TheNearPostWe need to take advantage of the tremendous quality we have in Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones. Whenever these two have had the chance to go at defenses, the result is usually pretty good. Bradley has lovely feet, good vision, and superb finishing, while Jones is a powerful and athletic menace who is tough to deal with alone, and has good ability with the ball to boot.

Against Scotland, we saw Jones and Bradley, particularly the former, charging at the opponent's defense. A lot of that was due to Jose Francisco Torres drifting across the pitch, receiving the ball, drawing pressure from Scotland's midfield, and allowing our own to burst forward unchecked into the final third, where Donovan and Boyd lay in wait. I say we use Torres for this match, not only for that, but because he is a player that is used to Central and South American environments, and that could be valuable for helping the U.S. get a foothold in this game.

06.02.2013