Top Stories

USMNT falls to Colombia in Copa America opener

Photo by Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. Men’s National Team’s path towards the knockout stages took a major blow in Friday’s Copa America opener.

Goals from James Rodriguez and Cristian Zapata doomed the U.S. in a 2-0 loss to Colombia in Friday’s Copa America kickoff match. The loss sees the favored Colombia earn a huge advantage just one game in, while forcing the U.S. to earn results against Costa Rica and Paraguay as the group stage continues.

In the build-up to Friday’s match, the USMNT’s perceived advantage on set pieces was discussed heavily, but it was Colombia that made an early mark from a dead-ball situation.

On an early corner kick, Colombia centerback Zapata lost his marker and found open space on an Edwin Cardona ball into the box. The AC Milan defender slammed his volleyed shot with his right foot, giving Brad Guzan no chance as Colombia jumped into the lead in just the eighth minute.

The Colombians doubled their advantage just moments before halftime as the U.S. conceded a penalty kick.

Following a DeAndre Yedlin handball, Rodriguez stopped to the spot and bested Guzan to the right-hand side giving Colombia a 2-0 advantage heading into the halftime whistle.

Throughout the first half, the USMNT proved the dominant side when it came to possession. Frequently in control of the ball, the USMNT failed to muster any sort of creativity in the final third while failing to place a shot on target.

The USMNT’s best chances came in the second half through Clint Dempsey, who also provided the USMNT’s best chance in the opening 45 with a shot that slipped just past the left post. After seeing a header cleared off the line in the 60th minute, Dempsey’s free kick was palmed away by a diving David Ospina in the USMNT’s most effective spell of the match.

Yet Colombia continued to push to make it 3-0 after the introductions of Christian Pulisic and Darlington Nagbe in the second half. Carlos Bacca, in particular proved dangerous, rifling a shot off the crossbar in the 76th minute.

Following the loss, the USMNT will look to keep their tournament hopes alive on on Tuesday against Costa Rica at Solider Field, while Colombia takes on Paraguay that same day.

Comments

  1. I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I AM READING!!!!!!

    Colombias 2 goals were not given to them… We forget that USA is the host nation and when you play home you initiate the game and take risk. The USA was down 2-0 and sat back for 70 mins of the game. Colombia is up 2-0 vs the host team in a short tournament playing 3 days later. Game over!!! Its up for the USA to press and take risk. Klinsman is just making a joke of the USA federation. Previous coaches have been fired for the same thing but he is still in charge.

    Reply
  2. The US team resembles a mid-major basketball team, an unsuccessful one. It plays a style better suited to a really talented team, presumably believing that the successful teams win because of their style not the quality of the players. And it has a coach recruited from one of the biggest program, again presumably because someone assumes that the big guys know how to do things well.
    We knew going in Colombia was the far superior team, but I saw no effort on the part of the coaches to adjust. Playing “straight up” against a team like Colombia is only going to result in the loss. I know that the soccer smarties detest Bradley and Arena’s tactics, but at least they were realistic about the quality of players they had available.

    Reply
  3. MB90? More like MBErrantlyPassesAllOverThePlaceAndGivesAwayPossession
    We need a new mediocentro organizador and a dedicated trequartista. 4-3-3 just didn’t seem to click.

    Reply
  4. Leadership matters. When JK made Bradley captain, I hoped that would improve things; I don’t think it did. When Bradley went to Toronto, I hoped he would be forced to take a leadership role, but Giovinco took over that role.

    Perhaps my hopes were misplaced, it was always clear that JK had more trouble forging a cohesive team from the players at hand than either Arena or B. Bradley did. Perhaps it was too much to expect, but I hoped M. Bradley would be the leader the US sorely needs.

    So far MB has done a mostly admirable job of supporting teammates, but he has yet to take over the role where he rallies his teammates to play together with urgency. (Of course, some of the responsibility for that lack of cohesiveness falls on JK.)

