Joe Corona silenced his critics with just one strike: a first-time golazo from outside of the area.
The competition was poor, but the technique and bravado of the goal weren’t.
The United States Men’s National Team defeated Cuba 4-1, but Joe Corona showcased his class and work rate to many people who hadn’t seen these qualities already.
Many people seemed to need to see Corona’s skill-level in the Gold Cup because they didn’t feel that the Copa Libertadores was a worthy enough proving ground.
From an American perspective, Joe Corona was the story in this game, and he wasn’t just the story of the game because of the first-time golazo he bent into the corner off the bounce from outside the 18.
With so many American soccer writers and members of the media continuing to refer to Corona as “inexperienced” and “unproven,” that one goal made a lot of his critics eat their words and rethink their assessments of Corona.
Even if the goal was against Cuba, it was a legitimate statement goal to silence the doubters.
Regardless of the competition in this particular game, Corona isn’t an unknown player or a player that needs to prove very much, especially to American soccer writers who should have seen him play on numerous occasions over the last year for Tijuana in La Liga MX and in the Copa Libertadores.
A closer inspection of Corona’s play reveals a player who interchangeably uses the inside and outside of both feet, who moves well without the ball, who plays incisive and first-time passes, and who scores as well as he passes.
This ability to set up goals and score goals causes many people to struggle to understand what Corona’s position is or where he should play, but a goal-scoring playmaker isn’t a new concept.
Although the competition was poor, Joe Corona showed what he could do in a U.S. jersey against an athletic and actually quite-skilled opponent who wanted to win.
Mix Diskerud (Photo: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports)
Jürgen Klinsmann will likely start a line-up that is something along the lines of what he started in the Guatemala friendly before the first Gold Cup game against Belize, but it’s likely that Klinsmann will start either Stuart Holden or Mix Diskerud over José Torres, who started against Guatemala and Belize.
Torres might start against Cuba, but it would likely be in a more advanced role out left where he started against Belize.
Many American soccer writers such as Ives Galarcep of Soccer by Ives as well as others suggested that Klinsmann didn’t start Herculez Gomez, Oguchi Onyewu, and Stuart Holden against Belize because of the artificial turf in Portland where the game was played.
That seems like a fair assumption with the exception of Onyewu who World Soccer Source believes wasn’t started at center back because Michael Orozco was younger, quicker, and more skilled.
With the next game on grass near Salt Lake City, it is very likely that Holden and Diskerud will start and that Beckerman will start as well.
Starting with the defense, Klinsmann will probably start Nick Rimando in goal, Michael Parkhurst at right back, Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco at center back, and DaMarcus Beasley at left back.
While Parkhurst lost his man on Belize’s goal against the United States, Parkhurst is looking very composed and efficient out at right back. According to the statistics on MLS’ site, Parkhurst completed 113 of 127 passes against Belize, which shows a major involvement in the game and an ability to not lose possession.
At center back, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst have looked much more composed on the ball and more equipped to keep up with quicker attackers than Onyewu has shown.
Klinsmann may start Onyewu with Goodson at center back, but Orozco deserves the start with Goodson.
Beasley continues to surprise at left back, and he is looking too capable of keeping up with attackers and too composed in possession with both feet to be removed from the starting line-up as the left back.
One interesting option would be for Klinsmann to start Beasley as a right back with Edgar Castillo at left back with Parkhurst and Orozco as the center backs.
This option would eliminate Goodson from the Starting XI. Goodson has done nothing wrong, but Parkhurst and Orozco are visibly more skilled and athletic center back options than Goodson and Onyewu. As the tournament goes on, the United States will need to field the best line-up at its disposal.
The so-called Front Six presents even more questions than the defensive back four.
Should Holden and Diskerud start as a line of two faux-defensive midfielders in order to improve the overall skill level of the American midfield behind Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, and Break Shea?
Against Belize, Klinsmann started Beckerman as a midfield destroyer with Corona, Diskerud, and Torres forming a line of three attacking midfielders behind Chris Wondolowski as a first striker and Landon Donovan as a second striker, so Beckerman will likely be in the line-up again.
Jürgen Klinsmann could likely use the following Starting XI: Rimando; Parkhurst, Goodson, Orozco, Beasley; Beckerman; Diskerud, Holden; Corona; Gomez, Donovan.
While Klinsmann’s likely option is close to the strongest option that Klinsmann has at his disposal, this writer supports eliminating Beckerman from the Starting XI.
The more skilled option is a Front Six consisting of:Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.
