Real Salt Lake defender Chris Wingert got in on the World Cup prognosticating this week, providing some insight for The Shin Guardian’s fantastically thorough U.S.-Ghana preview.
Here’s Wingert on how the U.S. should look to start the game against the Black Stars:
“I would say the US has to stay disciplined. Our chances will come if we stay patient and defend well–similar to the game against Nigeria. If we get involved in a track meet early and don’t defend with numbers, I think we’ll get exposed.”
And here’s the RSL left back on what to watch when the U.S. is defending set pieces:
“In the game against Nigeria the US looked to have a few guys playing zone defense on Nigeria’s corner kicks. Personally, I’m not a big fan of playing zone when defending set pieces. It allows the attackers to get a free run at the ball since nobody is responsible for impeding these runs. If you have a great ball-winner in the air (maybe like an Omar Gonzalez) then it might be smart to leave him free and let him hunt the ball. All the other attackers should be accounted for with individual defenders in my opinion.”
Be sure to check out The Shin Guardian’s entire preview here. Read it, you’ll learn something.
