OT: USA vs El Salvador (open thread)

Submitted by Brian Griese on
Kick-off at 9 ET on FS1. Winner plays Los Ticos this weekend thanks to an own goal by Panama. Arena called in 6 reinforcements for the knockout stage and 5 are in the starting 11 tonight (Altidore, Dempsey, Nagbe, Howard and Bradley). Go USA!

buddha

July 19th, 2017 at 11:00 PM ^

I don't pretend to be a soccer expert, but I feel like this has been a reasonably good game for the US. Yes, El Salvador had some chances, but the US is playing so many new guys who really haven't played together before tonight. This is great experience for a lot of guys who need some minutes prior to the World Cup next year.

Count me pleasantly surprised and hoping for some improvement before we play the Ticos!

uncle leo

July 20th, 2017 at 9:53 AM ^

I have to disagree with you. It wasn't a good game by the USA.

USA was SUPER fortunate that El Sal didn't finish some of their chances. They had a few free headers, and one guy just sent basically an empty net kick 50 rows up.

The defense looked like absolute dog outside of Gonzalez, and even he had some mental slip ups. 

When you are playing a team that you have like 100 ranking spots on, you should be winning that comfortably. That was not a comfortable win.

chatster

July 20th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^

The USMNT’s back line remains unsettled, so it’s becoming hard to fault Bruce Arena for trying different combinations there. It’s just that there seems to be very little cohesion on the back line. Last night, they were lucky that El Slavador muffed some great chances. Their communications seem a bit shaky.
 
Jorge Villafaña has played in nine of the team’s 12 matches this year at left back, so he’s apparently Arena’s choice to start there.  Who backs him up?  Fabian Johnson, if he’s not starting in midfield? Matt Besler, if he’s not starting in central defense? Justin Morrow?  DaMarcus Beasley? Greg Garza?  LINK TO 2017 USMNT LINEUPS
 
Right back remains a mystery.  In the June friendly against Venezuela and World Cup qualifiers, the 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago and the 1-1 draw against Mexico, DeAndre Yedlin started at right back. Graham Zusi has six starts at right back this year and also has three appearances off the bench, two of which came in stoppage time.  Who else could start there?  Eric Lichaj? There was a time not too long ago when Timmy Chandler was supposed to be the right back of the future, but he hasn’t been with the national team since 2015.
 
European-based players, John Anthony Brooks (VfL Wolfsburg) and Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), seemed like they were ready to settle in as starters in central defense, but they’ve played together in only two of the team’s 12 matches this year.  Cameron has had some injury issues during the past three seasons and he might’ve caused some internal tensions when he came out in strong support of the Trump “Muslim ban” at a time when there were comments made in opposition to that policy by Michael Bradley and some of Cameron’s other USA teammates, including Darlington Nagbe who might be becoming a favorite of Arena’s.  LINK
 
Now, central defense also may be a mystery.  Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Hedges, Matt Miazga, Tim Ream and Steve Birnbaum all have had their chances to impress this year and one of them might be ready to join John Brooks as a starter if Cameron’s position might not be welcomed very kindly by some of his teammates.  But is there any evidence that a combination of any two of them would be an improvement now over Brooks and Cameron?

ken725

July 20th, 2017 at 1:38 PM ^

Fullback has been an area of weakness since the 2010 World Cup. In 2010 Cherundolo and Bocanegra were proven European level players. There was also Spector who like Geoff Cameron could play all defensive positions and some Def MF.

Going forward I do not want to see Besler or Zusi start at any position. Looks like Yedlin is the RB for the next cycle and the time in England is/was good for his development. I would really like to see Fabian in the MF so let's hope Villafana develops. The bit about Chandler not being with the team since 2015 is incorrect. He came off the bench in a game vs. Mexico in Nov. 2016. A name to keep an eye on is Desevio Payne a 21 year old RB playing in Eredivisie. 

Brooks and Cameron should be the starters. Ideally backup would be Gonzalez and Miazga. Maybe CCV develops enough to make the 23 for 2018.

One interesting aspect moving forward is how Arena and his replacement handle dual national players. JK might have been a bad coach, but he was an awesome recruiter. There are several dual national German/US players Malik Tilman, Justin Butler and Jalen Hawkins that could really improve the roster if they continue to develop. As of now all 3 are going to play for Bayern's U-17 and all 3 are favoring the German NT.

chatster

July 20th, 2017 at 5:52 PM ^

Great information about Payne and the three dual nationals playing in Germany. I try to keep track of Americans playing in other countries through the Yanks Abroad website, but I haven't been aware of places where you can find information about dual nationals playing elsewhere.

Proofreading helps. I typed "2015" as I was looking at the 2016 lineups and completely missed my error on Timmy Chandler's status that showed he was with the USMNT and started in the last two matches of 2016 (the losses to Mexico and Costa Rica.)  It would've been easier and better for me to have just written that he hasn't been with the USMNT this year.

I've often hoped that Chandler would lock down the right back position, but he hasn't been able to do that, and Yedlin, who's faster than Chandler and who also could be a threat from midfield, seems to have matured enought to keep the job for now. As an Arsenal fan, I like to think that Yedlin's style of play compares well with Hector Bellerin's, and having speed on the flanks in the back can be a great asset.

I'd heard some criticism that Chandler just wasn't being serious enough, but I still think that he can be a very good player for the USMNT. I just wonder whether Bruce Arena either views him as one of Klinsmann's failed projects, or just wants to limit the number of dual nationals on the squad, so he hasn't brought him in this year. If he's not in the squad for the September/October World Cup qualifiers, then I have to think that Chandler's time with the USMNT might be done while Arena's in charge.

I agree that Fabian Johnson's best position is in the midfield and that Brooks and Cameron should start in central defense. It remains to be seen whether Cameron's comments about the "Muslim ban" caused some internal problems that can't be remedied, but if you keep politics out of the equation and if he remains healthy, Cameron is too good and too versatile to be left off the World Cup roster.