The US open Copa America Centenario play Friday night against Colombia in Santa Clara.
Long Preview to Begin the Copa, so we broke it into two parts.
Neil W. Blackmon, Jon Levy and Gabriel Luis Manga
The United States begin their quest to defend home soil in the largest men’s international soccer tournament held on American soil since 1994 Friday night against Colombia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California (8:30 PM, FS1).
The tournament, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first Copa América, features five of the world’s top ten teams, according to the latest FIFA rankings, including Colombia, who are ranked fourth. The Copa América Centenario will be televised in more than 160 countries across the world, with Univision Network and FOX family of networks broadcasting all of the games live in the United States. In addition, all of the matches will also be available live on Futbol de Primera Radio in the United States.
Colombia have only won the competition once, as the host in 2001. World Cup quarterfinalists in 2014, Jose Pékerman’s club arrive in California undefeated in 2016, and in a good position in CONMEBOL qualifying. And while the perception of the anniversary tournament as more money-grab than celebration has resulted in varied perceptions of the competition in South America, the fact that Colombia disappointed in the eyes of so many at home at the 2015 Copa América, held in and won by Chile, motivates Pékerman and his team. The 2014 World Cup was thought by many as the beginning of a golden age of Colombian football, and while the team has certainly been capable since, results have been somewhere south of expectation.
Meanwhile, in the United States, views of the competition also vary. Some view the tournament with a wider lens, moving beyond the national team and seeing the competition as a chance for America to showcase how far the game has come stateside since the 1994 World Cup. In particular, the tournament could be a showing ground for the rapidly expanding and increasingly popular domestic league, MLS.
Jurgen Klinsmann has said since November this is a massive tournament for the US.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. manager, has cited the tournament as an “unbelievable and unique opportunity” for his American team since November. He reiterated that view this week in an interview with Doug McIntyre of ESPN. How much of Klinsmann’s view of the tournament is shaped by prior failures is a matter of debate, but there is little question he immediately pivoted focus from being the king of CONCACAF to the Copa América following the US’s disappointing defeat to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup last October. Many of Klinsmann’s critics, in the press and stands alike, view this tournament as a referendum, at least on Klinsmann’s stewardship of US Soccer since Brazil, if not his tenure as a whole.
Still, it is unlikely that Klinsmann’s position as US manager (or technical director, for that matter) hinges on a quality US performance in the Copa, as Sunil Gulati has made his long-term commitment to the Californian by way of Germany known. To some extent then, the tournament is a win-win for Klinsmann, and a positive performance could not only provide the Yanks momentum for the second half of the World Cup cycle, but also vindicate or redeem some of the failures of the first half, including the second consecutive failure by US Soccer to qualify for the Olympic games.
No matter the view, the tournament is a big deal, the largest of its kind on US soil in two decades and one expected to draw over a million fans across ten American cities. Overlapping with the European championship that begins June 10, the Copa marks the beginning a furious summer of soccer that will conclude in Brazil with the Olympic games, where the USWNT will aim to win another gold medal a summer after winning the federation’s third World Cup.
That summer of soccer begins meaningful play Friday night, with the Yanks in a difficult but not insurmountable group against an excellent but not unbeatable team, Colombia.
The customary TYAC Preview then, with all the bells and whistles. If you aren’t familiar- well, we have…
Usuals. Then particulars.
Series: 18th meeting. Colombia lead, 10-3-4. Two of the three US wins over Colombia have come in California. Colombia won the last edition, played at Craven Cottage in London, 2-1, in November 2014. This is the third meeting between the two nations at a Copa América. Colombia won the previous two: 4-1 in Uruguay in 1995 and 1-0 in Venezuela in 2007. The United States last beat Colombia in March 2005- a 3-0 win in Fullerton, California… The most famous match between the two countries, of course, is the 1994 World Cup match, won by the Americans 2-1 in the Rose Bowl and made infamous by the tragic murder of Andrés Escobar, whose own goal contributed to Colombia’s shocking defeat and disappointing exit from a World Cup in which they were pre-tournament favorites. That match, played at the Rose Bowl in 1994, was perhaps the most tragic moment in a Colombian footballing history painted in melancholy reds and blues by tragedy; the memory of that defeat, according to Sports on Earth’s Tomas Rios, was in the corner of many Colombian minds as the team made its joyous run to the quarterfinals in Brazil 2014.
