This post is probably on the cusp of being irrelevant. It's after 1:00PM on the East Coast and the US victory over Jamaica last night at Crew Stadium in Columbus has been dissected, sewn back up, dissected again, picked through, had its organs set aside on that little squishy dissection tray, labeled, and is about to be tossed in a biohazard bag so we can all move on to something bigger...like cats or the October 12 match against Antigua and Barbuda. Sue me. I WAS AT THE GAME LAST NIGHT AND AM JUST NOW WAKING UP AND GETTING MY VOICE BACK!
I've purposefully not read any of the myriad articles rating player performances or the match recaps or even watched the telecast of the game to hear what Ian Darke and Steve McManaman thought of the Nat's showing last night. From the perspective of a fan buried deep inside the American Outlaws' section of Crew Stadium, here are my thoughts from last night's 1-0 victory.
1. Columbus knows how to host a World Cup Qualifier - I was at the 2-0 victory over Mexico last World Cup cycle and Crew Stadium is one of a number of soccer specific stadia in the US that represent a decided home field advantage. The attendance was a sell out at just under 30,000, but those 30,000 come in full voice, are knowledgeable, and have absolutely no stomach for anything but a win. Save for the exceedingly drunk American Outlaw supporter in the FDNY hat two rows in front of me who didn't face the field the entire match and untiringly attempted to start chant after ill-conceived chant by slurring spittle on the supporters in the row behind him, the supporters' sections were boisterous, engaged, and clever. Drunky's worst effort was probably an off key version of the Chimes of Pompey that went something like, "Fuck Jamaica, always cheating." Back to the drawing board, Homie.
2. Steve Cherundolo is nearly indispensable to both the US attack and defense - This is both good and bad considering he'll be 35 by the time World Cup 2014 rolls around and we've still not found anyone who looks remotely capable of consistently replacing him at right back. In the first half especially, his overlapping runs down the flank caused problems for the Jamaican defense and in the second half he saved a sure goal by tracking all the way back on a Jamaican break and getting a last minute header away at the back post with a yellow jersey climbing over his back.
3. Jermaine Jones is ill-tempered, combative, and I love him - His performances for the national team are sometimes hit and miss. He tends to get a little too involved working the ref on occasion, shows a propensity to flash his studs and elbows at various parts of his opponent's bodies, and therefore consistently seems to be the front runner for picking up a red card in almost every match he plays, but you need a guy like that, especially in CONCACAF qualifying.
4. We obviously miss Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley, but what about Stuart Holden? - Donovan's speed and goal scoring ability have waned somewhat in recent years, but he's still a vital link between the midfield and the forwards and Michael Bradley is a box-to-box machine who does almost everything well (save for grow a full head of hair). Part of what has made their joint absence so difficult to overcome is the lack of viable cover for the skills they provide. Our pool is blessed with a number of functional defensive minded midfield players like Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, and even Geoff Cameron, but the closest we've seemed to come to a creative spark in the center of the park is Jose Torres or a withdrawn Clint Dempsey. Both options are really just making do. I'd love to see Stuart Holden and his frosted tips healthy, springing the attack through midfield, and serving up set pieces like a boss. Can someone please put him back together again?
5. What happened after the goal? - In the first half our attacking play, predicated upon possession, was stellar if unlucky. I think we're up two or three nil at half time if Herculez Gomez gets what looked for all the world like a penalty when he was bundled over in the box a quarter of the way through the first half. Without the benefit of replay I don't know if I'm totally off base here or not, but a quick penalty kick goal and the momentum that comes along with it could have opened the flood gates. As it happened, the woodwork and a few excellent saves from Dwayne Miller left everyone with that Oh-my-God-it's-happening-again feeling.
When we finally did get our goal - and let's be honest here, it should have been saved - everything went to shit. Jamaica came out of their shell to try to find an equalizer and we seemed suddenly incapable of holding onto the ball, finding space, and taking advantage of the stretched field. Rather than seal the win, we resorted to hoofing the ball up the park and resetting to defend the next attack.
What's alarming about this is that we were playing Jamaica...at home...and did I mention it was Jamaica? Granted, they have an athletic, powerful, and fast side, but what happens against the likes of Mexico, Costa Rica, or even Panama in a similar situation? Brek Shea came on and hardly touched the ball until the last few minutes of the second half. Jozy Altidore came on and showed that he's most definitely been doing his best work with lots of time and space against suspect defenses in the Eredivisie. Maurice Edu came on and looked less than sharp holding on to the ball and finding the open man. I guess what I'm trying to say is that rather than getting a goal and then finishing a match, we got a goal that stirred up a hornet's nest and then held on until we could get out our EpiPens to ward off anaphylactic shock. Jermaine Jones collapsing at midfield after the final whistle said as much.
6. We won - Was it comprehensive and convincing? No. Did we find a way to take care of business? Yes. And that's the most important thing. Rather than a fine tuning that leads up to the big dance in 2014, World Cup Qualifying is a brutal, multi year slog that requires teams to experiment, develop, adjust, and improve in both drastic and subtle ways.
There are enough bright spots, young talents, and full-blooded personalities in the US team to believe that we'll find a way to navigate this process successfully. Rather than suspect that this US vintage is weaker than it has been in previous years, I suspect that it's simply more unformed and that CONCACAF on the whole is a stronger region. I think Jurgen Klinsmann will find a way to polish the machine and make all of the pieces fit, but I'm holding off on going fucking mental just yet.
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