Photo/FIFA.com
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wenty-thousand in Natal, and millions at home. We’ve waited, and now, we watch.
Monday night, every American that supports the United States men’s soccer team will figure out just what kind of talent has been converted and developed under the watch of Jurgen Klinsmann.
While his comments that his 23-man squad can’t win this World Cup may be a facade, his statement that the U.S. must take three points from Ghana tonight (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) is more truth than not.
Our two World Cup writers, Bryan Everson and Sean Cahill, tackle the pressing questions revolving around U.S. facing Ghana in the latest edition of Four for Two.
1. What formation will Jurgen Klinsmann utilize against the Black Stars on Monday?
Sean Cahill: 4-2-3-1, and here’s why:
Leading up to the last warm-up match, Kilnsmann rolled with the 4-1-2-1-2, or the 4-4-2 Diamond as some prefer to call it This formation was used against Mexico, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. All of these teams have one thing in common: Possession. Mexico didn’t used to be this way, but since Herrera took over, he switched to a 5-3-2 that focuses on possession before swinging out wide and trying to feed the strikers. In this formation, Jermaine Jones would play the lone defensive midfield spot, Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi would play out wide, and Bradley would play the No. 10 behind Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. Against Nigeria, who is very similar to Ghana, though not quite as good, we saw the 4-2-3-1. Jones was joined by Kyle Beckerman as a second defensive midfielder. Dempsey was slotted out to the right and Zusi was dropped to the bench. This still allowed for Bradley to play the 10 and look to feed Altidore or Dempsey/Bedoya if they made diagonal runs from the wings.
The reason we’ll see a Beckerman/Jones tandem instead of Bradley/Jones with Dempsey behind Altidore is that both Bradley and Jones love to come up and join the attack. Klinsmann cannot have both of them pushing up against Ghana or the back four will get wiped. With this 4-2-3-1, Jones can still come up and join the attack while Beckerman stays at home to assist the back four.
So, I believe we’ll see this as the Starting XI:
Howard; Johnson, Cameron, Besler, Beasley; Jones, Beckerman; Bedoya, Bradley, Dempsey; Altidore
Bryan Everson: After Klinsmann implemented the 4-3-2-1, a pretty common formation in football right now, fans got the curveball in that Mexico friendly when there was a tactical switch to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield to counter its rival’s formation. However, that’s not what I envision tonight.
I think we could see the 4-3-1-2 that was used in the final friendly against Nigeria, at least initially. That allows Jones and Beckerman to concentrate on the counter-attacking style that Ghana’s 4-4-2 (or 4-3-2-1) will dare the USMNT’s athleticism with, and lets Bradley begin the game in that advancing position. I do expect a formation shift at some point in the second half when substitutes with different qualities are made, but even though we foresee different formations to start, I’ve got the same eleven players taking the field to begin the match in rainy Natal.
2. What U.S. players are we likely to see come off the bench?
SC: I think everyone wants to see Julian Green at some point, but I don’t see a spot for him in this match. It will depend on how the match is progressing, but I definitely think we’ll see Aron Johannson for Altidore around the 60-65 minute mark, especially if Altidore isn’t playing well. Zusi could definitely come in as well in a similar situation and Dempsey can be pushed forward to striker to spell Altidore.
Mix Diskerud should see some time at the end, most likely for Beckerman since Klinsmann tends to not let him go the full 90. Mix brings a nice change up of play and is much faster and agile than Beckerman, who tends to be a read-and-react CDM.
Finally, I would think that Brad Davis will spell Bedoya late in the match. With the heat and humidity expected to be a problem, the midfielders are going to be the most obvious choices to be substituted.
BE: Johannsson is the easiest choice if Klinsmann needs another attacking option, a ying to Altidore’s yang style-wise. I don’t foresee Altidore being a complete flop here, and I’m not one of those people with the mindset that he must score to be successful — no one else can hold the attacking line on this squad like him — but it could simply be something to provide another threat.
