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USMNT 3, Honduras 1: Match Highlights

Landon Donovan ,Alejandro Bedoya,Eddie Johnson,Clarence Goodson,Chris Wondolowsk,Jose Torreso,Stuart Holden

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

Landon Donovan’s two goals and Alejandro Bedoya’s two assists helped the U.S. Men’s National Team beat Honduras and book their place in Sunday’s Gold Cup Final.

Here are the match highlights:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noDviqeOknY]

Comments

  1. I really like Bedoya. I enjoyed his play at the ’11 Gold Cup and am happy he’s back in the mix. He doesn’t seem be be exceptional at anything but he’s got enough speed, skill, crossing and shooting skill to make things happen. I’d like to see him and Corona on the wings with Beckerman and Holden in the middle for the final.

    I really hope that Klinsmann can import some of this attack minded midfield play into the A-team for upcoming qualifiers. Donovan’s making it clear he deserves a spot in the first 11. It’s going to be interesting to see Klinsmann try and build the movement and creativity we’re seeing here around the core of MB and JJ in midfield.

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  2. Was at the game. Great atmosphere and by the end of the game a lot of the Honduran and Mexican fans started cheering for the U.S. I think they just like to see quality soccer/futbol.

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    • at the risk of nitpicking, his actual shot was pretty mediocre, right at the goalie’s head. Watching the slowmo replay, it looks like he was aiming for the corner of the net but the ball took a bad bounce right then. but his let of the ball to donovan and his ensuing run were delish for sure!

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      • it is picking at a nit, but it wasn’t the greatest shot, but it was just fine as a finish. If the goalie is on his way to ground, which he was, all you need to do is aim where his head was, the pace took care of the rest, no time to react and get your hands up as a keeper since you need to keep them low to be “big” as you move at the player.

  3. Looking back over this, the Honduras left back, Garcia, had an unbelievably bad game:
    1. Could probably have done better on first U.S. goal.
    2. Mainly at fault for second U.S. goal.
    3. Elbows holden in face in box for what should have been a penalty.
    4. Loses his mark, Bedoya, in the 49th minute which allowed a shot on goal.
    5. Lets Bedoya in behind him on third U.S. goal.
    US fans have to be awfully glad he started last night.

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    • It was clear during the game that he was getting smoked. Can’t blame him for goal #1 at all though, EJ’s mark was just beat by an excellent combo/run- he has responsibilities out wide as well and US had numbers forward- not just EJ and someone else (like on the second half chance where he did cut out the through ball from Wondo.)

      Also, the third goal was a tough run to stop and had Donovan’s mark not been beat by 3 yards, Bedoya was forced into a difficult shooting position. Sometimes the other guy makes a good play.
      That said, he got out-competed for the 2nd goal big time and he should have been sent off with a penalty for failure to control and an elbow to Stu’s face. He was the worst playe on either team on the pitch.

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  4. First of all Donovan is a dominating player and Klinsman/USMNT are on another level. People were taking about this game like it will be a walk in the park for the USMNT. Honduras rolled in with coach Suarez and 10 players from the previous world cup Honduras team. Yet this game could have ended 5-1 and says a lot about this current team (because they are not a B-team anymore) as some of these Honduras players (and coach) really caused major problems for our A-Team during world cup qualifying (twice). Our A-team got beat in February by Honduras (our lone goal came from Dempsey) and in June we won by only one Altidore goal. After convincingly knocking the ball around and controlling the game, a lot of A-Team players will have to start worrying about their starting roles on the team going to Brazil as according to Klinsman the best players don’t necessarily make up the best team. We are putting a hurting on teams that we usually struggle with and by a large margin..
    Honduras players on the Gold Cup roster that were on the roster against the A-Team
    Velasquez, Najar, Peralta, Palacios, Claros, Garcia, Chavez, Beckeles, Martinez, Mendoz, Lopez, Rojas ……. so lets call it what it is, this team is for real and a lot of these players deserve to represent the stars and stripes

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    • You’ve been riding the hobby horse for a couple of days now that we just beat something like Honduras’s A team, but just because you keep saying it doesn’t make it true. Missing from Honduras’s regular first choices from their world cup qualifying are Valladares, Bernardez, Izaguirre, A. Peralta (big difference from O. Peralta, who is at the Gold Cup), Espinoza, Bonniek-Garcia, Garrido, Mario Martinez, Wilson Palacios (big difference from Jerry), Costly, and Bengston (though he has other issues and it’s not too clear how “first-choice” he is). Essentially their entire first-choice starting lineup. It is true that many of the players they used yesterday have participated in world cup qualification (more as unused subs than anything else), but that seems to be the very definition of what a “B team” is — the guys who only ordinarily start because of injury, suspension, or in a supplementary competition like the Gold Cup. In no way, shape, or form was playing Honduras’s lineup from yesterday the equivalent of playing their world cup qualification roster.

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    • Perhaps you’re unaware but there’s usually 23 men in rosters….you named 12. Missing are guys like Maynor Figueroa and Roger Espinoza of Wigan, Emilio Izaguirre of Celtic, Wilson Palacios of Stoke I think but EPL team and Spurs before that…..Oscar Boniek-Garcia from the Houston Dynamo, Victor Bernardez of San Jose Earthquakes…and even tho he is in bad terms, the guy who leads Honduras in scoring in qualifying Jerry Bengston from the Revs….that’s a lot of players who could impact the game, just keep that in mind

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  5. I know the US ad MX didn’t send A squads to the Gold Cup. How was this Honduras squad? And Costa Rica? Did they send full strength squads? Can anyone help out with this info – to lay to do the research myself.

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    • Per Ives, of the important teams, only Panama really sent the first choice team. CRC and Hon were each down a few to several key players.

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    • +1. I have not been a big EJ fan, but there is no denying that he has been playing well. That movement to show for the ball and then peel back made that goal happen. He has also headed on a few balls on to create opportunities. He is finishing chances. Here’s hoping it continues.

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    • Clearly EJ and Donovan were communicating well on that play, and on the flick-on header play that led to LD’s goal in the previous game. Each has creativity and an understanding of where the other’s creativity is likely to go. The two of them seem to have a good picture of the field and what the other can do that enables them to move off the ball and make one-time passes that mesh for great advantage. And I see this happening with other players up front as well. LD seems to be the common thread for much of it.

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  6. great first goal by EJ and then Bodoya is going to make JK’s life hard for the final. Bedoya, or Corona or Torres. You can only choose two out of the three because the other midfield spots should go to Holden and Beckerman. EJ and Donovan up top again is a no brainer.

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      • Y’all better just get ready for Torres to play. He’s the best left-footed attacker and ball handler they have on this squad even if he is slow and small.
        Really it is between Corona and Bedoya. In my eye, Corona is the more fluid attacker, better in air and better defender. Bedoya’s hustle just about netted us two goals last night though. I would not mind seeing Corona in the Holden/Mix role, but in the final against the clear #2 team in this tournament is not a good time to experiment. Neither is good off the bench particularly (without a tactic change) so I view Corona as a full 90 in the final with Torres doing his JFT thing until whoever is coaching has seen enough and pull him

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