We'll get to the offense later because it was pretty good, but U.S. fans have to be concerned by the team's defensive showing in Sunday's friendly against Turkey. The final scoreboard said 2-1 in favor of the Americans, but that scoreline was flattering to a U.S. defense that was at sixes and sevens for much of the match. The performance begs a simple yet foundational question: Does the U.S. need to consider changing its formation only two weeks before their opening game?
Against Turkey, the U.S. lined up in a 4-4-2 with a diamond in the middle consisting of a defensive midfielder, two wingers and an attacking midfielder at the top. The advantage of this formation is that it allows the U.S. to play two forwards. This allows the U.S. to get numbers in the box when they attack down the wings, and this is important because crossing is what the team's wide midfielders do best. Graham Zusi, Brad Davis, Alejandro Bedoya - all are more comfortable driving to the endline and delivering a cross than they are going for goal. To maximize their value, these wingers need teammates in the attack to get on the end of their deliveries.
Unfortunately, Turkey made the downside to this 4-4-2 formation very clear on Sunday. When the U.S. plays two forwards and an attacking midfielder, they leave only one central midfielder to cover the backline, and this can leave the team's defense exposed. Watching Sunday's game, I found myself noticing how big the pitch seemed. There was green grass all over the place most strikingly in the American half of the field where Turkish players kept popping up with acres of space around them. It was shocking at times how easily Turkey advanced the ball into dangerous attacking areas. Part of this was due to poor defensive communication (which is also a concern), but much of it was because the U.S. simply didn't have the defensive numbers to match the players Turkey pushed forward in attack.
Turkey had 25 shots in Sunday's game. Twenty-five! Many of those shots came from dangerous situations, and profligate is the word that comes to mind in describing how Turkey took their chances. They scuffed shots, made poor decisions, and generally showed a lack of class in front of goal. If this was Germany or Portugal, it would likely have been three or even four goals in the back of the net. Yikes. This brings us back to the formation. It is now a very open question whether the U.S. can afford the luxury of a second forward against the likes of Ghana, Portugal and Germany. Based on Sunday's performance, the team may be better suited switching to a 4-5-1 and playing with two defensive central midfielders instead of two forwards. This will be something to watch against Nigeria in the U.S.'s final pre-World Cup friendly.
Ok, enough of the day's concerns. Much more pleasant to dwell upon is the U.S. attack which was positively frisky against Turkey. Clint Dempsey's return to the lineup provided a boost as he consistently made dangerous runs behind the Turkish defense. Jozy Altidore did everything but score a goal, and his strong holdup play created many dangerous opportunities. Michael Bradley was immense in midfield highlighted by his world class chip to set up the opening goal. Overall, there was more cohesion than in the Azerbaijan game, and the U.S. looked a team that could be dangerous on the counter attack. Time for the grades.
Player Ratings: 1-10 (10 = highest)
GK: Tim Howard, 6.5 - There was a lot of activity in front of Howard's goal, but Turkey's poor finishing meant Howard didn't need to make a save every time. Howard was strong the times he was called upon.
D: Timothy Chandler, 3.5 - Chandler showed plenty of exuberance getting up and down the left flank, but his lack of communication with Besler and Cameron was a major concern. Chandler also had a terrible giveaway that led to Turkey's goal.
D: Matt Besler, 5 - Besler made some good step ups, but you have to fault him in part for the poor positioning of the U.S. defense. He was lucky not to give away a penalty early in the first half.
D: Geoff Cameron, 6 - On the day, Cameron looked the steadier of the two central defenders, and he did well when confronted with several one-on-one situations. He appears to have the inside track over Omar Gonzalez for the second starting central defender spot in Brazil.
D: Fabian Johnson, 8 - Johnson was one of the best players in a U.S. shirt for the second consecutive game. Few of the defensive lapses came from his side of the field, and he was again dangerous going forward in attack. His half-volley goal was top drawer stuff.
M: Jermaine Jones, 4 - It's unfair to put too much of the defensive blame on Jones as he was often left covering too much space for one player. That being said, he was poor in possession, and it was several of his unnecessary giveaways that left the U.S. defense exposed.
M: Graham Zusi, 5 - Zusi turned in a better performance than a few days ago against Azerbaijan. He whipped in several dangerous balls including a beautiful first time cross to spring Julian Green, but he seemed to float in and out of the game.
M: Brad Davis, 5 - Davis was rewarded with a start for his strong performance against Azerbaijan, but he was unable to make the same impact. Like Zusi, he delivered some dangerous crosses, but Davis had trouble getting involved consistently.
M: Michael Bradley, 8.5 - Bradley was immense in the U.S. midfield setting up the first goal and linking well with both the forwards and the defenders behind him. This is the type of performance the U.S. needs from Bradley in Brazil.
F: Clint Dempsey, 6 - Dempsey scored the second U.S. goal, but he lacked cutting edge on several other promising opportunities. Still, Dempsey put himself in many dangerous positions, and U.S. fans will be glad his groin injury now appears a non-issue.
F: Jozy Altidore, 7 - Altidore looked like a guy who's been hitting the gym. He manhandled Turkish defenders physically creating many dangerous opportunities for himself and his teammates, and that is exactly what the U.S. will need him to do in the World Cup. Altidore was unfortunate to have a goal disallowed, and his near six-month goal drought continues.
SUBS:
GK: Brad Guzan, 7 - Guzan faced a barrage of shots during the second half and acquitted himself very well. There wasn't much he could do to stop Turkey's penalty kick.
D: John Anthony Brooks, 5 - Brooks had a solid half using his height to snuff out many crosses. He did have one shaky moment early in the half where he failed to clear the ball and was sluggish on the recovery.
D: DeAndre Yedlin, 6.5 - Yedlin came on for Johnson midway through the second half and looked very strong defensively. He consistently used his speed and strength to win back possession, and he recovered well to clean up several dangerous attacks. This was a performance to build on.
M: Kyle Beckerman, 6 - Beckerman was simple and clean in possession providing a stark contrast to Jones. He spent most of his time defending as Turkey controlled the majority of the possession in the second half.
M: Julian Green, 3 - Green looked understandably nervous, and his performance left you wondering if he's physically ready for the game at this level.
M: Mix Diskerud, 5 - Diskerud only saw the field for 20 minutes and didn't have much opportunity to leave his stamp on the game. He did play several nice through balls to Altidore.