DaMarcus Beasley rejoins the United States as they begin the Gold Cup knockout stages.
Jon Levy
It has been a strange Gold Cup.
All three of the pre-tournament favorites: the United States, Mexico and World Cup quarterfinalist Costa Rica, could lodge complaints about their form and none appear to be runaway favorites heading into this weekend’s quarterfinals.
Of the three, Mexico has perhaps played the most attractive soccer, but they did so in a group that on paper appeared weak and played so attractively they didn’t win the group.
Costa Rica finished second in Group B, failing to win a game. As a result, they’ll face Mexico in the Gold Cup quarterfinals Sunday in New Jersey, giving the continental championship its first ever quarterfinal match between two nations who both participated in the World Cup knockout rounds. That match should deliver a definitive answer to the whispered innuendo surrounding new Ticos manager Paulo Wanchope. Was he the wrong choice to succeed Jorge Luis Pinto? (And speaking of Pinto, what happened to Honduras?)
Meanwhile, the United States became the second national team stateside in a month to hear groans and grumbles following a group stage win and seven points. Will we now see an American team elevate its game in the knockout rounds for the second time this summer?
The journey begins Saturday in Baltimore, against Cuba of all teams (5 PM ET, M & T Stadium, FOX). Yes- the Cuba who looked absolutely helpless for 90 minutes against Mexico and appeared fortunate and blessed to only lose by six goals. Yes– the Cuba who lost six players and a coach to VISA issues and defection before the tournament even began. And yes-the Cuba who made history- as the worst team based on goal-differential (-7) to ever advance in the Gold Cup.
So yes, it has been a strange tournament. Michael Bradley summed it up talking to Brian Straus of SI.
“I say this with total endearment,” Bradley said, while emphasizing that the Americans must play better. “It’s ridiculous. Between the travel, the short turnaround between games, the grass being laid over turf, the weather, it’s a huge challenge.
“Again, that’s no excuse, because it’s the same for everybody. It’s not like it’s any different for us than the other teams, so again, I want to be clear in that … You see that every game is a dogfight. Every game is close and hard. It’s exactly what we expected.”
Expect another prize fight Saturday, especially if the old adage about political rivals playing ugly and unpredictable soccer matches holds.
Without further Freddy Adu– had to do that on Tampa Rowdies weekend!! — usuals. Then particulars.
Series: Eleventh Meeting: United States lead, 8-1-1. The last time Cuba earned a result against the United States was 1949, when Cuba was a free country not ruled by a member of the Castro family. That’s intense. They have met in five Gold Cup matches, with the US winning those games by a combined score of 17-2. (Cuba does hold the edge in invasions, however, 1-0.)
Weather: Upper 80’s, chance of a thunderstorm, humidity around 50 percent. Crabcakes and football. That’s what Maryland does. Fabian Johnson Misery Index: 8.5. I noticed, by the way, that some folks are now alleging Timothy Chandler dislikes heat more than Fabian. I don’t think that’s true. I just don’t think Chandler is as good at soccer as Fabian Johnson. And neither likes hot weather.
Will Tim Ream join Omar Gonzalez in the back for the US?
What to watch for from the Yanks:
This team needs to get its act together, and it can’t wait until next match to do so. Panama sliced through what Jurgen likes to call a “young” American defense with ease. And they weren’t alone in that respect. Honduras and Haiti both created multiple grade-A scoring chances in matches against different versions of this “young” back line. I don’t really care how old they are, they need to tighten up fast, because Brad Guzan isn’t going to be Superman for the next 270 minutes. Thankfully he has been thus far.
The US were outshot for the seventh straight (official) match against Panama, who, as noted in the preview, play a bit more of an adventurous brand of soccer under Hernán Darío Gómez than you tend to see in CONCACAF. But see above– and remember that when CONCACAF sides speak of respecting the US, the word respect doesn’t appear to mean sit back and defend against the US like it did even a couple years prior. What that has meant is that a US team that is used to playing on the backfoot against world powers has been doing so against CONCACAF teams, who are pressing or at least being a bit more daring against the Yanks than in previous tournaments. As a result, the Americans have been outshot 50-20 in their last three matches. When you give up that many shots and take that few, winning becomes statistically unsustainable. And that will be true even if the Americans win on Saturday.
