USA vs. Ecuador: Post-Landon Donovan Landscape Looks Good for USMNT

On Friday night in East Hartford, Connecticut, the United States men's national team tied Ecuador, 1-1, in the final game of Landon Donovan's international career.

But while Donovan was the focus of Friday night's festivities, many of the U.S.'s youngsters impressed—showing that the post-Donovan era for the USMNT is bright.

Here are five thoughts—not related to Landon Donovan—on the match.

DeAndre Yedlin Looked Like a Winger

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While DeAndre Yedlin is used primarily at right-back by his club, the Seattle Sounders, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has repeatedly shown his faith in Yedlin as a midfielder.

In the 2014 World Cup, Yedlin was used as a midfield sub. That trend continued on Friday night against Ecuador as Klinsmann gave Yedlin the start at right midfield.

In the match, Yedlin repeatedly impressed with his speed, service and work rate.  He provided the assist on Mix Diskerud's goal in the fifth minute and nearly picked up a goal of his own on a scramble in the box just before the halftime whistle.

Yedlin also seemed to form a good early partnership with right-back Timmy Chandler, put in a number of good balls for striker Jozy Altidore and repeatedly troubled the Ecuadorian back line on the dribble.

Mix Diskerud Is Clearly the Future of the U.S. Midfield

In the absence of veterans Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, Mix Diskerud has taken the lead for the U.S. in central midfield in both American friendlies since the 2014 World Cup.

Diskerud's goal got the U.S. off to an early lead against Ecuador, and his shot set up the U.S.'s lone goal in its 1-0 win over the Czech Republic last month.

Combining with Alejandro Bedoya and Joe Corona as the midfield trio in both matches, Diskerud—who made the U.S.'s 2014 World Cup roster, but didn't play a single minute in the tournament—has led the way.

Bedoya's performances against the Czech Republic and Ecuador have been simple, yet unspectacular, and Corona, for his part, has struggled in both games.

On Friday night, Corona was dispossessed repeatedly in transition, leading to dangerous counterattacks for Ecuador. He also missed a gilt-edge chance just into the second half when Altidore put him in alone with the Ecuadorian keeper, only for him to misplay his first touch and allow the defense to recover.

A Solid Outing by the Defense—for the Most Part

The U.S. started the match with a back line of Timmy Chandler, Michael Orozco, John Anthony Brooks and Greg Garza—from right to left. For their part, Orozco and Brooks did a solid job keeping the U.S. organized, and the former played particularly well. On at least three occasions, Orozco stood up Ecuadorian World Cup hero Enner Valencia in one-on-one situations.

It remains to be seen whether Orozco, who is already 28 years old and missed the 2014 World Cup squad, can be a long-term option for the U.S. at center-back, but his one-on-one defending ability is something that has long been a liability among U.S. center-backs.  And despite being only 5'11", Orozco has repeatedly proven in the past that he is more than adequate in the air to handle big, strong forwards.

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On the left, Greg Garza put an impressive performance. Throughout the match, he got forward well, covered for beaten defenders and even proved his worthiness in the air.

On the right, it was a mixed bag for Timmy Chandler. At times, he was outstanding, overlapping on the flank and repeatedly putting dangerous services into the box. At other times, he was comically bad.

In the 27th minute, Chandler missed a routine clearance which allowed Ecuador in on a breakaway that, thankfully, Brad Guzan was able to stop. Then, in the 51st minute, he knocked down his own teammate to kill a U.S. attack and then, while attempting to recover defensively, fell down tripping over his own feet.

Jozy Altidore Struggled Early, Then Found His Groove

In the early minutes of the U.S.'s match against Ecuador, striker Jozy Altidore struggled. It was obvious that he was rusty from his lack of playing time at Sunderland and he lost possession a number of times with poor touches.

However, as the match wore on, Altidore found his groove, making a number of good runs into space, troubling Ecuador's center-backs with his size and strength and putting in a number of fantastic balls for his teammates.

In the 25th minute, a slick backheel by Altidore put Donovan in for an open chance, and in the 47th minute, Altidore played a great pass in to Joe Corona which also should have resulted in a goal for the U.S.

No Defensive Midfielder Again for the U.S.

Leading up to the 2014 World Cup, one of the big questions for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was how to fit Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman all onto the field at the same time—considering that all three players are traditional holding midfielders.

However, in the U.S.'s two games since the 2014 World Cup, the team has played both matches without a traditional holding midfielder.

It's easy to play all-out attack in a friendly, but a much different prospect to do so in a World Cup qualifier or in a big international tournament. With that said, the U.S. has looked good in both post-World Cup friendlies by abandoning its previous overly defensive approach.

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Klinsmann has trusted—whether by choice, or the unavailability of Bradley, Jones and Beckerman—Diskerud and Bedoya to handle their duties as box-to-box midfielders and trusted his center-backs to operate without a midfield anchor in front of them.

In both games, it has worked for the U.S. However, the U.S. looked better against Ecuador in the first 40 minutes of the match when it was playing in a 4-4-2.

When Donovan was subbed and Corona came on, the U.S. switched into its 4-3-3, the same look they used against the Czech Republic.

From that point on, the U.S. didn't create as many chances, but that may be due to Corona's ineffectiveness as much as any formational switch.

For the time being, Klinsmann appears committed to the 4-3-3. But if it's going to work, the U.S. will need better play out of whomever mans the No. 10 position.

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