Should Robbie Findley Start?

It didn't take long for Robbie Findley to silence his doubters (or at least turn their grumblings into applause).  But is one good half enough to vault Findley from being the "last guy in" to the starting XI?  That'd be quite the turnaround, particularly for someone like myself who wasn't exactly behind the Findley selection when it happened.

But some additional thought on the matter began to change my opinion, with this weekend's USA-Turkey friendly only pushing me further to the opposite end of the spectrum.  Am I gulping down the Findley kool-aid?  Not just yet.  I'd like to see more of the same against Australia before I do that. But it's definitely something I've begun to take as a serious possibility.

Let's take a couple of steps back.  Ever since that fateful October night in Washington DC, the main roster conversation has been about who can replace what Charlie Davies brought to the table, or at least act as an adequate substitute.  Being as Charlie had been one of the best strikers in the player pool during 2009, it was always unlikely that someone would step up to completely fill the void.  But while the same level of speed, finishing ability, passing, dribbling, and strength cannot be found in one player, the various attributes can be found across a couple of players who now find themselves on the final roster.  Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez have showed off their finishing ability this spring, while Robbie Findley has been known in national team circles for his raw speed.

So then the question is which of those attributes is most important to the USMNT lineup?  Should speed be sacrificed in favor of superior finishing (i.e. the goalscoring form of Buddle and Gomez)?  I think we got a good look at the answer to this question on Saturday.

Against Turkey, Bob Bradley opted to start Clint Dempsey up top with Jozy Altidore.  Dempsey has spent some time at forward with both club and country, so the choice was not too surprising.  And, given the lack of experience amongst the other strikers, it seemed to be the popular opinion that Dempsey would start with Altidore against England as well.  But, much like Findley, Buddle, and Gomez, Dempsey alone could not replicate what Charlie Davies added to the US lineup.  While he possesses a great deal of skill up top and strength on the ball, he does not pose the same speed threat to the opposing back line.

With Altidore and Dempsey up front, the US lacked a serious speed threat.  While Jozy and Deuce are far from being slow, it would be inaccurate to say that they can stretch a defense in the same way that Davies, or Findley, can.  I would go so far as to say that the US' stagnant attack in the first half was actually a result of this pairing, rather than just a correlation.

Without a serious down field threat, the Turkish back line could press higher up, knowing that they could most likely match Dempsey or Altidore in a foot race.  This had a big effect on the US attack.  For starters, the higher back line pushed both strikers closer to the midfield, helping clog up an already crowded area and closing down some of the wing midfielders' space.  The more aggressive defending that left less space between the midfielders and forwards also left less space for the forwards to check back and receive a ball at their feet, as any extended run back would lead to Turkish midfielders collapsing on the ball.  The crowded midfield and limited ability to play into the strikers' feet then led to countless balls over the top that almost always resulted in a turnover.  The higher Turkish back line's impact on Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber was that they began to drift centrally in search of space and service, only compounding the issues of a crowded midfield and condensed formation.

Insert Robbie Findley, and all of a sudden there seemed to be loads more space in the attacking half.  Of course, the calming presence of Jose Torres can't be downplayed, but Findley's contributions are the topic of this post, so we'll keep the focus on him.  And, it must be asked, were Torres' exploits facilitated by the Real Salt Lake striker?  What most will remember of Findley's appearance was his delicate chip over the top to Landon Donovan to set up the US' first goal; an unexpected display of an aspect of Findley's game for which he isn't exactly known.  But his most important contributions might have been what he did for other players.

As I alluded to earlier, his presence stretched the field, forcing the Turkish defense to tone down their high line and subsequently giving the midfielders and strikers some more space in the attacking end.  As a result, the midfielders (most notably Torres) had a little more time on the ball and had more viable outlet options to work with.  It's no coincidence that the hopeful long balls were much less frequent in the second half, while wing play and passes into feet in the attacking third opened up a bit.  It's also worth mentioning that Findley's presence allowed Clint Dempsey to slide back into the midfield, his preferred (and most effective) position.

Did Findley have his issues?  Of course.  He got caught putting his head down at times and ran himself beyond the end line as a result.  But he did enough to make a significant impact on the US attack and Turkish defense, with a quick shot, some probing runs, and a couple of nice passes changing the complexion of the match.  Am I overselling Findley's impact?  Possibly.  But that's why I emphasized earlier that I'd like to see some of the same from Findley and the US against Australia this weekend.  If he can perform well once again and contribute to an effective US attack, then I would certainly expect to see him at some point against England, even as a starter.  There is obviously the possibility that Findley won't even appear in the final friendly, with Buddle or Gomez getting a run out with Altidore from the opening whistle.  But, if his appearance against Turkey was any indication, I expect that we'll see Findley once again this Saturday.

Findley might not be the most threatening presence up top; he certainly isn't Charlie Davies.  He probably won't create a lot of goals or wreak havoc on an opposing defense to the same degree that Chuck could.  But what makes him an important player is just the possibility that he could do that at some point with his speed.  If that threat is enough to keep the defense honest, it opens up a host of possibilities for both he and his teammates going forward.  We'll see if that's enough to earn him some more minutes against Australia, or even a start against England come June 12th.