The World Cup is full of moments. When the good ones come your way, it’s best to savour them because sweet victory can turn to bitter defeat in the blink of an eye. The USA found that out on Saturday evening in Rustenburg, when Ghana struck very early in extra time, after the Americans had fought back for the 3rd time in their 4 matches.
The Africans, a team known for their excellent ball movement, surprised the US with a change of pace. In the opening minutes of the overtime, pegged back by the aggressive Americans, Andrew Ayew either followed instructions given by Ghanaian manager,Ratomir Dujkovic, during the short break before the restart, or made a desperate box to box clearance. In either case, Asamoah Gyan outraced Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra to the ball, played it off his chest and absorbed the shoulder check of a desperate Bocanegra. Then, somehow retaining his balance , he lashed a half volley over the head and hands of Tim Howard and under the crossbar. It was a true moment in the competition, glorious for the Ghanaians and stunning for the Yanks.
There is no question the American players believed in themselves. The list of adversities overcome in the past year is inspiring, to say the least. After losing the opening two matches in their group at the Confederations Cup, they manhandled Egypt 3-0 to advance to the semi-final, stunned the world’s #1, Spain, in that contest, and then jumped out to a 2-0 victory over the Brazilians, in the finals, before running out of gas.
Returned, but not 100%
Sorely missed
Several months later, while being driven home from a private celebration after the team’s World Cup qualifying draw versus Costa Rica, their sensational striker Charlie Davies, was critically injured in a fatal car accident. Davies, with a herculean effort, had Sam’s Army holding it’s breath until the final cut date for the 23 man roster, hoping he’d play in the World cup. Sadly, he fell just short of being ready.
Defender Oguchi Onweyu suffered a serious knee injury in that Costa Rica match and, subsequently, saw no action until the warmup friendlies for the tournament. ”Gooch” was able to play his way into a semblance of fitness that allowed him to contribute to the US effort in the group stage. Those contributions were inconsistent, though, and he wasn’t fit enough to be relied upon for a full 90 minutes.
Tim Howard
In the tournament itself, the Yanks’ resolve was tested through their own consistently slow starts, as well as two exceedingly horrendous officiating decisions. Still, exhibiting the famous never say die American fighting spirit, they refused to give up. Led by timely contributions from the more stellar players in the side, Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and, here and there, Jozy Altidore, the US actually won the group over England, on the second tiebreaker, goals scored. Still, it’s not wise to test fate too often and after falling behind twice against Ghana, the Americans ran out of last-minute heroics.
Landon Donovan
In the aftermath, most fans, of the US and the game in general, will credit them with having had a successful tournament. That’s the beauty of being a second class citizen. No one expects too much of you. If those fans were to put a microscope to the US performance, though, they might not be so forgiving.
While the roster could not be called deep, the Americans had enough talent to do damage. Further, winning the group provided them with a much easier path into the nether regions of the tournament. Tim Howard proved time and again that he is worthy of comparison to the likes of Julio Cesar, Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon. Landon Donovan came into his own during a springtime loan spell at Everton and contributed late heroics against Slovenia, Algeria and Ghana. Finally, Clint Dempsey’s timely goals in Fulham’s incredible journey to the Europa League final were a harbinger of his efforts against England and in drawing the penalty versus Ghana.
Clint Dempsey
The trio was supported well by Michael Bradley, Bocanegra and DeMerit in the middle of the pitch, Steve Cherundolo at right back and, at times, Altidore up front. Benny Feilhaber, coming off the bench, changed the course of more than one match for the US, too.
That being said, there were major weaknesses in the squad, by World Cup standards.
Altidore’s inconsistency and lack of pace, for one. He’s essentially a poor man’s Emile Heskey. I actually admire Heskey’s abilities, don’t get me wrong. Still, I know a backhanded compliment when I write one. Against a smaller side, like Algeria, Altidore was able to outmuscle his opponents and have a strong impact on the match. With the bigger, more physical Africans, he was less effective and was constantly run down when pursuing through balls.
... you are the weakest link!
Jonathan Bornstein...
Moreover, the US is incredibly vulnerable on the left side. Dempsey is their best option but he has a propensity for cutting into the middle. Jonathan Bornstein, the preferred left back, is too timid to overlap and fill the vacated space and too inept to defend effectively, even though he stays well back.
Is this lack of width what did the US in? Ultimately, I suppose that could be argued but there is a far more glaring deficiency within the USMNT. The tactical nous of the coach, Bob Bradley, is seriously lacking.
