The Short List: Keys To Victory In Honduras

The U.S. National Team has had well documented problems with getting off to a good start. In the last two matches, despite coming away with wins, the same problems persisted.

The Trinidad match is a perfect example of weathering the storm and coming out on top, (unimpressive wins still count as wins) but the storm against a quality team like Honduras will be much more dangerous. The U.S. team won’t have a half of soccer to settle in against a Honduran side that is loaded with attacking power.

Figure Out The Back Line:

How fit is Oguchi Onyewu? That’s just one of the questions Bob Bradley needs to find an answer for in the next few days. I don’t doubt that Onyewu will be ready for game action Saturday, but having played very limited minutes to this point in the season can’t be a good thing for a player who will be called upon to stop one of the most dangerous strike forces in the region.

Other questions arise with who will be playing around the Milan center back. Jonathan Spector has failed to find much action for the Hammers over in London, and it looks like Carlos Bocanegra will be moved back into the middle of the pitch to partner with Onyewu.

One positive is the recent form of Steve Cherundolo who has played well while captaining Hannover, but the late call in of Frankie Hejduk says something about Bradley’s confidence in his back four.

Attack From The Back:

No matter which options Bradley decides to play in the outside back positions they have to help in the attack. Too often the defenders have been an absolute liability going forward, leaving the U.S. midfield devoid of options and failing to generate service for the front runners.

The lack of support for the midfield from defenders can be easily fixed and would go a long way in helping the U.S. find the long spells of possession that have been missing lately.

This concept may be the exact reason for bringing Hejduk into camp. Spector has done well getting into the attack at times, but he seems to sit back later in matches. Match fitness could be part of the problem, as could a lack of pure pace. Cherundolo is very good in the attack at the club level, but rarely ventured past half field against Mexico. Jonathan Bornstein is a wild card. Much like Hejduk, he is not shy about running into the attacking third, but he has yet to be a productive attacking threat on the international level.

Hejduk, for all of his faults, will run the flank tirelessly and does have a knack for getting in good spots and setting up goals.

Stick With The Plot:

This young U.S. squad tends to lose the plot in the middle of games. A lead means nothing if you don’t know how to defend it, and going behind a goal can be deadly if you have no idea how to pull one back without throwing everything forward.

Some of the blame falls on Bradley and his tactical issues, but more importantly the players have to figure it out. A manger can only do so much to get his team sound in tough situations. The rest is up to the eleven men on the field and their ability to calm the nerves and play with their heads.

For the U.S. staying on course is finding a balance. With Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies likely to get the start up front it will be important for the U.S. to give them plenty of support and not just bang hopeful long balls forward.

Whether or not the U.S. has the talent to knock the ball around the pitch is questionable, but leaving Altidore and Davies to chase down balls, whether leading or trailing, would be a massive mistake.

Find A Stand-In For Dempsey:

Honduras will be without some key players when the match kicks on Saturday night (Amado Guevara and Danilo Turcios) which helps take some of the sting out of losing Dempsey, but the U.S. has to find a replacement none the less.

No matter how you feel about Dempsey personally, facts are facts, and replacing the second most productive attacking player on any team is hard to do. There are a number of solid options for the spot, but none of the players in the running have had time to prove themselves against top quality competition.

Whether Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, or Jose Torres can fill in adequately has yet to be seen, but it’s always an issue when you have to replace a guy who has been involved with a third of your goals throughout the year.

Allen Ramsey is an associate editor for Goal.com USA.