Five questions for the Continental Clasico
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 13, 2023) US Soccer Players – The location is set and rosters have been announced, with the USMNT adding another 90 minutes to its rivalry with Mexico this time in the Continental Clasico in Glendale, Arizona (10pm ET – TBS). Here are a few topics to consider ahead of this game, a prelude to their Concacaf Nations League semifinal meeting in Las Vegas in June.
MLS vs Liga MX again?
This match falls outside the usual FIFA international windows. So both sides have called in predominantly domestic-based squads, with just three exceptions across the 46 total players included. While it’s just one game, it could offer an interesting snapshot of their respective player pools. The Continental Clasico also represents a familiar spectacle unfolding in an evolving context of the two leagues’ increasingly cooperative relationship.
The 2023 Concacaf Champions League is shaping up to conclude in another MLS vs Liga MX final. In just over three months, the dramatically expanded Leagues Cup kicks off featuring all 47 of their member clubs. Meanwhile, the national teams’ competition for dual-national talent rumbles on in the background.
What’s the best shape?
Interim coach Anthony Hudson’s first two camps gave the impression of subtle adjustments to the USMNT’s formation and spacing. The back half of the 2022 cycle saw the fairly consistent use of a 4-3-3 with twin #8s and a single holding midfielder. Last month’s Nations League matches featured something closer to a 4-2-3-1.
Hudson framed this as an effort to manipulate the opposition’s defensive shape and get his players into their most effective spaces and relationships. With a markedly different group on hand next week, does he try something different? It’s especially intriguing in light of the makeup of this US roster, which is rich in two-way midfielders and has fewer logging minutes as out-and-out playmakers at club level.
“We have two days on the training field and they’re not real training sessions because they’re sort of recovery sessions and walk throughs,” said Hudson on Wednesday. “When you want to introduce something, it’s really important to be able to do that at full speed. That’s something that, given the time we’ve got, it’s probably going to be challenging to do so. We’re going to have to be a little bit creative in how we prepare the team, organize the team in two days.”
Experience or opportunities?
This is a very brief gathering and a less consequential fixture with Mexico than the one in June. Then again, games against a rival always matter. And the Yanks would surely like to extend their ongoing four-game unbeaten streak against El Tri and the mental edge it carries.
That’s the backdrop for Hudson’s lineup selections, and for that matter, for his opposite number Diego Cocca’s. With ten veterans of the 2022 World Cup on the US roster and nine on Mexico’s, there’s a mix of familiar faces and those on the rise. Finding the right balance between trust in experience while taking a chance on newcomers will be key to maximizing the value of this camp.
Hudson specifically pointed out the value of the likes of Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, and Matt Miazga having taken part in past US-Mexico clashes and knowing the intensity they require. Conversely, this is a priceless opportunity for someone like Josh Wynder, Alan Sonora or Aidan Morris to show they’re ready for this level, which holds long-term benefits for the program.
Who’s up top?
Both the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1 revolve around lone strikers capable of holdup play and incisive combinations with the wide players. Filling that role has been a recurring topic of debate around the USMNT lately. Here Hudson has given himself some intriguing choices.
Jesus Ferreira has been in that mix for some time now, valued for both his understanding of space and the motor to harry and harass defenders when out of possession. Vazquez offers another profile, “an absolute handful in the box,” in Hudson’s words, with his size, physicality, and aerial abilities. Then there’s Jordan Morris.
A striker when he first hit the scene in the Jurgen Klinsmann era, the Seattle Sounders homegrown adapted to and eventually thrived in a left wing deployment so his club could fit both him and star Designated Player Raul Ruidiaz in the lineup. This year Jordan moved up top when Ruidiaz was injured or absent and racked up goals, with his eight tallies setting the early pace in the MLS Golden Boot race. Could he be another option at the 9 spot for Hudson?
“There’s a different level of mindset and aggression and intensity” about Morris and his club and country teammate Roldan this season, said the coach. “Seattle have a certain group of players and we have a certain group of players. So we need to just make sure that we get the best 11 players on the field to start the game. So wherever that may be for Jordan is going to be because we want our best players on the field to start the game.”
Another angle to watch here. Ferreira played as more of a No. 10 or second striker for FC Dallas in their recent win over Inter Miami, and scored the game’s only goal, after spending most of the past year-plus as a No. 9.
Does June make this a cat-and-mouse game?
Whatever happens in Glendale on Wednesday, the Concacaf Nations League semifinal looming in June is the elephant in the room. That’s the US vs Mexico meeting that offers a shot at a trophy. Both coaches will have to weigh that in a number of key decisions.
With tactics and personnel, do you focus on building on what you’ve already established in past camps? Or do you toss in some decoys to inject uncertainty into the adversary’s scouting preparations? Will Hudson prioritize the positive result that might deepen Mexico’s psychological strain or keep options open for the summer? Right now the USMNT holds the high ground.
“We are very excited, motivated to play against the USA and to have a winning mentality, beating the USA would be an important step to generate confidence,” said Cocca last week. “We are really looking forward to it, preparing ourselves, and we know it will be very difficult.”
Charles Boehm is a Washington, DC-based writer and the editor of The Soccer Wire. Contact him at:cboehm@thesoccerwire.com. Follow him on Twitter @cboehm.
More from Charles Boehm:
- Returning players, tactics, and leadership from the USMNT/strong>
- The USMNT returns to the Caribbean
- Five topics to watch for heading into the USMNT March 2023 window
- The state of USL in 2023
Photo by John Dorton – ISIPhotos.com
