The United States put in a rather unimpressive performance in seeing off Antigua and Barbuda in their World Cup qualifying match in Tampa. The hosts should have absolutely demolished the minnows in a Floridian downpour, but were held to an unconvincing 3-1 victory instead, losing Jose Torres to a severe-looking ankle injury in the process..
USA Vs. Antigua & Barbuda, 2014 World Cup Qualifying: Final Score 3-1 USA As Hosts Flatter To Deceive
Carlos Bocanegra opened the scoring with a toe-poke home following Molvin James' save from Hercules Gomez's header, and for a little while it seemed as though the floodgates would open. Slick moves from Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley cut open Antigua's back line, and it seemed as though the US would grab a hatful of goals before the end of the first half.
Instead, they only added one more, with Dempsey tacking on from the spot after Landon Donovan was brought down in the box. Incredibly, Antigua pulled a goal back after halftime when substitute Peter Byers finished low past Tim Howard, but the two-goal cushion was restored thanks to Gomez, who took advantage of a very fortunate rebound to make it 3-1 in the 71st minute. The rest of the match (save for Torres' injury, which saw him stretchered off in the 57th minute) was prettttty awful.
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