Wil Trapp is among a group of talented Americans who will hope to contain the damage in the away leg this week.
Jon Levy
Here they are, the most important US Soccer matches of the spring.
Yes, even more important than the pre-hexagonal round World Cup Qualifiers that the USMNT is rightfully expected to win.
The Olympics are a valuable measuring stick and showcase for young talent, and missing the tournament absolutely hurt the development of the generation of Americans that didn’t get to play in London four years ago. This U23 team can still atone for their mistakes against Honduras and make it to Rio, they’ll just have to do it the hardest way possible.
Roger Martinez and Juan Fernando Quintero lead an incredibly talented Colombian attack
What will we see out of Colombia?
Colombia’s U23 team is full of seasoned pros, and I expect it to show in Barranquilla. Yes, there are some standouts from this past summer’s Under 20 World Cup on the Colombian squad, but don’t expect familiarity from the narrow American win over that team in the knockout round to be a factor. Unlike the US U23 team, on which several veterans of that match are likely to play big roles, the younger members of the Colombian team may not even see the pitch. They simply don’t have to when you’ve got so many players with 50 plus club appearances ahead of them in the pecking order.
Look for veterans of Colombia’s Categoría Primera A (seriously, that’s the name of their top domestic league) to control the midfield and keep possession from the back, before getting it forward to an embarrassment of riches in attack. We’ve got Roger Martinez, Diego Milito’s understudy/partner in Argentina. There’s attacking midfield wunderkind Juan Fernando Quintero, who’s already got Champions League and World Cup pedigree, and is about to have half of Europe chasing his signature. And just in case you weren’t already scared of this team’s forays into the attacking third, Santos Laguna spark plug Andrés Rentería is the type of wing forward that’s probably already giving Kellyn Acosta nightmares. These guys are good. The Yanks will just have to be better.
Colombian Player to Watch: Juan Fernando Quintero (Rennes)
This 23 year old midfield playmaker epitomizes the type of top tier experienced pro that this Colombian squad brings to the table. I can write about guys like Will Trapp and Luis Gil having been through the MLS grinder, and that has value, but Quintero scored a goal at the World Cup. Not the U20 World Cup either (though he’s scored in that as well); I’m talking the big boy World Cup in Brazil. And in a turn that could make matters even worse for the US, this mercurial player’s reaction to falling out of favor with his club manager at Rennes seems to be the development of a newfound maturity. In interviews ahead of the two-legged playoff Quintero is embracing his leadership role with this squad, refusing to call Colombia the favorites, and praising the professional mettle of his Colombia-based teammates. If the 23 year old attacking midfielder now has the right kind of dogged mentality to go with his sublime skill set, well, this playoff could be over before it hits American soil.
What to expect from the Young Americans:
Containing Colombia will be a tall task, and that’s exactly what the US will have to do on Friday. The tired phrase applies. We can’t stop them, we can only hope to contain them. Accept. Move on to the task at hand. This two legged playoff is winnable, but damage limitation is the name of the game in the away match. That means Matt Miazga and/or Shane O’Neill will have to own their box, while the fullbacks and pretty much all the midfielders will have to play high energy “stay in front of your man” defense all night. The good news? Even if the US only has the ball for 20 of the 90 minutes, they’ve got the firepower to threaten the Colombian goal on every attack. No amount of defensive know-how can completely protect a team from the rare combination of power and speed that Jordan Morris possesses. And the center forward’s nearly tangible chemistry with Jerome Kiesewetter isn’t likely to have been lost in transit. Both Luis Gil and Emerson Hyndman have shown the ability to unlock defenses against respectable competition (on occasion), and Julian Green (who you may have heard also scored a goal at the World Cup) and Paul Arriola could be goal scoring wildcards. This match should be edge of your seat stuff, whether the Yanks are scoring or conceding, and both of those could happen in spades.
American Player to Watch: Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew)
The pride of Ohio is a 23 year old holding midfielder for the Columbus Crew. But if you’re a regular reader of this blog you already knew that. This is a big spot for a player that’s been impressing fans of subtlety and positioning since his Akron days. Wil Trapp’s already a cult hero to many, but before he can convince the wider US Soccer world he’s a surefire future national team starter, he’s gonna have to generate a seminal moment in a red, white, and blue shirt (or weird black shirt with red and blue sleeves that almost makes you long for highlighter yellow and black).
The away leg in Colombia with the Olympics on the line could very well be that moment. Make no mistake about it, Colombia will out-possess and out-attack the US in this match. But if Herzog is content to constantly concede possession in the attacking third, this match is going to look a lot like the World Cup knockout stage match with Belgium, but without Tim Howard in goal constantly saving our American bacon. The U23 defenders have a tough task ahead of them, but without an effective defensive midfield complementing their efforts, the job becomes impossible. Trapp is the logical choice for dedicated defensive mid, and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t get the start. He’ll have to breakup Colombia’s attacking flow, and just as importantly, maintain possession for an American squad that will be running backwards for most of the match even if he’s successful. Trapp must give the defenders a break; bonus points if he can actually trigger a few quick counterattacks that will likely represent the Yanks’ best chance at scoring in Barranquilla.
Prediction: Colombia 3 – 1 USA
That third Colombian goal is going to be a heartbreaker. Here’s hoping I’m wrong about this prediction.
Enjoy the match, and Go USA!
Jon Levy co-founded The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at jon.f.levy@gmail.com and you can and should follow him on Twitter @TYAC_Jon.