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[dropcap]S[/dropcap]o many breaks had gone the way of the United States men’s national team. The Germany-Portugal result; John Anthony Brooks’ miraculous header; the numerous injuries suffered by Sunday’s opponent; even a weakened Cristiano Ronaldo.
It seemed inevitable that luck would strike eventually in the opposite direction, and it did in gut-wrenching fashion when Silvestre Varela headed in Ronaldo’s cross in the dying seconds of the 95th minute, salvaging a 2-2 draw for Portugal and keeping both teams still in limbo within Group G.
Luck, though, played no part in the two sublime efforts that first evened, then put the U.S. ahead. Despite Geoff Cameron’s massive blunder in the fifth minute that allowed Nani to put Portugal ahead, Jermaine Jones channeled a moment of brilliance with a right-footed shot that erased the deficit, then Clint Dempsey’s cool finish gave the Americans a 2-1 lead in the 81st minute.
Heartbreak and disappointment is the foremost emotion following the result, but there’s good and bad to takeaway. Sean Cahill takes a look at both sides of things:
What Went Right
The midfield played much better. With the injury to Jozy Altidore, Klinsmann opted for a hybrid 4-5-1 that allowed Jones to roam a little free instead of staying shoulder to shoulder with Kyle Beckerman. The move worked, and the midfield found passing lanes for most of the match. Michael Bradley was back in his comfort zone while DeMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson managed to push up when needed.
Clint Dempsey had an interesting match, but it’s hard to argue with his result of his play before coming off with a knock to his ankle. Dempsey did all that he could to hold up play and managed to put a go ahead goal into the back of the net in the 82nd minute. Before that, Jermaine Jones blasted a rocket of a shot from about 25 yards out to bring the United States back from a 1-0 deficit. Those two goals should have been enough.
Tim Howard was incredible. After a major gaffe where Nani was practically gifted a goal in the first five minutes, Howard was a rock, making a few crucial saves. Honestly, neither goal was his fault and there was very little he could do about either one.
What Went Wrong
Geoff Cameron had two major gaffes that allowed Portugal to score. The first one was a very basic clearance that he plain whiffed on that allowed Nani to essentially take his time in picking where to put the ball into the net. The second one was a lapse of judgment where he failed to mark Varela on a gorgeous Ronaldo cross. If Cameron catches up and marks him properly, we aren’t even talking about his mistake in the first few minutes and celebrating advancement. Instead, Ronaldo finds Varela and were right back to where we started two hours prior.
Bradley, for as well as he played early on, had a terrible turnover that led to the surge by Ronaldo at the end. Bradley is usually one of the best men on the ball for the Yanks, but there is no excusing that mistake.
Kyle Beckerman wasn’t bad either, but his almost lackadaisical demeanor seems to go hand in hand with his subpar passing. There were several off passes that resulted in simple interceptions for.
There are plenty of scenarios abound for Thursday’s final matches in Group G. Thanks to the four points gained, most of those outcomes are fairly positive for the U.S. ahead of the meeting with Germany (Noon, ESPN). The American side advances unquestionably in any of the following scenarios:
- If the U.S. defeats Germany
- If the U.S. draws with Germany
- If Ghana and Portugal Draw
There’s also the notion that Portugal could win by two goals and the U.S. could fall to Germany by just as many, but that won’t be the desired outcome for Klinsmann’s group or any USMNT supporters. Here’s giving a quick reminder that after goal differential, goals scored combined in the group stage is the next tie-breaker in the World Cup.
A few final takeaways heading into the final match for the U.S. in the group stage:
The Results Are Encouraging
In 2010, half the teams who finished second in groups advanced with just four points. I imagined a likely scenario where the U.S. advanced with as many, and now it seems just as probable. Every nation in this “Group of Death” has proved why it was called as such, delivering gutsy performances and counter-punching when the situation called for it. Other nations in other groups have folded throughout this tournament, but four points against squads of this caliber is more than acceptable. Nothing was expected to come easy, and it hasn’t. Still, the U.S. sits in a pretty good place.
Dispatching the nation who’ve eliminated you in the past two cups, and getting a result from the fourth-ranked nation in the world, who also happen to have arguably the world’s most talented player, is what happens when you combine good coaching, talent, and ambition. Very talented teams have done less with more. As good as it is to play well, the point of the game is to outscore teams, win and advance.
We Know Now What We’ve Got
It’s been very difficult to read just how talented this 2014 squad is. At times, they’ve played with just one contingent of players and been without other key figures. Others, they’ve faced and gotten great results (see: Germany) when the opposition were putting out far less than their best 11 players. And what would we be able to produce attack-wise when it mattered without Landon Donovan?
Even after the Ghana match, more evidence was needed, but after 180 minutes or so, it’s clear: This United States team is better than any before. Even with several miscues, Howard is probably the best goalkeeper the nation has had. Matt Besler, who turned in a Man of the Match-performance, is as reliable as it gets in the center of the defense, playing like one of the best of his kind in this tournament. Bradley hasn’t played well, but we know his quality. His counterpart that returned to MLS, Dempsey, has proved that hasn’t hurt him whatsoever. His recent form in domestic play has carried over. Jones has played extremely well, and another German-American, Johnson, played large against Portugal.
Oh, there’s the depth, too. Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin have come on as substitutes and made critical contributions in positions where many questioned just what level of talent this team had. Both of them will be around in 2018, and they’ve gained more than just the experience of coming along for the ride.
That CONCACAF Is Pretty Good, Too
Mexico has plenty of work to do tomorrow, but regardless of what they do, they’ve proven that they belong. Costa Rica have played with relentless effort. Only Honduras has proven to be somewhat disappointing of the four teams representing the region.
Europe will always be a bed of talent, and behind home crowds, the South American sides that have enormous crowds to aid them have done what’s asked of them.
On the other hand, there’s a chance that no AFC (Asian Football Confederation) nation gets through, and several African sides have been the beneficiary of integral decisions by officials that have tilted the fates of teams involved. They may send through as many teams as North and Central America, but CONCACAF have far outperformed expectations, and it may be time to consider whether a play-off between other regions would be more appropriate, giving four full bids to CONCACAF in the future.
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