The USMNT gave up their eighth goal at the 80-minute mark or later in the last eight games. Since the World Cup, they've been outscored 900-1 in the second half. Over the last 12 months, they've played 16 games, and given up a goal past the 75th minute in 12 of them – including three of four World Cup games.
Today, I don't care. Today, I am much more focused upon the strong, cohesive 65 minutes Jurgen Klinsmann's men played in the 1-1 draw at Switzerland.
Let's start with the man pulling the strings:
1. Michael Bradley, No. 10
OK, let's explain something: "No. 10" is shorthand for "the team's creative hub." It is a useful shorthand, because it can explain something about how and where the team expects to generate chances, and how and where opposition pressure will be either A) effective, or B) unlocked.
For too many people, "No. 10" means a Maradona- or Totti-type magician who sits just underneath the forward line (often a single forward, as Bradley was asked to do during the World Cup). Or it means a "pocket" playmaker like RSL's Javier Morales – or the great Juan Roman Riquelme – who drifts in small spaces, primarily in the attacking third, and lives to hit the final ball.
Klinsmann, to his credit, did not ask Bradley to play the No. 10 in either of those manifestations today. Instead, he untethered the Toronto FC man from any particular part of the field, allowing him to drift as deep as he wanted on both sides of the ball (like the No. 8 he is) but asking him to get forward on third-man runs into the box, in order to be goal dangerous.
This was brilliant, except for the finish:
This was nearly as good:
As we all know, that's not the entire Bradley package when asked to be a playmaker – just look at the surfeitof assists on Pirlo-esque chipsinto the attacking third from the last 12 months alone. Today he was in a position to make those plays, but also to get forward and threaten goal himself.
The fact that it didn't come off is disappointing, but such is sport. The important thing is the process, and today's process was encouraging since it put the best US player in the best spots to do the most damage.
2. What was missing
The key with Bradley is to give him options to pick out – two forwards, at least one speedy winger who can break through the lines, and one overlapping fullback. When he's surrounded by that type of talent, he produces the best stuff this current USMNT pool can offer.
Alejandro Bedoya was arguably the best US player on the day, and fits the definition of what coaches look for when they say, "We want guys who aren't afraid to get the ball in the toughest spots on the field." He was able to provide width (remember that early cross to Gyasi Zardes?) but also found time to cut inside and help both defensively and in possession. He is, by my measure, a guy who should start 100 percent of the time if healthy and available.
What Bedoya isn't is a north-south, goal-dangerous attacker. And I maintain that in order to get the best out of this group, Klinsmann needs to find one of those to play on the wing opposite from Bedoya. This not only gives Bradley another attacker to pick out, but it also pins back the opposing fullback – meaning the US don't have to defend as wide, and Bradley doesn't have to play as high. It lets him sit a little bit deeper, turning the diamond into more of a 4-1-3-2.
Alfredo Morales struggled in that role today. You can see it in the clip above – first he doesn't realize Bradley's pass is coming, then he's far too passive with the ball, failing to drive back the Swiss defense on the dribble.
The US network passing graph shows just how deep and non-threatening he was:
The gut instinct argument is that he was covering for goal-scorer Brek Shea, but that doesn't pass the eye test since the only time Dane Brekken ventured into the attacking third was on that perfect free kick. He has been a stay-at-home fullback for the most part with both Orlando City and the USMNT, and while he has trouble closing down crosses, his defensive instincts against combination play have been surprisingly good. He didn't particularly need defensive help from Morales on that side.
I like Morales a lot as a defensive midfielder, and think he's earned a lot more reps there after his strong second half vs. Denmark last week. And as Taylor Twellman pointed out, he's playing as a box-to-box left-sider for his club team, Ingolstadt, so he shouldn't have been completely out of his element in this one.
But it really, really looked like he was. The US need Bedoya on one flank and an attacker on the other. It's been that way for a while.
3. The Timmy Chandler issue
Taylor's tweet was from the first half, and Robert's was from the second. Chandler was more active and confident in this one than he was against the Danes, but in the words of John Wooden, "Never mistake activity for achievement." At some point, he's got to marry potential to production.
The frustrating thing is that he largely has with his club team. With the US, however, he continues to be a liability.
