Five Points: USA must grab control against Cuba in quarterfinals

BALTIMORE --

Managing expectations is not a priority for United States men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann right now. His team is the favorite to retain the CONCACAF Gold Cup on home soil and secure a place in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia in two years’ time. He wants them to act like it.

“I think we are definitely the team to beat in this tournament,” Klinsmann said ahead of the quarterfinal against Cuba on Saturday (live, FOX, FOX Sports Go, 4:30 p.m. ET,). “It was not perfect the way we went through the group phase, but still, it was impressive how the players handled everything and how we finished off within two games being in the quarterfinals.

“Seeing all of the other results in all of the other games -- and the up and downs other teams had -- we were very consistent in what we’re doing,” Klinsmann continued. “Not saying it’s perfect, but we were very consistent and very focused. And that’s what’s we want to do tomorrow night in order to advance.”

Both tenets played integral roles in the march through Group A, but the Americans must start to layer other attributes on top them in order to lift the trophy in Philadelphia next Sunday.

This manageable assignment against Cuba provides the perfect opportunity to move forward in that quest and sort through some of the lingering issues from group play. Most of all, it is the ideal opportunity to justify those expectations against a limited opponent.

Cuba poised to bunker and counter …

In the middle of brushing aside questions about defections and the subsequent effect on the remaining 19 players in his squad, Cuba coach Raul Gonzalez noted the importance of keeping a disciplined shape and staying in firm defensive blocks.

Gonzalez reinforced the point with good reason: It is the only reasonable path to a result for his side, even if that shape tends to crack from time to time. This is a game where Cuba must sit back, soak up pressure and wait for the right moment to break. It is how the Cubans somehow managed to topple Guatemala after conceding eight times in earlier defeats to Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago. And it is how the Cubans must function in order to replicate that scoreless first half they mustered when these two teams played in the group stage back in 2013.

“They’re physically hard and they’re athletic,” U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley said. “They will be committed to making space small and closing down. They’ll try to give as little away as possible. Again, the onus will be on us to push the tempo, to be sharp, to play forward and to play forward quickly. It’s no secret in these games that if you get the first goal quickly, it doesn’t guarantee you anything, but it goes a long way in terms of breaking the game open.”

… and the U.S. must respond accordingly

In every group stage match, the U.S. stumbled out of the gates. Those slow starts did not leave much in the way of lasting damage, but they prevented the Americans from establishing the direction of the game and placing the opposing team under immediate duress.

“We need to make sure we have a good start,” Guzan said. “I’ve said that all tournament for each game, but, in this game, it’s more important than all three of them because it’s a quarterfinal game. We need to make sure that we do come out hungry and we’re ready to go right from the first whistle.”

Precision is critical in possession …

Clever, sharp work on the ball offers the best antidote to an entrenched opponent. The cadence in possession and the shape in midfield both posed problems during the group stage. It took too long to move the ball from point to point in the preferred 4-4-2 shape, while Klinsmann often tinkered with his shape during the matches to urge more play in the wide areas.

Klinsmann must weigh whether to start narrowly (Joe Corona’s arrival and Alejandro Bedoya’s return helps the options here) or expansively (Gyasi Zardes’ form recommends him) in a bid to create the necessary space and generate the necessary cadence. Either way, the Americans must connect passes crisply, move the ball swiftly from side to side and rely on their tempo to break down the dogged and somewhat vulnerable opposition.

“We just have to make sure we do things better and we’re sharper on the ball,” Bedoya said. “Maybe not give up cheap turnovers because these teams are going to defend and they’re going to try and counter.”

... and pressure is key without it

Cuba poses a threat when it claims possession and then immediately plays the ball into space in the wide areas. Those counters can cause the Americans problems -- both fullbacks tend to join the play in possession and leave gaps in behind them, even if DaMarcus Beasley plays on the left and shifts Fabian Johnson to the right -- in the right circumstances. The absence of John Brooks through suspension adds another defensive wrinkle. Tim Ream -- the expected choice on the left side of the central defensive pairing in Brooks’ stead -- helps to reduce some of that exposure with his typically astute anticipation and positioning.

There are two primary routes to limiting Cuba’s threat. The first is to lose the ball in better areas with a more cohesive shape capable of absorbing those intermittent counters and winning the ball back quickly. The second is to apply instant pressure on the ball to halt those runs and force the Cubans to attempt to retain possession instead. If the Americans can prompt Cuba to pass the ball (70 percent passing accuracy against Guatemala in midweek, per CONCACAF stats) instead of run with it, then they’re in good shape.

“First and foremost, we need to try to put them under a little bit of pressure,” Guzan said. “We need to make sure that our intensity and our pressure is there. We need to make sure that we’re on the front foot. The start to the game will be important because we want to try and make sure we don’t give them any room to breathe, any space to play, any room to run. We have to make sure we’re on the front foot and we don’t let them have time on the ball. You do that by putting them under pressure.”

Establish the foundation for the greater challenges ahead

Klinsmann used the last Gold Cup quarterfinal encounter -- a 5-1 victory over El Salvador in Baltimore two years ago -- to lay the groundwork for the title run to follow. Matt Besler stepped into defense to strengthen the back four. Eddie Johnson scored a critical goal on the hour to make the score 3-1 and set the stage for his starts in the semifinal and the final. The team found its footing during the second half and moved forward from that point.

This affair against Cuba presents a similar opportunity. This is the moment to crank into gear and lift the levels, accordingly. This is the time to produce the commanding performance lacking during the group stage to overwhelm an opponent with just 19 available players. This is the chance to send a signal to back up Klinsmann’s words and show why this team is expected to win a second consecutive Gold Cup next weekend.

“It’s about winning,” Guzan said. “We said that we wanted to make sure we put ourselves in a position to advance. We did that. We’re now into the quarterfinals. We want to put ourselves in a position to reach the semifinals. You do that by winning games.”