World Cup Musings
“That position was not a striker over the last 40 minutes. That was another player on the field helping you get a point. It takes an experienced player to do that,” Arena said. “Brian was doing well, he hung in there and we said 'let’s stick with it and not bring in another player under difficult circumstances'.”
Bruce Arena explaining why he didn't substitute for Brian McBride late in the Italy match.
After watching DeMarcus Beasley Saturday against the Italians and then seeing this quote from Arena about McBride's performance, I think it's safe to assume that Beasley has worked himself even farther down the bench. I doubt we'll see him again this World Cup, and if Arena continues as the national team coach, we may discover he's gotten his last cap for the US.
Why such a harsh assessment? With the US playing 9 on 10 Beasley was subbed in for Convey in midfield. At this point in the match the Italian defenders were starting to show wooden legs. And with 3 players having been sent off, the pitch was wide open with lots of open space in which to run. Beasley, with his speed, was expected to open things up even more, and wear down the Italians even further. Additionally, by coming in to midfield, rather than up front for McBride, it was clear Arena expected him to handle defensive responsibilities as well.
In effect he was in to run end to end, from box to box, using his speed to press the Italians when the US was in possession and to get back and slow the attack when the US was dispossessed. He did neither. It was as if he was playing like it was the start of a match with two fully rested, complete sides testing each other. Too often when he collected the ball in midfield, rather than pressing the attack quickly, he slowed the play as if watching for the left back to come forward on the overlap. Playing for the point and not willing to risk giving the Italians any openings, Bocanegra wasn't about to get caught up on a counter attack.
Clearly Beasley didn't react to the circumstances of the match at this point. Rather than bringing veteran presence onto the field with its understanding of what is needed at any given point in the game, he played like a rookie, not recognizing the changed circumstances of the match now that it was late in the game, with an open field, and a tired opponent. He took away Eddie Johnson's chance to be a hero when Arena put Beasley in as a veteran who would understand what needed to be done to first insure the tie, and then to possibly even steal three points from a disaster of a match.
Arena is too good a coach to make that mistake again. I think the only reason he didn't sub out Beasley near the end is because he's typically too classy to publically embarass his players. Taking Beasley out then would be comparable to sending in a pinch runner in baseball for a batter who hits one deep and stands and admires it hoping it's a homer only to have the ball hit the wall and he is then forced to race to first to avoid being out on what could be an easy double if he'd run right out of the box.
Here's the question of the day: will the US go to a 3-5-2 against Ghana since both of the African's top goal scorers are out of the match and it's a must win game for the US? Or will they play the 4-5-1 they've shown so far in hopes they can sneak one in on a counter early, then pack the box for a 1-0 victory?
Bruce Arena explaining why he didn't substitute for Brian McBride late in the Italy match.
After watching DeMarcus Beasley Saturday against the Italians and then seeing this quote from Arena about McBride's performance, I think it's safe to assume that Beasley has worked himself even farther down the bench. I doubt we'll see him again this World Cup, and if Arena continues as the national team coach, we may discover he's gotten his last cap for the US.
Why such a harsh assessment? With the US playing 9 on 10 Beasley was subbed in for Convey in midfield. At this point in the match the Italian defenders were starting to show wooden legs. And with 3 players having been sent off, the pitch was wide open with lots of open space in which to run. Beasley, with his speed, was expected to open things up even more, and wear down the Italians even further. Additionally, by coming in to midfield, rather than up front for McBride, it was clear Arena expected him to handle defensive responsibilities as well.
In effect he was in to run end to end, from box to box, using his speed to press the Italians when the US was in possession and to get back and slow the attack when the US was dispossessed. He did neither. It was as if he was playing like it was the start of a match with two fully rested, complete sides testing each other. Too often when he collected the ball in midfield, rather than pressing the attack quickly, he slowed the play as if watching for the left back to come forward on the overlap. Playing for the point and not willing to risk giving the Italians any openings, Bocanegra wasn't about to get caught up on a counter attack.
Clearly Beasley didn't react to the circumstances of the match at this point. Rather than bringing veteran presence onto the field with its understanding of what is needed at any given point in the game, he played like a rookie, not recognizing the changed circumstances of the match now that it was late in the game, with an open field, and a tired opponent. He took away Eddie Johnson's chance to be a hero when Arena put Beasley in as a veteran who would understand what needed to be done to first insure the tie, and then to possibly even steal three points from a disaster of a match.
