Regardless of a four-goal ultimate cushion in Sunday’s Gold Cup quarterfinal, the People may have made life simpler for themselves with some minor modifications, writes ASN tactician Liviu Chicken.
BY
Liviu Chicken
Posted
July 22, 2013
9:10 AM
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EL SALVADOR PROVIDED one other stiff check for the US in its run towards the CONCACAF Gold Cup ultimate, even when the U.S. received the match 5-1. El Salvador is an inferior staff that the U.S. has all the time dominated, however it nonetheless offered a pair vital teaching factors for Jurgen Klinsmann.
The lads in blue got here into the match extremely motivated, enjoying in entrance of what was primarily a house crowd in Baltimore. Their greatest participant, ahead Rodolfo Zelaya, triggered issues nearly each time he touched the ball.
Each groups performed variations of a 4-4-2 formation. El Salvador held pretty flat central midfield and ahead pairings, rotating which participant stepped up and which participant crammed in beneath. The U.S. had extra outlined roles, as Kyle Beckerman swept beneath Combine Diskerud in midfield, and Landon Donovan roamed farther south than Chris Wondolowski.
Jose Torres and Joe Corona stayed narrower than conventional wingers, permitting outdoors backs DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Parkhurst to overlap typically. Consequently, El Salvador’s large midfielders, Osael Romero and Andres Flores, couldn’t get ahead a lot.
The Dreadlocked Metronome
Beckerman managed the tempo for the People once more, pulling the strings within the again half of the sector and to start with levels of possession. He was everywhere in the center of the sector, proudly owning the realm across the middle circle.
Offensively, he related on 70 out of 80 passes. Defensively, he recorded 10 recoveries. Within the OPTA information financial institution for the match, he accomplished 117 actions, essentially the most of any participant on the sector.
Against this, his accomplice, Diskerud, performed extra chaotically. He missed a few good alternatives to attain earlier than placing one away late within the sport, and he usually appeared out of kinds. Compared to Michael Bradley, who often performs the No. 8 function Diskerud crammed on Sunday, the brand new man simply appeared a pair rungs decrease on the ladder.
A Interval of Domination
When the U.S. went up 2-0 towards the top of the primary half, El Salvador appeared strung out. The People accomplished a few lengthy passing sequences, possessing the ball to dying and simply lacking on a pair probabilities to attain a 3rd and squeeze the life out of El Salvador’s sport.
The crowning second was a 25-pass, nine-player sequence that lasted a minute, 23 seconds with out an opponent touching the ball. Almost the whole assault occurred within the attacking half of the sector, and the top outcome was Michael Parkhurst having a shot saved out for a nook kick.
At this level, with over 10 minutes to halftime, the U.S. wanted a 3rd objective. Coaches typically speak about killing video games off and never letting opponents grasp round as a result of if they’ll get a objective, then they may discover some vitality and get proper again into the sport.
That’s precisely what occurred when Zelaya chipped a penalty over goalkeeper Nick Rimando within the thirty ninth minute. From that time till the U.S. scored its fourth objective within the 78th minute, El Salvador appeared to really feel that any sequence could possibly be the one which made it an in depth sport once more.
For the U.S., it was a missed alternative. One of the best groups on the earth—regional champions and World Cup winners—have a killer intuition and a capability to go for the throat at essential moments. All of the U.S. wanted was considered one of its probabilities to fall between its second objective and El Salvador’s solely objective.
It didn’t, and the transient interval of American dominance vanished, to get replaced by an pointless dogfight in an elimination sport, no less than till late within the contest.
Landon Donovan Proves His Price—Once more
Donovan was the explanation the U.S. scored 5 targets towards El Salvador, and performances like this one will see him again within the World Cup qualifying roster in September. All match lengthy, he has proven management via his composure and talent to ship in key moments.
From center and large areas alike, Donovan is an help machine. He racked up three extra on Sunday, together with a end of his personal, proving that he’s nonetheless on the high of his sport. As well as, he offered three key passes (completions that lead on to a shot) and 16-of-20 passing within the attacking third of the sector.
One misplaced move got here on an unsuccessful free kick, and one other, bizarrely, was his help on the opening objective of the sport. As a result of his try was initially blocked earlier than it discovered a manner via the defender, it counted as an incomplete move.
By no means was his acumen extra obvious than in that first U.S. objective:
Clearly, this one was drawn up on the coaching floor, however it took Donovan’s consciousness—and a little bit of deft passing from Michael Parkhurst—to carry it full circle. The turning level was Donovan’s recognition of open house and his studying of El Salvador’s defenders.
When Parkhurst receives the ball, after Torres and Donovan trade passes, the 2 defenders who lined the quick nook flip their consideration to Parkhurst. Each run towards the ball, and Donovan retains his toes transferring and his mind switched on.
Parkhurst may swing a move into the crowded penalty space, however it may float too near the goalkeeper or be simply cleared. As a substitute, he sees Donovan bending his run towards the top line and performs a ball into his path.
The place Donovan assaults, on the finish line, is a extra harmful spot for a cross as a result of as a substitute of placing an aerial ball into the field that primarily turns right into a 50-50 state of affairs, he can drive a move alongside the bottom towards any of three (on this case) supposed targets.
If a defender will get to it first, he can be dealing with his personal objective, which is all the time a dangerous proposition. Clearing a cross on this state of affairs is troublesome as a result of it may simply flip into an inadvertent shot on track for the opposition.
In the long run, Donovan picks out Clarence Goodson, and he rolls it over the road.
When the Going Will get Robust…
Towards a staff like El Salvador, failing to kill a sport off could not have poor penalties. In fact, the U.S. by no means appeared uncomfortable, even when its opponent discovered a second wind after scoring. However in big-game conditions (an eventual ultimate towards Mexico, and in a must-win World Cup sport), the oversight may show pricey.
Assume again to the 2009 Confederations Cup ultimate, when the People took a stunning 2-0 lead into the locker room at halftime towards Brazil. Additionally bear in mind, extra not too long ago, the World Cup qualifier towards Jamaica in Kingston, when the U.S. wanted a stoppage-time winner to keep away from throwing away a 1-0 lead.
Folks will get caught up within the 5-1 rating from Sunday and assume the job was completed, however probably not many turned off the tv at halftime of the Confederations Cup ultimate. The most important levels in world soccer will expose any weaknesses.
The U.S. has to learn to kill off an opponent when it’s at its weakest.
Liviu Chicken is the Cascadia regional editor for SoccerWire.com, in addition to an ASN contributor. Comply with him on Twitter.
