The U.S. men's national team takes on Trinidad & Tobago tonight in a crucial World Cup qualifier for both teams. The Americans are looking to rebound after a disappointing performance in tying El Salvador, while Trinidad & Tobago comes in off a 1-1 tie vs. Honduras.
The U.S. team will see several changes from the squad that started out vs. El Salvador. Goalkeeper Tim Howard is back from suspension while defender Oguchi Onyewu is back after resting a sore knee. Those aren't the only change we will see tonight though as head coach Bob Bradley turns to a veteran and a youngster to help provide a boost tonight.
I will be providing commentary throughout the match, but as always, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on the match in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (and take a sneak peak at the U.S. starting lineup after the jump):
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FINAL- Not many negatives from this match. Oguchi Onyewu looked rusty at times, but was otherwise solid. Other than that, I'm not sure what can be complained about.
That's all for me. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on tonight's match in the comments section below. Thanks for following along and be sure to check in to SBI on Thursday for more post-match coverage of tonight's USA victory.
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FINAL– Altidore looked like a hungry player tonight, and I can't help but wonder if his nightmare loan deal with Xerez hasn't lit a fire under the young striker.
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FINAL– USA 3, Trinidad & Tobago 0. Jozy Altidore's coming-out party, but almost as important is the overall response from the squad, especially from veterans like Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley.
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90th minute– Donovan with his third assist of the match, and good job by Bradley to lay it off to Donovan.
Altidore must have surpassed Eddie Johnson for youngest American to score a hat-trick in qualifying.
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88th minute- GOAL USA!!!!!!!!!! And it's Jozy Altidore with the HAT-TRICK on a very soft goal given up by T&T's goalkeeper. USA 3, Trinidad & Tobago 0.
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87th minute– USA corner kick.
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85th minute– How good does Torres look on the ball? His touch is sublime.
Donovan misses JUST wide.
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84th minute– Kljestan for Dempsey.
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83rd minute– Kljestan is set to come in. Could it be for Michael Bradley, who has a yellow he's protecting?
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82nd minute– Pablo Mah-stroh-ahni. DRINK!
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80th minute– Torres is set to come in for Ching, who had a strong game. People love to criticize him, but he's good and serves as a solid complement to Altidore. That's the tandem for the forseeable future.
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76th minute– Hejduk gets away with that two-footed tackle way too often. It's part luck and experience.
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75th minute– Altiore will get the headlines after this performance, but Donovan's play on the left flank and Beasley's play at left back are also major storylines from this match.
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72nd minute- Jozy Altidore with a beautiful finish off a great pass from Donovan. Altidore collects at the top of the box, makes a nice move and finishes from 12. USA 2, T&T 0.
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70th minute– GOAL USA!!!
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70th minute– Altidore looks like he's on fumes (I replaced this one with the goal post, but yes, Jozy was looking gassed. Guess he was gathering himself for that great goal.)
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69th minute– Where did everybody go? If you're still following along, let me know.
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67th minute– Will we see USA subs soon? You have to believe we'll see Jose Torres soon.
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65th minute– Good stat from ESPN's PEdro Gomez. USA under Bradley is 15-0-1 when leading at halftime. The only non-win was the 2-2 tie vs. Mexico last year.
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64th minute– Calls are going against the USA. They need to keep their composure
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63rd minute– The wall blocks Daniels first attempt, then Howard grabs the rebound. T&T needed to do better with that one.
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62nd minute– Onyewu fouls in the arc and T&T has a dangerous free kick. Keon Daniel is DANGEROUS>
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15th minute– Donovan is having fun on the left flank.
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61st minute– T&T with a half chance but Jones can't get a good strike of the ball.
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60th minute– By the way, the T&T goalkeeper completely spilled a rebound just before. I wonder if any of his defenders yelled at him.
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57th minute– Altidore tracks back and forces a turnover. Bob Bradley loves seeing that.
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56th minute– Kaleem Hyland is on for Birchall and Birchall is not happy. To be honest I don't get that one. Birchall was the only T&T midfielder really putting in work.
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55th minute– Donovan is having fun on the left flank.