    Reply
  5. It is really interesting how many different reaction we have seen, some think this was awful, others think it was a good showing against one of the best teams in the world, and lots in between, which is where I fall. I think we did not look outmatched and could have easily come away with a point on another night. I am interested to see how we play against CR and Paraguay, I have a feeling we will look much better. In the past we have looked outclassed by top tier teams, I did not see that this time.

    Here is my takeaway from the game:

    Defense: Played well as a group considering how little they have played together. Brooks was strong all night, I loved his attitude. Cameron had one bad moment but also cut out a few serious threats and looked good organizing. Yedlin and FJ did well but were pinned back and could not help in attack as much as they should have been. I think this will be our strongest unit the rest of the way.

    Midfield: Ugh! Bradley ran himself out of the game in the first 25 minutes and never mentally recovered. His passes were sloppy and he was way too deep most of the time. Jones was moving well, but his touch and passing was also way off, and he cannot be counted on as an offensive weapon. Bedoya worked hard but was mostly useless. As I said earlier in the week, you cannot have Bedoya and Jones in front of Bradley because there are no string pullers in the forward third of the field.

    Forwards: Dempsey does not fit into this lineup any more. He plays for set pieces, which we are no longer good at (Mostly because Bradley cannot take a free kick any more), kills attacks with his refusal to pass the ball quickly, and the shots that used to go in are now going wide or being saved. Zardes is where offense goes to die. If his first touch doesn’t pop up in the air he passes it straight to the other team or out of bounds. I love his work ethic, but he does not have the ball skills to play at this level. Wood is wasted out wide and should be the central striker. He works so much harder than Demps and plays well of the others around him.

    Subs: Nagbe did almost nothing, I hope he shows better next time. Pulisic is so much fun to watch. He might not be there yet, but I cannot wait to see him this time next year! Zusi came in and for some reason Bradley was still taking free kicks, what the heck!

    Coaching: I liked the opening lineup, thank goodness there was no Beckerman, but it seemed to me that the team came out tentative to start both halves, which tells me that JK was telling them to be careful in the first few minutes not to get caught out. I just wish he would tell them to go get a win! I feel like he is not a leader of men, by which I mean he does not inspire players to go all out for him. Just my sense and I have no proof of that, but players who look confident with their clubs look tentative with the USMNT.

    Overall: I am actually feeling good about the next two games. I think the defense will be solid, and with a few minor tweaks the offense will come together nicely. I am concerned about the mental side of Bradley’s game right now and think Demps and Jones may be done as starters, but I like the guys behind them so I am okay with a transition if needed. as far as 2-0 losses go, I am not nearly as upset as I have been in the past.

    Go USA!

    Reply
  6. It would be very difficult for the US to beat CR, they have much better chemistry than us. And they have more talent than us in every line. Sorry to say, but the US wont pass to the second round. We need a new coach, with more knowledge on hiw to play and take advantage of pur players and there qualities.

    Reply
    • Nah. CRC is a team we can play with step for step. They are a good and spirited squad but they are not Colombia and we weren’t bad last night in retrospect, just had a few poor performances and wasted chances on set pieces. .

      Reply
  7. Best summed up by saying we have 11 players on 11 pages.Good teams have an understanding of how they should attack. It starts with always having a simple, forward option.Otherwise a smart team will allow back and square passes until one of those passes is not on the mark and then they pressure you to give away the ball. Good teams have movement off of every pass and their teammates are in good supporting spots early. This allows them to get the ball moving quickly because their are always good options. Good teams ultimately try to get behind you. No matter how good a team is, this kind of system needs to be reinforced to the players. A good coach needs to find out what players actually blend together to make this work. We do not have any of the above and it hurts to watch.

    Reply
    • I think it is a few guys that kill the attack right now. Dempsey does not fit the new attack. He plays like it was five years ago and we are only looking for free kicks and hero ball. His speed of passing and selfishness slows almost every attack that goes through him. Love what he has meant to the team, but think Wood is much better at that position right now. Zardes is not international quality. His passes have a 50% chance of going directly to the other team. If he cannot utilize his speed he is useless to us in attack.

