October 15, 2009 at 11:11 am · Filed under soccer
Photo from dcunited’s flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcunited/4014318316/
The US overcame a two-goal deficit, horrendous finishing, playing down a man, and playing with heavy hearts with their teammate Charlie Davies in the hospital to tie a Costa Rica team desperate for the win that would qualify them for next summer’s World Cup. Jonathan Bornstein’s header from a Robbie Rogers corner kick in the 95th minute leveled the score 2-2 and secured first place in CONCACAF for the US after a grueling 16-month tournament. On the other side, it was heartbreak for Costa Rica; the tie pushed them into fourth place which means a two-game playoff with Uruguay, CONMEBOL’s fifth place team, will decide which nation will be the final team to qualify for South Africa.
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October 13, 2009 at 10:36 am · Filed under soccer
Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
Mission Accomplished. The US is going to South Africa after scoring three goals in the second half and surviving a few scares in the dying moments against a Honduras team that had won all eight of its prior home games in 2010 qualifying. Conor Casey scored the first two goals and drew the foul that led to the third. Donovan scored the third, expertly hitting a direct kick over a five-man wall and into the upper corner from 20 yards. Honduras had scored in the first two minutes of the second half on a similar direct kick. They were fortunate to be credited with a second goal after a missed offside call, but unfortunate to miss a penalty with five minutes remaining. Having missed the first 30 minutes and only able to watch the remainder of the game on an Internet feed, it is difficult to judge individual performances. What I will say is that qualification is not easy, no matter where you are in the world (ask fans of Portugal or Argentina or Nigeria), and the US is in for the sixth consecutive World Cup. Kudos to Bob Bradley. The US won all its home matches (with one remaining) and won in Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras.
Here are some good articles/posts from journalists who were either at the game or able to watch it on a decent feed.
Americans Qualify for World Cup Steven Goff, Washington Post
Where’s the Love for U.S.’ Casey? Greg Lalas, Sports Illustrated
USA 3, Honduras 2: The U.S. is in the 2010 World Cup Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated
September 10, 2009 at 10:21 am · Filed under soccer
(AFP/Bertrand de Peaza)
With two matchdays remaining, the United States is back on top of the CONCACAF table after it posted a rare away victory against Trinidad and Tobago. In the 24 matches played in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, the away team has only won three times (the US and Costa Rica at T&T, and Mexico at Costa Rica). In the other two CONCACAF matches last night the home team won 1-0: Mexico over Honduras and El Salvador over the suddenly pedestrian Costa Rica. The US also won 1-0 on the strength of a wonderstrike by midfielder Ricardo Clark, who particularly relished scoring while his Trinidadian father was in attendance in the Port of Spain.
The performance of the US is not something to remember: looking tired and unmotivated, it was only the woodwork that kept Cornell Glen and T&T off the scoreboard in the first half. The US was unable to possess the ball or close down T&T quickly which can often lead to exciting open matches. On this night, however, it led to sloppy play that just left me scratching my head. Is this the team that beat Spain 2-0? Excuses abound: you play down to the level of your opponent; eight plus hours of travel from Salt Lake City to Port of Spain, just seven miles off the coast of Venezuela, took its toll; it was hot; the pitch was bumpy; T&T was playing without pressure; the stadium lacked atmosphere as the stands were only half-full. As a family friend used to say, “Excuses are like b-holes; everyone has one.” So it was good to see an improved performance in the second half and a grind-it-out victory that teams with greater histories are known for.
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September 6, 2009 at 9:47 am · Filed under soccer
(AFP/File/Pierre-Philippe Marcou)
In a press conference leading up to last night’s World Cup Qualifying match against El Salvador in Utah a reporter asked manager Bob Bradley when it becomes about style rather than just points; Bradley said, “It’s always about points.” Though I agree it sure would have been nice to see a neater performance from a makeshift US side that needed the full three points to remain in one of the three top spots in the table that guarantee a spot in South Africa next year.
