Altidore’s smile returned with international goals 28 and 29.
John D. Halloran
Preview of US-Brazil will come shortly and the US has plenty to build on.
In the first of two September friendlies ahead of next month’s all-important CONCACAF Cup, the United States men’s national team defeated Peru 2-1 in Washington D.C. on Friday night.
After conceding a goal in the first half and heading into the locker room at the break down 1-0, the U.S. battled back in the second stanza on the strength of two goals from Jozy Altidore.
Here are four thoughts on the match.
A Win’s a Win
At times, it wasn’t pretty, and there were long stretches in which Peru dominated possession on Friday. But the key point for a U.S. team that has endured a number of rough patches over the past year—including a disastrous performance at this summer’s Gold Cup—is the final result.
Despite going down early, the U.S. showed a fight against Peru that has gone missing far too often over the past year. Peru, ranked 48th in the latest FIFA rankings, is certainly no world beater, but in this case—a win’s a win.
The Backline Did Enough
One of the U.S.’s obvious problems this summer in the Gold Cup was its poor defense. And while the defense on Friday night was far from mistake-free, it did represent an improved performance.
With a dearth of fullbacks due to some untimely injuries, Michael Orozco and Tim Ream were deployed on the flanks and—while making a few minor mistakes—did their job.
In the center, Omar Gonzalez, Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks and Matt Besler split the minutes with Gonzalez being culpable on Peru’s lone tally in the 20th minute of play. Inexplicably, Gonzalez backed off Daniel Chavez at the decisive moment, giving him room to shoot. That shot then deflected off Gonzalez and found its way into the U.S. net over Brad Guzan.
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It was a deserved lead for the Incas, and a deserved punishment for US CB’s who continued to allow too much space to receive the ball in the first 30 minutes of the game. After that, the Americans were much better.
On the positive side, the best of the CB bunch was Besler, who came on as a second-half substitute for Brooks. While Besler only played the final 30 minutes, he put out a number of late fires with some last ditch tackles and clearances. It was a welcome performance from Besler, who has been in a funk since last summer’s World Cup.
Matt Besler is looking a lot more like 2013 Matt Besler and this makes me happy.
— Over There (@socceroverthere) September 5, 2015
For their part, the maligned Gold Cup duo of John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado did fine. While not mistake-free (and not counting Brooks’ awful miss on a goal-scoring opportunity in the 39th minute), both were substantively better than they were in July.
The big question for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann heading into October’s tie with Mexico will be who to start at right center back. Alvarado seems to be the coach’s favorite, while Gonzalez has failed to impress of late. Orozco, for his part, has made a case, but Klinsmann appears to rank him further down the depth chart.
Oddly enough, the spot may ultimately fall to Geoff Cameron, who is finally playing center back for Stoke City after playing for years on the right side. Klinsmann has always said that he views Cameron as a center back, but due to a number of injuries, played Cameron on the right against Peru as a second-half substitute for Orozco.
Positional Madness Continues
At this point, it’s almost pointless criticizing Klinsmann’s positional choices. For one, his seemingly crazy decisions work out often enough to give him the confidence to keep doing it. Second, it’s strikingly obvious at this point that he cares little for what others—especially Americans—think about his choices.
On Friday, Klinsmann played Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Ream, Orozco and Cameron out of their natural positions. For the backline players, more-or-less, it worked out. The midfield, however, was a different story.
Bedoya, partnered Jones in the center midfield role, struggled to make an impact on the game. While Klinsmann has toyed with Bedoya in the center before, the Nantes’ midfielder has never looked quite comfortable there, especially in a box-to-box role (he has played as both as a double pivot and a No. 10 for Nantes).
For the U.S., Bedoya has always looked best as a wide midfielder, a position which the U.S. could have used him at against Peru, especially with DeAndre Yedlin struggling to make an impact on the right.
Jones, for his part, was credited by many pundits with a strong game. However, he once again showed why he shouldn’t be relied on as the U.S.’s deepest lying midfielder.
Not a fan of Jones making early runs out of midfield. Lose a circulator in the middle in favor of a route 1 look that isn't working. #USMNT
— Thomas Floyd (@ThomasFloyd) September 5, 2015
Sitting deeper than his midfield partner Bedoya, Jones caused problems for the U.S. when he bombed forward and lost possession, leaving the Americans without a shield in front of their center backs. And ironically, going forward is what Jones does best, as he showed when he won the ball high up the field in the 39th midfield and hammered a left-footed effort that Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese just barely managed to tip away.
With the Gold Cup proving that it’s time to move away from Kyle Beckerman and Michael Bradley never looking completely comfortable in the more advanced midfield role, the solution seems simple to everyone but Klinsmann. Bradley should be dropped back into the No. 6 role where he has repeatedly shined for the Americans, while Jones should be given free rein to rampage endline-to-endline, touchline-to-touchline as the No. 8.
Gyasi Zardes demands defensive cover, but the US need him in attack.
Altidore and Zardes Prove a Point
Bizarrely enough, there seems to be a cadre of U.S. fans who always want to write off Jozy Altidore. And after his struggles in this summer’s Gold Cup—where he was also carrying an injury (though in fairness he played 90 for his club immediately after being sent home)—those voices were loud again.
But after a return to form with Toronto FC over the past few weeks, Altidore once again proved his value. While some may try to discredit his contributions as a penalty kick goal and a tap-in, it must be remembered that he also created both of those situations.
Altidore is the one who earned the penalty in the 59th minute and he is the one who fed Yedlin with the decisive pass in the 68th minute that started the sequence on his second tally.
With Zardes, it’s hard not to get excited. Since earning his first call-up earlier this year, he has shown consistent improvement and an unparalleled work rate. On Friday night, his work on the left flank was terrific, as he put dangerous service into the box time and again. Zardes has a zest for taking on defenders in the area and plays with a passion fans love.
There are still questions about whether he’s a liability defensively, but certainly at this point he needs to be firmly in the discussion for who starts against El Tri on October 10.
John D. Halloran is a frequent writer for The Yanks Are Coming. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report and for American Soccer Now, among other places. He founded the soccer site American Touchline and is considered one of US Soccer’s preeminent minds on women’s soccer. He is also a state championship winning soccer coach. Follow him on Twitter @johndhalloran.