      In the midfield, Jones is not a playmaker, but neither is Bedoya, and you need one player looking to pull the string in a possession oriented attack. I am hoping that if the defensive line solidifies it will give JK more confidence to replace Jones with Nagbe or Pulisic. There were some good forward runs being made last night, but not once did the midfield look to play them through, which pushes the defense back and opens up the midfield. Every pass was to the feet of a player coming back to the ball.

      I still see the positives and think we will get better as we go through this tournament and the rest of this year.

      Reply
  8. The comment that I have seen that I agree the most with after this game:

    The US used to take a bunch of mediocre players and coach, help, encourage them to play together, so their sum was greater than the individual parts. Now we have better players who play as individuals, and the total result is what we saw tonight.

    Reply
  9. Not sure how US playing poorly is even up for debate. Anyone who thinks they played well needs to watch the first ten minutes of the second half when Colombia was passing the ball around with no pressure, already up 2-0, fans shouting Ole! The chances created came well after being down and weren’t numerous enough to make the opponent sweat. No idea how skilled pros could continuously botch passes off target to teammates nearby and have a horrendous first touch- no skill or playing IQ. Jones and Dempsey should be put out to pasture by now, well past prime.

    Reply
  10. Los Cafeteros were solid defensively. They parked the bus a bit and dared U.S. to break them down.I saw a lot of hopeful long ball plays by U.S. in 1st half and zero creativity. How long did it take to win a corner kick? Bradley was awful, Jones not much better. Maybe it’s time for the kids.

    Reply
    • It is. I say screw it. I hope Klinsman goes rogue. If you aren’t getting first team minutes and doing well at the best club you can play for then no callup. If you are over 32 then no callup. If you arent a solid technical player relative to your peers at your position, no callup. If you have a past history of being a goober in camps or for the senior side, no callup.

      Reply
      • I think he might have trouble finding 23 and maybe even 15 using your criteria. The tournament is hardly over yet. Paraguay is very beatable and we are capable of beating CR. 6 points will almost certainly get us through.

      • I think you could tell in the WSJ interview JK being frustrated with this. So many of the younger players he’s given a chance hasn’t worked out. Pretty much calling out Mix, Shea, Hamid, Hyndman, and Green to a certain degree.

    • Starting lineup comparison
      . Arsenal.
      Atl̩tico nacional РAC Milan РInter Milan -PSV.
      Atletico nacional – Independiente Medellin.
      Juventus – Real Madrid – Monterrey.
      AC Milan.

      Aston Villa.
      Sunderland – Hertha Berlin – Stoke City – Gladbach.
      Toronto FC – Colorado Rapids – Nantes.
      Hamburg – Seattle Sounders – LA Galaxy

      Yeah.

      Reply
      • Good reality check and even that doesn’t tell the whole story. Colombia has at least 2, maybe 3 players who could be considered world class or close to it (Rodriguez, Cuardado, Bacci being iffy) We have none. But, we are getting closer and better.

      • True. But also relative to ourselves I’d say that list shows US progress. Especially if you throw in the former clubs of Clint jones and Bradley-which would leave zardes as the only MLS-only player. Once Pulisic over takes him next game (imho) it will be a non MLS starting lineup. That really says something.

    • There was definitely some disrespect there, but I chalk it up to heat of the moment. If a player is happy to come off you have the wrong player on the pitch.

      Reply
    • I was never happy to come off. I never thought it was deserved either. No big deal, doesn’t bother me at all. He is passionate and wants to play.

      Reply
      • Yea when I was subbed off during a loss I was always mad at the situation but never the coach. It’s not his fault we were down, it was ours. So I assumed that was just the moment jones realized he could no longer help the team that night and let out his anger towards the score line and result

  11. My takeaway is a close “1-0” loss to a top 5 team. With time being relative, tack the Colombia game on the end of group play and two wins vs crc and PAR and I think we make it through. Then looking back, would losing a near certain loss, then beating two teams really be that bad of a group stage?

