U.S. coach Bruce Arena has six months to choose a combination of 23 players who can handle the World Cup challenge.
There won’t be much for the United States to build upon from its final CONCACAF qualifier.
A team that had already qualified and one long since eliminated generated a dour goalless tie Nov. 11. The United States and Trinidad & Tobago now go their separate ways.
For the World Cup-bound Americans, only a few glimmers of light into the future could be gleaned from a hot, humid 90 minutes of energetic yet passionless play against a resilient foe.
Several of the important tasks facing U.S. coach Bruce Arena came into play against T&T in the cases of DaMarcus Beasley, Zach Thornton and Josh Wolff.
As one of the blossoming young players contributing to a deeper pool of talent than the United States has ever had, Beasley suffered a slight concussion and missed the second half.
Thornton, one of several candidates for the No. 3 goalkeeping spot, turned in the best U.S. performance.
Perhaps the most pressing need for Arena is to get his top attackers healthy, and Wolff, who scored twice in the first three Hexagonal games before being sidelined by injuries, made his first appearance in nearly seven months.
Arena has six months to round out his 23-man squad, upgrade and refine his system, and lay the groundwork of extracting every possible iota of talent and desire from his players.
“We can certainly improve our passing and our movement off the ball and become a more dangerous team going forward,” says defender Jeff Agoos, who has been a national team member for more than a decade but has yet to play in a World Cup.
“We can work on dictating the rhythm of games rather than have it dictated to us – and when we are put under pressure being able to get out of those situations.
“That’s the next level for this team. That’s what we’re going to have to be able to do in South Korea and Japan.”
A spot or two might go to a younger talent just for the experience. The others must fill a need and be sufficiently skilled and strong to duel the world’s best with all on the line.
MLS players will dominate the U.S. rosters for a Dec. 9 friendly in South Korea and the CONCACAF Gold Cup that kicks off Jan. 18. The next two months will be their proving ground.
With the Hexagonal officially out of the way, here is how the squad shapes up.
GOALKEEPING. The strongest U.S. asset is this position. Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel are the top two, with anybody else a distant third.
Will Arena reward his former college keeper, Tony Meola of Kansas City, with a World Cup ticket? Will he go with a younger but not-all-that-young (28) proven commodity like Thornton, or will he choose from the ranks of the very young brigade, led by Nick Rimando (22)?
“The only way you can evaluate goalkeepers is games,” said Arena. “They’re all very good practice keepers but once they get between the sticks in a real game it’s a different story.”
Right now, it’s really not nearly as important as keeping both Friedel and Keller on the squad and mollified if neither is a clear No. 1.
Keller was sent home prior to the T&T match and will have surgery on his ankle to remove bone chips. If he can’t supplant Neil Sullivan as the starting keeper at Tottenham, he’ll have little chance of beating out Friedel.
Both keepers have chafed at being the backup. Will either accept such a role at the World Cup, or can Arena continue juggling two sticks of dynamite as the fuses burn down?
DEFENSE. Arena seems committed to playing with four in the back although he’s made no proclamation as to formation. And with the right personnel, a 4-4-2 can look much like a 3-5-2 if an outside back can slide up the flank effectively.
Unfortunately, starting left back David Regis looks more like a midfielder averse to defending. His floundering and stumbling against Honduras at RFK Stadium Sept. 1 mirrored a similar tumble he took just before Gregg Berhalter was called for a handball in the 2-1 loss to Costa Rica last year in the semifinal round.
Greg Vanney earned his 15th cap against T&T but has seldom looked confident with the national team. Other natural lefties are Carlos Bocanegra and John O’Brien.
The right-back slot is also unsettled. Steve Cherundolo appeared to have nailed down the spot early in the Hexagaonal but is sometimes overpowered, which is why Arena has often used the imposing Tony Sanneh.
Persistent injuries to Berhalter have prevented Arena from assessing his place in a central defense hierarchy currently manned by Agoos, Carlos Llamosa and Eddie Pope.
Pace is sometimes a glaring weakness, and the passing out of the back must improve sharply.
Bocanegra and Pablo Mastroeni have great physical tools and promising MLS resumes but only one cap – Mastroeni’s – between them.
MIDFIELD. Even when the Americans were winning early in the Hexagonal, their midfield seldom controlled play for extended periods. An inability to deal with pressure and cope with tight spaces in midfield contributed heavily to the three U.S. Hexagonal defeats.
The midfield was rudely undressed on the road in Mexico and Costa Rica and at home by Honduras.
O’Brien may be able to give Claudio Reyna a counterpart capable of keeping the ball under pressure and distributing it wisely. But like many players – including Reyna – his health is a concern.
Against T&T, Jovan Kirovski and O’Brien shared the offensive and defensive responsibilities. Kirovski seldom escaped the shackles of Dale Saunders to create opportunities and misfired when presented with scoring chances.
Earnie Stewart’s speed, touch, shooting and defensive work should ensure him a spot somewhere in midfield. Fitting in the other pieces and finding more dynamic solutions on the flanks are Arena’s primary tasks.
Chris Armas is an astute reader of the game, but sometimes lacks the pace or skills to solve situations. And as a holding midfielder who is often near the ball and breaks up plays, quickness to the ball can be just as important as speed of thought.
There are no apparent replacements for Armas unless Arena feels O’Brien is ready. Brian Maisonneuve – a veteran of the 1998 World Cup team who had a superb 2001 MLS season – and Richard Mulrooney are among those who will audition for a central midfield slot. Mastroeni has played there in the past.
O’Brien is also a candidate to play on the left, and his ability to interchange positions within the midfield can present opponents with problems.
“People might say that was our downfall in some of the games,” says O’Brien. “We were trying to do a lot of switching and we didn’t have enough organization to know where guys would be.
“You have to find a mix in there, and against Jamaica [a 2-1 win Oct. 7] it worked well.”
Midfield dynamics may be dictated by personnel as well as Arena’s preference. If no player steps forth to grab the playmaker’s role – Reyna, Kirovski, Stewart and Clint Mathis are the top choices – the team won’t play with a traditional No. 10.
Arena has mentioned he might try Reyna on the right side in role similar to what he plays for Glasgow Rangers.
ATTACK. For a player with 11 caps and three goals, Mathis bears a formidable burden. He’s skilled enough to escape pressure, strong enough to withstand challenges and bold enough to take on anybody. He can play up top or behind forwards and he can drill netters with either foot or his head.
But it’s impossible to know how good he is or how well he can be expected to perform in a World Cup.
The same can be said for the speedy and shrewd Wolff, and Mathis is at least two months behind Wolff in rehabilitating his own serious (knee) injury.
The U.S. attack often looked listless without those two players.
The prowess and maladies of Brian McBride are well-documented. He’s formidable in the air, can hold the ball and passes well. He’s also a walking lab chart.
Ante Razov has scored some superb goals and has good feet. He has progress to make in other areas: the timing and angle of his runs and his mental toughness.
Joe-Max Moore is relentless and courageous but over the past few years has had less and less success carving out space. His playing time at Everton is a sometime thing at best.
Landon Donovan is incredibly talented but desperately young. He can be the best of the bunch, maybe the best of all time. Some day.
“I can tell you in July and August if this team is good,” says Stewart, a veteran of the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. “In the end all that counts is, first of all, qualifying for the World Cup and then, what you do in the World Cup.
“I know the player pool is much greater than in ’94 and ’98. Everyone on this team has a certain talent and with all those talents combined we have a pretty good team.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney in Port of Spain, Trinidad