Five Points: USA continues evolution and reinforces trends in draw with Honduras
BOCA RATON, Fla.
The suddenly common story line requires a caveat. United States coach Jürgen Klinsmann and his players want to win these friendlies. They do not want to concede late goals to Enner Valencia, Maynor Figueroa or any other Premier League player willing to pop up at the death to snatch a result for their team.
Much of the focus in the wake of the Americans’ 1-1 draw with Honduras at FAU Stadium on Tuesday night will inevitably fall on the themes cultivated during this post-World Cup stretch. Those concerns about the second-half fades and the troublesome late equalizers are genuine. They warrant attention given the tendencies displayed during the World Cup and over the past few games.
It is, however, important to note the priorities at this juncture. These friendlies are about building something substantial for the future, not ruminating over the occasionally frustrating present.
“We definitely want to win these games, no doubt about it, but the most important thing is to see the guys come in, break into this group and get a little bit of a feel for this environment, the expectations and get to know their teammates a little bit better,” Klinsmann said. “The process is really, really important. Therefore, we take that risk of making all of the subs and we have that interruption in our rhythm.”
The disruptions occurred a bit before those substitutions against the Hondurans, but this edition of Five Points starts with the bright start and the product at the end of it.
Jozy Altidore marked his return to his native Boca Raton, Fla. with the opening goal inside the first 10 minutes.
Bright start leads to yet another early foothold
Klinsmann plumped for a 4-4-2 diamond to accommodate his returning MLS stalwarts and urged his players to keep the tempo high at the outset. His players responded by placing Honduras under immediate pressure and using the narrow midfield to break quickly whenever possible.
Those efforts should have yielded the opener after eight minutes, but Jozy Altidore squandered an inviting opportunity with a poor square pass. Altidore made no mistake two minutes later when he corralled a wonderful Michael Bradley diagonal and thrashed it inside the near post. The goal provided Altidore with a welcome boost in his hometown, punctuated the endeavor and vindicated the approach in the early stages.
By establishing those high energy levels and pursuing the match ardently, the U.S. made it difficult for a Honduran side struggling to repel forays up the left flank and retain the most basic of 4-4-2 shapes under duress. There are concerns about the balance in those efforts -- too much industry at the outset can leave a team flagging by full time -- yet the application prompted the Americans’ best spell in the game.
U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann deployed Michael Bradley behind Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey in a 4-4-2 diamond setup. Bradley provided the assist on Jozy Altidore's opener.
Bradley, Diskerud adjust to their reversed roles
The impetus behind the encouraging start came through the partnership of Bradley and Mix Diskerud in the center of the park. Klinsmann opted to flip the two midfielders, as he has done from time to time: Diskerud played in a deeper role, while Bradley featured behind Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
“Overall, I think it was a good performance (from Diskerud), a little bit deeper than he played before because Michael Bradley is a little bit higher up in his role,” Klinsmann said. “We wanted Michael to be the connector to Clint and Jozy. Mix hid a little bit behind him. It was good. It was solid.”
It is, conceptually, a system designed to apply pressure when the ball turns over (Bradley closes consistently behind the sometimes spotty application of Altidore and Dempsey), open supply lines (Bradley grasps the runs of Altidore and Dempsey well, while Diskerud can hit a pass over distance) and provide Diskerud with more latitude on the ball (deeper positioning generally means extra time and space). The additional support offered by Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi when they tuck inside creates numerical advantages from time to time, too.
In practice, there are substantial drawbacks to consider. Both players slide out of their best spots to fit the needs elsewhere. Bradley is a capable all-rounder with the ability to pick the right pass and start the high pressure, yet his ability to establish the proper cadence in a deeper spot is lost further upfield. Diskerud is increasingly comfortable and influential at this standard, but he isn’t a particular adroit defender (his awkward lunge from a difficult angle on Mario Martinez conceded the free kick for Figueroa’s equalizer) and his tendency to dither on the ball could leave the Americans frightfully exposed if he is caught in possession.
Those issues require further introspection as Klinsmann ponders his options. Bradley deserves and needs a more stable role suited to his considerable abilities to reach his peak consistently. This particular assignment might not fit the bill, but it could change soon enough if sterner opposition mandates a different look.
Former D.C. United starlet Andy Najar played an active role in Honduras' revival after the break.
Early pressure leads to extended lull
After pursuing the game earnestly and stringing together decent spells on the ball, the U.S. started to taper off as the first half concluded. The tempo proved simply too high to sustain in the humid conditions. The iffy touches here and the misplaced passes there hinted at the changing landscape ahead.
Honduras perked up considerably after making a pair of halftime alterations. The shape -- such as it was -- remained the same, but the ambition and the menace increased considerably with the switches.
As the Americans faded out of the game and stopped applying immediate pressure on the ball, the Hondurans found more openings to slot Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto behind the line. The continued service and the inability to marshal possession effectively strained a U.S. back four adjusting to the novel presence of newly minted center back Jermaine Jones.
The decision to try Jermaine Jones at center back might provide him with an avenue to extend his international career.
Jermaine Jones embarks on his center back experiment
Jones spent much of his second half in a roving role similar to his usual approach in midfield. He figured out a way to remain grounded before the break and stay relatively connected to Matt Besler, but he needed to drift out wide right to provide support to Timothy Chandler more often than not after the interval.
It is a dangerous game for a center back to veer out toward the touchline time and time again, but Jones navigated it remarkably well given his relative inexperience at that spot. He mustered several recovery tackles and scooted back time and again to make sure he did not get beat for pace.
His culpability on Figueroa’s equalizer tarnished the otherwise successful unveiling. Klinsmann spoke hopefully about using Jones in this spot over the long term to help the 32-year-old extend his national team career. Jones said he could adjust to playing back there, too.
“I played that already in Schalke,” Jones said. “Some center back was out for the game, so they switched me back. I played in the back in Turkey for a long time. It’s not difficult for me. I am OK with that position.”
Jones performed well enough to earn another shot in that spot against stronger competition. The fundamental tools – anticipation, awareness, distribution and resolve – are in place. There are potential positioning issues and trouble spots to monitor against better sides (combination plays into the space vacated on those inevitable forays, for example), but this first step offers some validation of the concept.
The focus for the U.S. now: building a team capable of claiming the CONCACAF Gold Cup and laying a meaningful foundation for the Copa America in 2016.
Continued strides require diligence and patience
Every match needs a few of those positive developments in order to push the team forward toward next summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The idea is to create a deeper, stronger squad by introducing fresh faces and testing new ideas. There are some pitfalls ahead on the way, but those steps -- including the continued emergence of Diskerud and Greg Garza, plus the Jones experiment and the tweaks elsewhere -- reflect the state of play at this moment.
“I just think it’s going to take a while,” Altidore said. “We can’t put too much pressure on these guys. Normally, it’s one or two, but now we have five, six, seven of them. We just have to give them time.”
Time is a luxury available to Klinsmann and his players right now. It is up to them to ensure it does not go to waste over the next few months.
