Pre-match: US vs. Belgium, Tuesday 1 July

Jermaine Jones broke his nose in the collision with Bedoya. Now we have two broken noses on the team. Pay back time.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jermai...with-teammate-alejandro-bedoya-204608028.html


"The feeling is that it is broken but we will have to see when we come back to Sao Paulo what is going on with my nose. If I try to breathe now I have no chance to breathe. I feel that it is broken but we will see what the doctor will say.

 

I think Jozy is done, I think everybody in camp knows Jozy is done, but I think Klinsmann will still keep talking about Jozy coming back.

We'll be wearing white.

 

Yeah we should note that no team that played in Manaus won their next game. Considering that the US didn't even look horribly tired today. Four days to bounce back and playing against a team that isn't as good as Germany should lead to a better game.

I predict we see something more like the Portugal game.

 

I want to tell you,
I might as well do,
About a boy who can do anything.
He comes from Belgium,
His name Adnan
Januzaj, Januzaj, Januzaj!

 

Portugal played in Manaus and won their next game...and thank God for that.

And we looked pretty horribly tired to me. I hope what we saw today was us being horribly tired. Because if weren't tired then we just weren't good enough.

 

Not really worried about their version of Julian Green.

 

Cameron made 3 big mistakes, he got punished on two. How many more do you need?

 

If Jozy can play, Jozy will play. In all seriousness; I'd put him in starting 11 given he is healed. Say he is done for the tournament, I think Dempsey still needs a buddy up there. Having 2 strikers on the pitch is more logical in knock-out games. My 2 cents...

 

You mean two mistakes. He was very good for the 90 minutes in between. The 2nd goal isn't all on him either. Mostly, but not all.

 

Actually, Portugal won their game after Manaus.
I thought the US looked horribly tired every time we tried to pass, trap, or combine with each other I could see tired legs. We fought through it on the defensive side, but got nothing going on offense.

 

I agree, the Portugal plan is the way to go. I want them to be taken out of their comfort zone. They are a big side, I think is time Cameron takes his rightful place at RB and move FJ to LM. Show them something they haven't seen.

 

We also looked very disorganized in the back 4. Something that they won't see this time around.

 

Also keep in mind we had Goodson as our LCB. Things have changed we are playing so much better and Belgium still looking to hit their stride. Play them like Portugal, there is no tomorrow.

 

I agree, but playing like there is no tomorrow points toward having Fabian at RB where he has been very dangerous. Not going ultra defensive and basically starting 3 CB's (Besler, Omar, and Cameron).

I honestly think the next time we see Cameron in this tournament will be as cover/replacement for Beckerman at CDM.

 

Recover and fully recover are two different things. After Manaus I would guess we needed 5 days, we did it in 3 and looked a bit ragged. With 4 days I think we should do better but not at our optimum level. Bedoya should be ok, he only played half a game. Cameron should be in excellent shape since he would have had rested for 7 days. Beckerman/Jones/Bradley is where I'm worried. They are putting lots of minutes.

 

Cameron had 3 major mistakes, he got punished on two of them. Don't forget the clearance where he kicked it straight at Besler and bounced straight to a forward that skied the shot inside the 18.

 

Yeah, but remember what happened when Diego Costa started against Real last month?

Unless Jozy's hamstring is 100% healed, Klinsmann can't afford to put him in a game in any capacity.

 

Just to remind everybody; Belgium was in a relatively easy group to qualify for this World Cup. It's safe to say that Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Wales and Scotland are not very strong opponents( OK, Perhaps Croatia but look what happened to them). Then they drew another weak group in Brazil. I think they are overrated and we will beat them. Has anyone seen them play against powerhouses like Germany, Spain etc?? Just wondering.

 

Fabian is a proven commodity either as a RB or LM, if a fresh Cameron can play the RB then I think he should play there, Fabian as a LM gets him closer to goal, giving us better chances to score.

I can see Cameron also moving to CDM if needed but so far our trio are holding up. I just wished MB would get out of his funk.

 

I've been asking for something like that, but I doubt we will see this since the squad does not have much experience with it.

By the way, I believe Mexico is using a similar tactic or close to it.

We just do not have natural wingers..Guys like Zusi, Bedoya and Davis aren't going to beat anyone off the dribble and create space and chances consistently, so why not go with a wing-back formation with 2 of Johnson/Beasley/Yedlin....They are already our true width players anyway.

With 3 central guys in the midfield, it would help us not get overrun by Belgium possession football which is closer to Germany, but at the same time, allows us to have 2 forwards up from with Jozy/Altidore.

I deeply worry about the diamond not having enough protection in the middle, specially with Bradley spear heading the tip of the diamond and Jones forging forward to help the offense.

 

It's not about Fabian being a proven commodity at either RB or LM...it's about Fabian being our ONLY two way commodity at RB, given the roster.

We all love Yedlin but a kid that young can only be played in a more advanced position where he's not the last line of defense and where his inevitable mistakes will at least come further up the pitch.

Playing Cameron at RB would give us no width, which is where most of our dangerous runs of play have come from. Cameron isn't going to bomb up and down the flanks and overlap.

I would be absolutely, positively, and completely shocked if we see Cameron at RB at this stage of the tourney. IMO that would be a big mistake and take away one of our biggest strengths.

 

And Cam as well

I was thinking exactly that.

Or... with a healthy Jozy (hoping), let's go to 4-2-3-1 and go for it

Jozy
FJ Dempsey Yedlin
Jones Beckerman
Beasley Besler Cameron Chandler
Howard
​

Actually, that formation leads to goals being scored on us, I think we need the 3 mids.

 

Our most dangerous runs of play at the right side have been because that is where Fabian is at, move him to LM and you will get dangerous runs from there too. Cameron has been playing RB in the premier league for a whole season, he has seen this level of playing. I have two reasons why I would like to see Cameron and OG in the back 4 is because Belgium is a tall, physical team and we need size and because I noticed Fabian fading out in the later part of the games. We have given up two (2) goals on plays where he was/should have been involved.....1) the Ghana equalizer, 2) the Portugal tying goal, yep, that was Fabian's man at the beginning of the play.

 

90 minutes?!

Group stage is over. It's time for 120-minute thinking.

 

They haven't looked like world beaters, but there is some serious talent in that squad. So far the best description of the Belgian team is "23 guys that make you think 'wow, I didn't know he was Belgian."

The talent gap is certainly there. Then again, I think it was in all 3 previous games.