Match Analyses: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), 12.06.2016. 19:00

Referee: Referee: Bascunan J. (Chi) 

USA

Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

Playing System: 4-3-3

PARAGUAY

Coach: Ramón Díaz

Playing System: 4-4-2

USA Defence

USA didn't press most of the time as they waited for the perfect opportunity to get the ball and play  it to the final third as soon as possible. Therefore they re-organised themselves into a 4-4-2 system in defence, where they were solid and compact.
We can see the back four and the midfield four. The two strikers in this defensive system forced the opponent towards the flanks and this made the opponent predictable which was great for the USA national team.
The USA's only mistake was that they overloaded the opponent's penalty area and forgot to cover the midfield in attack. This led Paraguay counter-attack them sometimes. Jurgen Klinsmann realized it later on and warned his players.

Paraguay Defence 

The previous situations mentioned were the outcomes of the defending of the Paraguayan team. They did what South-American nations usually do in soccer: they pressed the opponent high. These players are really attracted to the ball and this defending has strong connection with their emotion. They have an intent to get and possess the ball as much as possible.
After Yedlin gone a little wild and was given two yellow cards in a minute, Paraguay went on pressing the opponent high giving no other option but long balls. We can see that every player is moving towards the ball, defending forward and leaving no free players to pass the ball to. 
The Paraguayan team did what South-American nations usually do in soccer: they pressed the opponent high. These players are really attracted to the ball and this defending has strong connection with their emotion. They have an intent to get and possess the ball as much as possible.

USA Attack

USA Attack 1

As everyone expected before the game, USA played in a very well-organised system as Jurgen Klinsmann loves tactical organisation. From the beginning we could see the importance of Michael Bradley's mind in midfield, but other midfield triangular movements went successfully. Bradley was the "always-free" man and all the attacks went through him. He was the mind and the right-hand man of Klinsmann on the pitch. 
The idea was to open up space in midfield for vertical passes towards the striker as Paraguay started playing in a defensive system where there were no overload in the central areas so there were no player to cut these passing lanes.

USA Attack 2 

We could also realise that the 3 strikers were constantly changing their positions, so Wood often came into the centre striker position while Dempsey stepped back and went for the lay-offs. We can see the space again behind the midfield so Wood could easily win these aerials and play the ball to a teammate facing the goal.

USA Attack 3

We could see it before the only goal of this clash. USA was organised, they intercepted a pass and played the ball to a teammate facing the goal (Bradley). Zardes went wide after being compact in defence. Wood also helped him because he dragged the opponent's right back and created a 2v1 in favour of the USA.

USA Attack 4

Zardes won the battle and crossed the ball, but we can see the movements of the central players. One stepped forward, one stepped back and one (Dempsey) came from a deepish position. There was a huge overload and USA scored a goal due to this.

Paraguay Attack

Paraguay Attack 1

Defending and attacking are in a strong relationship when it comes to South-American soccer. They play direct soccer most of the time so as soon as they get the ball, they start a counter-attack if possible. They don't look for a safe place on the pitch to keep possession and tire the opponent. This could be seen perfectly during this game. 
There is an overload near the ball and we can see that all Paraguayan midfielders and attackers are waiting for getting the ball and starting an attack. USA didn't play too patiently and this was a mistake when it comes to attacking in an overnumbered situation. USA should have changed the point of attack to create overload and then they could have crossed into the box. Though USA had an overload in the box, the away team didn't let them cross it towards them. This was a quite risky tactics for this game. 

Paraguay Attack 2

This is what could happen but there is so much luck needed for the Paraguayan team to create this 3v1. This was a huge mistake of the USA players because they took too much risk sometimes and instead of waiting and playing patiently they tried to play the ball towards the centre.

Summary

After Yedlin's red card the game was changed a bit. The USA was outshot 10-3 but fortunately they didn't concede. They had to defend for their lives to advance to the quarter final. They needed to park the bus and they only had 27% of possession. This is a situation when the home crowd means a lot for the team. They had to concentrate and move together well not to concede a goal.
We could see that the USA has a well-organised team but the opponent lacked quality when it came to finishing the attacks. USA now has a great chance to go on as this clash could give them so much confidence. The only concern for the next game will be the back four for Jurgen Klinsmann.