Weather: Hot. At kick, still in the 80s. Humidity will be reasonable low. The Americans will have been together stateside for two weeks, some longer, if you include the transitional Puerto Rico camp, held in steamy Miami. The MLS contingent will also have at least seen some heat in the early portion of the MLS campaign. Heat isn’t likely to bother much of the Colombian team, but at least this isn’t a disadvantage for the Yanks. Fabian Johnson, who hates hot weather and is still recovering from a groin injury, will have to play through a Fabian Johnson Misery Index of…9.
Ale Bedoya is one of several Americans entering the tournament in good form.
What to Watch For From the United States:
Inspired soccer? Soccer that builds on and off two positive showings against South American competition in warm-up friendlies. A formation that privileges comfortable positional deployments and sets players up to succeed. Tactics that don’t ask Michael Bradley, no longer the best American field player but probably still its most important, to play three positions at once. A U.S. team with belief that is prudent but not cautious and afraid. A team that goes after three points.
But how?
There are plenty of reasons for the US to be optimistic entering the Copa América, which is surprising given the US were fighting for their World Cup 2018 lives after a loss at Guatemala in March. The Americans still have warts, to be sure, but this as talented an American team as Jurgen Klinsmann has competed with and one that features several players in good form or coming off fine seasons at their respective clubs. Couple form with underdog status and home soil- hardly anyone expects the US to do much of anything at the Copa- and the pieces are in place for a quality tournament and deep run. And yet the lens one chooses to view the US in entering Friday night to some extent depends on faith in the manager.
Jurgen Klinsmann began his tenure as US manager promising a “proactive, attacking style” of soccer, whimsically dishing on the American melting pot and vowing to find, within the diaspora, a manner and language of football befitting the American cultural identity. This premise was by and large accepted and to some extent, acclaimed. The quest was quickly abandoned in favor of a pragmatism that did little to dispel or displace the “old” American football identity or narrative of a team that fought hard, played with grit and never quit. Klinsmann’s pragmatism- his willingness to privilege results over the act of seeking style or system- wasn’t new or unique. If anything, it was a departure from the more assigned roles and definitive counterattacking system that won Bob Bradley and the US a World Cup group. Nonetheless, Klinsmann’s pragmatic approach helped the US again top CONCACAF in World Cup qualifying, and at times, earn historic results (wins at Italy, at Mexico’s Azteca), even if they came in friendlies.
The Americans also escaped one of two “Groups of Death” at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, vanquishing longtime nemesis Ghana in the process. That win, in the Natal rain, has been the Klinsmann high-water mark. Following that win, the US played sixty brilliant minutes in a Manaus rainforest only to be drawn at the death and haven’t looked the same since.
That the US were praised in many circles for simply weathering a difficult World Cup group was in and of itself odd: the US underwhelmed in Brazil. And besides, the Americans weathered a more difficult World Cup group in 2002 and reached a quarterfinal. Lost often in the praise for the 2014 performance in Brazil was an honest appraisal of the US performance: that the US were stylish in 02 was not up for debate; that they were statistically far better in a nearly-as-tough group in 2006 surprised many. That team simply made more fatal errors in earning only one point.
In fact, even the 1998 side was better statistically, and they finished last in France. Further, the trend of being outshot and not generating nearly as many chances as the opponent continued at the 2015 Gold Cup, when the US outshot only hapless Cuba and a Jamaica side that bunkered for the final hour. Honduras outshot the US in the group stage as did relative minnow Haiti. Panama did it twice, including the third-place game, where Brad Guzan made more saves than Tim Howard did in his famed performance against Belgium. Read that last sentence about Guzan again for effect.
Point being, Klinsmann’s teams have often underwhelmed or underachieved and the reason for this is often due to the manager’s odd tactical choices, a useful pragmatism in the first cycle undercut by an incessant and unrelenting need to tinker. Players have been played out of position and rosters have been oddly constructed, with injured players asked to play and others asked to carry impossible tactical burdens.
Which means empirics back both optimism and pessimism Friday night.
