PICTURES, HIGHLIGHTS, AND OBSERVATIONS
RED BULL ARENA
Outside of Red Bull Arena, amidst the construction and confusion, things are looking more or less usual. Harrison, New Jersey is a city of prime Real Estate; every square inch of ground bears precious potential for expansive high-rise views of the New York City skyline, making driving through the bottleneck of traffic between Market and Cape May Street more of a familiar matchday sentiment than a persistent chore. Ground has been broken on a large and out-of-place complex of condominiums on the stadium's front lawn, and somehow, each of these bizarre pieces falls into place. Despite the odd curb appeal, an assortment of star-and-stripe-adorned soccer items - flags, hats, scarves, banners - snakes its way up through Gate B, today's entrance of choice, bypassing crews hard at work with the task of garnishing the stadium’s Fan Fest area with finishing touches for matchday. Approximately 3,000 fans fill the west stand of Red Bull Arena, once situated inside: 3,000 fans, waiting to uncover the secret behind every young football fan's dream; just how do the champions train?
Jürgen Klinsmann's reputable managerial and playing careers have shaped him as one of the greatest tactional masterminds in international football. At Red Bull Arena on Saturday morning, the German gave the thousands in attendance for open practice a wholesome idea of his latest positional experiment, which will likely make appearance in USA's final send-off matches: the notorious diamond midfield. Shortly after a round of warm-up conditioning and a quick layoff drill, the USMNT broke off into two small-sided, 6 v. 2 scrimmage-esque games, where two centerbacks were at the mercy of six offensive players instructed with the task of working the ball in on goal. While the drill also prepared the defensive duos for Turkey's direct and organized style of attack, it emphasized the initiation of offensive transitions from the deep-lying point of the diamond formation and the movement forward from the midfield diamond as a unit. Graham Zusi and Brad Davis, though on opposing wings in one set of the drill, strung together cohesive sequences amongst themselves, while Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley provided support centrally, and a world of power in longer-range attempts at goal. Against Azerbaijan, USMNT fans expressed a variety of reactions to the 4-4-2, which maximized possession within USA's final third, albeit eliminating any signs of central penetration, a more significant focus of US teams in the past. The new formation can prove to be functional system for the USMNT, if not, a back-pocket option that can be adjusted to suit the featured eleven. As Klinsmann pieces together a base of starters to lead the team through Brazil, the experimental style, flexible squad, and variety of opponents are all massive benefits.
M&M: MIKE AND MIX
After reverting from the 6 v. 2 games to an 11 v. 11 scrimmage, Klinsmann instructed Mix Diskerud and Michael Bradley, who had both operated as the attacking portion of the diamonds in their respective 6 v. 2 games, to function as neutral-sided central midfielders. Testing their transitional awareness, reaction time, and passing flexibility, the drill seemed to prove productive for both players, with Mix seizing the moment to apply the long-short layoff drill from the beginning of training and benefit both teams' wingers, especially Graham Zusi and Fabian Johnson, who controlled the right wing on the blue team. As the most comfortable pairing in training on Saturday, the Zusi-Johnson pairing is definitely one of the mouthwatering partnerships that we can expect to see to combat Turkey's structured style tomorrow. Mix' precise delivery and comfortable touch on the ball made Zusi's job all the simpler when playing a more clinical pass into Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, the blue team's offensive duo, and Fabian Johnson's control of each service from central midfield resulted in positive overlap sequences. Diskerud played a significant role on the other end of the scrimmage as well, setting up an excellent strike for Julian Green that averted blue goalkeeper, Brad Guzan, as well as playing a part in Aron Jóhannsson and Chris Wondolowski's finishes. Against Azerbaijan, Diskerud played the role of the hero, igniting USA's central midfield during a significant lull in the match. Minutes after coming on, his athleticism and engagement of wider players sparked link-ups that had lain dormant from kickoff, and led deservingly to his winning goal in the 75th minute. Mix will be wearing the No. 10 in Brazil in place of a relatively more familiar face, but he's already shown his capacity in the central attacking position, and the diamond midfield suits him well.
