An appetite for Turkish Delight

Soccer is a sport where there are not time outs or opportunities to regroup after one’s gameplan is shredded—and quite easily.

Thinking must be done on the fly, or during half time, and adjustments must be made just as fast. Some teams are adept at this without too many tactical changes, while others need an infusion from the bench to get the winning concoction.

The United States victory over Turkey was an example of the latter as the Americans recovered from a 27th minute goal to win 2-1 in the last match played in the States before the team travels for South Africa May 30.

Throughout the first 45 minutes the Turks used the counterattack to deploy the counterattack and exploit the lack of American pressure. Using a 4-4-1-1 formation the Americans allowed too much space for midfielders Tuncay, Hamit Altintop and Arda Turan to possess the ball and run at defenders.

American captain Carlos Bocanegra and right back Jonathan Spector could only do so much to keep those three from getting opportunities on goal. In truth Turan and Tuncay missed golden opportunities in the fifth minute, and the 14th before the Galatasaray man put the ball past Tim Howard on the counterattack.

Spector went forward with a heavy touch only to be disposed at the box. A couple touches and Turan was off to the races in the space Spector voided. The goal was a deserved and one that likely grabbed the attention of the Americans that they had to track back defensively.

The pressure improved dramatically in the second half, thanks in part to the speed and skill brought on in the second half.

Second half goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey secured the victory. Both men started the contest, but it was the four substitutes introduced at halftime that changed the balance of the contest.

Veteran Steve Cheruldolo provided better cover at right back for the United States. His performance was the type that showed why he has started in 56 of his 59 caps.

Oguchi Onyewu still did not look completely healthy, but he was not asked to do much in defense. It was also a nice sight to see he could recover 96 hours after playing 65 minutes Tuesday.
Jose Torres provided the flair starting left midfielder Benny Feilhaber could not in the midfield. Though he came on for holding midfielder Ricardo Clark the Texan was someone who kept the ball and allowed Michael Bradley and others to get forward.

Robbie Findley, the man so many people—at least in the soccer circles I hang out in—thought did not show enough to deserve a place on the final 23-man roster showed his worth. The Real Salt Lake forward allowed the US to revert to a 4-4-2 and threaten the Turkish defense with his speed.

Findley’s delicious chip to Landon Donovan in the 58th minute set up Altidore’s goal, which left most of the 55,000 fans in Philadelphia hoarse. The most encouraging factor about the goal was that it came from the run of play, the first time in three games the US scored outside of a set piece.

The defensive pressure allowed the US to play a very high back line. Turkey was not able to exploit that, gaping hole between Howard and central defenders Onyewu and Jay DeMerit, but other teams may.

There was the presumption that the 11 who took the field in Philly would largely be those who take the field in two weeks. Saturday’s victory, the first against Turkey in three meetings, proves there are a lot of questions to answer in the fortnight before kickoff in Rustenburg.

Making the grade, and the plane

The United States announced its final World Cup roster Wednesday.

While there were some positions up for grabs, primarily depth roles and the second striker along with Jozy Altidore, most of this team won their seats on the plan to South Africa during the qualifying round.

It was a given the likes of Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Altidore were locks to make the team. Still there were a few surprises, pleasant and otherwise, that made the final roster. A full breakdown can be found here.

My first thought when looking at the roster is the US may employ a 4-5-1 system for periods of the World Cup, leaving Altidore up front with either Dempsey or Donovan playing in the hole between the midfield and the 20-year old.

Based upon the form Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez have shown with their respective club teams they deserved a spot on the team. Whether they deserve on the field June 12 when the Americans play England remains to be seen.

“As we move toward the World Cup, players that are on a roll come in handy,” Bradley told ESPN about taking Buddle and Gomez.

Their selection means Floridian Eddie Johnson did not make the final roster. The Flagler County product was a long shot after sustaining a hamstring injury during training camp then being ineffective in a May 25 appearance against the Czech Republic.

Not only did the Americans take just four forwards, but Bob Bradley selected nine midfielders. But with the choices available to him at forward, it’s hard to begrudge the coach with a 35-19-6 record as head coach of the national team.

