Grimace and Grin: USA wins in Antigua

Photo credit: AP

There was a collective grimace today as we watched the United States Men's National soccer team wait until stoppage time to score the second goal and defeat Antigua and Barbuda. Yes, Antigua and Barbuda. This wasn't Trinidad and Tobago or Jamaica or even Cuba. No, it was a cricket-loving, island nation of only 85,632 people. 

The grin came at the welcoming return of Eddie Johnson, whose career had been in decline after an ill-fated transfer to Europe and numerous loans in Britain and Greece. His positioning for the goals today was just what Klinsmann had wanted.

And yet, for the most part, as the television monitors closed and opinions began, it became certain that this national team had just had one of its worst performances. By virtue of beIN Sport being the sole proprietor of all the away USA matches, this game was not available for me. However, I was still able to keep up with plays through Twitter and other media and I saw the highlights afterwards. Where was the fighting spirit in these players? Even in the condensed version of the game the only ones enthused with being there were Michael Bradley, Zusi and Eddie Johnson. Everyone else was simply at work.

What happened to the team that won in Slovenia, Italy and Mexico? Those were the vintage Klinsmann games. Then again, with Bob Bradley the semifinal qualifying round was over at the fourth game with four straight wins and USA ended up taking the Hexagonal, reaching the final at the Confederations Cup and winning the group at World Cup 2010. Suddenly, for all of us that dreamed of something better than Bradley, the next step is hardly one in the right direction. 

Many of us were Klinsmann believers from the start, but stumbling into the final game before the Hexagonal is no way to repay faith. Yes, Concacaf can be difficult, but not for the USA or Mexico. It hasn't been that way for the past 10 years. Then again, Mexico just slipped into the Hexagonal last time around and Sven Goran Erickson lived for a couple more matches. The Aztecas regrouped under Aguirre and built one of the better teams in the world over the last 4 years. Could the Americans do the same? 

There is another truth to speak of here. Yes, Eddie Johnson was the savior and Gordon the provider in today's match. But what happens against a team like Mexico or Costa Rica or Panama? Or at the World Cup? Are we still not going to field Altidore or Boyd or Lichaj for the games that matter most? When Donovan, Shea, Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo go down, the first thing to do is to replace the players with those that matter. The team lived today without replacements, but just so. What if this scenario occurs again in the Hexagonal? Wait, we're not there yet either.

The final match in the semifinal phase of Concacaf World Cup qualifying is versus Guatemala, with whom the US is now tied in points at 10 and the same goal differential. A win provides safety and redemption, a tie will do and a loss could be enough depending on Jamaica's at-home match versus Antigua.Not once in the past 5 World Cup cycles has this occurred. Our players have the talent, they just need the guidance to funnel their strengths.

Suckerpunch: USA escapes with point from Guatemala

Photo credit: Getty Images

Guatemala tied the US today in the second game of World Cup Qualifying in a game that could and should have gotten the United States the full 3 points for a win. To start, let's face it, not many of us were able to watch the show because it was on a pay-per-view and not feasible in this economy. Still, we find ways to watch our favorite team. Unfortunately, that translated into only the last 23 minutes for the futbolusa.net desk.

From a "fashionably late" entry, the match seemed pretty good and all about defense and snatching away a second goal. For all the forays by Bradley and Jones, the Guatemalans seemed to slide into every pass. The Chapines blocked the middle with accuracy and most of Donovan's passes were undone. For the last 20 minutes, at least, there wasn't much of an areal attack, something that should have been exploited in this match.

The defense looked pretty stout most of those last twenty minutes, and it is precisely this that caused Guatemala's tying goal. For all of Fabian Johnson's attributes and the general clamor he was getting by fans and media alike, his ultimate delivery was unfortunate: a badly timed tackle outside the area in a prime free kick position. Marco Pappa usually nets these for the Chicago Fire and today it went past the USA wall and a frozen Tim Howard. In retrospect, Timmy might have gotten to that one on another night.

Winning away from home is difficult for any team, regardless of the pedigree and regardless of the circumstances. Today's tie feels more like a loss because the United States was more than Guatemala for most of the match. They had the better chances, the better numbers, the best possession and generally looked more composed. 

Playing for points in Jamaica looks more difficult than Guatemala at this point, as was shown in the Reggae Boys' win over the Chapines. Still, Jamaica managed only a tie away to Antigua and Barbuda, so if the US can snatch a point in Kingston, then the final three games will have Team USA in a better position. Guatemala will get two looks at the minnows of the group, Antigua and Barbuda, so they could conceivably be up to 7 points by match day 5. The key will be to win both home games by large scores and to snatch a win at A&B at the very least. So, even if they lose in Jamaica, a magic number of 13 might do the trick.

Player ratings:

Howard................6

Cherundolo...........6

Bocanegra.............6

Goodson...............5

F. Johnson............4.5

Edu.......................5

Jones.....................6.5

Bradley.................7

Dempsey...............7.5

Donovan...............7

Gomez..................5

Subs: Altidore (6), Cameron (6.5), Beckermann (N/A)

First step: US vs Antigua and Barbuda

 Photo credit: Getty Images

We had wished for at least 3 goals in favor. And we got it. Today, the US Men's soccer national team had an underwhelming performance against the national team from the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda. It was a 3-1 win, yes, but it could and should have been much more. Instead, after Herculez Gomez sealer, team USA was left scrambling and overly cautious of a side made up of mainly USL (3rd tier) players.

What was unsettling today was mostly the sloppy plays by Maurice Edu, Steve Cherundolo and Oguchi Onyewu. Edu is surprisingly nowhere near his level with the Glasgow Rangers. Meanwhile, Cherundolo was being overlapped and outrun in another glaring display of talent misrepresentation. This is because Steve has been a de facto right back for the United States for many years and has done so stunningly, at points, and thankfully unnoticed at others. Tonight, his diminished pace was clear and his passes were intercepted more than once.

For Onyewu things are different. "Gooch" is nowhere near the dominant center back that signed with AC Milan in 2009. A patella tendon tear in the final 2010 World Cup qualifier derailed his progress as a player and he never quite recovered for the international level. This has been the scenario starting with the World Cup in games against England and Slovenia, and most recently against Brazil and tonight's match. His athleticism and desire are unquestionably there and he remains successful at the European club level in Portugal, but his place as a starter for the United States is no longer a lock.

Aside from some of the negatives, there were a lot of positives: Donovan and Dempsey hooked up and created chances, even if they did not come to fruition, Gomez continued his scoring ways, there was good possession and Bradley and Jones continued to forge their box-to-box roles. We have to hand it to the AB defense and the goalkeeper because there was more than one goal-line clearance and over a dozen corner kicks.

The main questions remain: Who starts at left back versus Guatemala if Johnson is not available? Does Edu and/or Onyewu continue as starter? Will the attack produce goals in a 4-4-2 formation? This next game is perhaps the most important because it lets us know just how well the team can do away from home and earn points to advance to the next phase of the qualifiers. They won at Panama and Italy under Klinsmann, can they repeat the feat in a meaningful match?

Player ratings:

Howard.............6

Cherundolo.......4

Bocanegra.........7

Goodson...........6

Torres................4

Donovan...........6.5

Dempsey...........7

Bradley..............7

Edu....................3

Jones.................5.5

Gomez..............7.5

Subs: Onyewu (3), Boyd (N/A), Altidore (N/A)