I expect DaMarcus Beasley to slot in at left back, and that should help clean up a defense that has looked shaky and an offense that has had nominally overlapping fullbacks and has sent in lousy crosses. Anytime you add a veteran to the process, you add stability. It’s just a question of whether the stability comes with quality. With Beasley, it usually does.
Potential US deployment Saturday evening, with caveats about Bedoya being rested in text of preview.
As much as I’d like to see Fabian Johnson return to his World Cup Qualifying spot on the left wing ahead of Run DMB, he’ll probably slide across the field to his World Cup home at right back. I don’t care who partners Omar Gonzalez in the center of defense, whether it’s Ream or Alvarado, they’ll have to do better than they did in group play. And so will Gonzo. I think it will be Ream, as Klinsmann seems hell bent on playing a LCB and a RCB. The omission of Besler for the knockout rounds, particularly given the Brooks card accumulation suspension, was mystifying and as inexcusable as you can get when you are talking about sports.
But even if these guys cobble together a defense that lives up to the lofty standard of “good enough,” we’re still dealing with a USMNT whose play through the midfield has been stilted, ugly, and irresponsible in this tournament. Not what any of us expected coming off two huge wins in Europe and a demolition of Guatemala huh? I expect Klinsmann to change midfield personnel again, and maybe even change the formation. Whatever he does, it better work in this game, and work well enough to instill some confidence going into the next match. This has all been very ugly, and it’s not just down to Michael Bradley playing as the designated attacking midfielder in a diamond formation, or wingers refusing to work on their wings. Ale Bedoya made things better on one flank against Panama, nearly earning a red card for the Americans on a nice ball by Bradley and delivering a delicious pass to MB 90 on the equalizer. But he limped off and in a game that’s bound to be physical and chippy- you wonder if you are better going with Graham Zusi or newcomer Joe Corona (in for the ineffective as always Alfredo Morales) Saturday and holding Bedoya for the semifinal.
Up top, the Americans have brought in Alan Gordon- who is exactly the guy you bring in if you are playing in a physical stalemate and need an off-the-bench runner with experience in snagging game-winners, whether it be in MLS or the CONCACAF Champions League. Nothing will phase Alan Gordon, who looks like Jackie Moon of the Flint Tropics and plays with heart and hustle every time out. Gordon and Chris Wondolowski as your two most experienced tip of the spears doesn’t exactly instill fear– but given Altidore’s form and the injuries elsewhere- the cupboard was relatively bare. The US will have to make due. And you’ll almost certainly get Dempsey and Johannsson as starters anyway.
All that being said, I saw a Bob Bradley led USMNT come out of an ugly group stage four years ago and put together a masterpiece against Jamaica, And after ugly defeat at the San Pedro Sula and a “what was that” win in the Snowclasico- I did see Jurgen Klinsmann’s team pick themselves up off the mat in sequential rounds of World Cup Qualifying, delivering the goods when the stakes got higher. So I’m expecting “better” against Cuba; I hope we get it.
Maikel Reyes and Cuba have scored only one goal at the Gold Cup, yet here they are.
And what will we see out of Cuba?
A team that is really mentally tough.
I’m not going to pretend that Cuba made its way to this quarterfinal by establishing some subtle but important style of play. “You could see it, even in the six-nil Mexico match, they always find success on the left flank!” No.
That’s not the case, and anyone who tries to convince you that Cuba is alive due to tactical nuance is selling something. Cuba is still in this tournament, and is a threat to the US, because this team deals with it. Visa issues keep half the team and the manager from entering the United States in time for their opening match against Mexico. They deal with it. Mexico thrashes Cuba. Players and an assistant coach defect. They take the punches, deal with it, and move on. Trinidad and Tobago outplays Cuba thoroughly en route to a two-nothing win. The Cubans deal with it. And then the Leones del Caribe spend the lion’s share of their last group match dealing with the fact that Guatemala was getting the better of them in a do or die situation in which only a win would save their skins. They dealt with it right up until they took the lead with their first goal of this tournament, then they dealt with everything Guatemala had for the rest of the match.
This isn’t a team that will challenge the USMNT for the edge in ball possession, and their defense isn’t as physical or smothering as Haiti’s (the US group stage opponent that was never going to win through possession). Hell, the Americans should even outshoot somebody Saturday.
