‘Best soccer’ may be ahead for veteran U.S. squad
PHILADELPHIA » Bruce Arena, ever the cagey verbal fencer, succeeded in parrying efforts to entice him into crowning his U.S. team as the favorites at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, conceding only that the U.S. is among the eight favorites in a competition with eight teams surviving. But as the tournament’s knockout stages dawn in Philadelphia, his players were more bullish in decreeing the match with El Salvador Wednesday night at Lincoln Financial Field (9 p.m., FS1) as one where they have business to take care of.
“They are games you want to win,” forward Jozy Altidore said Tuesday after training at Rhodes Field at the University of Pennsylvania. “They’re must-win if you want to go on and win the trophy. We recognize we’re one of the bigger teams in the region. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t win the game.
“Obviously El Salvador is a good team and all that, but we want to prove ourselves.”
Arena has sketched a plan for this tournament, merging the desire to conquer continental foes with the imperative of vetting options for next summer’s ultimate aim, the World Cup. Arena started 22 players in three group-stage matches, the U.S. going 2-0-1 to win Group B in form that was rarely convincing. But the plan from the start was to evaluate fringe players’ candidacies for plane tickets to Russia, then shuttle in a veteran corps to hopefully secure three wins and championship, restoring the U.S. to its deposed place atop CONCACAF.
The veteran platoon — forwards Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Michael Bradley plus Tim Howard and young Mexican-American goalie Jesse Hernandez — has 503 caps and 111 international goals between them, none too shabby a second wave.
Integrating to a team that has hammered away for nearly three weeks is unusual, but the contingent has plenty of chemistry to build on from recent World Cup qualifiers. With MLS on hiatus last week, they got a head start with extra training sessions in Cleveland ahead of last Saturday’s game with Nicaragua.
“Obviously there’s a dynamic when you have a group of guys that are together for a few weeks and you make a few changes,” Bradley said. “And it’s on us to make sure we’re coming in and make sure we get ourselves into the group in the right ways immediately. … Ultimately, when the whistle blows tomorrow night, none of this stuff matters.”
“At this level, any time you play a game, you’re prepared, or you should be, whether you’re with your club team or national team,” Howard said. “The national team obviously, it’s an honor to represent your country and you have to be ready. Listen, we jumped into the quarterfinal stages and we already know the tournament has been going on, but nothing changes for us. You just get up to speed with how Bruce wants to play and keep the tempo high and as older players, continue to push this group.”
However unusual it may be, the framework the new faces jump into is established. Arena will continue to tinker with a defense that allowed three group-stage goals, including two to minnows Martinique, with a twodeep rotating cast. Bradley steps in for the Union’s Alejandro Bedoya, who captained the squad twice, in central midfield alongside Kellyn Acosta or Dax McCarty, with Dempsey and Altidore forming the likely first-choice pairing up top.
In that regard, the experimentation of the group stage could give way to a squad that forecasts the opener in Russia. The hope is that the level of play will follow suit.
“I think we’re bringing in some experienced players, players of quality, and that only helps our team,” Arena said. “That was our plan all along. We did it before the tournament and we’re going to move in this direction, and they’ve come in with a good attitude. They’ve made a good impression on the team. And I’m hopeful we’ll play our best soccer.”