So.... I did not like the Arena hire
by blarneygreen (2017-03-26 14:27:28)

and I still don't. But I have to say, admittedly against inferior competition, that we looked about as good as I have ever seen Team USA look in that game.

Our offensive movement was spectacular. Altidore played his best game in a US jersey without even scoring; his passes were perfect and he drew the defense to him all night. Pulisic played like a top ten "10" in the world (yes, I know we can't always expect that from an 18 yo).

The sickest part is we didn't even get all we could have from Nagbe.

Bradley looks so much better deep-lying like this.

About the only part of our game I didn't think was fantastic was the back line, where we still don't always look properly organized. One of the CB's needs to emerge as the Alpha back there and set the defense. And Bedoya did not impress. And Zusi can suck it.

But my goodness, if we can field just this exact team - without even counting on folks coming back from injury, just these guys - we will qualify and look more threatening than we have in decades.

So, to bring this back to Arena - it seems to me he benefited a great deal by not over-coaching. He just put the pieces on the field and told them to let it rip, and they did. And maybe that constitutes coaching genius of sorts.


I thought Bedoya and Nagbe were quite good.
by baloo88  (2017-03-27 09:23:31)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

For a long time, Bradley has been a liability. Klinsmann asked him to do a lot and made him the focal point of our attack. This worked for a while, as Bradley looked like a world beater in a USMNT shirt when he was playing regularly in Serie A. Unfortunately, Bradley has lost a bit since returning to MLS, and I don't think Klinsmann noticed. At the very least, Klinsmann didn't know how to adjust. Opponents started pressing Bradley hard, and Bradley was unable to deal with that pressure consistently. The result? Lots of giveaways and misplaced passes.

To his credit, Arena found a way to compensate for Bradley's weaknesses against Honduras. Early on, Bradley was under a lot of pressure and gave the ball away a few times. Arena adjusted by having Nagbe and Bedoya pinch in to support Bradley. Bradley's role was simplified, and more of the burden was placed on Pulisic, Dempsey, and Altidore to be the creators. And create they did.

However, with Nagbe and Bedoya pinched in, our attack was very narrow. I expect Panama will attempt to counter this by packing the middle of the field. There will be space out wide, and the success of our attack likely will depend on the ability of Nagbe, Bedoya, and Pulisic to exploit that space. But if they do, Bradley will be more exposed. If we roll out the same formation as we did against Honduras, I could see a Bradley giveaway sparking a good chance for Panama.

If Arena does play Bradley against Panama, my advice would be to give Bradley a dedicated partner in midfield. Bedoya, Acosta, or McCarty probably could play that role. Unfortunately, if we want width, we'll need to make one of three adjustments: 1) More overlaps from our fullbacks (unlikely for Cameron; possible for VillafaƱa); 2) play Pulisic as more of a winger; or 3) drop either Dempsey or Altidore. Unfortunately, none of those options seem ideal. The situation is even more precarious as it sounds like Arena will play Jermaine Jones, who usually doesn't pair well with Bradley, and there are no indications that Arena will drop Bradley.

I'm not very optimistic about tomorrow night. I might be wrong, but I have a strong suspicion that Arena will attempt the exact same approach against Panama as he used against Honduras. Unlike Honduras, Panama will have time to prepare for this very narrow set-up and adjust their tactics accordingly. And if Arena does adjust, I'm worried that he'll do it in a way that will expose Bradley. Under pressure, Bradley will have trouble with his distribution, Pulisic and the rest of our attackers will be starved of the ball, and this game will play out to a boring draw.

Our far superior talent could win the day, but I'd rather we get the tactics right as well. As I said, I'm not hopeful, but this is a chance for Arena to win me over.


Lleget/Bedoya and Nagbe showed Arena's coaching acumen.
by PaulM  (2017-03-28 12:50:41)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

He rolled out a team that as individuals all function well through the center and had them push the ball right up the middle at an overwhelmed Honduras back line. The players looked more confident, relaxed, and sure of themselves than I've seen in a long time.

Personally, I think having Nagbe receiving the ball from Bradley early and often has been good for both of them, and hopefully we'll see more of that against Panama. Bradley has gotten the yips in the USMNT kit, and is no longer the field general he was expected to be. The less opportunities for him to make mistakes the better.

I really didn't want Arena, but there's no questioning his gameday abilities. As long as his appointment doesn't hamstring the future of USA soccer I'm fine with him leading the team to Russia.


I saw/see things a bit differently.
by NDMike2001  (2017-03-27 10:27:22)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I'm not sure that I saw any real kind of adjustment with respect to Bedoya (or Ledgett) and Nagbe.

For some reason Honduras didn't sit back as expected and went with a higher line in the back. That allowed for Altidore or Dempsey to alternate dropping back and defend a bit more. Because Honduras had more possession than expected, the two wide midfielders did drop back more making the diamond kind of play like a 4-3-3 with a very narrow 3 up top. Anyway, the effect is as you described (less isolation of Bradley), but I just didn't see it as anything Arena did. It was more on how Honduras chose to attack from the outset. And that played into our hands because our players are generally better on the ball. Especially Pulisic, who is really becoming world class.

Anyway, I think we're screwed with Jones back. He's not disciplined enough to keep our shape in the back. And I agree that Bradley will suffer immensely. At some point Bradley decided that he was going to be a tika taka #6. He rarely dribbles and simply looks to quickly pass the ball to an open space in the midfield. It's really sad to watch. He was once a class player. And while he still covers a decent amount of ground on defense, he seldom offers anything on offense - and he's always at risk for a bad give away.