ASN: U.S. Squad Appears Assured, Upbeat as Area Period Begins

Bruce Area has gained over many American soccer followers since taking up for Jurgen Klinsmann. On Sunday, we’ll get our first actual take a look at what this new model of the U.S. males’s nationwide workforce is all about.

BY

John Godfrey

Posted
January 28, 2017
5:00 PM

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SAN DIEGO—America’s Most interesting Metropolis is the right place for a honeymoon: The climate is improbable, the seashores are inviting, the culinary scene is top-notch, and a blissful, laid-back power permeates the air. 

That San Diego vibe discovered its approach into the basement of the likely-to-be-demolished Qualcomm Stadium, the place Bruce Area joked with reporters, conveyed a straightforward confidence, and appeared to be having fun with the final day of his prolonged honeymoon as new U.S. males’s nationwide workforce coach.

Since changing Jurgen Klinsmann in November, Area has mentioned the entire proper issues, giving second probabilities to gamers who fell out of favor beneath the earlier boss, and led his gamers by way of a love-fest of a coaching camp designed to assist construct confidence and chemistry.

That each one ends tomorrow when the U.S. takes the sector towards Serbia (4pm ET; ESPN, Univision). Efficient instantly, it is time to get again to work. It is time to ship outcomes. 

“We’re looking forward to the match,” Area mentioned. “The players have responded well. We started with about 31 players and have our team down to 23 for these upcoming games. The game tomorrow should be a good test for us.”

Area heaped reward on his squad—maybe not a nasty technique given his predecessor’s penchant for throwing gamers beneath the bus. 

“I’m very impressed with the players,” he mentioned. “They’re all good players. If they’re organized correctly, and pointed in the right direction, they can be successful. It’s not going to be easy but we have a good pool of players in Major League Soccer. There’s no reason to believe that, combining them with our other players abroad, we can’t piece together a good team and qualify for the next World Cup.”

“It’s really been a very positive camp,” he added. “The players have responded very well. It made the roster cut-downs very difficult for us over the last few weeks.”

Area volunteered names, maybe tipping his hand concerning among the gamers who will earn begins towards Serbia. 

“Our veteran experience has shown over the three weeks,” he mentioned. “As anticipated, our workforce’s been led each day, with nice power and management out of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Jozy Altidore, Sacha Kljestan, Nick Rimando—the veteran gamers have executed an incredible job.

“Some of our less-experienced players have responded well,” he continued, “such as Steve Birnbaum, Walker Zimmerman, Darlington Nagbe. When healthy, Gyasi Zardes has done very well. Jordan Morris is having a good preseason as well. And Sebastian Lleget as well.”

Whereas the superlatives have been plentiful, Area additionally identified that the workforce does have a number of weak spots. Sunday’s sport is all about addressing these areas earlier than two essential World Cup qualifers in March. 

“The biggest question as we move forward is our thinness at the outside back positions,” Area mentioned. “We know DeAndre Yedlin has played right back, as well as Timmy Chandler. Timmy Chandler is suspended for the [March 24 qualifier] against Honduras, so what do we do if DeAndre Yedlin is hurt? We have to answer those questions.”

Graham Zusi, a winger for Sporting Kansas Metropolis, is prone to get the nod at proper again on Sunday. (“When Bruce came to me with the idea, I was onboard,” Zusi mentioned.)

And left again?

“In the last game, if I’m not mistaken, Matt Besler played there,” Area mentioned. “Fabian Johnson has played there and has been injured with his club team. If he’s not available, who could step up? That’s part of the reason we have three left backs remaining in this camp.”

A part of the rationale there are 9 midfielders left in camp is as a result of Area is decided to enhance the workforce’s passing and possession within the closing third. To that finish, the previous Los Angeles Galaxy coach known as on Sporting Kansas Metropolis midfielder Benny Feilhaber, a technically gifted participant who by no means clicked with Klinsmann and ultimately feuded with the German.

“It’s been very exciting to get back with the national team,” Feilhaber mentioned. “It’s been a good camp. Bruce has been very open with all the players, letting them know where they stand and what he expects from them.”

Feilhaber, 32, performs an attacking central midfield function together with his MLS aspect and has been coaching in the identical spot with the nationwide workforce.

“The position he sees me in in the national team is the same one that I play with Sporting,” Feilhaber mentioned, “so it’s been a straightforward transition for me.

Issues promise to get a bit more durable when the opening whistle blows tomorrow at 1:28pm.

“First and foremost, I think the two games will be extremely important—not only for myself for a lot of the players who haven’t been with the national team for a long amount of time,” Feilhaber mentioned. “I’ve done well in camp but I’m really looking forward to the games, obviously, because there’s a big difference between playing a scrimmage in training and playing out here in friendlies against Serbia’s national team and Jamaica’s national team.”

Certainly, all people appears desirous to get right down to enterprise, partly to point out the brand new boss what they will do but additionally, maybe, to see how the 4-3-3 formation works beneath sport circumstances.

“It’s a great formation when it works well,” Jozy Altidore mentioned. “Hopefully we can make it work well. We have a lot of experienced guys, a lot of guys who’ve played in a lot of places, and the idea is that we use these games as good exercises to hopefully perfect the formation the coach wants to play in.”

Altidore, 27, is anticipated to start out at ahead Sunday, and if he does it can mark his a centesimal look for the U.S. senior workforce. 

“It’s exciting,” he acknowledged. “This was my dream, as a kid, to represent the United States and to play on the biggest stages against some of the best players in the world. To have done that over a span, and to have it culminate in a game like this, it’s exciting.”

Tomorrow’s sport marks a reunion of kinds for Area and Altidore, as the previous coached the latter when Altidore was a 16-year-old rookie with the New York Pink Bulls. 

“He’s still the same guy,” Altidore mentioned. “Lighthearted, nice character, and an excellent soccer thoughts. I haven’t seen something completely different about him.

“We all look forward to having him back. He’s a guy who needs no introduction in U.S. Soccer and we hope he can turn things around for us.”