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Dos a Cero Again: USMNT topple Mexico to book place in World Cup

Landon Donovan

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dos a Cero was more than just a chant that U.S. Men’s National Team fans were singing on Tuesday night.

It was the scoreline. Again.

The Americans booked their place in next summer’s World Cup with a 2-0 win over Mexico on Tuesday night, making it four straight times that the Americans have beaten their southern rivals in a World Cup qualifier at Crew Stadium by that scoreline.

Honduras helped the U.S. secure the berth by posting a 2-2 draw vs. Panama on Tuesday night, a match that the Americans watched the tail end of in their locker room before celebrating the 2014 World Cup qualification.

“This is a huge, huge evening for all of us and we’re all extremely proud of this team,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “They gave everything tonight from the first second on. The effort, kind of how they were dedicated, how they were helping each other.”

Playing in front of an electric crowd of 24,584, the Americans used a brilliant first-half performance from Tim Howard and second-half goals from Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan to push past an El Tri team that just cannot find a way to put an end to its misery. Clint Dempsey also had an opportunity to add to the lead with a penalty kick in stoppage time, but he mis-hit what was the game’s final kick.

The victory gave the U.S. 16 points in the CONCACAF Hexagonal while leaving Mexico with eight. The Americans joined Costa Rica as teams to secure a place in the World Cup based on Tuesday’s results.

“These opportunities don’t come very often and we wanted to make the most of it,” said left back DaMarcus Beasley. “Freaky it was 2-0, but to win here, to beat Mexico and to qualify for the World Cup all in one, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

The first half had its share of chances, but Howard was the star of the opening 45 minutes. Howard made a string of fines saves, including a stunning full-stretch dive to deny Christian Gimenez in the 19th minute.

Howard also made a pair of quality saves late in the first half to prevent the U.S. from going down. Howard made a sure-handed stop on a curling effort from Giovani Dos Santos in the 43rd minute and got down well to incredibly push away a dipping Diego Reyes header two minutes later.

“There’s a lot to say about (Howard), but obviously he’s been a great goalkeeper for the past I don’t know however many years,” said centerback Omar Gonzalez. “Tonight, he showed it.”

Offensively, the U.S. came closest to scoring on a headed effort from Eddie Johnson just after the hour-mark. Johnson rose up to meet a corner kick from Landon Donovan, but could not get the ball past Mexico goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona.

That was not the case four minutes after halftime. Johnson beat Corona and put the Americans on the board on a similar play, nodding home a Donovan corner with authority to send the pro-U.S. crowd into complete pandemonium.

“I saw the opportunity to get inside my man and I think Clint made a good run to the near post and Clarence (Goodson) kind of took his guy away and Landon put the ball in a spot for us to attack it,” said Johnson. “We’ve got some great height in the box and this time I wanted to make sure I keep it down and on frame. I was very fortunate that it went in.”

Those festive scenes were repeated in the 78th minute, as the Americans effectively put the game out of reach. Mix Diskerud, who entered the game moments earlier, displayed some individual technical brilliance after a throw-in from the right and proceeded to unleash a low cross that Donovan blasted into the back of the net at the far post.

The Americans dominated most of the remainder of the match and had a late chance to add to their healthy lead with a penalty kick in the final minute of stoppage time. But Dempsey missed wide on his attempt from 12 yards out to leave the scoreline at 2-0.

“It’s this mystical thing. It’s like this ghost,” said midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. “Clint missed that penalty and I feel like there was something that’s haunting (for) that to happen on purpose because just to keep that Dos a Cero.

“What is that, four straight now? That’s crazy, it’s unbelievable, it’s such a weird thing, but we’ll take it any day, all day.”

Even with the win, the U.S. had to anxiously watch the Honduras-Panama game from insider the Americans’ locker room for about an hour to see if they would get the result needed to punch the their ticket to Brazil. The U.S. ultimately got just that thanks to a 2-2 draw.

“We were just waiting for this moment when this game is over and Panama came back last minute,” said Klinsmann. “It’s a huge milestone whenever you make it to the World Cup, the biggest competition in this sport, especially the World Cup that is hosted in Brazil, one of the biggest soccer nations in the world.