Similar to the Honduras match, the US went down 1-0 in the first half. El Salvador’s two best players on the night, Zelaya and Castillo, combined to beat five US players with a cutback, cross and an innocuous header that Tim Howard badly misplayed. Zelaya collected a “clearance” from Jonathan Bornstein that landed at the top of the 18. Ridiculous. Bornstein had the worst game of the US players, defending with panic and consistently turning the ball over when trying to possess. Too often with the ball and without an idea, Bornstein would simply lump it forward. His chance for continued playing time took a severe blow when it was announced that Mexican-American Edgar Castillo is now eligible to play for the US, after FIFA accepted his transfer request from Mexico. Last night I was hoping to see Jonathan Spector on the left side of defense with Steve Cherundolo on the right, something we’ll likely see Wednesday against Trinidad & Tobago. Spector was beat on the goal, but put enough pressure on Castillo to force a weak, savable header. The rest of the night he was solid defending and composed in possession. He delivered a wonderful cross to Clint Dempsey, but Dempsey bungled it. It is hard to imagine a fully healthy US side without Spector.
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August 13, 2009 at 4:56 pm · Filed under soccer
REUTERS/Henry Romero (MEXICO SPORT SOCCER)
Rivalry games are rarely pretty. Yesterday was no exception: the US defended for the better part of 90 minutes and ended up paying for it when it surrendered the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute after a defensive breakdown and a lucky bounce. I hoped for better after such a bright start. A quick passing sequence, from Michael Bradley to Landon Donovan to Charlie Davies, led to a goal inside 10 minutes. Unfortunately we were only able to hold the lead for 10 minutes. Besides Panamanian referee Roberto Moreno, the most disappointing performances on the day came from Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey, the occupants of the left side of the US defense where both goals came from.
The first goal for Mexico was a spectacular 25 yard shot. The ball flew over Tim Howard and then dipped under the crossbar. For me, the play started when Moreno didn’t call a clear foul on Mexico which allowed Mexico to unbalance the Americans. If you don’t believe me, go to the video (the foul is at 1:20). Israel Castro clearly grabs Donovan as Donovan dribbles past him. Then Donovan is possibly fouled a second time on the tackle though that is not clear from the video. Central midfielders Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley got caught on the right side covering for Donovan when Cuauhtémoc Blanco broke the pressure with a cutting move and then toe poke to the cheater Castro. Castro hit the shot of his life. I’m still not sure how Howard didn’t get a finger on it.
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July 13, 2009 at 7:55 pm · Filed under soccer
US 4 Grenada 0 / US 2 Honduras 0 / US 2 Haiti 2
Photo by ISI Photos
The US, fielding a roster of mostly second and third choice players, won its group and qualified for the Gold Cup quarterfinals on the strength of two wins and a tie. Manager Bob Bradley has chosen to use the tournament to give fringe players a chance to impress. For those who have not seen the matches, you have not missed much. Unfortunately everything about the tournament has been second-rate: the opponents were weak; two of the three games were on artificial turf; and the games are only available on Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura.
A handful of first-team players have made appearances. Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies appeared as substitutes in the game against Honduras and both were clearly a step above everyone else on the field. Almost from the moment they entered the game it was clear why they are first-team players and players like Freddy Adu, Logan Pause and Brad Evans are not. Before returning to their club teams this week Heath Pearce and Steve Cherundolo patrolled the fullback positions. Both were excellent as you would expect players with their experience to be in less challenging circumstances.
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June 29, 2009 at 2:23 pm · Filed under soccer
AP Photo
What a heartbreaking way to lose. The US went up 2-0 before the half before surrendering three second half goals to a powerful Brazilian team that features several of the world’s most expensive players. In the first half the US was clinical, finishing its first two shots on goal on excellent passing sequences and movements. The first goal came on a Spector to Dempsey combination, the same that was responsible for the third goal against Egypt. The second goal was very similar to the second goal the US surrendered to Brazil in their group match. The US progressed 90 yards at full speed with three passes–Ricardo Clark to Landon Donovan, Donovan to Davies, Davies back to Donovan–before Donovan cut inside the box and buried a low left-footed shot into the corner. The first international trophy was within our grasp. The US was playing excellent, smart soccer: defending in blocks with conviction and then moving forward purposefully after it won possession.
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June 26, 2009 at 8:40 am · Filed under soccer
Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images
It is hard to imagine the US playing better than it did against Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinal. We all knew it would take 100% commitment to compete with the heavily favored, unfairly talented Spain team that had not lost in 35 matches and 100% commitment is what we got. Pictured above, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey scored goals on each side of half-time to propel the US to the first final of a major competition open to the world’s best. In post-match posts I typically rate the performances of players and personnel or tactical moves of the manager. For every player who played, 1-14, I only have the highest respect and praise for what they accomplished. This is the team we love to love, why we are fanatics. I’ll let the headlines from around the world (most via the USMNT blog) tell the rest of the story.
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