Pre-match: 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage: USA vs Nicaragua (Saturday, July 15, 2017)

I thought we couldn't do much worse than against Panama. We keep finding rock bottom, then start digging....

 

Just hoping Lichaj gets another start

 

I'm hoping for a mixture of the "best" players from the first two matches, along with Hamid and Miazga.

To expand, something like the following:

--------------Morris----Dwyer--------------
---Rowe--McCarty--Acosta--Arriola---
---Villafana--Besler--Miazga--Lichaj---
--------------------Hamid--------------------

 

On the one hand, Martinique beat Nicaragua comfortably, so there is some reason to think it will be an easier match. On the other hand, I caught the last 25-30 minutes of Panama/Nicaragua and thought that Nicaragua looked pretty decent. Panama definitely had the better of the play, but Nicaragua was definitely in the game and had a couple half-decent chances to get a draw.

 

---------------morris-----agudelo
--morrow--Roldan--dax--zardes--arriola
------------Besler--gonzo--hedges
---------------------gk:guzan

subs: Dom, Rowe.

 

Hamid
Lichaj-Miazga-Besler-Villafana
Rowe-Acosta-McCarty-Morris
Agudelo-Dwyer

 

Acosta has started for 3 straight games, imo he and the team both played poorly in them, and those were the official matches. It's time to see if he's an issue with the team and cm. We're not going to have a chance to test that out after the group stages.

We're also not going to have a chance to test Roldan. I think a suggestion of leaving Acosta in there AGAIN, and benching Roldan after a single debut performance which wasn't even poor imo, not giving him another chance for a different look in front of Dax and maybe playing more aggressively in that role plus with 1 cap under his belt, is very short-sighted. That may end his camp, bar bench opportunities, and it's a big mistake to do that given what he's shown in MLS. Hell, it's a bad mistake even if you weren't impressed with his MLS play. You don't evaluate players with that much fickleness. We'll have played 4 games before the ko stages. He should get at least 2. Should have gotten 3 like Acosta and Dax already have.

I have a similar attitude about Morrow.

Lichaj also deserves a 2nd start after a mixed bag (real) return for the 1st time in a long time. See if he can clean up those errors. We've seen enough from Arriola and Zusi, for now at least.

Sucks that Hamid could only get 1 start max now. Doubt he'd have done worse vs. Martinique and there was no reason to not play him against Ghana.

Besler has to be in there for his ball skills to fit the style and complement the big lug in the lineup. The big lug in this game should be Miazga. Get him his debut start and see what he's made of. If he does well enough he can even start in the ko stages.

Rowe should play because he helps the team function better in theory, and so far in reality, but we still don't have conclusive info he should be carried with the first 23 going forward, and not necessarily even the ko stages if he plays particularly badly (hopefully he doesn't).

Dwyer I feel pretty good about. I feel like if you're going two strikers it should be him and Morris coming off that 2 goal game, but if 1 still Morris because I'd be confident enough to start Dwyer in the ko stages at this point.

Right now I'm thinking:

------Dwyer----Morris-----
-------------Rowe------------
----------------Roldan---------
Villafana---McCarty------Lichaj
------Besler--Miazga--Morrow
-----------------Hamid----------------

 

I don't know if I'd go with the exact same personnel, but I do like the thought of going to a 3-5-2 sort of formation. At least some of the guys should be comfortable in it after practicing it for the Azteca game, and it should in theory help with the problems of allowing too much space in the center of the field and not getting enough width in the attack (the latter was at least a problem in the Panama game).

 

If the US loses, it will most likely advance as one of the top 2 from the group as long as there is no tie in the other match. Else, the US would need to lose in a close high scoring game (i.e. 2-3, 3-4, etc.) in order to advance as one of the 2 best 3rd place finishers... if it doesn't, then a coin will most likely be thrown (or however the draw is done) to determine the 2 best 3rd place finishers. I'm basing this regardless if the unconfirmed news that Honduras was given the 3-0 win due to French Guiana having an ineligible player is true or not.

That being said, I think the US is going to win convincingly.

¡Vamos USA!

Also, regardless of how this all plays out with the US and the "ineligible player" ruling, I believe there's a strong chance of a "coin toss" being done to determine the best 2 3rd place finishers.

 

I would roll with Acosta and McCarty. But Acosta needs some better instruction on when to slow things down and when to try the killer pass.

Miazga needs to start. I would move on from Hedges for this cycle.

Hamid should get a chance.

Can Eric L play left back?

 

Roldan was anonymous if not absent against Martinique. His only virtue appears to be the ability to win the ball back on occasion. He's not ready for the full national team. I think you go ahead and move on there. He sits.

Agudelo is efforting, but there's just not a whole lot there. He has trouble finding the game. I think you move on there too.

Hedges is slowly raising his level, and I think they're not fully done with him yet. However, I think you sit Hedges and see what Miazga has at this point.

Lichaj deserves another look. The games first assist in a stagnant swamp of a game speaks to his leadership, as does his professional play. I think he has earned another run out and if he builds on his last game you have to give him an official audition for the Russia squad by letting him play for the rest of the tournament.

Bedoya seems to be tho only guy in the midfield with the ability to think ahead of the game. I think you get him on the field.

