Getty Images Talking points are sparse after a U.S. team that looked kinda pooped played out a 0-0 draw in Canada – and Jurgen Klinsmann’s team might have been lucky to get that. Still, we found three worthy ones:
- The odd situation at left back
Edgar Castillo’s surprising appearance (for Fabian Johnson, who was injured during warmups) may be fortuitous for Jurgen Klinsmann’s team.
Johnson is the U.S. left back for the future, but a reliable backup is clearly required for Klinsmann and Co., and Castillo’s night at BMO Field is one to inspire confidence in the young left back.
The question, of course, is why we didn’t see more of this in previous matches? It makes you wonder if perhaps the moment was just too big for Castillo in those other opportunities? And it that’s the case … well, let’s hope that wasn’t the case. Because if Castillo can only be effective when he doesn’t have time to get himself twisted in knots over things, what good is that?
But for one night, at least, Castillo wasn’t bad at all – not outside of 6-8 minutes late in the first half when he fumbled concentration and lost possession too easily on two or three sequences. And his tendencies along the left (cut inside rather than cross) will be sniffed out as scouting complicates the outings. (Teams don’t game plan and scout as extensively for friendlies.)
He was generally sharp on the ball, putting those quick feet to good and nimble use. Castillo wasn’t a bit afraid to thrust himself forward at every opportunity. He was certainly busier on offense than right back Steve Cherundolo. (Although in fairness, Cherundolo had Dwayne De Rosario to deal with most of the match.)
Finally, Castillo enjoyed a good relationship with Jose Torres along the left. (Although, again, Castillo’s tendencies to funnel his runs inside sometimes clashed with Torres’ desire to do the same; that can be worked out on the training ground, though.)
- Clarence Goodson, clearly up for the job
I mentioned earlier today that Clarence Goodson might need to be included in more conversations as we talk about U.S. center back combinations. Tonight that sentiment should be even stronger.
In a night devoid of too many great choices, Goodson may have been the best man on the field for the United States.
Goodson, in his 29th U.S. appearance, was well-positioned, always strong in the air, smart about where he directed attackers in critical moments, solid in distribution and generally composed as the United States kept the clean sheet.
Defensively, he was big in one particular moment as Tosaint Ricketts barreled into the U.S. penalty area, past Edgar Castillo, in one particularly dicey second-half moment. Goodson did just enough to hold up Canadian striker Olivier Occean in front of goal, impeding him sufficiently to give Tim Howard room to cut out the sharp cross, but not so much as to incur referee wrath.
Canada 0-0 USA
Match report: It was only a friendly, but the U.S. gave a flat performance in Toronto.
PST USMNT MotM
Did Clarence Goodson move into Jurgen Klinsmann’s starting XI?
Three matches brought three different central partners for Carlos Bocanegra. It’s tough to compare apples for apples here, because Brazil is surely one of those fancy, expensive green ones, while Scotland and Canada are something else.
But Goodson certainly made a good case for himself.
A muddled midfield mix
The midfield mix still just doesn’t look quite right, as if the roles simply haven’t been sufficiently sorted out.
Maybe it’s the personnel that remains insufficient; the United States may need one more passer in the central third. Because Jermaine Jones was quite average on a night that needed better.
Sunday, Michael Bradley played deeper defensively in Klinsmann’s 4-4-2. So Jones pushed a little higher up the field, attempting to link Bradley with Torres and Clint Dempsey. Only, again, he’s just not fantastic at it.
(Aside: who can accuse the United States of being tactically rigid under Klinsmann? In three matches we saw a high-pressure 4-3-3, a more defensive 4-2-3-1, a 4-4-2 and by the end of Sunday’s match, a 4-3-1-2, with Dempsey positioned behind strikers Jozy Altidore and Chris Wondolowski.)
Bradley is a better choice as that linking man, but that might mean Maurice Edu sitting deep, and he’s not the distributor that Bradley is. Asking Jones to play that deeper, screening role is asking for early yellow card jeopardy considering his overly tenacious tackling in a position that demands prudence and selected aggression.
Perhaps using Kyle Beckerman as the holding man is an option that gets Bradley further up the field. That way, Dempsey might not need to wander so far south in order to get the ball, as he did increasingly Sunday.
