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Johannsson misses penalty kick as AZ ousted from Dutch Cup

AronJohannssonAZAlkmaar5 (Getty)

By CAITLIN MURRAY

It looks like Aron Johannsson can have a bad club game, after all.

The young U.S. National Team striker has been enjoying a breakout season with AZ Alkmaar, but his team was ousted Thursday from the Dutch Cup after Johannsson missed a crucial penalty kick early in a 1-0 loss. Ajax’s Lasse Schone scored the eventual game-winner on a spectacular free kick in the 48th minute.

After 33 minutes, Ajax defender Joel Veltman was shown a red card and sent off, giving AZ the man advantage and a penalty kick. But Johannsson failed to convert as his attempt to the low corner was stopped in a lunging save by goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.

Johannsson had missed a penalty last week against PEC Zwolle, but AZ still came out with the win, 2-1. Johannsson sits at 25 goals this season, just short of Jozy Altidore’s single-season record of 31 for a USMNT player overseas.

See video of the red card and the penalty kick after the jump:

Comments

  1. Yikes, two in a row. Hopefully they let him keep taking them.

    Aron is supremely skilled, but sometimes I think he presses a little. Hopefully he can work on the mental side before Brazil. (Note: before anyone jumps all over me, this is based on watching him play, not just this PK)

    Reply
    • I agree, personally I think his decision making on the ball in the midfield isn’t great. Some have suggested he play in that Dempsey role under the striker but I just don’t see it. You have to get him in front of goal to really use his strengths.

      Reply
      • He’s at least as good as Dempsey in that regard. Dempsey has a terrible pass completion rate and often misses open runners while he’s lookin for space.

      • I think an “under the striker” role can work for AJ, but not if used in a creative sort of way. I think you want him going at goal, letting him use his ball skills and improvisation to make things happen. I think both he and Dempsey are not well suited to creative midfield roles – for both of them, their primary skill is finishing. I strongly believe Donovan is the best guy for that creative attacking midfield role, with perhaps Corona as an understudy. Their passes go awry far less often than Dempsey’s

  2. Everybody misses penalty kicks.
    From the greatest to the most obscure.
    Platini, has a famous miss, we have all witnessed Messi, and CR7 miss.
    Every player is going to end up with just about that percentage that was pointed out. 70/80%.
    However, when you miss matters, and the way in which you miss is always open to debate.
    What is troubling with this resent rash of misses by iceman?, among others is the belief and conviction with which they are taking their penalties.
    It does not feel or appear very confident, assured, or well and decisively struck.
    Please, It would definitely benefit to practice those PK’s.

    PS Only one team has never lost on PK’s in a major competition, and they are in group G?.
    perhaps banking on that allowed them to get stilettoed by the Italians in the 120 minute in the
    06 WC.

    Reply
  3. I do agree that LD should take the penalty kicks for WC2014. I really hate it when people try and put the whole game on one play- can’t blame AJ solely for the lose. There are ten other guys on his team.. LETS GO YOU YANKS!!!

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  4. Remember Hack a Shaq? Teams are going to foul the Baconator because he sucks at PKs. Can’t risk having him on the WC Team.

    Yes, this is sarcasm…

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    • Shouldn’t have warned us on the sarcasm. I’d really like to have seen that thread explode, haha! I’d be curious if Jozy like hate would come out against AJ as well!

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  5. Agree — Saved, not “missed.” It is as big a peeve of mine as is “offsides” (with the “s”) when I am not watching hulking guys in kevlar body armor who rest every 15 seconds.

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  6. Can someone explain why we say a penalty was missed when it was in fact saved? I’ve noticed this several times lately and it’s one of those weird and silly little things that’s started bothering me. If the shot is on target and the keeper stops it then it’s saved. If the shot isn’t on target (high or wide whatever) then it’s missed. Right? Am I the only one who feels this way?

    Weren’t both of Aron’s “missed” pks this week actually saved? Given how badly some players miss the target all together (Sunderland/ManU recent shootout anyone?) shouldn’t we differentiate the two?

