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USA vs. Australia (Matchday Commentary)

U.S. Crest Australia Crest 

The U.S. Men's national team takes on Australia today in its final pre-World Cup tune-up match.

The Americans are coming off a 2-1 win against Turkey in Philadelphia last week, and should get a tough test from the Aussies a week before their World Cup opener vs. England.

Some surprises in the lineup for the United States today as Robbie Findley and Edson Buddle get the starts, with Jozy Altidore out with the ankle injury suffered during the week. Defender Oguchi Onyewu is a surprising omission, with Clarence Goodson getting the nod alongside Jay DeMerit.

I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):

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FINAL– That's all for now. Please feel free to share your post-match thoughts on today's USA victory in the comments section below.

Thanks for for following along this morning.

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FINAL– USA 3, Australia 1. Buddle with two and Gomez with the insurance goal. Solid stuff, though some shaky moments defensively.

Overall a good performance for the Americans and a good confidence builder for next week's World Cup opener against England.

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95th minute– How about Gomez, scoring in both of his appearances during this pre-World Cup run, and both times as a sub.

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94th minute– Clark comes off with what looks like a hamstring injury in his left leg.

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93rd minute- GOAL USA!! And it's Herculez Gomez, finishes off well as he converts a Donovan pass from ten yards out. USA 3, Australia 1.

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92nd minute– Michael Bradley has had a solid game today, keeping the ball moving and covering tons of ground. Still don't think Clark should be his central midfield partner.

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91st minute– FINDLEY WIDE!!! He breaks in on goal, looks good in the run-up, but his shot is well wide.

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90th minute– Can't be much stoppage time.

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89th minute– This referee has been annoying all match, not impressed with him at all.

Australia with a free kick that is blocked.

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88th minute– DeMerit with some good defending. Maybe it's just me, but DeMerit plays better with Onyewu around him.

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86th minute– Beasley took a knock and is trying to walk it off. These last five minutes will be nervy as both teams look to avoid injuries.

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86th minute– Gomez took a shot to the face but is up and running.

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84th minute– Gomez gets in behind the defense, but tries to center a pass and scuffs it.

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82nd minute– And just like that, Herculez Gomez is in for Dempsey.

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82nd minute– Dempsey and Donovan are still on the field, not sure why.

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80th minute– Findley looked to be fouled, but got no call.

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79th minute– Look for Dempsey to move up top now that Beasley is in.

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78th minute– You wonder why we haven't seen more subs from the USA. Now we'll see DaMarcus Beasley come in for Buddle.

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76th minute– Grella with a yellow card for a hard challenge on Dempsey, who has been getting beaten up all day.

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74th minute– Clumsy challenge from Australia's Wilshire on Dempsey.

SAVE HAHNEMANN! Nice stop, but DeMerit with a turnover upfield.

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73rd minute– USA not showing much now, a bit too content to sit on a one-goal lead.

Will we really not see Torres or Edu today?

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71st minute– Hahnemann is absolutely lost on balls into the area via high balls. He should put a hat on.

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68th minute– Bornstein's ill-advised cross-field pass is picked off and leads to an Australia break. The USA defends deals well with the pressure.

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67th minute– Hahnemann wiffs on an Aussie corner kick. Not a good look for him there.

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63rd minute– Onyewu is in the match now, having replaced Goodson.

Save Hahnemann, stops a close range shot.

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60th minute– A bit of a snooze-fest lately.

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55th minute– Bornstein is on for Bocanegra.

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54th minute– Jonathan Bornstein is preparing to come on.

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52nd minute– USA with some chances, but Schwarzer makes a key save and the offside flag goes up.

Actually, Robbie Findley hit the frame with his shot. He can't buy a break today. Buddle did well to lay the pass off to Findley, but he sends it off the crossbar.

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48th minute– Cherundolo gets beaten on the wing, but Kennedy can't finish off the cross.

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46th minute– We're back.

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HALFTIME– Marcus Hahnemann is in for Tim Howard to start the second half. Fair to say he will be the No. 2 fort the World Cup. 

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HALFTIME– Some thoughts:

Edson Buddle looks like a good pick to start vs. England at this point. Stuart Holden and DaMarcus Beasley had been considered the candidates, and still could start, but the way Buddle is playing makes it tough to consider not starting him. What a finish on his first goal.

DeMerit doesn't look nearly as comfortable playing alongside Goodson as he did alongside Onyewu.

Ricardo Clark has been invisible.

Findley hasn't done much to earn more minutes today. He did put the pressure on Grella to help Buddle set up his first goal, but not much else.

Cherundolo has put a hammer lock on the starting right back spot.

Carlos Bocanegra looks very good at left back.

Donovan's set pieces

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HALFTIME– USA 2, Australia 1. Some good finishing, and some promising passing sequences, but the defense hasn't exactly been rock-solid.  Considering how much more dangerous England is than Australia, it wasn't a comforting 45 minutes for Bob Bradley. Oguchi Onyewu needs to be back on the field.

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45th minute– Donovan finally hits a good long free kick but the USA can't get it on goal.

