As Arena seeks solutions, Morris, Feilhaber stand out in USA's win vs. Jamaica

The USA beat Jamaica to close its camp, but what did Bruce Arena really learn about his player pool that he can take into March's World Cup qualifiers?

Brian Straus | Feb 3, 2017

As Arena seeks solutions, Morris, Feilhaber stand out in USA's win vs. Jamaica /

For the sake of Bruce Arena and his U.S. national team, here’s hoping the past three weeks of training were more challenging than Friday evening’s friendly against Jamaica. Games that conclude January camps almost always are sluggish or choppy. The MLS-heavy squads are in pre-pre-season form and typically, precision doesn’t kick in before fitness. So in the end, they hope for a test and the opportunity to try out new players or tactics under duress.

The Reggae Boyz, who’d been together for only a few days and were devoid of almost their entire ‘A’ team at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium, offered neither a test nor the chance to experiment under duress. The Americans dominated the ball against low pressure, faced very little adversity and should have won by more than the 1-0 final score. Had Jordan Morris been more clinical in the first half, they would have. But after missing a couple inviting chances, the reigning MLS Cup champ and Rookie of the Year buried the game-winner in the 59th minute, thus saving Arena from going goalless in his first two games in charge.

The U.S. players now will head back to their clubs, which are just kicking off training camp, while Arena and his staff will try to distill the past month down to a few elements that might help come the matches in March. Those games—World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama—will definitely pose a challenge. And they’re close to must-win.

So now that Jamaica is beaten and camp has ended, here are three thoughts on what Arena might or might not have learned in Tennessee.

A goal to whet the appetite

Last Sunday, the Americans and Serbia played to a 0-0 stalemate during which the U.S. didn’t display much accuracy or creativity in the attacking third. Heading into Friday’s friendly, Arena stressed to his team the importance of finding its footing in the attack. And in the first half in Chattanooga, despite having nearly all of the ball, the U.S. failed to do so.

Perhaps it was the new 4-1-3-2 formation that featured only two holdover starters. Maybe it was the slick artificial turf. Or it might have been just typical January/February sloppiness. Whatever the culprit, Arena couldn’t have been pleased that his team was shut out for three straight halves. Jamaica retreated and was backed into the penalty area as the U.S. passed and moved, and Dax McCarty nearly opened the scoring with a sixth-minute header. Sebastian Lletget hit several dangerous crosses from the left flank, and then Chris Pontius hit a low, accurate ball from the right that wrong-footed Morris and bounced away. Three minutes later, in the 38th, Morris ran onto a ball and had a clear look at Jamaica’s Andre Blake, but the shot struck the Philadelphia Union goalkeeper.

In-need U.S. men's national team re-enters Bruce's unchanged arena

As good as Morris was for Seattle throughout the season and as well as he overcame a slow start to be a key contributor, he hadn’t scored for the U.S. since his debut in the spring of 2015 against Mexico. Finally, after nearly on hour on Friday, he ended his own scoreless streak—as well as the USA's under Arena—with a goal that should please the manager on multiple levels.

Not only was Morris’s ability to fight through a slow start impressive, but the build-up was spectacular. It started with Jorge Villafaña finding McCarty in midfield, and the new Chicago Fire acquisition looked up and spied Benny Feilhaber, the playmaker in the 4-2-3-1, in a pocket of space in front the back four. Feilhaber’s backward flick of the ball to Morris was the sort of move that only one other player in the current U.S. pool, Clint Dempsey, might pull off. Morris immediately slipped it back to Feilhaber and then settled the return pass for a hard, right-footed shot that found its way through.

WATCH: Jordan Morris gives the #USMNT the lead and a long-awaited breakthrough (via @FoxSoccer) https://t.co/KK84a6qDCx #USAvJAM
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Creativity, speed and improvisation are required to break down a mustered, well-organized defense, and the USA has never been blessed with players who could summon those skills on demand. Feilhaber can, and in his first U.S. start in five years, he showed something special. Morris, meanwhile, announced his intention to challenge Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood for minutes up front in 2017.

U.S. manager Bruce Arena through the years

Bruce Arena poses at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in October 1995 after being named coach of the U.S. Olympic team.

Bruce Arena talks at a February 1996 press conference with D.C. United, the club he guided to MLS Cup titles in the league's first two years.

Bruce Arena is introduced as the head coach of the U.S. men's national team in October 1998 at a press conference in New York.

Bruce Arena talks with soldiers at a U.S. military base north of Seoul, South Korea, in December 2001 prior to a friendly against South Korea in preparation for the 2002 World Cup.

Bruce Arena looks out the window of a U.S. Army helicopter as the pilot prepares to take off from Camp Liberty Bell following the team's visit to the demilitarized zone between South Korea and North Korea on May 31, 2002, in Panmunjon, South Korea.

Bruce Arena holds a U.S. training session at the Misari Football Center in Seoul, South Korea on May 29, 2002 prior to the start of the World Cup.

Bruce Arena gives a fist pump as U.S. players celebrate during the USA's landmark 2-0 win over Mexico in Jeonju, South Korea, in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.

Bruce Arena and the 2002 USA World Cup team present a jersey to President George W. Bush in the Oval Office at the White House.

Bruce Arena, coach of the U.S., and Frank Yallop, coach of the MLS All-Stars, answer questions at the only USA vs. MLS All-Star Game in league history, which MLS won 3-2 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in August 2002.

Bruce Arena and England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson answer questions at a pre-friendly press conference in Chicago in May 2005.

Bruce Arena gives instructions to Landon Donovan during the USA's World Cup qualifying match against Panama at Rommel Fernandez Stadium in Panama City on June 8, 2005.

Bruce Arena shows off his agility during a U.S. training session in Glasgow prior to a November 2005 friendly against Scotland.

Bruce Arena shares a hug with Jurgen Klinsmann during a March 2006 friendly between the USA and Germany in Dortmund. Their paths would cross later in life...

Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images

Bruce Arena steps off the plane in Hamburg, Germany, where the USA arrives for the 2006 World Cup.

Bruce Arena, Eddie Pope, Tim Howard and Josh Wolff are welcomed by the mayor of Hamburg at The Ratthaus in June 2006 ahead of the the Americans' participation in the World Cup.

Bruce Arena stands with Claudio Reyna and Steve Cherundolo after a press conference in Hamburg, Germany leading up to the 2006 World Cup opener.

Bruce Arena celebrates after his USA's 1-1 draw against eventual champion Italy after a hard-fought World Cup group-stage match at Fritz-Walter Stadium on June 17, 2006 in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Bruce Arena is introduced as manager of the New York Red Bulls in July 2006 following his dismissal as U.S. national team coach.

Bruce Arena leads an LA Galaxy postseason training session at Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, in December 2008 after taking over as manager midway through the 2008 MLS season.

Bruce Arena is one of four National Soccer Hall of Fame inductees honored on the field during the USA's friendly vs. Brazil in August 2010, standing with Kyle Rote Jr., Sunil Gulati, Thomas Dooley and Preki Radosavljević.

David Beckham and Bruce Arena share a joke at Sydney International Airport on November 25, 2010, during a postseason trip to Sydney, Australia.

At a star-studded event in July 2011, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Jose Mourinho pose with the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Bruce Arena to announce the Herbalife World Football Challange 2011 friendly tournament in which the Galaxy and Real Madrid played one another.

With help from Landon Donovan and David Beckham, Bruce Arena introduces Robbie Keane as the LA Galaxy's third Designated Player in August 2011.

Bruce Arena hoists the MLS Cup after the LA Galaxy's 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in 2011, the first of three titles he would win with the club.

Bruce Arena holds the MLS Cup trophy in between Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, David Beckham and Dave Sarachan after the 2011 triumph over the Houston Dynamo.

Bruce Arena shakes hands with President Barack Obama at the White House during a 2012 ceremony honoring the 2011 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy.

Bruce Arena, Landon Donovan, President Barack Obama and David Beckham are front and center as the LA Galaxy celebrate their 2011 MLS Cup title at the White House.

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Bruce Arena holds one of his grandsons and looks on as Landon Donovan kisses the MLS Cup trophy after the LA Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo for the 2012 title.

Bruce Arena and David Beckham share a light moment in the post-match press conference after the LA Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo for a second straight season in the MLS Cup final, winning the 2012 title.

Bruce Arena returns to lead the U.S. men's national team, hired as Jurgen Klinsmann's replacement following a pair of World Cup qualifying losses in November 2016.

Bruce Arena chats with MLS commissioner Don Garber and U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati prior to his first match of his second stint with the U.S. men's national team, a friendly vs. Serbia in San Diego in January 2017.

Overlooked players make their point

The fact that Feilhaber hadn’t started in so long, and hadn’t been called into camp at all in three years, was a frequent top of conversation during the latter half of Klinsmann’s reign. Arena’s arrival gave the playmaker’s international career new life, and it appears he has taken advantage. And Feilhaber wasn’t the only one.

Even as Villafaña helped the Portland Timbers to the 2015 championship and played regularly for Santos Laguna, the left back couldn’t get a look at a position of need for the U.S. But Arena called Villafaña up even though he lost his starting job in Mexico, and in so doing may have found a left back who can play in March. Again, Jamaica offered little in the attack, which gave Villafaña plenty of freedom to roam up the left flank. But there was never a sense that he was vulnerable to the counter, and his crossing and combination play with Lletget in the first half was outstanding. If Villafaña continues on this trajectory, he may emerge either as a steady backup for Fabian Johnson or someone who can allow the latter to move to midfield. Villafaña is one of the major finds of this January camp, and Arena must hope the Californian finds a way to get more minutes at Santos or elsewhere.

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The other is Lletget, who’s had two very good seasons with the LA Galaxy but still never got a call from Klinsmann. A strong performance against Serbia was followed up by another good outing Friday. Lletget is skillful, hard-working and was dangerous crossing the ball from the left during the first half. He also nearly scored on a well-worked corner kick. In the second half, Lletget shifted inside to play in front of Michael Bradley. It is there the 24-year-old might feature again against Honduras. He missed only two passes outside the offensive third all evening.

McCarty also did more than enough to warrant more national-team time. There never was much doubt beyond Klinsmann and his staff that the former New York Red Bulls captain was capable.

Questions remain in back

Chemistry among the back four is vital, and Arena was never going to establish his qualifying lineup this month thanks to the absence of key players like Johnson, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron (who is injured), Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and DeAndre Yedlin, among others. It was always going to be about who might emerge as additional options.

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D.C. United center back Steve Birnbaum, who’s stock rose under Klinsmann, did well, and U.S. debutant Walker Zimmerman didn’t put a foot wrong on Friday. Their one-on-one defending and distribution were good, but they never were forced into difficult choices or numbers-down situations. The Graham Zusi experiment at right back continued, and the first-half moment when he was badly beaten by a much faster Cory Burke exposed the Sporting Kansas City midfielder’s primary limitation. The moment should be one Zusi can learn from, but Arena will have to consider other options in March.

The goalie position remains up in the air as well. Luis Robles and David Bingham split time on Friday, but both likely remain behind Nick Rimando on the depth chart.

Even if Birnbaum starts next month, he’ll be playing alongside someone new. As will Villafaña, if he gets the chance. And that leaves Arena where he always knew he would be—with only a few precious days to get a new back line and his winless team ready for a critical World Cup qualifier.

January camp was helpful and it put certain players in frame, but March represents an entirely different proposition.

Published Feb 3, 2017

BRIAN STRAUS

A lifelong soccer player, coach and fan, Brian Straus joined SI in 2013 after covering the sport for The Washington Post, AOL and Sporting News.