Pre-match: US v. Costa Rica -- Gold Cup SF -- 7/22/17

A non-friendly against decent opposition? Keep Joe Corona away, please.

Also, give Juan Agudelo a solid run. He even hasn't had the chance to hit the post and the crossbar yet.

 

Din ding ding. We have a winner.

 

Azteca in June and now this one. I think this is the most live USA action I've had since Gold Cup '93.

 

Here I was wondering whom Bruce would play instead of Zardes and it came to me after reading these boards and seeing a name I had totally forgotten: Joe Corona.

I'd rather see Zardes' medium range passing than Joe's. CR will be playing very compact around our front lines and passing out of the back to the front line is how you beat them -that's what Zardes is good at. . They cant afford to come after our back line guys because that means they give up a compact midfield. Plus with 3 cb's and 2 dmids we can pass around as much as we like and not be bothered.

Plus, if CR fall back into a bunker, I'd rather have Zardes with the ball and crossing into the box than Corona.

 

Here is the line-up I would like to see Bruce Arena start against Costa Rica tomorrow:

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


Zusi-------------------Miazga-----------------------Besler-------------Villafaña


----------------------------Bradley----------------McCarty--------------------------


Nagbe--------------------------------------------------------------------------Zardes


----------------------------------Dempsey------------Morris-------------------------


1. Right Back

I’d like to see Graham Zusi start at right back. Against El Salvador, Eric Lichaj had a very bad turnover in the third minute of the game that almost led to a goal. He also looked a little shaky defensively during the game, or at least in the first half. Things were chaotic in the back for the U.S. against El Salvador. There were a lot of open spaces and near misses. Although that is not all Lichaj’s fault, it leaves me uneasy about him.

In addition, because I’ve seen Lichaj play so little at the club level, I don’t have a particularly good idea of what I would be getting from him against Costa Rica. In my eyes, he’s not proven. Meanwhile, I’m confident that Zusi will be solid at right back against Costa Rica. For instance, I doubt that he will make any mistakes that result in Costa Rica goals. In addition, his positioning very likely will be sound, and he’ll be good at playing the ball out of the back.

Finally, Zusi has not played for the U.S. since their match against Nicaragua on Saturday, July 15. So, he will be fresh for the U.S.’s match against Costa Rica. In comparison, Lichaj played 90 hard minutes for the U.S. on Wednesday night. The game against Costa Rica is tomorrow. That is only three days for Lichaj to recover. As far as recovery time goes, that’s on the thin side for a professional soccer player.

On additional point: Lichaj's bad turnover against El Salvador came right after the U.S. had a corner kick. Right after the corner kick, El Salvador broke forward with speed and pressured our players. It's good that we were trying hard to score on the corner kick and pushing numbers forward to do so. But if we do that, it's important that we be aware that we could be vulnerable in the back and to, therefore, play smart. For instance, when Lichaj got the ball, maybe he should have just kicked it out of bounds rather than trying a back-pass to Tim Howard.


2. Center-Back

It’s a hard call for me which two of Matt Besler, Matt Miazga and Omar Gonzales Arena should start at center-back against Costa Rica. My last choice would be Miazga and Gonzales. Miazga has only three caps. One cap was in a 6-1 U.S. win against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in November of 2015, a match in which Miazga came on in the second half when the U.S. was already leading 5-1. Another cap was in a 3-1 U.S. win in a friendly against Puerto Rico in May of 2016. The third was in the U.S.’s 3-0 win against Nicaragua on Saturday in the Gold Cup. So, at the international level, Miazga is very inexperienced.

In addition, Gonzales has made some errors involving concentration, for instance, in the U.S.’s 2-0 loss to Guatemala in a March 2016 World Cup qualifier in Guatemala City, Gonzales lost track of Carlos Ruiz on a goal kick. Finally, Miazga and Gonzales have never played together, not at the club level nor for the U.S. National Team. Do they know each other’s tendencies? Do they work well together? I don’t know. So, I think it would be risky to start them together against Costa Rica in an important game. In addition, Gonzales played 90 hard minutes against El Salvador on Wednesday night.

My second choice for which two center-backs to start against Costa Rica would be Omar Gonzales and Besler. They have played together many times, and they have usually played well together. For instance, they played well together when the U.S. drew 0-0 with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in the March 2013 World Cup qualifier, and they played well together when the U.S. beat Panama 2-0 in Seattle in a June 2013 World Cup qualifier. In addition, they seem to complement each other well. Besler makes up for Omar’s limitations as a passer and can cover up for Omar’s occasional positioning mistakes. Omar makes up for Besler’s unexceptional aerial ability.

However, by the narrowest of margins, my first choice would be to start Besler and Miazga. They played well together against Nicaragua. That game was the best and most organized that the U.S. defense has looked in this tournament. Additionally, Besler and Miazga are probably better passers out of the back than Gonzales. And it is important for the U.S. not to give away possession cheaply to Costa Rica, or we’ll lose the midfield, as we did we they beat us 4-0 in the November 2016 World Cup qualifier.

Furthermore, Besler and Gonzales started alongside each other at center-back in the U.S.’s first game of the 2017 Gold Cup, the U.S.’s 1-1 draw with Panama. Although the duo played solidly in the match, the U.S. as a team didn’t play that well. They were outshot by Panama 13 to 10, both teams had 8 shots on goal, and the U.S. won the possession battle only 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent. At home, we should be doing better against Panama than that. In addition, as I remember, the backline seemed to play too deep against Panama. We weren’t pressing the game forward and taking it into their end. In comparison, against Nicaragua, when Besler and Mizaga were the center-backs, we seemed to be playing higher up the pitch, with more urgency; and our shape seemed to be better.

Finally, both Besler and Miazga are fresh. They haven’t played since the U.S.’s 3-0 win against Nicaragua last Saturday. In contrast, Omar played 90 minutes on Wednesday. But it’s close. Since Miazga left MLS for Europe, I’ve seen him play only one game of club soccer. I don’t know what I’m getting from him. I have a better idea of what I would be getting from Gonzales. Although it’s not perfect, it’s pretty good. For instance, he has scored two goals in this tournament.


3. Left Back

I think Arena should start Jorge Villafaña over Justin Morrow. Villafaña level of play in the 2017 Gold Cup has been no less good than Morrow’s. For instance, Villafaña’s passing out of the back has been at least as good, and he probably has been better at getting forward. In addition, he has much more international experience than Morrow. Villafaña has 9 caps and has played in three important World Cup qualifiers. Morrow has only 3 caps and has never played in a World Cup qualifier. Lastly, Villafaña will be fresher for tomorrow’s match. His last match was on Saturday against Nicaragua. Morrow’s last match was Wednesday night, where he played the full 90 minutes.


4. Midfield

I think the U.S. should start in a 4-4-2. We have tended to be more dangerous and dynamic in it, and our players are more used to it than they are any other formation. If the U.S. is losing the midfield to Costa Rica, perhaps Clint Dempsey should drop deeper into midfield and the U.S. should play a hybrid 4-4-2/4-2-3-1.

I think the two players that should start in central midfielders are Michael Bradley and Dax McCarty. I think a combination of McCarty at central midfield and Darlington Nagbe at right midfield is likely to be better than my second choice, which is Nagbe at central midfield and Chris Pontius at right midfield. First, McCarty has, overall, been good in the tournament. He was particularly good against Nicaragua, a match in which he covered a great deal of ground, passed the ball and played good defense without fouling. In addition, Nagbe is a more dynamic player who is better on the ball than Pontius, and more capable of keeping possession, which will be vital against the Ticos.

However, if Arena starts Nagbe in central midfield, I think Arena should start Nagbe at central midfield next to Bradley and Pontius at right midfield rather than start Paul Arriola at right midfield. Pontius is steadier than Arriola. He makes fewer mistakes, and he seems to have a better positional sense. I think Pontius is more reliable at this point. He also gives the U.S. more size. Finally, on Wednesday against El Salvador, Arriola played 66 minutes in which he ran a lot. And he is offseason in Liga MX. In comparison, against El Salvador, Pontius played only three minutes. And he is in midseason in MLS. So, Pontius is likely to be fresher tomorrow and could have more energy.

I think Gyasi Zardes should start at left midfield. He was good against El Salvador. He was active, he controlled the ball well and advanced the ball down the left wing. He also had good endurance and energy. So, the fact that he played 71 minutes against El Salvador shouldn’t hurt him too much for tomorrow. Or, at least, I would prefer, on the one hand, Zardes at left midfield and Nagbe at right midfield than, on the other hand, Nagbe at left midfield and Pontius at right midfield. Zardes is more explosive than Pontius, probably even on only three days rest.

But if Arena were to start Nagbe at left midfield and Zardes on the bench, I would rather Pontius start at right midfield than Arriola.


5. Forward

Dempsey played better against El Salvador than Jozy Altidore did. Among other things, Dempsey had a nice assist and did a better job of making good passes and not letting El Salvador’s dirty play throw him off his game. In addition, if we are losing the midfield to Costa Rica, Dempsey can drop into midfield and probably be a decent attacking center-mid in a 4-2-3-1. Altidore probably cannot be.

In addition, Jordan Morris is basically fresh. He played only 24 minutes against El Salvador on Wednesday. Altidore, on the other hand, played 90 difficult minutes that were physically and emotionally draining. Also, Morris is faster than any of Costa Rica’s backs. This Costa Rica team doesn’t have great team speed. Johnny Acosta, Giacarlo Gonzales, José Salvatierra and Francisco Calva all have average speed. Although Kendall Waston has pretty good speed, Morris is at least as fast as Waston, and Morris has better acceleration.

If Arena does not start Dempsey or Morris at forward, I think he probably should start Altidore as the other forward. Juan Agudelo hasn’t gotten enough playing time in this tournament for me to be confidant that he would be good against Costa Rica. Altidore, when he is playing his best and not getting down on himself, could help the team against Costa Rica.


Breaking Down Costa Rica

Here is the line-up I think Costa Rica will start tomorrow:

-------------------------------------------Pemberton--------------------------------------


Salvatierra--------Gonzales----------Acosta--------------Waston------------Calvo


------------Ruiz-----------------Guzman--------------Tejada---------Ramirez-----------


-----------------------------------------------Ureña-----------------------------------------------


Test Patrick Pemberton. He can make mistakes. He’s not Keylor Navas. Get your shots on frame. You don’t necessarily have to put the ball in a perfect place to beat Pemberton. He’s athletic, but he can be erratic.

Johnny Acosta is nondescript. You don’t notice him. But he has a good positional sense, he rarely makes mistakes, and he almost always makes simple passes and rarely turns the ball over. Acosta is not fast. That can hurt him.

Giancarlo Gonzales is smooth and skillful and good at playing the ball out of the back. But he doesn’t have great speed, either.

Waston is big, strong and powerful. When Costa Rica has set-pieces, it’s important that the U.S. mark Waston closely.

Also, Waston can be a little dirty. If he is breaking the rules, it’s important that the U.S. not retaliate. Instead, they should tell the ref and have the ref watch him.

When Costa Rica has the ball, Salvatierra and Calvo get into the attack, and Costa Rica has essentially six midfielders. But when the wing-back do get into the attack, Gyasi Zardes and Darlington Nagbe can take advantage of the space that they vacate.

Bryan Ruiz is the main playmaker. He is skillful and clever. But he is very left-footed. If he is playing on the right side, he’ll often cut into his left foot. He doesn’t like to shoot with his right foot.

Marco Ureña, whom we know from MLS, is a solid but unspectacular forward. He works hard, he holds the ball well, he doesn’t turn the ball over too much, and he is a good finisher. But he is not that fast.

There are two challenges that the U.S. likely will face against Costa Rica. First, is winning (or at least not losing) the midfield. The Costa Rican players have good technique and they are good at dispossessing players. Moreover, if we start in a 4-4-2, which I think we should do, there is a chance that Costa Rica often could have more numbers in midfield than, because their two wing-backs often get forward. But we just have to pass the ball well. And when we are trying to build the ball out of the back or through midfield, it’s important for us to try to get the ball to Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe. They can keep possession and make passes than enable us to break forward.

The second challenge against Costa Rica is breaking them down and scoring. They play good defense. They often have five defenders. And they are careful not to send too many bodies forward. To break them down, we probably have to play quickly. Also, Jordan Morris has the speed to get behind their backline. And Gyasi Zardes and Darlington Nagbe have the speed and dribbling ability to beat their outside backs and get off crosses or dribble down the end line toward the goal and feed balls to our forwards in front of the ball.

An additional note: Costa Rica has been riding their starters all tournament, for instance, Johnny Acosta, Giancarlo Gonzales, and especially Bryan Ruiz and Marco Ureña. And my sense is that Costa Rica’s depth is not as good as ours. So, Costa Rica could tire in the second half.

Finally, there is a possibility that Costa Rica will start Johnny Acosta as defensive-midfielder instead of as a center-back. They started this way in the quarterfinals against Panama. But, about 30 minutes into the first half, they switched to their more customary 5-4-1. If they do play in in a 4-5-2 with Acosta as a defensive midfielder, Giancarlo Gonzales and Kendall Waston likely will be the two center-backs. When Costa Rica plays in a 4-5-1, they tend to be easier to break down on defense. But they are also more equipped to win the midfield. They have an extra player in midfield.

 

I don't want to see Corona either, but he is not total crap fwiw...yet highly unlikely to contribute to this WC campaign.

On another note, when I imagine a right side with Arriola at RM, Zusi at RB, and Gonzo at RCB, I struggle to foresee effective linkage. Would be happy to be wrong though: I like 2/3 of that group individually.

Also have seen lineups with Nagbe out of the center. Maybe I need to brush up on CR's roster but I find his shortcomings are more evident when he has responsibilities for width.

Each game we go, the lineups become more intriguing -- am I mis-remembering to say that in most tournaments it usually works the other way? (not counting one or two yellow card / injury replacements)

 

I think Gonzo stays in at CB if for no other reason than to mark Waston on free kicks/corners where he is very dangerous. Not that I am crazy about Gonzo at CB but I think probably the best option for this duty.

 

I would love to see a 3-man central midfield of Bradley-Acosta-Nagbe for this one.

If it's a 4-3-3, give me:

-----------------Altidore------------
---Dempsey---------------Mystery

-----------Nagbe-----Acosta----
----------------Bradley------------

Villafaña-Besler-Miazga-Zusi
---------------Howard-------------

I feel like any of Arriola, Morris, Zardes, or Agudelo could fill in as one of the forwards. Each have their pros and cons.

Nagbe pushes forward on the outside left to compensate for Dempsey's more central tendencies. Acosta pushes the tempo when appropriate, and Bradley has the ability to bypass the lines with deeper passes.

 

This is the optimal lineup assuming lots of change


--------------Altidore--------------
Morris------------------Agudelo

-----------Nagbe-----Acosta----
----------------Bradley------------

Villafaña-Besler-Miazga-Zusi
---------------Howard-------------

 

Holy Mother of God, I had no idea we were in such dismal state!

 

Let's see:

Should the organizer(s) be in jail? CS-yes GC-probably (despite the 'clean up')

Glorified money grab? CS-yes (holy crap, have you seen the prices to watch what is basically practice?). GC-yes(why do we have it every 2 yrs?)

Do the players care? CS-no(outside of fringe players). GC-yes(especially deeper in tournament)

End of the day, i'll take a flawed international over watching guys scrimmage.

 

I asked this in another thread but didn't get a response: does anyone know exactly what time this game is expected to kickoff?

Can I assume that it will be a quarter past the hour like it was in our prior game?

(As I mentioned, it's pretty difficult to find that information anywhere, and the discrepancy between listed times and kickoff times for US matches is frustratingly inconsistent.)

 

There are several lock starters and a few positions where Arena might see the benefit of a choice.

I think we will roll out in a 4-2-3-1, which might be our go to formation heading forward.

-----------------Howard---------------
Zusi - - -Besler--Gonzalez----Villafina (I would offer Miazga has a 25% chance,Lichaj 10%)
Bradley--Acosta----- (Dax 25% in for Acosta)
Zardes----Dempsey---Nagbe (best two way players on the wings 25% Arriola, 10%Agudelo)
----------------Altidore - - - -

And I am going to say, Who knows, there have been a lot of surprises so far.

