By Jared LauniusThere's tons to discuss from what were two pretty interesting friendlies for the U.S. men this week, but I'm not sure how substantial most of it is. I'm just not sure how many times I can write "results should be taken with a grain of salt" so many times before I start questioning my own sanity. But hey, let's whirl.
The Personnel
The biggest takeaway from this camp, I think, might have been how effective moving Clint Dempsey into the center of the pitch and nestling him in behind the striker was. Dempsey excelled in that free role each match, linking with Jozy Altidore ahead of him and finding the game behind him all while picking spots to question the backlines of Honduras and Ecuador. Even when Landon Donovan comes back into this team, I can't see how Klinsmann could move Dempsey out of that spot.
Nearby, German-American du jour Daniel William showed enough to prove he's worth keeping around, though whether that should be as the #7 is questionable. The Hoffenheim man was steely enough on the right wing, but didn't come near equaling what his left-flank counterpart, Brek Shea, posed in attack. Williams has played right back, left back and holding midfielder with club, and you could see why every time he had a chance to face up a defender – the ideas don't seem to be there. I certainly think he did enough to replace Jonathan Spector as team utility man, though.
Notable too were the performances of Portuguese-infused Oguchi Onyewu and wrong-footed Tim Chandler, the former of whom is experiencing a seeming renaissance and the latter of whom was effective on each end of the pitch playing on his wrong foot – particularly with Manchester United's Antonio Valencia baring down in game two.
Elsewhere, goodbye, Michael Orozco Fiscal. I appreciate the effort, but I think there's a law sitting around here somewhere that says you can't get torched by a fake backheel and stay on the national team. I'll see if I can find it.
The Performance
The good continues to intermingle with the bad as the Yanks make an oasis of good play look like a mirage with harried midfield play and an inability to finish off chances. But when it's nice, man, it's pretty fun to watch. Chandler, Shea, Dempsey and Altidore combined on a few different occasions in the final third in each match, lacing sharp, one-and-two-touch passing with decisive movement off the ball and, although it only gave us one goal, it dangled a nice shiny carrot I'll gladly keep chasing.
Tactically, the 4-3-3 was again featured, with Dempsey doing what Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan have been unable to do before him in truly embracing the free role. He helped keep possession on several occasions by popping up near the ball, be it in the middle of the field, on the wing or all the way off back the center back's feet. That was needed, too, as both Maurice Edu and Kyle Beckerman each sat deep – a little too deep in Edu's case if you ask me – rather than link box-to-box. Edu foraged up the field more than Beckerman, but not enough for a #8.
Width was given by both Chandler and Shea on the left and sporadically on the right by Williams, Cherundolo and, in game one, DeMarcus Beasley. The play on the left in particular was encouraging as Chandler and Shea are both babies of the 90s. It was really fun on those few occasions Altidore drifted all the way to the left flank to collect a pass from Shea or Chandler – those three have a chance to play multiple World Cups together.
But let us not get ahead of ourselves. The spine of this side struggled with it's distribution, as Onyewu and Bocanegra were stellar defensively but not exactly David Luiz and Thiago Silva on the ball (not unexpectedly, of course) while Edu and Beckerman sat too deep and struggled to consistently link play. This put a strain on Dempsey, who had to drop back for the ball a few times too many and often stranded Altidore (and, later, Agudelo) – particularly against Ecuador. Jose Torres would have been a welcome upgrade over Edu in my eyes.
Defensively, some suspect marking and positioning (uncharacteristically by vets Cherundolo and Bocanegra and chararacteristically by Orozco Fiscal) forced Tim Howard into some brilliant saves against Honduras, but that was shored up (perhaps with the simple insertion of Onyewu?) in game two – Ecuador's only real chance was Jaime Ayovi's header that found the back of the net. Bocanegra marshaled a mostly tight line that the inexperienced Chandler held as well as anybody.
Ultimately, the U.S. leaves camp with a +0 scoring margin in two matches despite getting the better of the run-of-play both matches. I hesitate to call it a step forward from the Costa Rica and Belgium matches, but it certainly wasn't a step back either. Given the level of experimentation in personnel and injuries to Jose Torres, Stuart Holden and Landon Donovan, I'm not sure it could have gone demonstrably better.
