into the box, my stomach turned.  I knew the resulting play wasn’t going to be pretty, however, I just assumed dos Santos would win the footrace and chip Tim Howard.  What actually happened was much worse.  The scene of Tim Howard crawling and swiping helplessly at the ball was etched into my brain.  For U.S. fans, that goal is the stuff of nightmares.  Howard’s reaction after the goal, squatting down hoping the ground would open up, was no doubt emulated by all supporters of the Stars and Stripes who were watching the game with Mexico supporting friends.

“Hey man, did you like seeing Gio make Howard crawl around like a dog?”  I had to answer to that for months.  I later took some solace in knowing that being bothered by those comments meant that I had internalized the fate of the U.S. team.

Then in January 2012, I lived in Puebla, Mexico for 5 months as part of a study abroad program.  Clearly many of my conversations turned to soccer.  I had been following the Mexican Primera Division for a few years and had the pleasure of attending three matches while I was living there.  I also had the chance to watch the Mexico – Colombia friendly match, which was the same day the U.S. beat Italy.

At the beginning of the match, I was rooting for Mexico but as the game wore on and Rafael Marquez proved himself a liability in defense (which is a great conversation starter with El Tri fans), I couldn’t help but gloat a bit.  On the same day that the U.S. beat a world power in Europe, Mexico struggled against an inferior Colombian side in Miami.

Each of these episodes has been a chapter in my evolution as a soccer fan; I have grown from wholly disinterested in the U.S., to disappointed, to humiliated, to hopeful and proud.  Right now, I’d say I have reached the maturation of my national fan-dom.  I love the U.S. team, but I still cheer for El Tri.  As long as Mexico isn’t playing the U.S., I don’t see why not.  I have more friends who support Mexico than the U.S., and I was never one for hatred along national divides (though club loyalties are a different story).

In the coming weeks I look forward to hearing the stories of why you support your team and learning what this rivalry means to you.  To me, this match is the most important game of the year for both teams.  And while tempers may flare during the game (and perhaps a few days after), it is important to me to remember that the U.S. and Mexico will always be intertwined, just as they were in the development of my soccer profile.

Analyzing Antigua and Barbuda’s Roster

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Between September 2011 and November 2011, Antigua and Barbuda participated in the second round of CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 World Cup.  The results in these six matches (5-0-1 in a group against Haiti, Curacao, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) earned Antigua passage to the next phase, in a group with the United States, Guatemala and Jamaica.

Key players, those who played in at least four of the team’s six games, were:
Molvin James (GK), Ranja Christian, Marc Joseph, Quinton Griffith, Tamorley Thomas, Randolph Burton, Lawson Robinson, Peter Byers, George Dublin, and Karanja Mack.
(Mikele Leigertwood, Keiran Murtagh, and Justin Cochrane each made 3 appearances)

Antigua national team players who have featured for Antigua Barracuda FC this season are:
George Dublin, 7 games, 591 mins
Karanja Mack, 8 games, 715 mins
Ranja Christian, 5 games, 95 mins
Quinton Griffith, 8 games, 696 mins, 2 goals
Akeem Thomas, 8 games, 635 mins
Tamorley Thomas, 7 games, 342 mins
Lawson Robinson, 7 games, 379 mins
Kimoi Alexander, 7 games, 467 mins, 1 assist
Eugene Kirwan, 1 game, 5 mins
Peter Byers, 8 games, 595 mins, 1 goal and 3 assists
Randolph Burton, 3 games, 131 mins
Kerry Skepple, 4 games, 134 mins
Stefan Smith, 8 games, 562 mins, 4 goals
Keita De Castro, 2 games, 1.5 GAA, 180 mins, 3 GA, 2 losses, 12 saves, 18 shots against
Molvin James, 6 games, 2.166 GAA, 540 mins, 12 GA, 2 wins, 4 losses, 21 saves, 56 shots against

A Venn diagram of the two lists of players would show that Molvin James (GK), Ranja Christian, Quinton Griffith, Tamorley Thomas, Randolph Burton, Lawson Robinson, Peter Byers, George Dublin, Karanja Mack were all both key players for Antigua in last year’s qualifying and contributors on Antigua Barracuda FC.  These nine players form the backbone of both the Antigua and Barbuda national team and Antigua Barracuda FC.  This shows exactly how weak the national team is, given that Antigua Barracuda FC is currently sitting in 10th place out of 11 teams in USL-Pro.  ABFC has conceded 16 goals in 8 games while only scoring 7 goals all season and winning two games, both of which were early season games at home.  In fact, ABFC have not scored a single goal away from home and have only scored one goal over their last five games since a victory on April 28.

Other players who played 3 or 4 games during World Cup qualifying and don’t play for Antigua Barracuda FC are:
Mikele Leigertwood (29) is a defensive midfielder for Reading (newly promoted to the Premier League).
Keiran Murtagh (23) is a lower level midfielder in England, having played for Wycombe, Cambridge United and Woking in recent years.
Marc Joseph (35) is a central defender playing for a non-league side in England.
Justin Cochrane (30) is a defensive player who was recently playing on a non-league English team.

Antigua and Barbuda played four friendly matches in early 2012.  29 February, a 4-0 loss to Trinidad and Tobago.  3 March, a 1-0 win in St Kitts and Nevis.  1-0 loss in St Vincent and the Grendines on 30 March before getting a 2-1 win in St V and G on 1 April with goals from Lawson Robinson and Peter Byers.  Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines all failed to progress to the third round of the qualification process.

