US v Honduras Aftermath: Why You Should Be Concerned
Posted on February 8, 2013 6:02 am
So Jurgen Klinsmann says we’ll see a very different team for the next qualifier in March. I hope so. We’d like to see a very different Jurgen Klinsmann. Why you should be concerned by the US v Honduras result….
The subs were kinda weird. Maybe should have pushed Cameron to mid and brought in Boca before that last goal. Different result, probably.
I actually agree with a lot of what was said. A little harsh on Chandler though I agree he should have just been replaced. I do think it’s too early to give up on him… he will be better. But the mis-use of Eddie Johnson was a little odd. Didn’t he have a hat trick of headers a long time ago? Why not use him as a target and maybe add width another way? But I think Bocanegra not starting was maybe the biggest mistake in the lineup. He is not just the captain, but has the experience and has played with all of these players before, and he has great experience period.
So some mistakes from Klinsmann. And I think it is getting tiring to hear of the threat of ‘wholesale’ changes. Maybe he needs to make some better changes himself. I agree with changing parts of the US playing style but not at the cost of limiting your side’s ability to adapt. And I certainly don’t agree with playing the same style when facing a team that does it better, and has been doing it better. It’s why trying to be like Barcelona and facing them will always end in your side being humiliated.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Alfred_E._Neumann.jpg/150px-Alfred_E._Neumann.jpg [/img]
That didn’t work very well.
Yeah, but I know what you were getting at
Maybe it is the expectations of this player pool we should adjust. You cannot build the Taj Mahal with sand and water.
JK’s expectation? or our own?
A couple thoughts:
*You ask why screw with the Boca-Cameron pairing? Because it needs to be done sometime (Boca shouldn’t be our starter in 2014) and in my eyes the more games under the belt the better. It’s a risk, and it won’t always pay off, but in the long run it could be crucial to making us competitive in 2014.
*Completely agree that the subs were confusing
*I think part of Chandler’s inefficiency may have been his lack of experience with the national team. Again, I understand the critique that the hex isn’t the place to test people, but I just disagree and think that in the long run it will pay dividends.
*I was surprised we didn’t see Herculez in place of EJ, seems like it would have made since for the formation and this game.
*I’m no Honduras expert, but this has to be one of their more talented teams. Doesn’t excuse the way we played, but overall it makes getting beat (on the road) a little more understandable.
1) but in the first match away to honduras? I agree he needs minutes, but that’s a bit risky. Still, it’s a lesson learned and JK has to stick to his guns now IMO. Gonzo didnt play poorly, just that it was a rather inexperienced backline and the fact that our CM’s had one of the worst showings in some time didnt help that.
2) agreed
3) Chandler had around 6-8 matches with the US before the whole “i’m not ready to commit” saga. It wasnt a lack of chemistry, it was the fact he looked TERRIBLY tired and slow. At least that’s my take on the matter
4) Agreed. It was odd that Gomez was an instrumental striker through quals until that match and wasnt used at all.
5) Young and talented, but still a very winnable match. I’d be shocked if any other away matches are as winnable. Our boys simply didnt show for most of the game
You guys seemed to ignore the conditions. Guys take multiple flights in from being in cold climates, have a half a day to practice together, then play in a very dangerous and hostile area on a crummy field in 90 degree heat.
Klinsmann should have realized this and tailored the match accordingly. Our players are used to playing in the cold and on fast good fields. Hondurans are used to playing on crappy fields in terrible heat.
Why should we think that our players can flip the switch and become something they aren’t in one day?
Klinsmann doesn’t seem to change his game one bit for these matches. He plays them just as if we were playing the match in Europe. Two inexperienced guys in central defense? And why would you expect the two German wingbacks to be able and fly up and down the sidelines after flying in from Europe having just played a few days prior an playing in 90 degree heat on a sluggish field. They haven’t seen 90 degree heat in 7 months.
Klinsmann: “Tailor your f-ing game to the situation!”
Couldn’t agree more. KLINSMANN IS A SHAM AND NEEDS TO GO. He keeps blaming his players. A half decent coach would have picked up on this and got his players training and playing tournaments/friendlies in these tropical conditions before the frickin WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS!! and then selecting the starting 11 based on their performance in these games. This was like watching an over 40 team playing a fit 20 something team.
Don’t worry about loosing to Honduras. Worry about the fact that the USNT has looked like shit since Klinsmann took over.
Granted, I’ve only watched a few games but I don’t remember them ever looking like they were controlling a game. Always confused and hesitant.
Am I wrong?
There are a few matches under JK where the US looked good, but more often then not we’ve looked non-existent. Of course our possession improved, but it allows the opposing defense to organize and we dont have the players to break it down on a consistent basis.
We have a player pool who are used to playing a specific way and then we are now asking them to change their style. Improving possession isnt asking much, but overall once the defense is organized our players seem a lack of what to do next. Our strength has always been to catch the defense flat footed and out of position.
If JK wants to change this aspect of US soccer culture, he should (as i said from day 1) focus on changing the youth levels. When they are providing the player types to play that style then we can move forward.
Yes, you are wrong. Had they won would you have called him lucky? Watch more games.
This was a combination of many things (conditions, travel, location, player pool, injuries, etc.). 1-2 there is not the end of the world. The fact most seem to think this was going to be a cake-walk or sure win is more of an issue than anything JK did or didn’t do. With all those issues this team did okay. Given that second goal was a horrid miscommunication between two players, I hardly see that as being JK’s fault.
