USMNT vs Ecuador: 5 Takeaways From Friendly

Oct 10, 2014; Hartford, CT, USA; Team USA celebrates after a goal by USA midfielder Mix Diskerud (8) against Ecuador the first half at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

3. Creativity in the Attack

Another thing that I think we should take away was the UMNT’s creativity going forward. Whether it was Altidore having the vision to look for the second run or the combination play between Bedoya and Mix, it was very fun to watch and a good sign moving forward.

As these players have more time to play with one another and more time to mesh, this clever play and creativity will only increase. With Yedlin’s speed on the wing, and Gyau’s on the other side (hoping his injury looked worse than it actually was) alongside Mix and Bedoya in the middle. Couple that with Bradley going to be inserted and Altidore up front. You have a lot of players who are exciting to watch and can create chances that can and should be finished.

I think you saw glimpses of that in Hartford and hopefully will see more of that to come. At the World Cup in Brazil, that is something I thought was lacking from the midfield; creativity. I know the loss of Altidore shifted the whole game plan for the USMNT, but even so, I thought the creativity going forward almost nonexistent for the team in the World Cup.

I hope the glimpses we saw tonight were not just a onetime thing, but a sign of things to come as the team begins to build more chemistry with each other. It will only improve as players get to know each other more and that is definitely a good sign moving forward.