As you undoubtedly have heard, the USA has advanced to the knockout stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite dropping a 1-0 decision to Germany, they made it through on the strength of Portugal’s 2-1 win over Ghana and a tiebreaker advantage over those same Portuguese. They’ll next play Tuesday at 4:00 PM, likely against Belgium in a game that should be more wide-open and frantically-paced than today’s possession-based affair.
As the USA gears up for their next challenge, they now have a reasonable sample size of games at this World Cup that they can learn from. Like you’d expect, there are both good and bad things to take away from their 1-1-1 performance in the Group Stage. Here, we give you 5 Encouraging and 5 Worrisome Things to Take Away from Team USA Advancing:
Encouraging
The Insertion of Omar Gonzalez
On May 3, Gonzalez was the likely choice to be one of the starting centerbacks for the USA at the World Cup. However, he hurt his knee that night during an MLS game, and in the seven weeks since has not been able to regain his spot in the first XI. That is no longer a problem, though, as with his performance against Germany today Gonzalez proved that he is the better player than Geoff Cameron and should remain that starter for their Round of 16 match. His clearances and ability in the air are both skills the team will sorely need going forward.
The Emergence of Jermaine Jones
Few players in the USA lineup drove fans crazier than Jones, who always seemed to find a way to offset a good play with multiple bad ones. Jurgen Klinsmann has never wavered in his belief in Jones, though, and in Brazil Jones has been the USA’s best player. He dominated the midfield in the win over Ghana, scored a breathtaking equalizer against Portugal, and was the team’s most consistent player going forward against Germany. He’s proven that he isn’t just a good midfielder on this team; he’s a good midfielder on any team in the entire world.
The Performance Against Portugal
It’s hard to think of anything but the final goal when looking back on the Portugal match, but the reality is that for 94.5 minutes the USA were the better team. They handled Cristiano Ronaldo, possessed the ball, and attacked with real menace. That performance should give them the confidence they need against the top competition in the world, most of whom do not have the talent Germany does in the midfield.
The Comeback Against Ghana
Almost every single team that advances far in the World Cup finds themselves trailing against a good team at some point on their quest. It’s at that moment that we find out the true character of a team, and whether they really have the mental makeup to win against the best. With USA, we already know they do. Make no mistake; Ghana is a good team, and to be able to come back and beat them was a true testament to the mental makeup of this USA side. They are imbued with a belief that no matter what the scoreline, there is a way for them to win the game.
Jozy Altidore May Be Coming Back
The USA have had their full team for exactly 20 minutes this tournament. Jozy Altidore’s hamstring injury threw everything into chaos during the Ghana match, and Klinsmann has said that since they’ve made the knockout stage “we'll have a good chance to have him back again.” Any time you can get your best goal scorer back, that’s a huge positive.
Worrisome
Germany’s Possession Dominance
If it felt like watching that USA-Germany game that the Americans basically didn’t have the ball, you wouldn’t be that far off; Germany held a 63/37 possession advantage, using their midfield depth to knock the ball around with ease and generate numerous scoring chances. A team with a strong, possession-oriented midfield would pose huge problems for an already heavy-legged USA team.
Post-Manaus Fatigue
Teams that played in Manaus went 1-5 in the game following their trip to the Amazon, and after watching USA’s loss to Germany it’s not hard to tell why. The heat and humidity of the jungle completely saps the players’ energy, and recovery simply takes longer than that from a normal game would. The USA looked out of gas with about 20 minutes to go against Germany, and with just four days until they take the field again it is worth questioning how their stamina will hold up.
Last Year’s Friendly Against Belgium
Belgium came to Cleveland just over a year ago for a friendly against USA and straight up dominated the Americans, beating them 4-2 in a deceivingly close scoreline. The rosters were pretty similar to the teams that will be taking the field on Tuesday (assuming Belgium does the job and wins Group H), and the Belgians outshot USA 10-3 and absolutely picked apart the defense with smart passes and incisive runs. While both teams have evolved since a year ago, it’s not a pleasant memory for the many USA players who participated.
Michael Bradley’s Continued Struggles
He was supposed to be the star of this tournament for the USA, and instead Michael Bradley has turned into something of a pariah. Whether it’s a function of the role he’s been asked to play, a bad run of form, or some combination of the two, Bradley has simply not been the player he is capable of being. His passes are inaccurate or poorly weighted, his touch is off, and his tackling is sloppy. While the team has been successful despite his struggles so far, if they want to advance Bradley will need to snap out of this funk.
Jozy Altidore May Be Coming Back
The return of Altidore cuts both ways. While it would be great to get him back, the team has likewise begun to forge an identity without him. Altidore’s specialty is holding the ball up with his back to goal and working with the midfielders, but that slower style of play does not really gibe with the quick, counterattacking style USA has employed for most of the tournament. It seems like, if he’s available, Klinsmann will put Altidore in the XI for the next game; however, it could be disruptive enough to be a fatal mistake.
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