October 2018: Friendlies Colombia & Peru

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by Eleven Bravo, Sep 12, 2018.

  1. LouisZ

    LouisZ Member+

    Oct 14, 2010
    Southern California-USA
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would expect but the Chile team had all of their1st team players very few newbies in the Peru game. They are staying loyal to old vets and not getting the same results as before, sounds familiar?
     
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  2. thedukeofsoccer

    thedukeofsoccer Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    Wussconsin
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, that's what these games are supposed to be for - to confirm or debunk good theories when we already hadn't done it yet. It's not been proven because of limited opportunities, but I think it's a good theory that Delgado can play in a ball-winning role, and better than Acosta, for the U.S. In MLS he wins 2 total tackles per game and comes up with 1.2 interceptions for 3.2 takeaways (in a down year btw, last year it was 4.5). Acosta averages 1 and 0.9 respectively. Delgado can buzz around and has more teeth in the tackle. So I don't know why that would be the big concern.

    Also, if Wil Trapp can do one thing it is pass to distance. So between the solid ball-winning and passing of the pairing, the team should be able to achieve some possession and keep the attackers up high enough.

    This is what happened when the U.S. put together a satisfactory display against another mid-tier side, Paraguay, back in March. The starting cm pairing was Trapp-Delgado. And it's the best we got here with all that's available. Employing Sargent underneath the CF as an outside the box 10 when we have no traditional ones and to get our most intriguing prospects on the field was a touch of brilliance.
     
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  3. ttrevett

    ttrevett Member+

    Apr 2, 2002
    Atlanta, GA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What we'll see is a pretty good footballing team against a bunch of reasonably good players. The footballing team usually wins against a bunch of individuals. Until we get a coach and a system that uses 1 or 2 formations in the majority that is drilled into the players' heads, we will always be a bunch of individuals playing against a team.
     
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  4. yurch10

    yurch10 Member+

    Feb 13, 2004
    Starting to see a couple lineup predictions with MB90 in CM as CAPTAIN! Oh I can't wait to see this thread and Twitter on Tuesday evening!
     
  5. smokarz

    smokarz Member+

    Aug 9, 2006
    Hartford, CT
    After a 4 goals beat down by Columbia, expect Sarachan to come out with a very defensive lineup against Peru.

    For the first time, maybe we'll see 5 CMs.
     
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  6. condor11

    condor11 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 2, 2002
    New Zealand
    currently the peruvian offensive players have a hard time scoring...they are creating chances just not putting them away

    in the last 3 games

    2-1 lost to Netherlands
    2-1 lost to Germany
    3-0 win vs Chile

    the goals have been
    3 - Pedro Aquino - defensive mid
    1 - Luis Advincula - right back
    1 - own goal from chile
     
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  7. skim172

    skim172 Member+

    Feb 20, 2013
    I mean, I can't imagine this should surprise anyone who's been paying attention. I'd be more surprised if MB wasn't captain.
     
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  8. ttrevett

    ttrevett Member+

    Apr 2, 2002
    Atlanta, GA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Will old timey folk, the captain is the captain until he's not there. No way this coach gives the captaincy to anyone else. He's starting, is the captain and will go 90, is my prediction. TFC is out of playoff contention, so no reason for him and Delgado to not be playing 90.
     
  9. edcrocker

    edcrocker Member+

    May 11, 1999
    It’s not correct that Kenny Saief has played only 127 minutes for Anderlecht so far this season. He’s played only 127 minutes for Anderlecht in Belgian league play. But he’s also played 49 minutes for Anderlecht in the Europa League. Specifically, on September 20, he played 25 minutes against Spartak Tranva, and, on October 4, he played 24 minutes against Dinamo Zagreb. But, not including the 58 minutes that Saief played for the US on Thursday night against Colombia, he has played only a total of 176 minutes of regulation professional since May 13, 2018.


    From what I’ve seen of Fafa Picault, I agree that he tends to be better when the game is opened up than when the game is compact and congested. But the question is: If Sarachan were not to start Picault against Peru, whom should Sarachan start instead? Picault would be fresh against Peru. He played only 32 minutes against Colombia. Also, against Colombia, Kenny Saief didn’t distinguish himself. Finally, Jonathan Amon has never played for the US national team before, and I’ve never seen him play for his club (except in highlights).

    One option, which I discussed in my previous post, is to start Wil Trapp as the only defensive-midfielder in a 4-1-4-1, with Julian Green and Tim Weah on the wings. So, the line-up would be this:

    -------------------------------------Guzan--------------------------------------


    Yedlin---------------Miazga------------------Brooks--------------Sweat


    ----------------------------------------Trapp-----------------------------------


    Weah--------------------Bradley----------------Acosta------------------Green


    -----------------------------------------Wood------------------------------------

    But how would you feel about Michael Bradley starting as an attacking midfielder rather than as a defensive-midfielder? Bradley often seems more comfortable playing further back in midfield and picking up the ball from the defenders as his teams builds out of the back. But, under Jürgen Klinsmann, Bradley played attacking center-mid, and Bradley often played well there under Klinsmann. For instance, in the US’s round of 16 match against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup, Bradley started at attacking center-mid in a 4-2-3-1. Here is a link to the way soccerway.com presents the two teams' starting line-ups:

    https://us.soccerway.com/matches/20...cup/belgium/united-states-of-america/1220126/

    I remember Bradley having played well in the match.

