How Can the USA Counter Ghana's Speed?

This is the question the broadcast giant ESPN is asking today. I hope Bob Bradley reads this and gets the message: The ONLY game he decided to bench the inept and slow Oguchi Onyewu was the only game the US National Team, not only won, but also kept its goal unbeaten.

Need we say more? Onyewu may be tall and strong as many people in the United States, who claim soccer expertise, believe those are the only good traits a soccer player needs to possess. They couldn't be more wrong, as Onyewu has demonstrated time-and-time again how dangerous he is in the back line due to his lack of speed, inability to read or anticipate plays, inability to properly use his size and strength -creating many dangerous situations and penalty kicks for opponents- to clear the ball out of danger, but most importantly, his lack of passion and heart. Am I the only one who notices Onyewu pretty much walking almost the entire match? He is always the last man to the ball. He is always the one leaving suicidal space between him and the opposing attacker. He is the only defender I have ever seen to duck on a shot to avoid getting hit by the ball. I could continue for hours on why Onyewu should not even be on the National Team, but the fact of the matter is that he is in South Africa. But how can we "defend" our team from Onyewu? Simple. Do not play him.

In Germany 2006 the US National Team was in a must-win situation going into the last match of the group phase against Ghana to have any chance of advancing to the second round. Onyewu, in a very stupid no heads-up play caused a penalty kick in favor of Ghana who went on to win the game.

Now in 2010 is a different story. The U.S. has advanced into the knock-out stage and now faces Ghana, again, on Saturday at 11:30 AM PST. The Ghanians are fast -very fast,- physical and technical. We all know that the weakest line on the National Team is the defense. So, the only chance to diminish the problem is to bench Onyewu. Bocanegra in the middle is not necessarily the best option, but it is all we have. Bornstein on the left side is also not the best answer, but will have to do. DeMerit, in the middle, and Cherundolo on the right side have had so far a superb World Cup, but will have to step-up their game to contain the Ghanian gazelles.

In the midfield line Maurice Edu has proven he is the starter. No more experiments with Torres, or anyone else. Michael Bradley is going to have to recover the ball, and most importantly serve it to American players, not Ghanians. Donovan and Dempsey should complete the middle line. Will the US need to play defensively and counter-attack in order to have a shot at winning the match? I don't think so. The US has the necessary weapons to beat Ghana, but will have to do so in an orderly fashion. So far in this World Cup the first 15 minutes of every US match have been atrocious in terms of lack of concentration in defense. We can no longer afford the same style. Possession, full concentration and pressing the Ghanian build-up and attack on their side of the pitch will prove to be the keys for a US win.

Obviously, none of the keys mentioned to win the game will have any meaning if the US does not put the ball in the net. Altidore and Gomez up front should be the starters, as they have proved to be the most dangerous. But Dempsey, as an attacking mid, along with Gomez and Altidore will need to be more accurate on the finishes.

In summary, if Onyewu does not play, if coach Bob Bradley does not even consider DaMarcus Beasley as an option at any stage of the game, if we press Ghana deep on their side, if we are fully concentrated from the opening whistle, and most importantly, if we capitalise on our scoring chances we should see the US National Team advance to the quarterfinals of the 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup.