U.S Men’s National Team defeats the Netherlands 4-3

Lost among the excitement of the Women’s World Cup as well as the controversy of the recent FIFA corruption allegations and the resigning of FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been the USMNT. With the Women’s World Cup just around the corner, many people have forgotten about how the Men’s National Team also have an upcoming tournament they are preparing for; the Gold Cup. With just about a month left for Jurgen Klinsmann to decide his roster for the upcoming tournament, every opportunity for the players to force their way into the Gold Cup roster is extremely important.

This afternoon, the U.S had a friendly match against a Dutch team that just last Summer finished in third place in the 2014 world Cup.According to the latest FIFA rankings, the Dutch powerhouse are one of the best in the world coming in at #6, while the U.S find themselves at #27. Going into the match, the U.S. had never beaten the Netherlands before, with their record against the dutch sitting at 0-0-4. Factor in that the this game was to be played on Dutch soil and many people would say that the United States wouldn’t have a chance at winning this game. However, the U.S had other plans, defeating the dutch side while making this arguably the most exciting game the U.S competed in since the World Cup fixtures.

Game Recap

The first half of the game was a fairly even contest. Both teams had very good chances but neither could get on the board until Netherlands striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar was able to find the back of the net off a header from a cross outside the box. The Dutch lead was short-lived however, as LA Galaxy striker Gyasi Zardes was able to score his first international goal  off of a cross from midfielder Fabian Johnson. The United States were fortunate to go into halftime with the score 1-1 as the Dutch looked very dangerous every time they attacked, but keeper Brad Guzan was able to make some big saves to keep his team in the game.

The U.s started out very slow in the beginning of the second half and they were punished for it. Off of another cross outside the box, Huntelaar was able to score his second goal early in the second half. This was followed up by a shot just outside the 18 yard box by Huntelaar which deflected off of Dutch left-winger Memphis Depay and found the inside of the post, making it 3-1 in favor of the Netherlands. Despite being down, the U.S never gave up. They continued to claw their way back into the game, controlling more possession of the ball as well as continuing to create chances. Their hard work finally paid off when John Brooks was able to put home a low cross from Deandre Yedlin just outside the box. As time dwindled down the U.S kept pushing to get a late game equalizer. With just two minutes left of regulation, Danny Williams was able to get a shot off at the top of the 18 after a botched clearance of Michael Bradley’s corner kick. The shot deflected off of a Dutch defender and found it’s way into the back of the net making it 3-3. The U.S didn’t waste any time to take the lead as just moments later Bobby Wood was able to record his first international goal from the low ball cross off the foot of Jordan Morris, making the score 4-3. That’s all the goal scoring the U.S needed as they were able to hold that lead until the final whistle blew, picking up the victory.

3 Stars

3: John Brooks– Despite losing his mark on crosses which lead to Huntelaar’s goals, the young center back had some very good defensive plays as well as making a streaking run up the pitch to score a goal of his own. As he continues to learn by experience, John Brooks is a name you will be hearing for a long time wearing a U.S.A jersey.

2: Brad Guzan- Without the performance that Brrad Guzan turned in, the U.S could have very well been beaten by the Netherlands by multiple goals. This start was much needed by Guzan for his confidence as he ended his season with English Premier League club Aston Villa on a very low note.

3: Michael Bradley- The central midfielder wore the captain’s armband today and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. Bradley played a very good game, making key passes that unlocked the Dutch defense and lead to goals for both John Brooks and Bobby Wood.

What we learned

1. Many young players played their first game against an opponent of high quality, these players were not intimidated by the hostile environment and were able to hold their own.
2. The U.S showed character by battling back after going down 3-1 to such a skilled opposition.
3. Many times when Klinsmann put substitutes in during previous games, the team lost it’s intensity and often conceded goals. This game the substitutes brought energy to the team and even raised the intensity of the game, and were a huge part of the comeback.

Up Next

The USMNT’s road trip doesn’t get any easier as next up they play the #1 ranked Germany. The U.S will need to play much better on the defensive side of the ball if they want to have a chance at getting a result out of the next match.