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53rd minute– Was that Onyewu trying to make some moves on the ball?
Aklie Edwards with a yellow for a foul on Altidore.
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51st minute– Now one from the left, punched away. Bocanegra missed a header on the previous one.
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49th minute– USA with a dangerous free kick from the right flank.
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HALFTIME– Who has played well so far? Donovan, Ching, Bradley, Mastroeni and Bocanegra. Altidore had the finish on the goal but he has been set up with several chances and has scuffed some. The Ching-Altidore combo looks good though and we might just be seeing that combo for a while, especially with how good Donovan looks working on from the left flank.
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HALFTIME– USA 1, T&T 0. Americans have controlled play this half, but should have more goals. Jozy has looked good and DaMarcus Beasley has been sharp at left back. Throw in Landon Donovan being very dangerous playing off the left flank and it's a good 45 minutes for the U.S. team. They needed a second goal though.
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45th minute– As well as the Americans are playing, they need to find that second goal to get comfortable. A one-goal lead won't cut it.
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42nd minute– Beasley with the open header but it's right at the keeper, who finds time to yell at his defense AGAIN. Love this guy.
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40th minute– How's this for a drinking game. Any time the Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper yells at his defense, we drink.
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39th minute– Is it me or is this ref a cool customer? For a CONCACAF ref he seems very composed.
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38th minute– Wow, Donovan almost stole one for a second goal. T&T got SO lucky on that one.
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36th minute– The US is winning this game in midfield, where the T&T midfield is just not doing enough work. The group is just flat and isn't putting any pressure on the Americans.
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35th minute– Not trying to jinx the US, but Kenwyne Jones WILL have a good chance before this game is done and Tim Howard will need to make a great save on that chance (yes, I can see the future).
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32nd minute– Edwards gets open for a look but his left-footed shot is blocked. There's a reason the US is letting him shoot with his left.
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31st minute– Nice run forward from Bradley. I also think Donovan looks very good on the left, his freedom to cut inside lets him do a lot.
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29th minute– Any time Pablo Mastroeni's last name is mispronounced I say we drink.
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28th minute– Aklie Edwards, the T&T left back, is struggling. If the name sounds familiar it is because he was on trial with the Red Bulls, who are auditioning left backs off the street, so Edwards can't be that good if he couldn't latch on with them.
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27th minute– Frankie Hejduk two-footed tackles will definitely be a drinking game, but that first one won't count
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25th minute– Edwards gets by Beasley on the right flank but can't get much on the cross. He won't be turning the corner on Beasley.
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24th minute– I can just hear Carlos Edwards saying (in a thick Trini accent), "What happened to de white boy Pearce? I miss heem."
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22nd minute– Time for a drinking game. Any suggestions? Also, if you're following here please let me know.
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21st minute-I have to say that I'm liking Beasley at left back. Someone coming out of the back with confidence on the ball? What a novelty.
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19th minute– Donovan is buzzing around early. He's come to play today.
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17th minute– Dempsey with the attempted bike, sends it high.
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17th minute– Good ball movement from the US right now. They're brimming with confidence.
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15th minute– USA corner. They are smothering the T&T defense.
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15th minute– Donovan is having fun on the left flank.
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14th minute- Ching with the flick header to free Donovan, who has a wide-open look to pass off to Altidore, who taps home from close range. USA 1, T&T 0.
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13thminute- GOAL USA!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's Jozy Altidore with the finish off a great pass from Landon Donovan. Who set the play up? Brian Ching.
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12th minute- Jones blocks his own team's header.
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11th minute- T&T corner kick.
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10th minute– Beasley does well to keep in front of Edwards, who just shanked a cross with his left foot.
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9th minute- Ching with a chance but his shot goes across the goalmouth. Not a bad sequence from Mastroeni on that play.
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7th minute- You can already see that Onyewu is going to have his hands full with Jones tonight.
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6th minute– Howard kicks a ball right at STern John, barely avoided an embarrassing moment.
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4th minute– Great ball in from Bocanegra, but Dennis Lawrence clears it. US is pressuring early.
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4th minute– There is Ching, drawing a free kick.
