USMNT

USMNT vs Switzerland: Positional Play Scholar

Published

4 years ago

May 31, 2021

Shawn Brooks

USMNT played Switzerland and lost 1-2. The US was mostly dominant in the first half outshooting their opponent and having most of the ball. The second half was a different story. Three things stood out to me. I hope to write about each of them this week. I’ll start with the Press.

Press, Press, Press

This game was all about the press. When things went well and the US had near complete control it was due to the press. When the the US gave up the equalizer it was a failure of the press. When the game slipped out of control it was due to the press.

The gooD

In the first half the US mostly pressed well. They wanted this. Man Marking all over the field. Aaronson was in his element. Notice the angle he’s taking here. He’s using his body position to turn a 2v1 into a 1v1 and push the ball back toward the center where they have cover. This repeatedly caused the Swiss GK or CB to try long balls which the US mostly easily collected. This worked extremely well through most of the first half.

Notice the timing of the press. Jesse Marsch talk in his webinar obout pressing that best pressing trigger is when the ball is released, not when it’s received. Aaronson times this perfectly

Possession was also part of the success of the press. Except when in their own defensive third, (which I will talk about in the future) the US progressed the ball well. I said when we started that I wanted to see some La Pausa from the team. I wanted to see that they could press with intensity, attack in transition if they could but when it wasn’t there realize it was time to slow down and break the opponent down. This was a key piece the team has lacked. The USMNT is a young team. In the past, they have only been able to choose one way or the other. Either they played “composed and brave” and possessed the ball or they played high intensity. We have not seen them able to mix the two and good teams can do that. They press with intensity, transition quickly but when it’s not there or when the opponent does a good job making that an inefficient option, then they can change the rhythm. They did exactly that in the first half. The benefit of that was this.

When the transition attack wasn’t there, the US was able to possess the ball into the final third. The result was that when they turned it over they were in much better position to Gegenpress and win the ball in very dangerous positions like this one.

The Bad

Pressing is dangerous. US Fans love the idea of the press. High octane, attacking defense instead of passive low block defense. More transition play and more (in theory) play based on athleticism. The bad part of a heavy pressing scheme is that it’s risky and depends on 1v1 defense.

This is particularly hard for players and fans who grew up with the sport in the last 30 years. I’ve seen retired defenders marvel at the bravery of modern defenders. The things they’re asked to do today would have gotten defenders yelled out before. If one word can describe soccer tactics today its bravery. Bravery to pass out of a press in their own third. Bravery to commit numbers in the final third and mostly bravery to defend 1v1 with limited cover. This requires mobile defenders who attack the ball in the midfield.

A key defensive principle that is taught at even the E License is Press and cover. When I’ve ever decided to coach a young recreational team who has little to no experience with the game, I teach press and cover.

The basics is one player presses to the ball and one player backs him up. As that player is beat, the defender providing the cover challenges the ball carrier and the one who was beaten recovers and backs the first defender up.

This simple principle will take an untrained recreational team who gets beat by that one super athletic player and make them competitive. It’s a basic principle that’s true at the highest level. It’s the core principle behind the concept of keeping +1 in the back. +1 in the back means just what it sounds like. Most teams, even EPL teams try to keep one more defender in the back than attackers. So if the opponent is keeping one striker up, the team will keep 2 cbs. If the opponent is keeping 2 attackers, then the opponent will keep 3 in the back with the 6 or fb falling in. Offensively this keeps a free man to keep possession. Defensively this ensures that if they do lose the ball, the cb has at least 1 cover.

I say all of this because the Press often removes that cover. It plays 1v1 defensively, even in the back. It requires the 6 and cb’s to step up to make challenges in the midfield. If you watched Chelsea and Man City in the finals, you saw Rudiger literally breaking De Bruyne’s face because he was doing exactly that. He was stepping up as part of the press to challenge De Bruyne 1v1.

This works great if the defender wins their battles and if they get back in position. The equalizer came from that not happening. Yueill mostly had a very good game(which I will get to later) but in this case, he pressed forward (appropriately) and then didn’t get back into his 6 spot.

The 6 protects the back line. In a pressing scheme they have to switch back and forth between a man to man press concept and zonal concept. Yuiell, who plays mostly man to man concepts with the Quakes, and who usually has very good game IQ to play the zonal 6 concepts, failed to quickly get back into position.

The US pressed well as they did the whole first half. They forced the Swiss into a difficult arial ball to the cm. Yueill correctly stepped up and challenged. Dest (who was incorrectly blamed for not getting back) also stepped up to press. The ball was bobbled by the Swiss attacker and Yueill hesitated between trying to win that ball or get back. The Swiss settled it and they were able to get it to the Swiss attacker right into the zone normally patrolled by the 6. This created a 2v1 on Brooks that the Swiss exploited all the way down the field for the equalizer.

