The last time the US and Jamaica met, Klinsmann and the boys celebrated winning the Hex. (Photo, US Soccer)
Jon Levy and Neil W. Blackmon
Before the United States thumped Cuba 6-0 in Baltimore Saturday afternoon, two things seemed clear. First, Cuba wasn’t a very good soccer team,weakened further by VISA issues and defections as the Gold Cup continued. Second, the US needed to play better. After the US win, Cuba’a lack of quality continues to be self-evident, raising the following question? Was the fine performance by the Americans a signal of intent, an indication that they continue to be the class of CONCACAF, or was it a one-off against a bad side? Are the Americans getting better as the tournament goes on?
Tonight in Atlanta (6PM, Fox Sports 1), we get some answers. And with Jurgen Klinsmann’s emphasis on Confederations Cup qualification, this is a critical moment for the US under the German manager. Yes, the Gold Cup won’t provide “long view” answers about this cycle and failure won’t assure doom, just as success won’t beget more success. But the simple rebuke to the “this isn’t that important” line of argument is of course it is: the US doesn’t get better playing strictly friendlies and Gold Cups, no matter how many times they take to the pitches of Amsterdam and Cologne to play the world’s best. They get better in competition, and a Confederations Cup is great competition. The US needs high-level international tournaments to improve, and this Gold Cup punches a ticket. Or it forces a playoff.
Without further Freddy Adu, the usuals. Then the particulars.
Series: 23rd meeting. United States lead 13-1-8. The last meeting was a 2-0 US victory at Sporting Park in Kansas that saw the Americans clinch the World Cup qualifying Hex for the third consecutive time. The Americans also collected three points in Jamaica for the first time in federation history last World Cup cycle, thanks to Brad Evans late-game heroics. The Evans goal built on the momentum the US gained in its Centennial Celebration victory over Germany, and helped propel the Yanks to the longest winning streak in US Soccer history. The streak ultimately ended in Costa Rica, but it was a good reminder that a World Cup cycle isn’t a singular thing at all- it’s more like mini-cycles where you focus on the next task ahead of you. In 2011, the qualifiers of 2012 and 2013 were around the corner, but Bob Bradley’s side was focused solely on the Gold Cup. In 2015, Jurgen Klinsmann’s charges are doing the same- understanding that World Cup qualifying begins this autumn but emphasizing a championship on their own continent, which would assure safe passage to the Confederations Cup in 2017, something that’s important for the reasons noted above.
Weather: The Game is being played in the Georgia Dome (72 degrees), so the outdoor weather– upper 80’s and humid- won’t be a factor. This is the first trip for the men’s national team to Atlanta in the lifetime of your writers– the US last played a men’s game here in 1977. The expected crowd of 68,000- many of whom will be part of Atlanta’s large Mexican-American population- should be in a tizzy. The US will not have to battle the elements tonight, but it will have to battle semifinal nerves and crowd noise. Fabian Johnson Misery Index: 3.
Winnie Schafer has Jamaica playing organized and confident soccer.
What to Watch For From Jamaica:
Jamaica pushed the US twice in World Cup qualifying and appear improved under the leadership of Winnie Schäfer (who looks like a cross between the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman and one of the henchmen in Die Hard), who took over for Theodore Whitmore after the Reggae Boyz disastrous start to the Hex. Schäfer’s side haven’t conceded in 323 minutes, dating back to the first half of their Gold Cup opening draw with Costa Rica. That’s an excellent figure regardless of opposition, particularly for a Jamaica side with a history of organizational issues in defense.
Always a legitimate threat in attack, the Reggae Boyz showed defensive improvement at the Copa América, where they conceded only three goals in a difficult group that contained Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. They didn’t win a game, but Schäfer felt the team benefited massively from the tournament. “We played two of the top ten sides in the world,” Schäfer told the Jamaica Observer. “We lost but showed we had the quality to make the games tightly contested, where a bounce here or there and the result is perhaps different. It was huge for the players.”
