Sanjay Sujanthakumar
The US U20s fell 2-1 in their highly anticipated World Cup opener against Ukraine. Three thoughts on the loss:
US WILL RUE HOW IT CONCEDED
The US will be disappointed by how they let Ukraine escape with all three points. In modern soccer we have ball playing center backs and fullbacks that bomb on to basically be wingers, but if you’re a defender – especially for a team whose strength, no matter how talented it is, is supposed to be its spirit – you have to be able to defend.
Sergino Dest’s feet, flair and his verve getting forward are obvious sources of his upside, but if he’s always susceptible to mistakes defensively we don’t have to worry about the Dutch federation snatching the dual-national away. On Ukraine’s first goal in the 26th minute, Dest badly misjudged a long, barely diagonal ball that was in the air enough for him to adjust his positioning, yet instead of trying to safely get inside of Serhiy Bulesta, between the Dynamo Kyiv midfielder and the goal, Dest stopped to attempt a clearance, and in vain. Bulesta was in, with just GK Brady Scott to beat, and he buried the chance. This wasn’t Dest’s only sketchy moment to dissect and his instincts are a serious concern. DeAndre Yedlin is still criticized for his defending, especially his awareness (or lack thereof), and while I think Yedlin’s defensive issues are overstated, Dest isn’t cracking the MNT nor the Ajax first team until he improves in this area.
Ukraine’s second goal in the 51st minute came off a corner when Denys Popov, free in the box, rose above Alex Mendez and right in front of Chris Richards at the six, powering a header towards the unmanned far post past Scott, who could only stand there in frustration. If you’re approaching a match like Ukraine did (more on that below), you’re banking on a set piece to steal it. This goal was gift wrapped, and you don’t survive in a tournament with lapses like that.
US NEEDS MORE FROM ITS BEST
Tim Weah was rather anonymous for the first 30 minutes, and while the service wasn’t perfect, as the center forward he was out of sync with his midfield suppliers. Following Servania’s equalizer Weah floated to the left side, pushing Pomykal to a false 9 role, and the US finished the first half positively. But the American’s didn’t really control the second, even after Ukraine went ahead early, and Weah’s impact simply didn’t meet expectations.
When the lineup was revealed before kickoff, the inclusion of Brandon Servania was a surprise. Servania was the 6 in Tab’s Concacaf Championship winning side and we assumed Chris Durkin or Edwin Cerrillo – who is a regular for FCD’s first team, would play, especially given the reality that Servania’s minutes so far this season have been with FCD’s USL League One affiliate. But Tab values continuity and Servania’s steel to suppress the US vulnerability in transition, so both he and Durkin joined Alex Mendez in the midfield three. Servania, of course, scored on a beautiful team goal, and even though Ukraine were in their low block and disciplined 5-4-1, Servania did contribute in the attack and his selection wasn’t the problem.
Durkin was uncharacteristically shaky in possession, and credit Ukraine’s shape that blunted his distribution, congesting the middle of the park and often forcing the ball wide. Although his lethal left foot nearly found the back of the net twice in the second half, the Americans on the whole failed to maximize the influence of Alex Mendez building into the final third, therefore struggling to create the chances that would underlie the sense that three points were truly deserved.
MONDAY VS NIGERIA
The US faces group leaders Nigeria, which defeated Qatar 4-0, on Monday, and we’ll certainly see a different XI then. Mark McKenzie was named captain of this squad and you’d assume he’ll be back in the lineup to partner with Chris Richards in the heart of the defense. At left back, Matt Real replaced the injured Chris Gloster in the 70th minute, so that’s a situation worth monitoring. Beyond the back line, Tab has a few decisions to make.
I rate Durkin but considering his performance, Monday’s opponent and his mobility, my money is on Servania or Edwin Cerrillo to get the nod at the 6. Weah looked way more comfortable on the wing on Friday and he’ll probably start there vs. Nigeria, with Sebastian Soto set to step in to the XI as the 9.
At that point, the question (again) is where to put the superb Pomykal. If the intention is to dictate more of the play and keep the side balanced, Pomykal belongs in the middle with Mendez, meaning Konrad de la Fuente or Ulysses Llanez on the wing. But keeping Pomykal wide, with a license to roam as he naturally does, allows Richie Ledezma to join Mendez in the middle. These three on the pitch together – Ledezma and Pomykal running at a defense on its heels, leaving space for Mendez to snipe or thread the killer ball – offers the most dangerous version possible for this group. After a cautious set up on Friday, it’s time to take a risk or two, and that a third place team can still advance affords Tab the cushion to be aggressive in determining the XI.
Nigeria has long been a force in global youth tournaments, with their ability to counter with electric pace and their quality in the midfield traditionally a difficult riddle for opponents to solve. The US will need to clean up mistakes– and find more verve in the attacking third– if they hope to get the result they’ll need to escape this group.
Sanjay Sujanthakumar is a coach and journalist based in California. He is writing specially for The Yanks Are Coming. Follow him on Twitter @the_Real_Kumar.