Pre-match: Gold Cup Quarterfinal: USA vs El Salvador (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)

Zardes will score with his knee

 

----------------------Morris----------
--------------Altidore----------------
Nagbe-----------------------Arriola
--------Bradley-----Acosta-------
Lichaj----Besler---Miazga---Zusi
----------------Howard----------------

First sub: Zardes

 

Bedoya not there.

 

That's right. Congrats to Alé for the little Alé.

Sub Alé for Acosta....edited the post.

 

---------------------morris---agudelo

--morrow--zardes----Bradley----dax----arriola

----------------Besler----gonzo----miazga

---------------------------gk:Howard

Morris didn't recover in 72 hours and looked heavy last outing. Let's see if he recovers in 96 hours. May as well know in case he goes to Russia. Jozy, Dempsey sub in to get warmed up slowly. Dax and Bradley get their partnership started with Zardes there as the joker in the pack. Morrow and Arriola make their case as the cavalry. Augdelo and Morris continue their quest to be top guns. Besler and Miazga show us if they can pass out of the back.

 

Hamid
Lichaj-Miazga-Besler-Villafana
Arriola-Acosta-Bradley-Nagbe
Agudelo-Altidore

 

Am I making up my memory that lichaj plays left back too?

 

Philly isn't too far from DC and Baltimore. I wonder if this will feel like a home game for El Salvador?

 

Putting strategy, formation, and criticism of the starting IX (plus what the starting IX should be) aside for just one post, I think the US is gonna come into Lincoln Field and do to El Salvador what they did to Nicaragua but only with much more precision and less missed opportunities. In other words, they're gonna have a field day in Philly.

 

They didn't call in the 5 core replacements to sit them. All 5 of Howard, Nagbe, Bradley, Altidore and Dempsey will start.

 

Won't matter. Will likely end similar to the Baltimore QF game from 2013. Zelaya and Pineda are the few threats.

Fun fact - That 2013 game was the last game for many on the ES roster at the time who would eventually be banned for life for fixing games.

 

From what I've seen of ES Zelaya is a good dribbler and they are able to get into dangerous spots when they have time. to move the ball around.

They are prone to bad giveaways and defensive mistakes so if the US can score early it should be an easy game. Now if they go into struggle mode like the group stage then it could be a problem. With the reinforcements I don't see that being an issue.

 

Il Bruce loves to use his whole roster and believes in both rest and horses for courses.

I could see him not starting all of the replacements here so that he has some for a QF, a SF and all of them for the final.

Certainly, he won't sit players if he thinks it seriously risks the result, but I wouldn't be too surprised if Dempsey particularly did not start either the QF or the SF.

 

Hope you're right! Although I have to say I would be highly critical of a starting IX.

 

-------------------------------Howard---------------------------------
---Villafana----------Besler-------------Gonzalez--------Lichaj--
------------------Bradley-------------Dax------------------------------
--------Nagbe---------------Deuce-----------------Arriola-----------
--------------------------------Jozy----------------------------------------

 

Unlike others, I didn't think the Nicaragua match was horrendous. We were missing the final finish on most of our attacking chances, but other than that, we looked determined and focused.

If we bring that to Philly, with the addition of some more reliable goalscorers, I think we'll come away with a comfortable win. However, if we allow El Salvador to hang around, they're dangerous enough to score on our (still concerning) defense.

I'm cautiously confident we'll be in Arlington this weekend.

 

your defense looked flipped. Villa should be at LB, Lichaj at RB, Besler at LCB and Gonzo at RCB.

 

That's my takeaway too from watching them play Jamaica yesterday. They are dangerous going forward, but the US will have plenty of opportunities themselves.

 

I don't give a damn how the ball ends up in the opponent's net, just that it does.

 

I don't think he brings 5 of the 6 in if they aren't going to play. Even the back keeper COULD get a game depending on how things go.

 

With nine players? That's confidence!

Edit: @SamsArmySam beat me to it

 

Here is the line-up I would start on Wednesday against El Salvador:

-----------------------------------Howard----------------------------------


Zusi-------------Gonzales-----------------Hedges-------------Morrow


---------------------------Bradley------------Acosta-------------------------


Arriola--------------------------------------------------------------------Zardes


-----------------------------Altidore------------Agudelo----------------------


1. Goalkeeper

Bill Hamid played well against Nicaragua. He also is more athletic than Brad Guzan, and Guzan has had a couple of instances recently in which he failed to make saves that I think Hamid would have made, namely on Carlos Vela’s goal for Mexico at the Estadio Azteca and on Martinique’s first goal against the U.S. on July 12. So, I think Hamid should be at least even—if not ahead of—Guzan on the depth chart now, behind only Tim Howard. Hence, it would be good to get Hamid some more experience in an important game. Accordingly, I wouldn’t mind if Bruce Arena were to start Hamid against El Salvador on Wednesday. It would also enable Arena to rest Howard for the semifinals.

