TheNearPostThis was a match that featured some tactical changes on the part of both coaches. Slovenia usually sit back and look to hit with lightning quick counters. However, the first half of this match saw them press intensely, which was basically the opposite of what Bob Bradley, and pretty much the whole world, was expecting. Normally, this wouldn't have actually been that much of an issue. The USA's forwards like to make runs into wide areas that stretch the defense and allow Donovan and Dempsey to drift inside off the flanks, which would then have given the USA a numerical advantage in the middle to pass around Slovenia's central midfielders.
However, this is where the USA's tactical change came in. Expecting a straight 4-4-2 vs 4-4-2 battle, Bradley asked his front four to take up conventional 4-4-2 positions, hoping that his team's sheer quality would win this match. Instead, Slovenia's tactics gave Bradley and Torres hardly any time on the ball.
Apart from that, Slovenia's Walter Birsa was giving the American's plenty of headaches, before and after the goal. His drifts inside from the flanks found him offering a third option in build up play unmarked, and this led directly to the Slovenian's first goal.
Apart from that, the goal also demonstrated the low quality of the USA's backline. Namely, Oguch Onyewu. On the first goal Onyewu seemed stuck between stepping to Birsa, or standing his ground and ended up doing just about neither. In fact, he may have gone one worse and unsighted Tim Howard, who was rooted to the spot, although their might not have been much the Everton man could have done about it either way - such was the quality of the strike. Moreover, Bocanegra didn't track Birsa inside, which is quite surprising considering that he is a natural centerback and drifting in from the flank should be to his strength. Nevertheless, Onyewu was exposed again on the second goal when he failed to read the rest of the USA backline's offside trap and allowed Zlatan Ljubijankic to be played in before he cooly slotted past Howard.
Part 2 coming soon...
08.03.2011
