A Distinct Chill in the Air: USA vs. Chile Preview
It's that time of year again. The annual January United States Men's National Team training camp, affectionately known as "Camp Cupcake" has nearly come to an end. Traditionally a camp for deserving MLS-based veteran players, this edition of Camp Cupcake has given fans of the Stars and Stripes a glimpse into the future.
As national team manager Bob Bradley looks at the youth in his player pool, he does so with an eye toward the 2012 Summer Games, this iteration to be held in London, England, as well as with a view toward perhaps the biggest party planet Earth has ever seen—the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Co-previewing with me again will be Don't Tread On This' Sean Monaghan. With that, let's see look at what we can expect to see tomorrow at the Home Depot Center.
Players To Watch Saturday Night in Carson
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SM: While most people I've talked to said that the person they're most looking forward to seeing at the HDC is New York Red Bulls 18-year-old Juan Agudelo, my choice is without a doubt midfielder Mikkel "Mix" Diskereud. His first touch and control of the game is really good for his age and leads me to believe he is definitely one for the future. Many people forget Mix's part in the Agudelo goal vs. South Africa. Although the striker finished it off very nicely, Diskerud's creativity in the box sparked the tally. If you need more evidence, look no further than Diskerud's play at Stabaek to see how much he has improved the last two years.
MB: I'm definitely one of those folks looking forward to seeing Agudelo again. Our first taste of what he can bring to the international stage was tantalizing in November—yes, Diskerud did a ton to create that goal, but Agudelo showed an enormous amount of composure and skill with defenders bearing down on him quickly. I'm hoping we see Agudelo and Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury paired together for at least 45 minutes tomorrow night—those two may well be the American strikers of choice for a long time to come. I'd also be interested to see the uncapped Eugene Starikov—nobody knows much about him other than that he's been playing fairly well in the Russian league.
What Can We Expect from Alejandro Bedoya and an Inexperienced Midfield?
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SM: I think to be totally honest we will need Orebro's Alejandro Bedoya to have a great game to keep up with the Chilean midfield. Although they are also fielding a somewhat undermanned squad, the players from Chile are very technical and can really pass the ball around. Bob Bradley and the rest of the Yanks need Bedoya to stand out like he did against South Africa in November to compete with this Chilean midfield.
MB: I really did love seeing how well Bedoya did against South Africa. Bafana Bafana certainly aren't on the level of a Brazil or a Spain, but the way Bedoya buzzed around the midfield the entire night giving the South African defenders fits was great to see. I think this is where we'll see the most out of Mikkel Diskerud, although just how much of the ball he sees will be dictated by the formation Bob Bradley uses. I'm also interested to see where Brek Shea is used on the pitch. Overall, I think we can expect to see equal parts skill and immaturity from the American midfield. With no real midfield general on the roster, we'll see one of the youngsters step up to some degree, but we will also very likely see a great deal of learning-as-they-go against a very fast Chilean squad.
Predicting An All New Back Line
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SM: My starting back four is Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream and Ryan Miller. The former MLS Rookie of the Year, Franklin, has had another terrific year with the Galaxy and looks like he is getting more and more consistent in his play. Gonzalez and Ream seem to both have bright futures on this team. Gonzalez with his strength and aerial ability and Ream with the skill to build up play for the back, something we rarely have seen from past U.S center backs. Both will look to make their cases to Bob Bradley. Ryan Miller has had a great year for Halmstads in the top Swedish league, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bradley suprised some people and started him at left back.
MB: I'm going with Franklin, Gonzalez, Ream, and Marvell Wynne. On Franklin, I agree with you, although I don't think he has much of a chance to be a consistent contributor to the MNT in the future—he has Eric Lichaj, the Aston Villa defender, way ahead of him in the pecking order as it is. Ream and Gonzalez, though, do have much brighter prospects. Ream is a defender very much in the Carlos Bocanegra mold, really not displaying anything flashy, but possessing a very high work rate and good passing skills out of the back. Gonzalez is reminiscent of FC Twente/AC Milan's American center back Oguchi Onyewu, although Gonzalez has a good deal more speed to work with. Personally, I'd like to see a Gonzalez and Onyewu center back combination in the future with speedy and physical wing backs surrounding them—I just get the feeling that Ream isn't going to be able to handle the aerial threat from some international squads. I'm putting Wynne in my lineup because frankly, he's a very menacing defender. He just plain isn't a guy that most midfielders want to run at one vs. one, and I'd like to see what he can do in the national team fold again. With such a lack of depth at left back, he's yet another guy who might rise to the occasion.
Will Gonzalez or Ream Be The Starting Centerback of The Future For The Yanks?
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SM: For me, it's Gonzalez based on a couple things. His aerial power, his ability to make a last-ditch tackle, etc. I could see him adjusting to the international game a lot better if he left MLS for a league like the Premier League.
MB: As I said in the last slide, it's Gonzalez for me as well. I love the tools that he has already—great size, a good aerial game, improving passing skills out of the back, and enough speed to be able to cover in case he makes a mistake. If he continues to turn in solid performance after solid performance for the Galaxy, he may soon find himself on his way out of the MLS. There aren't many 6'5" center backs out there, and I can think of quite a few clubs in the EPL who could use someone with his physical play at just 22 years of age—when clubs like Birmingham trot out 6'7" strikers, a 6'0" center back is at a severe disadvantage. And let's face it, he went through a kind of baptism-by-fire being handed his first cap and start against a very, very fast Brazil squad in August of 2010, and he didn't look out of place. That's a loudly ringing endorsement of the player.
What Kind of Formation Will We See?
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SM: I think Bob will play a 4-4-2 with this starting lineup: Sean Johnson, Franklin, Gonzalez, Ream, Miller, Bedoya, Dax McCarty, Brek Shea, Juan Agudelo, and Teal Bunbury. It's really hard keeping someone who had such a great year like Chris Wondolowski out the starting lineup, but Agudelo and Bunbury look like they play well together. I'd expect guys like A.J. De La Garza, Anthony Wallace and Wondolowski to get good minutes in the friendly, though.
MB: I think Bob Bradley is going to use this chance to keep experimenting with that 4-3-3 we saw him use in the pair of October friendlies against Poland and Colombia. Although I would really like to see Sean Johnson get the start in goal (I think at this point, his future is as bright for the Americans as DC United's Bill Hamid), we'll probably see Nick Rimando starting between the sticks. As I said earlier, it'll be Franklin, Gonzalez, Ream and Wynne starting along the back line. We'll see McCarty, Bedoya, and Diskerud overlapping in the midfield, with Shea, Agudelo and Bunbury up top. I'm also going to assume we'll see some of Wondolowski during the match as well as Eric Alexander and Jeff Larentowicz. Personally, I'd also like to see some of Starikov purely out of curiosity.
