following another embarrassing late loss from this team (14 goals conceded after 75' in the last 14 games) from the honestly USA-soccer-must-read Matthew Doyle (he's basically the Z-Lo of Soccer):

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/03/25/armchair-analyst-new-faces-same-problems-latest-late-usmnt-collapse-three-th

...

My big problem is that there's been a regression in this group's ability to play from the back. This was especially evident in Aarhus on Wednesday, but before you go writing it off as just a friendly, remember these numbers (courtesy of Opta) from the World Cup:

U.S.A
Year Minutes Played Possession Passes Per 90 Passes, Final Third Per 90 Shots Per 90
1990 270 46.61% 324.33 90 11
1994 360 42.61% 352 89.75 11.5
1998 270 53.83% 452.67 157 16.67
2002 450 48.59% 356.4 126.8 12.6
2006 270 50.31% 392 133.33 10.33
2010 390 49.06% 367.85 122.77 15.46
2014 390 43.48% 381.69 98.54 10.15

Opponents
Year Minutes Played Possession Passes Per 90 Passes, Final Third Per 90 Shots Per 90
1990 270 53.39% 365.33 131.33 19.33
1994 360 56.93% 487.5 149.25 17.75
1998 270 46.07% 391.67 117.67 13
2002 450 51.66% 295.8 119.4 16.2
2006 270 49.92% 392.33 120 10.33
2010 390 50.94% 375.46 123.92 14.08
2014 390 56.52% 500.08 168.23 21.69

Awful in possession for the purposes of chance generation, and awful in in possession to the purpose of killing off a lead.

And especially awful at playing out of the back, with 29 misplayed passes originating in the US defensive third tonight:

<Opta chalkboard showing wayward passes>

That's right in line with what we did in Brazil. It doesn't matter the stakes, the opponent, or the personnel: The US under Klinsmann are more direct and have fewer ideas in possession than at any time over the last two decades.