There is one more way to look at all this: maybe the team was just tired, a pox which would affect the midfield as much as anywhere else. It has been a tough couple of weeks, and the U.S. legs looked spent.
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- ndnut - Jun 3, 2012 at 11:40 PM
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You made the case I’ve wished for since Bradley sat back in the Brazil game, then kind of chickened off of it. Beckerman is a solid defender and passer, while Bradley is better when he is higher up the field.
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- docstraw - Jun 4, 2012 at 10:23 AM
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I know Landon scored three against Scotland but it doesn’t seem like this version of Donovan is suited to be a wide man. he really just hugs the sideline and doesn’t appear all that involved in the game. Seems to be missing a gear and is unwilling or unable to take guys on 1 v 1. Would rather send a cross into the box from a relatively shallow position instead of getting a little deeper towards the end line. With Landon so wide, there is no room for Cherundolo to overlap. 2 years ago, those guys had a great thing going on the right side. Nowadays? Not so much. Maybe it is age catching up to some of these guys and it is only going to get more pronounced over the next two years.
And it is mystifying why Klinsmann had Bradley playing so deep in the last two games when he was so good in a more advanced role against Scotland.
I know Castillo looked OK but he is still a bit of a spazz and a total lightweight. Might be good enough for Antigua and Barbuda but against better teams he will be exposed as he almost was against Canada if not for a phantom foul call. Let’s hope Fab Johnson’s calf strain doesn’t become a major problem.
the 4-3-1-2 is interesting with Clint sitting behind the strikers. Might be nice if Donovan ends up as partner for the target striker, that way he is free to roam around a bit more and link up with Dempsey a little better.
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- Steve Davis - Jun 4, 2012 at 11:11 AM
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Lots of good points there. As for Donovan, he’s certainly not at his best in a role that asks him to take on defenders 1-on-1. He’s much better on the counter or slashing in diagonally.
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- usmnt - Jun 4, 2012 at 11:55 AM
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While I agree Goodson had a very strong night, I don’t feel he should receive much consideration as a full time center back (unless, of course, you want to remove Boca from the team). The problem I’ve always seen in him is that he is overrated in the air, can’t pass out of the back all that well, struggles with bigger or quicker attacking players, and has never played all that well against some of the best teams in the world. Add to that the fact that a Boca-Goodson pairing would be destroyed by any team with speed and skill and it’s obvious that one of those two should be seen as a full time backup (I would personally choose Goodson to back up Bocanegra). Even though it may hurt in the short term, we need someone with speed, athleticism and youth to pair with Boca. I say Omar Gonzales once healthy is a pretty logical choice (at least to try out).
Goodson played very well last night, and I do think he should remain on the team in a significant role, but he’s not the answer to who should be paired withed Bocanegra.
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- drewvt6 - Jun 4, 2012 at 12:47 PM
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I’m quite confident that somewhere in our country we can find someone with the ability to beef up Edgar Castillo. I’m not quite as confident that anywhere in our country we can find someone as skilled and confident with his feet as Castillo, who also happens to play left back.
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- docstraw - Jun 4, 2012 at 1:18 PM
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in the 4-3-1-2 I talked about above with Clint and two forwards forming the main attacking threesome, would there be too many defensive lapses if the midfield 3 were Bradley/Torres/Jones? No true destroyer among the three. Do you sit Torres for Edu? Klinsmann seems to love Torres though I haven”t seen an alignment from the US that puts Torres in his best spot, which is in the middle of the field.
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- mogogo1 - Jun 4, 2012 at 1:44 PM
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“It makes you wonder if perhaps the moment was just too big for Castillo in those other opportunities?”
This is one of the idiosyncrasies of soccer caused by the fact that substitutions aren’t a major part of the game. Castillo turns 26 this year–it’s not like he’s fresh out of high school and there’s reasonable concern that me might not be ready for the next level. Pick any other sport and you’d never hear a debate over whether a key reserve was ready to play–it’d just be assumed he’d be prepared and capable of playing well if called upon. It’s a bit like how it is accepted that golfers and tennis players need silence to hit shots while baseball batters are expected to hit with an entire stadium screaming at them. Different games produce really different mindsets regarding what athletes should be capable of.
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