    Reply
    • Its based on the perspective you’re looking at. Were focusing on Johannson so we say he missed it. if Tim Howard was on Ajax and it was a PK by someone we don’t care about, we would say Howard saved it.

      You can always debate whether a PK was good or not or who got lucky or whatever. Just look at the comments here. Some say it was a bad PK (miss) some say it was a good PK (save)

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    • Its not terrible in that it was actually on target but ya its in a place that its basically 50/50 depending on which way the keeper goes.

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    • How is that horrible?

      That’s a pretty standard penalty. It was well placed and the keeper guessed right and got down well.

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      • Because at that hight at at that speed it gives the keeper a 50/50 chance of getting to that ball. All he has to do is guess correctly.
        It’s not that complicated to understand.
        It’s ok. Even American players make mistakes sometimes.

      • Don’t try to be condescending to make it seem like you have a point. You don’t.

        It was a good penalty shot. The keeper had to guess right and get over to it.

        Players between the ages of 23-28 only convert penalties at a success rate of 77.6%. It isn’t a sure fire thing that you’re going to score.

        And it isn’t black and white. A good penalty can be saved. A bad penalty can go in. This was a good penalty. It wasn’t an incredible penalty, but more likely than not this scores.

        http://www.penaltyshootouts.co.uk/research.html

      • Is that your argument? An internet article? Your ignorance shows again.
        If the keeper gets to the ball its a badly taken pk regardless of what an internet article says. End of story.
        This is not 1980 son. Nobody believes everything the English say anymore.
        Fans like you are what keeps soccer in this country from moving forward.
        Ignorance and denial.

      • Your response is amusing, like a child caught in a lie.

        You didn’t read the article, yet you are commenting on it. It’s a link to a number of peer-reviewed studies on the stresses and data of penalties in soccer around the world.

        So your credibility is already shot. And I am not your son. Don’t call me your son. I am an adult. You should try acting like one.

        Rife with ad hominem attacks like a 15 year-old trolling around Reddit or YouTube. Goal.com might be more for your liking. They appreciate adolescence.

        And then using the domain extension of the article to attack and demean an entire nation of people?

        I’m afraid you won’t even see the irony in your comment and attacks.

      • Ignorance and denial.
        I thought fans like you had disapeared by now.
        You’re an embarrassment to the rest of us, son

      • Not a good penalty kick obviously. Only a few feet from the keeper and at an easy height to save.

        Of course this is the same guy who, the other day, said Jozy missed a “sitter” when in fact no human being could possibly have reached the ball.

        Your comments are so crazy you must be a troll. If so, I have to admit you’re fairly effective.

      • Ignorance and denial.
        I thought fans like you had disapeared by now.
        You’re an embarrassment to the rest of us, son

        ====

        You really look foolish and childish. You should probably stop.

      • For the penalty taker:

        If you score, it is a good penalty

        If you don’t it is a bad penalty

        For the keeper:

        If the penalty taker misses or you save it,it is good.for you.

        If the penalty taker scores it is bad for you.

        As far as I can tell everything else about penalties is irrelevant.

        Isn’t there something more interesting that you guys can argue over?

  7. No. No. No. Jozy can’t find the net. Aron is missing from the spot. Donovan has lost a step. Dempsey is playing thug ball and Julian Green plays in the German 4th Division. We’re going to have to rely on defense and hope for own goals to save us in Brazil. The sky is falling.

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    • We are dooooooooooooooomed I tell you dooooooooooomed.

      No use even watching.

      Step away from the ledge, things can and do change quickly.

      Reply
  8. It happens. I think this is his first penalty kick miss this year. Considering 25% of all penalty kicks worldwide don’t go in, he’s not doing too bad.

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  9. That’s not even a poor attempt. In some cases, the keeper just comes up huge.

    That free kick goal though… that was sexy.

    Reply
    • Jozy and Adam Maher won the Cup last year with a goal each. They beat Ajax last year in the semis 3-1. (Jozy brace)

      Really I just think AZ last coach was rather good. He is somehow winning games in the Bundesliga with Nurnberg.

      Reply

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