Pre-match: 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification: USA vs Costa Rica

Does Bruce ever play a 3-5-2, 3-4-3? I think we would be really good in that with Puli sitting middle having a mostly free role. Wood and Altidore up front, and Nagbe, Bradley behind him. We can trust him to play defense, his coach Peter Bosz, even said after game one he was all over the field on both sides of the ball.

I don't think bruce sees Geoff as a DM, but more as a CB. He has played in a three back with Stoke recently. I just don't know that the projected fullbacks of Villafana and Zusi are good enough for the Ticos.

 

I don't know. Wing-forward would certainly involve less running, though.

 

He played 343 at Azteca. That was the best game played under his current tenure. Lichaj and Arriola have experience at wing-back.

 

Here's some quotes from Bruce Arena back in 2000 right before a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala:

 

While he didn't do it against Honduras in March, he did mention prior to the match the possibility of playing a 3-5-2.

 

Great stuff. I only disagree proposed US formation; a 2-man central midfield of Bradley and Pulisic doesn't provide much in the way of defensive presence.

 

It's a good formation if Johnson isn't starting.

-----------------Altidore----Wood-------
---Villafana----Nagbe-----Pulisic----Lichaj-----
-------------------------Bradly-------
----------Ream----Gonz/Bes----Cameron---
-----------------------Howard--------

 

Absolutely agree we should play high-pressure with CR, and every other team. Breeds confidence and opportunities. As for Pulisic's position...I read that when Guardiola was at Barcelona, he insisted that all his players must listen to and do what he said. All except Messi. Pulisic should be given similar freedom to roam and create, with the central midfielders covering for him...if BA hasn't quietly done so already.

 

High pressing should have always been our MO against CONCACAF teams. If its not the shorter technical teams we muscle off the ball its the more physical teams that we can get off the ball due to their poor touch.

Its not like we are worried our back 4 is going to get torched with Yedlin/Cameron/Johnson/Brooks/Lichaj/Villafana in our best 23.

 

We don't dominate possession enough for a player to be given a free role. The Mexico debacle is an example of the problem of trying to implement such a tactic.

 

Hopefully he's reading up on Zusi.

 

Especially against what can quickly become a 7 man attack coming from all angles.

And 2 FBs that aren't all that good at defending.

3 in the back would work better with (1) our personnel, and (2) against what CR are going to do. As ed said, even a 4-4-2 might do better IF the 4 MFs are committed to defend as well. That would give us 8 v 7 on the defensive end. A 2 man midfield could get overrun.

 

Ever high press in 90 deg heat? Or just after playing 3 days earlier and flying 6 hrs to the match (or more). Or with a 34 yr old forward? Or without significant practice of roles and responsibilities with high press which is difficult to obtain with national team? If you want to see a great example of why you don't always high press CONCACAF teams, check out one of Klinsmann's first WCQ's at Honduras. Ugly stuff.

 

I bet Ream starts tonight. He'll swap out Villafana for Beasley down in Honduras. Wouldn't be surprised if Bedoya starts vs. Honduras too.

Thinking maybe Bruce goes for it, 2 strikers, Pulisic underneath. Nagbe and Johnson too. More conservative for the road game. Add Acosta to pair Bradley for that one.

 

There is a BIG difference between us playing at San Pedro Sula with Klinsmann versus playing next week.

First, most importantly, Klinsmann was a naive fool. He played Euro-based players who were fully fit, but fully fit to play in temperatures in the 40's and maybe 50's. He expected no problems forcing them to play a high-tempo game with temps 50 degrees warmer than they are used to. He then also played US-based players who were not 100% 90-minute fit as it was still preseason / only have had limited game reps in a couple of friendlies.

Arena is much more experienced and flat-out smarter taking environmental issues into choosing the lineup. It is easier as Euro players are fully fit and can at least be used to temps in the 70-80's as a lot of preseason is done in heat (except for teams that head to the Alps), the leap to 95 degrees, while dramatic, is not nearly as bad as it is in February when your blood thins out during the winter. MLS players like Acosta or Beasley should feel like there is very little difference between Honduras weather and that in Houston or Dallas in the summer.

Of course the potential of hot sun does add some difficulty, but over all going there in early September is MUCH different than going there in February.

 

Weather forecast in San Pedro Sula is in the low 90s. However, there will also be around 75%-80% humidity (Houston is at 50-60% post storm, and Dallas is around 40-55% right now for comparison; both high, but not quite as much as there). That is usually what gets the players and what causes leg cramping etc. In humid climates, sweat evaporates much more slowly which prevents the body from cooling down and accelerates dehydration. In this case very much it is the heat and the humidity.

