U.S. - Portugal Preview
Forward Thinking: Wondo and ArJo Discuss Portugal
Jozy Altidore is out, so 31-year-old Chris Wondolowski and 23-year-old Aron Johannsson could see lots of action when the United States faces Portugal in the heart of the Amazon region.
WITH LESS THAN TWO DAYS to go until the team’s crucial showdown against Portugal (Sunday 6 p.m. ET; ESPN), the main topic surrounding the United States national team is how it will adjust without starting forward Jozy Altidore.
Altidore’s struggles last season at Sunderland are well documented, but for the national team he has been an instrumental part of the team’s attack under Jurgen Klinsmann. Last summer he scored in five straight U.S. games, and during that span the Americans separated themselves from the rest of CONCACAF in the World Cup qualifying standings. And before you put an asterisk next to his goals for coming against "weaker" competition," keep in mind that Altidore scored an August hat trick against Bosnia, which is a World Cup squad.
Over the past 10 months, Altidore has struggled to find the back of the net but he has continued to help his team through hold-up play or simply requiring more attention from defenders due to his size and strength. When he was forced out in the first half of Monday’s game against Ghana with a hamstring injury, the U.S. team was noticeably weaker.
In fact, entering into the tournament there was a lot of hope for Altidore after he broke out of his slump with two goals against Nigeria in the team’s final friendly before heading to Brazil.
With Altidore out, now what? Since Klinsmann elected to cut Terrence Boyd from the World Cup provisional roster and he didn't even bother to bring Eddie Johnson into the camp, the U.S. lacks a true target forward. The options are to now either have the remaining three forwards—Clint Dempsey, Aron Johannsson, and Chris Wondolowski—fill the Altidore role or have the team play with a different style.
Forty-eight hours from kickoff, it remains a mystery.
“Jozy is a special player,” Wondolowski said of replacing Altidore. “You can’t—that’s like saying, ‘Hey go be Cristiano Ronaldo’. You can’t necessarily replace certain aspects of it but I think that both Aron and I bring different styles, different sets of skills that I think are useful. And I think that’s what we have to do—incorporate those skill sets and also be able to fit into the game plan as well.”
When Altidore was forced out in the first half against Ghana, Klinsmann elected to go with Johannsson up top. By that point, Dempsey had already been slowed by a broken nose, leaving Johannsson to shoulder most of the hold-up play at a time when Ghana was controlling the midfield.
Johannsson echoed Wondolowski, saying that he was unclear with what Klinsmann’s approach will be but is ready for anything.
"Both of us have different styles than Jozy,” Johannsson said. “If either one of us gets on the field then we just try to play our game and try to do what the coach wants us to do. If that’s to play like Jozy, then we’ll try to do that. And if he wants us to play like we normally play, then we’ll try to do that."
The forward position is just one of the many concerns ahead of Sunday's game. Portugal has a charismatic Ballon d'Or winner on its team, and the entire American squad needs to prepare for him.
"First and foremost, Cristiano Ronaldo is a supreme player,” Wondolowski said. “Our focus, we definitely have to stop him, but we don’t want anyone else to beat us. We want to stop the guys that are up front. He came in and he’s dangerous and we have to stop the service into the box. We feel that we have a great game plan in eliminating certain things, but they have certain players all across on the other side, they’re all dangerous. Right now we’re still just fine-tuning that game plan in how to stop that whole team.”
Whoever starts in place of Altidore will have a the opportunity to attack a weakened Portuguese defense. In the game against Germany, Real Madrid central defender Pepe picked up a straight red card and is suspended for the contest. Fabio Coentrao, a left back who also calls the Bernabéu home, was ruled out with a leg injury.
So while the U.S. is shorthanded in the attack, Portgual has a similar problem defensively. Wondolowski insists, however, that Klinsmann’s game plan is the same regardless of the lineup of the opposition.
"Truthfully, I don’t think it changes our approach at all,” the San Jose Earthquake forward said. “I know that those are two big guys that they have lost. But I think that our game plan is still going to be the exact same and we’re just going to out there and try to execute it. That’s been our M.O. since day one. What we’ve found at Stanford is whatever 11 guys that go out there, we have a great job of being able to adapt to certain game plans and certain strategies. Our coaching staff does a tremendous job of putting together these plans and we just have to go out there."
On Monday, when the U.S. team was being outplayed by Ghana for long stretches of the game, scoring opportunities were limited. To succeed against Portugal, the Americans must put more pressure on the defense and create opportunities.
Wondolowski did not play in opener against Ghana but he understood that the injury to Altidore and Dempsey’s broken nose played a part. ANd with the U.S. taking a lead 29 seconds into the game, the perspective for both teams changed early.
“Well, it was a tough situation, anytime you have the lead,” Wondolowski said. “It’s a little bit different. Your style and tactics may not always be the exact same, whether you’re pushing for a goal and I think our possession definitely lacked a bit. I thought we dropped a little bit deeper than we might have wanted to, but I thought Aron did a great job of tracking down the center backs, pressuring them.”
