Three Things to Take From Mexico Friendly
Jurgen Klinsmann's debut as manager of the U.S. National team was full of ups and downs. The expectations were certainly not high, as the U.S. were matched up against a team that had thrashed them not so long ago. Klinsmann set the tone from the start when he decided there would be no names on the back of the U.S. players jerseys. You could certainly feel a new sense of invigoration in the team with Klinsmann unveiling a fresh new brand of U.S. soccer. There are a plethora of things that can be learned from this game, but for now I am going to focus on three specific things...
1. Landon
For just about three quarters of the match Landon Donovan was being deployed as a wing player. During his time on the wing Landon struggled to find the game and get the service he needs to be a dangerous, playmaker. Landon is arguably the most lethal US player, Dempsey being the other, and if he is not involved in the attack then there is almost zero chance the U.S. can create scoring opportunities.
When Klinsmann made a few lineup adjustments and moved LD to a more central role just underneath the lone striker a tremendous change in the U.S. play occurred. In Klinsmann's post-game on-field interview with Rob Stone, Klinsmann harped on the fact that Donovan needs to have the ability to let the game come to him.
Donovan was allowed the freedom to drift into different sections of the field to find the ball and open up space for other players. This was evident late in the game when LD found space centrally and was able to turn and run at the center of the Mexican defense. Then when a defender committed to stepping to Landon, he calmly slid a through ball for Brek
The future looked bright tonight with players like Brek Shea, Juan Agudelo, Robbie Rogers, and Michael Orozco Fiscal all making major contributions to this game. The U.S. was pretty stagnant going forward for the majority of the match until Klinsi made some subs. Don't say I didn't tell you, because I did say the subs were going to be the difference when I tweeted, "@
3. Klinsmann showed the ability to make successful in-game changes
Everyone knew Klinsi would lineup in a formation other than the 4-4-2, but exactly what formation was a bit of a mystery. Klinsmann admitted he has no preferred formation; he likes to tinker with formations so that they suit the players he has at his disposal. The 4-2-3-1 configuration appeared to be the correct choice for this group of players and this matchup, but the key factor was figuring out where to deploy everyone. It was obvious the original deployment of players was not working in terms of going forward, but the formation did a pretty good job in limiting the chances Mexico created.
Klinsmann started to rework his plan in the 60th minute when he removed Buddle and Jones for Shea and Agudelo. This move allowed Shea to move out wide to the flank and for Jose Torres to slide inside to the attacking midfield slot, a position he looked a bit more comfortable in. Agudelo was pushed up top as the lone striker and did a solid job of holding up the play, which in turned allowed the rest of the players to join in the attack. The final move that pushed the U.S. over the top was the inclusion of Robbie Rogers for Michael Bradley, who hasn't been subbed out of a game since...well I honestly can't remember.
When Rogers entered he was pushed out wide right and Landon Donovan slid into the middle right underneath Agudelo. n turn, Jose Torres was pushed back into a more of a holding midfield role as Beckerman remained the "bulldog" ball-winner in the middle. Making successful changes during a match is something U.S. fans are not accustomed to, Klinsmann proved tonight that he is capable of making changes that can turn the tides of a match.
