Jurgen Klinsmann’s 2nd-Half Fixes Lay Foundation for Potential Copa Lineup

As he has done on countless occasions in the past, United States men’s national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann handed fans hope with his changes after a first half full of lifeless action. 

Starting with his substitutions at the start of the second half on Wednesday against Ecuador, Klinsmann provided us with a glimpse into what his future starting XI may look like for the Copa America Centenario opener on June 3 against Colombia. 

After a brutal 45 minutes of play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the USMNT sprung to life with the additions of Darlington Nagbe and Bobby Wood. Nagbe was inserted into the middle of the pitch for Kyle Beckerman, while Wood entered for Gyasi Zardes on the wing. Minutes into their tenure on the field on Wednesday night, the USMNT looked like a completely different side. 

Nagbe and Wood brought a new dynamism to the USMNT attack that was lacking in the first half due to the presence of Beckerman in defensive midfield and only Clint Dempsey up top in a 4-3-3 setup. With Nagbe in the fold, Michael Bradley dropped back to the No. 6 position to control the attack with his passing and vision. Wood began on the left wing and did more on the flank in 18 minutes than Zardes did in 45. 

Bradley’s combination with Nagbe deep on the pitch was able to open up the Ecuador back line due to the movement it created in midfield. Wood, who is flowing with confidence at the moment, handed the Yanks more pace on wing, which allowed him to provide Nagbe with an outlet as he surged over midfield. 

In the 63rd minute, Klinsmann inserted 17-year-old Christian Pulisic and Alejandro Bedoya into the fold to replace Dempsey and Jermaine Jones. Those two changes allowed Wood to play in the forward role like he did on Sunday against Puerto Rico. Bedoya was crammed into a central role with all the playmakers on the field, while Pulisic took charge of the left wing. 

The dangerous lineup showed plenty of potential over the final 30 minutes, which is a great sign …

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