I have been following the national team since 1994, as what I would consider a serious bordering obsessive fan since 1999.  I’m totally bummed about the result of today’s match.  Tonight, when the disappointment started setting in, I realized that I am most disappointed that I won’t have the pleasure of watching this team play again in this tournament.  As a fan, I can’t ask for much more than that.

I love this team.  There are so many things to love about it: a never-say-die attitude, a pervasive togetherness, its creativity, its hard-nosed nature, its diversity, and its leadership.

All 14 players who played for the US yesterday gave it their all.

A co-worker I watched the game with said he thought Michael Bradley looked like he was in a Benny Hill movie, in fast-forward.  Bradley seemed to be trying to will the team to win with penetrating runs, and tireless running.  I don’t like to talk about effort and the amount of running players do because the physical attributes of soccer seem to be overvalued in the US to the detriment of more skillful, technical players.  That said, Bradley couples his effort (11.7 km covered) with a sophistication (46/58 passes completed, 3 shots) that makes him a prototypical, modern two-way, box-to-box midfielder.  Check out his heatmap from FIFA:

That is what a central, box-to-box midfielder’s heatmap should look like.  (If you haven’t, check out FIFA’s stats page on its match cast.)  And his discipline is improving.  He only committed two fouls yesterday.

Jozy Altidore played with confidence and style.  Though he blasted the ball over an open goal from seven yards, he still had an excellent match.

Herculez Gomez was unpredictable and dangerous.  He would have gotten the assist if Dempsey’s goal stood.  This was only Gomez’s second start for the national team, and he was not intimidated by the occasion.

Dempsey was unlucky to not get a goal.  Not just the disallowed goal, but he hit the bar on a chance he buries 9 out of 10 times, then missed a relatively easy follow-up: he had nine shots in total, four on goal.  Dempsey covered a lot of ground, making himself available to get the ball and create chances.  The big-time player showed up for the big-time game.

Donovan was precise with his passing and dangerous when he had the ball, especially in the first half, but he didn’t see enough of it.  He should have finished with two assists, if only Dempsey and Altidore buried their chances.  All that matters, however, is that Donovan created and got the goal that clinched first place in group C.  He is surely going to be the second American player named to FIFA’s World Cup Best XI.  (Howard and Bradley also deserve a place on the team in my biased opinion.)

Maurice Edu played the first 60 minutes as Bradley’s partner in the midfield.  He was solid, if unspectacular.  I expect Edu to start the rest of the matches he is available for because of his ability to track attacking midfielders and occasionally push forward.  He has looked a bit more in-form than Ricardo Clark, who we haven’t seen since the first match.

Cherundolo put in another stellar performance from the right back position.  He got forward well, serving dangerous crosses into the area.  Beside the one defensive miscue previously mentioned, little Stevie’s defending was excellent.

DeMerit played with a tenacity and determination that I wish we could bottle.  He commanded the area around him very well.  He is everything we needed in a center back.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra shifted over to the middle of defense and delivered his best performance of the tournament.  Solid and steady in the back, Bocanegra kept things organized and made the timely plays that helped the US keep a clean sheet.

Bob Bradley is always good for a surprise and yesterday that surprise was Jonathan Bornstein.  The player who looked overmatched against El Salvador, Czech Republic, and Turkey was thrown into the starting lineup to replace Oguchi Onyewu, who Bradley thought might be tired.  He also wanted to use Bornstein’s speed to attack down the left side of the field.  Bornstein did fine.  He delivered an excellent cross early in the second half and defended capably.  I still get nervous every time he is defending because he is a penalty waiting to happen.  I’ll be anxious to see who Bradley starts Saturday.

Tim Howard didn’t have a lot to do.  The crossbar saved him once.  Timmy’s shining moment came when he delivered a perfect throw to Donovan on the play that led to the goal.  It took 12 seconds for the ball to go from Howard to the Algerian goal.  That is efficiency.

Substitute Benny Feilhaber played really well.  He came on for Gomez at half-time, pushing Dempsey forward and taking over in midfield.  Feilhaber’s calmness on the ball and incisive passing led to a number of excellent opportunities.  He is a great option in the midfield for the US when we have a lot of possession.