On Friday, the U.S. will travel to Manaus, which is located deep within the Amazon jungle. In the first game at the venue between England and Italy, the heat and the humidity were so intense that Italian coach Cesare Prandelli argued that water breaks should be considered.
The Americans will be well familiar with the brutal nature of such conditions after playing in similar venues throughout the CONCACAF region. In addition, Klinsmann has placed a heavy emphasis on fitness training during his tenure, and in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, so Sunday’s game will test the benefits of that approach.
“You know, it’s going to be hot,” Wondolowski said. “But I think we’ve taken the opportunity to get the immunizations down in California so all of that stuff has been taken care of and we will be ready to go. And to be truthfully honest, you get to play 90 minutes in a World Cup game, it doesn’t matter how hot it is, we’ll be ready. No effects from the Malaria pills, we will be ready to go.
"Again, it’s a World Cup game—it doesn’t matter what’s going into your body or how hot it will be, I think we will be able to give our absolute best.”
Who would you like to see starting alongside Clint Dempsey? Tell us below and/or create a U.S. Starting XI with our interactive tool.
Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.
When Altidore was forced out in the first half against Ghana, Klinsmann elected to go with Johannsson up top. By that point, Dempsey had already been slowed by a broken nose, leaving Johannsson to shoulder most of the hold-up play at a time when Ghana was controlling the midfield.
Johannsson echoed Wondolowski, saying that he was unclear with what Klinsmann’s approach will be but is ready for anything.
"Both of us have different styles than Jozy,” Johannsson said. “If either one of us gets on the field then we just try to play our game and try to do what the coach wants us to do. If that’s to play like Jozy, then we’ll try to do that. And if he wants us to play like we normally play, then we’ll try to do that."
The forward position is just one of the many concerns ahead of Sunday's game. Portugal has a charismatic Ballon d'Or winner on its team, and the entire American squad needs to prepare for him.
"First and foremost, Cristiano Ronaldo is a supreme player,” Wondolowski said. “Our focus, we definitely have to stop him, but we don’t want anyone else to beat us. We want to stop the guys that are up front. He came in and he’s dangerous and we have to stop the service into the box. We feel that we have a great game plan in eliminating certain things, but they have certain players all across on the other side, they’re all dangerous. Right now we’re still just fine-tuning that game plan in how to stop that whole team.”
Whoever starts in place of Altidore will have a the opportunity to attack a weakened Portuguese defense. In the game against Germany, Real Madrid central defender Pepe picked up a straight red card and is suspended for the contest. Fabio Coentrao, a left back who also calls the Bernabéu home, was ruled out with a leg injury.
So while the U.S. is shorthanded in the attack, Portgual has a similar problem defensively. Wondolowski insists, however, that Klinsmann’s game plan is the same regardless of the lineup of the opposition.
"Truthfully, I don’t think it changes our approach at all,” the San Jose Earthquake forward said. “I know that those are two big guys that they have lost. But I think that our game plan is still going to be the exact same and we’re just going to out there and try to execute it. That’s been our M.O. since day one. What we’ve found at Stanford is whatever 11 guys that go out there, we have a great job of being able to adapt to certain game plans and certain strategies. Our coaching staff does a tremendous job of putting together these plans and we just have to go out there."
On Monday, when the U.S. team was being outplayed by Ghana for long stretches of the game, scoring opportunities were limited. To succeed against Portugal, the Americans must put more pressure on the defense and create opportunities.
Wondolowski did not play in opener against Ghana but he understood that the injury to Altidore and Dempsey’s broken nose played a part. ANd with the U.S. taking a lead 29 seconds into the game, the perspective for both teams changed early.
“Well, it was a tough situation, anytime you have the lead,” Wondolowski said. “It’s a little bit different. Your style and tactics may not always be the exact same, whether you’re pushing for a goal and I think our possession definitely lacked a bit. I thought we dropped a little bit deeper than we might have wanted to, but I thought Aron did a great job of tracking down the center backs, pressuring them.”
On Friday, the U.S. will travel to Manaus, which is located deep within the Amazon jungle. In the first game at the venue between England and Italy, the heat and the humidity were so intense that Italian coach Cesare Prandelli argued that water breaks should be considered.
The Americans will be well familiar with the brutal nature of such conditions after playing in similar venues throughout the CONCACAF region. In addition, Klinsmann has placed a heavy emphasis on fitness training during his tenure, and in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, so Sunday’s game will test the benefits of that approach.
“You know, it’s going to be hot,” Wondolowski said. “But I think we’ve taken the opportunity to get the immunizations down in California so all of that stuff has been taken care of and we will be ready to go. And to be truthfully honest, you get to play 90 minutes in a World Cup game, it doesn’t matter how hot it is, we’ll be ready. No effects from the Malaria pills, we will be ready to go.
"Again, it’s a World Cup game—it doesn’t matter what’s going into your body or how hot it will be, I think we will be able to give our absolute best.”
Who would you like to see starting alongside Clint Dempsey? Tell us below and/or create a U.S. Starting XI with our interactive tool.
Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.
