Will Klinsmann repeat the Darlington Nagbe experiment Saturday night? Many fans hope so.
Jon Levy
USA vs. Bolivia: Your TYAC Preview
Well wasn’t that a delightful flourish to cap a great American second half in that forgettable friendly versus Ecuador. That’s rhetorical; of course Nagbe’s match-winning goal off great work by Bobby Wood and DeAndre Yedlin was delightful. Easy to convey rhetorical in print; you can just leave off the question mark. Okay, good talk, see ya out there.
Series: 8th Meeting. Bolivia leads 5-0-2. The United States have never defeated Bolivia, although this is the first meeting between the two nations since a 0-0 draw in 2001. Much has changed for the US as a nation, not just a footballing one, since that meeting. The US have been to every World Cup since and a quarterfinal once. Bolivia haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1994. And so on and so forth. Saturday night’s meeting at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City (8PM EDT, FS 1) presents the Yanks with another chance to make a bit of history under manager Jurgen Klinsmann.
Weather: Upper 60’s or Low 70’s at kick. Clear and pleasant, even for most the European contingent. Fabian Johnson Misery Index: 4.
Geoff Cameron will play Saturday night after missing the Ecuador game with a knock, per Jurgen Klinsmann.
What to expect from the US:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Let’s get ready for more experimentation with center back pairings. It’s a Klinsmann theme as old as his reign over the USMNT. So where did we leave off, and who will he settle on?
Well, for the first 20 minutes of the Ecuador match John Brooks and Steve Birnbaum were at six’s and seven’s, and that’s me putting it nicely. But these two did get it together, as did the midfield, and the last 25 minutes of the first half weren’t near as scary. And there was far less danger in a second half that firmly belonged to the Yanks, but there’s definitely still cause to tinker. So where will said tinkering take us as we’re now one match away from the start of Copa America Centenario? Let me put it this way: I’m a DC United fan (which is code for “I LOVE STEVE BIRNBAUM”) and even I believe the best possible CB combo on this squad will involve two of the Brooks/Cameron/Besler trio. If I was Jurgen I’d use this Bolivia match as a chemistry builder and start the two guys I was planning on playing in the tournament. I’d start Geoff Cameron and John Brooks. But Jurgen does what he wants, so expect to see Bobby Wood partnering a gold fish in central defense on Saturday night.
And as I alluded to above, there was a lot to like about the American second half on Wednesday night in Frisco. More of that please!
Darlington Nagbe’s ruthlessly efficient passing display simply must be rewarded with more playing time. Even without his excellent goal, Nagbe was Mr. Keep-Ball against Ecuador. It’s worth noting that a whole team of eleven dudes couldn’t do that in the first half. And if Nagbe was the President of Possession, Ale-Alejandro (Bedoya) was his VP, looking and playing like that guy Lady Gaga sang about. But back to Nagbe for a second. Here’s why he must log real minutes on Saturday night: Darlington’s great performance could only conceivably have left his manager in one of two camps. Either Klinsmann was intrigued by the display and is wondering where Nagbe fits in, or he’s already elevated the Portland Timber to a starter in his mind. The former requires more on-field testing to in order to figure the player out, while the latter means Nagbe should get more minutes alongside some of his fellow projected Copa America starters.
I’ve written more about Nagbe than I will about the young bucks that helped create his goal, but I think the whole US Soccer world is starting to get excited, and rightfully so. DeAndre Digital spent the last year becoming a competent right back without sacrificing his speed or attacking impetus. Bobby “Bring Tha” Wood is scoring and creating goals, causing our fellow respected fart-joke-loving soccer writers to pen unabashed praise pieces (hey dude!). And just when we all thought we saw US Soccer’s latest prodigy-select get muscled off the ball against Ecuador, Christian Pulisic goes all Mighty Mouse meets Mats Zuccarello, outmuscling and outclassing half the guys in a good CONMEBOL midfield.
Christian Pulisic. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/i7cW0KB7ET
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 26, 2016
With the probable exception of Yedlin, the no-question starter at right back, I expect to see all the players I just mentioned on the field against Bolivia.
What will we see out of Bolivia?
La Verde were a surprise package in last summer’s Copa América, which is not to be confused with this summer’s super special money-grab 100th anniversary of the tournament. The typically gritty defend-first squad lived up to its reputation, but was more dangerous in the attacking third than they’ve been in recent memory. Sounds a bit like what Brit writers say about the US when the Yanks “inexplicably” put a good run together. Bolivia put three goals past Ecuador in a win, played Mexico to a nil-nil draw, and made it to the quarterfinal.
But like the USMNT in the wake of the 2014 World Cup, Bolivia has failed to build on encouraging results. They’ve lost five of their six World Cup Qualifying matches, beating just Venezuela, the only team below them in the South American WCQ table. So in spite of the team’s inspired start to last summer’s Copa, expectations for Bolivia are back to being really low. Makes sense when they’re in a group with Argentina, Chile, and the baddest man in Panama, Felipe Baloy (he’s BACK!). So add all that up and expect Bolivia to give the US a great test in Kansas. La Verde doesn’t lose for lack of effort, heart, or defensive energy, and they know they’ve got to bring all that to have a chance in this tournament. I expect that identity to be on full display against the US, and as most CONCACAF teams can attest, those attributes alone are often enough to keep the Yanks in their lane for 90 minutes.