Edson Buddle came on for Edu in the 64th minute.  He was very useful with his ability to hold the ball and combine with the US midfielders.  Buddle was unlucky not to score when he powerfully directed a header right at the Algerian goalkeeper Mbohli.  If he heads the ball two yards in either direction, it’s a goal.

The final substitution was DaMarcus Beasley.  He came on too late (80′) to contribute much, but he did do well to help defend on the left side in the absence of Bornstein, who he subbed on for.  Beasley was the victim of a perplexing caution for handling the ball with his chest.

Manager Bob Bradley deserves a lot of credit for making the right moves again.  His willingness to attack, to commit numbers forward paid off against Slovenia and against Algeria.  He kept faith in Bornstein and Bornstein responded well.  The stoic Bradley had what my lovely wife referred to as a Perry/JD moment with Donovan after the match: they hugged tightly and relished the moment.  Donovan emerged tearful.  Bradley teared up, also, when talking about the wonderful support the team has gotten in South Africa.

With an incredibly good draw, the US plays Ghana Saturday and, if it advances, the winner of Uruguay/South Korea.  England, on the other hand, faces Germany, and, if it advances, the winner of Argentina/Mexico!  Ha!  England doesn’t deserve better.  As WaPo writer Steven Goff pointed out in the previously linked to post, England scored as many goals as the US had wrongfully disallowed.  Lest anyone get sentimental for Africa’s last hope, Ghana, let’s remember that Ghana was the team of diving, time-wasting losers that got a bogus penalty and knocked us out of the 2006 World Cup.   Go USA!

There are many lingering questions after yesterday’s riveting 2-2 tie.

• Is Malian referee Koman Coulibaly incompetent, corrupt, or both?

I think he’s simply incompetent.  If he was paid off or had a vendetta against the US, he certainly would’ve sent off Clint Dempsey in the first minute of the game when Dempsey provided the opportunity by elbowing a Slovene.  Coulibaly made many, many mind-baffling calls, but none more influential than the phantom foul he called against nobody-knows-who in the dying moments of the game, just before second-half substitute Maurice Edu slammed a Landon Donovan free kick into the back of the goal to seemingly give the US a 3-2 lead.  Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Coulibaly’s World Cup is likely over as FIFA is expediting his performance review.  I’d like to put him on an island with Hugh Dallas (2002 missed handball against Germany), Jorge Lorrianda (2009- ejected Bradley for an innocuous challenge in Confederations Cup semifinal then reported him for verbal abuse which got Bradley a three game suspension, 2006- ejected Mastroeni and Eddie Pope in group match against Italy) , Wolfgang Starg (2008- ejected Michael Orozco for a soft elbow in the 3rd minute in the final group match against Nigeria) and Peter Prendergrast (2001- called a phantom penalty for Costa Rica in stoppage time for a handball when in fact the ball clearly hit Greg Berhalter in the head) and see how these egomaniacs interrelate.  The America-hating NYT has come to Coulibaly’s defense, at least regarding the goal disallowing call, with a well-reasoned argument.  The problem with the argument, however, is that good judgment and the ability to understand the context of the game are the most important attributes of officials, and to make that call reveals that Coulibaly possesses neither.

• Is Oguchi Onyewu the best option in one of the two center back slots?

Probably not.  He was at fault for both goals yesterday due to slow reactions, and a healthy Gooch would’ve scored on the set piece delivery Donovan sent to the far post.  Why was he playing five yards deeper than the other three defenders on the second goal?  Perhaps Gooch was not trusting enough of his ability to recover if a ball was played into space behind him.  On the first goal, he needed to step hard to the ball and stay big.  Physically, Gooch may be ready.  To be match fit, especially at this level, you must be mentally sharp as well as physically fit; reactions must be instinctual and without delay.  Gooch is not there.  My answer is “probably not” instead of a simple “no” because I don’t know if Clarence Goodson or Jonathan Spector are better options (don’t even mention Jonathan Bornstein).  If Bob Bradley keeps the faith with Gooch, I hope he improves on yesterday’s performance.  Cohesion and communication are so important on defense that I’d likely stick with the same back four, but strongly consider playing Spector on the left and slide Carlos Bocanegra into the middle.

