USA Vs. Jamaica, 2011 Gold Cup Quarterfinals: U.S. Advances To Semis With 2-0 Win

Against a Jamaica team that likes to play with a back three and central midfielders who sit deep, Bob Bradley went away from his favored 4-4-2 formation - one that would have played right into Jamaica’s hands - and instead went with a 4-2-3-1 formation where both wingers had the freedom (and ability) to cut inside. The runs into the box from deep positions from the band of three attack-minded midfielders caused chaos for the Jamaican back line all night and as a result, the USMNT won comfortably.

The most positive outcome that came out of this game was not necessarily the result. It wasn’t even necessarily that Bob Bradley changed his ways from what is considered by many to be an outdated system to a more cosmopolitan and continental European system. The most positive outcome is that Bradley anticipated pre-game what his opponents would do and what matchups he could exploit, and thus adjusted his system accordingly.

Panama lineup: Penedo; Baloy, Henriquez, Torres, Machado, Gomes, Barahama, Henriquez, Cooper, Tejada, Ruiz

El Salvador lineup: Montes, Anaya, Purdy, Turcios, Garcia, Hernandez, D. Alas, J. Alas, Quintanilla, Zelaya, Corrales

The first half was more or less dominated by the United States, who were allowed to keep possession without being contested very much. Jamaica created a couple of great chances on the counter-attack, but both of their best scoring opportunities were completely squandered by Luton Shelton, who had a very poor game. From the run of play, Jamaica did almost nothing.

Clint Dempsey sealed Jamaica’s fate in the 85th minute, scoring a skillful close-range goal. After surging down the right flank with the ball, Juan Agudelo put an impressive cross into the box, through the legs of his defender and in towards Dempsey. The attacking midfielder took a great touch to beat Ricketts, then tapped the ball into the back of the net, putting the United States ahead by 2-0.

Bedoya has had a very good game, but there’s no question that Donovan is the more dangerous player when he’s fit. After two flights and most likely a serious lack of sleep, a 90 minute run-out for Donovan would have been a serious stretch, but he’s a great professional in great shape, and he can probably give his all for 25 minutes.

Jamaica looked very dangerous on the counter-attack in the first half, but it’s been all USMNT in the second half so far. They might get even more defensive now that Donovan is on the pitch.

Most thought that Jamaica would make some changes at halftime after a rough first half, but they came out with the same team and as a result, allowed the United States to dominated possession in the opening minutes of the second half just like they did in the first half. That lack of a change backfired in the 50th minute when Jones, in acres of space, ripped a shot from just outside of the penalty area. It deflected off a defender and went into the back of the net, giving Jamaica their first conceded goal of the tournament.

The USMNT has had numerous chances, all just missing or getting saved by Ricketts. It appears that a goal is coming soon for them, but Jamaica has occasionally looked dangerous on the counter-attack and they could nick a goal at any time as well.

Despite his benching, expect to see Donovan at some time today. It’s quite possible that Donovan didn’t get a good night’s sleep after flying in and told the coach that Bedoya at 100 percent is better than him at 80 percent. Donovan doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would request to sit out a game if he can stand on two legs, but I wouldn’t put it past him if he actually thought it was for the good of the team. He’s not injured and he’s still a great player, so a 30 minute run-out seems likely. Bedoya and Kljestan are both good players, but it would be a surprise to see both play at a very high level for 90 minutes.

Whether this is a case of Bradley sending a message that no player’s place is safe or a case of Donovan giving up his starting spot because he knows he doesn’t give the team the best chance to win when he isn’t 100 percent, this team selection is a good thing for the United States, and a great sign that they’re not completely reliant on Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Expect a completely fit and determined team to start the game against Jamaica, and expect a serious spark off the bench from Donovan in the second half.

It’s a bold move from the typically conservative coach, but it might be just the thing to wake up team USA, who’ve looked in worrying form for much of the tournament so far. This system matches up with Jamaica’s 4-3-3 far better than the usual shape, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the USA match up against them now. Expect Donovan to appear at some point - he’ll be royally pissed off and, one suspects, will take that out on the opposition.

Time: 3 p.m.

Television: Fox Soccer (U.S - English), Univision (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet One, Setanta Sports Canada (Canada - English)

As Black and Red United points out, this Jamaican team is different from many of their predecessors:

Panama and Guadeloupe play a similar style to the United States, but their game is based more on long balls up to the forwards than anything else, where as the United States tries to use their wingers as playmakers. With both teams playing a similar style to each other and the USMNT with a couple of deep lying midfielders, those areas of the pitch went unused, for the most part, in both games.

The results of both games weren’t terribly surprising, though the loss to Panama was a bit of a shock. Unlike the match against Canada, the United States did not have any kind of serious tactical advantage in their next two games, and as a result, they looked very average. Against Jamaica, they will be coming up against a team that is nothing like the previous three that they have faced, and it will be interesting to see if Bob Bradley has a different plan.

As is always the case with Jamaica, they lean upon their supreme speed and athleticism. What has made this Jamaican team so dangerous though is their discipline. Previous editions of the Reggae Boyz have lacked discipline, shape and any sort of ability to build through the midfield. That’s not the case with this Jamaican team. That’s not to say they’re particular technical or disciplined, but they are miles better than they usually are.

In short, this is a match that the U.S. can and should win. They are superior to the Reggae Boyz, but they will be tested in areas where they have struggled in the past. They will have to show savvy and confidence up front and at the back. They’ll need to be patient and pick apart a Reggae Boyz team that can be drawn out. If the U.S. continue to show impatience and a lack of culture in their play, they very well can go out.