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 Villafaña); 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.