Not all JK’s fault, but partially
I put more blame on the players as the formation and players selection. JK was quoted saying (basically) that we had too many of our top players playing poorly and making mistakes. There was truth behind this. It was a winnable game, our players didn’t show.
Saying that i felt playing players out of position didnt help.
Okay the conditions didn’t help. But I disagree with that being the reason… That doesn’t explain the one-track approach tactically by JK. Not much crossing, no wide game, no counter-attacking–apparently there is only one acceptable way to score a goal on the USMNT to practically dribble it into the goal by going right down the center of the field making tic-tac passes that lead to nothing.
I generally agree with you, but we’ve had a couple against questionable opponents. Guatemala and Scotland. When the boys are playing confidently and they have good off the ball movement, then we play better. When we’re lethargic and static, then we’re really nothing special.
Chandler looked like a waddling walrus out there. Look at his physique- yuk. On the whole we just didn’t have the fitness level to make it work. Didn’t the team prepare fitness-wise for the 90 degree sunny humid weather? Honduras looked like cheetahs we looked like elephants.
…and there is NO WAY to do that when a good percentage of your team is currently playing their league games in Europe. Again, this is hardly JK’s fault. The earliest he could get players was Monday for a Wednesday game. Take into account jet lag AND acclimatization and, again, this is nothing JK can control. Unless, of course, you want him to take mostly players from MLS. Then you have a bunch of offseason guys.
It’s not that these players were out of shape. It was the strain of travel, their schedule and the climate. NONE of that is JK’s fault.
Let’s beat the dog that actually pissed on the carpet, shall we? Stop beating the closest dog instead.
If the players in Europe cannot make it a couple weeks earlier to acclimate and get “heat-fit”, then they should not be playing!! It’s that simple. JK should have known this (any good coach should have known this). There are plenty of good “heat-fit” players he could have picked in the starting 11- yes – this is WORLD CUP QUALIFYING- get those MLS players out of winter hibernation and get them training and playing in Mexico or some place tropical for two weeks before the games. It’s not that complicated. JK is 100% to blame.
Getting rid of Bob Bradley was the biggest mistake that US Soccer has EVER made.. The man demands respect and good play from his players. JK is a nice face to have on the sideline, but when it comes to getting the best out of his players, he is beyond lacking.
But Derek (and Brett): Don’t you think you are glossing over my comments above?
Basically all of our outstanding, speedy, players who possess great stamina in Europe were called out for being slow and lazy in this match: Dempsey, Chandler, Bradley, etc.
Come on. It’s not disinterest, apathy, hate of America or whatever. They were just gassed and from what I read you could visibly see it when they walked off the field at halftime. Klinsmann probably ran Blitzkreig on Honduras and expected all of wing backs to shuttle up an down the field. He doesn’t understand CONCACAF qualifying and the wars you have to fight and the respect you have to give whether it is Guatemala, T&T, or Jamaica. Klinsmann’s away record in CONCACAF is awful.
Ok, you can blame the players. But blame them for being great in Europe while sucking on the sandlots of 90 degree Honduras in the middle of winter with one one day of travel.
Oh, they looked tired at halftime? What say you Klinsmann? Meanwhile, if we would have Poland, in Poland, we would have won 2 – nil.
I agree they looked gas. And i agree having played over the weekend and then flying half way around the world certainly didnt help much.
Still, a problem they’ll have to sort out as these things happen in qualifiers.
Wed Nov 19th 2008 US 2-0 Guatemala
Wed Aug 20th 2008 US 1-0 Guatemala (season start yet?)
Wed Feb 11th 2009 US 2-0 Mexico
Wed Aug 12th 2009 US 1-2 Mexico (although I’m not sure if the euro season started at that point)
Point is single mid-week games occur in quals and our players and coach need to figure out how to solve the problems. I left off all the Wed matches that are partnered with a Saturday game first.
I agree they looked tired, but we’ve overcome this before even when most of our team were still playing overseas. Of course we had Landon Donovan for those matches too… Its JK’s job to play a style that also wears the opponent out–get a lead and play tough defense… The “possession game” is suppose to run the opponent ragged, but they did the same to us. Chandler was running all up and down that wing playing defense and getting nutmegged. He looked exhausted 30 minutes in. Meanwhile, in contrast, we rarely played the ball wide and made Honduras chase us up and down the wing. Nor did we play physical int he box, or cross ball after ball into the box forcing them to expend energy in defense. We played the ball centrally and the Honduran defense only had to play defense centrally. Not as much running defensively for them in comparison.
I knew immediately from the theme music that this was a “very special episode” of TSRC!
Not saying EJ should be playing as a winger, but you guys said he can’t cross to save his life… he put in a cross with his week foot that Jozy hit the bar with, the best chance in the match outside of the goal.
Agreed, but that is certainly not his forte by any means….
Why will not Klinsmann play his players where they play best ? EJ is a heading machine, yet JK always plays him wide. Right when he is becoming more effective, JK pulls him. Even a junior HS coach could tell the team needed width and would not want to start a back line that has never played together, let alone of the road !
Many of his top Euro players actually played on Sunday, not Saturday. So they arrive on Sunday, Monday and then travel again on within 24 hours. Only Beckham can seem to do this crap !
All the practices should have been held in Key West.
Popular Store Items
Popular Posts
Latest from the Forum
About Big Soccer
Copyright © 2011 Big Internet Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Click here for our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Views expressed by the bloggers and users of BigSoccer do not represent the views of Big Internet Group, LLC.