Perry Kitchen won hearts at.. yeah this photo is incredible.
American Player to Watch: Perry Kitchen (Hearts)
In my second seemingly anti-DC United sentiment of this post I’ll confide that I’d rather be writing this section about Lee Nguyen or Mix Diskerud. And yes, I’m aware how unpopular the latter is within the confines of US Soccer groupthink right now. I don’t care. He’s a more versatile, more skilled, and more exciting than the limited but useful Perry Kitchen. But Mix and Nguyen will be playing MLS soccer during the Copa, so let’s focus on why we should watch the new Hearts midfielder in this match.
You probably remember Kitchen as Ben Olsen’s midfield rock for DC United the past four or five years, but you may not have been tuned in to his rocky contract talks with the team, or his eventual decision to make the jump to Europe, and less money. And even if you were following all of that closely, it was still easy to completely lose track of Kitchen, because he took so long to find a club. But it seems he made the right choice in joining Scottish Premiership mainstay Hearts for the final quarter of the season. Ten appearances seems like a cameo for some players, but Kitchen used his to establish himself as a must-start for one of the best teams in Scotland. But why is Perry Kitchen on this Copa America squad?
Simply put, he’s one of two guys on this roster picked to be a “traditional six” defensive mid, a position we know Jurgen Klinsmann covets. That means despite possibly being the 22nd or 23rd dude selected for this squad, Kitchen could be one strained Beckerman dreadlock away from the starting lineup. Not bad for a guy that Jurgen toyed with playing at backup sweeper during the Jermaine Jones back three debacle (heretofore to be known as “The JJ3 Affair”).
Asking Kitchen to play dedicated defensive midfielder for the national team is a much better idea than asking him to play a position he probably hadn’t even trained at since college. I know some of you are probably saying, “Hey, Michael Bradley can play the six.” Yes, we know. But Jurgen Klinsmann coaches this team, and he spent the past two years trying to convince the world MB 90 is Clarence Seedorf or Giovinco. And yeah, the Bradley deep-lying playmaker thing works for Toronto and worked against Ecuador, but again, this is Jurgen Klinsmann. So he’ll probably try to make Michael play three positions at once, run thousands of meters (that’s feet, in ‘Murican) and field him really high up the pitch. Let’s all hope Herr Klinsmann gives up that ghost and let’s Michael play a true, balanced, CM role in this tournament. And let’s acknowledge it’s probably a bridge too far to ask this manager to move him back from ten, to eight, to six, whether you think it’s his best position or not.
So if realistically, we’re looking at Beckerman or Kitchen as the last line of defense before the White Walkers make it to The Wall. And the former US U20 captain might just be the right guy to succeed The Dread Pirate Beckerman as First Ranger (or First Heart in this case). Kitchen’s got the energy, the positioning, and the wherewithal to keep the ball, then find a teammate who can build the attack. He’ll likely get the chance to show it Saturday night.
Bolivian Player to Watch: Rodrigo Ramallo (The Strongest)
I’m not gonna sit here and insult your intelligence by pretending I watch a lot of Bolivian club soccer. Instead, I’m gonna let you enjoy all the awesomeness I learned while doing a modest amount of research on Bolivian club soccer.
First off, you may have noticed that our hero/nemesis, 25 year old striker Rodrigo Ramallo, plays for a Bolivian club called “The Strongest.” In English. That’s their name. Wikipedia (which I would not cite if this was an academic paper) indicates the original name was “The Strong Football Club.” But at some point it seems a semantics wizard, with a deep understanding of the superlative form, changed the name to “The Strongest Football Club.” Better? No. Best!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD518Re0voI
Rodrigo Ramallo is a Bolivian striker legacy. His father William Ramallo helped power Bolivia to the ’94 World Cup in the States, where he was joined by future DC United legends Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno. Ramallo was the elder statesman at 32, while the guys who were bound for a league that didn’t yet exist checked in at 23 and 20 respectively. For William’s son Rodrigo, both his age and his prolific scoring resume at club level point toward chances coming his way. Juan Carlos Arce will likely lead the Bolivian strike force, but he’s 31, and the team could use a new hero. One who should be hitting his prime right around now. Ramallo the younger has never made the jump to Argentina or Brazil, but he’s been a consistent goal scorer in Bolivia’s top tier for five years. He’s not intimidated by physical defense, and he knows his way around the box. I sound like I’m describing Carlos Ruiz, but I don’t profess to know Ramallo near as well. Maybe we find out whether Rodrigo Ramallo or Geoff Cameron is truly strongest on Saturday.
Prediction: USA 2 – 1 Bolivia
Logic dictates this US team can’t keep two clean sheets in a row, but it really would be something to hang your hat on going into the tournament. Goals from Bobby Wood and Wondo. Simples. Let’s play a game that means something next.
Enjoy the match, and Go USA!
Jon Levy co-founded The Yanks Are Coming. Follow him on Twitter @TYAC_Jon.