Anton Blackwood (20) is a right back who plays with non-league football in England and Dexter Blackstock (26), who made 22 appearances for Nottingham Forest this past season, both debuted for the Antigua and Barbuda national team against Trinidad and Tobago.

This Antigua and Barbuda national team consists of most of the starting XI from Antigua Barbuda FC, a team that can not handle the level of play in USL-Pro.  USL-Pro is the third level of professional soccer in the United States and ABFC is the second worst team in that league.  Though Peter Byers is the tournament’s second leading scorer with 8 goals and Dexter Blackstock is an important player at a not horrible Championship team, Antigua and Barbuda should not have one single shot on goal in the match on Friday.  If the United States Men’s National Team cannot get a result in Tampa, Florida, we should all just give up and stop caring about this sport.

Initial Reaction to USMNT Loss to Brazil

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I’m not going to say “Back to reality for the Nats.”  I’m not going to say, “The result was unfair.”  I’m not going to say “Brazil was on form.”  I’m just going to get into some player ratings.

Tim Howard was solid in goal but was strung out to dry by his defense.
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Carlos Bocanegra was decent in tonight’s game.  He didn’t make any spectacular last ditch tackles but wasn’t exposed.
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The same cannot be said for Oguchi Onyewu.  I am a big fan of Onyewu but he was out of his depth tonight.  He was called for the handball that led to Neymar’s penalty goal, he was one of four American players who failed to pick up Marcelo on his goal, and he kept Pato onside on his goal.  His recovery to pre-knee injury form does not seem to be as far as we had hope.
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Fabian Johnson impressed against Brazil.  He was consistently a threat attacking down the left side, set up Gomez’s late first half goal, and was as good in the back as anyone in a U.S. shirt.
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Steve Cherundolo didn’t make many mistakes defensively and combined well going forward.  He managed to laugh off Marcelo’s annoying antics in the second half.
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Maurice Edu made some important tackles but was not crisp with his passing.
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Jermaine Jones made a few lung busting runs this game and had a delightful tackle on Neymar that the referee thought was worthy of a yellow card (I politely disagree).  Jones has proven himself to be a solid force in the midfield for the U.S.
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Michael Bradley is the passing maestro for the U.S. in the midfield.  He played a great ball through for Johnson to run onto in the build up to the team’s goal.  He not only has the ability to see a pass but is not afraid to get dirty and make a strong tackle.
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José Torres was involved in attacking movements for the U.S. but did not make much of an impression before getting substituted.
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Landon Donovan showed today that when he is not firing, the U.S. lacks production up top.  He routinely failed to get by Marcelo but continued to take him head-on.  He did play several dangerous corners into the area in the second half.
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Herculez Gomez showed what a center forward needs to do in Klinsmann’s 4-3-3.  He played tremendously with his back to goal, drew several fouls from Brazil’s central defenders, was active in attacking sequences, and spread the ball out well when passes were played into him.  His first touch let him down and had that been better, the team might have had a couple more goals tonight.
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Clint Dempsey subbed in for Torres and made a few chances in his time on the field.  He had a wonderful opportunity when Gomez headed down for him on a short cross from Johnson and put a header just wide from a Donovan corner.
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Terrence Boyd had a poor shot attempt wide and hit his rebound from Gomez’s chance right at Brazil’s keeper Rafael.  He desperately needs more match experience to develop his raw forward ability.
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Michael Parkhurst replaced Cherundolo and didn’t do too poorly.  He did get embarrassed by Neymar on one play down the left, but what defender hasn’t?
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Kyle Beckerman didn’t make much of a positive impact on the game as a late substitute, but he did manage to prevent making a negative impact.
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Edgar Castillo faced a challenge coming on for the most dynamic American player tonight.; Johnson.  He didn’t make many mistakes in his ten minutes except for allowing Pato space on Brazil’s fourth goal, even though he thought he was pulling the A.C. Milan forward offside.
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At least we know the match against Canada will be a much easier test than this Brazil side.

Belated Review of the USMNT Destruction of Scotland

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Scotland’s lineup (4-5-1): Allan McGregor; Andy Webster, Gary Caldwell, Charlie Mulgrew, Phillip Bardsley; James McArthur, Scott Brown, Shaun Maloney, Matthew Phillips, Barry Bannan; Kenny Miller

United States lineup (4-3-3): Tim Howard; Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson; Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley; Jose Francisco Torres, Landon Donovan, Terrence Boyd

Oguchi Onyewu for Bocanegra, 63
Kyler Beckerman for Edu, 64
Herculez Gomez for Boyd, 64
Joe Corona for José Torres, 68
Brad Guzan for Tim Howard, 71
Edgar Castillo for Fabian Johnson, 73
Bradley drove forward and laid the ball off to Jones who poked the play forward before falling to the ground. The ball rolled to Donovan near the PK spot who turned on his right foot to take a quick shot on his left foot. His first effort was blocked but he was the first to the rebound and roofed his second shot past 3 scottish defenders on the goalline.  1-0 to the U.S.A. in the third minute.

In just the eleventh minute, the U.S. doubled their advantage.  Donovan played a ball centrally to Jermaine Jones, who laid off a pass to Michael Bradley from over 25 yards out.  Bradley tries an audacious volley from range but strikes through the ball with beautiful form and fires his shot into the upper ninety.  2-0 U.S.A. on what has been called the best strike in recent memory for the Nats.  See the shot for yourself (and also Jurgen Klinsmann’s priceless reaction) http://imgon.net/di-QLL5.gif Continue reading →