These comments are a little belated but I was caught up in some other things. Here is what the US needs to learn from their game at Wembley.
The USA were humbled at Wembley. There was speculation by many (including myself) that the USA could get a result out of the game, or maybe even a win. I will say it now. ”England played well, and outclassed the US.” I previously made an argument that the US could win. However, the US never was in the game. The first ten minutes were poor for both teams, and then England showed that they are a world-class team. There are a few problems that were made apparent for the US.
There is a major crisis for the US upfront. Eddie Johnson had one good chance; Josh Wolff might just as well have never stepped on the field. A casual observer might not have known Wolff was in the game until he was replaced. Johnson floated in and out of the game, and often played the ball back instead of attacking the England defense. Some of the US faithful might point to the fact that we were without Jozy Altidore and Landon Donovan, which is a fair point. Donovan has been on a tear, and Altidore is a promising player at eighteen.
The fact remains though, that the US pool is extremely shallow. The poor play of Johnson and Wolff will force Bob Bradley to look for new forwards. The immediate player to whom Bob Bradley will look is Kenny Cooper. A former youth player for Manchester United, he currently plies his trade for FC Dallas. He has scored six goals in ten games, and is a big and strong player in the mold of Brian Mcbride. The US lack a true target forward and capable backups. When the Yanks do not have Donovan and Altidore available, they need to have players who can step in and score goals. Bob Bradley must look further into the US pool, and attempt to find some competent backups.
The US was also outplayed in midfield. It was evident that Ricardo Clark does not have the ability to compete against the world's best. He made a habit of giving the ball away, and was not forceful enough in making his presence felt. Bradley played an insignificant game, making a few good challenges, but generally not being as assertive as a ball winning midfielder needs to be. Maurice Edu was a bright spot when he came in for Ricardo Clark. He covered a lot of area and didn’t commit the same sloppy mistakes that Ricardo Clark made. Bob Bradley might want to consider a Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley partnership in the center midfield for the game against Spain.
Bradley also needs to look deeper at the left midfielder spot. Damarcus Beasley was not at his best against England. His set pieces were poor, and he generally struggled to make progress down the left side. Beasley is the best left midfielder for the US when he is on top form, but when he struggles, there is a need for a capable backup. Beasley might need a few more months to fully rehabilitate from a serious knee injury sustained in the Champions League final.
A few years ago, Bobby Convey could have fought for a starting spot. Now he is injured and a long way from duplicating his stellar play when Reading were promoted to the premiership. The best option appears to be Freddy Adu. His confident play, quickness, and flare make him a strong replacement for Damarcus Beasley. Beasley will be the left midfielder for the foreseeable future, but The Red, White & Blue need depth.
The US must play the ball quicker. They could not play the ball fast enough to avoid the English, and often lost the ball because of it. England passed the ball fluidly from side to side, but the Yanks had trouble playing quick 3 pass combinations. Steven Gerrard’s goal was worked because of quick one-touch passing, and the US struggled mightly to use any form of one-touch passing at all. Without quick passing, the Yanks will never be able to compete against teams as good as England.
England was the resounding victor at Wembley, but the US should take its lessons learned and apply them to its upcoming games against Spain and Argentina, and the beginning of World Cup qualifying. The US is playing the best in the world to gain experience. Hopefully, the lessons learned from playing world class teams can be put to use so that the US can compete against any nation in the world.