What may be of bigger concern for the team is the defense. Despite three of the probable starters having World Cup experience, injury and ineffectiveness, or a combination of the two, may keep the U.S. from advancing past the group stage.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra is coming off a hernia injury. Right back Steve Cherundolo made his first appearance for the national team Tuesday after sustaining a shoulder injury in January. Then there is towering centerback Oguchi “Gooch” Onyewu who is returning from a knee injury suffered in the last qualifying match back in October.

Cherundolo and Gooch both played against the Czechs, turning in performances that may have left some fans wanting.

Cherundolo got forward well from the right and partnered with Stuart Holden to provide width and an offensive option going forward. Though he punted the ball in the air a little too much for my liking, Cherundolo was far better than the two men the Americans lined up at left back during the match.

It was mentioned during the telecast Onyewu only had 60 minutes of action for AC Milan before suffering his injury on Oct. 14. That said he was getting back into shape and adjusting to the physicality and speed of a game that cannot be replicated in practice.

Though Onyewu was beaten in the air for the Czech’s first goal in the 44th minute, he provided an otherwise solid performance for the 65 minutes he was on the field. The American defense was a lot rockier in the final 25 minutes—in part because midfielder Maurice Edu was at center back, but moreso because the 6’4” Onyewu was on the bench.

Once again the United States kicked off its “send-off series” with a loss. However, there are caveats to Tuesday’s 4-2 loss.

First, at least six starters were not on the field for the Americans, including Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, Bocanegra and midfield bulldog Michael Bradley. Secondly, the Czechs are a much better team, and sparring partner for lack of a better term, than Morocco was in 2006. Finally, and it cannot be understated, the Czechs were trying to erase the sting of losing 2-1 to Turkey over the weekend.

Saturday the Americans will have their own crack at the Turks in the final match on U.S. soil before the team leaves for South Africa May 30.

Bradley told ussoccer.com that the team features a blend of World Cup experience as well as newcomers, all of whom have proven they deserve to wear the red, white and blue.

Now the bigger question is whether this team can win in South Africa.

The proper send-off

The vacuum the closure of the club season left will now be replaced by scores of international friendlies featuring countries that are making the last tweaks before the June 1 deadline to glean 23 players from a 30-man preliminary roster.

The United States joins the party this evening as it will prepare to face the Czech Republic in the first of three games that are being dubbed the “send-off series”. Of course completing the 90 minutes unscathed on the injury front will be the primary concern for head coach Bob Bradley.

For players on the fringe of that 30-man roster — this means you Eddie Johnson, Robbie Findley, Heath Pearce and Sacha Kljestan — the contest represents a final opportunity to impress head coach Bob Bradley and the U.S. coaching staff that they are fit for the final 23-man roster. Bradley is slated to announce the team on ESPN Wednesday afternoon.

Unlike the 2006 send-off series the results may not matter as much this time around. Most of the core of the American team has played in big international matches, including previous World Cups, so the atmosphere surrounding the event should not be overwhelming.

Also, the competition in this year’s edition of the series is much better than what the Americans faced in 2006.

Morocco, Venezuela and Latvia were teams that were not close to qualifying for the Germany 2006, yet the Americans found a way to be unimpressive in all three contests.

Losing to Morocco on home soil was dispiriting enough, but to watch winger Bobby Convey utterly gassed after 65 minutes less than a month before a World Cup should have been a sign the U.S. was not going to make a return to the quarterfinals four years ago.

This time Bob Bradley’s team will face a quality opponent in the Czechs, Turkey, a semifinalist in Euro 2008 and an Australian team that qualified for South Africa and has the talent to make the quarterfinals.

Of the six combined matches against the Czech Republic—which includes a match as Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup—Turkey and Australia the Americans have never won a contest. Granted, the 3-0 blowout to the Czechs at the 2006 World Cup was the only game that has been contested within the past five years.

“We expect a very good challenge,” U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said during a recent press conference. “If you can’t play one of the teams that have qualified for the World Cup, there’s not many better teams that you can pick that the Czech Republic.”

However, for the American public to no longer consider events like the 2009 Confederations Cup run a surprise, as Donovan himself once noted when accepting an ESPY award, playing teams like the Czech Republic should evolve from a challenge to a tune-up for bigger conquests.