“It means a lot to all of us, to all the fans and to our country as well.”

Comments

  1. Posted this elsewhere, but curious as to everyone’s thoughts…..my thoughts on the game:

    (1) Tim Howard redeemed himself, good showing from him. I’d like to see Guzan play the remaining qualifiers in October.
    (2) Mexico’s coach made a big mistake taking off Gimenez
    (3) Gonzo played the best I’ve ever seen from him in a USMNT jersey. I remember one poor pass, but otherwise almost flawless
    (4) Beckerman seems useless, but I have to say that him staying home allowed Jones to wander (and not hurt us)
    (5) El Tri is ordinary
    (6) Landon’s first touch was phenomenal all night, he was a step ahead of everyone in his thought process. You can tell he is on form. Makes me wish (more) that he should have gone elsewhere during the transfer window
    (7) Fabian Johnson was bad. Every touch was hesitant. Picking up a knock and getting subbed may have been a blessing (even though it was Parkhurst)
    (8) Beasley seemed to have redeemed himself, but he wasn’t tested much.
    (9) Dempsey has lost “it.” I’m not sure what happened, but he looks very ordinary also
    (10) As much as I hate EJ, he actually played really well (even aside from the goal).
    (11) Diskerud is a genius. I can’t wait for him and Bradley to be running the middle in Brazil.
    (12) Bedoya was a VERY pleasant surprise. Worked his ass off, made good runs and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in. Zusi has his work cut out for him
    (13) Once again, Jurgen is the man. Even though I despise Beckerman, having him start with Jones was the right move. And, putting on Diskerud was the perfect sub.
    (14) Jurgen will likely have some very difficult choices to make on the 23 to bring to Brazil….

    Here’s my guess:

    GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando (3)
    D: Beasley, Evans, Cameron, Gonzalez, Brooks, Besler, Dolo/Parkhurst, Orozco (8)
    M: Donovan, Bradley, Jones, Diskerud, Zusi, Bedoya, Beckerman, F. Johnson (8)
    F: Altidore, Dempsey, E. Johnson, Johannson (4)

    (Obviously, Beasley, Cameron, Donovan, F. Johnson, E. Johnson and Dempsey can play multiple positions…)

    What you got?

    Reply
    • Your post is so long that I don’t think you’ll get too many takers. That said, FJ did some solid defending, and Beckerman did a lot that made it possible for JJ to wander.

      Reply
  2. I’m not a fan if Dempsey he doesn’t offer anything to the team I feel like he tries to be flashy when he’s not really a flashy player and better off not trying any of that. He loses possession more than anyone else and just offer nothing going forward. Donovan is much better in his position. Dempsey is not really a number ten and not really a striker. I don’t think he should start maybe the bech and there are better players that could be in the field with him out

    Reply
    • Dempsey has been deteriorating since his Spurs move — hopefully Seattle eventually reverses that — but IMO the attack was much stronger once EJ got pulled and Landon and Dempsey shifted forward.

      I mean, EJ was anonymous, except…you know. But if you do that often enough I give you a pass as long as we keep winning and you keep scoring.

      Reply
      • Dempsey has been deteriorating exactly at the rate of his “tricks.” Watching him for Seattle is embarrassing. He’ll do a behind the heel pass instead of laying off a simple pass, he’ll go for crazy shots instead of playing simple, and he does moves in circles.

        He’s undisciplined now and I think it comes from A. being cocky and B. at the same time, being scared of having the tag “MLS most expensive player ever” on his back. I think he’s trying way too hard to justify his price, at the expense of him justifying it by performing.

        But Dempsey has never been the type of guy who finds a game and digs a team out of a situation. He’s a guy who scores, and sometimes exactly when we need him to, but he’s not commanding on the pitch and he doesn’t get dirty. Except when he planks the moment someone touches him.

        EJ I thought played well. Better than I expected, but he’s still EJ-step-over-slow-minded. I can’t wait to see Aron for a full 90 in October. Aron and Mix together should be very creative.

