The nice thing about the US holding the same scoreline in all of their group games is that it helps with assessing the lineup. Having watched all of the Group B games (missed one from Group A, sadly), I’ve got a sense of how the US opponents stack up against one another. Panama definitely looked better than the others, and they didn’t make things easy on the US in Tuesday’s game.

So let’s break things down.

1-Bryane Heaberlin; 17- Olivia Brannon, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman (capt), 19-Stephanie Amack; 16-Sarah Killion (10-Mandy Laddish, 46), 12-Vanessa DiBernardo, 8-Julie Johnston (15-Samantha Mewis, 56); 13-Micaela Capelle, 11-Lindsey Horan (20-Maya Hayes, 46), 7-Kealia Ohai
Subs not used: 18-Abby Smith, ; 4-Crystal Dunn, 2-Mollie Pathman, 6-Morgan Brian, 14-Katie Stengel, 9-Chioma Ubogagu

More DiBernardo? Check. Less Brian? Check. Trying new things and playing better soccer? Check, check. Capelle? Oh man, check. Also, Amack happened. And Swanson left Pathman off, meaning we got to see someone else with the armband (Kallman, who’s been playing the full 90 all through everything this year).

The US played better against Panama than they did in their previous two games. They definitely brought a different energy to the field – perhaps in part as a response to Panama’s energy, but probably also owing to the lineup changes. There was sweet symmetry to the goalscoring, too:

USA – Micaela Capelle
USA – Vanessa DiBernardo
USA – Julie Johnston (Maya Hayes)
USA – Maya Hayes (Samantha Mewis)
USA – Samantha Mewis (Vanessa DiBernardo)
USA – Maya Hayes (Micaela Capelle)

And somehow, that’s made even better given how many shots golden girl Lindsey Horan botched in her 45 minutes of play. It was probably just an off night for her, but things definitely changed on the field once she wasn’t the go-to player. The Americans really pulled it together in the second half. The U-20s are making progress, something we didn’t really see from them last cycle.

Rather than make a wishlist or predictions for the game against Mexico, I’d like to look at an ideal lineup based off the current roster. Perhaps even with some potential subs (although that’s a tricky one, since I’m not a fan of stock subbing).

Bryane Heaberlin; Olivia Brannon, Cari Roccaro, Kassey Kallman (capt), Stephanie Amack; Mandy Laddish, Vanessa DiBernardo, Samantha Mewis; Julie Johnston, Micaela Capelle, Maya Hayes.

• I don’t really have a preference one way or another on my GK options, but building consistency is a good idea. It worked with Henninger and it worked with Naeher. If the US has any chance of facing PKs, I would want someone that I have seen be competent when facing that before.
• I’d like to see this defense handle another threat. Panama was a good start, so why not try them against Mexico? Pathman hasn’t been amazing this tournament, and the only time I notice Dunn is when she isn’t getting back on the defense after an attack.
• Rather than mess with the formation, I figured it’s time to relocate Johnston. Mewis looked good in the second half against Panama, and I think part of that was the change of energy and lineup–but Johnston also has her merits. And I would say let DiBernardo start again, because I’m convinced she brings something positive to the field that we aren’t getting from anyone else right now. So I pushed Johnston forward and left Laddish in. Killion didn’t make an impression on me, and Laddish is more consistent/stable than Brian.
• Ignoring the scorelines (because we can), I think the front line is where the US needs the most change. Especially since they’re going up against Mexico’s Santiago. Capelle was a good choice last game, clearly. Ohai was decent in the first half, but I do think Johnston should stay on the field (just somewhere different), and Hayes will give the US the speed to keep up with Mexico’s determination and energy.
• …which means that, yes, Ohai is on my subbing list, along with Stengel and Brian. Ohai and Stengel can change the attack if any of the starting trio run into finishing issues (like Horan had), and Brian… well, you can’t bench Brian forever. So I’m willing to see whether she’s got anything to add in the second half.

By the way, if it were at all an option, I’d have Dahlkemper in my lineup. And wearing the armband. But she’s not on the roster, so I’ll just have to deal.

Another 6-0 win, another lackluster performance from the US. When people say the US was “convincing” in this win, I’m not sure what the audience was convinced of. All I am convinced of is that the 2010 U-17s could beat the 2012 U-20s and that people that look favorably on the game against Cuba didn’t actually watch the game.

But let’s build up to that. Starting XI:

18-Abby Smith, ; 4-Crystal Dunn, 17-Olivia Brannon, 5-Kassey Kallman, 2-Mollie Pathman (capt.); 15-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 10-Mandy Laddish; 20-Maya Hayes, 14-Katie Stengel, 9-Chioma Ubogagu

Awesome! Remember my wish list? So the prized striker (Horan) didn’t start, but both Hayes and Ubogagu did. Brannon and Laddish both started! DiBernardo played a full half. Two of three subs affected the game, so we’ll call that smart enough for now. Two points that weren’t addressed at all: Johnston did not play and Brian played the full 90.

