I concentrated on the individuals in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at the New Meadowlands Stadium – the better to perform my job on the night,
rating the U.S. players for SI.com.United States-Argentina: still wondering about Bob Bradley’s basic formation
But I do have one pressing overall thought on how the U.S. performed against Argentina in a match that was fascinating for several reasons:
What is Bob Bradley going to do about his team’s basic formation? Because the best way forward just won’t present itself.
The personnel now available for Bradley looks for all the world like a 4-2-3-1 waiting to happen. Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley (plus Stuart Holden, were he healthy) must be considered as players near the top of the U.S. talent pool at the moment. So it’s as simple as this: some formation utilizing Jones, Edu and Bradley would seem prudent as the best way of getting the best players on the field, especially since depth at striker is thin as a slice of good Italian prosciutto at the moment. (All of this is considering that getting Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the field remains a priority, too.)
The problem is, it’s not as simple as that. Because Bradley’s men simply don’t look comfortable in the 4-2-3-1. Last night, just as they’ve done before, they dumped the 4-2-3-1 like a bad girlfriend. They merged back into their comfy 4-4-2 and looked the better for it.
So, what’s the issue? Is it a matter of preparation, that Bradley isn’t getting the side ready to play with three central midfielders? Is it that Bradley doesn’t have anyone comfortable playing at the top of a central triangle? (Edu certainly didn’t look adept in this unfamiliar position Saturday.) Or is this just the way the matches are falling? After all, the Argentine performance over 45 minutes in New Jersey was an absolute master class, and I doubt any formation would have turned back the mesmerizing waves of pressure.
I would say that we’d know a little more on Tuesday, when the field won’t be tilted so substantially against Paraguay as the teams meet in Nashville. But we probably won’t know more. That’s because Bradley is likely to play an entirely different lineup. Given the relatively short interval between matches, plus the travel on the back end for several of the European-based men, I seriously doubt we’ll see many of the top men involved. Michael Bradley might be the one exception since he’s not playing much for Aston Villa at the moment.
Otherwise, Bob Bradley will be very careful with the likes of Edu, Jones and Dempsey, who will likely be in their team’s first 11 this coming weekend.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the MLS men play a second night for the United States, as they are much earlier into their seasons and presumably much fresher. And besides, they don’t face quite the same travel demands.
Bottom line, I just don’t see the mystery being unraveled Tuesday.
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