        I’d like to see an article on the 23 in October. I’d like to see: Guzan, Brooks, Besler, Tijuana boys, Boyd, Wood, Aron, Mix, Bedoya, Shea at the least.

      • Dempsey’s form deteriorated after his season ended and just hasn’t improved because his move disrupted his preseason training. He needs to get match fit and playing regularly again and he’ll be fine. He looked the same last year at this time because he moved to Spurs late and found his form quickly after the move was finally made.

    • I encourage y’all to watch the sequence leading up to the second goal. The ball is about to go over the end line for a goal kick, when Dempsey slides in and pokes it out to the side. Mexico gets boxed in on the subsequent throwin, leading to a US throwing, leading to the great move by Mix and the goal.

      If Dempsey doesn’t do that bit of dirty work….

      I’m not saying Dempsey is perfect, etc. Just noting one subtle piece of effort that made a difference.

      Reply
  3. The pressure of qualifying is off, but the next 8 months will still be very exciting watching our guys fight for a plane ticket to Brazil.

    Reply
    • It’ll be interesting because Klinsi over time has been incremental with changes, tending to leave units intact. But early qualification obviously provides another Gold Cup-type opportunity to try players in games that, at least theoretically, mean something. But will he see it that way?

      Reply
      • He has to. If anything, these past two games showed we need depth. And it’s one thing to play in the Confed Cup on home soil, it’s another for them to taste an away match against a Panamanian side fighting for the World Cup.

        Guys like Mix, Brooks, and Aron who are on the fringe need time in those situations and with the team. Guys like Boyd and Guzan who have been with the team, but seen very little time, need to get that time. And guys like Bedoya, Corona, etc. who have had time, just need more of it to catch up with the “pack.”

        He’ll keep a few players around, but we need to see the fresh faces of people who’ve earned their ability to show their worth in a qualifying game.

      • don’t you think our depth was on full display last night at least? though it’s always great to develop more and that opportunity is there in these next games, certainly agree with that. But no MB, no Jozy, no Besler, no Cameron, no Evans…….dos a cero 🙂

  4. This is the lineup I want to see against Panama

    Wondolowski Charlie Davies
    Rogers -Ricardo Clark -Edu-Brad Davis
    Bornstein-orozco-Ream-Castillo
    –Hamid–

    Mexico…no World Cup for you !!!

    Reply
      • he missed 2 when he returned this year from sabbatical, and the one in the final vs. RSL in 2009

        he’s an awesome PK taker. Below are his stats on the Galaxy per their website

        2012–2/2 Reg Season, 2/2 post season
        2011–4/4, 2/2
        2010–3/4, 0/0
        2009–3/3, 2/3
        2008–4/4, N/A
        2007–5/6, N/A
        2006–1/1, N/A
        2005–4/4, N/A

        That’s 26-28 regular season, 6-7 post season. Couldn’t find his USMNT stats, but the beeatch from the doubters on him for a looooooong time was that he scored TOO MANY from the spot for the USMNT

        he’s proven to be an awesome PK taker his whole career except for those 2 when he returned this year

  5. Totally happy about it, but I was stunned at how little grit Mexico showed. My daughter’s U-9 shows more fighting spirit than those turkeys. Enjoy the bosom of your countrymen for the next month gentlemen!

    Reply
    • Alex,….are you really surprised at how spineless the Mexican team is? The USA has got to move past Mexico as any sort of benchmark. They are small and weak and will never have a GK worth a damn. They are paper pumas.

      Reply
    • I’ve heard that argument made elsewhere and I think it’s a post-facto re-write because for about 25 minutes we were getting bailed out by Howard repeatedly, and then you had a classic road team fade that by the second half shifted to dominance.

      Reply
      • That’s how it looked to me, too. Little by little the Mexican team got tired. The 1st 20-30 min they were shut out by Howard and the US defenders, and the 30-45 min they were mostly stopped at midfield. Second half they mostly lost it midfield, with only occasional threats. I’ve never thought they were gritty, gradually switching from dangerous at the beginning to mean at the later parts depending on the scoreboard.

        And they’re having a bad year.