    So I still have peaceful hope. If before the match I accepted 2 Ws and a loss would suffice, then losing the first gave only adds pressure but it doesn’t worry or upset me.

    Reply
    • Here’s a guy that sees, not the glass half full, but some water in the glass at all. Tell me, do you still love Klinsi?

      Reply
    • He’s right. We should expect to beat a tough Costa Rica team on home soil and then have it all to play for against Paraguay. A loss here was not surprising. We can get put the pitchforks if they fall on their faces the next two games.

      Reply
    • I don’t know how long you have followed the USMNT, but as one who has done so for 26 years, this was not a bad result. We didn’t play poorly and got unlucky on the hand ball and they made a good play on the corner kick while we had one played off the line. I don’t think there was really that much difference between the teams. I see definite progress in this team and most of those complaining, IMHO, really don’t know much about the team or international soccer. We should beat Paraguay, so the Costa Rica game will be crucial. I think we have better players than CR, so if we get a good effort I think winning two in a row and going to the knockout stage is not too much to expect. To ramble on a bit, I remember the last time we played the 3rd ranked team in a tournament opener–Czechoslovakia in the 2006 World Cup and they ran us off the pitch 3-0. And that was a very good US team.We also played better today than we did against both Germany and Belgium in the 2014 WC where we were lucky to not lose by more than one goal in each game.

      Reply
      • My thoughts exactly. I have been watching the USMNT for almost 30 years, and I feel better about this loss that some of the wins we have had in past big touneys. I think we are moving in the right direction, and think we can be better in the next two games.

  12. The most interesting thing about this game was the moth stuck to Roberto Garcias head. He had a good game For Colombia I thought. I could take a crap on the touch line and it would be a better coach than klinsmeh. Down 2- nil…and no sub at half for a spark? Zardes is not international, only woods/pulisic seem like they can hang. This is an old mid with zero creativity. Dempsey is done, I’m sick of seeing his whole fall to the ground and look pissed shtick. He needs to sack up. Also, play to ten freaking whistle. I hate the mentality on this team soooo much.

    Reply
  13. Players on our roster I currently like:

    Cameron
    Nagbe
    Pulisic
    Fabian
    Wood
    Jones
    Brooks

    Players who I do not currently like:
    The rest

    Coach I do not currently like:
    Klinsman

    Reply
  14. I can criticize Klinsmann, because I didn’t see much chemistry out there. That said there’s room to criticize players too.

    During the game I thought how none of our FBs remind me of Cherundolo in his prime. And I didn’t feel like our CBs resembled Bocanegro or Pope in their prime.

    Bradley strikes me as a long-ball player, who cannot shoot. He’s limited in the offensive third. Jones cannot create. Bedoya has hustle…but aren’t we beyond the time of players shanking the ball when inside the 18.

    And there isn’t much combination in the final third for that matter either. Zardes – nowhere near the type of player that Donovan and Dempsey were during Bob Bradley’s tenure.

    I love Fabian Johnson, but he was timid as a FB and needed DMF support and/or double teams.

    Reply
  15. Against Costa Rica, I think that JK has to take a chance and start Nagbe, Pulisic and Wood. Leaving Dempsey, Zardes on the bench. We need players that have more chemistry with each other. our team was playing itself into tight spots instead of making the Colombians chase after the ball. I think that if we’re going to make a transition to a new starting line up it may as well be on Tuesday. We know the Ticos better than Paraguay and we have to make up a 2 goal differential in any way we can. Who do you think should or could replace Bradley?