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1st minute– And we're off. USA 41-0-10 vs. CONCACAF opponents at home since 2001. Not bad.
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PRE-GAME– A moment of silence for the fans who died in the Ivory Coast-Malawi WOrld Cup qualifier. Terrible event, touching moment.
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PRE-GAME– For those scoring at home, that's three Jersey-born players in the starting lineup (Howard, Bradley and Altidore) and a Jersey-born head coach in Bob Bradley. Yes, all former MetroStars/ Red Bulls.
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PRE-GAME– Chris Burchall in central midfield is one to watch. Mastroeni will be looking to shut him down.
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PRE-GAME– Kenwyne Jones and Stern John up top for the Soca Warriors. A dangerous tandem who will be a handful for the Americans.
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PRE-GAME– Great anthem (and no, not all fans need to be in HD).
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PRE-GAME– Anthems are playing and we're getting close.
Is there anything better than soccer in HD?
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PRE-GAME– So why no Jose Francisco Torres? Well, T&T boasts the tricky and dangerous Russell Latapy in central midfielder (Latapy isn't starting actually) and he's someone that Pablo Mastroeni will be assigned to shut down. Torres is a safe bet to come into the match in the second half, but for the first half you can expect Donovan and Dempsey to attack on the flanks while Bradley and Mastroeni look to shut off the supply of service from T&T's best playmakers to Kenwyne Jones.
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PRE-GAME– I am reading some of the comments being made about Beasley as left back. Listen folks, Beasley has always counted his defensive ability as a strength. He is someone who can stay with a speedy midfield. This isn't a first either. Those of you who were paying attention might recall that Beasley was used at left back in the blowout win vs. Cuba last fall. The traits of a left back in Bob Bradley's system is someone who can get forward on the overlap and contribute offensively, and someone who can still handle the 1v1 defensive responsibilites of the position.
So why no Jonathan Spector? Perhaps Bradley wasn't confident in Spector being able to deal with the speed of Carlos Edwards.
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PRE-GAME– Is it me or is it surreal to hear Alexi Lalas talking about Bob Bradley's decisions?
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PRE-GAME– Here is how the U.S. team will run out:
————-Ching———–Altidore————–
Donovan———————————Dempsey
————-Bradley——–Mastroeni———–
Beasley—-Bocanegra—–Onyewu——-Hejduk
———————Howard———————-
As I said earlier in the week, Beasley should not be discounted as a left back option. He has the defensive qualities to thrive there. He can certainly keep up with Carlos Edwards, especially with Landon Donovan supporting him.
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PRE-GAME– ESPN TV is reporting that Landon Donovan will be playing on the left wing and Dempsey on the right wing. Beasley and Donovan on the left flank could be very interesting and successful.
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PRE-GAME- We're less than a half hour from kickoff and the lineup SBI revealed more than an hour ago has been confirmed as the lineup tonight. WHo isn't dressed for the game? Jonathan Spector, Heath Pearce, Danny Califf and no Freddy Adu.
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PRE-GAME– Here is the U.S. national team's starting lineup (yep, you're seeing it here first)
————-Ching———–Altidore————–
Dempsey———————————Donovan
————-Bradley——–Mastroeni———–
Beasley—-Bocanegra—–Onyewu——-Hejduk
———————Howard———————-
No, that's not an April Fool's Joke, but a very interesting starting lineup indeed. Are you surprised to see this group? Jozy Altidore has earned the chance to start while Beasley could wind up being the answer to a shaky left back position.
I was not able to confirm what formation the U.S. team will be using, but this makes the most sense for this group of players. The other remote possibility is a 3-5-2 formation, which would be a real departure from what we've come to expect from Bob Bradley:
————-Ching———–Altidore————–
Beasley————-Donovan————-Dempsey
————-Bradley——–Mastroeni————–
Bocanegra———Onyewu—————–Hejduk
———————Howard————————–
The 4-4-2 makes much more sense, particularly with Kenwyne Jone roaming around for T&T. To be fair, even if Beasley plays as the left back, he will be looking to attack enough so that the formation plays like a 3-5-2.