Some wanted to blame Cannon for the first goal. Here he is following his man. Notice the 2v1 on Brooks that held McKenzie as he had to cover for Brooks.

The 2v1 on Brooks became 4 v 3 against the back. Good teams find that extra man.

This is the danger of the press. You can blame Yueill but it happened once. The US got a dominant half and gave up this one chance in the first half. They either can make no mistakes OR have to convert more chances to offset the loss. Because in a high press system, these are likely to happen.

The second problem of a team fully dependent on the press reared its head in the second half. Fatigue. I’ve said to fans before that Berhalter and his staff use friendlies as training sessions. Mckennie said post game that a key goal of the friendly was altitude training. Given their next competitive match is in Denver, this is really smart. They pressed heavy all game as part of altitude training. By mid way through the second half, the team was gassed. They had just spent 60+ minutes running full speed in a pressing scheme in high altitude. This was after training sessions geared towards altitude training. The subs came on and couldn’t match the pace of the game.

This is a big problem with depending on the pressing scheme for the US in the World Cup. Assuming they qualify, which no one is taking for granted this cycle, can the US press through a tournament in Qatar? I’m personally doubtful. It’s not just the heat of Qatar. It’s the lack of US depth. The press for EPL teams was less effective this year than recent years. Many blame the lack of fans which is probably part of it. The other is fatigue. Watching both Chelsea and Man City this year, I don’t think it was a coincidence that the two teams in the finals are two of the deepest teams in the UCL. I watched as both heavily rotated their squads throughout the season. Both were able press and play with intensity with tight schedules because they have the depth to rotate star players. In the WC, Germany, France, and England will have that depth to rotate their squads. The US has a starting XI that I would say (with complete bias) is starting to be up there with elite teams. They do not have the depth.

Lastly, the US has limited time to prepare for matches. The “System” has an answer to most questions asked of teams. Positional Play possession, high press, mid block press and low block defending.

We saw against the first Canada match what happens when the team focuses mostly on possession play and they need verticality. Canada saw the difficulty the US has handling a heavy central press. The coaching staff may tell them to respond to this with vertical passing (which btw, we saw against the Swiss). But you could tell they hadn’t worked on it. The plan is vertical pistoning between the 8’s, 9 and wings.

We saw a really good run by Mckennie going deep using this agains the Swiss. We also saw him coming back for the ball.

Against Canada in the first game, this was still the plan. We saw Brooks constantly waving his wingers for movement. It’s great that the team seems to have gotten this concept but it’s a reminder that in each window, they can’t work on everything in the system.

This time I thought they struggled in the low block. It makes sense as with the plan to high press and possess, the low block is where they plan and hope to spend the least time in the game. However, It resulted in the second goal.

A low block looks like this. Compact, tight and one steps up and the others fall back.

This is neither a low block, nor is it pressing. You generally don’t press trap in the middle of the field. The reason you don’t is because of this very reason. The Swiss slipped a pass passed Musah and had a 2v1 on Cannon. This resulted in the cross and second goal.

We can blame this on either the lack of time to drill the low block (which tbh most should know) or fatigue.

Berhalter admitted and took accountability for the fatigue and risk of the constant press. He admitted that in future games they’d have to balance that press with defensive integrity. This will be key for the US going forward. How do they use the press and their athleticism to their advantage while not burning out their players?

The press made them dominant in the first half but was ultimately the cause of the loss. There are multiple phases of the game. The US cannot depend on only the press and transition attack the way Jesse Marsch has or teams like RB Leipzig has. They are going to have to adapt and lean on different phases of the game in different games. They are going to have to do that with line ups beyond a single starting XI. I hope we see them start to figure that out in the upcoming competitive games.

USMNT

Launching Caring Excellence in Northern Kentucky

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2025

Marcus O'Malley

Caring for Villa Hills, Fort Thomas, Union, Florence, Crestview Hills and Northern Kentucky

Over the past few years, I’ve written here at Chasing A Cup about family, faith, leadership, and walking through life with intention. Some of you have been reading since the early days. Some of you prayed for my family. Some of you even rolled up your sleeves and gave blood — blood that was meant for my mom and others like her in their time of need.

I’ll never forget that.

Three years ago, my mom passed away. It was a season of heartbreak, but also one of clarity. As I stood beside my family — and as I supported others in our community grieving their own parents — I came to understand how deeply care matters. Not just in hospitals or emergencies, but in the everyday: the quiet, complicated, deeply human moments that make up the final chapters of someone’s life.

That realization stayed with me. And over time, it changed the direction of my work.

