I sat down with some soup and cheap table wine and later some cheese and crackers to watch the USA-Jamaica rematch. And it was much more fun than last time, I can assure you.

Obviously, there was Clint Dempsey making that face (see video):

But there was also some nice tactical decisions by Klinsmann to get the some good, intelligent play out of his team, as well as address the tactical issues of the last game.

Dempsey was kept in a central role behind the striker (though he tended to drop deeper than last game).

Zusi and Torres were kept on the wings, but rather than playing as traditional wingers, running up and down the sidelines, burning the field with pace, the took on a slower roles, more focused on tempo than speed. They played operated as outlets on the wing, slowing the play down and picking out passes. They maybe played a little narrowly, but definitely as outside midfielders.

Actually, that’s very similar to the 4-2-2-2 formation that Klinsmann’s predecessor, Bob Bradley played. But Bradley played Donovan and Dempsey as the middle ‘2.’ They played as somewhat narrow wide midfielders, but each is more of a driving player, using acceleration, quick first touches, and the ability to ghost in the area to attack. Zusi and Torres played much slowly, focusing on possession and also being more willing to play longer passes (though not long balls, per se).

In the midfield, only Danny Williams was tasked to stay deep and defend, while Jermaine Jones stayed around the center circle.

For the first time in a long time, Torres looked good for the USMNT. He was a steady, patient outlet for teammates who were under pressure and played some decent balls into dangerous areas. He wasn’t as good as Zusi, but Zusi benefitted by playing with Steve Cherundulo behind him at fullback, whose smart runs gave Zusi a lot more cover cut inside slightly while Cherundulo overlapped. Fabian Johnson on the left didn’t make nearly as man good runs from fullback, so Torres had to be more careful about coming inside.