So the title of the post gives away the news. And yes I know the post is late. Still it was a good match. Finally the US soccer team showed some sparks and rallied to gain a win with more than a single point.
If you weren’t paying attention to the times of the first 2 goals they occurred within the first 18 minutes of play. Now that is impressive. Especially since Trinidad was expected to be the hardest match of the CONCACAF's Group 1.
With this solid win the US is now firmly assured of clearing the semifinals as they hold 9 points and are the top of the group. So without much ado the real attention moves forward.
But that is not to say that the US futbol team is without flaws. The lackluster play in the first 2 games of Group 1, and the 2nd half of this game made that quite clear. The sloppy passes, the inconsistent play, the missed goal attempts. All of this will spell doom versus tougher teams that the USA will be facing. And with the teams most experienced players age advancing speed is less of an option, and fatigue more a problem.
The mid-field will undoubtedly become an area of contention. The Trinidad match showed that this is a weak point in the US game. Performance here must improve dramatically.
Still I have to say that seeing the quick goals and the header by Brian Ching were a refreshing change from the normal US soccer matches. We may not be able to score at will, but this is a nice reminder that when underestimated we can score fast and multiple times.
For me the really important players of the match were Tim Howard – because a bad goalie makes the best matchplay useless, Clint Dempsey – for that nice breakthru goal, and Steve Cherundolo with solid defense around the goal. Eddie Johnson needs real work, and Sacha Kljestan really needs to play a more consistent and solid game.
No comments:
Post a Comment