Hey soccerbyives.net net interview on FSC. I can hear mouses clicking around the world.
btw/ well called game. Please have MLS hire that ref. if he doesn’t already.
Great game to watch. Jozy, Donovan and Ching were sublime. T & T looked dangerous at times but inferior. I was worried with only 1 – 0 lead. BUT most of all a hearty congratulations to T & T for playing tough and not flying to the ground on phantom tackles and grabbing their shins like all of the Central American teams. They should get + 2 points in the standings for having class. By the way wtf was that Howard clearance in the beginning of the game. I love Howard but GEEEEZ. That can’t happen.
Got back from the game and I think you Beasley naysayers are off the mark. He was great on Edwards. Edwards is a fantastic player and Beasley tracked him all night and shut him down. I dont think it was coincidence that Edwards was eventually moved to the other side of the field in the second half.
Sean Monaghan:
Good point about Dennis’ post. The post also loses all credibility by giving Hejduk a 5. He played out of his mind and he gets a 5? Dennis and I saw different games apparently. He contributed a lot to both defense and offense.
how can the highest person on your rating (In a 3-0 victory) be a 6.5???
If you rate altidore a 6.5, the scale must be out of 5
I’m sorry to seem like such a negative Nelly but I was still disappointed and a little concerned by the U.S. performance tonight.
They totally dominated the game for what seemed like forever and then when they finally score it’s a fluke. Landon Donovan clearly took a shot which was completely mishit but luckily ended up in a great position for Altidore to score. Then they continue to flounder while applying pressure. Altidore missed an open goal from less than three yards. The third goal for the U.S. and Altidore looked like a Keystone Cops routine. They had such a clear cut chance in front of the goal and they choose to start passing the ball around instead of taking it. The fact that they did score did not cover up that poor play. Altidore would have actually missed another golden chance if not for a mistake by the goalkeeper. Altidore’s game and the U.S.’s game were both overrated. There was too much luck involved. That having been said they did at least do a great job of passing the ball around, and unlike against El Salvador, they actually seemed like they wanted to win.
Frankie Hejduk was fantastic! He would be my man of the match despite Altidore’s goals. There was nothing lucky about his performance. What a heart! Sorry, but as long as Hejduk is playing anything close to how he played tonight, that position should be his.
Let’s see, Sven Coaching Mexico, a country with a pro league that is by all evidence better than MLS and the great international genius managed only one win in 3 qualifiers. The poor coach from the US with no international experience and with a bunch of players,poorly chosen and from a country with a 2nd (or 3rd) rate pro league has 7 points and is atop the group.
Whoops, I guess maybe Bradley is not an idiot after all. I must share some of his idiocy, except for Beasley, I picked the same starters as Bob did. Winning is more important than entertaining so Adu will not play until things are safe. Torres may get more time when he is trusted more.
I worry that the US does not have any defenders with more skill or more athleticism, and certainly not better combinations. Messi woould not have trouble unsettling the US back line (of course, the same could be said for most any back 4).
ratings:
Altidore 6.5
Ching 6
Donavon 6
Dempsey 4
Bradley 5.5
Mastroeni 5
Beasley 5.5(a pleasant surprise)
Bocanegra 5
Gooch 5.5
Hejduk 5
Howard 4.5 (can’t forgive that clearance)
Torres 5 Sasha NoRank
Only a few guys are actually routine starters outside MLS and only Howard, Dempsey, Bradley, Bocanegra and Torres start in first rate leagues; Gooch starts in a 2nd level league. (Spector has started only a few games and struggled when he did, Beasley and Edu have had a hard time getting much time, Adu and Altidore were both loaned out to lesser teams and don’t start there).
It is amazing that so many sing Adu’s praises, he did not do well in MLS, ever, except, oh yeah, he’s still a baby, he might grow up to be a great adult player, it just has not happened yet! Right now he has some clever little tricks and he is very quick, but he does little to defend or make his teammates better. Right now he is at best a role player, but not one to trust in tough games. My guess is that if he gets thrown into a tough game and struggles that he will suffer the same beat-down from commentators that Sasha and DMB got for the ElSalvadore game. DMB is old enough, better was expected, Sasha is still young and not that predictible, but older than Adu by 4 or 5 years.