After noticing a trend in the American matches, I went back and compared Bradley’s substitution patterns to the rest of the teams in the competition. Combined, the other 31 nations made substitutions in the 1st half or before the restart approximately 12% of the time. The rate was slightly higher for the teams that were eliminated and lower for those who progressed (not counting the US). Still, the difference was slight, within 5% of the overall average...
For the Americans, the percentage of early substitutions was a whopping 45%. You read that correctly. Almost half of their substitutions were made before the second half began. In 3 out of 4 matches, Bradley felt the need to make drastic changes in the early going.
That might be shrugged off as being a result of the all too typical slow starts of the USMNT. It’s something they’ve endured not just in this tournament but throughout Bradley’s tenure. The persistence of that pattern suggests that the answer lies with the coaching. The heart of the squad, in repeatedly coming from behind, further implies that it isn’t a problem of mental toughness. To my mind, the crux of the problem is Bradley’s match planning.
In the interests of fairness, it should be noted that there were three other countries with unusual numbers.
Of those, only Chile made it to the elimination rounds. Their manager, the mad scientist, Marcello Bielsa, is famous for tinkering with his lineups both during and between matches. His 4 early changes can be put down to three things. He made two switches at the half, searching for a path to goal against the Swiss, who hadn’t conceded in the better part of forever. Then against Spain, Chile found themselves down 0-2, quite against the run of play. Needing to get back in the match and unfairly down a man, Bielsa wanted to inject a spark into his side, while simultaneously compensating for the manpower disadvantage.
Both Greece and Italy, the latter with its mind-boggling 5 first half changes in 3 matches, were constantly playing from behind. Noted for their defensive prowess, both clubs had not lived up to billing and lacked the offensive firepower to compensate. Seeking answers, each manager, but Marcello Lippi, especially, went to the bench early and often. There was nothing there for them, however, and the 2 nations were doomed to failure.
Having to make too many corrections
Even with the prior mention of a weak left side, the USA, on the other hand, did have several tactical options within reach. So gifted, Bradley was not one to trot out the same eleven men match after match. He changed it up dependent upon whom the US was playing. Unfortunately, the numbers suggest his choices were wrong far too often.
Throughout qualification, he has favoured Jonathan Bornstein at left back. Bornstein rarely ventures forward, although he is a hero in Honduras, after his tying goal against Costa Rica in the final qualification match put that country through (That Cost Rica match has turned out to be a critical moment in time for the Americans on their World Cup journey). On defense, Bornstein, who plays for Chivas USA in MLS, gave speedy World Cup wingers far too much room, fearing his own lack of pace, and thus allowed his marks free rein to send dangerous crosses into the box.
In the group stage, Bradley did go to Bocanegra at left back but Onweyu’s aggravated knee required that the Rennes man come back into the middle. Still, there were other options in central defence, most notably Clarence Goodson, that could have allowed the captain to remain on the outside. Bradley, however, is reluctant to trust to new players to the squad, no matter their form.
Buddle buried the Aussies but his admirer, Findley, was somehow favoured
Despite that reticence, Bradley did put a lot of trust in Real Salt Lake man, Robbie Findley, to use his speed to stretch defences. Findley, who last year played a major part in Salt Lake’s MLS championship run, is fast. The trouble is, when you put the ball at his feet, he doesn’t know what to do with it.
A better option would have been LA Galaxy’s Edson Buddle. The mercurial veteran has a shade less pace, but makes up for it with a matchmaker’s passion for introducing the ball to the back of the net. Seven goals in the Galaxy’s 1st five matches and 2 more against Australia, just prior to the tournament, confirmed his form. If that wasn’t enough, he plays and practices daily with Landon Donovan in Los Angeles. There’s a natural understanding between the pair, yet during the competition, Bradley showed no confidence in him.
Waiting in the wings?
Fans and pundits always second guess managers. Typically,we have far less experience and are certainly unaware of the goings on during match preparation. In this case, however, the evidence is clear. Bob Bradley has reached his limits as the US coach. The talent is there for the US to go deeper in the tournament but a new hand is needed at the helm.
In California, there is a man with experience as a national and top European club manager, who understands and embraces American training methods, yet also has a sound tactical mind.
Perhaps it is time for Sunil Gulati and the USSF to seriously court the services of Juergen Klinsmann.
Discussion
No comments yet.