USA vs. Slovenia: 10 Things We Learned About Jürgen Klinsmann's Team

Klinsi and the kids finally took home their second win—and first away from home—and a found a delightful bit of poetic justice after the U.S. Men's National Team's last match against Slovenia, which ended in a very controversial draw at the hands of referee Koman Coulibaly.

There's plenty to be optimistic about after the 3-2 win: Edson Buddle looked on form, Fabian Johnson had a fantastic debut start and Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore added to their goal totals alongside Buddle.

But it's clear that the U.S. still has a whole lot to work on, particularly in central defense.

Here's what we learned about Klinsmann's team in their victory over Slovenia. If you have other lessons and insights you'd like to share, as always, have at it in the comments section. 

Klinsi Needs to Play 2 Strikers Up Front

One of the biggest criticisms Klinsmann and Co. received before going into this match had to do with the lack of attacking power up front.

Klinsi was a big fan of playing Altidore as a lone striker without Landon Donovan in the mix, and the USA struggled offensively, especially with finishing. 

With a second striker up front, Altidore has backup; Edson Buddle did well in this role.

In just one match, the U.S. Men's National Team scored more goals than they had in the entire Klinsmann era up to that point.

The system works—they should keep it. 

Edson Buddle, Welcome to Sam's Army

For real this time. 

It took a long time for the 30-year-old veteran striker and former Los Angeles Galaxy star, now at Bundesliga side Ingolstadt 04, to break into his national team due to various struggles with injuries.

When he appeared as a substitute against Ecuador, he lacked energy through most of the second half and his return to form seemed too little, too late.

The Edson Buddle we saw today in Ljubljana is a very different Edson Buddle. He was lively, forward-thinking and a fantastic striking partner for Jozy Altidore.

He got the scoring momentum going with a scorcher not even 10 minutes into the match, and created a few great chances after that.

With Juan Agudelo missing this round of friendlies for Olympic training, Buddle has really stepped up. Hopefully he can continue this form in future international matches. 

Oguchi Onyewu Needs to Stay Fit

If there was one player who was missed on the pitch against Slovenia, it was most definitely Oguchi Onyewu.

Gooch had been in the midst of a spectacular comeback for the USMNT, impressing on his return and demonstrating skill and leadership against Honduras and Ecuador, including a Man of the Match-caliber performance against Ecuador.

He's a great defender and decision-maker, which made it all the more frustrating to see Clarence Goodson fail to deliver in his stead at centre-back.

Hopefully, Onyewu can recover from his groin injury soon and return to form for the next round of matches for the U.S. Men's National Team. 

Fabian Johnson Will Be a Massive Star

The Hoffenheim midfielder who was expected to join the USMNT much earlier but had to wait to receive clearance for an affiliation change from FIFA, made his first start for Klinsmann's squad and impressed fans and his coach.

Fabian Johnson got into the attack right away, created some great chances and linked up well with his teammates for an impressive start.

If he can continue to show this level of ability in his performances, the German-born American will have a long, successful career with his new national team. Welcome, Fabian, and prost! 

Michael Bradley Could Be an Anchor in Central Midfield

One surprising impressive performance tonight came from Michael Bradley, who disappointed as a sub against Ecuador in his last national appearance.

In Ljubljana, Bradley was on form, if not Man of the Match-caliber; he was intuitive, strong and created a number of chances. He also, for what it's worth, put in a tremendous effort, staying energized and focused through the majority of the match.

The problem with Bradley has always been his inability to link up with Kyle Beckerman—Klinsmann's holder of choice—in central midfield.

But Tuesday night, given both performances, perhaps there's an opportunity to restructure the midfield, with Bradley in the centre and a new partner in the holding spot to replace Beckerman. Couldn't hurt. 

Klinsmann Should Experiment with a New Starting Holding Midfielder

Going off the last slide, Kyle Beckerman has continued to underwhelm in his last several starts for the US Men's National Team.

He was weak against Ecuador, indecisive at the wrong times against France (he gave up a key free kick), and let the Slovenia attack beat him to the ball time after time in this last round. 

Granted, his rough performance today wasn't totally his fault. Beckerman's abilities are limited and he had to cover a lot more ground to make up for the poor central defending.

That being said, perhaps it's time for Klinsmann to experiment with other options.

Danny Williams may not have the same experience level as Beckerman, but he did alright against Honduras and Ecuador and is gaining international experience in the Bundesliga—so maybe trying him in the role alongside Bradley as a CM may not be the worst idea.

Or it could be—but if Beckerman keeps playing like this, it might be time to try someone new.

Brek Shea Needs to Go Back to His Risk-Taking Ways

When he made his first few appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team, FC Dallas winger Brek Shea was hailed as the future of the team.

It looked like the guy had boatloads of potential—he was fast, explosive, a good dribbler and a daring player.

These past two friendlies, he's been far more subdued—detrimentally so.

He was awfully quiet against France—particularly surprising since Arséne Wenger, who will give Shea the opportunity to train at the Emirates later this month, was in the crowd. Tonight, when he came on as a substitute, it was the same story.

Shea is still relatively new to international play and has a lot to learn, so maybe the opportunity to train at Arsenal will be a good thing and will get him used to more difficult competition ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. 

The "Let Tim Howard Handle It" Defensive Strategy Isn't Working

Tim Howard has long been one of the U.S. Men's National Team's strongest assets, a sharp goalkeeper trained regularly by a highly defensive side at Everton.

The vast majority of the time, Howard can be relied on to make key stops, but if this match against Slovenia proves anything, it's that his ability shouldn't become a defensive crutch.

Howard let two goals get past him tonight—both were the result of lackluster central defending and the lack of any backup.

One guy can't be expected to save everybody. He's a goalie, not Spider Man (it's Jérémie Janot who has the market cornered on "goalie Spider Man"). 

Clint Dempsey Should Be the USMNT's Official Spokesman

Clint Dempsey's post-match interview sign-off was priceless: "Sounds good, y'all. Take it easy. Peace." 

Maybe it's this game's ability to turn people into Eurosnobs that makes us accustomed to a lack of Yankee vernacular, but just hearing a footballer say "y'all" is kind of wonderful in and of itself. 

Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold

Alright, so it wasn't Slovenia's fault the USMNT drew in that fateful World Cup group stage match in the summer of 2010.

The rage was mostly directed at Koman Coulibaly, the official who disallowed Maurice Edu's match-winning goal, declaring him offside (as my coworkers put it at the time: "because he hates freedom and John Mellencamp"). 

Still, it was fun to watch the Yanks come back and take care of unfinished business.