• Will Jose Torres ever play more than a half of a game he starts?

Other than one bad giveaway in the defensive half, I thought Torres played well.  The Edu and Benny Feilhaber double switch worked, obviously, but I was hoping Torres would still be on the field when the second half started.  Torres is a threat on set pieces; he can control games with his quick,  incisive passing.  He was not a defensive liability.  There were four or five defenders playing against two Slovenes on each goal.  The World Cup is not a time for a team to figure out how to best use a player so we may not see Torres in a starting role again, which is disappointing.

• Can you believe the Slovene goalkeeper ducked to avoid being decapitated by Donovan’s goal?

Ha!  That was awesome.

• If I have a son and name him Michael Landon, will you think of Little House on the Prairie or US soccer?
• Which two teams are going to qualify?

All four teams have it all to play for next Wednesday.  I can’t wait to watch.

Most of the talk after the most anticipated game the US has played in recent memory was centered on the mistake England goalkeeper Robert Green made.  I read and heard casual fans and fanatics alike conclude that the draw was a lucky result for the US.  What that conclusion fails to understand, however, is that the context of the game dictates the approach the players’ take.  In other words, if Green stops Dempsey’s shot, the rest of the game would not unfold just as it did Saturday.  The US would push forward more, and I am convinced, would have scored.  You could just as easily say that England was lucky to draw because Green made a wonderful save on Jozy Altidore, knocking his low hard shot off the crossbar after Altidore burned the hack of a defender Jamie Carragher…or that England surely should have won if not for Timmy Howard’s tremendous save after Emile Heskey broke through.  If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry World Cup.

Some other observations:

• I was really hoping to get a win, but pleased with a point.  I love rooting for this team because every player gives his all.  You’d think that would be a given for all teams at the World Cup, but it’s not.  I don’t think the US has a selfish player on the roster.
• I was quite pleased with the Brazilian referee.  He let the players play, for the most part.  Robbie Findley easily could’ve been sent off for his late, dangerous tackle that resulted in his cleats against Gerrard’s (I think) ankle.  That tackle was worse than all three tackles that resulted in ejections for Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, and Michael Bradley in last year’s Confederations Cup.  Equally, Heskey could’ve been sent off for his late, studs up challenge to Howard’s ribs.
• The US defense played really well, though it did get stretched a few times when Oguchi Onyewu or Jay DeMerit would step up and the other defenders wouldn’t (England’s goal is the prime example).  Gooch’s performance was much improved over what he showed against the Czechs.  I was glad to see him playing well.
• Steve Cherundolo was awesome.  He was so much better than James Milner that Milner was substituted before 30 minutes went by!  His defending was flawless and he should’ve been rewarded with an assist when he delivered a perfect cross to Altidore in the first half.  Unfortunately, Altidore bungled the header.
• DeMerit was really, really good.  He shut down Wayne Rooney.  I love the way DeMerit plays.  If Rooney had to face DeMerit every game, he quite possibly would end up with a scraggly, ginger beard living in a trailer park.
• I would have liked to see higher, tighter pressure from Clark, Bradley, and Bocanegra.  We gave England too much time and space on the ball for all but maybe the final quarter of the field.
• Bob Bradley needed to make an earlier substitution to get Holden, Feilhaber, Torres, Edu, or Beasley on the field to do some defending in the wide parts of the field.  The players were visibly tiring, and England was gaining momentum.  That said, when Holden went in he looked like a deer in the headlights.
• Steve McManaman is an a-hole.  Typical English fanboy.  His “3-1, easy” prediction was a joke, as was his despondency after the game.  Have some sense and balance.
• Martin Tyler makes me want to hurt myself.  The physiology and psychology line was hideous.  I hate his gross generalizations and his complete lack of knowledge about anything outside of England.
• I like the insight Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas provide.  I don’t always agree with Lalas, but I appreciate his willingness to call out the Eurosnobbery.
• Why is Disney/ABC/ESPN obsessed with Fabio Capello and slow motion replays?  He is handsome and wears nice, Italian suits.  We get it.  Give it a rest, please.  Just show the game.

