USA-GHANA PREVEW
By Ridge Mahoney in Nuremberg
So severe are the physical labor and tactical savvy demanded of midfielders in the modern game that most of them play complementary, not dominant, roles.
Players imbued with attacking skills leavened by defensive instincts abound and holding midfielders are common. Playmakers, such as Argentine Juan Roman Riquelme are a rare breed, and rarer still are those willing and able to tackle strongly, pass shrewdly, shoot powerfully, and run forever.
Michael Essien is just such a player, and while Ghana will present many more problems when it plays the USA Thursday, if the Americans allow Essien to dominate they cannot win.
''He's dynamic, kind of the modern two-way midfielder,'' says Landon Donovan, mindful of the likelihood he and Essien will tangle many times. ''He scores goals, he's tough defensively and he covers a lot of ground, so we have to be aware of him. He's certainly a big part of their team.''
Containing Essien is especially critical because the Americans have lost two of their experienced central players, midfielder Pablo Mastroeni and defender Eddie Pope, to red-card suspensions. The middle of the park is where the marauding Essien usually operates.
Mastroeni could have been deployed to monitor Essien and thus allow Claudio Reyna to orchestrate the attack. In his absence, does Coach Bruce Arena go with John O'Brien, who has played only the second half against the Czech Republic in this tournament; or Ben Olsen, a stranger to games of this importance; or Clint Dempsey, who is rugged enough but suspect defensively? Arena could also move Donovan to central midfield with he and Reyna sharing the duties but that could impair the U.S. attack, as Ghana's speed and strength will squeeze the midfield.
Pope's absence presents another dilemma for Arena. He does have central defenders Gregg Berhalter and Jimmy Conrad available as Oguchi Onyewu's central partner, and could slide Carlos Bocanegra over from left back, although Bocanegra's ruggedness can help secure the flank.
''They're a good team and obviously showed considerable improvement from game one to game two as did the U.S. team,'' says Arena. ''They're a team that has great athleticism, one of the best players in the tournament in Essien. I think it will be a little bit wide-open and hopefully we can deal with their team speed. That's probably my biggest concern.''
If he believes Ghana will play with one up top, Arena might use a 3-5-2 to have equal numbers in midfield and buttress the middle.
Regardless, the USA needs Donovan and Bobby Convey and/or DaMarcus Beasley to run at the Ghanaians and either get balls into the box or force fouls. A 3-5-2 would also allow Donovan to play midfield with Brian McBride paired up front with Eddie Johnson or someone else.
The Americans have just one goal in two matches, an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo of Italy. They didn't put a shot on frame in that game but did move the ball crisply, even when playing a man down. A couple of set plays produced shots, including a Bocanegra header that flew over the crossbar.
''It's not lost on any of us that we haven't scored a goal,'' says Donovan. ''The problems arise when you don't create chances and that's when you start to wonder, that's when it becomes to be an issue. We're getting the chances, we're a little unlucky, a little not sharp in front of the goal, but that's the last thing I worry about after the first game. We need to shore up how we play defensively and we know our chances will come.''
Suspended for Ghana are its goalscorers in the 2-0 win over Italy, midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari and forward Asamoah Gyan. Without Muntari, the crafty and slick Stephen Appiah will see more of the ball, and the absence of Gyan might leave just Matthew Amoah up front as a lone forward, as the backups are very inexperienced.
Ghana likes to sneak midfielders forward and so the late runs of players like Eric Otto will be dangerous. Appiah and Essien sometimes attack as a tandem. Getting numbers behind the ball and dropping into passing lanes can help contain Ghana, but its players can also muscle their way through challenges, and the outcome will likely hinge on those duels.
Reyna and Onyewu are carrying cautions from the first game. Referee Jorge Larrionda has been blistered in the press for sending off three players in the Italy game, yet Pope's ejection was a second caution and only two other yellows, both to Italians, were handed out. Onyewu committed six fouls yet escaped a caution that would have ruled him out of the Ghana game.
''It seems like they're handing our cards for fun, but we can't worry about that,'' says Bocanegra. ''Even the guys who are carrying yellow cards have to play without regard to getting one. We need to win. We just have to play our game and not worry about it too much. We just have to bring the same kind of energy we did against Italy.'' —————————————–