  6. I think they should seriously consider changing the name of the Columbus Crew stadium to “Dos a Cero Stadium”. Or at least make it a tag line!

    Reply
  7. Great victory considering I don’t think we played that well. We seemed very nervous early on, and then I think we gave Mexico way too much time on the ball. We need to have the confidence to pressure the opponent and not give them time in the ball, because a really good team will hurt us. The other part of course is the ability to win the important games even if it is a little ugly, which the US did! Hope to see USA do some good things in Brazil!

    Reply
  8. Great win. Solid showing from the back 4. Beckerman did what he needed to do and Mixx created the spark i thought would be made by Aron Bacon. EJ was solid and could of easily had 2. LD worked hard tonight and it paid off in the end. J Jones looked much improved tonight than on friday. Beasley cannot be the best option at LB a year from now. My BIGGEST Issue by far is Dempsey. No way around it.. he is lazy, looks for the foul and gets removed from the game far too easily. He acts like a #10 and he isnt. US cannot afford to keep playing him. US badly misses Bradley but Mexico played horrible and US took advantage with some key guys out… USA! USA! USA!

    Reply
    • re. Clint, perhaps if he’s moved outside onto the flank, with those defensive repsonsibilites and the required hustle, he’d have to do more and that would push the work rate up and thus his activity?

      re. Michael, hard to argue about him being the most important player on the team, seems self evident

      Landon’s versatility is amazing, how he can produce from so many different roles

      Reply
  9. AHHHHH YEAH!!! Congrats to USMNT!!!

    Beckerman and Jones deserve some love from the doubters!!

    Mix was a ball of energy and can’t wait to see this guy get more minutes.

    Reply
  10. Plane tickets to Brazil as of today:

    GKs: 1.Howard 2.Guzan 3. Rimando
    D: 4.Gonzo 5. Besler 6. Goodson 7.Beasley 8. Evans 9. Cam 10. Parkhurst 11. ?Dolo/Lichaj/Boca/Yedlin/Beltran?
    M: 12. Landon, 13. Bradley, 14. Jones, 15. Fab. 16. Bedoya, 17. Zusi 18. Beckerman, 19. Mix
    F: 20. Jozy, 21. EJ, 22. Deuce, 23. Ice

    Biggest question mark as per usual is outside back depth. Or do you go with thinner depth in defense and bring a Corona or Stu if he ever recovers. My preference would be to find and bring along a young outside back in part to groom for the future (ie. Lichaj/Yedlin). It’s a chronic weakspot for the team that we need to work on. I honestly think Yedlin should be in this picture.

    Reply
      • You would think, but Chandler appears to be permanently in the Klinsi dog house for lack of commitment. I actually like that Klinsi has the balls to set this kind of example.

      • Actually, Chandler has been playing horrible the last times I checked in on the Nuremberg games. He is not playing well, which is why he is not playing on the u.s.a.

    • Stu won’t be going to Brazil. His latest injury really dashed any chance he had. Nor does he deserve to be on the 23 man roster. He hasn’t played.

      Reply
    • I think if Dolo gets healthy, he’ll come back in immediately and will take that 11. spot on your list. Not so sure about Parkhurst if he doesn’t play at all but he did a good job today and hasn’t been playing so you never know. And, right now, who would replace him? I think the ship has sailed on Chandler and, for whatever reason, Lichaj isn’t getting the call.

      I would have easily said Kljestan as well but it was pretty telling that he didn’t get called in after the Costa Rica match.

      Lastly, definitely not counting out Gomez yet either.

      Reply
      • Yeah, I agree that it would be hard not to bring along a healthy Dolo for experience etc. Beasley has done an amazing job filling one of the back gaps, but as others have pointed out here, you really have to wonder if he is the long term solution. Concacaf teams have already tried to pick on him, and he’s not getting any younger. What if Beas gets injured? I suppose you have FJ to slot in at outside back, but he hasn’t looked amazing there. While things are working out well at the moment, you have to be pro-active to solve the problem before it arises. Parkhurst has also stepped up really well, but you have to wonder if he is World Cup quality – especially if not playing for his first team in Denmark. In short I think Klinsi really needs to focus on cultivating a good backup outside back option over the next several months.

