Top Stories

USA vs. Ghana: Matchday Commentary

Us-soccer-fed1Ghana Crest

The U.S. men's national team looks to reach the World CUp quarterfinals for the second time in three World Cups today by beating Ghana in their second round match in Rustenberg, South Africa today (2:30pm, ABC).

The Americans come in having won Group C, while Ghana comes in having finished second in Group D to Germany.

The battle is a rematch of Ghana's World Cup victory against the United States in 2006, the match that knocked the Americans out of the 2006 World Cup.

I will be providing commentary before and 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):

———————

FINAL– That's all for me. Please share your post-game thoughts in the comments section below, and be sure to follow my post-match coverage on FoxSoccer.com, as well as SBI's post-match coverage. Thanks for joining us. 

———————

FINAL– The final African team left in this World Cup is still alive, but the United States is going home after a thrilling, exciting and at times heart-stopping ride through the World Cup. 

———————

FINAL– The U.S. men's national team has nothing to be ashamed of. They played with heart throughout this tournament, and they'll consider this a missed opportunity, but they also showed incredible strength and heart to keep fighting back throughout this tournament.

———————

FINAL– Ghana 2, USA 1. The Americans fought bravely, but in the end, they dug one too many holes for themselves. Also, Ghana made a special play in a game where one was likely to decide the outcome.

———————

122nd Minute– Dempsey's header is wide. Last minute?

———————

121st Minute– Two minutes left.

———————

120th Minute– Corner is punched away. Three minutes of added time left.

DeMerit GOES HIGH. Wow.

———————

120th Minute– Dempsey's shot is blocked. Last minute.

——————–

119th Minute– Donovan with a bad turnover. Ghana can smell it now.

———————

119th Minute– Two minutes left.

———————

116th Minute– Ball headed back to Kingson, looked dangerous for a sec, but nope. Ghana heading the other way now. Ghana corner.

Clock is ticking.

———————

115th Minute– Ghana clears away the danger. Five minutes left.

———————

114th Minute– USA corner kick

———————

113th Minute– Muntari is coming in for Inkoom.

———————

112th Minute– Sulley Muntari is getting ready to come into the match. Inkoom getting stretchered off. You hope the ref has stopped the clock. And like magic, Inkoom is okay after he is on the sideline.

———————

111th Minute– Here comes Ghana with the play-acting. This is just pathetic.

———————

110th Minute– Dangerous ball from DOnovan is punched away by Kingson.

———————

109th Minute– Bornstein draws a dangerous free kick outside the area. Donovan to take.

———————

107th Minute– Here we go again. Just play Ghana, no need to milk injuries again.

———————

106th Minute– USA will switch to a 3-5-2, with Cherundolo pushing forward into a wing role.

———————

OVERTIME HALFTIME– GHana 2, USA 1. The Americans have 15 minutes left in their World Cup.  

———————

105th Minute– One minute additional time in this overtime half.

———————

103rd Minute– Ghana is knocking it around now, content to keep possession. USA gets it back, but Donovan commits an uncharacteristic turnover.

———————

101st Minute– The U.S. attack doesn't look to have much left. Not seeing any passes being strung together. It will take a special play from somebody, but who has anything left?

———————

99th Minute– 20 minutes left. Can somebody step up for the USA? Don't see anybody really pressing the issue. Gomez does look lively though.

———————

97th Minute– Short corner is in the danger area but Kingson gets his hands to it.

———————

96th Minute– Did I speak too soon about the faking of injuries? Oh boy.

———————

95th Minute– They've got 25 minutes left to make something happen. Can they possibly have anything left to comeback yet again?

———————

94th Minute– Gyan got the better of club teammate Carlos Bocanegra that time, great finish.

Do the Americans have ANOTHER comeback in them?

———————

93rd Minute- GOAL GHANA!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's Asamoah Gyan with the finish. What a blast. Ghana 2, USA 1

———————

92nd Minute– Gomez's fresh legs should help up top, but will he get service?

———————

91st Minute– Overtime is underway.

———————

END OF REGULATION– If you're following the commentary, please let me know. We're in for a crazy 30 minutes.

Herculez Gomez has come in for Jozy altidore.

———————

END OF REGULATION– Who's got something left? Which team has more in the tank? Which team wants this more? Who will make a special play? Who can find the goal?

———————

END OF REGULATION– USA 1, Ghana 1. We are headed for overtime. Five minute break, two 15-minute halves. No golden goal. 

———————

93rd Minute– Ghana corner.

