March 29, 2011
THEY NEED AN IDENTITY AND IT OUGHT TO BE SWASHBUCKLING:
Five Changes Bob Bradley Should Make for the Paraguay Match (JOHN GODFREY, 3/28/11, NY Times)
Here are a few changes United States Coach Bob Bradley should consider for Tuesday’s game — roster adjustments that would give deserving players a chance to prosper and tactical decisions that might help the team be better prepared today and for this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.1. Put Juan Agudelo in the starting lineup. Bob Bradley likes to bring young players along slowly. And while this nurturing mind-set is an admirable trait, it should no longer apply to 18-year-old striker Juan Agudelo.
Why not? For one thing, Agudelo keeps creating goals. He scored in his national team debut against South Africa last November, he drew the penalty that led to a goal against Chile in January, and he delivered the tying goal Saturday against Argentina. In each instance he came in as a second-half substitute. Wouldn’t it be nice to see what Agudelo could do over 90 minutes?
Another reason Agudelo deserves the start alongside Jozy Altidore: the cupboard is otherwise bare. Teal Bunbury has a dislocated elbow, Charlie Davies is still recovering from a life-threatening injury and Edson Buddle was just released from the squad and sent back to FC Ingolstadt. (Note to Andy Najar: hurry up and align yourself with the U.S.)
Bradley’s postmatch comments on Saturday indicated that he may be ready to give Agudelo a bigger role. “You can tell he has confidence,” Bradley said. “He puts himself in good positions and when the ball comes he’s strong and he has something where he’s looking to try things, things that make sense.”
It’s time, Bob. This kid is special. Put him in the starting lineup.
2. Try a 4-3-3 formation. Give Bradley credit for attempting to play to his team’s strengths on Saturday. With a roster full of talented midfielders and just a few pure strikers available to him, Bradley opted for a 4-5-1 configuration designed to get five midfielders on the field.
And it failed. Miserably.
After 45 minutes, Bradley shifted to a 4-4-2 and the team played noticably better. But why not give a 4-3-3 setup a try against Paraguay?
America’s “A” team is in camp. It has the experience and the maturity to attempt new tactics, and there never will be a better time to toy with a new formation. Imagine the following lineup against Paraguay:
Defenders (4): Eric Lichaj, Jay DeMerit, Tim Ream, Timmy Chandler
Midfielders (3): Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Landon Donovan
Forwards (3): Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Clint DempseyYes, a 4-3-3 would mark a serious departure from Bradley’s defense-first mind-set. But given the team’s inability to score goals, why wouldn’t the coach try something new? If the 4-3-3 doesn’t work against Paraguay, no big deal, we all move on. If it does work, the U.S. can place a new arrow in its quiver and keep opponents on their toes.
MORE:
How Thomas Rongen develops U.S. talent (Brent Latham, 3/28/11, ESPN)
He's lived in the U.S. since the days of the NASL, but American under-20 national team coach Thomas Rongen is still Dutch through and through. For proof, try asking him about the virtues of the quintessentially Dutch 4-3-3 formation he prefers."It's not that I think the Dutch know it all," said Rongen, in Guatemala as the Americans prepare to take on Suriname on Tuesday night in their first match of the regional under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament. "But we've done a pretty good job at playing within that system. You've got to have guys that can play high when you have the ball, but get something going forward, guys that are comfortable in the final third but can help out on defense in the middle third, guys that want to go to goal and are comfortable taking on players one on one."
Rongen can go on about the 4-3-3 for quite some time. By the time he finally stops to take a breath, at least one thing is abundantly clear: The coach believes the formation is the best choice to further his young players' development into complete soccer talents.
Posted by oj at March 29, 2011 4:52 PM
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