Veteran defender Adrian Mariappa agreed. “I’m confident we can play with anyone after what happened at the Copa América,” he said. “There’s no reason we can’t continue in the knockout stages of the Gold Cup.”
Other than a final, the US have never lost a match to a CONCACAF opponent in the Gold Cup knockout stages. Jamaica have the quality to change that in Atlanta.
The Americans can count on four things from Schäfer’s group. First, more organization than we are accustomed to seeing, and a defense that helps each other and remains compact. Under Tappa Whitmore, Jamaica would change formations frequently. One such change- a 4-3-3 , from 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 previously in qualifiers, helped the Reggae Boyz to their only win over the United States, early in Klinsmann’s tenure. The intriguing thing to remember there? The USMNT played into that upper hand with a narrow 4-4-2 diamond formation that attempted to connect passes in small spaces out of the back. That in turn, led to turnovers near goal and the wrong result. More on that later.
Second thing to expect, Jamaica still has incredible speed, particularly over the top and on the edges. Reading star Garath McCleary has long been one CONCACAF’s fastest players. and he has a penchant for finding the right spots- as goals like the one he scored against Arsenal this winter or the one below demonstrate.
McCleary is a fixture on the wing for Winnie Schäfer along with Leyton Orient’s Jobi McAnuff, though the nod went to Joel Grant in the quarterfinal win over Haiti. Those two can really stretch you on the edges and potential US FB’s Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin, DaMarcus Beasley (especially off a calf injury) and Timothy Chandler will have to be smart about when they surge forward. Of course, given how Jamaica want to sit back, the temptation- and what Winnie Schäfer wants you to do– is to camp your fullbacks out in the Jamaican half. This is a tricky test for the Americans, who haven’t been particularly disciplined defensively in the Gold Cup.
The young US CB’s will be tested immensely by Giles Barnes and Jamaica’s pace.
Over the top, Giles Barnes is blazing quick and plenty good enough to exploit any American CB pairing. Again, the narrow Besler-Gonzalez pairing would inspire more confidence than Alvarado and Brooks, who have played the role of no-man’s land swinging gate too often at the Gold Cup, but Matt Besler isn’t here and Klinsmann seems committed to youth. This might be the game where either youth is served or the Houston Dynamo’s dynamo Barnes is the difference-maker.
Barnes and speed make up the third constant in the Jamaican attack. It isn’t really a counterattacking side, it is a formulaic side that abandons passing triangles and instead is content to win the ball deep in its half, play a quick ball on the floor to a midfield shuttler (almost always Leeds United’s Rodolph Austin) and then fire a chipped ball to an overlapping winger or a streaking over the top Giles Barnes. It’s rinse and repeat with this tactic except on set pieces when…
Jamaica crash the box with height and physicality. Michael Hector is the new one- the Reading youngster pairs with longtime CB and Leicester City captain Wes Morgan (watch all the 1 v 1 battles he wins in the linked highlight video), who will be and in CONCACAF often is the best no-nonsense CB on the pitch. Morgan is dynamite in the air and the US, who have looked shaky marking set pieces since their trip to Europe to kick off the summer, will need to be on high alert.
The fullbacks are Adrian Mariappa (more below) and New York Red Bulls man Kemar Lawrence. Schäfer has pushed the two forward a bit (particularly Lawrence) in this tournament, hoping to steal possession on the flanks and quickly shuttle to the speedy wings. Both men are capable with the ball at their feet and above-grade passers. When Jamaica do possess for spells, they operate from wider positions the further they get up the field, looking to get an overlapping winger the ball in the channels. The US will need to help to combat this and be careful about getting forward, as noted above.
Schäfer will be tempted to spread his CB’s apart to help with cover. This would be an error, in my view- the Yanks play narrowly so Jamaica won’t need to go deep and wide as the US only get forward on the left through Fabian Johnson (Chandler doesn’t really stretch you and I don’t know if Run DMB will play) in build-up these days and when pushing high on the right it’s typically Bedoya service or a cutback centrally, not a barreling-down-on-goal attack. In other words, if the US play the way they usually play, Schäfer shouldn’t adjust his strategy because his side is already set up to counter Klinsmann’s narrow diamond.