For most of my career, I worked in product management — building teams, delivering systems, and leading with structure and strategy. I still believe in all of that. But I also wanted to build something more personal. Something rooted not just in outcomes, but in presence and compassion.

That’s why Sarah and I decided to open a Caring Excellence office in Northern Kentucky.

Caring Excellence has been serving families across Kentucky for over 13 years. It’s a family-owned, fully licensed home care agency that specializes in non-medical, in-home support for seniors and adults — help with daily living, memory care, companionship, and more. And now, we’re proud to bring that same level of compassionate, character-driven care to Florence and the surrounding region.

Our new Northern Kentucky office serves families in places like Villa Hills, Union, Fort Thomas, Crestview Hills, and Florence — communities filled with multi-generational households, strong family ties, and seniors who deserve to age with dignity.

At Caring Excellence, we focus on people first. We don’t just fill schedules — we carefully match caregivers to clients based on personality, needs, and values. Sarah leads our caregiver hiring, drawing from her years of experience as both a caregiver and healthcare professional. She looks not just for skill, but for heart — people of integrity, empathy, and real compassion.

As for me, I now use my business background to support the team behind the scenes — building systems, developing processes, and making sure our caregivers have the tools and training they need to serve others well.

This new venture is deeply personal. It’s also missional. It’s about stepping into people’s lives when they need support most and offering something simple, but powerful: peace of mind.

We’re not moving to Florence, but we’re fully committed to this region. We’re investing in it — by hiring local caregivers, building relationships with local providers, and offering families home care in Northern Kentucky a trusted option for high-quality home care.

To those of you who’ve been on this journey with me — through writing, through prayer, through donating blood when we needed it most — thank you. I hope this new chapter reflects what we’ve always believed in here: that service matters, character counts, and small acts of care can ripple further than we think.

If you know someone in Northern Kentucky who needs support — in Union, Villa Hills, Crestview Hills, Fort Thomas, or Florence — we’d be honored to walk alongside them.

Thanks for reading, and for being part of the story.

—Marcus

Learn More
To learn more about Caring Excellence and our in-home care services for Northern Kentucky families, visit:
https://caringexcellenceathome.com/northern-kentucky-office

USMNT

Concacaf Gold Cup is becoming tarnished

Published

3 months ago

June 14, 2025

Thomas Deschaine

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Not long ago, winning your confederation’s tournament earned a spot in the FIFA Confederations Cup, a prestigious competition held in the World Cup host nation the summer before the world’s biggest tournament.

The tournament featured the champions of all six confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA), along with the reigning FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, rounding out the field to eight teams. The tournament was last played in 2017.

The Concacaf Gold Cup is a semi-cycle tournament played in the first and third years of the cycle. The CAF Africa Cup of Nations is the only other confederation that plays two tournaments a cycle, and in many circles, the frequency of the Concacaf Gold Cup and the addition of the Concacaf Nations League has made the Gold Cup a throwaway tournament for the USMNT, as it’s been six years since the so called A list player pool has played in the event.

It raises the question for FIFA and Concacaf: should the Gold Cup be played once a cycle, and should FIFA consider bringing back the Confederations Cup?

The USMNT won the inaugural Gold Cup in 1991 and has claimed seven of the 17 editions since. Only two other CONCACAF nations Mexico (9) and Canada (1)—have lifted the trophy, and both are contenders in this edition.

The USMNT has a strong track record at the Gold Cup, finishing first in their group every year except 2011. They’ve reached 12 finals, with a record of 69 wins, 12 draws, and 9 losses, scoring 189 goals and conceding just 60

Gold Cup Player Stats

Across 17 editions of the Gold Cup, the USMNT has netted 189 goals, conceded just 60, and recorded 50 clean sheets. Here’s a look at the players who made it happen, those who found the back of the net, and those who kept it out.

Goals

18-Landon Donovan
13-Clint Dempsey
9-Eric Wynalda
8-Brian McBride
7-Jesus Ferreira

Assists

16-Landon Donovan
7-Michael Bradley
6-DaMarcus Beasley
6-Alejandro Bedoya
6-Eric Wynalda
5-Clint Dempsey

Wins

17-Kasey Keller
11-Tim Howard
8-Tony Meola
7-Matt Turner

Shutouts

14-Kasey Keller
8-Tim Howard
6-Tony Meola
6-Matt Turner

Captain

10-Michael Bradley
10-Kasey Keller
9-Carlos Bocanegra
8-Tony Meola
7-Claudio Reyna

Gold Cup Manager Stats

Over the past 34 years, the USMNT has reached 12 of the 17 Gold Cup finals under the leadership of seven different managers. Here’s a look at how each of them performed.

