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Message: [QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 3875450, member: 405"] I didn't think Honduras "bunkered" (played deep lines) so much as they fouled an awful lot, breaking up play. In a sense, I thought the game was relatively open. The US would be much better with 3 centerbacks and a 3-5-2. You can only play a back 4 and expect to beat elite teams when you have very fundamentally sound defenders. The US do not, so much. I know this as a Chelsea fan. When we tried to play David Luiz in a back 4, there were always too many crucial errors. In a back 3, his range of passing and ability to bring the ball upfield were great assets. Similarly, with Serginho Dest playing better defensively on the right tonight, he's still not that great and offers more going forward than going back. Again, on Chelsea, that's just like Marcos Alonso or Ben Chillwell. They are less exposed defensively with 3 centerbacks behind them. For me, John Brooks in the middle, with Aaron Long and either Walker Zimmerman, Matt Miazga or Tim Ream. That's an experienced group of 5 for 3 spots for a tournament. That young guy Erik Palmer-Brown has promise, too. Wingbacks - Dest, Cannon, Robinson, Tim Weah or Aaronson, who has a ton of energy. For the 3 midfielders, I would play Reyna as the 10, and then McKennie and Tyler Adams as my two other guys in midfield - one holding (Adams) and one box-to-box (McKennie). Musah could rotate in here for McKennie, Pulisic could swap with Reyna and play the 10, or you could try out somebody like Lleget for the 10, Kelly Acosta as the holding mid instead of Yeuill, who was not that great. I would have a front 2 of Pulisic and more of a target man / somebody good in the air, so Pulisic could play off somebody like he did with Giroud at the end of the 2020 season so effectively. Somebody physical like Daryl Dike could be that guy, or maybe this new guy who got the game winner from France, Siebetcheu. I'm not sold on Sargeant. Tim Weah played there for Lille at times this season; maybe he is a possibility there, too. If Weah played the 9, we would probably have even more interplay up front. Steffen and Horvath at goal. I like a 3-5-2. It doesn't leave us exposed in the back, or too thin in midfield. We have enough offensive minded midfielders that a late runner coming into the box might introduce more uncertainty for the opposition and create less predictable approaches to creating chances. Pulisic was tired tonight. He and Reyna were trying to get it going together, and Pulisic's dribbles were too predictable. That one by Reyna early in the game was almost magic. [/QUOTE]

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