What to Watch For From the Yanks:
Fouls given vs. Jamaica- WCQ loss under Klinsmann…
Play smarter.
The US lost to Jamaica 2-1 in World Cup qualifying prior to the Hex last cycle by playing a narrow diamond that was a poor antidote to Jamaica’s slingshot counterattack and by committing fouls in horrendous areas (7 of 16 in dangerous areas, see inset).
Put simply, the US have to defend better at the top of the attacking third and they probably don’t want to play too high a line, even if they are commanding possession, because they haven’t been good enough to do so to this point in the tournament and the young CB’s have simply been too error prone. And that’s been true even when the Americans are dominating a game, as they did in Baltimore. If 1 v. 1 defending is difficult enough, why make the positional line complicated? Soccer is often over-coached and under-taught. Less thinking makes for better defending.
What lineup and CB pairing Klinsmann chooses could almost certainly will make an immense difference in outcome.
@SteveDavis90 Alvarado: https://t.co/6JGO3Q0R9b
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 18, 2015
The US may make an adjustment, as Matthew Doyle suggested here, in that they could drop MB 90 deeper and try to get Jamaica to move the point-of-confrontation forward. This would be a smart adjustment, and could lead to the US being on the front-foot with Bradley launching his patented diagonals.
The US would also do well to make sure their best player at the Gold Cup, Clint Dempsey, doesn’t get lost or starved of access in this match. Dropping Dempsey deeper, allowing him to pick up Jamaica’s deep man and leaving the intelligent runner Johannsson to pressure Jamaica high wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario.
Ale Bedoya is no longer underrated. He’s just essential.
The reality is that the US haven’t been able to take the game to opponents under Jurgen Klinsmann in two years. They’ve been outshot in all competitive matches save the Cuba match since the end of World Cup qualifying, and the promise of proactive football has given way to the patience required to watch pragmatic football. The US will be pragmatic again tonight in the Georgia Dome.
Ale Bedoya’s quality is evident. He could be the most important US field player tonight, The defensive tracking he does is obviously critical, with Jamaica’s fullbacks capable of flying and with the all-but guaranteed moment where a US fullback gets caught out higher up the pitch and Kyle Beckerman (who has struggled a bit in the Gold Cup) needs help to cover. Fortunately, Bedoya’s work rate means it is clear he’s up to the task, at least early in the game as the US seeks out a lead. (Jamaica aren’t as potent playing from behind, as the Copa demonstrates).
https://twitter.com/ThatDamnYank/status/622515591698485249
What’s less clear- but should be more clear- is that Bedoya is now critical to the US attack as well. He’s a possession guy. It was his ability to receive the ball, hold it, make a run and place a pass on Bradley’s foot that gave the US a draw against Panama. And it was his menacing movement that opened Cuba up almost immediately in Baltimore. The latter is less useful, but the track record is now clear– Klinsmann uses Bedoya like a Zusi-plus– cleaner on the ball and quicker, but a like for like in his ability to control possession in tight spaces, and move the ball forward. That’s a trait the US lacks outside of #11.
If Bedoya can help the US keep the ball, control the tempo of this game and force the Jamaicans out of their compact shell, the good money is on the “hungry” Clint Dempsey to find a goal, and the US to find a Gold Cup final.
The best of Jamaica’s English infusion- Mariappa says the team can compete against anyone.
Jamaican Player to Watch: Adrian Mariappa (Crystal Palace)
Adrian Mariappa isn’t just a right back that happens to be playing a great tournament, he’s a player that embodies everything that’s going right with the Reggae Boyz newish “Jamainglish” identity. And having this English revolution finally come correct is especially important given the relatively slow start that this version of the squad got off to three years ago.