Therefore, World Soccer Source supports starting the following Starting XI against Cuba: Rimando; Beasley, Parkhurst, Orozco, Castillo; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.
What’s the rationale behind World Soccer Source’s Starting XI?
The basic premise is that the line-up proposed above includes a higher number of technically-skilled players with a defensive back four with two faster and more skilled center backs.
Additionally, Holden and Diskerud showed against Guatemala that they were able to play the requisite amount of defense while also drastically improving the quality of the passing in the American midfield, and that game proves more than the game against a low-ranked Belize side that did surprisingly well, while showing that even really low-ranked teams have players who display good athleticism and good basic fundamentals.
World Soccer Source sees Herculez Gomez starting over Chris Wondolowski despite Wondolowski’s hat trick and well-executed goals off diving headers. Gomez is a better player than Wondolowski, and Gomez plays better against better competition.
Gomez showed some good chemistry with Corona, and the most potent attack for the USMNT is Donovan, Corona, and Shea behind Gomez with Diskerud and Holden playing deeper in the midfield in a truly unorthodox formation with no defensive midfielder.
Klinsmann might start Beckerman again, and there is a logical rationale for doing so as Beckerman is the only defensive midfielder on the roster.
To be fair to Beckerman, his actual technical ability is good and his soccer IQ is high, but he’s simply not blessed with the speed and quickness that allow him to maximize his skill or catch up to opponents to perform better-timed tackles that aren’t fouls.
Another Starting XI option that Klinsmann might use would be: Rimando; Parkhurst, Orozco, Goodson, Beasley; Beckerman, Holden; Corona, Diskerud, Donovan; Gomez.
The USMNT XI against Belize should be similar to the USMNT XI against Guatemala with four changes.
Klinsmann will likely start Nick Rimando at goalkeeper again. Rimando came out of his box a few times to clear balls that Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu looked in danger of not getting to in time, and there were some miscommunications between Rimando and his center backs.
Rimando likely learned to just clear those out himself next time.
There’s nothing wrong with a goalkeeper coming out of his box, if it looks like his center backs are going to be outrun.
The key is for the goalkeeper to just clear the ball in such a way as to not be vulnerable to being beaten with a blast over his head from distance or a chip floated over his head and into the goal.
Michael Parkhurst looked up to the task at right back despite being a center back for almost his entire career until recently. Parkhurst is known for being calm on the ball, and based on Klinsmann’s roster selections, Parkhurst is still the best choice at right back.
Parkhurst has learned how to play the position. He’s not as fast as other right backs in the pool who were left off the roster, but he isn’t a slow player. There’s no one on the roster that can do a better job at right back than Parkhurst.
Klinsmann would be wise to start Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco Fiscal as the center backs, as Onyewu looked vulnerable to being beaten with quickness, overall speed, or trickery. Goodson looked far superior to Onyewu in this regard, and Goodson isn’t even a fast or quick player.
Orozco is a player that is subjected to a fair amount of criticism within the American soccer fan base and the American soccer media, but compared to Onyewu, Orozco is a player who is more agile and more technically-sound.
People have their reasons for not liking Orozco, but he certainly doesn’t play like a player with inadequate fundamentals or poor quickness. Starting Orozco over Onyewu seems like a necessity.
Oddly enough, DaMarcus Beasley seems to do well at left back. At the beginning of his career and still now, Beasley was a very thin player who looked easy to muscle off the ball, but Beasley seems to have learned how to play left back reasonably well where he has shown a new ability to shield the ball.
He has the ability to dribble and pass out of trouble, and he isn’t a left-footed player who can’t or won’t use his right foot. Despite Edgar Castillo’s strong showings in La Liga MX and the Copa Libertadores, Beasley looks better at left back, even though it was a position he was force into.
Modern outside backs are expected to attack and defend, and Beasley as a natural winger has learned how to play adequate defense, which even includes the ability to win the ball back when dispossessed due to being somewhat new to the left back position.
Based on Kyle Beckerman’s and José Torres’ performances in the previous game, it was clear that Beckerman’s lack of athleticism caused him to foul players that he couldn’t keep up with, and his lack of speed prevented him from being able to catch players to tackle them or dispossess them.
On one occasion, Beckerman actually tackled an opposing player like he was playing American football and not soccer.
Skill-wise, Beckerman is sound, but the lack of the physical gifts of speed and quickness make him unable to get his body into position to show his skill-level in international games.
Beckerman’s partner was José Torres who provides a level of passing that is far below Stuart Holden’s or Mix Diskerud’s. Klinsmann’s only real option to maximize the skill of his squad is to not use a midfield destroyer or Torres as Klinsmann’s attempt at using an American regista.