USMNT – Mexico Recap

You’ll soon realize that I’m a huge soccer fan (have every FIFA game since ’08) and that America has a spot in my heart right next to Carrie Underwood and Domino’s Pizza so covering the USMNT is a no brainer. Plus it’s a proven fact that our new kits are certified fuego.

After our performance last summer in Brazil, we have gotten respect in the global soccer community but we are far from competing with the powerhouses of the world (Spain, Germany, the Dutch, ect.). We’ve struggled as of late versus Switzerland and Denmark, but I attribute it to Jurgen mixing and matching young talent and the absence of our real star players. Clint Dempsey’s been a bit hurt and Tim Howard is busy in the BPL (Yeah, it’s Barclay’s Premiere League; don’t hit me with that EPL shit). Bear with me as this blog was written in real time. Anyway’s lets get into it:

Pregame:

Nice 22-man roster despite no Jozy Altidore (suspension for red card v. Switzerland) or Clint (hamstring). Howard also did not suit up, instead Rimando put on the gloves. Jordan Morris, a Stanford University student, gets his first start up top due to Jozy’s absence. The crowd is primarily USA which is incredibly surprising since the game is in San Antonio and a strong Mexican fanbase was expected going in to today.

1st Half:

Bradley looked great back at a box-to-box midfielder. People gave him a lot of shit in the WC but he was not playing where he belongs due to Jozy’s injury. Bradley had a great series of moving the ball in the 5th minute and nearly created a scoring chance for Zardes before getting broken up by the Mexican defense. The US, in gerenal, had great offensive shape and moved the ball proficiently against Mexico but the defense looked a bit shaky giving up a few shots that shouldn’t have happened. Beckerman and Corona had a good start in midfield. Starting in the 20th minute, Mexico had a solid 2 minute sustained attack against the US but we withstood it. a few minutes later Bradley delivered a cross into the box and Morris was just unable to put is head on it. Morris looked good out on the field getting many chances but unable to capitalize. Gonzalez was our anchor at centerback deflecting multiple cross of the Mexican offense and keeping the pressure on as the ball progressed over half. As the match drew close to half, the US again had to endure a prolonged Mexican attack, just barely escaping allowing a goal by inches. Tempers got a little hot in the 44th as the ref had to break up a few of the players.

Halftime Observations:

Mexico has the momentum. US unable to sustain attack as the game progressed. Morris looking good in his first but he needs to be able to put a shot on if he’s going to be getting all these chances. Bradley and Beckerman are having great games so far. The field has gone to shit and has caused problems for Rimando in net as the ball’s bounce has nearly become unpredictable. Play is sloppy as players cant stay on their feet due to the slick conditions.

2nd Half:

SUBS: D: Brek Shea (Garza), M: Ibarra (Corona), G: Yarbrough (Rimando)

Right off the kick-off the US storms down the pitch and places multiple shots on goal. Remember what I said about Jordan Morris? Somehow he got my message for him (We must be twins separated at birth with some psychic link). Off a poor execution by the Mexican defense and spectacular ball-movement by Bradley and Zardes, Morris put one right past the keeper to put the US up 1-0 early in the second. Morris scores his first goal in his first USMNT game, kudos Jordan. The game soon became a back-and-forth kicking match but the US seemed to steal all momentum Mexico carried into the half. Scary news comes in the 60th minute as Beckerman (thigh contusion) limped off the field after a collision going for the ball. He didn’t get carted off, but you never want to see such a key player to this roster leave prematurely. Jump to the 65th, Morris subbed out to thunderous applause for Agudelo. The Mexicans would provide some pressure soon after bringing on fresh legs. The US was able to repeal the attack from great defense from Yedlin. We turned our defensive stand into great transition ball, getting the ball quickly downfield to Agudelo (yes, the same Agudelo who plays for the Revolution) for the 2-0 lead (72′). Bradley continues to have a great game after earning an assist on Agudelo’s goal nearly setting up another off a cross in the 79′ (Bradley’s corner-kick was just barely cleared off the goaline). Evans comes on at RB for Diskerud in the 81′ as Mexico would go into desperation mode to get on the board. In the end, the USA earned their 6th straight victory over Mexico.

With the win the USA put themselves in excellent position to win this summer’s Gold Cup to possibly earn a trip to Russia for the Confederation Cup.

#USMNT