United States 2014 World Cup Preview

          It could not have gotten much worse for the United States during the World Cup draw. In addition to being drawn into Group G, the Group of Death, with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, the U.S. also has the toughest travel schedule, having to go about 9,000 total miles between games in the group stage. It will not be easy moving on from this group, but what the USA has proven over the years is that the team is best when they are the underdogs, which is certainly the case coming into the summer of 2014. Here is an analysis of each positional level of Team USA, as well as how they may fair in each game.

Goalkeeper

  This is the one position that has never been a problem for the United States, constantly breeding some of the best keepers in the world. Tim Howard will get the start here and will be the brick wall that he usually is. Even if something were to happen to Howard, sitting on the bench is one of the best backups in the world, Brad Guzan. Both are starters in the English Premier League, Howard with Everton and Guzan with Aston Villa. The one thing the United States does not have to worry about is the goalie.

Defenders

This might be the biggest question mark for the United States going into the World Cup. Usually anchored by seasoned veterans like Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, and Steve Cherundolo, this year’s crop of defenders will consist of less experienced players making their World Cup debuts.

DaMarcus Beasley, with his move from left midfield to left back this past year, will be far and away the most veteran defender on this team. Beasley, who is looking to make his fourth World Cup, will be 32 years old when the World Cup comes around and has 114 caps to his name. The second most caps of the rest of the defenders likely to make the Cup is Clarence Goodson’s 44. Beasley likes to make attacking runs up the sideline but if he cannot get back in time to defend then his younger colleagues may have troubles stopping counterattacks.

At central defense, likely starters Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler need to create chemistry in a short amount of time. The inexperience has shown in a number of games as central defenders have failed to communicate on a number of occasions, which has led to easy goals. With talented teams like Germany, Portugal, and Ghana looming, all of which have prolific goal scorers, the center backs cannot afford to give up goals. Even with Howard behind them in net, there is only so much he will be able to do against shots in the penalty box that should have been prevented by his defenders.

Midfielders

The midfield of the U.S. is just about set in stone and is almost identical to the one started in 2010. Landon Donovan took some time off in 2012 and it was thought that out the door went his chances of making the World Cup team, especially given that coach Jurgen Klinsmann was not very happy about the Donovan’s international hiatus. However, with a phenomenal Gold Cup performance where he scored 5 goals and tallied 7 assists in 6 games, Donovan has certainly earned a roster spot. Playing at left midfield, where he likes to cut into the middle and take shots with his right foot, Donovan will be able to stretch the field and give his forwards more room to work.

At defensive midfield are Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones. Look for Bradley to be one of the biggest keys to the success of the team. Bradley, who had a solid World Cup outing four years ago, has gotten much better in no small part thanks to his move to Italy’s AS Roma where he has made three starts and come off the bench six times for a team in second place of Serie A this season. Bradley’s vision will be key in getting the ball to the right people in the right places. He will be expected to control the field from 18 to 18. His communication with Jones will also be important. If one pushes up, the other has to know to drop back. They should be attached by a string when they move up and down the field, one moving when the other does.

The position of right midfield seems up for grabs. The two likely candidates would be Graham Zusi and Mix Diskerud, both of whom have been impressive this past year with increased exposure with the National Team. Zusi, who just helped lead Sporting Kansas City to the MLS Cup, might be the more likely and safer choice.

Strikers

Jozy Altidore needs to start scoring if the United States is going to get out of the Group of Death. He has finally broken out with the National Team, scoring one goal in each of the U.S.’s first three World Cup Qualifying games of the year as well as eight total goals for Team USA in 11 games including a hat trick against fellow World Cup participant Bosnia-Herzegovina. Altidore also recently scored his first Premier League goal for Sunderland against powerhouse Chelsea. Altidore has a big body but sometimes seems to shy away from contact. Winning jump balls for the U.S. against defenders will help open up goal scoring doors for his teammates as well. Hopefully, this scoring prowess can continue for Jozy into this upcoming summer where he will face some stingy defenses in this group.

Clint Dempsey will team up with Altidore up front, possibly playing slightly behind him in a center forward/attacking midfielder role. Dempsey is one of those players who can benefit from Altidore’s aggressiveness, as defenses may begin to collapse on the forward, leaving Dempsey open around the edge of the 18 yard box. A midseason transfer to the MLS’s Seattle Sounders from the Premier League’s Tottenham did not help Dempsey’s psyche as he finished up with a disappointing MLS season. Like Donovan and Beasley, this will probably be Dempsey’s last World Cup and I am sure he does not want to end it in the group stage.

Bench

The bench of the U.S. National Team appears to be relatively strong and can provide some major minutes down the stretch of big games. Up front, young striker Aron Johannsson has shown a nose for the goal and a rocket of a shot. The United States may need to scratch and claw for goals at the end of games and Johannsson can provide them coming off the bench. At only 23 years of age, Johannsson is also part of the future of U.S. soccer and creating chemistry between him and Jozy Altidore could be important in the future success of the team. In addition, Eddie Johnson and/or Chris Wondolowski have been great this year in scoring for the U.S. team.

Mix Diskerud, who I mentioned as a possible starter at right midfield, will probably be coming in as a substitute. Diskerud is a spark off the bench who can inject a lot of energy onto the field at the end of games. He may not play a lot of minutes, but coming in as a substitute in the 75th minute means that Diskerud has 15 minutes to try and take advantage of the tired legs of opponents. Diskerud was nothing more than a blip on the U.S. National Team radar earlier this year. With a strong summer, Diskerud will see time this upcoming summer.

A Quick Guide to Winning Group G

U.S. vs. Ghana (June 16)

The United States and Ghana have their own mini-rivalry going. The teams will have faced each other in each of the last three World Cups and the first two times did not end well for the U.S., losing both times 2-1 and, in 2010, being knocked out in the second round. Ghana has a very fast team and the U.S. has been hurt by it in the past. For the U.S. to win they need to stop the through ball, which has hurt them in the last two games against Ghana. This is where the inexperience of the U.S.’s center defenders can come into play. Communication in the back is important in preventing a speedy Ghanaian striker from getting behind the defense and scoring an easy goal on behalf of a through ball. For Altidore, scoring against the weakest defense he will face in the group stage may give him the confidence when he faces tougher competition in the following games. Seeing a ball hit the back of the net against Ghana can give Altidore the confidence he will need to go up against Portugal and Germany.

U.S. vs. Portugal (June 22)

Stopping Cristiano Ronaldo is exponentially easier said than done, but they will have to limit his effect on the game. This will require a team effort as Ronaldo, who officially plays left midfield, does not really confine himself to a position and roams all around the field. U.S. midfielders and defenders will need to keep an eye on Ronaldo throughout the whole game because just when you lose track of him, he makes a run and scores. Portugal’s defense seems prone to dead ball goals, most recently having given up goals to two goals to Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the second leg of their playoff against Sweden. One goal came on a header from a corner and another on a free kick outside the 18. If the U.S. is going to score against Portugal, it may come from big guys like Altidore and Gonzalez on the end of free kicks.

U.S. vs. Germany (June 26)

This past June the U.S. beat Germany 4-3 in a surprising result in Washington, D.C. However, Germany was fielding their B-Team that game against a U.S. team that will almost mirror their World Cup team. There is little chance the U.S. can beat Germany, a team in serious consideration to win it all this year. Like last World Cup’s 1-1 tie against England, the U.S. will need a lot of luck against Germany. Everyone on the U.S. team will need to bring their A-games against Germany for even a chance to tie this game.