Earlier today, the USMNT played one of their last international friendlies before the Gold Cup against Switzerland. The Swiss came in as home favorites, undefeated in their last five matches. The Americans, on the other hand, were coming off a run that included only one win in their last seven matches, and a disappointing loss to Denmark earlier in the week in which they gave up two goals in the last ten minutes to lose 3-2. Even though the game was a friendly, it held some importance, as Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been receiving increasing criticism from the media, and now other coaches. Additionally, the team needed to shake their poor form heading into the important Gold Cup this summer.
The U.S. started strong, taking the lead on a deserved goal by way of an incredibly Brek Shea freekick after a disciplined and cohesive first half. The started well in the second half as well, and looked like they were going to pull out the victory until a Jozy Altidore Red-Card put them down to ten men. The Swiss then dominated the last 20+ minutes and were rewarded with an equalizer that was coming off a corner. Still, the team showed signs of improvement, something that has not been side recently for the U.S. team. Three takeaways from the game, and the overall recent international break:
1. Alejandro Bedoya is the real deal. After his recent showings, Bedoya should join Dempsey, Altidore, Bradley, and Fabian Johnson as the players that are the guaranteed starters in competitive games when healthy. Both hard-working and creative, Bedoya created two of the best chances of the game (both missed unfortunately, by Zardes and Bedoya). Even when he is not on offensively, he puts in a hardworking shift, as evidenced by his numerous important defensive plays today.
2. Every spot on the back line is still up for grabs. As opposed to the front 6, where 4/5 of the spots are now solidified, these two European friendlies did nothing to cement a starter in Klinsmann’s revolving door of defenders. Chandler, Brooks, and Orozco all started both games; Brooks and Chandler came in the most heralded in club play, as they both start for Bundesliga teams. However, Chandler again looked shaky in the Red, White, and Blue, and Brooks repeatedly showed his youth, switching off and being beaten one-on-one too many times. Orozco, who many American fans did not even want called up, was actually the most impressive of any defender (although that is not saying too much, especially in the Denmark game). As a 29-year-old playing in Liga MX that did not make the World Cup roster, Orozco probably needed these performances to stay in contention for a Gold Cup roster spot this summer. Before these matches I would unquestionably say he had a slim chance, however now I would not be surprised to see him in the U.S. uniform again come June.
At left back, Greg Garza, who had impressed in past national team call-ups, struggled mightily against Denmark. Klinsmann then went with Brek Shea against Switzerland, who had some defensive lapses late in the game, but was very impressive overall, scoring the only goal of the game with a remarkable free kick. Shea is taking some time to adapt to his new defensive position, but if he keeps it up he might be the newest U.S. left footer revitalizing his national team career at left back. It worked great last time with DeMarcus Beasley, why not again?
3. There may be a New Backup Goalkeeper. Not necessarily the sexiest news, but William Yarbrough impressed, demonstrated great control of the box and good distribution in his first cap today. Nick Rimando, long-time second/third string U.S. keeper has been the assumed backup to Guzan ever since Howard took his leave of absence. Rimando, 35, has started to show his age, and struggled with exactly what Yarbrough excelled in – controlling the box and distribution, in this set of matches. Yarbrough offers a fresh face that could potentially back up Guzan and maybe be the next U.S. number one when Guzan eventually retires.
Really good analysis and breakdown of the match versus Switzerland. I watched the match and I was pretty impressed with the performance until the red card. In the first half, the US was disciplined and organized. Brek Shea’s free kick was a thing of beauty. I really hope that JK keeps him in the side, even if he bring him off the bench. Possessing that free kick ability is a great weapon to have. Chandler continues to be a maddening player to watch. At times he is brilliant, while other times he leaves me shaking my head. I disagree with your analysis about Orozco. I believe he got injured just before the World Cup this past summer. I think many Americans expected to have him in the side and as long as he continues to stay healthy, he should be in contention for a spot in the side. Finally, this match left me really disappointed with Jozy Altitore. As one of the leaders of the team, you cannot be getting silly red cards like the one he received in this match. You could tell that he was getting more and more upset with the officiating throughout the game. He clearly felt that the Swiss were fouling him and he was not getting the calls. It obviously boiled over, as he gave away a cheap foul and then compounded it by receiving a second yellow after he verbally berated the ref. In the upcoming competitive matches, this simply cannot happen. Hopefully he learns from his mistake here, because he is really starting to find his goalscoring form again.