I think I’ll save my full thoughts for tomorrow as I just got back from the game and am tired, but I loved it. Looked great where we were. Maybe you saw us on tv, far left corner, with a banner that said “Heroes get remembered, legends never die”
Enjoy.
Posted by: Jacob A. | April 01, 2009 at 11:35 PM,
awesome, I saw that sign and thought it was great.
Mexico fans…
hahahahahahahhaahhahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahaa!!!!!
Golden generation by b*tt
I (like every one else) have been struck by his consummately professional attitude, embodied by a post-match interview so humble it seemed almost muted (again, I realize he was dead tired). But his professionalism worries me ever so slightly simply because I can’t gauge the strength of his desire. Is the hunger behind his stoicism all-consuming enough to propel him to the very top? I just don’t know.
It is unfair to expect him to be Rooney, but it is nonetheless an interesting comparison in terms of aggressiveness and attitude. Jozy is by no means timid, but hasn’t always shown the sort of tenacity on the pitch that most of the very best players seem to have (at the zenith of their career, at least). Basically, Jozy seems a really good prospect to be a really good player. But it is by no means a sure thing, and I think his technical limitations make it somewhat less likely than people like to think.
Why? Frankly, I worry that he will struggle to improve his technical skill, especially his first touch. He usually makes an acceptable, simple touch or pass with his back to goal, but he doesn’t have a whole lot of natural finesse– as shown by his failure to put the chance away in the first half. I’m not claiming that the miss was unforgivable, but rather just pointing it out as the most memorable case tonight where his feet failed him. You might also point to his third goal, which was not particularly well-struck. Technical skill can be hard to acquire after a certain age. In contrast, when I first saw Michael Bradley he had a certain elegance about him, however unrefined (actually, he reminded me a lot of Ballack– but that’s a different issue).
Hand-in-hand with this is a question mark over Altidore’s decision making– not necessarily a flaw, but a question mark. Jozy tends to make short, simple passes, which is fine and good, but I haven’t seen him play enough to know whether he has the vision/ creativity/ soccer brain to display moments of magic a la Rooney, Ibrahimovic, or Torres (not that I am saying he is the same type of player as any of these). His first two goals would indicate that he has the positional sense as a scorer, but does he have the positional sense to link up well with team mates as a top-level target man?
As professional as he is, I also worry whether he is hungry enough. When Jozy goes up for the ball, he doesn’t get a ton of height, and often ducks his head forward (probably for protection). If he is not throwing his body around with abandon at 19, I doubt he ever will. I really liked his chasing and his long-legged toe-poke on one of the T&T defenders, and he does a professional job putting pressure on the ball from the front. Yet while he consistently displays a good work rate, he basically doesn’t strike me as particularly aggressive or particularly keen on throwing himself into dangerous situations– qualities which would allow him to take full advantage of his impressive physical gifts, and help to overcome his current technical limitations.
(continued)…
Good performance from the team, and from Donovan and Altidore especially.
While Altidore delivered the goods and shows he deserves some starts, I retain reservations about anointing him the definitive future of the U.S. team. He is a good player who may yet grow into a really good player, but I don’t think he will ever be world class. What do I mean by this? Basically, I see him struggling to ever become a star at Villareal, let alone ever receive a vote for world player of the year. By comparison, tonight Donovan showed the qualities that make me think he could yet shine at a top club. Of course, it is foolish to compare the two, and that’s not really what this is about. Rather, it is simply tempering the inevitable excitement around Jozy.
(continued)…
Did I really see a Carlos Pavon goal??? This guy could not buy a goal in the MLS to save his life. True, he was playing for the Galaxy, but still, he looked very old and slow.
Man a 3-0 win and people are still calling for Bradley’s head. US has won the gold cup, are well on their way to qualifying for the world cup and have been competitive against some of the best teams in the world. What more are you looking for?
