WASHINGTON – This month's friendlies against Peru and Brazil were originally arranged as part of the US national team's runup to the Copa America Centenario next summer. That tournament's fate has since been shrouded in mystery, however, after it was caught up in the Department of Justice's far-reaching investigation of bribery and corruption in world soccer.
But the twin bill of South American opponents may prove to be ideal preparation for another “new dynamic,” in the words of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann: the CONCACAF Cup faceoff with Mexico at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 10.
Though Peru carry little of the reputation mighty Brazil enjoy, these tenacious, technically-gifted adversaries with a penchant for possession will test a USMNT squad with plenty of questions to answer at the tail end of a tumultuous year.
“I saw a little bit of film on Peru. They're a great team, you can't underestimate them,” US attacker Gyasi Zardes told MLSsoccer.com at RFK Stadium on Thursday. “They have good attacking players. I expect it to be a great game.”
“La Blanquirroja” actually outpaced Brazil at this summer's Copa America, finishing a surprising third place behind champions Chile and runners-up Argentina. And on Friday night they may benefit from the support of the D.C. region's large Peruvian-American community
“Peru's a good team, they had a good showing at the Copa America,” said USMNT goalkeeper Brad Guzan. “They’re going to have stretches where they do keep the ball. It’s going to be on us to make sure that we’re compact, we’re solid, and make it difficult for them to penetrate and to break us down.”
But the focus has been mostly internal at this camp, with plenty of hard training in the city's hot, muggy conditions and an atmosphere of caged fury in the wake of the disappointing Gold Cup campaign.
“I mentioned to the group that I want to see that hunger and that drive, that ambition, in every training session,” said Klinsmann. “Obviously as we mentioned before, the fight for the spots is ongoing anyway; that's our job. And the players pick up on those words very positively. What we're seeing in the training sessions has been very promising, has been good.
“Also, there's a lot of willingness from a lot of the players to correct the things that didn't work in the Gold Cup in these upcoming games.”
Klinsmann and his charges have been just as guarded about potential lineup selections as they would ahead of a World Cup match. Tactically, the diamond 4-4-2 seen regularly over the past year might return. Yet a 4-2-3-1 shape has also featured in recent months and would provide useful opportunities to build partnerships throughout the midfield. Jozy Altidore is eminently capable of leading the line by himself, and has drawn conspicuous praise on his recovery from another bout of hamstring problems in July.
“He's been phenomenal in this camp,” said Zardes of Altidore, “finishing a lot of plays off. He's been great.”
Klinsmann already has ample roster options in center midfield and central defense, and veterans Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey are scheduled to join the group in Boston after their weekend MLS duties.
They'll be leading contenders for significant minutes against Brazil on Tuesday. So the door of opportunity might be widest against Peru for those further down the pecking order – and the coaching staff will surely reward those who seize the initiative.
“There's no such thing as friendly games,” said midfielder Alejandro Bedoya on Thursday. “You've still got to show what you're worth. And for a lot of players, it boils down to positions. If you want to be a part of this group moving forward, you have to perform, and that's what these games are for.”
