USMNT Ready to Shed Underdog Label in Knockout Round of Copa America
The United States men's national team has been cast in the underdog role in almost every major competition it's entered in its history.
The only tournament in which the Yanks are considered a perennial favorite is the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann wants that to change as the side enters the knockout round of the Copa America Centenario.
"The whole old story is the underdog story, and I can't hear that story anymore," Klinsmann said after the USMNT's 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday. "I want to see them risk things. Let's go for it. If you're not going for it, sooner or later, they'll break you down because they have the class players."
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Klinsmann makes a terrific point given the circumstances the Yanks will face on their potential road to the tournament final. After a wild series of events Saturday in Group A, the USMNT secured first place on the goal-differential tiebreaker against Colombia, who fell 3-2 to Costa Rica a few hours after the USMNT moved up to six points.
Winning the group placed the USMNT in Seattle for a Thursday matchup with Group B runner-up Ecuador. At CenturyLink Field, the Yanks will have a true home-field advantage. Most of the sites the USMNT play at in major tournaments on home soil possess some type of 50-50 or 60-40 split in terms of fans. That won't happen in Seattle, where one of the most passionate fanbases in the country will get a chance to shine as it looks to push the Yanks into the final four.
The USMNT boss set a clear objective for his side in the knockout round after Saturday's win, even before he knew where it was set to travel for the quarterfinals.
"What we'd love to see is that they become more confident and courageous to take the game to big teams," Klinsmann said. "We're not playing just counter football, that we go and really push it up.
"When you step on the field and see a certain jersey, it's sniffing at each other and saying I'm ready for you," Klinsmann said. "It's the moment, and this is what they need to believe in. Whoever is on the other side, I'm ready for you. This is what you would love to see. It's easy to say, but it's a mental learning curve that the coming game, we hopefully, improve now on."
The USMNT displayed the confidence Klinsmann is looking for in the final group-stage match against Paraguay. Clint Dempsey led a front line that was active in the final third in search of the opening goal. The Seattle Sounders man found that in the 27th minute as he knocked Gyasi Zardes' cross from the left wing into the back of the net.
Even after DeAndre Yedlin was sent off in the 48th minute for two straight yellow cards, the Yanks hunkered down and earned a 1-0 result behind John Brooks and Brad Guzan's terrific play.
"The character they show, the determination, the heart. They battled through that 35 minutes a man down. Now it's about once you advance out of the group what are you gonna do, so hopefully we keep pushing," Dempsey said.
The USMNT must do so against a familiar Ecuador side. The Yanks downed Ecuador 1-0 on May 25 in a pre-Copa friendly at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. However, one of the key figures from that match will be missing, since Yedlin will serve his one-game suspension Thursday.
Three-fourths of the USMNT back line should remain the same, but who Klinsmann lines up across from Jefferson Montero could determine the game's pace. Steve Birnbaum, Geoff Cameron and Michael Orozco are all options to step in for Yedlin, who has been one of the top players for the Yanks at the Copa.
Regardless of who starts in defense, the U.S. must exude the same confidence and aggression it displayed in the group stage. The key for Klinsmann's men will be to assert their dominance early to get the crowd behind them. That means Dempsey, Zardes and Bobby Wood must combine well to create chances in front of the Ecuador net.
The USMNT should generate more scoring opportunities out of the 4-4-2 Klinsmann has shifted to, which allows Dempsey to drop behind Wood to gain possession and begin the attacking buildup from as far back as midfield.
Dempsey's link-up play with Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley needs to be strong once again to open more space for Wood, who played well against Paraguay despite not creating many chances.
If the Yanks can take the game to Ecuador in the first half, they should find a breakthrough in the opening stanza like they did in their last two matches against Costa Rica and Paraguay. By playing like the match favorite, the Yanks should deliver another statement to a field that still contains Argentina, Mexico and Colombia.
Shedding the underdog tag for good will not be easy since the USMNT will presumably face Argentina in the semifinals if it beats Ecuador, but it all starts from within. If the players and manager believe they are the favorites to win it all, that mentality can translate to the pitch and generate three more positive results.
Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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