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.

It was a very strange match.  It started as an open, attacking affair which saw both sides with chances in the first 30 minutes.  Unfortunately for the US it was Costa Rica that was able to capitalize, building a two-goal lead after 24 minutes thanks to a three minute, world-class  display by Bryan Ruiz.  The first goal was a deadly combination of attacking verve and defensive timidity.  Ruiz turned Oguchi Onyewu at the corner of the 18 and then made a beeline for the goal.  Carlos Bocanegra was slow to react and Howard was soft coming off his line.  ESPN commentator Alexi Lalas mentioned the idea that the timid display could be the result of the US playing to not get a red card.  Whenever you play with the purpose to not do something, bad things happen.  Just three minutes later the Costa Ricans played an impressive sequence of passes to undo the left side of the US defense before Ruiz hit a laser into the far upper V.  The US was shell-shocked.  Costa Rica had one foot in Cape Town.  From there, however, the US took over and generated chance after chance.  Before the goals, on 9 minutes, Conor Casey missed a 100% opportunity after a wonderful individual display by Jozy Altidore.  Before half-time Altidore would miss a similar opportunity as would Landon Donovan.

The goals would come.  Michael Bradley followed up a Donovan shot and awkwardly forced the ball into the ground and over the onrushing keeper; it took sheer determination to break the seal.  Even after Onyewu went down with a torn patella tendon and the US was playing with 10 men, substitute Jose Francisco Torres dictated play and the US was relentless in their pursuit of the second goal.  Finally, with seconds remaining Bornstein rose to meet a well-driven corner kick from Rogers and the celebrations began.

In the post-game celebration the team posed in front of a Charlie Davies banner.  Captain Carlos Bocanegra thanked the fans for their support throughout qualification.  With Trinidad and Tobago tying Mexico, the US finished first in CONCACAF.  Again.  Even with the excitement of the game and clinching first, soccer is still secondary.  The US soccer community all wishes Davies a speedy recovery, and we pray for comfort for the family and friends of the passenger who died.  Though the injuries are less severe, we all are also hoping Onyewu and Jay DeMerit are able to recover quickly and fully as well.

Sidenote: We US fans weren’t the only people excited by last night’s late night.  Check out the radio call from Honduras.  Keep in mind all three CONCACAF matches were played simultaneously and the US tie propelled Honduras into the World Cup aka El Mundial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tL-Wfs1ZjU

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

(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.

Three performances stood out to me.  1-Jonathan Bornstein: I ripped into Bornstein after he had a howler against El Salvador on the weekend.  Bob Bradley kept faith in Bornstein, and Bornstein responded well.  He was less panicked, defending and in possession.  T&T attacked him for the first 30 minutes of the match and then seemed to surrender.  Well done Johnny B.  2-Landon Donovan: in a post-game interview Clark said Donovan is a big-time player doing big-time things.  Not the most eloquent quote, but he gets the point across. Donovan passed well and made several unsettling runs at the heart of the T&T defense.  He picked up yet another assist to add to his record as the US player with the most points. 3-Ricardo Clark: his goal was all that was needed.  The ability of the deep midfielder to hit a bomb like that is invaluable, not just for goals but for opening up defenses.  His pressure in the midfield in the second half helped the US start to defend with urgency and purpose.

The end of qualifying is just a month away, with another double fixture in the second week of October.  The US will play at Honduras on the weekend and then at home against Costa Rica midweek.  With the logjam at the top of the table, there are a number of circumstances in which the US will qualify.  The easiest to remember is that one win and the US is in.  There is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of playing composedly and possessing the ball better, but at this point the value is in getting points.  A perfect six points from this round is what was required and it is what was achieved.

(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.

