US national team pieces falling into place

On the day after the afternoon before against Turkey, the CounterAttack found some causes for optimism ahead of lineup choices that Bob Bradley will have in South Africa. Certain things became more clear during the match. What is most encouraging is that certain players have started to step up, becoming impossible to overlook.

The experiment to use Carlos Bocanegra as a left wingback seems to be a success. Ok, it won’t work against teams with very quick wingers. On the whole, however, Chuckie does a good job bringing the ball up to provide more attacking options without losing too much on the defensive end. Think “Gary Neville Lite” (er, but on the left side).

It is also clear that gammy leg or not, Gooch Onyewu is the only choice for center-half. Too often the back line gave the Turks space to move. This led not only to their goal but also to several clear-cut opportunities. Gooch is a physical presence who presses his marks and doesn’t allow them space. He seems to inspire DeMerit when they partner, so hopefully Jay will have a better match than last night’s game.

Cherundolo as the other wingback is, in the CounterAttack’s opinion, a given. Trumbolo is too experience and yesterday showed what happens with unsteady players. The back line should therefore be set because Spector, Goodson and Bornstein all had iffy nights. It is difficult to see any of them called into a critical match.

Up front, let’s hope that Bradley will cut out the Dempsey-for-striker nonsense. An effective Clint Dempsey is a Deuce that has space to play into. He is most lethal from 20-30 yards out. Playing as attacking MF, he forces defenses to stretch further out from goal, opening up holes that can lead to goals. Deuce is neither a back-to-goal striker nor a go-ahead striker. He can, however, carve up a defense, create opportunities for himself, or lay passes off for teammates to run onto. These require space to roam and Bradley should harness Clint’s abilities properly.

Meanwhile, at this point Landon is the closest thing the MNT has ever had to an unstoppable player. He can move the ball at will and open up space. In fact, ever since the Italy match in Germany ’06, he has only been stopped by his teammates when they don’t score of his creations. Pairing Lannie as creative MF, with Dempsey as attacking MF, suddenly there are options for the US to score from distance and inside the area.

But the really good news is the emergence of Jose Torres. Immediately the Pachuca midfielder came on to replace the (again) ineffective Rico Clark, the complexion of the midfield changed instantly. Rushed passes do not mean quick decision-making; quite the opposite, they indicate that players are uncertain of what to do with the ball. Torres asserted a calm on the pitch, and suddenly passes were less rushed and more accurate. With Torres on, his teammates found space instead of clogging themselves up. Having a possession midfielder who knows how to hold, move and distribute the ball will do that.

Torres is a very different midfielder than the MNT has enjoyed in some time, since at least the Tab Ramos days (damned shame he was born about 10 years too soon). The only problem is that it will be either Torres or Michael Bradley as starter. Baby Bradley has too much experience and a scoring touch that cannot be ignored. But the emergence of Torres means that Bradley is going to be pushed – a bad series of plays, a stupid foul or caution, and by rights Torres should get the call straightaway.

The US still does not have a player that breaks into any top international side as a starter. But this is definitely a tight squad whose best players know how to play amongst each other quite well. There is a very skilled midfield that can match up well against all but the best squads. The MNT have developed into a really tough lineup, top to bottom, that few will want to face. The last remaining question is “will they score” – but then, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?

Image via AP Photo/Matt Slocum on The Morning Call