———————

92nd Minute– Ayew gets a yellow for a foul on Altidore. Actually, Altidore sold that one, or just tripped over himself. Unfortunate for Ayew, who will miss the next match now.

———————

91st Minute– Three minutes of added time.

———————

90th Minute– Player down for Ghana. It's Gyan, who took a kick to the stomach from DeMerit as DeMerit was in the air.

———————

88th Minute– Dempsey is putting in some serious work off the ball. You can't see that sort of stuff on TV but he is hustling his ass off.

———————

86th Minute– Not much time left in regulation. Neither team is combining well. Fatigue setting in?

———————

85th Minute– One thing I will say about this Ghana team is that it doesn't dive and fake injuries and do the stuff the 2006 team did. They deserve credit for cleaning that up.

———————

84th Minute– It's going to take a good shot to beat Kingson tonight. Who has one in them?

———————

83rd Minute– Dempsey draws a foul from about 35 yards out. Free kick for Dempsey.

———————

82nd Minute– Altidore OH SO CLOSE!!! But his chance goes just wide.

———————

80th Minute– Yes, Appiah scored the game-winning penalty against the USA four years ago at the 2006 World Cup. Hopefully no phantom PK calls tonight.

———————

78th Minute– Stephen Appiah comes in for Boateng. Losing Boateng hurts, but bringing on a player like Appiah doesn't hurt.

———————

77th Minute– SAVE Kingson, stops a Bradley shot, wasn't very hard, but right at Kingson from 17.

Boateng looks to have a hamstring injury. That would be a big loss for Ghana.

———————

75th Minute– With overtime a possibility, will Bradley hold his final sub a while longer? Nobody looks to be coming in soon. No need at this point.

———————

74th Minute– Lee Addy for Hans Sarpei. Defender for Defender.

———————

73rd Minute– Mensah elbows Altidore in the face, gets the foul call but no card.

———————

71st Minute– Thought Kingson might be a liability tonight. He's arguably Ghana's best player tonight.

———————

70th Minute– Bornstein has been great tonight. Growing with confidence?

———————

69th Minute– Ghana looks to be getting a sub ready.

———————

67th Minute– Great play by Kingson to come out and challenge Altidore, who made a great run.

Bocanegra with a yellow card for a foul on Gyan. His club teammate asks for a card for Bocanegra and gets it. Free kick Ghana from 45.

———————

66th Minute– This is the third time this World Cup the USA has come back from behind. Can they score their first comeback win?

———————

65th Minute– USA isn't getting another big call this game so they can't complain about fouls anymore. It was a legit PK, but you know the ref will give some more leeway next time.

Can the USA keep the pressure on?

———————

63rd Minute– USA 1, Ghana 1. We are tied and we've got a game now folks.

———————

62nd Minute– GOAL USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Donovan Converts it. WE ARE TIED!!!!

———————

60th Minute– PENALTY!!!! Ghana commit a foul on Dempsey. USA with a PK!!

———————

59th Minute– Ghana with a foul, but it looked like a foul in the area. WOW, Jonathan Mensah absolutely fouled Feilhaber in the area, but no call.

———————

58th Minute– Great job by DeMerit to kick away a potential goal for Ghana with a block of a dangerous ball in.

———————

58th Minute– Boateng gets his money's worth on tackles. I could see him coming in late and getting a red, but truth be told, he's had a great game.

———————

56th Minute– USA must do better on second balls. Another foul against Ghana, still no cards.

———————

53rd Minute– Better from the Americans. Feilhaber looks good since coming in.

———————

52nd Minute– Who will find the equalizer? More importantly, can the defense keep it at 1-0? Ghana looks content to pick its spots on the counter, but will let USA have more of the ball. Can the Americans take advantage?

———————

50th Minute– USA must have some patience. They're looking better, but they can't rush things in the final third.

———————

48th Minute– If Ghana sits back and defends, the Americans will find a goal. The USA already looks more confident this half.

———————

47th Minute– SAVE KINGSON, stops a shot from Feilhaber. Great save from close range. Great pass from Altidore to set up Feilhaber's shot.

———————

46th Minute– We're back. 

———————

HALFTIME– Feilhaber for Findley will be the substitution. 

———————

HALFTIME– Benny Feilhaber is coming in at halftime again. Probably for Findley, with Dempsey moving up. Why not just start with that lineup? 

