One of the common conclusions that I’ve seen after the January camp games is that Michael Bradley played well and is a legitimate option to start at the 6 for for a full strength USMNT. I don’t strongly disagree with that, but I do disagree. Not that Bradley played poorly, but that he came out ahead of Trapp. I have heard/read very little about Wil Trapp since then. Let’s rectify that by completely over analyzing these two games – again.
In my opinion, Trapp has the advantage after the January games and is more likely than Bradley to start at the 6 going forward, if it is in fact one of those two. That being said, Tyler Adams continues to kill it for RB Leipzig. It looks more and more likely that he starts in that position and this whole conversation is moot, but let’s examine the evidence.
Quality of competition. Bradley started against Panama and Trapp started the game against Costa Rica. Neither team had their A-roster, but of the two, Costa Rica is the much better team. Trapp started against Costa Rica. That gives us a small measure of insight into how Berhalter is thinking.
Minutes played. This is a bit overly anal (Have you met US Soccer Twitter?), but being overly anal is kinda what I do here. Anyway, Trapp got the full 90 against Costa Rica and Bradley got replaced by Trapp in the 84th minute of the Panama game.
Now, on to the actual game film…
Bradley v. Panama
Defense
It looks like one of the tasks asked of the 6 in Berhalter’s system is going to be this quick press to win the ball back/cut off outlet passes. Bradley doesn’t quite get there on this one. I should stop comparing everyone to Tyler Adams, but does anyone doubt that Adams would have gotten there?
The gif below is a good example of what Bradley provides on defense. Lovitz had just turned the ball over with a confusingly bad pass and Panama has a chance to break. Bradley suffocates the play by closing down the passing angles as he gets closer to the man and eventually deflects the ball out of play.
Here Bradley anticipates the pass, gets in front of it, and plays it first time to a teammate. This is what Bradley gives you in a nutshell. He’s intelligent, reads the game well, and makes quick decisions.
This was Bradley’s most memorable moment in my mind. The US has turned the ball over, Lovitz gets beat cleanly trying to press, and Panama is away on the break. Bradley runs the player down, takes the ball, and calmly plays it back to the keeper.
Offense
On the offensive side of the ball Bradley didn’t do much to catch the eye against Panama. He kept the ball moving, played a couple nice line breaking passes, but nothing game-breaking. Here he attempted a long diagonal ball to Baird – it doesn’t quite come off. This will stand in stark contrast to what Trapp was able to do against Costa Rica.
Bradley moves the ball quickly and calmly out of pressure. This is one of his strengths. He’s not under a lot of pressure, but he makes a good decision quickly.
Couple of good, line breaking passes. Nothing Pirlo-esque, but good. It seems like Bradley has regressed offensively a little bit, but I think that feeling is probably wrong. I’m just remembering Klinsmann asking Bradley to be an offensive AND defensive midfielder.
Nice ball to find a player in space here. Again, Panama is not putting him under any kind of duress, but he does pick out a nice ball. This is just before also the moment that almost broke Adam Belz (Roldan shooting instead of playing Baird in).
Another positive pass, the gif here shows a really nice ball into space for Ebobisse to run onto. This also appears to be a pattern of play the team has worked on. It eventually leads to a shot on goal.
*TANGENT* I’ve seen it pointed out other places, but how great was this moment? You can see Berhalter teaching the players and the players listening and responding. It’s such a refreshing change after seeing previous coaches stand there with blank looks on their faces.
Trapp v. Costa Rica (+6 min from Panama)
Defense
If you are going to make the case for Bradley over Trapp, I think the strongest argument is on the defensive side of the ball. Bradley is a larger, more experienced defender that won’t get “out physical-ed” the way Trapp does occasionally.
Here’s the quick press after losing the ball in a Trapp example. Trapp not only steps in front to win it, he also plays it out wide to a winger with the first touch as he intercepts the ball. Baird can’t quite catch up to it, but it’s a nice play/idea.
There were a couple moments like the one below where Trapp goes for a ball and doesn’t get there/gets beat. Nothing comes of it, but Costa Rica gets a chance to break. I think moments like this is where the “lacking elite athleticism” critique you often hear about Trapp comes from. I should note that this happened to Bradley once or twice as well, but it is more noticeable/happened more often with Trapp.
Another example here that shows Trapp’s lack of physicality. The Costa Rican player is able to hold Trapp off and play a pass forward. A player with greater physical gifts probably wins this challenge or at least prevents a forward pass.
Offense
The offensive side of the ball is where I think Trapp holds the advantage over Bradley. Playing against a tougher opponent, Trapp was able to create more from the deep-lying midfield position than Bradley was.
Within 2 minutes of coming on against Panama, Trapp played this ball down the right to put a winger into space. Bradley tried one ball like that and didn’t complete it.
If you remember a ball from this match it’s probably this one. Zimmerman plays a nice little ball through the Costa Rican press to Trapp. Trapp then has time, picks his head up, and finds Arriola with a beautiful long, diagonal ball that puts him into a ton of space. This move eventually ends with Roldan biffing a glorious opportunity. Moments like this are where Trapp shines. This pass should have created a goal.
And this pass does create a goal. Here is Trapp’s hockey assist for the first goal. Trapp takes a touch and then with his second touch hits a weird, lofted ball that ends up perfectly putting Jonathan Lewis in space. Lewis then plays in the cross that Lletget heads home.
Much like Bradley, Trapp also did a good job of moving the ball quickly, and calmly out of pressure in his defensive third. Here, he passes to Arriola with a first time ball so he can get out and run.
Arguments for Bradley over Trapp:
Physicality: Bradley is 6′ 1″- 180 lbs. and Wil Trapp is 5′ 8″ – 150 lbs. If you’re of the same persuasion as Jose Mourinho (likes large DMs) then Michael Bradley is your man. Bradley has 5 inches and 30 pounds on Trapp so he is less likely to get bullied off the ball, can win more headers on long balls, and is generally a more intimidating defensive presence.
Experience: Bradley has 143 caps for the USMNT. It’s not like Trapp has no experience, but Bradley has started and played well in competitive games all over the world for the national team and various club teams. Trapp has 13 caps, none of them in competitive fixtures and has no international club experience.
Arguments for Trapp over Bradley:
Passing: Just from the gifs above you see what Trapp can provide to a team. His ability to hit long passes into space provides a threat that Bradley doesn’t. How important is that to Berhalter?
Youth: Wil Trapp turned 26 last month and would be 29 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Berhalter won’t have to worry about him losing a step and becoming less effective when the time comes around. He could insert Trapp into the lineup now and start building chemistry with teammates for years.
Familiarity: This one will become less important over time, but for now Trapp knows what Berhalter wants. When the March friendly window comes Berhalter can use Trapp as a coach on the field (at arguably the most critical position) instead of having to spend time teaching a new player what he wants.
Summing Up
Bradley played well against Panama, but Trapp played as well or better (in my opinion) against a better team in Costa Rica. Trapp provides more of an offensive threat, and Berhalter has coached him for years. For these reasons, I’m saying that Trapp not Bradley is the starting 6 for the USMNT in the March friendlies, IF Tyler Adams has not already overtaken both of them.
