Antigua and Barbuda vs. USA, 2014 World Cup qualifying: Eddie Johnson rescues USMNT

Johnson was started in an unorthodox position to start the match. He’s a pure center forward and hasn’t played anything else during his career, but Klinsmann slotted him into the lineup at left wing. He looked out of place in the spot for much of the match, but was able to run to the right spot on at least two occasions.

The USMNT was poor for the rest of the half, and they got worse in the second half. At one point, about 70 minutes into the match, the United States was giving the ball away constantly and looking less than comfortable during Benna Boys counter-attacks. Byers, Akeem Thomas and Quinton Thomas all had opportunities to score, and Thomas’ shot in the second half curled just inches wide of the far post from 20 yards.

What Klinsmann does about his team’s current position is anyone’s guess, but some sort of halftime changes will be expected.

The United States defended horribly as Peter Byers ran down the right. Nobody stopped him, alternating between slipping and flailing around aimlessly as Byers got to the endline before crossing. That cross found Dexter Blackstock, who got away from his mark far too easily and had a simple finish from close range to get the Benna Boys later.

At some point soon, the U.S. is going to have to wonder what is going on. This does not look good and at least early on, the match is not going according to the script.

Johnson, who was called in for his aerial presence, made Jurgen Klinsmann look brilliant by connecting with a good, powerful header to find the net. The cross came after a corner kick was cleared, but not far so the U.S. put the ever-dangerous second ball in. It found Johnson and the Americans had the lead.

Now that they are in front, Antigua and Barbuda will have to come out of their shell some, but they will still keep number behind the ball. That means more ugly play, but that is just fine for the U.S. now.

Luckily for them, they get to play the Benna Boys, who should not give the Americans any trouble. Four years ago Antigua and Barbuda went out in the second round of qualifying to Cuba 8-3 on aggregate and while they have done well to keep matches close, they have just one point. That should ease any concerns the U.S. has about their injuries, which frankly, isn’t so bad.

United States: Howard; Bocanegra, Cameron, Goodson, Cherundolo; Bradley, Williams; Johnson, Dempsey, Zusi; Gomez.

Antigua have one thing going for them, however, and that’s familiarity with each other. Most of their players ply their trade professionally with Antigua Barracuda FC, a USL Pro side, so they’re used to playing with each other. Unfortunately, they’re used to playing with each other two levels below MLS.

The first match between these two teams was played in Tampa, in a borderline monsoon. On a sloppy pitch, the U.S. struggled a bit, but were clearly the better side throughout the match and eventually ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.

While arguably not repeating the same formation twice, Klinsmann has also not repeated the same XI twice. This seems to reflect a lack of continuity when compared to other national teams at this stage in the qualifying cycle, but there’s nothing inconsistent or incoherent about the way the United States has played under Klinsmann. The team has often struggled to get results -- not to mention their struggles with width and movement off the ball -- but they’ve played the same way in every match, regardless of their formation, personnel, or overall performance on the night.

Klinsmann has earned plenty of criticism for poor results and odd team selections, but if there’s one thing he can’t be criticized for, it’s sticking to his convictions. He’s said from the beginning of his tenure as national team manager that he wants to play a possession-based game with the ball on the ground, while also requiring his forward players to work very hard and pressure the opposition defensively. He’s dropped or refused to call in players who don’t fit what he wants to do, as the exclusion of Altidore from his most recent squad illustrates. Players who don’t help the team possession or win possession back don’t have a place in Klinsmann’s team.

For more analysis of the roster, be sure to check out SB Nation’s US Soccer blog Stars and Stripes FC.