USA v. Guatemala: Gold Cup Wrap Up
This was an ugly game of football. There were harsh tackles, poor passing and sloppy finishing in front of the net. Rarely did we see compelling stretches of the match were it looked something like a match at the international level. Of course, some will argue that this is what is to be expected in CONCACAF's Gold Cup. Guatemala were just awful. They never came to attack the US goal. Instead, they wanted to bog the match down with cheap fouls, grab jerseys and hope that a set piece would allow them to squeak a goal and possibly a point. If they wanted to frustrate the US in to mistakes, they did a damn fine job.
And it has to be said, the US were lucky to escape with the 1-0 victory. They did not finish several first half chances and they did not come out in the second half with the mentality that they needed to put the Guatemalan side away. Gooch Oneywu looked shocking. He nearly cost the US 2 goals with his poor positioning and I would argue his red card sending off was the best thing that could have happened. He'll miss the next match and it will give him a chance to collect his thoughts and focus. Oneywu is a serious talent with tons of potential. But in the past year he has gone so cold that I don't know when he will pull himself up and start playing like a top central defender again.
The Gooch red card will also force Bob Bradley to start Jay DeMeritt on Saturday and I believe the Watford defender is the better player right now. He logged a ton of minutes in the EPL this past season and having gone up against some of the best strikers on the planet the competition in the Gold Cup should be no problem for him. Gooch remember was in the EPL for a brief time with Newcastle as well, but never came close to being a regular.
I was surprised that Bradley did not start Vein of Form's current favorite player: Eddie Johnson. Instead he opted to push Clint Dempsey up with Taylor Twellman, and considering Dempsey scored the only goal of the match Bradley came out looking very smart with that decision. When EJ did get in he never looked much of a threat and when he should have been turning towards goal to make a shot he often passed the ball back to an on rushing player. Not what VoF would have expected from a player we were half serious about getting a look in from Arsenal!
Other bright spots on the US squad were Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber. They were incredibly solid in the midfield and while they did get beat a couple of times, more often than not they bossed the midfield and got forward to help create chances on goal. I'm very excited about these two players and will be following their progress closely this summer and next season for their clubs in Europe.
Coach Bradley made the decision to play Landon Donovan on the right. Donovan would normally be attacking in the middle of the pitch, but I didn't think he ever looked out of place. He wasn't great tonight, but then he has been very average all season for LA Galaxy. His crosses were okay, but he was atrocious on set pieces. I'm not convinced LD should even be starting right now, but if he does on Saturday (and he will) I would think playing him in the center would be the wise move.
I also think EJ should get the start. Give the guy a chance to get in the flow of the match from the first whistle. Bruce Arena did the same thing to him in Germany at the World Cup. EJ is the best American in MLS right now and if it were not for Juan Pablo Angel he would be the best player overall in the league.
This was a gritty win for the US. Anything less would have been a disaster but just the single goal may still be cause for concern. The team should have rolled through a sloppy and unorganized Guatemala in the first 45 and coasted through the second half. Instead, they let them hang around and before you knew it the crowd for the El Salvador v. Trinidad & Tobogo match were filling the seats and a packed house in California was against the US. Tonight was very near a complete disaster. Bob Bradley has just a couple days to get this sorted out. If the opponent tonight had been Mexico - the only country that should give the US trouble in the Gold Cup - it would have been a complete white washing. There is much work to be done.
And it has to be said, the US were lucky to escape with the 1-0 victory. They did not finish several first half chances and they did not come out in the second half with the mentality that they needed to put the Guatemalan side away. Gooch Oneywu looked shocking. He nearly cost the US 2 goals with his poor positioning and I would argue his red card sending off was the best thing that could have happened. He'll miss the next match and it will give him a chance to collect his thoughts and focus. Oneywu is a serious talent with tons of potential. But in the past year he has gone so cold that I don't know when he will pull himself up and start playing like a top central defender again.
The Gooch red card will also force Bob Bradley to start Jay DeMeritt on Saturday and I believe the Watford defender is the better player right now. He logged a ton of minutes in the EPL this past season and having gone up against some of the best strikers on the planet the competition in the Gold Cup should be no problem for him. Gooch remember was in the EPL for a brief time with Newcastle as well, but never came close to being a regular.
I was surprised that Bradley did not start Vein of Form's current favorite player: Eddie Johnson. Instead he opted to push Clint Dempsey up with Taylor Twellman, and considering Dempsey scored the only goal of the match Bradley came out looking very smart with that decision. When EJ did get in he never looked much of a threat and when he should have been turning towards goal to make a shot he often passed the ball back to an on rushing player. Not what VoF would have expected from a player we were half serious about getting a look in from Arsenal!
Other bright spots on the US squad were Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber. They were incredibly solid in the midfield and while they did get beat a couple of times, more often than not they bossed the midfield and got forward to help create chances on goal. I'm very excited about these two players and will be following their progress closely this summer and next season for their clubs in Europe.
Coach Bradley made the decision to play Landon Donovan on the right. Donovan would normally be attacking in the middle of the pitch, but I didn't think he ever looked out of place. He wasn't great tonight, but then he has been very average all season for LA Galaxy. His crosses were okay, but he was atrocious on set pieces. I'm not convinced LD should even be starting right now, but if he does on Saturday (and he will) I would think playing him in the center would be the wise move.
I also think EJ should get the start. Give the guy a chance to get in the flow of the match from the first whistle. Bruce Arena did the same thing to him in Germany at the World Cup. EJ is the best American in MLS right now and if it were not for Juan Pablo Angel he would be the best player overall in the league.
This was a gritty win for the US. Anything less would have been a disaster but just the single goal may still be cause for concern. The team should have rolled through a sloppy and unorganized Guatemala in the first 45 and coasted through the second half. Instead, they let them hang around and before you knew it the crowd for the El Salvador v. Trinidad & Tobogo match were filling the seats and a packed house in California was against the US. Tonight was very near a complete disaster. Bob Bradley has just a couple days to get this sorted out. If the opponent tonight had been Mexico - the only country that should give the US trouble in the Gold Cup - it would have been a complete white washing. There is much work to be done.
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