    Reply
  16. A lot of over blown worry and complaining. The US had a bad spell in the second half where they were making poor passes, but for most of the game they played about equal. The Colombian chances in the second half came because the US was throwing guys forward, not because Colombia was playing that much better. The penalty on Yedlin was debatable at best–back turned, not looking at the ball, the hand near his face, how can you possibly say that was intentional and it was more of a cross than a shot that was deflected so it’s not like he stopped the ball from going into the net. Pretty poor call. And Lalas is ridiculous–nobody had a good game? That’s open to debate, but outside of Bradley, I think you can say no one had a bad game either. I think the US has a decent chance of beating both CR and Paraguay if they play well. I have seen so many times in past years where the US would have been blown out by this Colombian side, but there really wasn’t that much difference between the teams–one set piece and a debatable hand ball. I think the US should have done better on their set pieces, but this game is nothing to get upset about.

    Reply
    • We lost to Colombia, breh! We obviously didn’t show up!

      Nah, I’m with you 100. It’s hard to appreciate the good things when you lose 2-0, but I saw a lot. Even though Bradley wasn’t sharp, and his set pieces need to maybe stop, I liked the movement of that central 3. Wood and Zardes were working hard to get back and defend, Dempsey was drawing dangerous fouls, Brooks looked confident moving forward and sending long ground passes, we didn’t give up a goal from the run of play…

      I think the penalty call was fine, but I agree, it could’ve been a no call just as easily.

      Reply
    • Near his face? There was enough space between his extended hand and his face to fit Brooks. Any defender knows to either put your arms behind your back when you attack a ball like that or real tight against the chest. Yedlin’s arm was splayed out as if he were signaling an airplane. Poor judgement. And why would Colombia attack after they went up 1-0 in 90 degree heat. Most teams let the other folks start to panic and run themselves ragged. Bradley’s atrocious passing could have also been due to the fact that he spent most of the first half sprinting. The guy was tired and that affects your mental sharpness.

      Reply
      • This guy and his 90 degree heat, I was at the game it was about 75 and the field was covered in shade most of the game. It had zero effect on the game.

      • Yeah, Jeff, I am afraid you don’t really understand California weather. The TV said 90, but someone just left the thermometer out in the sun to make it seem like a story. The temperature was nothing even close to 90. It was 75 degrees of dry warmth, and that only until the sun started going down, when it returned to the comfortable 60s.

      • Funny then that Goal.com, ESPN, SI, and sbnation all have the same analysis of Colombia’s tactics. After the goal they stood back, closed the passing lanes and let the US tire out. Tactics. Maybe some day you’ll understand the meaning of the word. Asking a lot of a guy who can’t even spell. Must be another one of those guys who thinks ignorance is a virtue. Too many in this country. Run along now.

    • I agree Gary, no need to overreact to a loss to the #3 team in the world. I think Jones had a poor game as well as Bradley, and Demps did not help the attack by falling so deep to get the ball. That played into Colombia’s plan to lay back in the second half because the wings had to pinch in to fill the gaps he left open. Wide play would have helped us a bunch.

      Reply
  17. That early goal killed us. It allowed Colombia to drop back taking away our best weapon: bunker and counter. Even when we had the majority of possession we never looked like we were about to score. Hats off to their players and coaching staff.

    Reply
  18. One take away from this game is that we didnt play bunker ball. We maintained a lot of possession at times. Colombia is highly ranked and has better players. We were by no means outmatched in this game. Had a few things not go our way in the first half. If a just one of our chances goes the other way and if Yedlin wasnt so stupid to have his arm up in the box we woyld have a draw and a point. I think if we play well in the next game and the real MB90 shows up we will be fine.

    Reply
    • You don’t play bunker ball when you’re losing. Colombia went up in the 8th and it was 90 degrees, there’s no reason to attack hard. You just stand back and watch the other team tire itself out and wait for a mistake or for the d-line to push up and break their offside trap. Which is what they did. If your analysis of the game is that the US was good because they had some possession and were running at Colombia, I’d point out that they really only had one dangerous shot from open play (Dempsey’s) and not too much else. That means that Colombia played the game that best suited their situation and forced the US to expend energy without creating real changes.

      Reply
      • I am…his tactics are terrible, his teams are never ready and he constantly plays players that under perform.