 

Fine. Humidity in Atlanta or Orlando in the summer is much higher, tropical like. I don't remember the Gold Cup exact weather, but there were a lot of soaking wet shirts during games.

The point is that players after being in heat all summer won't find San Pedro Sula great weather advantage as intimidating as they would had the game been played in February or March. Most of them have been exposed to it within the last two months.

 

I agree. There is a time and place for everything. Just think that it is a bit naive when someone says we should always press CONCACAF teams. It is something you have in the arsenal and use when appropriate. When it isn't appropriate, you can pay dearly.

 

Saying its the MO doesnt mean its what we do everytime its just a pattern. We can stray for a specific reason if need be. If we play a CONCACAF team at our home we absolutely should press because our team is more than likely to be more fit than our opponent. Even away, barring a circumstance(depletes squad thru suspension/temp/weather) pressing works.

I would study this game under Klinsmann but that study would have confounding as an error because...well its Klinsmann.

Some members here advocated 4-1-3-2. Put Wood and Altidore up there and this hex would have been business as usual. We have the personnel.

Im thinking for teams like Costa Rica/Honduras/Panama their defenders would be very irritated if Wood and Dwyer both led the press.

 

Bruce won't agree with me on Fabian because of promises, this is Bruce not JK. He will play FJ at LM or RM because he is a phenomenal all around midfielder, whose strengths that make him an adequate fullback in emergency situations, make him the perfect guy to help cover for deficiencies in the fullbacks behind him.

Lost in the shuffle when discussing Fabian is that he is excellent defensively as an outside mid, probably the best we have and miles better than the likes of Bedoya, Arriola, or whoever the dudes are that people want to see instead of him.

From an attacking perspective the guys around him absolutely matter. If we are going to be chasing down 50/50 balls and pumping low % crosses into the box, there are "better" players for that than Fabian. Put in your Arriola's, Bedoya's and the like, but if you want a cohesive, effective attack predicated on passing your way through opponents then you play Nagbe's and Johnson's. Transcendent talents like Pulisic and Dempsey will excel regardless.I don't know why the general idea that we need to play attackers that actually compliment each other is controversial.

On Pulisic, no he never struggled as an AM for Dortmund, he excelled and he has been phenomenal for us in that role. He has never been and won't be now "tethered" anywhere, he will be free to find the game wherever that might be.

Y'all are living in the past and evaluating everything through a paradigm that has passed by while everyone was arguing over if it was too soon to bring Pulisic into the team and if CONCACAF play would be too rough for him or how he would "gel" with the locker room.

This is not Bradley's team. This is not Dempsey's team. This is not Howard's or Jozy's team. This team belongs to Christian Pulisic and all the other pieces will be slotted in around him on that basis. First name on the team sheet, #10, CAM, play-maker, Second Striker, Trequartista, whatever your word for it. He will be in the center where he can have the maximum impact and elevate the play of those around him, provided of course they are intelligent, skilled, creative footballers capable of keeping up with him and combining. Guys like... I dunno... Fabian Johnson?

Pulisic is coming into his own, Nagbe only just now became a bona fide starter and he still has detractors around here questioning his end product, Dempsey, FJ and Wood have all been injured, etc. Just give all these guys a chance to breath and start working together, without black holes around them and we will finally see the proactive attacking soccer JK promised.

 

Bradley is team captain and goes 90 every time. His playing position, unlike Pulsic's, never changes.

Johnson's record shows that he has been a solid midfielder for the US, nothing more. Maybe he can turn his performances up a notch: we'll see.

He publically stated his preference was to play in midfield and to only play one position. Arena agreed to this. We don't know how adamant Johnson was in private, though. A fullback roster of Johnson, Yedlin, Chandler, and Villafana would likely be top-8 in the world, however.

 

Although true, that is all superficial at this point. The ball and dictation of play all used to go through Bradley, everyone else's job was get ball to Bradley. Those days are over. Bradley's job now? Good positional defense, get ball to Pulisic, watch magic happen.

 

Your posts are arguably the best thing about BS right now - please please keep these coming they are very much appreciated.

 

Ball dictation still goes through Bradley. There's nothing superficial about never being moved around. He also had the goal at Azteca, the one decent opponent thus far played against in competition under Arena.

 

Good point, Bradley is the player every opponent is worrying about right now and spending all of their time figuring out how to stop. Just as Bruce is certainly most concerned with how to set up the team to get the most out of Bradley, because that is clearly our most important player.

Like I said, the past.