US vs. Paraguay - Do it now or say goodbye to Copa edition
USA (0pts) vs. Paraguay (3pts)
6:35pm ET/ 3:35pm PT
TV: TeleFutura, GolTV
Internet: US Soccer matchtracker text play by play
The US men find themselves in a unique spot where they have to get some kind of result or their Copa experience is all but over. They are coming off a huge beating at the hands of Argentina and about to take the pitch against a Paraguay side that but an even bigger beatting on Colombia. Not an easy situation for a newish coach with a young, inexperience squad.
So what will happen? Either they will fold in such an ugly way that it will make us all wish for the Argentina match again or they will correct some errors (no Marvell Wynne as a starter) and readjust.
A lot of this match will be decided by Ben Olsen who, instead of pushing forward, had to track back on Thursday night to cover for Wynne. If he can spend more of his time in a higher position feeding balls like Donovan normally does, it will equal a much better match.
Then we have the mess up top. Eddie Johnson was the best of the bunch the other night but his effort was nowhere near the level needed. Twellman will likely get the start and if he does he needs to greatly rework his game. Other then a couple times where he tracked back to pressure, he was not seen against Argentina.
All this should give Benny Feilhaber a few good chances to show off his talent. Although I forgot to note it, he was a bright spot for the US in their first match. The more touches he gets, the better chances we have.
No matter what their opening result says, Paraguay is not a strong offensive power then Argentina so the red, white and blue defense should have a little more breathing room. If they can settle early then they have a shot. Still my biggest concern is the lack of a bench. Once we hit the hour mark, the true test for this side will begin.
Predicted lineup:
GK: Keller
D: Simek, Conrad, DeMerit, Bornstein
M: Mapp, Olsen, Clark, Feilhaber
F: Twellman, Johnson
Predictions: Me USA 2-1 Paraguay, Wife USA 1-1 Paraguay
6:35pm ET/ 3:35pm PT
TV: TeleFutura, GolTV
Internet: US Soccer matchtracker text play by play
The US men find themselves in a unique spot where they have to get some kind of result or their Copa experience is all but over. They are coming off a huge beating at the hands of Argentina and about to take the pitch against a Paraguay side that but an even bigger beatting on Colombia. Not an easy situation for a newish coach with a young, inexperience squad.
So what will happen? Either they will fold in such an ugly way that it will make us all wish for the Argentina match again or they will correct some errors (no Marvell Wynne as a starter) and readjust.
A lot of this match will be decided by Ben Olsen who, instead of pushing forward, had to track back on Thursday night to cover for Wynne. If he can spend more of his time in a higher position feeding balls like Donovan normally does, it will equal a much better match.
Then we have the mess up top. Eddie Johnson was the best of the bunch the other night but his effort was nowhere near the level needed. Twellman will likely get the start and if he does he needs to greatly rework his game. Other then a couple times where he tracked back to pressure, he was not seen against Argentina.
All this should give Benny Feilhaber a few good chances to show off his talent. Although I forgot to note it, he was a bright spot for the US in their first match. The more touches he gets, the better chances we have.
No matter what their opening result says, Paraguay is not a strong offensive power then Argentina so the red, white and blue defense should have a little more breathing room. If they can settle early then they have a shot. Still my biggest concern is the lack of a bench. Once we hit the hour mark, the true test for this side will begin.
Predicted lineup:
GK: Keller
D: Simek, Conrad, DeMerit, Bornstein
M: Mapp, Olsen, Clark, Feilhaber
F: Twellman, Johnson
Predictions: Me USA 2-1 Paraguay, Wife USA 1-1 Paraguay
Labels: Copa America, Paraguay, US MNT, US MNT preview, US Soccer
posted by Mike H at 4:25 PM
3 Comments:
I didn't know Simek was on the Copa roster...
;-)
Great Blog...USA needs to FINISH pronto! When Ben Olsen is the man of the tournament, you've got issues. Keller may have played himself into retirement this tournament.
If you can, please check out my blog: ussoccersnob.blogspot.com
Hi Mike,
where I can find some contact to you?
Vaclav
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