The United States national team suffered one of his most lopsided defeats in years on Tuesday night when it fell to a strong Brazil team, 4-1, in a friendly that was a mismatch from the opening whistle.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann elected to go with an experimental back line that featured two central defenders, Ventura Alvarado and Michael Orozco, who had never played together. Injuries to many of the team’s outside backs also forced Tim Ream and Geoff Cameron to play out wide and away from their normal central positions. The biggest disappointment for the United States, however, was in midfield, where the World Cup veterans Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya and DeAndre Yedlin turned the ball over too many times and did poorly to shield the back four.