    How confident would you be in Wil Trapp starting as the only defensive-midfielder in a 4-1-4-1? He’s fresh, but he’s not super-athletic.

    Another question I have: In the match against Peru tomorrow night, should Sarachan weigh that the US will have played Colombia only five days before they play Peru and that, as a result, some players (for instance, those who didn’t play against Colombia or those who played 30 minutes or less) might be fresher than other players? After the US’s loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Couva, I’m very aware of the possibility of players being fatigued or low-energy when they play two matches in relatively short succession. Four days prior to the US’s loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Couva, the US had beaten Panama decisively (4-0) and played very well. Bruce Arena started the same line-up four days later against Trinidad and Tobago that he had against Panama. At the time, I would have done the same thing. In hindsight, I would not have. The US looked flat and lacking in energy against Trinidad and Tobago.

    And I’ve read an article on-line that was published in 2012 that constitutes a comprehensive literature review on how long it takes high-level professional soccer players to fully recover from high-level professional soccer matches. Here is a link to the article:

    https://www.researchgate.net/public...ost-Match_Fatigue_and_Time_Course_of_Recovery

    The article is not very clear. But one of the studies discussed in the article suggests that it can take high-level profession soccer players, on average, 96 hours (4 days) after a high-level professional match for the players to reach their baseline levels on relevant performance criteria. Of course, the US played Colombia on Thursday night and will play Peru tomorrow night. That’s 120 hours. So, perhaps all the players who played 90 minutes against Colombia on Thursday night will have fully recovered by tomorrow night.

    But I wonder. Should Sarachan factor in the fact that Aaron Long, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Wil Trapp, Jonathan Amon, Andrija Novakovich, Josh Sargent and Fafa Picualt would basically be fully fresh for tomorrow’s match? I think so. For tomorrow night’s match, it’s important for the players to be as energetic as possible. But, assuming Bobby Wood has looked good in practice since the Colombia game, I still would start him. In fact, I also think I’d start Matt Miazga, John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, Michael Bradley, Tim Weah and Julian Green. I’m more confident in them than I am in the other options for their positions, and there is no study that I’ve seen that suggests that a player is not fully recovered from a game 120 hours after he or she has played the game.

    At the same time, my own experience makes me think that some players may be a little fresher and more mentally alert for a given match if they have not played a full match 120 hours before. So, that weighs in favor of starting Picault and Ben Sweat and makes me more open to the idea of starting Wil Trapp.
     
  10. USA-Zebuel

    USA-Zebuel Member+

    Mar 26, 2013
    Club:
    Colón de Santa Fe
    Sweet!! USSF is like the Washington Generals of World Futbol.
     
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  11. TMBMiles

    TMBMiles Member

    Dortmund
    United States
    Mar 31, 2017
    I generally want us to move away from the 4-4-2, but with injuries + the idea of a bradley/acosta/trapp (ick) midfield I think I'd rather see a 4-4-2 with Sargent and Wood/Nova up top with sargent sliding underneath in possession.
     
  12. Excellency

    Excellency Member+

    LA Galaxy
    United States
    Nov 4, 2011
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    #1012 Excellency, Oct 15, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2018
    Sarachan is probably thinking about now that he should have brought Parker instead of Long because Parker plays left side and Sarachan needs a baby sitter for Brooks and Robinson. Problem is Parker is out of contract end of the year and call up would have helped him in salary negotiations with the MLSSUM oligarchs.

    In any case, let's give Long some more practice on the left with a back line of

    ------------long-----brooks----miazga

    which let's us play Robinson more advanced where he can do the only thing he really does of AAA quality - cross the ball.

    if we add Trapp and Delgado for dmid duty and good passing out of the back, we have 5 places left from which to find our attack and wide defending.

    Let's put Weah at the 9 and see what he's got. Weah and Sarge are familiar with each other from u17's (where Weah played wing and stayed out of trouble while winning GOTT) plus Sarge has all that Bremen training under his belt and is scoring regularly with 2nd team at club.

    I'm pretty sure Yedlin and Delgado are comfortable with each other. They complement each other pretty well speed/passi/position-wise.

    In any case, one way of not playing Bradley is to add Long and go

    -----------------------weah---------sarge
    --------------------------?(un-Acosta)?*
    --------robinson
    ---------------------------------------------delgado
    -------------------------trapp-------
    -----------------------------------------------------------yedlin
    ------------------long-----brooks----miazga

    *First time ever I have Acosta in a line-up:D

    The above allows Trapp a little more leeway to affect the offense because he has some extra protection in the rear centrally.