Arena is too good a coach to make that mistake again. I think the only reason he didn't sub out Beasley near the end is because he's typically too classy to publically embarass his players. Taking Beasley out then would be comparable to sending in a pinch runner in baseball for a batter who hits one deep and stands and admires it hoping it's a homer only to have the ball hit the wall and he is then forced to race to first to avoid being out on what could be an easy double if he'd run right out of the box.
Here's the question of the day: will the US go to a 3-5-2 against Ghana since both of the African's top goal scorers are out of the match and it's a must win game for the US? Or will they play the 4-5-1 they've shown so far in hopes they can sneak one in on a counter early, then pack the box for a 1-0 victory?
posted by Wake of the Flood at 1:24 PM
4 Comments:
With Mastroeni and Pope on the bench, wouldn't that make Beasley even more important now? And I still can't figure out what the hell Mastroeni did to get red carded. I will say this about the Italians; they are most definitely the best actors I've seen since Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.
BTW...did you hear Eric Wynalda rip Arena a new one the other night? The guy sure sounds bitter...
Beasley will soon be spending time with Freddy Adu, complaining about Arena and his lack of understanding about how to get the most out of their obvious world-class talent.
I could not believe the casualness Beasley displayed when opportunity landed at his feet in the form of the ball. Too often he looked to move it away from himself and let someone else take the blame for the misfortune that could come, instead of seeking to punish the Italian defenders. Eddie Johnson, I believe will be on the field Thursday, if not at the start of the match, then surely around that 60 minute mark.
One thing I was very glad to see and that was Landon Donovan's response to being challenged by Arena. While he did not dominate the play, there were hints at his capability in evidence. One play in particular bodes well for his game.
He was coming back for a ball and just coming out of the penalty area. Defenders were closing in. Settling the ball and getting a shot off was unlikely. So with one gentle touch, he laid the ball off to Claudio Reyna for an attempt as he made a diagional run. Kudos to both Donovan and Reyna for "seeing" the play.
Reyna's play has, to me, been the biggest surprise of the tournament. After watching him seem to bog down the US attack over the last 18 months, I am shocked to see he has anything left in his tank. I thought he was over the hill and taking up space. His work ethic on the field has proved me wrong, even though his best days as a controlling midfielder are clearly behind him.
Bruce: I played with an Italian-American club for 2 years, and yes, they are even better actors than the Mexicans. And incredibly vicious. Others will chop you down to slow a play. The Azurri chop people down to take them out of the game. did you read any of the comments from the Italian side about the red on Rossi? They all felt it was just a hard foul, no intent, and shouldn't even have warranted a yellow, let alone a red. I'm sure McBride agrees HAHA. As for Pablo, as a ref I didn't like the call, but understand it. Pablo came in with 2 feet cleats up. The ref ruled it as coming from behind, I saw it as from the side. From the side, maybe a yellow. From the back, the rulebook says it should be a red.
I missed Wynalda's rip of Arena. I did catch Harkes rip of Reyna after the Czech match. Neither does much for me as an analyst. To me a dream team for announcing a match to an American audience would be JP Dellacamera, Rob Stone and Tommy Smyth. The first two have a good understanding of the modern game and Tommy Smyth has a great ability to make an understated rip when its well deserved.
Kurt: Well said about Beasley and Adu. Both are incredibly gifted players, both in terms of individual skills and physical abilities. And while both have shown glimpses of being truly transcendent players, overall they've demonstrated a lack of vision that makes their skills and physical abilities into little more than practice field phenomena. Like the bball player with all the moves who dominates street ball but can't do a thing in a uniform in an organized league where team play trumps one on one showtime.
I've always liked Dellacamera; he's knowledgeable and can get his point across without getting too technical for the casual fan. He reminds me a lot of Leif Elsmo, the college lacrosse guy.
Ya know, I've been following Arena since his days at UVA(I live an hour south), and I have always thought he was an exceptional coach. So, when Wynalda basically called him a "lacrosse coach dressed in soccer clothing", I was really shocked.
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