Diskerud has to be another easy choice, as he allows Bradley to slip back into the holding part of the middle of the pitch and provide fresh legs and increased unpredictability and creativity to the U.S. attack. He’s seen plenty of action in the friendlies leading up to Brazil, so that’s a telling indicator.
It’s hard to think of Graham Zusi as a substitute and not a starter considering how many starts he’s seen when available, but he and Fabian Johnson have been the primary feeders for Altidore’s goals in qualifying, so I think he’s a good possibility to be brought in around the 60th minute.
There’s not too many other guys I see being brought in unless there’s an injury, but I suppose if it’s Green that gets called upon, we know that all along he was being hidden from the world and that Klinsmann thinks even more of his talent than he was letting on.
3. What is the biggest key to this match?
SC: Don’t turn the match into a track meet.
Ghana loves to run. They thrive in end-to-end matches that result in a lot of counter attacks and quick switches. The United States are very much a build-up team now, unlike the teams that were led by Bob Bradley or Bruce Arena who preferred to sit eleven behind the ball and play the counterattack. Possession is everything for the Yanks, and that means allowing Michael Bradley to dictate the pace in the center. If I’m right about the formation, I’m expecting to see almost a three man pivot between Beckerman, Jones, and Bradley.
Also, Beckerman and Jones HAVE to have great matches. Jones cannot get sucked up for attacks too many times and leave Beckerman to face the speed of the Ghana attack alone. In short, though, the United States has to play their style and not get sucked into long runs back and forth. If they do, then Ghana will win, and may win handily.
BE: Johnson and DeMarcus Beasley must be a strong pair on the outside of the center back tandem of Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron.
I don’t worry too much about the inside combo. They’re not susceptible to nearly as many mistakes as, say, Omar Gonzalez. But while their responsibilities are fairly clear-cut, more is demanded of the outside two, a thin, fine balance between attacking and not being caught out of position. Striker Abdul Majeed Waris (torn quad) is a major doubt, and he’s probably the paciest of any players that the U.S. opposition could play up front, so that should (hopefully) take a little bit of bite out of the counter, allowing Johnson and Beasley to still give something up the flanks in terms of building numbers and providing service.
4. Is it three points or bust for the Stars and Stripes against Ghana?
SC: Personally, I believe it is.
I think the best case scenario is for the United States to win this match and for Germany and Portugal to draw. Portugal is still beatable, with or without Cristiano Ronaldo, but that match against Germany may as well be mission impossible. Even with the Germans being banged up and the loss of Marco Reus, they’re still the best team in this group and one of the top five teams in the tournament. Three points against Ghana puts pressure on the rest of the group, especially if the Americans get the draw they want for Germany and Portugal. A draw against Ghana isn’t a deathknell, but a loss to the Black Stars could very well end their tournament in one match.
BE: No, but that means beating Portugal essentially becomes a must. It’s like passing on a whole section of an exam and still needing a B to pass; the odds just become slimmer.
Keeping with a realistic outlook, the U.S. pull three points tonight, and a draw against Portugal is enough. In past year, plenty of teams have advanced with four points. Anything than that is likely a sure sign to advance.
Photo/Wikimedia
Predictions:
SC: This should be a fun match to watch. Both teams know that three points are absolutely vital to try and survive and nobody wants to play from behind going into the second set of matches for the group. Both the United States and Ghana will know about Germany and Portugal beforehand, and that could really change the pace of the game. Either way, Ghana will want to run while the United States will try and break down the tightly packed back four of the Black Stars. I’ll say United States 2, Ghana 1.
BE: Something tells me that Clint Dempsey is the one who finds the net tonight. In terms of leadership, Klinsmann passed the baton to him, and the Texas native has never turned away from the spotlight. I think he embraces it and delivers tonight. Will Altidore or another put a second in is the tougher question. I’m tempted to go 1-1, but I’m emotional like a teenage girl about this one, so I’m saying United States 2, Ghana 1.
This feature was done in conjunction with Press Row Sports.