———————

HALFTIME– What changes could we see? Herculez Gomez for Findley is one I'd like to see. I can't see Bradley using his last two subs at halftime so I doubt he puts two new players in. I think he saves one. If he uses a second, I could see Holden for Bornstein perhaps. Definitely an attacking sub with the final bullet.

Looking at the first-half highlights a few things stand out:

Clark picked an awful time to try and dribble out of pressure rather than passing. He had Bradley behind him waiting for a pass then turned it over into an empty channel where Boateng was all alone.

The goal itself was a great finish by Boateng. Youd' like to see him fouled further back but he outraced Clark and kept DeMerit on his heels with a nice move during his sprint.

Findley took entirely too long to set up his shot in the area, which gave Kingson all day to set up.

Some players look tired today. Donovan and Dempsey and Altidore could be onj fumes after two full-tilt matches against Slovenia and Algeria. Do they have enough energy? They'll have to muster some.

Bocanegra has done a solid job on Gyan, but DeMerit has had his nervy moments.

Ghana's coach barely blinked on Boateng's goal. He knows this one is far from over.

———————

HALFTIME– Ghana 1, USA 0. Tell you what, Ghana came in here with no fear while the USA came in timid. Ricardo Clark is the goat right now because he was the least prepared, but it wasn't as if his teammates were lighting it up either.

This will be the toughest of the USA's comeback attempts because Ghana is confident, athletic, fast and strong defensively. 

———————

45th Minute– One minute of added time.

———————

44th Minute– USA looking to just get into halftime down 1-0. We'll likely see one change at half, Robbie Findley, who's been disappointing to say the least.

———————

42nd Minute– Americans have calmed down since Edu came in. Now they just need to put some chances on Kingson, and better ones than the one Findley took.

———————

40th Minute– USA needs to put some pressure on here.

Asamoah is ready to come back in.

———————

39th Minute– SAVE HOWARD!!!!!!!! Crucial kick save. Wow.

Asamoah is really hurt. Looks like Bocanegra rolled his ankle.

———————

37th Minute– Referee has yet to give a card to a Ghana player, though he's had some chances to.

———————

35th Minute– SAVE KINGSON! Findley was in on goal and his shot was saved. He MUST do better there. Good kick-save by Kingson, but a top forward buries that.

———————

34th Minute– Edu draws a foul on Boateng, but no card for Boateng. You can see Edu's composure already.

Ghana's still looking to counter at every turn. They're not happy with the one-goal lead.

———————

31st Minute– Edu comes in for Clark and Bob Bradley gives him a hug and some words of Encouragement. Clark knows he played badly, Bradley tried to console him.

Now, will the Americans be able to calm down and take control?

———————

30th Minute– Clark is chasing the game rather than reading the game. His head is shot right now.

———————

29th Minute– Save Howard, stops a long-range shot from Boateng, who has been the best player on the field.

———————

28th Minute– Here comes Maurice Edu. Coming in for Clark I would imagine.

———————

27th Minute– USA must keep it at 1-0. I can't see Ghana keeping this pace of pressure up for 90 minutes. The question is can the United States stay composed.

———————

26th Minute– Ghana puts 10 behind the ball, but they're super quick on the counter. Ghana corner.

———————

24th Minute– And just as I say that, Maurice Edu starts to warm up. He's the only American doing so.

———————

23rd Minute– Bradley sends a hard cross in from close that Kingson gets his hands to. Americans need more of that.

Clark with another foul. He must be careful and Bob Bradley must get Maurice Edu ready.

———————

21st Minute– Ghana is applying heavy pressure and the Americans need to pass out of it. When they try to dribble out of it they get into trouble.

———————

20th Minute– Altidore is hurt. He looks to have hurt his left thigh. He's trying to shake it off. This could be trouble.

———————

18th Minute– SAVE HOWARD. A key punchaway off a Ghana free kick.

———————

17th Minute– Cherundolo takes down Boateng, and gets a yellow card. He will miss the next match for the USA if the Americans win today. He had to take that one because Boateng was racing in at the goal.

———————

14th Minute– Ghana was supposed to be the defensive team, but they're going right at the USA. Americans are on their heels.

———————

12th Minute– Ghana is playing with confidence and you can't blame them. They came out more aggressive and were rewarded. Disappointing from the USA early, and it's not just Clark.

———————

9th Minute– Plenty of time left for the Americans, but Clark needs to get his head in this game.

———————

8th Minute– Clark gets a yellow for a foul and he's off to a shocking start. Plenty of questions will be asked about Bob Bradley's decision to start him.