        He brought Julian Green to the World Cup instead of Landon Donvan ……come on?

  19. It’zing, the one that really sucks is Klinsman and people here pick on one of our most dedicated players, just because he did not have a great game. Where was everybody for him to pass? Behind a Colombian player, that’s where. Chicken shit this team is.

    Reply
    • Past work means nothing in sports really. If you can play get the hell out of the way. Why are you defending Bradley’s hospital balls to nowhere in particular.

      Reply
  20. I said it before, this was a classical Colombia game, lucky goal, lucky pk and run all over the pitch. The do have a couple talented guys, but USMNT was ineffective and lacklustre. No way they were scoring two goals. They will have a tough game with Costa Rica and against Paraguay it will be very difficult to score.

    Reply
  21. How are people placing the blame solely on JK? Ya’ll act like JK was the only reason we lost, next im gonna see someone blaming him for the bugs too.

    Things JK cant control:
    ~Bradley passing the ball straight to the opposition over and over,
    ~Dempsey being Dempsey (and not in the good way) moving all the way back to midfield and making our middle 3 way too clustered and forcing our wings to run off him and be caught out, and you know he wont work back to defend when Bradley passes it to the wrong team,
    ~Cameron giving up one bad play the entire game that ended up being a goal,
    ~A handball in our box,

    BUT…Things JK can control:
    Zardes’ bad touches and choices (dont start or sub off when he is playing bad instead of Wood)
    Pull Jones out quicker, like 55th minute at latest when he’s playing that bad,
    Dempsey walking around the field (sub him off and move Wood up top),

    I dont know what else yall expect him to do, but i do hope he puts Bedoya in Zardes spot, and Nagbe gets the start in midfield.

    Reply
      • If the players he picked played at their highest level we would have had a shot. I dont agree with all his choices (Zardes and Dempsey for the most part) but i understand why they were in. Its up to the players to play and not many of our players did that well tonight.

      • Agreed, thats why i said he should have been subbed as early as possible. He also seemed lost out on the field for long periods of the first half.

    • I thought the lineup was the best we could put out on the field. It just some players didn’t play to their potential while others did.
      I thought Zardes played well, his touch was better. Wood was Wood, so was Dempsey. Jones hustle as always, he just didn’t look effective. The rest played the same as always, except….
      Bradley had a terrible game, couldn’t make any worthwhile passes. This seems to be a pattern with him. Johnson looked disinterested at LB, he was afraid for sure, not sure if it was versus Cuadrado or the heat. Yedlin tried but he wasn’t in sync with the rest, he was unlucky to be called for a PK, the shot had a better chance to find the goal than his arm but that is how things go sometimes.

      Reply
    • El comandante is no comandante but rather an insecure little wet turd who was disowned by his parents. They threw him back into the toilet but the little mucus turd found his way back. Now, since he has no life or friends, the little sh..t dedicates himself to trolling.

      Reply
  22. We were beaten by a more talented team. They looked dangerous every time they turned and ran at us. We kept receiving the ball with our back to the goal and that allowed them to regroup defensively. In terms of athleticism, I think we can match any team in this tournament. In terms of skill, we are not at the level of the top teams. That being said, I am disappointed to see the utter lack of urgency in the second half of this game.

    Reply
    • Truth is they weren’t the better team they were the team that won. Honestly Columbia were not good in this game at all other than the goal off the corner they may as well have been Guatamala.

      Reply
      • I’m sorry but we didn’t belong on the same field as Colombia tonight. To say they didn’t outplay us is ludicrous. And they barely even broke a sweat.

        There’s no shame in losing to Colombia. They’re a good team. But I hated our lack of urgency and thought that our passing was well below we we can produce on our best days.

      • Exactly. Which is why the US beat them… Oh wait. By extension, your example would imply that the US would lose to Guatemala, which is completely… Oh, right. They also lost to Guatemala. Doesn’t look good for the US.