With Oguchi Onyewu suspended and Jay DeMerit injured, Bradley elected to slide captain Carlos Bocanegra to the middle of defense and partner him with Chad Marshall.  Marshall was the MLS player of the month in August.  He was called for several fouls early before settling in and playing solidly.  His forward passing was impressive as well.  I still rate him behind Onyewu and DeMerit, but Marshall proved capable.  Bocanegra did everything that was required of him.  In the post-match conference Bradley singled him out as a player who had a large, positive influence on the match in terms of organizing an untested backline.

Only minutes after flubbing two great chances, Dempsey headed home a sublime Landon Donovan set piece.  El Salvador tried to pull the U12 offside trap and was left with huevos on its collective face.  Dempsey was very active all night; in his determination to score he put himself in dangerous positions and played fearlessly.  It was one of his better performances of the year.  Donovan played another wonderful match.  He was the best player on the field yet again, tirelessly buzzing about like a man with three lungs.  Donovan provided the service on the second goal as well, a header by Jozy Altidore.  He led by example, tracking back when needed and always looked to impose his will.

Altidore got the goal that won the game and was robbed of a second by a dubious call by the Honduran referee Jose Pineda.  Dubious is an understatement: the US was cheated.  In a lightning-quick counterattack Dempsey sprung Altidore with a sliding pass and then Altidore took a couple touches before finishing.  Celebration quickly turned to confusion when the rejoicing players turned around and saw El Salvador was moving forward with the ball; no explanation was granted, but replays indicate that Pineda called a foul on Dempsey for his follow-through, an absolute travesty of a call–if anything Dempsey was fouled.  It wasn’t the only mistake of the night by the referee.  He started the match calling several phantom calls, nearly exclusively against the US.  He stopped play for an off-side infraction against El Salvador when the US was launching a promising counter-attack.  It is an embarrassment to CONCACAF, FIFA and indeed the beautiful game itself to continue to staff these hugely important matches with incompetent buffoons at best, cheaters at worst.

For me Altidore still has some work to do.  I love his brazenness and the fact that he scores goals and I want to continue to see him play meaningful minutes, but…for a man his size he gets pushed around too much; he doesn’t hold the ball that well; he too often will pull up in his runs rather than making the first hard run to the near post; it sometimes looks like he wears bricks for boots.  That said you can’t argue with production.  He scored three goals against Trinidad & Tobago, two last night though only one counted and one against El Salvador earlier in qualifying.  It was fun to watch him partner our hottest forward Charlie Davies.  Davies was a handful for the Salvadorans.  I love his direct style and his appetite for goal.  Last night he didn’t get on the scoresheet, though he came close on a couple of occasions.  He is the kind of player that makes room for Altidore and deep runs from Donovan, Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber and others by instilling fear in the hearts of the opposing defenders.  As long as he stays healthy and in-form the US will have a weapon against any team in the world.

Feilhaber and Bradley partnered in the middle for the US.  Both put in solid performances.  Most of the play was on the wide parts of the field so they didn’t get as many touches as normal.  El Salvador did not maintain any possession, nor did it generate any chances through the midfield so the dropping of more defensively minded Ricardo Clark did not cause problems.  Feilhaber added a creativity and calmness to the midfield.  He had a few standout moments, sombreroing a Salvadoran on one occasion, lulling another to sleep before blowing past and delivering a cross that Dempsey should have finished on another.  Bradley picked some good moments to move forward but apparently did not wear his shooting boots because his attempts at goal never challenged the goalkeeper.  A few times Bradley slowed the attack by taking an extra touch when one would have sufficed.

Bradley waited until the 73rd minute to make a substitution, before exhausting all three with Stuart Holden, Kyle Beckerman and Jose Torres entering for Davies, Altidore and Feilhaber.  Holden was an instant spark.  He delivered a cross to Torres that was saved nicely by the Salvadoran goalie.  Beckerman, playing in his first qualifier, looked nervous.  With more time I am sure he will settle in.

