5 takeaways from USMNT-Mexico Continental Clasico
The inaugural Continental Clsico played out to a draw.
The United States mens national team hosted Mexico at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, on Wednesday in the latest installment of their fierce rivalry.
El Tri had most of their top players available for the affair while the U.S. called up primarily MLS players due to the game being held outside of a FIFA-recognized international break.
Uriel Antuna opened the scoring in the 55th minute when he capitalized off a poor defensive error, but Jesus Ferreira equalized on the USMNTs lone shot on target in the 81st.
Lets dive into five takeaways from the Clsico:
Aaron Longs woes continue
Safe to say Longs night waslong at least for 70 minutes. The LAFC center back is prone to making costly errors, and his latest mistake definitely went punished. Though the diagonal ball to him was overhit, Long couldve played it safe and cleared it out of bounds. But his pass attempt to Sergino Dest, the teams marquee European player in the squad, lacked strength and bounced off Antuna.
Antuna utilized his blazing speed to perfection with the backline exposed and slotted it past Sean Johnson. Long was substituted for Matt Miazga in the 70th minute as interim manager Anthony Hudson eventually swapped to a back three, which isnt an ideal substitution for a coach to have to make chasing a game in that manner.
Jesus Ferreiras tactical tinkerings
Ferriera started the game as the No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Brandon Vazquez as the No. 9 ahead of him, but the lack of midfield control, which well delve into later, suppressed his opportunities.
Vazquez went off in the 64th minute when Hudson switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-2-5 to overload Mexicos 3-5-2 backline, which saw Ferreira occupy the central forward role. The equalizer came via the equivalent of a point swing in basketball.
On one end, Carlos Rodriguezs finesse shot hit the crossbar. Then Dest broke out on the counter, the ball moved to Jordan Morris on the left flank and Morris delivered a trivela pass into the box that Ferreira just marginally tapped home. Theres still questions on Ferreiras quality to be a reliable long-term option for the nation, but he needed this moment.
No shots on target until 81st minute
The U.S. got on the board, but perhaps the most concerning aspect was not mustering a single shot, let alone one on target, at halftime. They had two prior to Ferreiras goal, but the bigger issue was the team looked devoid of ideas inside the final third.
Vazquez, a pure target No. 9, didnt see a whole lot of quality crosses come inside the box. Ferreira also couldnt dictate creative action as the attacking midfielder. Cade Cowell and Morris didnt have too many chances to take on their defenders in isolation situations, either, which leads to the next point.
Lack of midfield control vs. Mexicos mid-block
Diego Cocca, who replaced Tata Martino after Mexicos World Cup disappointment in Qatar, set up his side in a 3-5-2, meaning the midfield comprised three center backs, five midfielders (two wing backs involved) and two forwards.
Packing the midfield with five players gave the United States three-man midfield Kellyn Acosta, James Sands and Ferreira troubles in the build-up. It didn’t help that Acosta and Sands, playing as double pivot 6s, didnt have ball-playing assurance from Walker Zimmerman, Long and Johnson in net to move up the pitch and sustain pressure. Vazquez also couldnt drop into midfield due to his on-ball weaknesses.
The momentum improved when Hudson committed more bodies forward in pursuit of the equalizer, but tonights game revealed the U.S. needs better technical depth behind their key starters to reach the next level.
Lessons for USMNTs next game
All of these are just some of the key points the U.S. needs to hone in on for their next game, which is the Concacaf Nation League semifinal on June 15. Against whom will this apply to? Mexico.
El Tri will be their next opponent, and though the U.S. will have its marquee stars in the fold since its a summer game and league play in Europe will be done, the Stars and Stripes just have to perform better, whether its Hudson managing or an official hire is made.