      • That’s the point both teams were terrible. People saying Columbia played the US off the field or we don’t belong on the same field are morons.

      • Naw, the US were outplayed. Why would Colombia run at them in 90 degree heat when they are already 2 goals up by halftime? Stand back, pass the ball around, give the other team the ball and watch them pass the ball back and forth without creating any real danger. Sounds like a perfect game plan in response to going up 2-0. So yeah, Colombia (spelled with an O), the same team that is ranked 3rd in the world, played the game they needed to play and pulled the strings once they were up 2-0. Played off the field? No. Beaten and controlled? Pretty much.

      • We’re you at the game?

        Lol thanks for the spelling lesson ..dork. Running at us? They didn’t have possesion the entire half. Honestly go support Columbia with a U….moron

      • There you go. You have unwittingly learned something about soccer tonight. Give yourself a hand. You’re right, Colombia did not have possession in the first half. Why? They didn’t need to have possession. They play other teams all the time in the sweltering heat of Batranquilla and know that if you go up a goal you can gift the ball to the other team and just close down the passing lanes. Which is what they did. Lesson #1 for you. The spelling lesson is free.

      • And learn to read. I said “why would Colombia run at the US?” They don’t have to! Lesson #2. Related to 1. You’re welcome.

      • Yes the sweltering heat of Santa Clara, man a sweltering 72 degrees. I was at the game you clown. You seriously should not comment on here anymore, in fact you should go follow another sport. You know nothing about this one. “Lesson #2” what an idiot…

      • 90 degrees today. You were at that game like Bradley made a good pass today. Too bad you know so little about tactics that you can’t even figure out what Colombia did on the field. Maybe starting with spelling is a bit of a stretch for you. How about checkers? More your speed?

    • Tactics? They scored on a set piece and bs pen. You’re honestly dumb. I was there it was not 90 degrees and the majority of the field was cast w shade. You talk sh$t about spelling mistakes because you’re dumb. You don’t know what you’re talking about so you resort to dumb sh@t. Checkers? Sounds about your speed that and spelling bees.

      Reply
  23. Michael Bradley needs to not see the field again. How many times is he going to poo himself in big games. 2-0 down and h was playing 3 yards away the CBs his positioning is horrible, he can’t read the game and his passing is atrocious

    Reply
  24. What happened to Michael Bradley. How is this the same guy who used to play at Chievo and Roma. The guy looks awful with the ball at his feet. Is he an automatic starter?

    Reply
      • Um no. We were played off the pitch. I’m just bummed that Bradley used to be so good and has lost a lot in the last 3 years.

      • Do you put any actual thought in your comments, or just copy-and-paste the same crap over and over, hoping someone finds you clever?

    • Nobody played well….we had possession against a team ranked 3 in the world but couldnt break down their def. Playing for TFC has dropped the level of Bradley and Altidore considerably…….Bradley gave away the ball which lead to a goal and the ball hitting the cross bar on another play.

      Reply
    • It has happened so many times in the before that I’m starting to believe this is a psychological problem with MB. He looks good in friendlies but can’t seem to put it together for games that counts. Him playing well doesn’t guarantee us a win, it just guarantees us a better chance to win.

      Reply
  25. I thought we actually moved the ball out of the back pretty well (at least for us). However Bradley and Jones were just very poor. Most of Colombia’s best chances came from them making silly turnovers.
    Maybe that Dempsey magic is best used in the last 20 minutes. He just doesn’t seem to have 90 minutes at this level in him. Bedoya, back to his usual meh performance.

    Reply
  26. Passing and possession are great, unless you can’t do much with it in the final third. Side-to-side and back passing was way too prevalent, especially when there needed to be some sense of urgency. When they should have been pressing with the ball, there was too much slow play. The midfielders looked very uncertain when they were distributing the ball forward. There were some bright spots, just way too few.