However, I would start Howard against El Salvador. Among other things, Howard is much more experienced than Hamid and has been less prone to mistakes. And, given that Howard is a goalkeeper, even if he were to play 90 minutes against El Salvador on Wednesday, July 19, it would be unlikely to make him too fatigued to play at his best in the semifinals on Saturday, July 22, which is likely to be against a strong Costa Rica team.


2. Right Back

This one is hard. But assuming Graham Zusi looks good in practice and doesn’t seem overly fatigued, I probably would start him against El Salvador, with the idea that he would be good enough to get the job done against them. Then I would start a fresh Eric Lichaj in the semifinals, which will be only three days after the quarterfinals, probably against Costa Rica. The U.S. has generally had a hard time winning against Costa Rica, even at home. So, having a fresh Lichaj to match up against them and their good left-wingers (for instance, Rodney Wallace and David Ramirez) would be good for the U.S.

In addition, Zusi played well against Nicaragua, including notching a very nice assist on Matt Miazga’s important goal. Here is a link to the highlights of the match:



The sequence involving Zusi’s assist starts at minute 4:32.

It is true that Zusi played 90 hard minutes against Nicaragua on Saturday, and it might be argued that it would be risky to start him against El Salvador on Wednesday. But I think he would be okay. The El Salvador match is four days after the U.S.’s match against Nicaragua. Four days is generally enough time for soccer players to recover. In contrast, the semifinals come only three day after the quarterfinals. That’s harder.

Finally, if we make it to the finals, then, assuming Lichaj plays well in the semifinals, I probably would start Lichaj in the finals, which well could be against Mexico. Lichaj is a more athletic and experienced right back than Zusi. And there are four days between the semifinals and finals. If Lichaj were to start in the semifinals, he still probably would have enough energy to perform well—even at his best—in the finals.


3. Center-Back

I don’t want Matt Hedges starting in the semifinals, especially against Costa Rica. Hedges is inexperienced at the international level (only 4 caps), and he struggled against Martinique, including getting beaten on Martinique’s first goal. However, I think Hedges can be adequate against El Salvador. He has been a good player in MLS, he was decent in the friendly against Ghana on July 1, and he has good size and skill. So, I probably would start Hedges against El Salvador. And I would pair Hedges with Omar Gonzales. Gonzales is fresh. He didn’t play any minutes against Nicaragua. He also played solidly against Panama and Martinique, including scoring the first goal against Martinique. Gonzales also is experienced. He has 42 caps and has played in many World Cup qualifiers and in a World Cup.

Then, in the semifinals, I would start two of the three of Omar Gonzales, Matt Miazga and Matt Besler. I might start Gonzales in the semifinals. I rate him as the best center-back on our current roster. He also is durable. He could play 90 minutes against El Salvador and probably still be fine physically to play 90 minutes against Costa Rica three days later. But I also might start Besler and Miazga in the semifinals. They played well together against Nicaragua, and they would be fresh for the semifinals, because I wouldn’t start them against El Salvador in the quarterfinals. And if Besler and Miazga were to start in the semifinals, then Gonzales would be fully fresh for the finals, which will be played on Wednesday, July 26, four days after the semifinal match that the U.S. would play in.

As of now, I probably would start Gonzales and Miazga in the finals. Mexico likely will be in the finals. Gonzales has played well against them, for instance, he played well against them in the U.S.’s 1-1 draw against them in the World Cup qualifier at the Azteca in June of 2017. Gonzales also knows Mexico’s players well, given that he plays in their domestic league. For the finals, I probably would pair Gonzales with Miazga. Partly based on Miazga’s performance against Nicaragua, I currently rate Miazga as the second best center-back on our current roster, behind only Gonzales.

But I would start Gonzales and Hedges against El Salvador, with the understanding that they are fresh and that they can get the job done. Then I would have Gonzales available to start in the semifinals, three days after the quarterfinals. I also would have Besler and Miazga available to start in the semifinals, and they both would be fresh. Depending on how Gonzales were to play in the quarterfinals, I may or may not start him in the semifinals. If I didn’t start him in the semifinals, he would be fully fresh for the finals on July 26.


4. Left Back

At the moment, I rate Jorge Villafaña ahead of Justin Morrow. The former is significantly more experienced at the international level, and he seems better with the ball at his feet. Additionally, in the first half against Martinique, Morrow was out of position—and beaten on—the play that resulted in Kevin Parsemain striking the ball off the U.S. goal post. Here are the highlights:



The sequence starts at minute :20.

But I think Morrow can be good enough against El Salvador. He is a good player in MLS, a fairly good athlete, and he wasn’t bad against Martinique. And if Morrow were to play 90 minutes against El Salvador, Villafaña would be fresh for the semifinals, which will be only three days after the quarterfinals, probably against the Ticos.