IF- and file this away in the “I’ll believe when I see it” category- Jurgen Klinsmann has decided to deploy Michael Bradley in the deep-lying, regista like role we’ve seen in the previous two matches, the U.S. may be in business, regardless of whether the US ultimately choose a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 or even the diamond (a not entirely ridiculous idea given they now have the proper fullbacks to win the day?).
Bradley deep, where he has played beautifully for Toronto FC this season, (as opposed to Bradley as 10/odd trequartista/three positions at once) is a deployment that plays to his strengths, in the scrum, where he can both run down the errant pass and send one of his divine diagonals forward, or he can quickly transition to a free to be untethered Jermaine Jones or Alejandro Bedoya. Removed from the front line, Bradley is afforded time and space to see the field and pick a pass, using his brilliant vision to weight a host of options. This creates chances:
If Bradley chooses to get forward, he can, and situated deeper, he’s also tougher to track. Remember the goal against Slovenia? It came with a deeper Bradley making a late run.
Defensively, Bradley slotted in as the number six is also the best American option. He’s still the quickest of Klinsmann’s three defensive midfield options, and with him shielding, the American attackers can more comfortably flow forward. That level of trust matters.
Potential US 11, though here the wings would be higher up the pitch to function more like a 4-3-3 than a 4-5-1. And yes, it is unlikely the US will deploy Johnson in this manner or sit Dempsey.
Three years ago, I asked Jorge Luis Pinto, whose Costa Rica side had just dispatched a Bradley-less US, what his sense was about the American star. His response is telling:
“When deployed deep, shielding a defense and cleaning up, he’s just a terrific player. He can start a break, he can get forward, his vision is special. He’s maybe the most influential player in our region.”
That’s the manager of a World Cup quarterfinalist, and the words make Klinsmann’s continued deployments of Bradley in the last five years mind-boggling. Whether Klinsmann has finally figured it out could define the American Copa.
Who else?
As noted, we’d expect Jermaine Jones to join MB 90 as a starter in the midfield of a 4-3-3, which Klinsmann seemed to settle on in the warm-up friendlies. Untethered and with less defensive responsibility, and knowing Darlington Nagbe, among others, is available off the bench when he tires, Jones can still influence games. The third midfielder seems likely to be Alejandro Bedoya. The Nantes man is a two-way player, an industrious defender, a quality passer and moved centrally, he’s a player who can get in-between the lines and help the US control tempo with quick passes and sharp runs into space. It’s a quality starting trio, buttressed by options galore off the bench in Graham Zusi, Darlington Nagbe, Perry Kitchen and Kyle Beckerman.
Ahead of the midfield trio, Klinsmann’s choices seem less obvious. Klinsmann’s choices seem less obvious. This is largely a product of Klinsmann’s reliance on the starting trio of Gyasi Zardes, Bobby Wood and Clint Dempsey, who are individually strong options but not collectively the most sensible starting group. Wood is a center forward, and his inclination is to move and remain central. His discomfort crossing the ball was seen early and often in the Bolivia game. Gyasi Zardes, meanwhile, has been terrific as a CF for Bruce Arena of late, and while he is functional on a wing, his best moments, like his opening goal against Bolivia, have come when he is able to face up and play centrally.
Of the three, Clint Dempsey is the most naturally comfortable on a wing, but at his age, it’s a big ask defensively to deploy him on a wing. It also demands that he dip back into the midfield zones and make himself available, which he may do for spells, but won’t for starter minutes. And when he is out wide, his vision and ability to pick a pass have never been his strong suit. Instead, it is his ability to make hard runs at defenders, on the ball or off it, that has generated chances and goals. Klinsmann, to his credit, has tried him on the left, the right and up top, where he retreats and becomes somewhat of a back to goal number ten. The problem there is that his retreat weakens his strengths and mutates the formation.
The reality? At this stage in his career, Dempsey is best as a forward with a strike partner, where the movement and passing of the tandem can create space for each other. In many ways, this has always been the case- Dempsey’s best moments in England and now in MLS have come with in a 4-4-2, with Bobby Zamora or Obafemi Martins pairing him.
It is understandably difficult to bench Clint Dempsey, who has scored 9 of the 17 American goals produced in the last two international tournaments. And the US still need a good Clint Dempsey. The question for Klinsmann then, is whether Dempsey would offer the US more as a substitute, where his minutes were limited and he could expend more consistent energy.