    Reply
  27. Can we talk about the lack of contact when James went to ground and hurt himself. It didn’t look to me like Bradley touched him at all

    Reply
  28. Was always going to be difficult to grab points from this game. Yedlins handball was a penalty but thats a fluke. Decent D except for Camerons brain fart on the corner. Also had a few good passing sequences but the final ball not there. In the end the more talented team made their few chances count. Sucks.

    Reply
  29. I thought we looked better in the last 20 minutes of the first half, but came back out in the second half with zero urgency. I’m a Bradley fan, but that was one of his worse game in the US jersey. Not many positives, but this is a game we weren’t picked to win. If we take care of business in the next 2 games, we’ll be ok.

    Reply
    • Costa Rica can take the US. They’ve got a good team and score goals. Ruiz is coming off a great season with Sporting Lisbon. Sad to say, the US is out in the group stage.

      Reply
      • Maybe, I don’t know but defeatist attitudes are not productive at all. If the US fails to advance many game will be poorly attended and it will have a negative effect on the perception of soccer here. You might not care but there are plenty of poor kids with dreams who will care and suffer from that.

      • Not sure what you’re referring to. I just said MB was poor, not that he is our messiah. And if we’re gonna lose a game, I’d rather it be to the #3 team in the world, with two games left to play. Yes, CR can take us, that game will likely be a must win for both teams, so it’ll be a fun one to watch.

  30. Making too much of friendly games against Puerto Rico will give any team a false sense of security. And man, was the US dirty. That elbow to the back by Dempsey and the kicks by Bradley that went uncalled. They need to play offensive soccer, not be offensive.

    Reply
    • Colombia is one of the dirtiest teams out there. Wait till they fall behind to any team. Also, James now will think about it twice before he dives.

      Reply
  31. Three consecutive wins in warm ups against Puerto Rico, Bolivia and Ecuador, but in the big one they chicken out. Klinsi’s magic ran out after the WC. I will say it again, we may not make it to Moscow 2018 if this guy is not sacked.

    Reply
    • Chicken out? They attacked and Klinsmann actually showed some confidence in his players — something he had not done much of at all in the first five years of his reign. Keep moving in this direction, and we will see real progress over the next four years.

      Reply
    • Colombia are frightening. I think we show better against CRC and find a way out of the group to save some face. I’ts going to be a rough night for Bedoya, Bradley Dempsey and Jones.

      Reply
    • That’s my take away. For once though, I think Klinsmann had a good game. The team was organized well to attack and the movement was good from the players. They were just really poor in their execution due mostly to technical deficiencies. The lineup and changes made good sense, too. Even with these deficiencies, it is important for us to start playing this way consistently. We’ll get beat in the short term, but it will pay off in the long run.

      Reply
      • Exactly, we’re like the Atlanta Hawks vs the Cavs… They’re just better than us. We’re building a team and starting to look better……. But they’re just better….

        I am excited for the next two games. I still think we can settle down and have a good showing in Chicago. A 2-0 win would be huge. That could have us in 2nd with a possibly GD adv. then a draw in the final would most likely send us through. Hope… :)?

      • Agree with you both, not sure about the basketball reference DLOA but agree on the soccer part. Bad to give up that corner early and the handball can go either way and up to that point we had some pretty good possession, nothing exceptional in the final third and bad on our set pieces. I do think it is something to build on to still get out of the group like DLOA Said. Just gotta get creative and more precise in the final third.

  32. That second half was so lifeless other than a couple set piece chances, really disappointed with the lack of intensity out of the break. Also Bradley was horrendous in possession throughout the game, he’s supposed to start attacks not consistently miss 5 yard pases.

    Reply
    • Classical, Bradley has a not so spectacular game and all of the sudden he was horrible. Who the fock was good, then?

      Reply
      • Im not saying anyone was superb but your captain needs to not be the worst player on the pitch and he quite possibly was tonight. His wastefulness in possession was physically painful to watch.

      • Colombia’s most dangerous moments came off of Bradley mistakes in bad areas off plays he normally makes. He is usually so consistent. His bad games are often just average. Today he was bad

Leave a Comment