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44th minute– Isn't there a "U.S. national Team for Dummies" book that Martin Tyler can thumb through? The guy's great to listen to, but it's pretty clear he hasn't been primed at all on the national team (The fact that he asked John Harkes to talk about Bob Bradley gave that one away).

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40th minute– If you are wondering, no, Australia's coach was not in Reservoir Dogs.

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38th minute– Craig Moore and Dempsey get yellow cards for their handbags.

And yes, John Harkes destroys the age-old saying "Mess with the bull and you get the horns." Flat George W. Bush'd it.

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36th minute– Dempsey was NOT happy with that challenge and started having words with Australian players.

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35th minute– SAVE HOWARD! Stops a tough Cullina challenge.

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34th minute– Australia comes close as Josh Kennedy's header goes wide. He beat DeMerit there but the USA got lucky that Kennedy sent it wide.

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32nd minute– It's safe to say Cherundolo isn't about to give up the starting right back spot. What a beautiful ball, and Buddle heads it down to give Schwarzer no chance.

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31st minute- GOAL USA!!!!! And it's Buddle with his second of the day off a GREAT cross in from Cherundolo, who sets him up with an easy header. USA 2, Australia 1.

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29th minute– Findley has looked off today. Not nearly as sharp as he looked against Turkey.

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28th minute– Bradley to Buddle to Donovan to Dempsey was the sequence on Dempsey's great chance. Quality passing there.

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27th minute– SAVE SCHWARZER! Stops Dempsey after a great passing sequence from the USA. Thought I jinxed Schwarzer there.

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26th minute– With Cahill having scored on Everton teammate Tim Howard, are we destined to see Dempsey score on Fulham teammate Mark Schwarzer?

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25th minute– Another terrible show of corner kick defending by the USA is saved by a clearance. Are the Americans really this lost on corner kick defending assignments? England's players must be loving seeing that.

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24th minute– This referee is calling any contact. DeMerit has been a bit rough, but some of these are soft.

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21st minute– Another look at the Aussie goal seems to suggest that Cahill slipped in behind DeMerit and Dempsey, though I'm not sure why Dempsey would mark Australia's most dangerous player on a corner kick.

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19th minute- GOAL AUSTRALIA! And it's Tim Cahill with the finish, racing onto a corner kick with a back-post run and volley finish. Looks like Dempsey lost him. Australia 1, USA 1.

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18th minute– I'm not saying I wish bad things on the creator of the vuvuzela, but if I wouldn't cry for him/her if something bad happened.

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17th minute– David Beckham is in the house. Beckham looks pretty bored.

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16th minute– Australia has been sloppy at times today. Not the most promising performance from the Socceroos so far, not that USA fans mind.

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15th minute- FINDLEY MISSES!! Wow, what a miss, he beats the off-side trap, rounds Mark Schwarzer, but sends it wide.

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8th minute– It will be interesting to see how the tandem of Jay DeMerit and Clarence Goodson do today, since at this point it is looking like the centerback pairing that will face England.

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6th minute– A dream start for the Americans, and for Buddle, who is pushing for a starting spot at this point.

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4th minute- GOAL USA!! And it was Edson Buddle with the finish off a turnover by Australia's Grella. USA 1, Australia 0.

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1st Minute– And we're off

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PRE-GAME– Here is the U.S. national team's lineup today:

———–Buddle————Findley—————–

Donovan———————————–Dempsey

—————–Bradley——-Clark—————–

Bocanegra——Goodson—-DeMerit——Cherundolo

————————–Howard—————————–

Comments

  1. Dont tell me that stadium is actually going to be used for games? I felt like i was watching a high school soccer game. Shits not acceptable.

    Reply
  2. I think Bradley likes Bradley and Clark together BECAUSE they are both defensive midfielders. Our central defenders are hurt and shaky, and our wide midfielders are creative, so he trusts them to move the ball forward.

    Reply
  3. Go USA… Way to go Buddle, Cherundolo, Gomez, and Donovan… Bornstein looked good today… the best i have seen him in a long time… Go USA!

    Reply
  4. Would have liked to have seen both Torres and Edu. All three strikers looked exceptional, and both Fulham men looked off their game…

    Reply
  5. “at least pretend like you are paying attention” — When all else fails use the “ad hominen” argument (look it up). I did pay attention enough –watched it twice on TIVO– to see that Findley’s inability to finish and his lack of vision and decision making is enough to keep him off any other WC team. With maturity, 2014, he could easily become a star but not this time. If YOU have been paying attention, the only time in the past few months that the US midfield has looked sharp was when Torres was playing. I like Feilhaber but Torres even surpasses him in creativity and aggressiveness.
    Regarding “bashing” BB. I don’t really think that his fragile ego has been harmed
    What I think is “old and tired” are the homers who can’t see anything wrong with any player wearing the R-W-and Bl. I take a backseat to no one when it comes to rooting for the US. But I will not do so blindly