It will be interesting to see what changes Bradley will make to the lineup for Wednesday’s qualifier against all but eliminated Trinidad and Tobago.  With Mexico winning in Costa Rica last night and Honduras beating Trinidad and Tobago, the US sits tied for first on points with Honduras, a point ahead of Mexico and two ahead of Costa Rica.  There’s such a logjam at the top that Costa Rica went from first to fourth in one matchday.  So let’s not fret about style Wednesday: just win, baby.

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.

After Moreno refused to call more fouls committed on Donovan and issued cautions to three of our four defenders for tackles that went uncalled or uncarded when committed by Mexico, Mexico took the lead after a defensive breakdown and a lucky bounce.  The officiating really set the tone.  We lost all aggressiveness when the yellows started flying for innocuous challenges.  The telltale sign that the referee was in Mexico’s pocket came toward the end of the game before the second Mexico goal.  Nery Castillo, grade A b-hole tried to pick up Davies off the ground by his neck and he went unpunished.  Even with all the valid complaints about refereeing there was room for improvement from the Americans.

Our clearances were panicked when they did not need to be and often resulted in absorbing attack after attack from Mexico.  I would have liked to have seen a halftime double switch of Jose Torres and Benny Feilhaber for Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark.  Feilhaber and Torres are possession players who would have helped the US keep some of the ball.  Chasing the ball all game surely tired the US players and directly resulted in an inability to stay with the Mexican attacker who split Donovan and Bocanegra on the second goal.  That said the effort was there and without the lucky bounce off of Jay DeMerit to Sabah, the game likely ends 1-1.  Mexico did not create many quality chances.  DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu were defensive stalwarts.  Steve Cherundolo was steady on the right.  Brian Ching battled but rarely had anything to work with.  It was a solid effort.

Now we are left with four games, two at home against El Salvador and Costa Rica, and two away against Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras.  With Honduras thrashing Costa Rica 4-0 last night the group is very tight and four formidable teams are battling for the three automatic bids.  It’s not going to be an easy road to South Africa, but nobody ever said it would be.

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.

The only players making strong claims for inclusion on the first-team roster are Stuart Holden and Robbie Rogers.  Holden has shown the ability to score, with a headed goal in the first game and a rocket from 25 yards in the third game, while proving to be an adept two-way midfielder with an excellent work rate.  Rogers looked strong in the Grenada much before falling somewhat flat against Honduras.  His speed can cause real problems for defenders.  Rogers is good with both feet and he can serve a good ball.  Defensively he is a liability, however, so I don’t see him pushing for anything more than a supersub role when we need a goal.  Chad Marshall, Kyle Beckerman and Santino Quaranta have all shown well also and with strong performances in the knockout stages may garner more attention. Unfortunately for Marshall and Beckerman, each plays a position (central defender and central midfielder) where we have depth.  Marshall is big and strong, and a threat on set pieces.  His feet are pretty good.  He may be our fourth best central defender behind Onyewu, Bocanegra and DeMerit.  Beckerman has been very influential controlling the flow of the game.  He does the work of two, and he can pass incisively.  We haven’t seen it in this tournament but Beckerman can shoot from distance as well.  He is a long shot to make a first-choice team, however, due to the long list of central midfielders ahead of him: Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Pablo Mastroeni, and possibly Jermaine Jones.  Quaranta is a player who can create opportunities from wide spaces and as a second forward.  In this tournament he has only been used as a midfielder so far.  He has a skillset not many Americans have, the ability to see things a second before anyone else and to pass accurately over distance.

The evident dropoff from first-choice to second- and third-choice players has been somewhat of a revealing disappointment.  In the first two games Adu showed the form that caused Bradley to leave him on the bench for the entire Confederations Cup.  He looked slow, in terms of thought and movement.  His decisions were poor and his passing ordinary.  Most of the Confederations Cup I was calling for Bradley to employ Adu, but now I am glad he did not.

Next up for the US is the quarterfinal match in Philadelphia Saturday against Panama on grass thank goodness.  Panama has proved to be a difficult opponent in the last three years.  It is a physically gifted team with some individual talent.  The US can certainly succeed with the personnel at its disposal, but it won’t be easy.