The Highlight
It would be too easy to go with Clint Dempsey's composed left-footed bender against Honduras, so we'll look elsewhere. Even marks for two quick but spectacular build-ups in the second half against Honduras.
On the first, Chandler passed through traffic to find Shea on the left wing, who cut inside before lashing a ball across the middle to Dempsey, who dummied for Edu, the latter of whom laid it off first time to an unmarked Williams on the right corner of the 18-yard box. Williams' ensuing shot was stopped before it could find the back corner of the net, but the build-up was pretty neat.
Later, Williams passed inside to Dempsey, who played Altidore through the defense. Altidore, the younger version of whom would have likely forced a shot when a defender closed down his shooting angle, instead threw a hesitation on said defender to free up just enough space to expertly square the ball across the box to an unmarked Brek Shea. Shea, foiled perhaps by the weather, slipped and rolled over the ball to spoil what was a very clever build up. No goal, but very spirited play.
The Lowlight
The afrorementioned Carlo Costly faux-backheel to fake Orozco Fiscal out of his shoes and provoke what I thought was a bookable foul was pretty rough. But that was an isolated mistake by a player who probably has no business being in camp. An honorable mention, too, for Tim Ream losing Ayovi for the goal, but Ream's entrance seemed a goodwill gesture more than a "hey, we're counting on you to maintain this clean sheet, kid" sort of thing.
I'll go with an uneven back line allowing Jerry Bengston in behind the U.S. defense in the first half against Honduras. Bengston might have been a torso offside, but the defense didn't put itself in the position to get the call as Cherundolo and Chandler were on one line while Orozco Fiscal and Bocanegra were on another. It took a great save by Howard to keep the game even.
Player Ratings
These are aggregated ratings from both matches.
Goalkeepers:
Howard – 7 – The U.S. #1 was fantastic against Honduras but had little to do against Ecuador – there was little, if anything, he could do about the goal.
Defenders:
Steve Cherundolo – 5 – I was shocked last month when the Hannover captain was benched for his club, but the generally sure-footed Cherundolo wasn't the best in distribution in either match and was beaten for speed on more than one occasion against Ecuador. I can't help but wonder if that ankle injury he picked up in the Gold Cup final is still nagging, and if that might explain his dip in form. I certainly don't know, but Cherundolo didn't look himself this week.
Michael Michael Orozco Fiscal – 3 – Orozco Fiscal has already been piled on enough by both myself and others around the web and media. This level is, I think, just too much for him.
Carlos Bocanegra – 5.5 – El Capitan's unusually shaky performance against Honduras was picked up by a strong showing three days later in New York. Bocanegra doesn't fit Klinsmann's mold of center backs who can start the attack from the back, but with Tim Ream's form careening down, it's hard to see who replaces the 96-times-capped defender any time soon.
Tim Chandler – 7 – If you remove the context from this rating, I might not give Chandler such high marks. But, given that he was thrown out on the left defensive flank with a right peg and, on his second time out, admirably corralled Antonio Valencia, I can't help but laud his performance. He still looks uncomfortable crossing with his left foot, preferring, when he can, to cut the ball back onto his right, but his defending was solid. I haven't forgotten how admirably Eric Lichaj performed out there in Gold Cup, but Chandler is certainly staking his own claim and has the head start with Lichaj out injured.
Oguchi Onyewu – 7 – Onyewu's return to form and fitness was certainly the feel-good story of camp, as I'm not sure there's a person out there who wasn't devastated for the giant center back when it seemed his national team career was done after not dressing a single Gold Cup match. It certainly appeared that old explosion was back against Honduras and Ecuador, as was that loping, sneaky pace he used to earn a contract with AC Milan in 2009. His distribution is still suspect (if not improved), and it always will be, but a healthy and in-form Onyewu is still a fantastic asset. Welcome back, sir.
Jonathan Spector – 4 – Per tradition, Spector was solid enough in defending attacks from the flanks but rarely ventured forward. His cross on Dempsey's disallowed goal against Honduras was nice and evoked emotions of Confederations Cup 2009, but Spector should never be a player relied on for much beside generally mistake-free, but unspectacular defense.
Tim Ream – 3 – To be sure, Ream showed poor unawareness when his mark scored Ecuador's goal – he didn't even know the ball was being delivered until a full step behind – but he still showed some nice composure and distribution when he had the ball at his feet. Bottom line, though, the Red Bulls man can't be counted on until these gaffes are eradicated – he's been making similar mistakes for club most of the season.