------------------Morris-----------------
-------------Dwyer----------------------
Rowe--------------------------Bedoya
-----------McCarty---Acosta---------
Villafaña-----------------------Lichaj
------------Besler---Miazga----------
------------------Guzan----------------

 

My XI:

----Dwyer--Morris-----
Rowe--------------Arriola
---Acosta--McCarty---
Lichaj--------------Zusi
-----Besler--Miazga--
---------Hamid---------

Likely subs:
Zardes (Rowe)
Corona (Arriola)
Agudelo (Morris/Dwyer)

Why:
-Try out the other Center Backs; mainly Miazga.
-I want Lichaj to also get a chance; this time at LB.
-Try out the McCarty-Acosta combo again; personally, I was not too impressed by Roldan.
-Rowe gets another chance to start.
-The goal scorers, Dwyer and Morris, need to see if they can stay hot.
-Hamid gets the start over Guzan.

 

I'm not going to give a 11 but hopefully my man Hamid gets a chance to play. Replace Agudelo with Dwyer and give Miazga some burn.

 

I'm pretty confident Bruce and co gets us back on track in a big way.

I'm expecting a 5-0 win in a convincing fashion. Sort of like vs Cuba in the knockout stages in 2015.

 

I'm curious what he'll do in the middle of the defense. Both combos were fairly horrid thus far. I'd like to get a look at Miazga and with no one else looking the part I figure he deserves a chance. But, at the same time, we're treading on dangerous ground playing an entirely new defense each game and as we move forward, playing with such an unsettled lineup doesn't bode well for team cohesion once we leave the comforts of the group stages and have to play against decent competition.

 

I wonder how hot the rivalry between Nicaragua and Panama is since they're neighbors. Could explain why Nicaragua looked better than expected.

 

I agree with all the above. I feel like I've seen a lot of posters in this and the post game thread express their desire to have Dwyer back starting and Miazga to get his run out with Hamid in net.

Should be interesting.

 

I am not a believer in Morris as a 90 minute player at the international level. Like nearly all our players he has a number of deficiencies to go with his positive attributes; I think his balance out much more favorably when he comes into a match later.

And while he has been catching a lot of flack on these boards, I think that Acosta being subbed off when he was has more to do with Bruce's intent to start him again v. Nicaragua than with whatever dissatisfaction the manager (rightly) had with his play in that match. So while I don't hate the idea of a Roldan / McCarty pairing, I don't think it happens in this match (unless Bruce goes to a 5-man midfield).

Do most posters think we played different formations against Panama (4-5-1) and Martinique (4-4-2)? Or were those both 4-4-1-1? Will we see a third variant, such as three at the back?

 

Guzan will spot them a goal to keep thing interesting.

Wasn't buying the Gonzalez is getting preferential treatment because of his days with LA Galaxy but another poor performance. Miazga please. And if Erik Palmer-Brown was consistently starting every game in MLS or Europe I'd have him in the mix too. 20-21 is not too young to make a WC squad especially considering his talent.

Gold Cup as a whole not very good. I've watched non-US games too. The product is bad and it's a cashgrab in an off-year.

 

Nice article on Matt Miazga, who started for a team that finished 5th in the Eredivisie, won the Dutch Cup, and qualified for the UEL group stage. He's likely to be loaned to a bigger club for next season, perhaps a middle/lower-table club in a top 5 league. He is one of the top CBs we are carrying on this Gold Cup roster but has yet to play.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-states-national-team-next-step-a7839241.html

 

I wonder if Miazga is a little short on fitness?

 

In 1v1 defending, Morrow was better than Villafana, who was beaten a number of times by Ghana and Panama.

Lichaj, a Euro-player in his preseason, could probably do with a rest.

Morris, a stocky guy, who worked his socks off could probably do with a rest.

Morrow and Arriola have experience at wing-back, arguably their best position.

A 3-in-the-back formation at Azteca saw the team's best performance since the Copa.

---------------------Agudelo----Dwyer--------------
---Morrow----Roldan--McCarty--Bedoya----Arriola---
----------------Besler--Gonzalez--Miazga--
----------------------------Hamid--------------------

 

I'd like to see:

--------------Morris----Dwyer--------------
--Zardes--McCarty--Roldan---Rowe--
---Villafana--Besler--Miazga--Lichaj---
--------------------Hamid--------------------

Subs:
Agudelo for Morris or Dwyer.
Acosta for Roldan or McCarty
Arriola for Rowe or Zardes.

Hamid deserves a look (but Guzan starts in the knock-out games). Roldan gets another start, paired with McCarty so that we get to see all 3 of the primary CM pairings. Rowe and Zardes have been the better flankers so far. Morris and Dwyer are both scoring. Lichaj earned another start. Villafana is better than Morrow. Besler has been solid and it's time to see Miazga, in what I think might be a very capable CB partnership.

I'd rather not see Bedoya, Gonzo or Zusi this match, although realistically I'd be surprised if Bedoya wasn't either starting or one of the first subs, given the pattern Arena has shown so far.

I actually think the US will put some things together against what looks like the weakest opponent in a while and play their most complete game since the Ghana friendly, winning by 2 or 3 goals and taking the top of the group.