In Wednesday’s Tribune, Luis Arroyave listed five questions on his mind heading into the United States-England exhibition. Here are his answers to those questions after watching the United States lose 2-0.
1. Who will start at forward for the United States and can he pressure England’s outstanding backline?
Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff started up top with Landon Donovan out (groin). Johnson played well but needs to be more aggressive. Wolff was practically invisible. The U.S. is thin at forward.
2. Donovan has had his doubters in Europe ever since he quit Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen and returned to MLS in March 2005. If he does play against England (which is in question due to tightness in his groin), will the U.S. superstar do enough to turn a few of his critics into believers?
Wednesday’s game was the perfect example of how important Donovan is to the U.S. The U.S. looked flat on the attack and really needed Donovan’s speed and creativity. Second-half sub Freddy Adu was one of the few U.S. players to provide a spark on offense.
3. Can England defender John Terry bounce back one week after his heart-breaking penalty-kick miss in the Champions League final?
Not only was Terry solid on England’s backline, but he also headed in David Beckham’s free kick to put his team up 1-0. Terry hugged Beckham after the goal in what appeared to be an emotional moment for the Chelsea captain.
4. DaMarcus Beasley had a goal and an assist for Scotland’s Rangers on Saturday in his first start since returning from an ACL injury. Can he be just as effective for the U.S., which will be depending heavily on his offense and defense?
Beasley did all right against a physical English side when you consider that he is just coming off an injury. But he did look rusty at times — especially when taking free kicks.
5. Unlike most of the players on England’s roster, Beckham is still in-season. Will the lack of rust earn him a spot in the starting lineup? And if he does play, will he do enough to prove that he should be called up to the national team on a regular basis?
Beckham started on Wednesday and should expect to start again for England. He hustled, he threw his body around and he delivered the pass that set up England’s first goal of the match.