I hope fifa review the tape and give Castillo red after stomping on Wilson Palacios, who is one of the best players in concacaf
Stoked on the 3-0 win,refresed to see us actually use two up top…its been a while
Mexico picked up three yellows and a red after the 60 minute mark. That’s uncharacteristic. They’re usually so classy in defeat.
The Mexico red card was for a blatant take down when the last defender was beat about 10 yards outside the 18. He just clipped the forwards legs, clear red.
I think it was Pavon who had a break away. He got taken down from behind to prevent another goal. He had to do it. Still just as sweet!!! 🙂
Take that Xerez, great goal Jozy, much more difficult than it looked!!!
Posted by: Chase | April 01, 2009 at 08:13 PM
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Sorry but Xerez doesn’t care how many goals Alitdore scored against a weak team
Mexico just lost to Honduras 3-1. There was a phanthom penalty call in Mexico’s favor. Poor job by the referee as Nery Castillo deserved at least a yellow for committing strong fouls.
@ Jacob. ESPN2 showed the banner for about 3 seconds.
What was Mexico red card for?
To the guy who said that Jamie Trecker was a professional when it comes to coaching and picking a coach because a team didn’t come to play, and to those of you who thought the US showed it wasn’t class of the region, take a look at Mexico who couldn’t even come back from 1 down they instead packed it in and played like crap and guess what they HAVE an foreign coach!!
I think I’ll save my full thoughts for tomorrow as I just got back from the game and am tired, but I loved it. Looked great where we were. Maybe you saw us on tv, far left corner, with a banner that said “Heroes get remembered, legends never die”
Enjoy.
Alllll-ti–doooor-aaa…. Oh-Oh-Oh-OOH!!
What a great game by Jozy and a host of others. Glad to see it.
And even though he only played a little tonight, I again was impressed by Torres. I want him in the starting lineup pronto. Bradley and Torres is dominant.
Go USA
Mexico down to 10 men. Wow they look horrible.
I wonder is Sven is thinking of packing is bags. I bet he’s dreading going in front of the media right about now w/ a 3-1 score…
Mexico gets one back on a penalty. Honduras is doing their best El Salvador impersonation rolling around on the ground like someone having a grand mal seizure.
Honduras up 3-0 and a Mexican forward completely whiffs the ball in the box and falls while grabbing his leg, HAHAHA, hilarious, well he got the PK and it’s 3-1. Doesn’t matter.
Honduras 3 – Mexico 0. Game over. Nats alone at the top of the table 3 points clear.
1. Jozy!!! The young man has staked his claim. He works well with Ching — who is frustrating and limited, but the best partner in the short-run.
2. Frankie H’s crossing was abysmal. On several occasions, under no pressure, he was unable to get his service past the first defender. There is no doubting the heart. But we need something else for the next level. The fact that Spector did not get a look…reflects badly on Father Bradley.
3. Torres? There were some wayward moments today. But let me quote Ives’ MBM commentary: “How good does Torres look on the ball? His touch is sublime.” Or Dave: “needs to start from now on, period-class.” Torres is small but tough. He offers a sort of incisive passing no other midfielder in the current player pool can bring. He needs to play.
4. The tricky thing? Gulati and company made a hash of things first time around. Now we are stuck with Papa Bradley. You don’t just fire the manager. When you do, you need to be pretty darn sure you can line up a real improvement. And given how Gulati and company messed up the original search, it is hard to have confidence in them.
5. Can’t wait til I get to see the boys in Chicago and DC!
6. Can’t help it. I like looking at the scoreboard and seeing Mexico down at Honduras…
Is it just me or is Bradley too conservative with subs? This game was over after the first goal was scored and he leaves young players who could use time on the bench. Meanwhile he leaves squad locks out to get injured.
On a side note…GO HONDURAS!!!
I’m not jumping on the Beasley LB bandwagon until I see him play the position a few more games. I do like the fact that Bradley has tinkered a little with the lineup.
Isn’t it obvious that the US should play two true strikers every game? Jozy and Ching seemed to pair well together.
Hopefully in June, Demerit can get a shot to start in the middle of the defense. Surely he is higher on the pecking order than Califf, Parkhurst, or Marshall. All of them have had shots to play on the backline, now its should be his turn.