Instead, Klinsmann should have Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud playing in front of the defense not as defensive midfielders but just as central midfielders who are mindful of the need to play more defensive than they normally play.
Playing defense is something both players can do, as both players have a complete set of soccer fundamentals, which includes playing defense and tackling.
In addition to Holden and Diskerud, the final four starters of the USMNT’s Front Six should be Landon Donovan as a right midfielder, Joe Corona as a central attacking midfielder, Brek Shea as a left winger, and Herculez Gomez as the lone striker.
Gomez is clearly the most talented striker on the roster, and his performances for the United States as well as those in La Liga MX display better movement off the ball, better attacking instincts, and better technical ability than the U.S.’ other options at striker: Jack McInerney, Chris Wondolowski, and Will Bruin.
This roster gives the United States a midfield full of players who have the ability to control the ball possession in the midfield.
The key to the midfield will be Holden and Diskerud continuing to remember that they don’t have players like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Geoff Cameron, or Maurice Edu on the roster behind them playing imposing defense.
Holden and Diskerud must provide the defensive coverage needed in the midfield, and they must do it while being two of the main protagonists of the United States’ passing and attacking.
The Best USMNT Gold Cup XI is taking shape. (Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
As this writer previously wrote in the build up to the USMNT vs. Guatemala game, Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud need to be started slightly deeper in the midfield, as opposed to using Kyle Beckerman as a defensive midfielder.
Additionally, José Torres wasn’t as effective as Holden and Diskerud at facilitating ball movement and possession, which was his job.
Once Joe Corona had Holden and Diskerud to combine with in the second half, Corona was able to have more technical players with whom to pass, despite passing well without Diskerud and Holden in the first half.
Jürgen Klinsmann made two excellent halftime substitutions: Holden and Diskerud.
Both players as mentioned above eclipsed Beckerman’s and Torres’ performances. Additionally, the insertion of Brek Shea gave the U.S.’ attack an additional technically-skilled player who brought speed and the will and ability to get past defenders.
The set-up of Diskerud and Holden playing behind Donovan, Corona, and Shea looks to be the strongest and most effective option.
Going forward in the Gold Cup, Klinsmann will have to continue this strategy of flooding the midfield with players who are comfortable on the ball and who facilitate a style of one-to-two touch passing.
Perhaps, Klinsmann can experiment with Michael Orozco as a defensive midfielder, but the strategy of using midfield possession as a form of defense might be Klinsmann’s best option, given the presence of only one defensive midfielder on the entire Gold Cup roster.
Holden, Diskerud, and Corona all demonstrated that they can tackle and that they are willing to tackle. All three players have the soccer IQ to realize that they will need to provide a lot of tackling and defensive pressure in the midfield to compensate for the lack of a midfield destroyer or just a true box-to-box midfield who defends with authority.
Looking back on the Guatemala game, the best Front Six looks to be: Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud; Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, Brek Shea; Herculez Gomez.
This Front Six is predicated on the strategy of asking non-defensive midfielders to not only pressure the opposition into making mistakes and providing defense and tackling but also to use ball possession and offense as a form of defense.
Beckerman and Torres are both liabilities athletically and technically. Beckerman is way too slow and makes reckless tackles, and Torres is a one-footed soccer player who doesn’t play enough quality passes and final balls, in addition to being too easy to dispossess.
Torres is certainly a player with technical-ability, but it’s held back by relying on just his favored left foot.
Klinsmann made the changes that he needed to make, and he now likely knows that the Front Six mentioned above is his best option for the group stage.
The defense is a different story.
Certainly, Michael Parkhurst and DaMarcus Beasley performed well as outside backs, and Clarence Goodson really outperformed Oguchi Onyewu who looked top-heavy, awkward, and a step too slow.
Nevertheless, Goodson is hardly better than the other options Klinsmann could have picked for the roster, but Goodson showed a level of skill in scoring his goal that Onyewu doesn’t have.
Going forward, the USMNT should field a back line made up of: Michael Parkhurst, Clarence Goodson, Michael Orozco Fiscal, and DaMarcus Beasley. Depending on how well Tony Beltran does, Klinsmann has the option of using Parkhurst and Orozco as the center back tandem.
Klinsmann and the United States’ staff didn’t get their Starting XI right, but Klinsmann seems to have spotted the problem players in the game and corrected them quickly.
This was an example of Klinsmann making excellent player changes that drastically improved the level of play and created five second half goals.