    The alternative is to play with a dmid line of Trapp, Bradley, Delgado and 2 cb's with Trapp helping Robinson.
    -----------------------------sargent---weah

    ------------------------
    -?(un-Acosta)?------

    -------------------trapp----bradley-----delgado

    ---------robinson---brooks-----miazga-----yedlin


    back to the diamond?

    p.s. Just so people don't say I beat on Acosta too much, I've always said he should have been developed as a striker. Also, I forgot we have CCV in camp and we could use him instead of Brooks or Miazga to spare one of the latter too much work
     
  13. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What time is kickoff for the USA/Peru friendly?

    Is it at 7:30 PM or 8:00 PM EST?
     
  14. Winoman

    Winoman Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-De!

    Jul 26, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    From USSF's website:

     
  15. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It did say that kickoff time on the US Soccer page, but can't they change that kickoff time on a whim?
     
  16. Winoman

    Winoman Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-De!

    Jul 26, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Ironbound

    Ironbound Member+

    Jul 1, 2009
    ESPN shows it starting at 8 eastern on my guide.
     
  18. ussoccer97531

    ussoccer97531 Member+

    Oct 12, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    Guzan
    Cannon-Long-Brooks-Robinson
    Trapp
    Acosta-Delgado
    Saief-Novakovich-Amon
     
  19. adam tash

    adam tash Member+

    Jul 12, 2013
    Barcelona, Spain
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What I would do with this roster:

    -------------------------------------Guzan--------------------------------------


    Cannon---------------Miazga------------------Brooks--------------Saief


    ----------------------------------------Trapp-----------------------------------


    Picault-----------------------------Weah--------------------------------Amon


    ---------------------------Novakovich--------------Wood-------------------

    what i guess we will see:

    -------------------------------------------Guzan--------------------------------------


    -----Miazga------------------Brooks----------Long


    ---------Yedlin----------------------Bradley------Trapp------------------Sweat-----------------


    ---------------------------------------------delgado -------------------------------

    ---------------------------------Weah------------------Novakovich-----------------------------------
     
  20. bharreld

    bharreld Member

    Jan 26, 2008
    Westlake, OH
    So what you would do is run the 4132 that lost us the game in T&T? But with Trapp, who is a worse version of Bradley? Guess I’m glad Sarachan is in charge...
     
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  21. Lloyd Heilbrunn

    Lloyd Heilbrunn Member+

    Feb 11, 2002
    Jupiter, Fl.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, Peru was by far the best team at the World Cup not to advance in their group, and were pretty unlucky not to do so.
     
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  22. ChrisSSBB

    ChrisSSBB Member+

    Jun 22, 2005
    DE
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Parker plays LCB but his preferred side is the right. He is right footed. His left is good enough that he is usually slotted on the left side over other right footed players but that is not his best side.
     
  23. adam tash

    adam tash Member+

    Jul 12, 2013
    Barcelona, Spain
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #1023 adam tash, Oct 16, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
    i said given the roster....i couldnt pick the players so that's one option i came up with....for the following reasons:
    1. see how cannon and saief play as fullbacks
    2. see how picault and amon play as wingers
    3. see how novakovich plays as a striker
    4. see how wood-novakovich strike partnership works
    5. see how weah plays behind the strikers and if he can create like he did vs. colombia on the wood goal.
    6. yeah i'm not a huge fan of trapp but see how he does in a lone dmid role...i'd prefer different center mids than thos at the disposal of the team for this game....but what are the alternatives? acosta as dmid? bradley and trapp together? acosta and bradley again? not that. bradley and delgdao ?
    play 2 dmids and you can only play 1 striker...i'd rather see 2 strikers and 1 dmid....see if trapp can handle being a lone dmid...which would enable a 2 striker formation...who else would you olay in center mid on this roster? i dont wanna see bradley.

    i'm pessimistic it would work but at least given all of the other experiments in the lineup....likely at least something can be gleaned.

    my lineup is based on being as experimental as possible and trying to attempt to learn as much as posible from the pool ...while also giving the team a good chance of performing well...but the result isnt the priority in this match, imo...as much as thats what everyone cares about....
     
  24. #1 Feilhaber and Adu

    Aug 1, 2007
    If we are talking about Bradley pre- 2016, but not 2018 version Bradley.

    Current Bradley hustle:

    [​IMG]
     
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  25. Casper

    Casper Member+

    Mar 30, 2001
    New York
    The idea of playing Bradley as an a-mid ignores how he's played for years. It also ignores that he plays d-mid farther back then almost every d-mid in the world, to the degree that it's infuriating and impedes our ability to move the ball through the midfield in the possession offense. Worse, he seems to think he has it right and everyone else has it wrong. I'm terrified that this current habit would be just as bad as an a-mid.
     
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