Bobby Wood scored as the US defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 to open Copa America preparations.
Neil W. Blackmon
The US Men’s National Team began its three game series of tune-up friendlies ahead of next month’s Copa America Centenario Sunday with a 3-1 win over Puerto Rico in Bayamón. The match marked the first meeting between the US Men’s National team and the its Caribbean territory. The US scored first through Tim Ream in the 20th minute, and added a second on a splendid run and finish from Bobby Wood in the 34th minute. But Puerto Rico pulled one back on a terrific goal from Florida International University rising senior Luis Betancur shortly before the halftime whistle. That gave the hosts hope until Club Tijuana winger Paul Arriola became the first American to score in his debut since Juan Agudelo when he cooly slotted home an Alejandro Bedoya cross in the 56th minute. From there, Puerto Rican goalkeeper Matthew Sanchez made a series of nice saves- one on Arriola, one on Julian Green and another on debutant Fafa Picault to help the game remain 3-1 at the finish.
Here are four quick thoughts on the US victory.
Paul Arriola has been a fixture on US youth teams, and rewarded Jurgen Klinsmann’s call with a tremendous debut.
First, it was a tremendous debut for Paul Arriola.
After bright moments for the US youth teams and a strong close to the Liga MX Clausura campaign for Club Tijuana, Paul Arriola finally received his first national team call-up for this transitional camp ahead of the Copa America. Despite not making the preliminary Copa America roster, Arriola clearly put his head down and made the most of the call-up and opportunity.
With Jurgen Klinsmann opting for a lineup featuring three natural defensive midfielders, Arriola was one of the only advanced US players with a knack for taking on defenders, and it showed early and often, as the Xolos man generated chances and showed off slick distribution ability, particularly on a beautifully weighted ball on a rough pitch to Bobby Wood to help the Americans get a second goal.
Arriola will certainly need to find consistency at the club level to become a fixture as the US moves forward with World Cup qualifying in the fall, but it was a fun day for the young winger and one can safely add Arriola to an ever-increasing list of young players with a creative, technical edge. That a player like Arriola can be brought along slowly, and integrated through transitional camps and friendlies, is a testament to the depth of the player pool at present and yes, a nod to Jurgen Klinsmann, the technical director.
Second, the US lacked cohesion and organization, particularly in the midfield. The result was large segments of the game where the US had most the ball but Puerto Rico played the better soccer.
Jurgen Klinsmann opted for three defensive midfielders to start the game, with Perry Kitchen lined up on the right wing, Alfredo Morales stationed to the left and Alejandro Bedoya and Danny Williams at the top and base of a diamond midfield, respectively. The move was ineffective. The US struggled against a low-block, well-disciplined and compact Puerto Rican defense and could not create much space for either Bobby Wood or at times, Paul Arriola tucked underneath him, to operate. The US also didn’t move the ball quickly enough to create the space with ball movement, and Puerto Rico held the center of the pitch in the areas just above the box firmly most the game, content to force the US outside to the wings.
The US received quality play on the wing, particularly from DeAndre Yedlin on the overlap, who eventually started challenging defenders 1 v 1 and 1 v 2 and demonstrated an improved, albeit not terrific, crossing ability throughout the first half. But the end product was missing most the afternoon, and with three defensive midfielders in the game, the US lacked the creative bite to unlock a compact, disciplined defense.
The US did breakthrough on the clinching goal, where possession from the back through Michael Orozco split the Puerto Rican walls of four in defense and a smart turn and run by Ale Bedoya set up Arriola on a tee. But the other two US goals were largely about individual efforts, whether it be Arriola holding a defender off his shoulder and weighting a ball perfectly to Bobby Wood, who made a very physical and strong run and finish to score, or Tim Ream’s opener, which came off a deflection in the scrum.
Puerto Rico, meanwhile, remained organized even down two goals, and when they did score, it was spectacular, with defensive pressure off a throw-in forcing a turnover and FIU’s Luis Betancur hammering home this finish (apologies for the spelling error on the video, I didn’t make it).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCok9efZSwo
The Puerto Ricans nearly equalized to begin the second half as well- another indictment of Klinsmann’s insistence on deploying players out of position. With Morales positioned out of the center of the field, the Ingolstadt man was caught in no-man’s land early in the second half and failed to cover for a withdrawn Tim Ream. The net result was Manolo Sanchez hitting a fantastic volley inches wide. Morales was later named Budweiser Man of the Match, a mystifying decision on a day when the midfielder did what he usually does in a US shirt- remain largely anonymous. All in all, this felt like an entirely correct assessment of large portions of the match.
Seriously folks, PUR are the way more organized, thoughtful & entertaining team. Don't have the talent but they're playing real soccer here.
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 22, 2016
Third, John Brooks continues to struggle for country.
I wrote yesterday that the US options at the CB position are as good as they’ve been for a US manager in a long while, but that for all the upside and measurables of John Brooks, the Hertha Berlin man has not earned international trust. He did little to alter that perception Sunday.
An early Brooks turnover resulted in Puerto Rico’s first chance early in the match, and on the Puerto Rican goal (video above), Brooks was well-within close down distance and seemed stuck in the mud. Jurgen Klinsmann would love to have defender with the on-ball prowess of Brooks in his 11, particularly in a group where the US promise to do a good deal of defending and will need control, not just clearances, to initiate attacks. But in Geoff Cameron Klinsmann has a capable enough passer and ball-handler and until Brooks consistently cleans up the mental mistakes, it is hard to argue that Matt Besler isn’t still a better option as a starter.
Bedoya joined a select fraternity of American soccer players to wear the captain’s armband.
Finally, Klinsmann’s decision to give the armband to Alejandro Bedoya was a solid gesture.
Bedoya, who like Puerto Rican goal scorer Luis Betancur hails from the Fort Lauderdale area, is of Colombian-American heritage and his involvement in a Copa America undoubtedly means a great deal to his family. The opportunity to play against Colombia in a meaningful match will certainly be a tremendous experience. That alone would make Klinsmann’s decision to let the Nantes man wear the armband as the US program kicked off Copa America preparations special. But for many, the lasting image of Bedoya in the last year hasn’t been his outstanding play for Nantes in France, but rather his removal (from a friendly, no less) by Jurgen Klinsmann early in a match against Brazil where Bedoya was struggling mightily.
That Bedoya struggled because he was being asked to play a position he told TYAC he had “never played in his professional or footballing life”didn’t seem to matter to many fans, who questioned why Bedoya was starting the game in the first place instead. Klinsmann did not take ownership of his poor choice to put Bedoya in a position to fail against one of the world’s best sides in the game’s aftermath, and to be honest, it was one of Jurgen’s worst moments as national team manager. Correcting that mistake, albeit months later, by awarding Bedoya the honor of the captain’s armband, is one of the manager’s finest moments. Alejandro Bedoya is a terrific human being, a smart guy and has been, since being capped by Bob Bradley, a great ambassador for US Soccer. Now he’ll forever be remembered as one of a limited number of American soccer players to be called “captain.”
Comments, as ever, are yours.
Neil W Blackmon co-founded The Yanks Are Coming. Follow him on Twitter @nwblackmon.