Examining the past, to fix the future

By now you've all seen the reports and headlines from USA-England, from both neutral observers and American homers (and British ones too). Some say the Americans' point was deserved, and some say it was simply lucky, but neither side can argue against the fact that Robert Green's mishap changed the face of the whole game. Earned or undeserved, the point now puts the U.S. in a great position to advance past the group stages.

In order move forward, the U.S. must learn from its past, examining both successes and weaknesses. The squad played exceptionally in many areas of the field, notably its resolute defending, but they were certainly exposed in predictable areas. England couldn't produce anything out of this exposure, but eventually someone will exploit these weaknesses if they aren't addressed. Essentially, the U.S. is playing very well, and it still has the precious opportunity to go from good to great.

Three things the U.S. needs do:

Sit Ricardo Clark...

Plain and simple, England's goal is the epitome of why Ricardo Clark is ineffective as a holding mid. Clark was inexplicably ball-watching as his man Steven Gerrard, only one of the best players in England's history, sped past him to score the opening goal. I gave Clark the benefit of the doubt in my USA preview, since he often unglamorously plays ball-denial by blocking passing lanes. Nevertheless, he showed against England that not only does he doze off at times, he doesn't have enough impact when focused to shut off a higher calibre of player. Too often he disappears like this, failing to stall offenses like a holding mid should, and as such he should lose his claim to this role to Jermaine Jones after the World Cup.

...in favor of an aggressive holding mid.

In the meantime, the U.S. needs a more aggressive holding mid anyway, since Slovenia plays a slower passing-oriented offense than England. As a result, look for Bob Bradley to start Jose Torres at holding mid on Friday. While he could opt for Maurice Edu instead, the U.S. may need Torres' creative passing to break down the resolute Slovenian defense. The combination of these two strengths makes me think Bradley will call on Torres.

Offense is a great form of defense...

Thanks to the U.S. speed up front and on the wings, England could never fully commit forward to attack Tim Howard's goal until the very end. In one of the few instances where England ignored the threat, Jozy was on hand to break forward and rattle the post, a reminder of the consequences to pouring forward. This threat of counter-attack is one of the most viable ways for the U.S. to restrict a superior team's offensive might, reinforcing that Robbie Findley's speed is needed from the opening whistle in this scenario.

...but tailor it to the opposition.

This counter-attack works best against clear favorites, who typically take the fight to the Americans. However, Slovenia is an underdog, more likely to control the ball and expose the U.S. when it goes too far forward. In other words, the roles are somewhat reversed from the England match, so the U.S. offense must shift away from speed and athleticism, and towards passing and ball skills. Edson Buddle should therefore replace Findley, since he distributes the ball better and shoots more clinically.

The defensive spine is solid...

Questions about the defensive spine were resoundingly addressed against England. Oguchi Onyewu looked completely healthy both in his tackles and in the air, and DeMerit bottled Wayne Rooney as well as anyone can expect. Emile Heskey occasionally got free when defensive resources were focused elsewhere, but as I rationalized before the game, he's still Emile Heskey. This squad is well-equipped to handle threats through the middle.

...but the wings must work together defensively.

However, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips put in dangerous crosses far too often, predictably exposing the wingbacks as our remaining big weakness. Simply put, no wingback has both the speed and skill to keep up with speedy wingers like Slovenia's Valter Birsa. As such, other players must help compensate for the team's personnel weakness. Primarily, the wing-mids must track back to impede runs down the sideline, since then the pressure of stopping opposing wingers doesn't fall solely on the backline. Dempsey and Landon are still needed offensively, but they must help defensively to solve the team's biggest weakness.

In my opinion, the U.S.-England game was an extraordinary display by both teams, marred by one stupid mistake by one player on each side. That said, the U.S. did not play perfectly, but after all, it was the opening game against a vaunted opponent. Going forward from here, the U.S. has a great chance to retain its pole position, making a couple minor tweaks along the way. Things are looking up from here.

(Thanks to Bleacher Report for scouting Slovenia.)