JOZY: DOES THE DIAMOND FIT?
With the diamond midfield looking like it could make a possible appeal for Brazil, Jozy Altidore's engagement, positioning, and decision-making when in possession will be more analysed than ever before. “It starts with those guys up top, Jozy and Clint, they put in the work and it trickles down,” Graham Zusi said, as reported by Sports Illustrated on Saturday. How well Dempsey and Altidore can hold up the ball and provide width to complement the team's new shape could be make or break factors. With less of a focus on the transitional No. 6 in comfortable offensive possessions, independent management of the ball will be a constantly-noted measure of Altidore's capacity in that role. During the 6 v. 2 session of Saturday's training, the attacking partnership of Altidore and Dempsey smoothed out a few initial bumps over the course of the drill, with each reverting to their tendency to take up either a lone striker or false nine role, interchangeably, to compensate the positioning of the other, and further engage the wingers of their team, Graham Zusi (right) and Brad Davis (left). While the attacking quartet fell into an eventual rhythm once responsibilities became focused, one of Altidore's most notable struggles during the full-sided and 6 v. 2 was translating his reception of the ball in clinical positions into threatening chances on goal. While only time and repetition can tell how players will fare under the tweaked offensive system on a consistent basis, poor first touch and failure to maximize dangerous spaces effectively and efficiently could be the Achilles heel of Klinsmann's new-look USMNT in Brazil. Sunday's match against Turkey will be a major benchmark assessment in USA's final preparations.
SUPPORTERS While gates opened at 10:30 AM, supporters trickled in to get a glimpse of the USMNT throughout the training session, donning shades of Roma, Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Liverpool. Others still proudly sported Abby Wambach, Sergio Agüero, and even USA's group rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, and a large population of fans reverently and boldly represented the many seasons, colors, and kit designs of Landon Donovan, #10 in his absence. It was an interesting mélange of cosmopolitan football figures, and an array that you couldn't find coexisting so harmoniously anywhere else, and all were recorded as present through the passion of supporters who devoted their Saturday morning to the Brazil-bound men wearing red, white, and blue. In its stateside capacity, The Beautiful Game is a limitless one, with an unconformed identity that constantly evolves on nuances of the sport from around the world. American soccer crowds are somewhat a reflection of the limitlessly diverse national team picture, soccer supporter niche, and football culture in the United States. At the crossroads of New York City's bustle and the New Jersey suburbs, Harrison New Jersey, sandwiched between Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark, is a place lost in time, and geography, where every jersey, every language, and every supporter has an its place. Heading into the penultimate match of their World Cup series, the United States men will have a charming and unique atmosphere to accompany their football. |
Children were a major part of Saturday's practice, enticed by an up-close autograph session with the USMNT players, free snacks distributed by U.S. Soccer partners, Nabisco, and the life-size cutouts of Clint Dempsey and Omar Gonzales fixated on pick-up pitches outside for photographs. New Jersey isn't short on notorious elite youth clubs: with Fútbol Club Copa, PDA of Zarephath, and Jersey United of Morristown all dominant in enticing youth footballers aspiring towards the highest level of play. Loose ties with international footballing super powers aren't uncommon either, with Jersey United participating as members of the FC Utrecht international player academy, and Fútbol Club Copa departing on an exclusive Latin American tour in just over a month. The developmental academy model is a youth system relatively unique to the United States, where academies aren't as restrictive to professional clubs so much as communities and regions, all lying on varying locations of the spectrum of molding their players into elite professionals. Between Eastern New York and New Jersey, the primary sending locations expected for Sunday's match, 269,455 players are actively enrolled in the U.S. Youth Soccer system (2012). Sunday's match will be as much a celebration for the current generation of soccer supporters in the United States as it is a cornerstone in developing the nation's football culture for the future.
THE MATCH KICKOFF: 2:00 PM ET COVERAGE: ESPN2 & UNIMAS | |
@CASSGABE7
Lover of the Beautiful Game and fortunate ticket-holder for #USAvTUR. Writer for Bundesliga Fanatic.