Azerbaijan Recap: Familiar Mild Frustration
I WAS NOT KIDDING ABOUT MORPH YOU GUYS
5/27/2014 – USA 2, Azerbaijan 0
This was a CONCACAF game. The frustrating 90 minutes of set pieces and 11 Azeris behind the ball was very familiar. The US plays a dozen of these every cycle in Panama or Honduras or El Salvador. There were even adverse conditions, as the wind at Candlestick was fierce enough to blow free kicks away from their designated spot. The thing ended like various CONCACAF games, with the US making a set piece breakthrough and then finishing the game out.
So what was the point of that? I don't know. A game like that makes all the sense in the world before the start of the final round of World Cup qualifying. Now it is a wasted opportunity.
For what it's worth, there's no shame in struggling to assemble a goal against Azerbaijan. Group winner Russia scratched out 1-0 and 1-1 games in qualifying against them. They are a tough nut to crack.
Except on set pieces. It is literally impossible for a striker to be more wide open on a corner than Johannsson was on the second.
WHOOPS
This reminds me of one of two goals I scored in my brief adult rec soccer career (which ended when my ACL went bye). That's how bad that was.
A few minutes into the game they set Wondolowski loose on a free kick and I marveled that things like that keep happening to Wondo. While I do think his movement is brilliant and he doesn't get enough credit for it… uh… maybe not the best opponent to make his case.
And the other goal. Just one of those things that happen when the ball falls in the right place a couple times.
The most important thing from the night.
Klinsmann: Dempsey groin issue "not serious at all." Expects him to be ready for Turkey.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) May 28, 2014 Not having your most creative attacking player also contributes to the inability to unlock the Azeris. As long as he's fine, it's fine. Fine.
That last bit was a joke. But "fine" is apparently our watchword today.
“Everyone did fine. They did what they were supposed to do,” Klinsmann said. “Overall it was fine.”
It was. It was fine, as long as you say "fine" in a tiny bit of a snit.
The Jones experiment. Jones was deployed as a solitary defensive midfielder for the first time in his USA career and I didn't even hate him at all. There was one mildly dangerous surging run in the first half that is probably a bad idea against higher levels of competition; other than that I think he fulfilled his role well.
Jones was very smart about when to apply pressure to get the ball back and when to commit fouls to prevent Azeri breaks off of turnovers. He even got one of his long shots in when a rebound popped out of the box. His passing wasn't really off, as the swirling winds made it impossible to judge anything longer than about 15 feet. It seemed off relative to the rest of the team because DMCs tend to make long passes to either wing. In this game that meant "make an obvious turnover." Aside from that, thumbs up.
Level of competition is an issue; so far so good. He is a lot more proactive than Beckerman, which is good until it's really not good.
The Fabian Johnson experiment. Johnson felt like the best player on the field for large chunks of the game, surging up the right side like we've seen him do on the left for some of the USA's best sequences of play. I know he's been playing there for his Bundesliga club and in the World Cup training camp; I did not expect him to seem so natural there and play so well.
He didn't get tested defensively, but defense is defense no matter what flank you're on. He provided a threat going forward that the US has not had from that spot the last four years.
The substitution pattern revealed Klinsmann's thinking when Chandler came in to replace Beasley at halftime: Johnson is all but locked in at right back and Klinsmann's working with Chandler on the left to see what he should do if his first choice guys aren't available.
Too many turnovers. The Klinsmann era has been one long attempt to turn the USA into more of a possession side against anyone. I particularly remember a friendly before the last World Cup against Holland in which the Dutch had the ball 80% of the time because the USA could not play their way out of the high pressure being applied. Time and again they resorted to the soccer equivalent of icing wherein a panicky center back would wallop the ball upfield in the vague hope the lone striker could do something with it.
There is a ceiling on that sort of play. (That ceiling is the 2009 Confederations Cup.) Klinsmann has been so desperate to break that mold that he's played almost nothing but midfielders at outside back; in this game three of the four defenders played midfield for significant chunks of their careers. The US now tries to deal with high pressure by playing through it and keeping the ball. It raises their ceiling.
In this game it led to a number of alarming turnovers that gave the Land of Fire their brief moments of offensive threat. Wind (more in the fact and lack of familiarity with the formation had something to do with it… but I wonder if part of the reason was that the US back line couldn't find options because Jones wasn't providing them as well as Bradley or Beckerman does.
