Doing the math for the Hexagonal can be intriguing, since 30 games played by six teams offer up a vast variety of permutations, but so dire is the U.S. situation there’s little reason to look past its third game.
There will still be 21 points on offer when the final whistle blows Friday night at Avaya Stadium, which is so close to San Jose International Airport that planes descend towards the runway just a few hundred away. By then the Americans will know if their World Cup quest is on course.
From the January camp that included a 0-0 tie with Serbia and 1-0 defeat of Jamaica, head coach Bruce Arena named 13 of those players to his initial roster for the upcoming Honduras and Panama qualifiers, but personal situations and injuries have forced several revisions.
Likely starting right back DeAndre Yedlin was excluded from the original roster, and one of his possible replacements, Fabian Johnson, was scratched last weekend after being injured in his club match for Borussia Moenchengladbach.
After a training session at Avaya Tuesday, players and assistant coach Dave Sarachan exuded confidence.
Also on Friday, Trinidad & Tobago hosts Panama and Mexico plays Costa Rica. The Americans play in Panama City Tuesday and clearly that game is magnified if they don’t beat Honduras, but so focused is the group players brush off any mention of it or the fact they have yet to play T&T, which like the USA is pointless.
Since the first day of January camp, Arena has challenged the players to concentrate on their play and the job at hand, and when the players reconvened during the weekend they felt a decided shift in mood.
Kljestan was not on the original roster but added when Bobby Wood suffered an injury playing for Hamburg. Local hero Chris Wondolowski got the call as a possible replacement for Jordan Morris, hobbled by an ankle problem incurred as the Sounders beat Kljestan’s Red Bulls, 3-1, last weekend.
Morris has been listed “day-to-day” and thus speculation is ramped up as to how the USA will line up and whether Arena will deploy a forward partner for Jozy Altidore or use him in a solo role. The pressure on a goalscorer, especially in a huge game like this one, is always intense. Bradley believes his Toronto FC teammate will respond well.
Clint Dempsey has played only three competitive matches for Seattle since being sidelined by a heart condition six months ago, and Arena’s reference to a “different role” for him has been interpreted to be as a substitute, but the coach has also been emphasizing the need for boldness regardless of formation or personnel.
Arena has also been preaching patience, which against a massed foe is required for as long as possible. It is possible to walk the fine line of assertiveness and restraint even in a pressure-packed scenario if the team leaders can steer the group through swings in momentum and fortune.
Kljestan notes one advantage of a large MLS contingent is players knowing more about each other based on their confrontations in league contests. Whether he’s in a hotel for a road game or at home preparing for a match at Red Bull Arena, he’s tuned in to observe opponents who will also be teammates.
2 comments about "Michael Bradley: USA prepared 'to tilt the bar in our favor' early against Honduras".
R2 Dad, March 23, 2017 at 11:28 a.m.
There is a basic assumption here, which is the US will have the ball and Honduras will bunker and counter. Why must this be? If we learned anything from Klinsmann it was that we need to play in at least a couple different ways to be successful in the World Cup. Why not give Honduras the ball and counter the crap out of them? They're terrible in possession and will certainly cough up the ball enough. They won't be expecting it. I think it's a valid alternate strategy, though I don't enjoy watching that style of play. Mourinho won a world cup at Inter playing this way, Arsenal (?) beat Leicester City (5-2) playing counter-attacking ball.
cisco martinez, March 23, 2017 at 6:25 p.m.
I don't disagree that the mourinho counter attack tactics would work, my only concern is that we need to win and Honduras would likely see a tie as a good result, that's why we need to go after them,we need to high press, win the ball and play direct and score early. If that happens the pressure is on them, if we do what you suggest they can slow the play down and slow down the tempo of the game and the longer that happens the more worriesome and desperate we may become leaving opening.