Forwards?? Really? Creative is one thing - when we have the ball. What about defensively? Altidore and Agudelo have no idea how to defend. They don't have to get nasty and slide into to win the ball, BUT they do need to work to make play predictable. The midfield had absolutely now way to determine how to defend. The play would shift to one side, only to work back into the middle and back outside in a series of combinations. If the two up front would have worked together to force the play to one side or the other and then give support to prevent the ball from moving back into the middle in the middle 1/3, the midfield would have had an easier job of compressing the field and not allow Spain so much room. It would have taken away the balls over the top and helped (our struggling backs) to make their job a little less complicated. Yest we are lacking in the back four.
Back to Howard. If the backs and the mids do not move to open up to give an option, just where would you like him to serve the ball? He varied the distribution as much as possible, he just needs more options.
On the subject of defensive backs, why is it that this is the achilles heel of US soccer? Even at the youth level, we struggle to have good defensive backs. Nobody wants to play that position. Everyone wants to be a forward and score. If the youth, and the parents could see this, just think how they can excel by becoming a solid defensive back. Good ones, truly good ones are hard to come by.