———————

6th Minute– USA with another slow start and it's Clark with another early blunder, much as he committed against England in this same stadium two weeks ago.

———————

5th Minute– GOAL GHANA! And it's Kevin Prince Boateng with the finish. An ugly turnover by Ricardo Clark gifts Ghana the early lead. WOW.

———————

3rd Minute– Donovan is on the right and Dempsey is on the left. Dempsey will see a lot of Fulham teammate John Pantsil.

———————

2nd Minute– Donovan with an early cross, but nobody's in the six.

———————

1st Minute– We're underway.

———————

PRE-GAME– Revenge in Rustenberg. Will it happen?

———————

PRE-GAME– If you're following along today, please let me know in the comments section. Today should be a great day and a great match.

———————

PRE-GAME– Anthems are done, and I'll tell you what. American fans aren't being overwhelmed. USA fans are out in force tonight.

———————-

PRE-GAME– Will Jozy Altidore find his first World Cup goal? Will Clint Dempsey recapture his scoring touch? What can Landon Donovan do for an encore?

We're close to finding out.

——————–

PRE-GAME– FIFA had Ghana in a 5-4-1, but expect this:

——————-Gyan——————–

————————-Boateng————-

Ayew————Asamoah———–Inkoom

——————–Annan——————–

Sarpei——Mensah—Jonathan—Pantsil

——————-Kingson——————

———————

PRE-GAME– There is smoke billowing above the stadium. No, it isn't from fireworks, it's from nearby fires that are set to clear away brush. There are ALWAYS fires everywhere you turn in South AFrica, at least away from the major cities and where there are swaths of tall grass.

———————

PRE-GAME– I'm coming to you from inside Royal Bafokeng Stadium and we're about 35 minutes from kickoff. The place hasn't filled out yet but I can tell you there are plenty of American fans here already. Funny enough, there are a bunch of England fans here. Seems as though they thought that England would win Group C. So much for that.

———————

PRE-GAME– Okay folks, I'm heading up to my seat in the stadium. I'll be back on shortly.

——————–

PRE-GAME– Kevin Prince Boateng is a player to worry about, and Ricardo Clark will be tasked with trying to make sure Boateng doesn't get too much attacking freedom.

Can Michael Bradley win the battle against the likes of Anthony Annan and Kwadwo Asamoah in midfield? You can bet that Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey will be tucking in quite a bit to help win that battle. Donovan may also need to float centrally to find room to operate if Ghana's lineup is really that geared toward stopping him.

——————–

PRE-GAME– Ghana is clearly worried about Landon Donovan, with natural right backs John Pantsil and Samuel Inkoom both in the lineup. One of them will play in a wing midfield role. That works out for Jonathan Bornstein, who will have less of an attacking threat coming at him. We'll see if this is how it plays out when the game starts.

———————

PRE-GAME– Here is Ghana's lineup:

——————-Gyan——————–

————————-Boateng————-

Ayew————Asamoah———–Inkoom

——————–Annan——————–

Sarpei——Mensah—Jonathan—Pantsil

——————-Kingson——————

———————-

PRE-GAME– Bob Bradley sticks with the same back four that faced and shut out Algeria. Bornstein gets the call again, while Carlos Bocanegra will face off against club teammate Asamoah Gyan. They're teammates at Stade Rennes.

The story with Oguchi Onyewu? his knee must not be strong enough at this point for him to play and play well.

Findley's speed returns to the lineup, but can he finish off the plays he failed to earlier in the tournament?

Ricardo Clark returns for the first time since the England game. He'll be called on to try and contain Ghana's attack

——————–

PRE-GAME– Here is the USA lineup:

——————Altidore——–Findley—————–

Dempsey—————————————–Donovan

——————–Bradley—-Clark———————-

Bornstein——Bocanegra—–DeMerit——Cherundolo

————————-Howard—————————–

Comments

  1. Also, PUT THE DAMN BALL IN THE DAMN NET.

    We miss more easy chances than my high school team did. Mind boggling. Where do some of these idiots learn how to shoot/score.

    Reply
  2. Clark will definitely play for the national team again, especially if Bradley stays. Bradley is very loyal to Clark, that’s the problem. He started him over the better options (Edu, Feilhaber) because he rates him so highly.

    Reply
  3. Some good finishes against Australia. But he gave all 3 of Findley, Gomez, and Buddle shots, no one got a goal. We were just down a horse at that position.

    Reply
  4. Bradley cannot prepare these players for the start of the game.

    He has made some good choices with formation changes, but his errors have been enormous.

