Hat trick Jozy and USA wins in Bosnia

Photo credit: Fehim Demir/European Pressphoto Agency

 

On paper this was a tough match. Bosnia and Herzegovina are 13th ranked in the world and on their way to their first World Cup in 2014. They have players like Dzeko and Ibisevic and Pjanic from reputable teams in Europe and would be playing at home in Sarajevo. So yes, a win was far fetched.

Klinsmann employed another experimental squad by adding and starting recently-pledged German-American Anthony Brooks as a center back. The  Hertha Berlin defender had a dream debut in the Bundesliga with a goal scored in his first match. Also available was Aaron Johannsson from the Dutch Eridivisie's AZ Alkmaar and former teammate of Jozy Altidore. In fact, he was the replacement for the veteran US attacker in his club when Altidore moved to Sunderland.

Another point here is that both Dempsey and Donovan, the perennial American aces, were given the day off. No matter. After going down 0-2 in the first half due to careless mistakes by Johnson in the first goal and Evans in the second, coach Klinsmann changed tactics and moved from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 with Eddie Johnson and Altidore as the twin attackers. Result: 4 unanswered goals.

Altidore has grown to own his space and place as the go-to goalscorer. He forces fouls, provides assists, holds the ball and, of course, plenty of goals. In fact, the former New York Red Bull player has scored in each of his last 5 games with the national outfit. And today was no cheap goal, no one moment of glory. It was a dominant striker and a deserved hat trick. Nifty switching for the first goal, a pitch perfect free kick for his second and a one-timer for the third. That's how you announce that you are in form and that other Premier League teams need to watch out. 

The other bright spot was Michael Bradley, who commanded his midfield once more with elegance and strength. His sublime pass to Altidore for Eddie Johnson's strike to score the first for the Americans exemplifies his attacking qualities. Fabian Johnson also had a good outing at left midfield, providing Altidore with a pass for his first of the evening. Honorable mentions go to Evans, Diskerud, Brooks, Johannsson, and Howard.

With the US riding on a 12-game unbeaten streak that has broken previous records three games ago, sights are set on the qualifiers in Costa Rica and versus Mexico in Columbus. The team will be different and the stakes much higher but it is clear that the Americans are once more at the top of Concacaf, with a Gold Cup for proof, no less. Hopefully this won't be a case of "peaking too soon." Such things are more difficult to predict in international soccer given the longer spans of time between matches. It's true, however, that a form like the current one at next year's World Cup could end up giving us something special.

Player ratings:

Howard..............6.5

Evans.................5.5

Cameron.............5.5

Brooks...............5.5

F. Johnson............6.5

Diskerud..............6

Bradley................7.5

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

Bedoya...............5.5

E. Johnson............6

Altidore................9

Subs: Johannsson (6), Kljestan (5.5), Corona (5), Castillo (5.5), Wood (NR), Parkhurst (NR)

World Cup teams set, scheming begins

Vive la France. Vive les Bleus. France are in after Henry "handed" them a victory thanks to his pass for William Gallas. It's tough to argue that significant dividends will come from the French's inclusion in next year's tournament. Add Anelka, Benzema, Henry and Malouda and you start to see the economic impact. This also sets up another possibility for Brazil to not win the tournament. For the past six World Cups, only France and Argentina have been able to knock off the "verdeamarela." France-Brazil in quarterfinals of Mexico '86 and Argentina-Brazil in the round of 16 in Italia '90 are some of my best memories.

Another economic success is Portugal's entry into the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the World Cup after all. After a poor showing at home versus Bosnia in a match that the Bosnians deserved to win (3 hits on the post), the Balkan team collapsed at home due to player suspensions and saw their chances of advancing come to an end on a sad night in Zenica. Portugal won without CR9 by the minimal score away from home.

Welcome back, Greece, Slovenia, Uruguay, Algeria. Greece, the unlikely Euro chanps in 2004, enter their second World Cup since their debut in 1994. This a stronger Greek team full of defensive potential. They are the new Italy of defensive football. Out is Shevchenko's Ukraine, which failed to win in Donetsk. Slovenia also managed to knock off another former Soviet republic--Russia. Guus Hiddink failed to qualify a young and promising Russian team that had raised a few eyebrows during the last three years.

Uruguay are back thanks to a playoff versus relatively weak Costa Rica. The team is loaded with attacking talent in Bueno and Forlan. Then there is Algeria, appearing in its first World Cup since 1986. They are a country rich in soccer history (Zidane's family is from Algeria). They battled against Egypt on neutral soil in Sudan after tying in every statistic in their respective African group. The match was a gut-wrenching 90+ minutes full of joy and sorrow. I caught the Egyptian-based signal and it was sad to hear the tones of voice emanating from the announcers even though I couldn't understand a word they said.

The next phase is Friday, December 4th in Cape Town (ESPN2 at noon), where the draw will take place that will decide the groups for the initial stage in next summer's tournament. Who will be in the "group of death"? Who will have an easy "group of life"? What group will the USA land in? It will be a fun couple of hours .

In & out: the November World Cup playoffs

Yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing a full world cup qualifying day with a great Bosnian friend of mine. Our prerogative was, of course, the playoff between Bosnia and Portugal played at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon. The home team came away with a victory of 1-0 in a game that could easily have gone Bosnia's way with three (yes, three) shots hitting the post. Dzeko was a threat in the area but Bosnia's chances came only in spurts as the hosts put continuous pressure on the visiting team. Return leg is on Wednesday at Zenica in Bosnia. An upset by the Balkan team could effectively push Cristiano Ronaldo's team out of South Africa. That would add another superstar's absence from to next year's tournament after Ibrahimovic's Sweden was eliminated.

Elsewhere in football yesterday was France's win in Ireland thanks to a Nicolas Anelka goal in Dublin. The bleus are now one foot away from South Africa. It was a scorcher between Russia and Slovenia. Russia deserved more, but Slovenia got an away goal late in the game that will prove crucial during Wednesday's return match in the former Yugoslav republic. Arshavin and Pavlichenko's play, along with Bilyaletdinov's brilliant strikes highlighted a young Russian side with great prospects for the future... if they are able to advance after Wednesday's game. Ukraine and Greece tied 0-0 in Athens. Donetsk will be a tough, cold venue for the Greeks in the return leg.

But the playoffs in Europe weren't the only qualifiers yesterday. Egypt forced a playoff in neutral ground against Algeria after a 95th minute goal earned them a 2-0 victory that tied their North African neighbors in points and goal differential. Nigeria and Cameroon also returned to the World Cup after their absence in 2006. Oceania finally has a team other than Australia (now in the AFC) earning a spot in the World Cup after New Zealand posted a 1-0 victory over AFC's Bahrain. Finally, another inter-conference playoff between Concacaf and Conmebol ended in a 1-0 victory for Uruguay in Costa Rican soil. The two-time world champs are now poised for another appearance in FIFA's most important tournament.

The fun doesn't stop there. Because this was an official FIFA date (meaning all club teams are required to cede their players for international matchups), high profile friendlies could be played. A depleted England fell to Brazil in Quatar whilst Spain beat out Maradona's Argentina. The US also had a friendly in Bratislava against a limited Slovakia side that was content with a 1-0 margin attained through a questionable penalty. Cunningham and Dax McCarty made the squad but didn't factor much. Wednesday brings a more intriguing game against Denmark on Danish soil. Edgar Castillo will feature for the Americans, as will Torres, Holden and Clark. Dempsey, Cherundolo, and Marshall have been released from camp.

Wednesday should be another great day for international futbol. Much is still at stake and all will be resolved ahead of next month's World Cup draw.