Can't take anyone on, but never could. There were few instances where a US player facing an Azeri defender created something dangerous by going by him. Johnson did relieve some pressure by popping up the wing; Altidore had one run into the box from the left wing; Brad Davis (of all people!) got to the end line and got in a dangerous cross. That was about that for mano-a-mano chance creation.
This has always been the USA's lot, especially without Dempsey, and Landon Donovan doesn't fix that. While I share the dull-eyed frustration of various pundits today it doesn't mean much other than this is what happens when the USA plays a deep that is bunkering down hard. In a trash tornado, even.
In all. Okay. Kind of useless. Good to see Fabian Johnson play so well. Left mid now biggest question mark. Bring on the Turks.
I just do not like him out there starting...but I also am not sure who would replace him. Maybe Beckerman?
Beckerman is a central defensive midfielder...and that's it. Options are the left are Davis (who looked great last night), Fabian Johnson (who will start at RB) and Bedoya.
I thought Bedoya looked good last night before coming off. I could see Davis starting over him if he continues to play like he did last night.
Honestly, I had no clue about midfield depth. I liked what I saw from Davis and Mix last night. I just really think Bedoya is a waste of space out there.
Bedoya looked really good in the first half. He made a few good runs down the left and drew at least one foul just on the edge of the box. He also had a few nice crosses into the box including the second one Wondo missed (though it was a nice save).
When Davis came in, Bedoya moved to the right side and was far less effective. I've never loved Bedoya, but I did think he played a very good first half last night.
I thought Davis looked really slow in open play, both of foot and of thought. He was great in dead ball situations -- I think he provided service for both goals -- but he seemed off the pace otherwise (not as far off the pace as Yedlen, who seems the next to occupy the Marvell Wynne Chair of outside backs who are really fast but totally incapable with the ball at their feet).
I would laugh and then die if I saw Beckerman starting at either wing position.
I thought Bedoya did well and if he doesn't get the start I would like to see Mixx. I know Mixx is better playing CM, but I would rather have him out there than Brad Davis.
I think Davis was the best player in the second half last night. He assisted on Johannsson's goal, drew what should have been a penalty and was all over the left wing last night.
Diskerud is primarily right footed (unlike Davis, who does not have a right foot) so him playing on the left isn't ideal. I like him as a sub...he scored that game tying goal in Russia last year as a sub, too.
im not one to get excited about "should have drawn a penalty" - just because a player falls in the box doesn't mean hes playing well. the cross was great, but i stlil come away thinking that goal was more perfect finishing / terrible marking than anything that davis did.
fair or not, anything davis does moving forward will be compared to what LD could have done - and last night i didnt go away thinking that davis outplayed hypothetical LD.
I just think Mix is more technically gifted than Davis and has much better vision.
Mix also potentially resolves the problem of the creative part of the US's attack getting too Bradley centered in a diamond midfield. He's creative enough to tuck inside and create things, whereas Bedoya and Zusi are more channel runners. With Bedoya and Zusi, I worry that teams could man-mark Bradley out of the game and totally stymie the US ability to create through midfield.
Fabian Johnson also provides some ability to combine and create. The potential of the diamond in attack may involve Johnson sliding into the midfield to combine with Bradley and Zusi and providing an offensive threat out of the backline.
Thankfully at least Klinsman realised Beckerman is built for CONCACAF, and his woeful lack of pace would be brutally exposed at the WC.
Mix offers a more creative option from open play, but Davis brings great service from a set piece. Unfortunatley I feel our best avenue to score at the WC is probably from set pieces.
He may not be a technically sound, but the kid can make things happen on his own with the ball. Once he gets comfortable he should be a dangerous player on the wing with his ability to create.
Left mid, you say, is our biggest problem? Hmmm, if only we had a viable, experienced option who could play out there.
</sarcasm>
Honestly, I wasn't up in arms like many people about the exclusion of Donovan from the squad, but it's become clear that the U.S. lacks playmakers (as you noted above). We weren't privy to the practices so I'm not sure how good/bad Donovan looked, but if you asked any USMNT fan who they were more comfortable with on the left, Donovan or Bedoya, 100% would say Lando. Especially, when Germany, Portugal, and Ghana are staring us down.