It’s likely that Jürgen Klinsmann will use (or at least should use) the following starting line-up in the first Gold Cup game: Rimando; Parkhurst, Goodson, Orozco, Beasley; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.
This starting line-up is built around ball possession, and using the best defenders possible, given the questionable roster choices in the defense.
Kyle Beckerman is a Jürgen Klinsmann favorite. (Photo: ISIphotos.com)
Jürgen Klinsmann has a variety of United States Men’s National Team Starting XI options, and none of them would instill much confidence, if it weren’t for the low level of competition the USMNT will face in the Gold Cup.
Klinsmann could possibly start: Nick Rimando; Michael Parkhurst, Clarence Goodson, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Edgar Castillo; Kyle Beckerman, José Torres; Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, DaMarcus Beasley; Herculez Gomez.
A wiser Starting XI would be: Nick Rimando; Josh Gatt, Michael Parkhurst, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Edgar Castillo; Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud; Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, DaMarcus Beasley; Herculez Gomez.
The option presented above has no defensive midfielder whatsoever because the strategy behind it is that by having Beckerman starting, the USMNT would have a liability in front of the defensive back four.
Instead, the Starting XI above has two modern outside backs, the best two center back options on the 23-man roster, five midfielders who can maintain possession and attack, and a proven international and Liga MX striker.
Holden, Diskerud, and Corona are all capable of tackling well, if they know they are required to do more tackling than normal. Josh Gatt has played as a right back even though he is considered more of a winger, and Gatt has had the experience of playing a full-strength Russian side in Russia (as a midfielder).
Beckerman’s lack of athleticism, which causes him to badly mistime tackles and injure opponents, alone is a reason not to start him, but his lack of quickness or speed makes him also easily to beat off the dribble or with quick passing combinations.
Klinsmann has the option of flooding the midfield with skilled attacking midfielders and not use a defensive midfielder, and this strategy would basically be based on using offense and ball possession as the United States’ defense.
Whatever starting line-up he selects (and the one proposed above by World Soccer Source is very unlikely to happen), many members of the American soccer media and the fan base will use certain players’ performances against poor competition as justification for their ability to play international soccer against better opponents. Strikers like Jack McInerney and Will Bruin are likely to fall into this category, as well as wingers like Josh Gatt or Alejando Bedoya.
In a way, Klinsmann is not improving the USMNT at all by using the line-up he will likely use. The only thing that Klinsmann can hope to learn with this roster is how well Corona, Diskerud, and Holden play.
Additionally, Klinsmann should be able to gauge how good Josh Gatt’s and Edgar Castillo’s skills are even when they are facing off against a poor opponent like Belize in the first game (if they even start or play).
The United States has other starting line-up options such as using Gatt as a right wing and Tony Beltran as a right back.
So, another Starting XI option would be this: Rimando; Beltran, Goodson, Orozco Fiscal, Castillo; Holden, Diskerud; Gatt, Corona, Donovan; Gomez.
The weakest option available to Klinsmann would be the following Starting XI: Hamid; Parkhurst, Goodson, Onyewu, Ashe; Beckerman, Orozco; Gatt, Torres, Bedoya; Wondolowski.
Jürgen Klinsmann stated that the American players called up to the roster to face Belgium and Germany would likely be the same players who would appear on the Gold Cup roster. This plan seems to be flawed because the performance of players against Belgium and Germany should affect who Klinsmann calls up to the United States Men’s National Team for the 2013 Gold Cup.
In light of the performances of certain players in Major League Soccer and other leagues and the fact that Klinsmann announced that Stuart Holden would be on the Gold Cup roster, World Soccer Source proposes the following 23 players for the United States’ Gold Cup roster:
Who knows which players Jürgen Klinsmann will put on the Gold Cup roster for the United States Men’s National Team?
Maybe, the roster will include some of the best players the United States has, or maybe none of the European-based players will be there.
Maybe MLS players who are vital to their teams’ success will be passed over for players from the national team youth ranks.
Will Freddy Adu be dragged up from Brazil or won’t he? Does Klinsmann even want Adu on the team for the Gold Cup?
Who knows?
Will Benny Feilhaber and Joe Corona play a bigger role in World Cup qualifying and thus be passed over for Gold Cup duty?
Who knows?
There is a gap between what Klinsmann says he will do and what he actually does. Trying to really predict what he will do is next to impossible.
Below is one person’s opinion of a 23-man roster of mostly non-European-based players with the skill and physical gifts to play high-quality, attractive, and effective soccer that leads to victories:
