Canada reveal key to win vs. US: Shut down American mids According to Johnson, defense in the midfield will be the key to getting a result against the Americans. Canada manager Stephen Hart indicated on Saturday that the injured Atiba Hutchinson will likely be held out, a move which could shift RSL’s Johnson alongside Toronto FC’s Julian de Guzman in the central midfield. They will be the main counterbalanceto the US’ talented midfield trio of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Maurice Edu.“We have to limit their time,” Johnson said. “They’ve got greatmidfielders — Bradley, Jones, Edu, [Kyle] Beckerman, if he gets in. They have great guys who can play one touch, who like to move, and play forward well. We have to deny the service into the strikers, take the pressure off our back four. Good defense will lead to some decent attackingchances.“The system we’re playing is very similar to the US: attacking down the flanks and pushing through the middle,” De Rosario said. “We have guys with good pace and guys playing regularly overseas and in the US. The main thing is getting that understanding of each other — where a guy likes the ball, where he makes his runs, where he’s most productive for us. That’s what this game is for against the US.” FULL STORY: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/06/02/canada-reveal-key-win-vs-us-shut-down-american-mids
Their analysis is spot on. The headline is, of course, typical yellow journalism. I'm looking forward to this game- Canada play a lot like us. We should learn something about how opponents prepare for us in preparing for Canada.
Well, they were realllllllly lucky then. And Jackson was correct - drop off the US backline, get a numerical superiority vs. the US 3-man midfield and you cut off the supply to their forwards. One could see that tactics 10 minutes in. And getting nasty is no substitute for tactical adjustments.
Canada outworked the US - they out wanted the US - they outperformed the US - and they outed the fact that Donovan looks exhausted mentally and physically. . . often time looking like a guy who is realizing first in the Brazil game and now against Canada - that he has lost that extra gear/step that he relied on to get to balls, go at teams, or to track back on defense. I think Klinsmann realizes that this team needs guys who are hungry - that is why Gomez is playing ahead of Altidore - and maybe that is what turned Chandler off and seems to be gnawing at Donovan who has always been treated like a delicate flower by other coaches like Yallop and Arena who gave him time off - and understood his complex hierarchy of needs as the best US player. What Klinsmann is saying indirectly is that to produce players as good or better than Donovan consistently - and take US soccer to the next level - we are going to need more guys like Dempsey and Howard who are hungry to be pros and push things as far and as fast as possible - and the sensitive types like Chandler and Donovan - should be the exception.
Great. Did they win the game? If the goal of Canada's strategy was to get a 0-0 draw, then it was a tactical masterpiece.
I remember how many times my screen would show only Bradley, Goodson, and Boca. They were far enough forward that Howard could not be seen, yet Canada had compressed so far in the rearward two-thirds that not a single of their players was visible on camera. Meanwhile, our fullbacks stepped into the snare by inviting passes into double coverage/pressure. What a goofy match.