Comments on: Revisiting Friday’s U.S. loss: tactics and personnel

By: matthewsf

matthewsf — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:52:18 +0000

Agreed Steve.

You could tell that Jamaica was pushing the US back on the States’ left flank. Please excuse the link, but if you look at the heat map on Rodolp Austin who essentially was the free man in the midfield with the US outmanned there, you can see he’s right center in the attack for Jamaica:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-09-07-jam-v-usa/chalkboard

If you’re picking your poison and you see Parkhurst, you are ok with him in possession. The US had 12 crosses, all from the right flank in the match, 0 from the left.

Given that Jozy Altidore is not a stronger header of the ball and Dempsey was more available at the top of the box, forcing a Parkhurst dribble or cross is a great option to defend if you’re Jamaica.

By: Steve Davis

Steve Davis — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:00:01 +0000

I don’t disagree with the comment about overlapping outside backs. I WILL SAY this … That’s where the US sorely miss the far more experienced Steve Cherundolo on the right. As I said in other pieces, Michael Parkhurst wasn’t bad in defense, but he’s not really a right back, and he just didn’t fill the bill in terms of adding effective width or, generally, adding much to the attack.

By: jerryade

jerryade — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:53:37 +0000

Anybody able to deliver the right through balls for service would have been good, like in the first 36 seconds. What happened to the dangerous crosses from overlapping runs by the fullbacks? Think it only happened once and Dempsey had another opportunity. Playing three defensive mids with very liittle creativity, and two of whom created fouls in dangerous free kick areas. There were other free kicks given, which were all silly, especially the first one by Beckerman. There were several U.S. defenders to clean up the run on that play and he should have known he was clearly beaten. The Jamaicans’ dangerous chances and goals were off free kicks, not the run of play, like you mentioned in another article.

By: footballer4ever

footballer4ever — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:59:32 +0000

“tactics schmatics”, my sentiments exactly.

Tactics mean nothing when performance does not back them up. Keeping possession of the ball, having a variety game plan in place in case tactics don’t go as planned and being bold to try different offensive plays is the most simple, yet difficult thing to come up with.