Here’s the thing. Swanson seems like he is legitimately willing to change personnel when things aren’t working. But there doesn’t seem to be anything he can do about improving the US players’ passing. Pretty atrocious stuff last night. It’s hard to say whether that’s a familiarity/chemistry issue or something else. Maybe the kids just don’t care–I could see that being the case. For all but ten minutes of the game, the US players looked like they were doing a chore rather than something they purportedly enjoy. There was no urgency.

Comparatively, Panama and Guatemala followed up the USA’s disappointing win with an incredibly spirited battle. The hosts emerged victorious with a 3-1, hard-fought win. Panama might have what it takes to give this unmotivated US team the inspiration to play.

Here’s what I could stand to see from the US vs Panama:

• More DiBernardo. She looked like she actually wanted to be on the field and brought new energy in both games. Couldn’t hurt to start her, given the first half performances so far.
• Less Brian. We’re seeing some bad Lloyd habits out there.
• Some desire to try new things and play better soccer. Stop squandering tournament experience.
• Um, Micaela Capelle? Didn’t we take the minimum requirement 1 Bronco/1 Pilot to Panama?

I even have a starting XI wishlist!

• Heaberlin/Smith; Brannon, Kallman, Roccaro, Pathman; Johnston, Laddish, and Mewis; DiBernardo, Horan, Ubogagu/Hayes.

This is assuming Swanson is married to keeping Kallman and Pathman in the starting lineup. (He seems to be.) But it’s also hoping that he realizes Brian needs a timeout or something, because she definitely isn’t hitting her potential on the field.

Friday evening, the US notched a 6-0 win over Guatemala. There were some bright spots for the US, and some not-so-bright spots. Final assessment, though, is that Swanson could majorly impress, depending on his lineup tonight.

Here were his starters on Friday:

1-Bryane Heaberlin; 4-Crystal Dunn, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman, 2-Mollie Pathman (capt.); 15-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 8-Julie Johnston; 11-Lindsey Horan, 14-Katie Stengel, 7-Kealia Ohai

Not inspiring at all. Just looking at the XI before they stepped on the field, it was obvious that the US had gone with the size advantage. Entirely unnecessary against the usually smaller teams of CONCACAF, particularly given the overkill of Horan and Stengel up front. This lineup was a tank–very big and not a lot of speed.

In the first half, we saw the same runs over and over again, not a lot of movement off the ball, “first game nerves,” and no one at the far post. Throughout the game, we saw fluidity, but clearly a lot of players weren’t settled into their roles.

A couple key points on individual players:

• The Morgan Brian that we saw was UVA Morgan Brian. Pretty good, but more of an individual player than a team player. She is better when she’s a team player.
• Julie Johnston clearly wasn’t secure in her position. It looked like more of a “knowing your role” issue than anything else. But her goal was lovely and I think that she would be more effective with different personnel around her.

Now positions and subbing:

• The Did Not Play list is concerning. Why didn’t Brannon and Laddish start, much less play? Assuming it wasn’t injury or health issues (Laddish did look tired in the US Soccer interview), these two should have been on the pitch. Brannon might have been able to ground Brian, and Laddish could have replaced Brian (or Johnston) entirely, providing the midfield with an engine.
• The fact that Swanson pulled the golden child Morgan Brian is hugely encouraging. First of all: she is the golden child. Most US coaches won’t pull that player unless she’s injured. Not only that, but she is one of his college players; where’s the favoritism? But she needed to be pulled and he actually pulled her. Good for Swanson, good for the team, and over time, could be good for Brian.
• Not only that, but the fact that Swanson pulled Brian instead of Julie Johnston (who would have been the “easy” choice to replace) means the man gets bonus points. Johnston can be a really great, solid player. She made some mistakes–but Swanson left her in. So he has confidence in what she can build up to. And that is great.
• Pulling Ohai and Stengel (despite Stengel’s goal) was also a pretty smart move. I haven’t seen smart subbing from a US coach in a while, so the fact that he put in impact subs with enough time for them to make a difference is awesome.

Adding speed on the attack totally changed the complexion of the US team. The team the US fielded in the first half looked more 2010 U-20 than 2010 U-17. Talented but coasting, comparatively boring. That’s a character that won’t serve them well in the long run. Swanson clearly wasn’t satisfied with it either.

What I would like to see tonight:

• Start either Ubogagu or Hayes. Or go entirely for speed over size; Cuba is tiny.
• Minutes for Brannon and Laddish (again, given that they are healthy).
• Limited time for Brian or don’t start her at all.
• More minutes for DiBernardo.
• Try Johnston in a different position. Kind of suspicious of her positioning in the midfield.
• Man, maybe just mess a little with the backline. (I know is this asking for a lot, but what happens if you don’t start Crystal Dunn?)
• More smart subs! That was fun.