After thrilling fans in the 2011 Gold Cup with an exciting brand of attacking soccer, Jamaica took a quarterfinal beating at American hands (feet) especially hard. In the long documented opinion of The Yanks Are Coming, the Reggae Boyz prematurely veered off a course that seemed sound, and prioritized the recruitment of English born players with Jamaican eligibility. Watford defender (and former Jay DeMerit backup) Adrian Mariappa was part of a crop of Englishmen called to represent. The new class came into the team, and the flare-filled football all but disappeared, replaced with an organized but uninventive style of play.
Flash forward this 2015 Gold Cup, and the Jamaican master plan seems to have taken completely. Adrian Mariappa, a center back by trade, is leading the team from right back. He’s helped Jamaica equal the US for least goals allowed in this tournament. Even more impressively, both of those goals came in the first match against Costa Rica, so Mariappa’s marshalling a back line that’s on a run of three clean sheets, and now he’s doing so without the help of fellow defensive veteran Jermaine Taylor, who picked up an injury late in the group stage. And in a surprising turn for a converted center half, Mariappa has two assists for his efforts, both of them on match winning goals, the latest coming in the quarterfinal against Haiti. If the veteran defender can stifle the American attack like he’s done to most other teams in this tournament, it may just take one more pragmatic ball into the box to send the Yanks into panic mode.
Brad Guzan remains critical to the US chance of defending the Gold Cup.
US Player to Watch: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
The goalkeeper has been the best American player in this Gold Cup. Yes, even better than Deuce.
And given this young back line’s propensity for breaking down and giving up big-time scoring chances, the US has needed Guzan to be as good as he’s been. Thankfully he got some respite in a quarterfinal where Cuba didn’t threaten often, but those patent pending defensive gaffes still managed to rear their ugly heads, so Mr. Guzan will expect to be called upon to make some point blank saves against Jamaica as he did in all three matches in the group stage.
It’s interesting to look at Guzan’s current standing in the USMNT player pool, especially given the patterns he’s established in his career. Brad is obviously a pressure player, but his performances start to fade when he gets comfortable. Most recently we’ve seen this trend play out at club level with Aston Villa. Guzan was the club’s player of the year two seasons ago when he, more than anyone, kept the Villans safe from relegation. But he lost the starting gig late this season with the elderly Shay Given looking way more locked-in down the stretch. Now as it pertains to the US national team, anyone who’s watched this tournament can tell you that Guzan is taking the reins as the no-doubt “number one.” But what if he doesn’t close this tournament out by lifting the Gold Cup? Will some of his stellar play this summer be forgotten? With the clock winding down on Tim Howard’s national team sabbatical, it might not take much more than a loss in either of the next two matches to throw the legitimacy of Guzan’s throne into question. Brad must keep the pressure on, and keep responding to it, in order to cement his role as the starter.
One last factor that helped ensure Brad Guzan would be the US Player to Watch in this match: My wife has nicknamed him The Golden Gooze. I asked for her reasoning. She tells me there’s the obvious surname Guzan/goose thing, along with the fact that he’s rocking that sharp yellow gold kit whenever the team wears the home whites. She continues, reminding me that he’s got a habit of putting up opponent “Gooze eggs” on the scoreboard. I was impressed. She also noted that his bald head bears resemblance to an egg, but I reminded her that The Curse of Tony Meola (and his excellent hair) dictates that every subsequent top USMNT goalkeeper must be bald. Still, I approve this nickname. He posted a World Cup Qualifying shutout at the Azteca, and we probably wouldn’t even have won our Gold Cup group without his heroics. Long live The Golden Gooze!
Prediction: USA 3 – 2 Jamaica
What would have been viewed as an all-around magnificent American performance is somewhat undone by a late goal or two from the Reggae Boyz. Unfrozen Iceman Striker stays hot with another goal, and MB90’s brazen but earnest attempts at an “olímpico” versus Cuba help open up the box for a corner kick to an unmarked center back’s head and into the back of the net.
Enjoy the match, and Go USA!
Jon Levy and Neil W. Blackmon co-founded The Yanks Are Coming. Follow them on Twitter @TYAC_Jon and @nwblackmon.