    Ricardo Clark has been 100% responsible for 2 or the 4 goals that have been scored on us. FIFTY FREAKING PERCENT. Both goals came within 5 minutes or so of the start.

    Reply
  5. Bob Bradley screwed everything, again.

    What idiot changes a winning lineup? Do you think that a team like Spain, Brazil, or the Netherlands would be like… hmmm Robben why don’t you have a seat. We know you are the better player, but we like to rotate players.

    NO

    Reply
  6. When you compare the amount of good things Bob BRadley has done to the amount of bad things he has done, Bradley has helped this team SO much. He helped them find their identity in terms of style, he helped them to a FIFA final, he improved their mentality, he helped Landon find some of the best form of his life, he helped them through a time of transition when players like Reyna, O’Brien and McBride retired.

    Reply
  7. What the USMNT needs to work is ball control. They need to keep the ball for long periods. The vertical game takes too much out of a player especially in these type of competitions. In any case, they performed well but game five was not to be. There’s good foundation. We will be on many World Cups. Keep the faith.

    Reply
  8. what , so tell us when the time is then buddy . Fire him tonight already I’ve been on his case for a while and fools told me to shut up and enjoy the wins. haha luck only last this long. we need good coaches to succeed.

    Reply
  9. This is a deserved loss for the US. The final thirty minutes were played with zero heart and dedication. They played as if the result meant nothing to them. Best of luck to Ghana, and hopefully we’ll see a better performance four years from now.

    Reply
  10. Today’s performance by the whole team was piss poor. Might as well have gone home on Wednesday. Can’t take advantage of an African team? Same result of conceding early over and over again and that’s not fixed? At this level it’s disgraceful.

    Reply
  11. Ok first off, let’s not fry the guy that’s just mean. He’s an American who plays as hard as he can for his country. However, with that said, I hope this ends the Rico debate. I’ve read the arguments for years about him and it is officially proven that he canNOT play at the international level. Edu should have played that entire match. Clark’s ball skills are not international level. All he ever does is chop people down. If we learned nothing from this world cup, I hope we learned that a CM that can only destroy is NOT good enough! Sorry Houston, but you need to let this argument go, the evidence is overwhelming.

    Reply
  12. He somehow managed to do nothing for the entire tournament except dribble it out of bounds a couple times.

    MLS speedster, that’s the most he will ever be. The level of this tournament was too high for him, as well as Clark.

    Reply
  13. Ouch!!!

    Not a big fan of Bob Bradley right now!

    Seems like the USA is eternally cursed with enthusiastic talent and thickheaded leadership…time to stop second-guessing these dumb moves and throw the bum(s) out!

    Reply
  14. Has Altidore done that in this World Cup? What has he shown here that is anything beyond what Findley has done? He hasn’t showed better finishing, touches, and definitely not better runs.

    Reply
  15. All the individual player bashing aside. At least we did what we wanted to do——get to the next round. The real problem is this; we need a third central midfielder. Our midfield will always get run over in these 3 on 2’s against us. Findley was OK— better than Jozy today, but the main striker can get that ball from Clint or Landon. We can bash Clark all over the place, but the problem really is we’re light in the center. We really needed that third guy. Congrats to Ghana!!

    Reply
  16. I agree. Thought US was the superior team, Ghana had 3 chances and put 2 of them away. We had Findley and Feilhaber 1v1, not to mention a host of other half chances. Team just looked spent, lots of heavy touches going through to goal. I’m just so frustrated, we bent over for a very beatable team. Props to Ghana though, I’ll be rooting hard for Uruguay come Friday.

    Reply
  17. I am proud of our boys,but can anybody tell me why the leading goal scorer in MLS did not see the pitch today? I really DO NOT get it

    Reply
  18. I just can’t stand to look at Ricardo Clark right now. I like Rico, he’ll play better, he already has played better, and he’ll improve, but I just don’t want to see him on the team ever again. I’m sorry, I just have to vent frustration, I NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER want to see him on the team again. I’ve supported him for years and thought he would eventually get better. I’m sorry, just…..I don’t want to see you on this team again. DAMNIT!!!!

    Alright. I’m good… disregard everything I just said, Rico made a mistake. It’s okay. He’ll come back better than ever.