Still, there’s nothing that the US can do in this quarterfinal match that will make Cuba go away. They’re not that crafty and skilled Cuban boxer that fans of the sweet science have come to know over the years; this Cuban soccer team is a Mexican boxer with an iron chin. They’re going to be there, right in front of the Yanks, all day. It’s clear this team has the mental strength to outlast their opponents, and they’ve got no ego about being outplayed consistently along the way. So the US should slip a couple goals past Diosvelis Guerra early, or they’re in for a war down the stretch.
Cuban Player to Watch: Maikel Reyes (FC Pinar del Río)
I know I’ve just gone to great lengths to convince you that Cuba is a team short on skill players and long on toughness, but they do have a forward with skill and potential in the form of 22 year old Maikel Reyes. Now I’d be lying if I told you I watched club tape of Reyes (because Cuba), but this kid is establishing a record of scoring for country, and that’s a big deal if that country is goal-starved Cuba. He scored in the 2013 U-20 World Cup. He scored in 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games on the way to winning the bronze. And just this week he scored Cuba’s only goal in this Gold Cup to lift them over Guatemala (and El Salvador) and into the knockout round. He’ll probably start, but he’s proven he can score off the bench, and he’s used to making his chances count, because Cuba doesn’t traditionally generate many scoring opportunities. Beware Maikel “Don’t Call Me Michael” Reyes.
Finally Ice Man’s time?
US Player to Watch: Aron Jóhannsson (AZ Alkmaar)
Aron Jóhannsson is a man of many nicknames. Aronjo. The Iceman, which of course begets Unfrozen Iceman Striker. And then there’s Aron Bacon, because, well, he looks like Kevin Bacon. But it’s not just a dual nationality or a celebrity resemblance that inspired these nicknames, it’s pure fan excitement over a player who could be special for the US. And Aron’s shown that quality in spots while wearing the shirt, but (and please pardon the partial pun here) there’s a real feeling that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.
It’s a weird turn of events that seems to have granted Jóhannsson his shot to stake his claim and possibly become a full-time starter. Here’s the quick rundown: Three weeks before the Gold Cup kicks off Aronjo is by far the hottest striker in the US player pool. He’s on a two month goal scoring tear for AZ Alkmaar, and is viewed as a likely USMNT starter for the summer with Jozy Altidore out hurt. He gets the start in a friendly against Netherlands, has a few good moments/scoring chances in the first half, but is largely left out of the chaotic fun in the four to three comeback win. He’s more anonymous in his ensuing start against Germany; another big American win.
By the time we get to the Gold Cup warmup match against Guatemala, Altidore’s returned early from injury and ready to jump back into the squad. He does so, but posts goose eggs in his two Gold Cup starts, while Jóhannsson scores a goal against Haiti that’s incorrectly ruled offside by the referee, and makes smart run after smart run that demonstrate his quality and the unique skill he has in the US player pool. There’s a Thomas Müller quality to Johannsson– I’m not comparing the ability at present- just the quality: Johannsson can be instrumental in helping earn space for the overlap on the flank, like Müller is for Germany. Johannsson can move well laterally, like Müller (and unlike most US forwards). Johannsson prefers to drift, and is technical enough on the ball to receive it in the channel and beat not just the first, but the second man- like Müller can for Germany. So there’s immense talent here. But it isn’t just that talent that has us here, as Jurgen Klinsmann has decided, following the group stage, that he doesn’t like what he’s seeing from Altidore, and essentially puts him in timeout, sending him home to Toronto FC.
So here we are. We’re set to start the guy that we all thought would be starting in this spot a couple months ago, but have those couple months taken the confidence out of Jóhannsson’s game? I’m betting not. I’m betting The Iceman makes a big impact in this match and beyond. And that’s an educated guess after watching him bust out some really crafty off-ball movement against Haiti. Oh and he did score that goal. Here’s hoping he bangs in a few more on the way to the trophy stand.
Prediction: USA 3 – 0 Cuba
A get-right game if there ever was one. At this point you know I’ve got Jóhannsson on the score sheet, and let’s put old man Beasley down for a goal and an assist on his triumphant return to the national team.
Enjoy the match, and Go USA!
Jon Levy is Co-Founder of The Yanks Are Coming. E-mail him at jon.f.levy@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @TYAC_Jon.