Jozy Altidore the attacking spark the U.S. wants

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Again on June eight, at an in any other case run-of-the-mill pregame information convention forward of a pleasant in opposition to Venezuela, U.S. males’s nationwide crew supervisor Gregg Berhalter stated that when ahead Jozy Altidore “is match and robust, there’s not a greater striker than him in America.”

If that is the case, Berhalter’s evaluation hasn’t all the time been in alignment with how he is doled out minutes on the Gold Cup. Gyasi Zardes has been the popular starter for a lot of the event, whereas Altidore has formally logged 99 minutes. There was a 16-minute garbage-time stint within the 6-Zero hammering of Trinidad and Tobago, then 83 minutes in a comparatively meaningless group-stage finale in opposition to Panama through which he nonetheless bagged the successful aim.

To be truthful, Altidore was carrying the remnants of a hamstring harm when he first arrived at U.S. coaching camp firstly of June. However one would have thought he had proved his health within the Panama match. When it got here time to call his lineup for the quarterfinal in opposition to Curacao, Berhalter persevered with Zardes.

When requested about Altidore’s availability for Wednesday’s semifinal in opposition to Jamaica, Berhalter referred to as the hamstring harm “irrelevant” and added, “Jozy is precisely the place we want him to be.” When pressed if that meant the ahead is able to play in opposition to the Reggae Boyz, Berhalter stated, “Yeah, he is been able to play.”

— Berhalter: U.S. must win Gold Cup for it to be successful

— Carlisle: U.S. takes step again in unconvincing win over Curacao

Whether or not which means Altidore will truly begin is one other matter altogether. However there appears to be little doubt that his presence up high, and his capacity to behave as an auxiliary playmaker to Christian Pulisic, would offer a lift to the U.S. assault.

That’s on no account the one attacking problem, as Berhalter admitted that in opposition to Curacao, the crew’s spacing “grew to become disconnected.”

“Numerous occasions in buildup you noticed [a 4-1-5] or one thing like that the place Michael [Bradley] would drop on the opposite aspect of the road and have solely Weston [McKennie] central, or Michael could be central and we might have 5 guys excessive, and that is simply not correct spacing,” he stated. “It turns into very troublesome to get any sort of offensive circulation when that is what your form seems to be like.”

That spacing had a ripple impact defensively in that Bradley and McKennie have been out of sync and unable to stop passes into Curacao’s attacking gamers. Given Jamaica’s capacity on the counter, the U.S. midfield will have to be a lot better positioned in transition moments Wednesday.

“I feel their wingers are high-quality gamers,” Berhalter stated. “I feel they’ve a special gear of velocity than we have seen on this event and to start with of June.”

Jozy Altidore has performed simply 99 minutes on the Gold Cup however deserves to begin vs. Jamaica over Gyasi Zardes. Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Photographs

One participant the U.S. might want to keep watch over is winger Leon Bailey. The Bayer Leverkusen attacker has but to attain for Jamaica within the event, however the U.S. might be no much less cautious.

“[Bailey is] very left-footed. He desires to return in and shoot from the highest of the field space,” U.S. defender Tim Ream stated. “He is very pacy and likes to work in transition.”

Simply how a lot the U.S. can take from final month’s 1-Zero pleasant defeat to the Reggae Boyz is up for debate. Solely three U.S. gamers who began that match will probably take the sphere Wednesday. However seven Jamaica starters from that match performed within the 1-Zero quarterfinal victory Sunday over Panama, so by way of fashion and personnel there could be a bit extra carryover in opposition to the U.S.

In that match, the Reggae Boyz definitely confirmed there’s extra to their sport than simply attacking on the break. Jamaica was considered by way of when it utilized stress in midfield, with Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Michael Hector specifically proving adept at figuring out when the U.S. was susceptible because it tried to play out of the again.

In fact, the U.S. midfield that takes the sphere Wednesday might be utterly totally different from the one which performed Jamaica a month in the past, with Bradley and McKennie relied upon to offer a defend in entrance of the again line. Jamaica supervisor Theodore Whitmore is greater than conscious of this variation, going as far as to say his largest concern is “in the midst of the park.”

Pulisic might be accessible as effectively, and his capacity to threaten within the open subject will do a lot to maintain Jamaica from being too adventurous with its defensive stress.

Groups have had success prior to now by specializing in Pulisic and daring another U.S. attacker to beat them, although Whitmore insisted that his crew might be conscious of different American attacking threats.

“We do not wish to consider anyone participant,” he stated. “We see that we analyze the U.S. as a crew. You’ve gotten expertise. Bradley, he can harm your crew, so we do not wish to take note of anyone participant and get damage on the opposite aspect.”

Conserving Jamaica sincere by way of its defensive focus would require getting extra out of wingers Tyler Boyd and Paul Arriola, who have been largely ineffective within the quarterfinal in opposition to Curacao. If they will ship, that ought to make sure that the U.S. will transfer one step nearer to its event aim.

“We have stated all alongside the success of this crew might be measured by if we will win this event or not,” Berhalter stated. “We wish to get to the ultimate. We wish to win the ultimate.”

The U.S. is 2 wins away from undertaking that aim, however first Jamaica stands in the best way.