A lackluster U.S. performance against T&T
By Noah Davis, Goal.com
1 hour, 12 minutes ago
Getty Images - Oct 15, 11:02 pm EDT World Soccer Gallery Related CoveragePlayer ratings: USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago Goal.com World Cup 2010 qualifying coverage On a brutal pitch that felt close to 100 degrees, the U.S. national team fell 2-1 in an ugly match against Trinidad and Tobago at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Already through to CONCACAF’s final round of World Cup qualifying, the Americans didn’t need to win the game, while a result was of the utmost importance for T&T, which began in the night in a tie with Guatemala for the second and final qualifying spot in Group A.
The U.S.’s place on the table allowed Bob Bradley to play a host of youngsters – Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore saw their first starts of the round, while second-half substitute Charlie Davies scored the Red, White, and Blue’s lone goal.
Trinidad and Tobago: In trouble
Ultimately, this game says more about T&T than it does about the U.S. Certainly, the home team put itself in position to advance to the second round, especially with Guatemala’s 2-1 loss to Cuba, but the Soca Warriors didn’t impress on their turf. Neither did the squad’s fans, who failed to fill Hasely Crawford and were almost silent for much of the first half and part of the second until Russel Latapy’s goal in the 61st minute.
Conventional wisdom states that a win is a win, but – as we’ve seen too often in the case of the United States – there’s frequently much more to a victory than simply the score. While T&T simply has to avoid losing to Cuba at home in November to advance into the Hexagonal, the team’s fate in the next round is precarious unless it improves dramatically.
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The future of Beasley
DaMarcus Beasley, the most capped player in the United States lineup, had a solid, if never spectacular, match. He looked dangerous at times, although seemed overmatched in a leadership position without compatriots Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and others to help run the offense. Beas wore the captain’s armband, but Frankie Hejduk, merely a cap behind the Rangers man, earned respect with his hustle.
Furthermore, I’m not convinced DaMarcus is the solution at left back, a position he played in the latter stages of Saturday’s match against Cuba. He’s not just small, he’s tiny – Freddy Adu looked downright bulky standing next to Beas in a wall – and the United States gives up too many free kicks in dangerous positions to concede height. And yet, after the past two matches, there’s clearly a place for the midfielder on the 2010 World Cup team, just not in an obvious leadership role.
Guzan is no Howard
This isn’t a revelation, but if anyone doubted who was the American No. 1 keeper before Wednesday, those thoughts have been banished. Tim Howard’s backup from Aston Villa flubbed multiple forays by the Soca Warriors and generally looked off his game. While the first goal wasn’t Guzan’s fault, it did careen off the back of his head – after ricocheting off the post – and find its way into the net.
Trinidad and Tobago almost scored a goal early in the match after Guzan failed to punch away a free kick (why Adu and Beasley were in a two-man wall is another story), and only Michael Orozco’s correct positioning kept the game scoreless. Wednesday’s keeper will always be a serviceable No. 2 for the U.S., but that’s all he’ll be.
Jozy’s vision
Some talk before the match centered around whether Jozy Altidore could create within the context of the offense. While he scored against Cuba, it was on a semi-breakaway where he held off a defender one-on-one. But, lo and behold, Altidore showed he knows where his teammates are.
In the first half against T&T, the Villarreal striker slid a beautiful seeing-eye pass to Beasley who was in alone but, wrongly, ruled offside. Davies’ goal came on a feed from Jozy. By no means does Altidore have a complete understanding of the offense, but the kid’s only 18. Let’s give him a couple of months at least before requiring he pass the American soccer fan GRE.