The Galaxy fight back after an early Darren Mattocks goal and advance to take on San Jose. Vancouver is left fuming after a questionable penalty sets up the winning Galaxy goal after putting in a spirited defensive effort. Galaxy Setup Bruce Arena was able to fit all of his attacking players on the pitch in a 4-4-2 alignment.
The Dynamo invaded Toyota Park and left with an impressive road win. Houston advances to face Sporting KC after Will Bruin's brace.
Houston Setup Dominic Kinnear elected to field a 4-4-2 on the road. Will Bruin and Calen Carr started up front with Brad Davis wide left and Boniek Garcia on the right.
After worrying Yank's supporters with a poor showing and a loss in Kingston, the squad rebounded in Columbus, playing a fluid passing style in their Tuesday night victory. Each section of the article will focus on a tactical point and compare how the teams played in the two matches.
The Lineups On Friday, the US played a 4-3-1-2, which resulted in a very narrow approach.
Juergen Klinsmann's side achieved their first ever victory in Azteca Stadium after a 1-0 win over
Mexico on Wednesday. Although only a friendly, the historic victory was celebrated by Americans as
a landmark moment against our eternal rivals, particularly considering the experimental lineup
employed by the Yanks.
Rapid's comeback falls short in Steve Zakuani's return to the pitch after being injured against
Colorado 15 months ago.
Sounder's Setup Sigi Schmid decided to place Freddie Montero on the bench and start Eddie
Johnson as a lone striker.
For the first time in club history, Salt Lake lost a home match when they had a two goal lead.
Los Angeles Setup With Edson Buddle out injured and Robbie Keane returning from the European
Championship, Bruce Arena elected to start Landon Donovan as a lone striker.
The Yanks make a solid start with four points from their first two World Cup Qualifying
matches.
US v Antigua & Barbuda The USMNT began a two year road to Brazil 2014
with a Friday night affair against Antigua & Barbuda. The tiny island side was clearly over matched
but had continuity with most of the side playing for the Antigua Barracudas who are coached by the
national team manager.
- The Yanks wowed with a dominant display vs Scotland and then struggled in subsequent matches vs
Brazil and Canada. We compare and contrast the three performances based on four important
factors.
Playing from the Back The most promising difference between the regimes of Jurgen Klinsmann
and Bob Bradley has been the insistence on keeping the ball on the floor.
Team News & Setup
Similar to last season, manager John Spencer played his 4-4-2. Portland brought in Kris Boyd as a
designated player to pair better with the style of Spencer than Kenny Cooper, who preferred to
drift wide and play on the ground. Boyd arrives as the SPL's all-time leading scorer.
The United States earned their first ever win over Italy in Genoa with an early second
half goal from in-form Clint Dempsey.
USMNT's Setup
Jurgen Klinsmann selected to his seemingly favorite 4-2-3-1 formation. With the absences of Landon
Donovan, Tim Chandler, Oguchi Onyewu, Jose Torres and Jermaine Jones, the Yank's squad depth was
tested.
Each Sides' Setup
Juergen Klinsmann made three changes from the side that lost to Costa Rica on Friday. Steve
Cherundolo slotted in at right back and Timmy Chandler auditioned at the problem position of left
back. Clint Dempsey came in for Landon Donovan in attacking midfield and Clarence Goodson came in
centrally to replace Michael Orozco Fiscal.
USA Setup: Jurgen Klinsmann set up the USA in a 4-3-3. Castillo was back at left back, and
Timmy Chandler was in at right back, making his second appearance for the USA. Orozco and Bocanegra
partnered in the center. Castillo looked better than the Mexico match for sure, but his slight
build continues to show a cause for concern, as he was troubled with the bigger and stronger Costa
Rica players.
Chicago Fire Setup: Frank Klopas' side continued to show how much they have upgraded in this
dominating victory over the Defending MLS Champion Colorado Rapids. The speed in the partnership of
Oduro and Nyarko up top was too much for the Colorado back line to handle. Without Marvel Wynne's
speed to cover for the rest of the 3 defenders, Colorado would have conceded quite a few more
goals.
The Setup after the Red Card to Borchers
Salt Lake welcomed Jamison Olave back into their defense after returning from an injury in the
all-star match. Chivas USA was coming off a tough midweek loss in Portland and needed to take the
home three points to push towards a playoff spot.
Two Early Defensive Errors In the 11th minute, Jazic played a chipped, blind back pass that
was intended for Junior Lopes.
LA's Strategy Bruce Arena gave a start to Robbie Keane even though he had only arrived at
the club 48 hours prio. Keane took the place of Juan Pablo Angel up top and paired with Adam
Cristman. The 4-4-2 formation placed Juninho and Beckham in the center of midfield and Donovan and
Franklin out wide.
