Jun 26, 2014; Recife, BRAZIL; USA injured forward Jozy Altidore against Germany during the 2014 World Cup at Arena Pernambuco. Germany defeated USA 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After injuring his hamstring 20 minutes into the match against Ghana, US forward Jozy Alitdore has been ruled out for the second group game versus Portugal on Sunday. A loss that hurts the USMNT in more ways than one.
Jurgen Klinsmann subbed in Aron Johannsson after Altidore went down on Monday, which had mixed results. Johannsson is a totally different player from Jozy Altidore. Just as Altidore likes to play with his back to goal, Johannsson likes to face goal and take on defenders. The US struggled to keep possession after losing Altidore, whose hold up play was desperately needed after halftime. However, Portugal are a very different team from Ghana. Where as Ghana pressed the US for 90 minutes, Portugal will let the US have bits of possession, and look to build an attack, unlike Ghana who were dependent on counter attacks.
So, Klinsmann has a few different options for the match, depending on how he wants his team to play. If Klinsmann wants the team to take 3 points, he will use an aggressive, attacking XI. But if he wants to hold back and settle for a draw, he will use a defensive oriented team.
If Klinsmann uses Aron Johannsson in a straight swap with Altidore, his XI would look like this:
Tim Howard
Fabian Johnson; Geoff Cameron; Matt Besler; DaMarcus Beasley
Kyle Beckerman
Alejandro Bedoya Jermaine Jones
Michael Bradley
Clint Dempsey; Aron Johannsson
In this XI (a 4-4-2 diamond), Aron Johannsson would act as the target forward, while Dempsey will float around the midfield and attacking third. With Beckerman and Jones, Klinsmann has “back up” for the backline, and could even switch Bedoya and Jones on the flanks to better deal with Cristiano Ronaldo. This XI gives the US some of the same characteristics that they had against Ghana, but this should not be the XI if Klinsmann wants to firmly take hold of this group.
Another option to replace Jozy Altidore would be Chris Wondolowski. Wondo has been a goal-scoring machine for the US as of late, scoring 9 goals in his past 13 appearances. However, he lacks the pace and flair of Johannsson, but makes up for it in his ability to make runs into attacking areas. He makes intelligent plays, one of the reasons he owns the single season goal-scoring record for MLS. He is the closest thing to Jozy Altidore that Klinsmann has (if only Eddie Johnson were in Brazil) in the sense that he is a target forward, and can play with his back to goal.
So, if Klinsmann used Wondo in place for Altidore in the diamond, we have this:
Tim Howard
Fabian Johnson; Geoff Cameron; Matt Besler; DaMarcus Beasley
Kyle Beckerman
Alejandro Bedoya Jermaine Jones
Michael Bradley
Clint Dempsey; Chris Wondolowski
In this XI, the US have a target forward in Wondo, which allows for Clint Dempsey to roam freely throughout the attacking areas. However, this still doesn’t give the US the edge they need against Portugal.
A third option for Klinsmann would be to use Clint Dempsey to play as the lone striker, the option that I personally like the best. So, who is put in the lineup for Altidore? Graham Zusi anyone? If Zusi is put in the XI, this could put the US back into a 4-2-3-1 that Klinsmann has used for the majority of his time as manager. This allows him to have the security of Beckerman and Jones in front of the defense and allows for better service from the flanks. So, the XI would look like this.
Tim Howard
Fabian Johnson; Geoff Cameron; Matt Besler; DaMarcus Beasley
Kyle Beckerman; Jermaine Jones
Alejandro Bedoya Michael Bradley Graham Zusi
Clint Dempsey
This is the XI that gives the US their best chance against Portugal. In a 4-2-3-1 the US have extra security in the form of Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones (who played great against Ghana), and with the inclusion of Graham Zusi they have a winger who provides service from the flank, as well as defense. Remember, Zusi had the assist on the John Brooks goal against Ghana.
The USMNT play Portugal, with a win possibly putting them into the knockout round of the World Cup, on Sunday at 6 pm ET on ESPN.
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