THE UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM conceded three late goals during its last two matches, turning two potential victories into a loss and a tie. These late lapses—or perhaps collapses—are the big story from the latest international break. But we learned plenty about Jurgen Klinsmann's team over the past week-and-a-half.

1. Late goals are officially a problem

Klinsmann teams have now given up seven late goals since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil—and nine times if you include the two extra-time goals Belgium scored in Salvador as well as Portugal's deflating equalizer in Manaus.

Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend. This is a pervasive, ongoing problem.

And it is not strictly a fitness issue. These late goals have come during games that fall in the middle of players' club seasons and during off-seasons. Those who have been most responsible for the late goals have also come from a wide range of leagues so it's patently unfair to say that MLS is to blame. In fact, many players involved in conceding late goals are substitutes with fresh legs.

Substitution patterns need to be scrutinized better. Primarily during low-stakes international friendlies there seems to be prearranged substitutions that don’t always fit what the game needs. Usually when these substitutions are made the U.S. begins to fall apart.

And the problem has more to do with the U.S. offense than its defense. In the second half of games, the U.S. often suffers a sharp decline in scoring chances and possession. We saw this in friendlies against Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia, Ireland, Chile, and most recently Switzerland—games in which the U.S. offense played relatively well before intermission but then struggled tremendously after the interval. Opponents' late goals in these games all occurred after long periods of sustained pressure on the U.S. defense.

Most teams usually aim to press harder and increase the tempo of the game when needing a goal, but this U.S. squad struggles to punish teams with counterattacking opportunities. Either way, the problems will continue until the U.S. has a response offensively, not defensively, when opponents raise the level of their games.

2. Brek Shea looks good on left

Brek Shea’s stunning free kick goal against Switzerland—it was truly fantastic—may overshadow the fact that he played a solid game at left back.

It's one thing to be skeptical over Klinsmann's decision to move lifelong midfielder Jermaine Jones to central defense when Jones isn’t playing there for his club and that position requires a discipline that Jones usually lacks.

Shea’s move to left back makes more sense. For one, the 25-year-old is playing there for Orlando City. Second, the position allows Shea to utilize his blazing speed and strong left foot.

Will the experiment pay off in the long run? It could.

The U.S. national team has a long, mostly unhappy history of fielding left backs who typically play other positions. Fabian Johnson (midfielder), Carlos Bocanegra (central defender), Timothy Chandler (right back), Frankie Hedjuk (right back), Jonathan Bornstein (college forward), Paul Caligiuri (forward), Bobby Convey (winger), and Eddie Lewis (midfielder) all fit that description to some degree.

The good thing about Shea is that he is doing it at a younger age than most of the above-mentioned players and that it seems to play toward his strengths.

3. Chandler Still Struggling for U.S.

Timothy Chandler has made 117 Bundesliga appearances since 2011 and in nearly all of them he has played right full back. Despite his somewhat consistent success in one of the best leagues in the world, his international career has been a huge disappointment.

Chandler’s best performance for the U.S. came in his very first appearance—a 1-1 draw with Argentina on March 2, 2011. Little has gone right over the subsequent 17 matches.

At times Chandler has been forced to play out of position, at left back, where he has looked uncomfortable. But even when playing on the right he has fared only marginally better.

Chandler disappointed yet again against Denmark and Switzerland—this, despite being healthy and a regular starter for Eintracht Frankfurt, a midtable Bundesliga club. Chandler played his preferred right back position, so that’s no excuse either.

Against Denmark the Frankfurt native struggled to connect his passes or use his speed to get up the wing. Aside from one very fortunate assist—which was mostly the result of a fantastic individual effort from Jozy Altidore—Chandler was poor. He was beaten defensively and was caught out of position multiple times.

Against Switzerland, he showed more promise moving forward but defensively he continued to make too many errors—the sort of gaffes that could prove disastrous in this summer’s Gold Cup.

Will Klinsmann continue to stick with Chandler in the hopes that he will improve or does the coach decide that this is what to expect from the 25-year-old?

4. Michael Orozco’s stock surging

Michael Orozco, 29, is a Klinsmann favorite even if most U.S. national team fans and pundits (myself included) find this hard to swallow.

It needs to be said: The Puebla central defender put in two very solid performances against Denmark and Switzerland.

Playing with John Brooks, Timothy Chandler, Greg Garza, and Brek Shea in the two games, Orozco displayed more maturity and composure than any of his teammates. On several occasions he did very well to cover up their mistakes. He played almost 125 minutes in the two games and the U.S. outscored its opponents 3-1 with Orozco on the field. Shortly before he was subbed out of the game against Denmark, he put himself into a great position to make a goal-line clearance that appeared to be the decisive play of the contest.

Combined with the strong season he his having with Puebla, Orozco could very well start for the U.S. this summer at the Gold Cup.

5. The 4-4-2 fits the U.S. best

Klinsmann has tried several different formations over the past few years, ranging from the 4-3-3 to the 4-2-3-1. But the 4-4-2 setup Klinsmann used in the first half against Switzerland seems to fit the team the best.

During the first half against the Swiss the U.S. played its best 45 minutes of soccer in quite some time. Altidore plays better with another striker as opposed to the 4-2-3-1 where he is alone at top. And the national team player pool is mostly populated with midfielders who prefer to play centrally.

The four midfielders who lined up against Switzerland—Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Alfredo Morales, and Danny Williams—are at their best when in the middle. Klinsmann’s 4-4-2 allowed these athletes to play to their strengths, and it showed on the field. 

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.