How U.S. can solve defensive issues
By Doug McIntyre
ESPN INSIDER
The most interesting thing to happen Tuesday during the U.S. national soccer team's forgettable 0-0 draw with Canada didn't occur on the field. It was the news, announced on ESPN's telecast, that starting right back Steve Cherundolo would not accompany the Yanks to Honduras next week for their first World Cup qualifier of 2013 due to the knee he injured while training with German team Hannover.
That the U.S. will miss Cherundolo's experience in San Pedro Sula is a given -- the 35-year-old would have been the lone player on the roster participating in his fourth qualifying cycle. Fortunately, the Yanks have a ready replacement in Timmy Chandler, who reportedly accepted a call-up for the trip to Central America. It's the first time the 22-year-old Chandler has agreed to appear in a meaningful match. As soon as he steps on the field in Honduras, it will cap-tie him to the U.S. program for good, ending speculation that the dual-national could opt instead for his native Germany.
Chandler, the son of an American serviceman, can play. So while he has never experienced the shenanigans (terrible fields, uneven refereeing, hostile fans) that are standard fare for any away CONCACAF qualifier, he has enough ability and experience that there shouldn't be much, if any, drop-off with him on the field.
On the opposite side of the back line, it's another story.
Starting left back Fabian Johnson missed Hoffenheim's most recent game with a sore knee, and he was still training on his own early this week. His status for the Bundesliga club's game against Freiburg on Saturday is still unclear, and so is his availability for the U.S. next Wednesday.
The Yanks have coped without Johnson before; he missed Yanks' two qualifying wins over Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda last October. But Michael Parkhurst, who spelled Johnson impressively in the semifinal round-clinching victory against the Guatemalans, has yet to see the field since transferring to German club Augsburg. Parkhurst hasn't played a match since the Danish season ended in December.
Next on the depth chart is in-form Edgar Castillo, who has played every minute in each of reigning Mexican champ Club Tijuana's four games since Liga MX resumed earlier this month. Castillo, 26, is producing some of the best soccer of his career, and the unfriendly crowd at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano certainly wouldn't faze him. If he's ever going to get a chance for the Yanks in a meaningful match, this might be it. Plus, Klinsmann likes Castillo. If Johnson can't go, we could find out how much.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the coach has seen enough from Matt Besler and/or Omar Gonzalez over these last three weeks to put one of them in the lineup against the Catrachos. The coach threw Geoff Cameron into the fire in Guatemala City last year, after all, and that turned out all right. Pairing either Besler or Gonzalez with captain Carlos Bocanegra in the middle would allow Cameron to slide into Johnson's spot on the left, giving the Yanks a more physical, imposing back line. Such a switch shouldn't trouble the versatile Cameron since he has occasionally played left back with Stoke City this season.
None of the solutions is perfect. As the draw with Canada underscored, the U.S. still has a ways to go to meet Klinsmann's two-deep-at-every-position ideal, so the coach must be hoping that Johnson can recover quickly. One report suggested the 25-year-old could return to full training as early as Wednesday (a Hoffenheim spokesman didn't immediately return a request for an update). If Johnson doesn't, and the U.S. is forced to play a patchwork XI missing half of its preferred back four, next Wednesday could be a long day in Honduras.
By Doug McIntyre
ESPN INSIDER
The most interesting thing to happen Tuesday during the U.S. national soccer team's forgettable 0-0 draw with Canada didn't occur on the field. It was the news, announced on ESPN's telecast, that starting right back Steve Cherundolo would not accompany the Yanks to Honduras next week for their first World Cup qualifier of 2013 due to the knee he injured while training with German team Hannover.
That the U.S. will miss Cherundolo's experience in San Pedro Sula is a given -- the 35-year-old would have been the lone player on the roster participating in his fourth qualifying cycle. Fortunately, the Yanks have a ready replacement in Timmy Chandler, who reportedly accepted a call-up for the trip to Central America. It's the first time the 22-year-old Chandler has agreed to appear in a meaningful match. As soon as he steps on the field in Honduras, it will cap-tie him to the U.S. program for good, ending speculation that the dual-national could opt instead for his native Germany.
Chandler, the son of an American serviceman, can play. So while he has never experienced the shenanigans (terrible fields, uneven refereeing, hostile fans) that are standard fare for any away CONCACAF qualifier, he has enough ability and experience that there shouldn't be much, if any, drop-off with him on the field.
On the opposite side of the back line, it's another story.
Starting left back Fabian Johnson missed Hoffenheim's most recent game with a sore knee, and he was still training on his own early this week. His status for the Bundesliga club's game against Freiburg on Saturday is still unclear, and so is his availability for the U.S. next Wednesday.
The Yanks have coped without Johnson before; he missed Yanks' two qualifying wins over Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda last October. But Michael Parkhurst, who spelled Johnson impressively in the semifinal round-clinching victory against the Guatemalans, has yet to see the field since transferring to German club Augsburg. Parkhurst hasn't played a match since the Danish season ended in December.
Next on the depth chart is in-form Edgar Castillo, who has played every minute in each of reigning Mexican champ Club Tijuana's four games since Liga MX resumed earlier this month. Castillo, 26, is producing some of the best soccer of his career, and the unfriendly crowd at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano certainly wouldn't faze him. If he's ever going to get a chance for the Yanks in a meaningful match, this might be it. Plus, Klinsmann likes Castillo. If Johnson can't go, we could find out how much.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the coach has seen enough from Matt Besler and/or Omar Gonzalez over these last three weeks to put one of them in the lineup against the Catrachos. The coach threw Geoff Cameron into the fire in Guatemala City last year, after all, and that turned out all right. Pairing either Besler or Gonzalez with captain Carlos Bocanegra in the middle would allow Cameron to slide into Johnson's spot on the left, giving the Yanks a more physical, imposing back line. Such a switch shouldn't trouble the versatile Cameron since he has occasionally played left back with Stoke City this season.
None of the solutions is perfect. As the draw with Canada underscored, the U.S. still has a ways to go to meet Klinsmann's two-deep-at-every-position ideal, so the coach must be hoping that Johnson can recover quickly. One report suggested the 25-year-old could return to full training as early as Wednesday (a Hoffenheim spokesman didn't immediately return a request for an update). If Johnson doesn't, and the U.S. is forced to play a patchwork XI missing half of its preferred back four, next Wednesday could be a long day in Honduras.