5. Central Midfield

Michael Bradley is fresh and the best central midfielder in the U.S. player pool. So, I would start him against El Salvador. And I would pair him with Kellyn Acosta. I think Acosta—at least if he is paired with Bradley—is good enough to help the U.S. beat El Salvador. Acosta is fresh. He played no minutes against Nicaragua. In contrast, Dax McCarty—another option to start against El Salvador—played 90 minutes against Nicaragua, and Joe Corona—yet another option—played 66 minutes against them. In addition, Acosta is a good player in MLS. He also has 11 caps (decent international experience), scored a nice goal in the friendly against Ghana, and played solidly against Mexico at the Azteca in an important World Cup qualifier. Moreover, if Acosta starts against El Salvador, then McCarty will be fresh for the semifinals. And, right now, I rate McCarty ahead of Acosta. For instance, I think McCarty played well against Nicaragua and better than Acosta did against Martinique. And I want a fresh McCarty to pair with Bradley in the semifinals, which I think will be against Costa Rica.

However, if Acosta struggles against El Salvador, I would consider bringing McCarty in for him in the second half.


6. Outside Midfield

This is difficult. Although Chris Pontius played well against Nicaragua and is, I think, a solid player, he played 90 minutes against Nicaragua on Saturday, and he lacks speed. Moreover, at the moment, I don’t rate Paul Arriola that highly. He has turned the ball over too much, and he doesn’t seem that steady. But I want fresh outside midfielders against El Salvador. I also want fresh outside midfielders in the semifinals, if we get there. In addition, Arriola played only 28 minutes against Nicaragua, and he seems to have pretty good speed and endurance. So, I probably would start Arriola against El Salvador and not start him in the semifinals. In that case, Pontius and either Gyasi Zardes or Darlington Nagbe would be fresh for the semifinals.

I don’t want to start both Zardes and Nagbe against El Salvador, because I want at least one of them fresh for the semifinals. They have the ability to change the game on the flanks. Also, I don’t want to start both Pontius and Arriola at outside midfield against El Salvador, because I’m worried that they are not strong enough, and if they both start against El Salvador, it might hurt our chances of winning the match. Therefore, I would start either Zardes or Nagbe at left midfield, on the opposite side of Arriola.

Right now, I’m inclined to start Zardes against El Salvador. I think he has more endurance than Nagbe. So, if Zardes starts against El Salvador, he’ll still have enough gas in his tank to play well in the semifinals, and our semifinal match is only three days after our quarterfinal match. In comparison, if I were to start Nagbe against El Salvador, I worry that his energy would be too depleted for him to excel three day later in the semifinals, probably against Costa Rica. So, I would start Zardes and Arriola against El Salvador in the quarterfinals with the idea that I then would start Nagbe and Zardes against Costa Rica in the semifinals.


7. Forward

I’d start two forwards against El Salvador. We have tended to be more dangerous with two forwards than with only one. And I think our midfield, particularly with Michael Bradley, is good enough that we can win the midfield against El Salvador playing in a 4-4-2.

Against El Salvador, I would start Jozy Altidore as one of the forwards. He is one of the two most proven forwards on our current roster (along with Clint Dempsey). For instance, Altidore is 27 years old, in his prime age-wise for a forward. Furthermore, this season in MLS, Altidore has 8 goals and 5 assists. Dempsey has 7 goals and 2 assists, and Juan Agudelo has 7 goals and 1 assist. Finally, Altidore is the third all-time leading scorer in U.S. men’s national team history, with 37 goals. And he has scored that many goals in 104 games, which is not a bad strike rate.

I would pair Altidore with Juan Agudelo. Against Nicaragua, Agudelo played only 16 minutes. So, he’ll be fresh for El Salvador. He also played pretty well against Nicaragua. In addition, Jordan Morris took a knock against Nicaragua that seemed to take something out of him. I’d also like Morris to be fresh for the semifinals.

I would plan to bring Dempsey into the El Salvador match in the second half in order to see how he plays and so that he can get some rhythm before the semifinals. Then, in deciding who to start in the semifinals, I would weigh how the players have played against El Salvador in the quarterfinals. At this point, I probably would start in the semifinals two of Morris, Altidore and Dempsey. Unless Agudelo were to play very well in the quarterfinals, I probably wouldn’t start him in the semifinals. First, I would be starting Agudelo in the quarterfinals, so he likely would be fatigued for the semifinals, which are only three days after the quarterfinals. Moreover, I wouldn’t be starting Morris in the quarterfinals, so he would be fresh for the semifinals. Finally, of the four forwards, Agudelo has been the least productive at the international level.

Which two forwards I would start in the semifinals depends partly on how they all play against El Salvador. Forwards can be streaky. And it is good to ride a forward who is scoring and playing with confidence. They often keep scoring.

 

Ceren is going to work the heck out of Bradley, believe that.

This is the problem when the rival knows you too well and you don't know anything about them, if Lara knows who Zusi is, my logical guess is that he is going after his side.

 

------Jozy----Clint----
---------Corona-------
-----Nagbe---Acosta-----
Villa---------Jr.---------Lichaj
------Besler-Miazga-----
----------Hamid------------