What is commendable is that it appears the U.S. has found a back line that is not just average, but good. With Fabian and either Beasley/Chandler on the flanks and then 2 of Besler/Cameron/Gonzo in the middle, they have speed, size, and the ability to cause problems going forward. With Howard in net, I see the potential for scraping out a 1-0 upset along the line.
Unless Jozy turns into JOZY! and Dempsey plays like he did in the Premier a few years back, it's going to be hard for this squad to score goals.
I think they hit the right back line. Besler is obviously the weak link, but I think he's not quite as weak as Gonzalez. Cameron, Johnson and Beasley should be locked in to their current positions barring injury.
I am still of the midnset Donovan should have been on this team, even if he doesnt start the leadership and the gamer potential is always there. How many subs can you look at on our team and say I would rather have them than a 80% Landon Donovan?
Guess we're going to have to scrape by 1-0 and on a bunch of ugly ties.
I simply cannot see how Left Mid is our biggest question. Bedoya and Davis were both very good last night.
The central defenders are still by far the biggest question mark. Land of Fire sat back with 10 men behind the halfway line for long stretches last night. They had maybe 3-4 real chances and the defense was okay. Not great, but not terrible. Again, this is the 85th ranked team in the world playing in a 4-5-1 counter-attacking formation. They didn't really have much to do.
Turkey will present a bigger challenge for the back four and Besler/Cameron/Gonzalez. Even if Besler and Cameron start in Brazil, last night was only their third ever pairing together.
Scheduling AZE was a way to get their coach Berti Vogts and good friend of Klinsmann over here. He's now an advisor to Klinsmann for the duration of the World Cup. They didn't provide much of an attacking test and I'm not sure it helped to prepare for Ghana, 10GuysAndRonaldo or Germany.
That formation would drive the Brazilian mids bonkers. It is so hard to find alleys and chances when you are playing against a wall of defender the entire game.
AZE are the Guatemala of Central Asia.
Unless Besler completely blows it the next two games, I think the backline is set.
I'd rather see Diskerud in the midfield than either Davis or Bedoya. He's a far more creative player and that is something we always seem to lack.
Wonder if Klinsmann will have the balls to drop Altidore in favor of Johannsson.
I mean, he had the balls to cut Donovan. If he thinks Johannsson is a better option than Jozy, I don't think he'll hesitate to make that move. They seem like much different players to me, though.
Brian, you have a good eye for soccer and understand it better than most.
Jones has taken a lot of criticism for his turnovers this morning, but I agree that's mostly bollocks. No one hit accurate long passes in those conditions, and CDM's job is to attempt those passes regardless of conditions. You cannot stretch a defense otherwise.
I actually thought Bradley had a poor outing; his one-touch passing left a lot to be desired and his spacing was off. He needs to stay in the middle of the field if the 4-4-2 diamond is going to work.
Altidore was very ho-hum. Wondo looked aggressive in the box, and basically useless outside of it. Zusi was robbed a bit of his game by the conditions, and Bedoya was hot-and-cold.
I honestly thought Johnson was one of the most dangerous players in the starting eleven as well. Beasley was fine. Besler and Cameron did their jobs.
Brad Davis provided a spark off the bench, and his perfect service helped create both goals. The corner kick goal was a beautifully-crafted play that worked exactly as it was drawn-up. People who know soccer will recognize the tricks used to get Johannsson open; it wasn't bad marking, it was great execution. Very difficult to defend that play, right down to the goalkeeper being (legally) impeded.
Overall, I very much agree that left mid looks like the biggest question mark. I also agree that this game didn't tell us much. The next two matches will offer more substance, and hopefully better conditions. I sure did miss Dempsey.
So are the soccer people happy, sad, what after last night? Based on last night's open thread, Brian's write-up and the comments in this thread it sure feels like the game against Akron last year. Yeah we won but..........
Is that about right?
More like our 2011 win over SDSU: we got the job done, but not much more, and we really didn't learn anything. I don't have alarm bells going off in my head like I did after Akron. It was meh, not, "Holy crap we looked pathetic against weak competition."
I'm neither happy nor sad, just mildly frustrated we didn't show better. We'll see what happens against Turkey.
I'm in the same mind. Thought the US played well while at the same time still trying to figure out how they were supposed to play together. With conditions that made passing tough, difficult to figure out what the team's potential is.
Akron was "Damn, we have problems." This wasn't that.
Yeah, this felt like any number of those B1G wins against the Purdue's of the world where UM wins by 7 or 10 with 2 TOs and some shaky defense. It wasn't a bad game; just a game.