    Reply
  19. Oh, and another thing regarding Bob Bradley. When a team gives up a goal in 8 of their previous 22 games (and almost 9 if not for a crossbar against Algeria), it’s on the coach. He needed to change somnething regarding the warm up or their generall preperation. Because time and time again we were flat as heck to start games. Bottom line is the coach needs to have his team prepared to play from the start and that is lacking. My only worry now is who does the US need to bring in? they haven’t shown a willingness to pay enough $ to bring in a big-time coach, and who in the US is really qualified? I don’t want to see fat Bruce back, and Bradley is done. But good help us if they get Sigi next or Novak maybe? Just don’t see it…

    Reply
  20. Well, “heart” is an ephermal quality. It might have been what got us the draw against Slovenia and the win against Algeria. But your point is well-taken — five goals in four matches won’t cut it.

    Reply
  21. Well–
    I don’t think this is time to bash BB. I’m not going to agree with every decision that he made, but regardless let’s give these guys some credit. They fought back and made up for some bad mistakes. If we can just be there mentally for all 90 we have a good team.

    We’ll be back in 4 with a new squad. With more expectations.

    Reply
  22. In fairness to BB other than Rolo we have poor defenders and Steve probably wouldn’t be around for 2014. On the brighter side we do have a lot of talent on the defensive side coming up through the ranks

    Reply
  23. Dunce. At this level, mere speed isn’t enough. You need to be able to create something with the ball in a situation like that, and Findley … the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He simply needs more experience.

    Reply
  24. This defeat has hurt me like no other but I come to realize as a fan Ive matured, USA did good, but GHANA was the better team today, Maybe in Brazil 2014. Well done boys

    Reply
  25. Credit to Jonathan Bornstein, despite his obvious nervousness, he didn’t cost us the game.

    Altidore just had nothing today. Utterly useless.
    Bradley connected on about 0% of his killer ball passes. Boca got beat by Gyan on nearly every header. Honestly we were lucky not to get blown out the way we played for about 100 of those 120 minutes.

    Reply
  26. Let me be the first to say I hope Bradley moves on. Part of the reason we keep falling behind is due to tactical errors on his part. To finally get it right in the 2nd half each game is not good enough and then in the next game revert to the same tactics that continue to flounder. He will probably get praised for getting the squad this far but he held them back more than he helped them. I am angry, I know they just lost and I am frustrated but it sickens me to see him get praise. Bornstein? Just very fortunate the gaffs were not too severe. Findley? Seriously where is the logic in a player starting who just cannot swim at this level. Clark? I will say that I think he can be a strong player but how do you not have Edu in the middle when it is so clear that he pairs better with Bradley. To consistently have the improper players on the field and a formation which is clearly not working ultimately is France without the pompous drama. The comeback kids? I ask who keeps putting them in this position? Thanks for your service Mr. Bradley, time to move on.

    Reply
  27. absolutely gutted

    We had our usual faults, but Ghana’s biggest weakness was their largest strength today. They were so clinical, and that soft early goal gave them the confidence. Their GK was good too, especially in the air which is normally his weakness. We looked tired, but you expect better from a team of our quality.

    Reply
  28. I am so pissed right now. What an amazing opportunity wasted by poor coaching decisions. I have forever been a Bradley apoligist- but no more. He made crucial tacitical blunders in the World Cup and was lucky for us to advance, let alone win the group. But his luck ran out today. Bottom line, Findley= TERRIBLE. One goal all season in MLS doesn’t show someone as an “in-form” player. Same with Clark. Managed to play the last 3 games of the German season. Then looked terrible in the send off series, including picking up a hamstring injury. Yet Bob starts both of these guys against England AND Ghana. Both Buddle and Gomez showed more in the tuneups, as did Torres and Edu. Granted, Torres had a stinker in the Slovenia game (but then again, who didn’t in he first half?), but the team really seemed to go to another level with the Bradley/Edu pairing. And I’d have put Dempsey up top the whole time and let Benny and/or Holden man the wings. Clark will be the goat as far as US fans go, but Bob Bradley is equally to blame. A change must be made and made quickly.

    Reply
  29. The US strategy was wormy from the first kickoff. This team just kicks the ball around the back 4 and then, kicks it long to the other team. What type of tactics are those? The only time the US played was right after half. They came out and attacked and put Ghana on it’s heels and took the game over. Then, the US scores and back to being passive. This is just bad coaching. When something is working (attack) and then change do to a goal and the coach isn’t yelling his lungs out saying, “attack!” He doesn’t have any situational awareness at all. This is a shame.

    Reply
  30. Was it just me or did Donovan NOT want the ball in OT?? he left it up to Dolo everytime. A bit disappointing.

    still love ya Donovan.

    Reply

Leave a Comment