Last night I watched the US play El Salvador in a World Cup qualifier. The US won 2-1 plus they had a goal called back after an extremely puzzling call by the official so it could have been 3-1. Unfortunately, the score could have just as easily been 2-2 or 2-3.
When Donavon, Altidore, Davies and others are passing and making good runs they can be an exciting team. But for the most part I find them to be extremely frustrating to watch. In the first half the US midfield and back line would give Salvador too much space in the midfield. In one sequence the Salvadoran player dribbled 30 plus yards down the middle of the field before anybody decided it might be good to challenge him. When a defender finally challenged him the guy made a good pass putting even more pressure on the defense. Fortunately from the US perspective, the guy who received the pass didn't have the best touch on the ball and a US defender cleared the ball off the eighteen.
The extremely frustrating part of the game to watch was the second half when the US seemed content to piddle around and "protect" their lead. Instead of possessing the ball and pushing forward they seemed perfectly happy to make two or three passes in the midfield before one of the players would make either a bad pass or lose possession. Dempsey played around with ball, drew defenders, and would then lose possession. Instead of working to get the ball back he would act like he was fouled and then whine when the official didn't make the call (because there was no call to make) El Salvador got off at least two good shots after picking up a loose balls in the midfield.
I tell my players, especially the forwards and midfielders that nothing frustrates me more than a player who loses possession in the midfield and then stands there watching the action, or worse yet, acts like he got fouled. I can live with losing possession because it happens, even to the best of players. But if you lose the ball, you better bust your butt to at least make an attempt to pressure the ball. I've seen way too many goals scored because a forward lost possession, the other team counters, and the guy who lost the ball does nothing. Those are the goals you can see coming. The forward loses the ball, the midfielder is slow to get back, and the defender is caught out of position. The goalie, who has been left hanging, is forced to make a great save to keep the ball out of the net.
I will continue to watch, but if the team is going to qualify for the World Cup and move out of pool play they are going to have to improve their midfield play significantly and tighten up the defense.
So much for my humble analysis.