In games like that, it's a lot easier to learn what's bad as opposed to what works necessarily. In that sense, no news can be taken as a good thing.
In the first goal, Johannsson had the presence of mind to back off of the ball and let Mix Diskerud take the clear shot off the rebound. Many players would have pursued the rebound and tried to put it in themselves (interfering with their teammate), but Johannsson had sufficient field awareness to back off at the last second and allow Diskerud the clear shot. It was smart soccer, and made me happy Johannsson slipped in for the uncontested header on the later set piece. It's good to see a bit of luck reward prior good play.
I am in the camp that thinks that a result like this without Dempsey is ... fine. Probably a bit better than fine, really.
what i've seen out of Johannsson. I thought going into the game last night, Wondo would be the first striker off the bench. But now, I really hope he's been passed by Aron.
It's easy to look good at CDM when the other team is parking the bus. Not enough solid data yet.
I think a lot of people give Brad Davis too little credit. He doesn't have the fast speed, but his positioning generally can make up for it. I don't think he's a great left winger for the international level, but he offers outstanding service and he works hard when on the field. I think we continue to see Bedoya on the left, then depending the style of game, either Johansson or Davis come in as a super sub. Johansson in flowing games, Davis as a set piece specialist in a slower game.
My biggest concern is playing out of the 4-4-2 with diamond midfield. This gets played narrow to clog the midfield with most teams playing 5 midfielders. From what I saw last night, they didn't play very narrow (partially due to the parked bus), and that hasn't really been our game during the Klinsmann era. So are we spacing out our formation to allow our own width to push forward while also exposing ourselves to the top quality wingers we'll be facing in Portugal and German? That seems dangerous enough.
I agree Jones isn't a dream option, but I think plugging in Davis (and his lack of pace) at CDM against the 3 opponents we will face in Brazil is suicide. We're looking at the most athletic team in the tournament (Ghana) and 2 of the most skilled (Portugal and Germany) who don't struggle for pace either.
His service is absolutely outstanding and like you said an effective weapon in a slower game...but in the group stage against those 3 teams the game will be anything but slow.
There's no way I'd see him as a CDM. I meant as a LM to replace Bedoya late in games.
Because yes, Davis as CDM would be retarded.
This. Great write up Brian but this point is absolutely spot on. Until the United States has at least 2-3 players who can run at defneders, threaten in the box, create a goal from an individual effort, it will always be a struggle to score. You can't make a living off set pieces outside of CONCACAF.
I'm not a Donovan slapee, but the fact he is so much more attacked minded than Zusi and Bedoya would have kept him in the lineup for me.
I had high hopes for Altidore, but he is really just a poacher along with Clint and Wondo, they can all finish opportunities presented for them, but don't create for others, and are lacking at link up play.
The only way we make it out of the group stage is lights out play from the backline (long shot) and keeper, 1-2 brilliant counter attacks, and some set piece luck. We are not going to be able to build and control the game against any of the 3 opponents. I just don't think we have enough goals in this team to make it out.
We need to leave the other teams' goalies with football pie all over their shirts.
What does everyone think about Altidore this summer? I know that the board is generally on the no-such-thing-as-momentum side of things, but is there such thing as form? He looked paralyzingly unconfident late in the year at Sunderland (before being replaced by their ginger savior) and seemed the same last night.
SPORTS!!!
Most worrisome thing for me was Bradley's relatively poor play. We need him to be The Man, and he wasn't last night. I still like the idea of him at the top of the diamond and Jones on a leash at #6. But he needs to be more creative there. He had some bad plays last night and nothing brilliant. True, he was in the mix on Mix's goal, but a bit more accuracy on his shot and the goal might have been his without the need for a fortunate rebound.
As a team, I thought the US looked solid. We outright dominated play, and there have been many World Cup send-off games where we looked much, much shakier than last night against equally poor competition. This is the most fundamentally and technically solid squad we've ever sent off to the Cup. Unfortunately it's also our toughest group (unless Portugal flames out like in 2002 and Ghana disappoints).
Left mid is a problem, but I still contend that Beasley is shaky at left back. I think the whole left side is suspect. If it's Beasley and Bedoya, teams are going to be attacking our left side all day long. No easy solutions for that with the current roster, but maybe if Chandler steps up something will unlock.
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