 

All I can see is from Steven Goff. The games have actually kicked off a few minutes after the official start time:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ions-cup-womens-euros/?utm_term=.50c3331aaad6

 

Man. you guys don't know bruce.

He loves mind games with Concacacaf.

forces the first tactical change and sub.

with that 5-4-1, Bruce is going to open up and dare them to attack. He wants that back line spread out defending in transition rather than static.

 

This is what I think our best team is and what the tactics should be.

Formation: 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 Diamond

Altidore/Morris
Zardes - Dempsey - Arriola/Acosta
Bradley - Nagbe
Villafaña - Besler - Gonzalez - Zusi

OR

Morris
Acosta - Arriola
Zardes - Bradley - Nagbe
Villafaña - Besler - Gonzalez - Zusi
​

In both formations I'd prefer Morris or even Dempsey at striker over Altidore because they make more clever runs. Jozy's passing in the attacking third is good, but we need goals in this match. If the mids play to their ability, then Jozy's hold-up play, his best asset, is redundant.... perhaps, even useless.

This may sound crazy, but I think with proper distribution, the attacking mids in both formations could unlock the Tico defense. You could also stick Corona in the Diamond formation too if you wanted (I personally don't trust him in a game of this magnitude).

Covering the back line are our best holding mids... Possession should not be lost. That **** show against El Salvador shouldn't happen again. A year ago, I wouldn't dare put Zardes in a holding mid position, but he has matured a little. I think he can handle it now. That diamond with Zardes, Bradley and Nagbe could be really dangerous.... With Bradley's head out of his ***, you have 3 holding mids that are strong on the ball & won't lose possession cheaply who can also pass.... and 2/3 can unlock defenses with pace.

The backline..... is what it is. My only gripe is Zusi(for me) is playing his way off the team. I don't trust him, but he's in my first XI by default. My tactics for the wing backs are to play very defensively.... not many runs forward will be needed if the attacking players do their job. Just play it safe and don't expose Gonzalez and Besler. They tend to make mistakes, no matter if the forwards of the opposing team are fast, clever or a combination of both.

Sorry bout the long post. I love speaking on tactics.

​

 

The one against El Salvador was listed at 9, but kicked off at 9:15.

That probably sounds minor, but it makes a difference for my travel plans tomorrow, especially on the off chance that the kickoff time is even later than that this time.

 

------------JA------------
------CD--------JA------
--JV---KA--MB---EL--
------MM-MB-OG------
----------------------------
------------TH------------

PA -> EL
JM -> CD
?? -> ??

 

this is probably closet. Bruce is going to want a chaotic match.

As much as you like Michael Bradley even he is not going to take up two slots on the team sheet...

 

Besler is playing DM.

 

yes, we all know MB can never play deep enough on your dream pitch. You'd play him between Tim Howard's legs if you could ... probably still get caught out of position.

 

It's so he can play a libero role and step into midfield if we are only going against one forward.

 

you mean like Cameron was doing in the last two matches because MB was not playing DM properly? No one wants to say it, but Cameron's step up against Mexico forced the turnover and he was nearly on the same line as MB.

DM / CM are two roles I am happy not to find a hybrid player. Call me old fashioned but placing a true DM and a true ACM rather than two have-me-nots in those pulley roles allows you to experiment on the wings and up top. Dempsey is enough hybrid player for any team.

 

also, a heads up- our match is following baseball so be ready to go to the fox sports app or one of the alternative channels if that runs an hour and a half over. fox will have no problem preempting our entire match.

 

I'm guessing Arena will continue with the heavy rotation. Why stop now when the team are on a 3-day turnaround?

-----------Dwyer----Agudelo---
----Zardes----------------Nagbe---
-------------------Bradley---
----------McCarty--
-Villafana------------------------Zusi----
-----------Besler----Miazga---
----------------Howard---

Zardes and Bradley are cyborgs.

McCarty is due for another start and has been solid thus far.

Dwyer and Agudelo are due for another start. Or maybe start Corona in Agudelo's place; the former would play a-mid.

Last time a solid foe was faced, the team struggled against Panama.

Acosta's confidence looked shaken during his sub appearance.