General

The Good, Bad and Ugly of the U.S. World Cup Win That Gets Recorded As A Tie

Jun 18, 2010, 8:15 PM UTC

Before we get to a breakdown of the how United States fared against Slovenia, be sure of one thing: a two-goal win over Algeria gets the USMNT into the second round. The amazing comeback in the second half against Slovenia kept more than hope alive for the U.S. This team should still qualify for the second round. After getting robbed by the referee on a game-winning goal, it’s the least the soccer gods can do.â†µâ†µWe’ll get into the full breakdown of what the U.S. needs to happen, outside of a two-goal victory, next week. Just know that there’s a chance – with a 1-0 victory by the U.S. and a 1-1 tie in the other match – the U.S. could be “drawing lots” to move on to the next round. Could FIFA dare screw over the same team twice?â†µ

â†µâ†µAgain, more on next week’s match in a few days. For now, let’s look at what went right, and wrong, against Slovenia.â†µ

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â†µâ†µThe Ugly (other than the officiating)â†µ
â†µ• The first half was just atrocious. It’s amazing how the United States always manages to give up the early goal and it makes you wonder how good they could be if they weren’t always playing from behind. By the replays we were given of Slovenia’s first goal, it looked like Michael Bradley let Slovenian striker Valter Birsa have way too much room and nobody from the central defense stepped up to stop him.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Speaking of central defense, Oguchi Onyewu did not have his strongest game. The second goal saw him get caught completely flatfooted – and failing to create an offside trap – and he just looked like he was unable to keep up with the pace of play at times. I still would keep him in the lineup, but he needs to be less tentative back there.â†µ

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â†µ• Clearly you see what the offense can do running through Landon Donovan (more on him later), but the USMNT did a woeful job of getting Clint Dempsey involved in the match early on. Dempsey is the most dynamic offensive player on the entire team, yet it seems like an afterthought to try and get him in the mix at all during the first half.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Badâ†µ
â†µ• Everyone wanted to see Jose Torres get some time on the field, but he looked out-classed in his 45 minutes. Sure, that’s not a lot of time, and he hasn’t played in a match in a few weeks, but Torres tried a few one-touch passes that looked like they could work at the lower professional levels, but not in the World Cup against top talent. His defensive skills were even less evident, getting muscled off the ball at times and creating opportunities for Slovenia with a few fouls.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Tim Howard wasn’t bad, per se, but you have to wonder if a healthy Howard would have handled either of the two Slovenian goals. He did have a few nice stops in the second half, including a very aggressive punch when Slovenia began to press a bit.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• The good news for the USMNT fans who are not on board with Robbie Findley in the starting lineup is that he got his second yellow card – another completely ridiculous call – and he’ll be suspended for the match against Algeria. That should give Herculez Gomez or, more likely, Edson Buddle a chance to start. Findley is in the lineup for his speed, but he just can’t finish. He’s had too many chances that have gone by without so much as a viable shot on goal.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Goodâ†µ
â†µ• Landon Donovan was beyond good in the second half. He seemed possessed. It was as if he went into the locker room at halftime and realized that his legacy was at stake. His goal was simply amazing, streaking down the wing and with nobody rushing the lane to pass to, he just buried it from a near impossible angle into the top of the net. The last 45 minutes of that game is what everyone has been waiting to see from Donovan his entire career. Inspiring stuff.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Maurice Edu came on and did what he was asked to do. He played solid defensive midfield position, which allowed Michael Bradley to go up and make more offensive runs. He also slid back into the defensive line after the equalizer. Oh, yes, he also scored the game-winning goal that we’ll remember for a long, long time if the U.S. doesn’t manage to qualify for the second round.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Other than put a ball in the net, Jozy Altidore did everything you would want a striker to do. He set up ample chances on set pieces by being in the right position to get fouled near the box – his play set up the game-winner that wasn’t. He also had a stellar assist with the head on Bradley’s game-tying tally.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Michael Bradley made up for his defensive lapse in the first half with a strike into the net that’s potentially one of the most important goals in the team’s history. If the United States manages to get out of the group, the strike by Bradley will be at the front of the highlight tape. At just 22 years old, he’s a complete hothead on the field, but if he can manage to keep his composure and mature a bit, he could be a captain in the waiting.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Bob Bradley managed a fantastic match. Sure it may not look like it on the scoresheet, but Bradley did everything right to get this result. He started Torres, but wasn’t stubborn in that decision when it clearly wasn’t working. With many options in the midfield – Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley and Stuart Holden among them – Bradley went with Benny Fielhaber and Maurice Edu, two players who fit right in to the aggressive style they needed to play in the second half.â†µ

â†µâ†µBradley smartly replaced an ineffective Findley with a midfielder, put Dempsey up front with Altidore, when he could have just gone with Buddle or Gomez. This decision set up his best maneuver.â†µ

â†µâ†µWhen Bradley knew he had to go for it, he made the courageous move of pulling Onyewu for Gomez and going with a 3-4-3 formation, which at times felt like a 3-3-4 as Donovan continued to creep into the front line. Going with just three defenders was gutsy, but it paid off. When the U.S. tied the match, Bradley smartly pulled Edu back to central defense. Some said at halftime that Bradley was coaching for his job (note: he’ll most likely move on as coach of the USMNT after the World Cup no matter what the outcome, so perhaps his legacy) and he made every right decision. â†µ

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â†µ• The last good, well, the soccer. It was a good and entertaining match. More than anything, the teams cared. Nobody was playing for that tie, that's for sure. This wasn't like the French team that seemed to not even want to be there, nor was it the 'be patient' and a 0-0 tie is okay type of match we've seen quite a bit of this year so far. There were mistakes – a lot of them – but the match was hard-fought and one heckuva comeback.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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