6 Things We Learned from USMNT vs. Bosnia

The United States men’s national team continued its incredible hot streak on Wednesday night in Bosnia, winning its 12th game in a row. Down 2-0 at the half, the USMNT took advantage of three second-half goals by striker Jozy Altidore to win the game, 4-3.

Here are six things we learned from the match.

Dismiss the U.S. at Your Peril

Throughout the Juergen Klinsmann era over the last two years, there have been plenty of ups and downs for U.S. Soccer. While there have been the “pretty” away wins against Italy and Mexico, the away tie to Russia and the recent Gold Cup championship, there have also been plenty of missteps in World Cup qualifying to keep expectations honest.

And even though the U.S. headed into the Bosnia match with an 11-game winning streak, detractors pointed out that it started with a win against the German “B” side and then continued with 10 CONCACAF opponents.

Wednesday’s win over Bosnia, which leads its UEFA World Cup qualifying group, was Klinsmann’s third signature win and a sign that the U.S. really is coming of age. Even the way the match was won, coming back from a 2-0 deficit and not panicking when the Bosnians brought the game back to 4-3 showed a real maturity.

The team has a cadre of top-class players with the core from the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup still intact, yet they are older, more experienced and more confident. Add to that core group the best roster depth in the history of the program and an improved defense and the U.S. is becoming a real force to be reckoned with on the world stage.

The Fabian Johnson Conundrum Remains

Currently, one of the great debates occurring among the USMNT faithful is where to play Fabian Johnson. On the one hand, Johnson is a Bundesliga-quality left-back, a position where the U.S. has been historically weak. However, every game that Johnson is pushed into the midfield, he makes a major impact to the team’s attacking prowess.

If he is to be moved into the midfield, several problems are created. First and foremost, can DaMarcus Beasley handle the duties at left-back against top-class teams? If he can’t, then Johnson must play in the back. And, even if Beasley can get the job done, who backs Beasley up should he get hurt or suspended? Edgar Castillo put in a solid shift on Wednesday against Bosnia, but hewas outright dreadful in the team’s June matches and the July Gold Cup.

With the re-emergence of Landon Donovan, who comes out of the mix if Johnson is moved into the midfield? Common sense would dictate that Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey and Donovan would all start. If you add Johnson to that trio to lead the front four of Klinsmann’s 4-2-3-1, Graham Zusi, Joe Corona, Alejandro Bedoya, Eddie Johnson and Brek Shea are all out of the picture. That seems to be a poor use of the team’s midfield depth.

Michael Bradley Is a Beast

Anyone who has seen Michael Bradley play over the past year has to appreciate what they are seeing—quite simply the best midfielder the U.S. has ever produced. On Wednesday, Bradley put in another spectacular performance, completing 92 of his 100 passes.

To make that number even more special, many of Bradley’s passes were not simple five-yard balls, but instead 40-plus-yard passes that repeatedly pried open the Bosnia defense. Bradley repeatedly found Jozy Altidore in space behind the Bosnian backline, and throughout the match made cross field passes to the weak side to open up space for Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian Johnson, Eddie Johnson and Michael Parkhurst on the flanks.

Bradley also did his duty defensively, as usual, snuffing out a dangerous Bosnian chance off a Mix Diskerud giveaway just before the halftime whistle and making a great recovery run in the 77th minute to help out the U.S. back line.

Watching Michael Bradley right now is watching someone who has truly become a master of their craft. He has become the American Andrea Pirlo.

Jozy Altidore Is on Fire!

Anytime a player scores three goals and picks up an assist in a four-goal win, it’s easy to say they had a good day. But more impressive was how Jozy Altidore made that happen.

Even before Altidore went off in the second half, he was having a terrific game. His work rate up top in the first 45 minutes was terrific, and he repeatedly showed good strength holding the ball up for his teammates. Altidore also showed a fiery competitiveness, as he repeatedly made the extra effort to keep balls alive. Finally, he opened up the U.S. offense by switching the point of attack and found space with terrific runs in behind the Bosnian defense.

In the second half, Altidore contributed on all four U.S. goals. On the first one, Altidore pushed the ball around the Bosnian keeper for Eddie Johnson to clean up for the open-netter. On the second goal for the U.S., Altidore took a perfect pass from Fabian Johnson and buried his left-footed effort into the bottom left-hand corner. Jozy’s second goal (third for the U.S.) was a Golazo free kick worthy of any highlight reel, and his third goal was a deft finish after being put in by Michael Bradley.