Matches Coached

25-Bruce Arena
18-Bob Bradley
12-Gregg Berhalter
12-Jurgen Klinsmann
10-Bora Milutinovic
8-Steve Sampson
5-B.J. Callaghan

Matches Won

19-Bruce Arena – GF-52-, GA-14
14-Bob Bradley – GF-34, GA-17
11-Gregg Berhalter – GF-26, GA-3
9-Jurgen Klinsmann – GF-32, GA-9
8-Bora Milutinovic – GF-15, GA-8
6-Steve Sampson – GF-14, GA-5
2-B.J. Callaghan – GF-16, GA-4

Gold Cup Trophies

3-Bruce Arena
1-Gregg Berhalter
1-Bob Bradley
1-Jurgen Klinsmann
1-Bora Milutinovic

Conclusion

In the future, U.S. Soccer and the USMNT should clearly communicate roster expectations for the Gold Cup, especially if a full A-list squad is not planned. Transparency on this front is essential, as it directly affects fan interest and attendance.

Club News

From Louisville to Lisbon: Joshua Wynder’s Journey with S.L. Benfica

Published

3 months ago

June 13, 2025

Zach McCabe

The current state of the USMNT has been at an all-time low since Couva in 2017. One of the positions in dire situation is Center Back. Tim Ream will be 38 by the time of the 2026 World Cup. Chris Richards has too many highs and lows and has not shown his club form with the US. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty have yet to perform for the national team. Miles Robinson, despite what many MLS fans want to believe, is not good enough and makes too many errors, like the second Turkish goal on June 7^th, 2025. Walker Zimmerman has one World Cup left in him and he has a history of making critical errors as well, like the penalty against Gareth Bale in the 2022 World Cup. Lastly, Mark McKenzie has improved his game since his move to Toulouse, but he is lacking the deserved opportunities and a good partnership.

Our U20 CBs will need to be called up sooner rather than later, either before or immediately after the 2026 World Cup. The top 3 prospects by fans and analysts are Noahkai Banks, Matai Akinmboni, and Joshua Wynder. Of the three, Joshua Wynder is the oldest at 20 years old and is part of a club that is world-renowned for their development, S.L. Benfica.

How did Wynder manage to accomplish such a move from Louisville City in the USL Championship to Benfica? To summarize, Wynder had a breakout season for Lou City at 17 years old in 2022, so much so that he was included in the US U20 World Cup team in 2023.

LOUvOKC.Photographer: EM Dash Photography

Wynder secured a spot to go on trial at Benfica and passed. On June 8^th, 2023, Benfica officially acquired Joshua Wynder from Lou City for a record-breaking $1.2 million transfer fee, which still stands today.

Louisville City FC, LOUvPIT.Photographer: EM Dash Photography

Benfica registered Wynder with the second team for the 2023/2024 season, who participate in Liga Portugal 2. Due to Portuguese rules (players play in the youth system until they are 19 years old), he spent the season with Benfica’s UEFA Youth League team and U23 team and only received 21 minutes with the B team until a season-ending injury. What began as a promising start, with the support of the fans, was cut short after just six matches. The following season went according to plan for Wynder. Wynder became a consistent starter for the B team where he started in 29 matches and appeared in a total of 31 matches. He also scored four goals, all headers from corners.

His success with the B team made him a fan-favorite and several calls to be called up to the first team by fans on social media. That day came on April 9^th, 2025, when he made the team sheet for Benfica’s Taça de Portugal Semi-Final match against FC Tirsense. Wynder made his first team debut when he was subbed in at the 76th minute mark of that match. He made a following appearance on the bench for the first team in their second leg match against FC Tirsense.

As early as November 27, 2024, it was reported by Glorioso 1904 that Joshua Wynder had gained the attention of the Benfica manager, Bruno Lage. The report further said that Wynder was becoming an option for the next season’s first team. A similar report surfaced on March 25, 2025, by Record, in Portugal, that Wynder is on track to be with the first team for the 2025/2026 season. That day may be coming sooner rather than later. Joshua Wynder will be joining Benfica on their 2025 Club World Cup campaign. This will be a true test for him to prove to Bruno Lage that he is ready to be part of the first team for the upcoming 2025/2026 Liga Portugal and UEFA Champions League season. If he is given serious minutes with the first team and performs, Joshua Wynder needs to be considered for the 2026 World Cup or immediately following the World Cup.

Benfica is in Group C of the Club World Cup with Auckland City, Bayern München, and Boca Juniors. Their first match is against Boca Juniors, 33-time Argentine champions, on June 16^th. Game two is on June 20^th against 10-time New Zealander champions, Auckland City FC. Lastly, their 3^rd group stage match is against the 6-time UEFA Champions League winners, Bayern München, on June 24^th.