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USMNT turn the page after European successes with Gold Cup ahead
If only the U.S. national team could linger on the historic results in Netherlands and Germany a little longer. The victories in Amsterdam and Cologne last month injected fresh belief and energy through the ranks and reflected the long-stated desire to implement an expansive approach against top opposition. They also served as a glittering line of demarcation. Those triumphs closed the book on a year filled with high-profile trips and widespread experimentation and paved the way for the more fundamental task ahead over the next month.
There is no mistaking those magical European nights for the arduous, gritty nature of the assignment ahead in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. There is no expectation of endeavor from the opponent. There is only a focus on obtaining results in whatever method possible.
Instead of confronting Germany and Netherlands on level terms, the Americans must brace for more pragmatic tactics and tailor their approach accordingly. They expect to receive a refresher course in those particular demands when they face Guatemala here at Nissan Stadium on Friday (live, 6:30p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go).
“It’s definitely a tough thing,” U.S. forward Chris Wondolowski said on Wednesday ahead of the game against Guatemala on Friday “It’s such a different game plan that we have, especially when we played Germany and Holland a couple of weeks ago. Those games showed we are very good on the counter attack and we can break down teams like that. At the Gold Cup, it’s going to be about possessing the ball. We’ll have a lot of that. At times, you get frustrated. That’s something we’re already starting to preach: patience. Keep the ball, keep going at it, keep going after the game plan. Eventually, you will break them down. It might not be the first minute. It might be the 50th or the 70th or the 80th minute to finally break them down. You have to have that patience.”
The need for persistence and restraint explains why U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann opted for experience as he assembled his Gold Cup roster. The presence of Panama and Honduras in Group A reduced the margin for error considerably from previous excursions through group play. Klinsmann opted for a more seasoned group to cope with the potential pitfalls ahead and establish the framework for a successful title defense and the attached FIFA Confederations Cup berth in 2017.
“If you look at our group, it’s a very difficult [one] with Panama and Honduras and, also, Haiti is a team that’s a little unpredictable, so you need to have guys in your team right now that can deal with surprises, that can deal with issues, and can deal with maybe being a goal down and turn things around,” Klinsmann told ussoccer.com when he revealed his 23-man roster last week. “That’s why we chose a really good mixture of experience and also younger guys that bring really good energy to the table.”
The blended group gathered together in Tennessee earlier this week and started the preparations for the toil ahead. Klinsmann made one change to his initial selection -- Greg Garza replaced Brad Davis (knee) for this friendly as U.S. Soccer navigated through the process of receiving approval from CONCACAF for an injury-enforced change to the Gold Cup roster -- and placed his players through their paces in a bid to prepare them.
Guatemala provides a reasonable and logical tune-up for the upcoming journey. Argentine manager Ivan Franco Sopegno steered Los Chapines back to the Gold Cup after a one-tournament absence with a second-place finish at the Copa Centroamericana last fall. Sopegno relies on a primarily domestic-based squad to produce results, though veteran captain Carlos Ruiz is a familiar figure and MLS trio Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas), Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders) and Elias Vasquez (Real Salt Lake) supply additional foreign-based nous.
Sopegno and his players hope to navigate their way through a reasonable Group C assignment -- Mexico is likely to top the group, but Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago present manageable adversaries for second place -- and secure yet another quarterfinal berth. They plan to use this fixture to assess their own approach and work on their ability to set out their stall ahead of the critical opener against Trinidad & Tobago on July 9.
Those motivations ensure a sterner test than the one offered on the cusp of the last Gold Cup. Guatemala used that 6-0 defeat in San Diego to introduce a raft of new players and submitted a underwhelming performance that did little to help the Americans prepare for the road ahead. The conditions here raise the hopes for a more useful exercise.
“It’s just a good test against Guatemala,” Wondolowski said. “They’re preparing for the Gold Cup this time. Last time, they weren’t and it was a different side. They have a game plan that will be similar to some of those teams. They’ll stay really compact, stay organized at the back. I think we’ll have a lot more possession. It’s about how you break teams down, especially when they get 11 guys behind the ball. Whether it’s getting the ball onto the flanks or connecting passes, it’s going to be a good test for us to get out there.”
At the very least, this friendly serves as a chance to case aside the past and focus intently on more measured goals. The heady trip through Europe is over now. There is a new task at hand and a new set of responsibilities to bear. Those memories might linger, but the priorities must shift immediately in order to set the Americans on the proper course to retain the Gold Cup later this month.
