For my birthday yesterday, Jurgen Klinsmann gave me a headache

I’m sure he has a headache today too – REUTERS/Tim Shaffer

Actually, I shouldn’t say Klinsmann did. Fabian Johnson probably deserves some of the credit. As do the other defenders unavailable due to injury. And now Brian Straus has turned that headache into a migraine after writing this piece about JK and friends. (A little more on this later).

I have absolutely no idea who is going to play left back. And somebody get Jurgen a few cups of his favorite coffee, because I don’t see how he’s not losing sleep over the defender situation for the next five days ahead of Game 2 of The Hex.

Hell, if training at full speed with these six defenders results in so much as a tangle up and a sore ankle, we’re in for a long Friday night in Denver.

I’m going to offer two lineups in a second here – the one I’d like to see and the one I think JK is going to send out in Denver.

Let me start by saying that based on the way the Americans have played under Klinsmann so far, the central defense must be top priority. If he was OK going with Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez on the road to start the Hex, and one of the two goals conceded was a back-to-goal wonderstrike, then I say let them go out there and play Friday night again. At home. Alongside each other for the second straight game. You’ve already used a different starting 11 in every game as head coach. In my opinion, leave these two alone. I think they should get a chance to show some growth.

Before I go any further, let me remind you of the opponent – Costa Rica. With all the worries of our back line, I haven’t heard much talk about the Ticos. They played 4-4-2 that pushed three into the attack without hesitation if they sensed blood in the water from what I watched of the replay late last night with Ruiz and Saborio the biggest threats to score. The visitors in Panama, they played fast, high pressure. They did this on the road and appeared to be seeking all three points. They knocked the ball out wide to start almost every attack. And it didn’t appear they deviated from what appeared to be their game plan the entire 90 minutes, eventually earning a road point.

So where does that leave Klinsmann and company?

Apparently they’re trusting their instincts from January camp. And they’re offering up some cookie cutter quotes about how they are confident in their selections. That’s fine. We shouldn’t expect anything else.

I don’t have a magic wand. I have an internet connection and a blog. So here we go.

What I would do:

[img]http://www.footballuser.com/formations/2013/03/668757_USA.jpg[/img]

This is all based on a few things:

1. Your one shot at continuity in the back is to leave Cameron and OG where they were for Honduras.

2. Do everything in your power to score twice at home in the opening 30 minutes like Panama did.

3. They’re going to play a similar formation from Game 1 of the Hex.

If my math is right, somebody is going to be out of position on the back line unless Klinsmann trots out TWO zero cap guys. My pick is Edu out wide, which JK hinted at in his quote sheet linked above. Gimme Beltran on the right.

Midfield – Captain Bradley, Sacha, and Beckerman. You can plant Beckerman in front of the two CB and leave him there for 90 minutes for all I care. I like the guy just how he is: consistently boring. He can also play a flighted ball to a useful place at any given point in time to the strikers. He won’t do much in the air, but oh well. Plenty of folks won’t agree with me putting him in here – again: no wand, my blog. This gets three technically strong guys on the field. They’ll defend out of pride – which is what would be in my pregame speech to this unit.

Top Three: As I said following Honduras, just get Jozy the ball on his foot. Let him make a decision. Gomez and Deuce will each log a minimum of one quality shot on goal. Hopefully those go in.

No sitting back and feeling these Ticos out. If this is truly a must-win – play for an early goal at home like the Panamanians did. Two even. Then don’t panic – either with subs or with passes.

What I think JK will do:

[img]http://www.footballuser.com/formations/2013/03/668786_USA.jpg[/img]

In the back: Seems to me the Edu to CB and bumping Cameron out wide makes plenty of sense. JK’ll test Goodson.

In the midfield: Dempsey sits under Jozy, and he sticks with the tandem of Bradley and Jones.

Up top: Johnson gets a run to start and Gomez remains a threat from his spot.

I have a hard time with Jermaine Jones. Like, a really hard time. If he gives up a dangerous free kick in front of our depleted back line that results in a goal it will take every bit of restraint I have not to throw my beer at the television. It’s like he puts on the USA jersey and turns into a vigilante midfielder. I prefer the less intense version that spends some time running hard at the opposition’s goal.

Side notes:

Guzan is going to be all right and is the best choice.

I’ll take as much Brek Shea as he is fit enough to give.

______

So then there’s the Sporting News article from this morning by Brian Straus.

My thoughts:

1. Klinsmann isn’t on the hot seat. He wasn’t hired on a whim. I gotta believe he’s got a long leash.
2. Any player who thinks they are above getting out of their comfort zone in order to succeed is just being foolish, including and especially at the USMNT level.
3. The part that made me wonder the most was the part about Lahm’s book. “Damage limitation” he said. Ouch.
4. I am, however, tired of the fitness, IQ, and nutrition stuff. If it was a manifesto on professional behavior early in his tenure, that’s fine. Just say it in plain English and provide the resources. Then go back to coaching a football team.
5. That German-American clique stuff makes you sound like your camps are held in a junior high girl’s bathroom. Knock that shit off. If you lack ‘team chemistry’ that’s one thing. Anonymously pointing fingers like that at this point does no good.

In my 10 Things I Hope To See In 2013 post I started with what I deemed ‘controlling’ the four home Hex matches against teams not nicknamed El Tri.

My Friday night prediction sure to go wrong: Murica, 3 – Ticos, 1. Goals by Jozy, Clint, and either Bradley, or, let’s say Cameron on a set piece.

Until this sentence, Landon Donovan and the Mexico national team (well, except for my reference to the older entry) were NOT mentioned in this post.