Jurgen Klinsmann’s managerial debut against Mexico saw the good and the bad of the U.S. team. The bad was the first half, with players struggling to understand their roles in a 4-2-3-1 formation they’d been playing throughout the Gold Cup; the good was the second half, where substitutions and positional shifts (most notably Torres being moved from wide left to the center of the midfield, and of course Brek Shea’s introduction) allowed the team to play a more open game that ultimately resulted in Robbie Rogers’ equalizing goal.
The question, then, is what the U.S. will look like against Costa Rica. The most notable change from the Bob Bradley era thus far (being that it’s very early days for Klinsmann’s regime) seems to be squad selection; Klinsmann is willing to look outside the traditional talent pool to bring in guys that he wants to take a look at, and he seems to understand that friendlies are synonymous with experimental rosters, especially when he hasn’t seen players play.
So let’s talk about how the U.S. might line up.
First off, I think we’re going to stick with the 4-2-3-1. Klinsmann used it against Mexico, and Bradley finished off the Gold Cup with it; being that we have more talented midfielders than strikers, it’s a formation that makes sense. And if we stick with the 4-2-3-1, I’d imagine the lineup will look something like the lineup above (possibly with Spector starting over Chandler at right back, or Kljestan over Torres up front).
While we’re on the subject of right back, however: what does Omar Gonzalez have to do to get a call-up? The U.S. needs a right back, he plays right back, and it almost seems like a no-brainer. Did something happen there that I’m unaware of, or is he just consistently neglected in favor of lesser talent?
Let me know; what do you think Klinsmann will do tonight? I don’t have any smarmy remarks for this one, actually; I really have no idea what his plan is, and since this game doesn’t matter it’s kind of refreshing to watch a new system start to develop.
