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SBI USMNT Man of the Match: Kellyn Acosta

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The U.S. Men’s National Team endured a tough Thursday night in Tampa, as it fell 4-2 to Colombia.

However, there was a bright spot at the start of the second half for Dave Sarachan’s side that included a pair of goals.

Midfielder Kellyn Acosta scored the first tally for the USMNT in the 50th minute, as he made a perfectly-timed secondary run into the penalty area to connect with Antonee Robinson’s cross from the left wing.

Acosta, who had a chance to prove himself next to Michael Bradley with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie out injured, put together a decent showing alongside the USMNT veteran against a Colombian attack that overpowered the American defense on the right wing.

Timothy Weah, Julian Green and Bobby Wood all showed some flashes of brilliance during the second-half surge produced by the USMNT, but it wasn’t enough as the defense was overwhelmed over 90 minutes by James Rodriguez and Co.

Comments

  1. JK wanted Acosta at RB,.. people thought he was crazy. Bradley played poised and well, but somehow was still Bradley. I am looking forward to his coaching career, he is going to be a true talent.

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  2. I can’t think of anyone who I would call MOTM for us, Columbia was just too dominant. Acosta was a mixed bag. He just doesn’t have the defensive IQ or technical skills to play central midfield at this level in my opinion. At the same time, there is something there that needs explored. He is certainly athletic enough, and seems to have a knack for coming up with big plays. He brings some intangibles I guess. He should be involved going forward, maybe just not centrally. The middle of the field was a weakness again. Bradley was ok for the first 60 minutes, but when he drops so deep to receive the ball, there never seems to be anyone filling the space ahead of him. Our brief possession would always end right after we advanced into their half, mostly because there never seemed to be passing outlets centrally. I think in the short term, this team needs to play three in the back, so we can have more of a midfield presence and maybe eliminate the glaring defensive weakness at leftback. Let Robinson run the line and send in crosses, and not be asked to defend 1v1 the kind of talent he’s been beaten by.

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  3. are you guys in the sbi office okay? you guys aren’t smoking banana peels behind the water cooler, are you? i think you guys are acting really strange lately.

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    • Was just thinking the same thing pretty much. I was more frustrated with his play than with anyone else besides AR. MB was a close third most frustrating for me, not because he was bad (i thought he was okay) but because he consistantly drops so deep to receive the ball that he is actually part of the defensive line when he gets it. Then he just passes it to the closest midfielder, which the defender could have done himself. He basically becomes useless. And he has ALWAYS done that.

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  4. You’ve got to be kidding. MOTM?? The guy was terrible in his passing, ball reception and general defensive work. Yes, he made a great run and scored a nicely taken goal, but MOTM? Hardly.

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  5. “who had a chance to prove himself next to Michael Bradley”

    I had no idea every player has to prove themselves next to Bradley, who knew?!

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  6. Sure why not…. nobody else grabbed it by the horns.. His dead ball service was notably poor, but neither team was able to do much with those given the conditions.

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    • And no mention of Bradley as potential man of the match is a huge oversight. He might have been the only player on the field for the US who looked capable of dealing with what the Colombians were throwing at the US. Bizzy won’t like this, but he showed exactly why he is back in with this team.

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      • you’re joking,right? mb did not tackle. columbia went right by him numerous times. on offense, mb disappeared in the second half which was our best half.

      • You’re just flat out wrong on that. Defensively, Bradley was very good — especially in the first half. You were either not watching closely enough, your memory is failing you, or you just hate Michael Bradley. Whichever one it is, if you go look at the live match commentary, you will see proof that I am right.

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