      • agree with that.

        if Dolo comes back strong I see LD pushing Beas to the bench with FJ going back to left back and LD taking FJ’s spot at left mid. hard to type that because I love Beas and have been pumped to see him work his way back into the team. regardless, i still think Beas has at least earned a ticket to Brazil even if he’s not in the starting 11.

    • Good shout. If you are picking the team today for next month this is probably it.
      Will be interesting to see how / if this changes thru the winter..

      Possibles not mentioned..?

      Brooks
      Shea
      Augudelo
      Chandler
      Areola

      Reply
    • g-dub,.

      You don’t use the World Cup to “groom” a young player unless that player is already good enough to make a significant contribution, like AJ or it seems, Brooks.

      The way the rosters are every player might actually have to play. And if a Yedlin, for example, isn’t good enough to play significant minutes in 2014 then he is taking up valuable space.

      JK’s contract runs only until the end of the World Cup and he should only focus on 2014.

      Reply
      • Good points, but I do think you need a mix of young and veteran. Sometimes in a WC a young player is thrust into the limelight to bring a spark and breaks through because of it.

        Examples: Deuce, Beasley first WC appearances

  11. Missing our best striker, our beloved general midfielder, our best defender of the hex, and the versatile cameron, and we still kicked the jesus out of mexico. Three points to gryffindor! and klinsmann

    Reply
    • I actually said that I hope he misses…and cheered when he did. Much more fun for me to go to work tomorrow and sing dos a cero at my Mexican coworker.
      Not sure that answers your question 😉

      Reply
      • In addition to the very sensible reasons mentioned so far (act of God, ghosts of previous victories, advance marketing by some as yet unnamed beer company — with LD playing “the most mysterious man”) consider what Dempsey’s nickname is…

        Great victory – hats off to JK and the USMT. Impossible to tell who goes to Brazil yet beyond the top 5-6 because there IS a lot of depth and a half-year for the players who really want it to prove it by what they do for their clubs. Expect a lot of debate in March.

    • Yeah, I only wish he did. He’s not having such a good summer.

      But I’m pretty sure it was ghosts of USMNT past and other mythical forces that actually diverted his shot.

      Reply
    • The entire stadium was chanting dos a cero. The match was completely over. Maybe he didn’t do it on purpose but he also wasn’t trying to hard.

      Reply
  12. I think the call for youngsters/new blood for the remaining games seems counterproductive. We need to solidify our playing style with the current core. Yes we can give some players like Johanson and mix some more time but to call in others would be a mistake.

    Reply
    • if history repeats itself there should be about 10 more games before WC2014. I tend to agree with your point but I think 10 games give ample time to mix in a few question marks. there are some players who will be coming back from injury – Dolo, Shea, Gomez, possibly Holden for example. And Brooks and Johanson should get looked at. and a couple fringe guys like Lichaj should get a glance considering he plays at a position that lacks depth.

      Reply
    • JK is getting everyone to be comfortable with the style he wants — and given who’s played in qualifying and the Gold Cup. the “core” is a good deal bigger than 23 players. JK also seems to base decisions on his assessment of who’s ready (even if we don’t always agree with that assessment.) Suppose Dolo is in great form six months from now — and gets time with the first team in friendlies? Don’t see Johannsson pushing out Altidore, or even Johnson now, but suppose he gets on fire for his club and has a half-year more maturity and confidence? JK isn’t afraid of trusting MLS players. Suppose Bocanegra is playing out of his mind in March? One could add a bunch of other interesting possibilities,,,

      Reply
  13. There could have been 1 million to one odds that Mexico would be in 5th with two games left….there would not have been even one ten dollar bet placed….3 million to one even….why stop there ? 10 million….Dos A Cero !

    Reply
  14. Congratulations to the U.S. team. They played well. Probably the only thing I was not happy with is they kept giving away possession so much in the 2nd half after going up 1-0. At one point there could easily have been 3 goals but no one ran with Dempsey. Still the U.S. played very well.

