Clint Dempsey’s opener provided immense relief, for both the player and fans.
Neil W. Blackmon
The United States, facing an extremely difficult path to World Cup qualification with a loss, routed Guatemala 4-0 in Columbus Tuesday night. The win, which extended an eleven game American unbeaten streak in Columbus, helped the Yanks reclaim control of second place in their qualifying group, one point and now a staggering six goals clear of Los Chapines in the race for one of two spots in the final round Hex. The victory relieved a tense crowd of 20,624 and should, at least for the moment, ease the ever increasing pressure on U.S. manager, Jurgen Klinsmann.
Here are four thoughts on the US victory.
Jurgen Klinsmann went back to his guys tonight, starting 2014 cycle mainstays Graham Zusi and Kyle Beckerman, and was rewarded.
In a game the US essentially had to win to have any viable chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, it was two players, Graham Zusi and Kyle Beckerman, who this cycle had played lesser roles but were instrumental in the U.S.’s successful 2014 campaign who made a large difference for Klinsmann Tuesday night in Ohio.
Klinsmann started Zusi in the three man U.S. midfield, he said, to help the team with set pieces. Zusi wasn’t great in that regard, hammering the only dead ball he handled into the head of the first defender before ceding the remainder of the set pieces to Michael Bradley. But Zusi did provide Michael Bradley with another reliable outlet, easing the pressure on the American captain and simplifying the captain’s tasks. He also worked hard, tracked back well, provided DeAndre Yedlin with cover when the fullback got forward and finished a run on a long ball to Gyasi Zardes that resulted in a chance which he promptly converted to a goal.
Kyle Beckerman also had some nervy moments, particularly early when he was caught out twice trying to intercept outlet passes, leading to odd man breaks for Guatemala that were each repelled by Steve Birnbaum and a brilliant DeAndre Yedlin. But Beckerman eventually found his footing, and with the understanding that the qualifying veteran was sitting behind shielding a new American CB pairing, Michael Bradley was free to link up with the American forwards with far less defensive responsibility. The result was the best game by Bradley in a U.S. shirt in at least a year. Beckerman was also splendid after the Guatemalans inserted Carlos Ruiz in the second half, hounding the longtime MLS and American antagonist with toughness and a hard tackle or three. It was a needed dose of toughness the Americans certainly lacked Friday night in Guatemala.
Geoff Cameron’s goal gave the U.S. a cushion that almost assured victory.
The U.S. also received massive performances from its three best players on a night it needed them the most.
As noted in our match preview, Clint Dempsey still relishes big moments, and tonight was as big a moment as U.S. soccer has had since July 2014. Dempsey had botched two chances to get the Americans back in the game in Guatemala City, and as the emotional Texan is prone to do, took the defeat very hard. So when he buried his chance in the 12th minute to give the Americans a lead with his 49th goal in an American shirt, you could sense the relief in his emotional roar and celebration. Dempsey remained active the remainder of the evening, and when he held off a defender and assisted Jozy Altidore’s goal in the game’s waning moments, it was a fitting stamp of another signature game for the former American captain.
Geoff Cameron, back in his natural position (more below), was also outstanding for the U.S. It was his dynamite ball from the back that led to the opening American goal, and it was his terrific run and finish that changed the Guatemalan bunker and counter strategy and sent the Americans off to the races with a two goal lead before the break. The American defense wasn’t tested often, and there will be difficult days ahead, particularly as Jurgen Klinsmann searches for a consistent partner for the Stoke City man and the U.S. seek out a long term solution at the six. But on this night, it was great to see Geoff Cameron put in a strong shift when the U.S. needed just that.
Finally, Michael Bradley, oft-maligned since returning to MLS, played his finest game in an American shirt in a year. So long as Jurgen Klinsmann insists on utilizing the deep-lying midfielder high up the pitch as a creative conduit and playmaker, there will be tough days. But Bradley is too talented to ever be anything beneath average anywhere, and when you limit what he is asked to do, protect him properly and don’t demand he runs more than any player on the field– read, don’t play him at the tip of a diamond and ask him to dig deep and defend all night too– you can get brilliance from the Toronto FC man, and that version of Michael Bradley, pinging concise passes, engaged defensively and hastening U.S. transitions, is what the Americans received Tuesday night.
Klinsmann responded to reasonable criticisms of his tactical decisions with better choices Tuesday night.
The manager might never admit it, but his wholesale roster changes seemed without question to be a response to the American failures in Guatemala City.
So I don’t want to say that the wholesale lineup changes are an admission by Jurgen Klinsmann that he screwed up in Guatemala.
But it is.
— Ryan Rosenblatt (@RyanRosenblatt) March 29, 2016
Where you could argue the Americans had as many as six players out of position in the away leg, Klinsmann at most played one out of traditional position in the home version, and even that choice- Gyasi Zardes, has played on the wing occasionally for club and country. Zardes rewarded Klinsmann’s choice, by the way, with two accidental assists, off his bicep and off his posterior, that were less about being lucky and more about a willingness to be a hold up player, something his club lacks and something the U.S. can always use, particularly as they continue to seek out playmakers who can unlock a defense and limit route one football.
Steve Birnbaum didn’t score tonight, but he was steady when the Guatemalans did ask questions.
The manager was also rewarded for the tactical decision to overload the flanks early, a move that sucked out Guatemala out of a shell almost immediately and led to an early Michael Bradley ball from the channel in space that just missed Clint Dempsey in the game’s first few minutes. It was a tone-setting tactical ploy and one that gave the Americans confidence.
Finally, it is hard to criticize the manager for calling on old reliables like Graham Zusi and Kyle Beckerman, particularly in a must win game. After all, every manager has his favorites. What”s more- for all the grumbling pregame, the moves worked out, as did the roll of the dice with young DC United defender Steve Birnbaum, who was outstanding, particularly in the tense early moments of the match. All in all, it was a positive night for a manager under great fire.
But there are still systemic problems and questions, and the US soccer media and public should continue to ask them.
This qualifying round is not over. The Americans have a comfortable goal difference lead, but may potentially enter the final matchday with only a point to spare, with only a Trinidad and Tobago victory over Guatemala assuring passage to the Hex before the final match. That final game, against Trinidad and Tobago in Jacksonville, is under no circumstances a given. This incarnation of the U.S. isn’t good enough to just roll the ball out against anyone- the last year is instructive of that, and whether the Americans can show progress this summer, when they host the Copa America Centenario in a difficult group, should be the next litmus test for Klinsmann’s regime, not the vacuum test of whether the U.S. can acccomplish the relatively uncomplicated task of reaching the Hex.
It is incumbent on U.S. fans not to feel like one victory over a team the U.S. has lost to only once since the Reagan administration is a sign that everything is okay. Things aren’t. But they can get better. And every great comeback story starts somewhere. Maybe Tuesday is a beginning. Or maybe it was just a one-off, a temporary reprieve for an otherwise doomed regime. Either way, the American media and fans must continue the debate, and continue to ask and demand answers to difficult questions.
Neil W. Blackmon is co-founder of The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at nwblackmon@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @nwblackmon.