Midfielders:
Kyle Beckerman – 4 – Beckerman, as his role called for, stayed at home defensively and took few chances with his passes. Still, though, I thought his tackling was brash at times and he left teammates out to dry with inaccurate and soft passes on multiple occasions. He was solid enough at eating up space and quelling attacks, but I'd like to see others – namely Michael Bradley, Mo Edu and Danny Williams – tried out in that #6 slot before Beckerman gets another shot.
Maurice Edu – 4 – I'm not sure Edu has the game to play box-to-box at the international level. The Rangers midfielder was tasked with filling the Jose Torres role and struggled, too often sitting too deep and looking shaking on the ball at times when venturing forward. This was punctuated with two big gaffes at the top of the box against Ecuador – one mishit to give away possession and squander a scoring chance after a great combination by Shea and Dempsey and then a complete swing and miss after a poor settle later on. He was fairly replaced by Bradley at halftime.
Clint Dempsey – 7 – Dempsey might not be a true #10, and I'm not sure how many non-Brazilian there are of those in the world anyway, but he showed this week he can certainly fill that role capably in a U.S. kit. Dempsey drove the attack in both games, scoring a fantastic goal and having another unfairly disallowed against Honduras and giving Ecuador something to think about all night Tuesday. We'll see if Klinsmann leaves him in that role once Landon Donovan returns – remember the two still haven't played together under the new manager.
Michael Bradley – 6 – Bradley had the look of a player in good form with his club, as the Chivo Verona holding midfielder looked crisp and decisive on the ball, rarely taking chances down field but consistently playing safe, smart balls, all while making a few of his trademark late runs into the box and providing safe cover for others to venture up field as well (not at the same time, obviously). I'd like to see him get a few run outs as the #6 next month, assuming Klinsmann calls in his full team.
Forwards:
Jozy Altidore – 6. 5 – No, he didn't score, but the AZ Alkmaar striker continued to show off his newly found axillary skills, holding the ball up well, laying the ball off effectively on the flanks, venturing out wide to combine with runners and getting himself into good spots. Those are things he's never done consistently at this level (or any level for that matter), so we'll forgive the no-scoring thing a while longer – especially given the service wasn't exactly raining in. He didn't disappear from either match, which was a very encouraging sign.
Brek Shea – 6.5 – I'd have him at a 7, but missing that sitter against Honduras brings him down a notch. Otherwise, Shea showed a fantastic ability to combine with Chandler, Dempsey and Altidore and terrorized right backs for the entirety of his 135 minutes. Shea, I think, is one of a handful of must-starts at this point. He's perfectly suited for the right wing in the 4-3-3 as he provides width but can also, on occasion, get in behind the defense with diagonal runs with or without the ball. He also, when needed, provided cover for some of Chandler's marauding runs forward – there was a solid minute against Ecuador when Shea and Chandler seemed to have switched positions as the former stood beside Bocanegra and the latter was positioned all the way up the field pressuring an Ecuadorian defender with the ball.
Daniel Williams – 5 – I said most of my piece about Williams earlier. He labored admirably as the #7, but I think that role is Landon Donovan's when healthy. Still, Williams did enough to earn more opportunities, even if it's at another place on the field. I'd like to see him take Spector's handyman role
DaMarcus Beasley – 5 – It was vintage Beasley against Honduras, as the former PSV standout made several speedy runs at the Honduran defense and had a few chances to score. Against Ecuador, however, Beasley drifted inside too often. Given that he had replaced Shea, providing width was of even more importance, and he didn't give it. He's just nowhere near as effective when pinched in.
Juan Agudelo – 5 – I'll say this for the 18-year old: when he dips in form, his work ethic doesn't dip with him. I don't think Agudelo has done enough recently to warrant any jumps in the depth chart, but the future is still blindingly bright for the Red Bull striker.
Edson Buddle – 4 – The U.S. was out of gas and ideas by the time the Inglostadt striker entered the Ecuador match, so it's hard to draw too much from his abbreviated shift. He showed some nice hold-up play, but a few chances to control the ball in the box were also squandered. He's still, at best, 3rd in the pecking order behind Altidore and Agudelo, I think.