    By my count there were 8 players from the Gold Cup squad (Donovan, Beasley, Beckerman, Bedoya, Goodson, Diskerud, Johnson, Parkhurst, ((Gonzalez only got a few minutes at the very end of the GC final)) that played tonight. And they played very well. I think it shows how much that tournament helped out some of the “fringe” players. There should be plenty of competition to make for a strong WC team.

    Reply
    • Javier,

      I couldn’t agree more. In the past, we trivialize the GC as a 2nd tier tournament for fringe players who would have no impact on the first team Nats. I think JK wisely used this off-year tournament as an open tryout for players with potential, and it paid off handsomely. I question whether we would have been as successful plugging holes right now if it weren’t for that added depth derived from the GC.

      Reply
      • the GC no longer has off years; they all count towards qualifying for the Confed Cup now

        but as many here noted, that GCup team was possibly stronger than the team Caoch had been using for the WC quails. perhaps those posters were onto something…….

  15. I have mentioned before Beck + Jones in the midfield will never work both cannot provide any good ball to the strikers also they have to cover “the garbage” . Not a good game until Mix came, USA won because Mexico is struggle. USA qualified but we keep play like last Friday and today, we will not go far.

    Reply
    • And yet, twice it has worked once in the hell cage of the Azteca, and now in the American den of Columbus. I am afraid your ‘never’ already has already found two strong contradiction, specially against the regional giant. Or shall we say, “dead giant”?

      Reply
    • IMHO considering the US roster choices vs the Mexican roster choices, the match ups dictated the type of tactics played tonight. I agree with Lalas that this was a classic US win – with hustle, heart and defense. I’m glad to know this style of play has not been completely abandoned. It will be needed as the US plays deeper into the WC.

      this style of play would have probably been useful in San Jose on Friday.

      Reply
  16. US played 8 games after qualifying in 2009. I think the last game might ahve been a throw away -so 9. If this repeats there will be 10 games to warm up before WC2014. plenty of games for building chemistry and introducing a new face or 3.

    Looking forward to the coming months. when is the WC draw?

    Reply
  17. HAHAHAHAH OMG…..

    MLS Soccer is a joke. A flat, out, piece of trash, joke.

    Player grades?
    Landon Donovan a 6.5
    Clint Dempsey a 7.5
    Mix a 7.

    Clint Dempsey tied for the HIGHEST SCORE with Tim Howard and Gonzalez.

    THat site is sh*t.

    Reply
  18. Dang, I didn’t realize it until I checked the tables, but Mexico has a grand total of 4 goals scored in 8 WCQ games. That’s just…. dang. Not how you qualify for the WC, even if you have the best defense in the world.

    Reply
    • Oh man, and good grief, per the ESPN recap: “Mexico has now failed to score against Jurgen Klinsmann’s team in the past 443 minutes.”

      Reply
    • I don’t understand their tactical approach. Why are you hoofing the ball into the box when your strength isground ball perimeter possession to the point of exploiting sleepiness? Why are you hoofing the ball into the box against tall, athletic teams when you have medium size forwards? I thought Goodson and Gonzo was questionable until they started playing crosses the last 60.

      Reply
  19. regarding Jones, “And what’s more, he lost the ball only nine times tonight. Against Costa Rica, he lost the ball 17 times in the first 35 minutes.”

    Reply
  20. I want to bring everyone’s attention to the pregame video shown by ESPN pumping up Mexico.

    First of all-F*( off ESPN and take your money-grab to Mexico. Secondly, Andres Guardado saying Mexico was “for sure” better than America made me laugh so hard the waitress at the bar asked me what was going on.

    Get bent Guardado. Dos a Cero.

    Reply
    • They did a profile of Beasley too. And it was during an hour pregame show on ESPN, Not ESPN2 – ESPN. Sportcenter was moved to ESPN2 to make way for the one hour pregame.

      The coverage was pretty good from ESPN IMHO. They spent the 1st 20 min of SC after the game solely on the match and went back to cover the celebration after the Honduras – Panama result.