We are a much tougher team to break down with Pablo on the field PERIOD. The guy plays his best football for the national side and we should start him every game.
If the halftime results hold, Mexico will be in 5th (on GD) after three games.
forget what effect a weak mexico might have on us. although we admittedly looked bad in san salvador, the honduras – mexico game is a testament to the difficulty of road games in concacaf. we SHOULD have gotten 3 points on saturday, but we should be at least content with the point. the mexico – honduras game just goes to show you cant take any points for granted in qualifying games on the road, in any region.
Who thinks DMB might have just taken a LARGE step towards solving our problems at LB position. Spector is a decent backup when speed isn’t a concern, but….
And who wouldn’t think that Bobbey Convey —when healthy—wouldn’t be a very suitable speedy replacement who can also provide crossing service??????
With our LB & RB’s esentially being midfielder’s….we just can’t afford to play big, slow guys who can’t track back easily and who also can’t contribute offensively by crossing. MIDFIELDER’s !!
I love heyduk’s resurgence, but we still need a replacement for ‘Dolo who can cross it well….???? And NO–Wynne CANNOT cross…..who cares how fast he is if he can’t use his feet!
Ives, “Hejduk gets away with that two-footed tackle way too often. It’s part luck and experience.”
Is a two footed tackle illegal? Or just Frankie’s?
Honduras beating Mexico 2-0 medio tiempo.
Honduras very rough team, borderline thugs. Bradley, make sure Pablo, Gooch and Frankie are ready for them
We all want the best and support the team. Do you think the performances will crack a top 10 team, no. We need more and the team has it. We need someone to pull it out of them and let us watch the magic happen. To much reliance to the old guard from the field to the commentators box.
Look, I like Bradley too, the guy is a class act on and off the field, problem is, as I wrote, he’s never played or coached at a high enough level to WIN at that level so we really can’t expect it of him-he has been an OUTSTANDING interim coach-and has won a trophy along the way-not too shabby. But if we are serious about next summer-and some pundits have suggested that Gulati and USSF have already made the cold calculus that WE ARENT serious about it (which makes me sick), then we need a top-level coach if we expect top-level results, and that’s that.
You guys all sound stupid now. What a great attacking performance! Shut up and support the team.
EVERYONE disregard the double post, my bad
Like the comment’s Dave. I really like BB, but it’d be very interesting to see what a high profile coach could do…
Dave, your “life story” post didn’t work at first because it had an expletive in it. I removed it and posted your “life story.”
Ching is a smart player. Demps is good but I think he plays on emotion a little too much though Hodgson is having influence on him. Ching understands the nuances and subtlties of space making and leading defenders away.
Mannnn, obviiouussslyyy, if Mexico can’t win Honduras, then, mayyybbeee, hmm, idk, just a thought, maybe Honduras has replaced Mexico as being 2nd, but even then, have you seen mexico’s lineup today??? Not the best, and Mexico has too good players to be losing 2-0, i just dont know whats wrong with them, they are playing in Honduras, so you never know, the game isnt over, Jozy is a beast, Ching is too, i’ve never been a hater, ive just been waiting for him to show what he is used for so he can shut the haters up, and hopefully he did, Adu will get his time to be on the team, just not now, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, i believe Edu will play next game, in for Mastro, Torres will too, Bradley should get a rest, not that im saying he did bad, but he shuld rest i think, but not against Honduras, if thats who we play next
Jozy, leave Villarreal before they Adu you.
Why is Hejduk in there? Bradley must feel obligated to play him since he missed WC 06 with the knee injury. Surely Spector could get in at least 1 good cross a half. which would be one more than Frankie can produce. The guy should be no more than an emergency replacement at this point. Enough with the “he runs all day” and “tackles hard” stuff about Hejduk. The guy is not a viable option for RB come 2010. Oh, and was it just me or did Carlos Edwards TORCH DMB all night long? He just had a case of the Hejduk Crossing Disease
I agree with Brett…
I think Ching is a good forward, but his holdup play needs a second forward to really be effective…..” Matt
a forward’s job is to score. i don’t see him scoring two goals in the Hex.