The 4-2-3-1 Doesn’t Work Without Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan

In the first half, with Mix Diskerud playing the attacking central midfield/withdrawn striker role normally occupied by Clint Dempsey (or Landon Donovan in the Gold Cup), the U.S. struggled. This was similar to many other efforts over the years to play a three-man midfield.

Bob Bradley was experimenting with the 4-2-3-1 in the team’s doomed 2011 Gold Cup, in which he tried Sacha Kljestan in the role. Under Juergen Klinsmann, the U.S. has unsuccessfully tried to use Michael Bradley, Joe Corona and now Diskerud in the role.

However, as Wednesday proved again, the U.S. functions best with two “strikers” on the field, even if Klinsmann is intent on designating one to play “in the hole” as Dempsey or Donovan normally does. In the second half, with Mix taken off, Fabian Johnson pushed into the midfield and Eddie Johnson went up top, the U.S. scored four goals.

Like it or not, the U.S. does not have a true trequartista (Donovan is the closest), capable of playing underneath a lone striker. While Clint Dempsey has technically occupied that role for much of the Klinsmann era, everyone knows that his true contribution to the team in that role is as a goalscorer, not as a playmaker.

When the ball is played to the striker in Klinsmann’s 4-2-3-1, both Dempsey and Donovan, having played forward for much of their career, have the natural instinct to run off the striker. When the U.S. has played a natural midfielder in the No. 10 role, they don’t do that as well, often leaving Altidore isolated up top by himself for long stretches.

If the U.S. is to make the 4-2-3-1 work (the difference between the 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-3-2 are indistinguishable in many phases of play), it must be with Dempsey or Donovan in that role. If Dempsey and Donovan are not available, the U.S. should stop trying to play three central midfielders and go to the 4-1-3-2 used in the fall of 2012 and, at times, in this summer’s Gold Cup.

It may seem a small difference, but as has been proven time and time again with the U.S., Altidore functions best when partnered with a natural forward up top.

There Were Some Negatives

Despite the big win on European soil over a top European side, there were some negatives from the Americans' performance on Wednesday.

The situation at right-back remains a question mark. While Brad Evans wasn’t poor, he wasn’t great either. Evans could have done a better job recovering on Bosnia’s first goal (so could John Anthony Brooks and Geoff Cameron) and didn’t recognize the space between himself and Cameron when the Bosnians broke through the American defense again in the 35th minute.

In the 66th and 67th minutes, Evans was beaten badly twice in succession, only to be bailed out by Tim Howard on both occasions. Evans also contributed little going forward.

With the other options being a so-so Michael Parkhurst or an apparently half-committed Timmy Chandler, it is time for Klinsmann to start looking at other options like Eric Lichaj or DeAndre Yedlin. Perhaps, with Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez returning to the mix, Cameron could also be played on the right, where he usually plays for his club, Stoke City.

Jermaine Jones had one of his worst games in the U.S. jersey on Wednesday, repeatedly giving away possession and looking half interested in playing at all. Jones lost the ball 13 times and only completed 46 passes, half that of his midfield partner, Michael Bradley. Perhaps most disturbing were the repeated instances of Jones giving up on plays after losing possession, instead of recovering defensively.

Jones remains a point of contention among U.S. fans. On the one hand, he is a starting central midfielder in the Bundesliga for a Champions League club. On the other hand, he has never achieved a consistent level of performance for the USMNT and seems to be given a free pass by Klinsmann, despite playing poorly on many occasions.

The U.S. does have other options in Sacha Kljestan, Maurice Edu, Danny Williams or Kyle Beckerman, but none of those appear overly promising. Some fans believe that a Bradley/Diskerud combination in the middle may be best. Although Diskerud struggled in the attacking midfielder role on Wednesday, he does have a history of playing very well as a deeper-lying midfielder. The Geoff Cameron/Michael Bradley combination also looked promising this summer against Panama.

Finally, it must be admitted that Eddie Johnson struggled. His touch was off and he squandered at least three good chances in front of goal. With Johnson, what you see is what you get. He can be outstanding in the air, and his speed presents all sorts of problems for defenses. However, his possession and first touch are a liability, as evidenced by Johnson’s giveaway in the first half that led to Bosnia’s opening goal.

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