US vs Costa Rica @ Denver Friday 3/22 10 PM EDT (8 MDT)

I'd actually move Altidore to one of the wings to give Bradley more room in the middle to do what he does best.

 

I like this except:

1) I want Bradley in front of Jones initiating the attack and not dropping deep to collect the ball. Let Jones do the dirty work.

 

Post of the year.

 

This is absolutely hilarious.

 

Best post of the day yesterday You are concurring with my main premise that jones needs to play solely as destroyer or sit. The best partners for Bradley right now are Sasha or Torres

Only one of Donovan or Dempsey can be on the pitch ( for now) because they are best used as a false 9/AM

The other attacking spot must be a real wide player who is a threat 1v1

 

You think it's funny that Castillo is pinching in?

 

Yeah, uh....no.

 

One of them can play striker, Landon can definitely play the wing and playmake from a wide position. That was his exact role under Moyes at Everton. It's also something that Bob Bradley made use of when he had an inform Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore at his disposal. He played Donovan and Dempsey on opposite flanks, and they'd take turns cutting in, while the other stayed wide, and let his CMs fill in the hole in the middle. That's fine as well. Above I chose to play a destroyer and a deep-lying plamaker, rather than a 2nd striker. If we went to 2 strikers, I'd take out the deep-lying playmaker and put in a target forward or underneath forward to pair with the striker.

 

At Honduras we played a 4-3-2-1 with EJ starting wider than typical. Pretty much the same formation we played v A&B at home and at Jamaica.

----------GK---------
RB---CB---CB---LB
----------DM----------
-----CM------CM-----
-----AMR-------AML--
-----------ST----------

You seem to be suggesting we play a 4-2-3-1. I am not sure where you have been but we played a 4-2-3-1 most recently in our final 3 group stage WCQ v Jamaica, A&B, and Guatemala and also our 2nd WCQ at Guatemala.

----------GK---------
RB---CB---CB---LB
-------DM---CM-------
--AMR--CAM--AML--
-----------ST----------

You don't believe our head coach (who has played the 4-2-3-1 as the MNT's most popular formation) understands the strategy and tactics of a 4-2-3-1?

 

He might understand it on a certain level....but he's not exactly the best tactician out there. It's a fair statement to make.

 

Sorry I choose not to live in the past. LD got totally abused against brazil because he is no longer a 1v1 threat. if you can't even mildly bother an outside back isolated you are not an effective winger anymore. That's not what LD does with LA and I doubt he would succeed anymore as a true winger with Everton. That time has passed

 

So are you saying you're basing your opinion on one game against one of the top 3-4 outside backs in the world? Which other player in our pool would have fared better in that game? This is not an issue of whether Donovan is world class, but he's a lock starter for the USMNT, as is Dempsey. Is this really even debateable?!?!

 

Testing ... testing ...

 

He went up against Marcelo. He's possibly the best fullback in the world. I would also suggest if Donovan couldn't work against him 1v1, than no one else in the pool - with the possible exception of Dempsey - could either.

 

I think what that poster is trying to say is that within 3 months (which was the time between Donovan's last loan spell and the match against Brazil), Donovan went from being a standout winger at Everton -- named Player of the Month in February -- to no longer being an effective winger, a 1 v 1 threat, or good enough for Everton anymore.

With that rapid of a deterioration, I'm not sure he can even run or strike a ball properly anymore. We definitely shouldn't be relying on him at this point.

 

The Curious Case of Landon Donovan?

 

At least now we know why he's contemplating retirement. If I was aging that spectacularly quickly I'd be looking for a retirement home about now

 

And now that I think about it - I wouldn't be against throwing out the Sacha style playmaker, and instead deploying a second forward to play underneath Jozy or Herc, or as a Target Forward. I suspect Costa Rica will play far more conservatively in the cold and try to get out of there with a 0-0 draw. I think Eddie Johnson would be interesting in that underneath role, with Shea as his wing, and Dempsey as the AM.

It's not talked about much, EJ has become one of our better passing players in the final 3rd. Nothing spectacular, but he seems to find people in good position, and he delivers a nice, accurate ball. He really has evolved his position.

 

You believe that it is a fair statement to say that a coach who has played a 4-2-3-1 in 11 of his 22 MNT matches, who coached in the BL1 where the 4-2-3-1 is king, does not understand the basic strategy of a 4-2-3-1? We are not arguing if he is del Bosque, the poster said basic strategy!

 

I didn't suggest a 4-2-3-1, and the numerical formation doesn't really matter. The roles matter, and that is where Coach Klinsmann seems to be coming up short.

As for his stint at Bayern Munich. He played almost exclusively with a 4-4-2, or two central midfielders, two outside wings, a striker, and a forward. Often times he played Donovan as the lead striker, which was a big issue.

 

What you suggested is a fairly basic 4-2-3-1 which you yourself stated was patronizing because it is so basic. The suggestion that JK does not understand it is silly.

In his first match 8/2011 v Mexico JK played exactly the 4-2-3-1 you suggested:
CBs = Orozco, Boca
WBs = Dolo, Castillo
DEST= Beckerman
CM = Jones
DLPM = Bradley
Winger = Donovan
AM = Torres
ST = Buddle

 

Formations are very flexible and depend on what your rival brings.

At times, Honduras was playing a 1-2-4-1-2, facing a 4-1-2-2-1 on the USA side.

 

Bradley didn't play DLPM, Torres didn't play Attacking Midfielder. He basically used 4 conservative midfielders - regardless of where they lined up, it's the roles that mattered - and Donovan and Buddle. We also got our a$$es kicked for 75% of that match, and turned it into an ugly match, and almost never threatened the goal.

I don't care if he understands the numerical formation. My issues is the roles he puts out. All you have to do is watch what he did against Honduras and others to notice that. Sure you can Call Jermaine Jones a wide right winger. But reality is that he simply played Central midfielder, in a wide right position. So my conclusion remains that he struggles tactically.

I never said anything about a numerical formation. And if you really want to get specific, what I suggested is probably closer to a 4-3-3. But really, it doesn't matter. Call it George if you want

 

The tactical acumen of a coach is put in evidence on the way he moves his men around to create chances and stop the other team from creating them, in-game.

JK has a very bad outing last time around, bringing in two AMs (Kljestan, Zusi) trying to produce attack, but leaving gaping holes in central midfield then. That is, he failed to adjust the men behind those two, and those two failed to mark anyone.

He's learning on the job, though. Next time, he'll have to make clear to whatever attacking option he brings that, seeing that they are evenly matched up to that point, a lot of defensive work is expected from them.

 

I guess you are trying to say the personnel was wrong because they were lined up and in a 4-2-3-1 with the roles specified. Fair enough, lets look at different personnel.

Ok lets try another 4-2-3-1, Match #3 v a Belgium:
DEST=Edu, CM=Torres, CAM=Dempsey, AML=Shea, AMR=Rodgers, ST=Altidore

A 4-3-3 does not look like your suggested formation, but lets try a 4-3-3 from Match #2 v CR
DM=Edu, CM=Torres, CAM=Donovan, AML=Shea, AMR=Rodgers, ST=Altidore

So in the his first 3 matches JK has tried variants of your basic suggested formation and roles that you don't think he understands. There are still 19 matches to go before we get to the present.