With a back four that looks increasingly settled, in Fabian Johnson, the Bundesliga best 11 winger Klinsmann is utilizing as a left back, being asked to provide width opposite DeAndre Yedlin. John Brooks, who has put together two very good friendly performances in the build-up, should join Geoff Cameron as the center backs.
Brad Guzan will be the American goalkeeper, at least to begin the tournament, barring an injury.
As for the American defense, expect defensive lapses.
Sorry to be a buzzkill. Most fans are fairly pleased with the idea of the likely back four being Yedlin-Cameron-Brooks-Fabian Johnson. In fact, we here at TYAC are into it as well. Our biggest criticism is, and has been, moving your best/most skilled player from left midfield/wing to left back. But we’ve got that old familiar American left back crisis thing going on again, so fair enough. Play Fab J at left back.
And while John Brooks and Geoff Cameron could very well be the best two center backs in the American player pool, there’s no substitute for time on the field together, something these two have precious little of. We saw Bolivia fire a warning shot across the bow of that untested vessel in the Yank-dominated second half last Saturday night. Here’s the play-by-play for anyone who was still caught up in the Jones-to-Nagbe-to-Jones-to-Nagbe-to-Pulisic (!) afterglow: Yedlin gives the ball away at midfield. Please note that this alone does not constitute cause for concern. Jurgen wants flying attacking fullbacks, so the odd giveaway at midfield is bound to happen, whether we’re facing Bolivia, Colombia, or Leyton Orient. Bolivia takes their counterattacking opportunity, and moves the ball forward with speed. But it’s cool, both central defenders are already in position to slow the Bolivian rush, or make them produce a Marco Etcheverry Copa América ’95 level effort in order to score.
That is, until John Brooks makes the worst possible decision on the fly, and moves to double the on-ball attacker with an able-bodied Geoff Cameron. Of course this leaves his support man wide open to receive the pass we all knew was coming his way. Now he’s all alone with a charging Brad Guzan, who he can decide to beat for a goal in two or three different ways. That’s a goal every time against Colombia. Hell, that’s a goal every time in the District of Columbia or against the Columbus Crew. Instead, the Bolivians were feeling benevolent, or didn’t want to dampen a great night for the USMNT, so the ball went tamely into Guzan’s chest.
So let’s hope the American backline took a lesson from that moment, but let’s also temper any expectations for a defense that just kept two clean sheets. Zero pressure and a sprinkling of luck. Not the treatment James and Carlos (Chew)Bacca are likely to give the Yanks on Friday night in Silicon Valley.
But take heart, it’s not all doom and gloom for the US. And there’s more to be hopeful about than the Bradley redeployment.
I know you’ve probably read some good stuff on Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic this week; those guys are rays of hope for a team that looked lifeless just a couple months ago. But it’s Bobby Wood I want to single out. The young striker who just put his stamp on the German second division may not have scored against Bolivia or Ecuador, but he was absolutely on fire in both those matches. Wood’s progression in the last six to eight months has been nothing short of amazing, and I’m not talking about the journey from U20 afterthought to national team contributor. Remember, as of last fall our boy Bobby was already garnering himself a reputation for coming off the bench and getting big goals. He scored match winning away goals over Netherlands and Germany in the span of a week before being left off the Gold Cup squad, and followed that with a big equalizer against Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup playoff match. Sounds pretty good right? Sure was. Wood was on course to become the Hawaiian Herculez Gomez, and that’s a useful thing to be! But Wood made like your favorite Final Fantasy characters and spent this season with Union Berlin slaying unworthy defenders, and leveling up beyond belief. Now he’s apparently the guy you simply can’t give an inch of space in the final third, because he’ll find an open teammate just as easily as he’ll fire one on goal. This estimation isn’t about a couple assists last week either. It’s about a clearly identifiable new confidence in the skills that are now completely under this young man’s command. Bobby Wood is a bad dude. He must start against Colombia.
Jon Levy and Neil W. Blackmon co-Founded The Yanks Are Coming. Follow them on Twitter @TYAC_Jon and @nwblackmon. Gabriel Luis Manga is a writer based in New York City. In the past his work has been featured in The Guardian, Howler, and Al Jazeera amongst other outlets. Follow him on twitter @Champagne_Gabi.