      I like to hate on them but tonight was pretty decent i thought – despite the attempt at balanced coverage (very poor attempt – it was very US slanted)

      Reply
      • I have to agree. The ESPN coverage tonight was most excellent! I thought they got it right. They covered the biggest sporting event of the night in the United States with the utmost coverage. Great post game, interviews, the celebration on the field with cameras 30 minutes after the game. We have never had such great coverage of our beloved team.

        With regards to Andres Guardado, what the hell do you expect him to say? Hes a great player and plays for a very proud team which is generally very good. He’s an athlete. What should he say, “uhh we suck and arent very good.” Hell no, those guys arent wired like that.

    • I do think ESPN has made a subtle turn towards internationalism that fans have not necessarily picked up on…..all the Mexico games but just the USA home matches, for instance.

      Reply
      • Does ESPN show Mexico away matches? I don’t think they do. Because it’s the home team who has the right to sell the TV license, and I think that beIN has the rest of Concacaf (more or less) locked up.

  21. In addition to using remaining qualis for building depth I would really like to see JK tinker with the midfield some and see who pairs the best together. JJ and MB don’t always seem to gel. So who goes best with MB and who goes best with JJ? Or can we develop better chemistry between JJ and MB? These are things we need to know before we get to games that count in Brazil.

    Reply
    • Yes. Definitely this. Bradley/Cameron or Jones/Mix or Bradley / Mix etc.
      Same problem as 2010 albeit with upgrades around.. uncertainty of the best pairing..

      Two DMs like thurs and tonight is not best. Need a creaoter which Jones, Beckerman and Cameron are not.

      Reply
      • The best combination is the same one that was best in 2010, Bradley and Feilhaber. I was at the game against Ecuador the first time they started together for the USMNT and Feilhaber was amazing (only outshined by Donovan’s hat trick). At the World Cup, the US was outscored 1-4 when Feilhaber was on the bench (their one goal a gift from England) and outscored our opponents 4-1 when Feilhaber was on the field.

      • Feilhaber did make a big difference in the world cup but when he was substituted in, it would be for findley so they would form a CM triangle with Fielhaber at the top. Edu/Clark were still on the pitch.

  22. Like Mr. PINK said, ” What we need here is a little solidarity man!”

    Props to JK for:
    – Preparing your team well & building the depth
    – Putting out a solid lineup & using your subs effectively
    – Keeping a positive attitude after last game and not making any rash decisions

    And thank you JK for not listening to certain SBI posters who wanted to:
    1. Bench Jermaine Jones
    2. Bench Tim Howard
    3. Bench Eddie Johnson
    4. Not play Kyle Beckerman cause he’s too slow
    5. Don’t start Gonzalez and Goodson together cause they’re too slow and tall
    6. Bench Clint Dempsey & take away his Captaincy

    (P.S. It’s ok, you can have someone else take PKs now)

    Reply
    • Have to admit, I was concerned about 2 large slower players playing in the back together but they played really well (especially Goodsen to my eye). It did help that Mexico lacked creativity and I was also surprised that they played very low pressure allowing us a lot of time to move the ball around in our own 1/3.

      Reply
      • Also, EJ can provide reasonable holdup play and actually wins some long ball headers, JJ stepped it up tonight, Beckerman played well and I have my doubts that Dempsey will be taking PKs (reminds me of old movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Robert Redford is asked to shoot a tin can, I believe,and can’t do it from a standing position but then he asks if it’s OK to move and nails the target repeatedly) (sorry, ancient reference)

    • WOW! A Mr. Pink reference on a soccer blog!!! Kudos old timer!!! Mr. Pink would tell you we can act like professionals! 🙂 And no tip!!! 😉

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    • It’s safe to say JK has won over most every skeptic. There were certainly doubters early in his tenure, but from a long-term perspective, he has been impressive. He has set the bar high for this team, and frankly for any future Nats coach. One would think he is pretty satisfied right now. The pressure is off on qualifying, and he can enjoy a little downtime back home in Cali.

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      • klinsmann nailed the lineup last night and has been steadily improving (aside from the CR game), but the real test is the world cup. if he can’t get us farther than arena or bradley did (with a deeper and arguably more talented pool), would he really be a success?

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