    Reply
  6. OH please !!! Buddle (played brilliantly) scored on a disastrous give-away by the Roos. He scored again on a set piece where he was totally unmarked and the final score (beautiful pass and excellent finish) was made after the game had been decided. The Rooos controlled the ball for by far the greater part of the game. It was their abysmal finishing that decided this match. If we allow England to control the midfield or attempt to only play over it they will have us for lunch and be relaxing by tea time

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  7. I think your analysis is awful and rather whiny. 1) Findley did good work- I’m not impressed with the finishing mistakes but he continues to stretch defenses and create chances for himself and his teammates. He won’t see time against England but will provide valuable minutes and play against our other two group opponents. 2) Conspiracy theories are- by definition- far fetched and often ludicrous. Gomez is never going to start because it completely defeats the purpose of having him as a super-sub. At least pretend like you are paying attention. And Torres is competing for a spot in the most congested and deepest part of the US line-up. 3) The US midfield of Donovan/Dempsey/Bradley/? will be the best midfield the US had ever fielded in the history of the World Cup- offensively and defensively. I am satisfied with our midfield.

    The BB bashing is getting old and tired and pointless. The guy has been a success so far. Tell me in July what a worthless coach he is.

    Reply
  8. stop hating on Bornstein jackasses. Hate him any other time but support the team for two weeks. He looked good today anyway.

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  9. Note to self: If many people were wrong, probably not everyone knew. Leave many people but amend “everyone” to “smart fans.”

    Reply
  10. It wouldn’t completely suprise me. That said, for all the talk going on here, I’m not sure who Bradley will start next to Jr. It could be any one of the three, Torres, Edu, or Clark. It was a hard game to read, with Beas playing before Holden, with Donovan and Dempsey going late, with Gooch not starting then hobbling around on a bad pitch, with Gomez coming on so late.

    Anyhow, with a couple notable exceptions, this was not a physical game today, so many poeple were wrong. I think evreyone knew both teams would pull avoid too many tackles. If Bradley had the same though, then this was a game for Clark to show some offensive range, not the defense and yards ocvered everyone knows about, and he didn’t really impress. You also have to wonder about how he contributes in a game being called tightly. If he can’t launch some intimidating tackles due to cards, can he help us go forward? I haven’t seen much to think so.

    Reply
  11. ONLY 2 bright spots in a dismal game — Buddle and H. Gomez. They can both finish!! Unlike Altidore and and Findley. If Clark plays another minute, BB should be sent home and let the team sort themselves out. The US midfield was totally non-existent. England will destroy this team even without Ferdinand. I am beginning to believe the conspiracy theories that Torres and Gomez are being kept out because they are non-MLS and more importantly playing in the Mexican league. Everyone needs to read Jonah Freedman’s SI.com article 8/11/09 on Torres. It’s obvious BB hasn’t read it and the powers of US Soccer are afraid to admit it!!!!!

    Reply
  12. I agree to an extent about Findley, but he did seem to be a little smarter with the ball than he was against Turkey. He ran at defenders but didn’t just run the ball out of bounds, and he seemed to hold up and make more cuts than the other day. He had a few nice runs and just missed setting up Buddle for a third goal. He took the chances he had although he missed, but he’ll sharpen up.

    Reply
  13. Torres had the best CM performance between the 3 of them fighting to play alongside Junior over the three friendlies.

    I’m still surprised Bob hasn’t given Benny any time there.

    Buddle looked lively and capable; perhaps not as talented as Jozy, but more consistent.

    Findley showed why he made the squad, but he’ll need to finish (you can at least partially blame all his misses on the pitch).

    Hercules cemented his super-sub role.

    ‘Dolo had another solid game and will keep Spector on the bench.

    Bornstein didn’t look bad today; I just wish I knew which Johnny-B was going to show up each game.

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  14. To disagree with your opinion on Findley is not hating but intelligent observation. Many here have seen Findley do the same poor finishing many, many times. Yes one day he may improve, and hopefully soon.

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  15. Biggest surpise: Clark start & plays entire game. I had Edu pegged for that sopt. Perhaps it’s a fitness issue?

    Biggest shock: Bornstien plays. Arguably our worst player gets playing time. Smart move bringing in Beasley to defend for him.

    Biggest disappointment: Findley. Sorry, you cannot consistently fail to finish at this level. What good is it to be fst if you can’t shoot or make good decisions on the ball? Buddle starts against England.

    2nd biggest disappointment: The field. What a disaster. First, we’re using a beach ball for the WC, and then schedule a game like this in a cow pasture.

    Most pleasant surprise: No major injuries. With so many world-class players dropping, we came away unscathed.

    Reply
  16. Landon’s not a captain, so the choice comes down to Timmy or Los. I think Bradley wants the captain to be on the field so…

    Reply
  17. Could be. But don’t you think they may have watched the Turkey game and that Capello is smart enough to be ready for either?

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  18. I agree. He looked pretty solid against Turkey, but he definitely looked like he was limping some today. He also looked a little slow but he seemed to be somewhat decisive and played fairly solid despite the sluggishness and limp.

    Reply
  19. I still like an unhealthy Gooch over Jay DeMerit or Goodson. Too bad we’ll probably have to use at least one of them. They looked awful today.

    Reply

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