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Mix and match U.S. shows its versatility and depth on defense
Posted: Thursday February 17, 2000 02:57 PM
By Jeff Diecks, CNNSI.com MIAMI -- Through two games of the Gold Cup, the United States has used two different three-man backlines and has yet to yield a goal. "It's a tribute to our defensive players," goalkeeper Brad Friedel said. "We've played with two different defensive lines, and they've both performed admirably. I don't think anyone can walk away from our games and say our defensive pressure was poor." In Saturday's 3-0 victory over Haiti, the U.S. faced a side that packed it in on defense and attempted to rely on the counterattack, meaning the starting defense of Jeff Agoos, Robin Fraser and C.J. Brown faced only sporadic pressure. On Wednesday, Peru put more into the attack against the U.S., providing more of a test for the backline of Greg Vanney, Eddie Pope and Carlos Llamosa. Friedel recorded a pair of tough saves to preserve the shutout, including a point-blank stop on a low volley from Ysrael Zuniga and a diving save of a curling blast by Abel Lobaton. Head coach Bruce Arena gave both groups a positive evaluation. "I think they both played well defensively," Arena said. "They faced two different opponents that presented two different challenges. Besides the two big saves Brad had to make, we closed Peru down pretty well tonight." The lineup against Peru included a pair of Arena's defenders from D.C. United -- Pope and Llamosa -- who each struggled with injuries for most of last year. The third member of the backline on Wednesday was Vanney, a relative newcomer to the U.S. picture from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Vanney is challenging longtime U.S. left back Jeff Agoos and David Regis for a permanent spot with the team. Agoos joined Robin Fraser, and C.J. Brown on Arena's backline against Haiti. It marked Fraser's first game action since he broke his collarbone in the Galaxy's MLS Cup loss to D.C. United in November. Brown, who also appeared as a substitute against Peru when Arena went with four defenders late in the match, represents the new breed of MLS youngsters who have gotten chances with the national side since Arena took control. Arena's ability to successfully swap out his entire defense in the middle of a tournament illustrates the depth of the player pool he has created since replacing Steve Sampson in November 1998. In the Confederations Cup last summer, for example, all 20 players on Arena's roster had earned caps in the tournament by the time the U.S. advanced to the semifinals by beating Germany. "I think it's nice to have that much depth in the backfield for a goalkeeper," Friedel said. "Each camp that I've been called into, that's something that has gotten better in each camp, and it wasn't really bad to begin with. I think Bruce has brought in a lot of these players that's given us this depth."
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