The United States was foiled by Nicklas Bendtner, the least likable Dane since Claudius Wednesday night.
John D. Halloran
Thoroughly dominated in possession. Saved time after time by their goalkeeper. Few attacking chances created. A late-game collapse.
No, this is not Bob Bradley’s United States men’s national team. Nor is it a recap of this summer’s World Cup match against Belgium.
It’s the state of the U.S. national team three and a half years into Jurgen Klinsmann’s reign—and one that’s shown little, if any, progress towards implementing the proactive style promised to fans so many years ago.
Furthermore, it’s a team that’s shown a penchant for falling apart late, exhibited by the fact that the U.S. has been outscored 11-1 in the second half of games since last summer’s World Cup.
On the bright side, the U.S. did convert two of the three chances it created—and it was close to picking up a draw on European soil against a respectable Danish side. But this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades—close doesn’t count.
Other than Nick Rimando’s performance, a clever Michael Bradley and some outstanding play from Jozy Altidore in front of the net, there’s not much to be proud of from the Americans’ game on Wednesday night in Aarhus.
Lack of Effort
Perhaps no play against Denmark exhibited the U.S.’s problems under Klinsmann than the Danes initial equalizer in the 33rd minute of play. Fabian Johnson was beaten on the wing and then simply gave up on the play. As Johnson slowly jogged back into position, his man played a slow give-and-go (which should have given Johnson plenty of time to recover) and got in behind the American backline. Timmy Chandler, who should have been guarding the far post, decided to stop running and simply stand at the top of the box asking the linesman for an offside call which never came (and wouldn’t have been correct).
Chandler, in particular, has seemingly been given a free pass by Klinsmann over the years. No matter how many times Chandler performs poorly—or with a complete lack of effort—he continues to earn call-ups and continues to earn minutes. Johnson, for his part, had a poor game. He was invisible for long stretches and appeared to have little interest in the game.
Perhaps the tandem are given special treatment because they play in the Bundesliga, but what has helped the U.S. compete for decades—even when their talent was clearly inferior to their opponents’—has been their effort. That effort should be non-negotiable when it comes to representing one’s country and those who aren’t willing to give it their all shouldn’t be put on the field.
As Klinsmann said in a recent tweet, “It is an honor to be on the #USMNT”.
Does Jurgen know what the answers are anymore?
Does Klinsmann Really Understand What the Problems Are?
During the January camp friendlies, Klinsmann was quick to blame the U.S.’s fitness for the team’s late-game collapse against Chile. Then he insinuated that the media really didn’t understand the game well enough to criticize his decisions. He’s even said publicly that, reflecting back on the U.S.’s World Cup failures, it was the players who were at fault for not attacking early enough in the match against Belgium.
After the loss to Denmark, Klinsmann once again expressed an opinion that bore little resemblance to reality.
Following the match, Klinsmann said, “Overall, it was an even game.”
Perhaps Klinsmann was trying to spin his team’s late collapse, but to anyone who watched the game, his comments appear to be a delusional observation—and one that certainly doesn’t match up with the cold reality of the U.S.’s play.
That….is not true RT @BrianSciaretta Klinsmann: "overall it was an even game" pic.twitter.com/dB8iCupH2x
— Seth Vertelney (@svertelney) March 25, 2015
These type of nonsensical comments have become so commonplace, they’ve simply become accepted by many. But according to a report last week by Grant Wahl, they are starting to have a detrimental effect on the team. As Wahl wrote, some players on the national team “are starting to tune [Klinsmann] out.”
The Bright Spots
While the game was an ugly performance for the U.S., there were a few bright spots. Nick Rimando once again showed that he is a more than capable back-up, repeatedly pushing, punching and knocking away shots on goal and services into his area.
Altidore also showed his value to the American side once again, with some strong hold-up play and in creating both of the U.S.’s goals. On the first, he outmuscled two Danish defenders before smashing home the opener. On the second, he took a deft touch from an excellent Michael Bradley service and then unselfishly laid the ball across the face of the net for Aron Johannsson to score.
Michael Orozco was also a bright spot, for the most part. Many were surprised that Orozco started, but—when deployed centrally—Orozco has always been a solid option for the Americans in the back.
During Wednesday’s broadcast, ESPN announcer Ian Darke also said that Klinsmann had told him Orozco would have likely made the World Cup roster if not for the late-season injury he suffered in Liga MX last spring. This was a point shared by others prior to the match as well:
https://twitter.com/nwblackmon/status/580793554408239104
Against Denmark, Orozco cleaned up at least four different messes in the back for the U.S. and put together an overall solid effort.
More Negatives
Other than the lack of possession, and the poor efforts of Chandler and Johnson, the U.S. had several other players who failed to show up for the game in Aarhus.
Johannsson, who first made a name for himself in the Danish professional league, didn’t take advantage of a rare start for the U.S. Although he did have a nice finish on the U.S.’s second goal, he was largely uninvolved in the match and failed to form a working partnership with Altidore.
Greg Garza also struggled—a surprise after he played so well in the October friendlies. Perhaps Garza was jet-lagged, but he was repeatedly beaten for pace as the Danes exposed the American left side. Garza also gave away possession repeatedly, and often in the defensive third of the field.
What’s Next?
Another poor game by the U.S. certainly won’t quash the fears of a growing number of fans as the team heads towards this summer’s all-important Gold Cup. And while it is important to keep friendly results in their proper context, the U.S. has shown little progress—and perhaps some regression—in developing a coherent style of play under Klinsmann.
The next test for the Americans is Tuesday against Switzerland in Zurich.
John Halloran is once again writing on the US Men’s National Team for The Yanks Are Coming. His work has appeared on various sites, including Bleacher Report, American Soccer Now, and Soccer Over There, among others. He is also the founder of American Touchline. Follow him on Twitter@JohnDHalloran.